Nick Saban praised QB Arch Manning and showed how he 'got his ass knocked off' for Texas football

Saban took control of the clicker Saturday morning and went over Manning’s debut in anticipation of his first start Saturday night against Louisiana-Monroe. Chances are it’s a segment that Texas coach Steve Sarkisian will watch multiple times, too.

Saban covered just about everything. “The thing I love most about it is the confidence Sark shows in his players,” Saban said. All the way down to a mistake where Manning “gets his ass knocked off.”

Saban has full knowledge of Arch Manning mania, as he tried to recruit Manning to Alabama while coaching the Crimson Tide. Saban has spoken multiple times about his deep respect for Arch’s family and the entire Manning clan.

But Saban went full Saban during the ESPN segment.

When Manning first came into the UTSA game, starting quarterback Quinn Ewers had just been knocked out with a strained abdomen injury. Saban broke down how Manning had multiple reads and made a calm decision to find DeAndre Moore for a 19-yard touchdown.

“Arch does a great job of faking here, so the contain man takes the fact so he can break contain,” Saban said.

When Sarkisian broke the play down last Monday, the Texas coach said, “We were actually trying to get, I think it was Isaiah Bond in the flat. They guarded him. Then we were trying to hit Gunnar (Helm) on a corner. They guarded him. And then he found DeAndre on the over route. So that was encouraging. The first play in, he was getting to his third read. But I thought the ball was really going to the right people.”

Related: Texas HC Steve Sarkisian goes in depth breaking down Arch Manning’s impressive breakout performance for Longhorns

Two offensive plays later, Saban pointed out that UTSA left a defender unblocked. “They’re going to run the zone play and they’re not going to block this guy, that’s Arch’s read,” Saban said, drawing it out on the screen.

Manning took off for a 67-yard touchdown run. “Now he shows really good athleticism, kind of like his grandfather Arch, in making this guy miss right here, and he’s going to show really good speed in outrunning a whole bunch of folks to get to the end zone.”

Saban also showcased what happened when Manning got smashed by a blitzing defender.

The Roadrunners had numbers up front and overloaded the protection scheme. Saban pointed out that it’s up to Manning to see that and call for the running back to stay in and protect. If not that, then Manning must get rid of the ball quickly to his hot receiver, or the receiver who gets open fast for a quick throw.

“You see the blitz coming, you gotta throw it hot,” Saban said. “They can only block five. He doesn’t do either one, so he gets his ass knocked off. He’ll learn from that play, no doubt. But that’s the hardest thing for young quarterbacks.”

All in all, Saban reminded the audience how young Manning is and how the redshirt freshman will only get better with time, like Saturday against ULM.

“I don’t think there’s anything like experience and playing in the game,” Saban said.