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Steve Sarkisian vows to 'evaluate everything,' won’t rule out benching Arch Manning amid Texas' two-game skid

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Martin, C. (2026, October 18). Steve Sarkisian vows to 'evaluate everything,' won’t rule out benching Arch Manning amid Texas' two-game skid. Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/outkick-sports/steve-sarkisian-vows-evaluate-everything-wont-rule-out-benching-arch-manning-amid-texas-two-game-skid

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Fox News · collected 2026-10-18 · by Chantz Martin

Quick Summary

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian vowed to “evaluate everything” after the Longhorns lost a critical game to Florida, dropping them to 4-2 and ending their two-year undefeated streak at home against unranked opponents. Arch Manning, who threw for 173 yards but was sacked five times, might face benching as Sarkisian did not rule out changes in quarterback position or play-calling strategy amidst the team’s recent poor performance.
Written by AI on 2026-10-18, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

As of October 17, 2026, the Texas Longhorns lost their second consecutive game to the unranked Florida Gators, falling from being the No. 1 team in the country just two weeks prior to a current ranking of No. 7. The game ended with a score of 27-24 after Texas quarterback Arch Manning fumbled near the end, sealing Florida's victory. This loss raises concerns about the Longhorns' playoff chances and Manning's performance, leading head coach Steve Sarkisian to say everything will be evaluated, including possibly benching Manning.

Texas had been dominant earlier in the game, leading 17-3 midway through the second quarter at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin. However, Florida rallied with a methodical offense led by backup quarterback Tramell Jones and outscored Texas 24-7 over the final two and a half quarters to secure the win.

The defeat comes after a bitter loss to their arch-rival Oklahoma, further damaging the Longhorns' playoff aspirations. Manning, who entered the season as a Heisman Trophy hopeful and top NFL draft pick, has struggled to meet expectations despite being one of college football's most hyped recruits since 2023. Sarkisian did not directly rule out benching Manning but emphasized that "everything means everything" in terms of evaluating the team's issues.

Texas faces challenging upcoming games against Ole Miss and other SEC teams, making it crucial for the coaching staff to address recent setbacks effectively if they hope to salvage their season.

Written for “Texas Football Struggles Continue” on 2026-11-03, grounded in this article and the 6 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Texas Football Struggles Continue
Sports · 7 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 10% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 10 claims Outlet record 66/100
“While both articles discuss Arch Manning's performance in Texas' loss to Florida on October 17, 2026, Article B focuses more on Steve Sarkisian's reaction and the team's struggle rather than describing the same specific incident as Article A.”
Fox News
Hedges 6 of 22 claims Outlet record 69/100
Toronto Star
Hedges 2 of 31 claims Outlet record 64/100
“While both articles discuss Texas losing to Florida and Steve Sarkisian's comments about evaluating everything, ARTICLE B focuses more on Florida's victory and historical context, not just the loss itself.”
Toronto Star
Hedges 3 of 29 claims Outlet record 64/100
“The articles describe different games and periods of time, with Article A focusing on a recent upset victory over Florida despite Texas' struggles, while Article B discusses Arch Manning's upcoming game against Ole Miss amid his own struggles.”
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 19 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A focuses on Steve Sarkisian's comments after Texas' loss to Florida, while Article B provides additional context about Florida's season and the details of their upset victory over Texas.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
31
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
10%
3 of 31 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
69/100
Fox News's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
7
Sports
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-18 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Fox News · 6416 article(s) · 11 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 11 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Chantz Martin
63 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Next week, BYU will travel to Salt Lake City for an in-state rivalry game against Utah, while Arizona State will host Colorado in Tempe.
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🔮 The Oklahoma City Thunder will have to navigate the next couple of months without one of their key players.
🔮 Watkins added that she's already imagined what it will feel like to see her first basket go in.
🔮 This Thanksgiving, NFL fans will once again have the opportunity to enjoy three games spread across the afternoon and evening.
🔮 Watson’s injury occurred as he made a 53-yard catch, with Panthers cornerback Will Lee also getting hurt on the play while making a diving stop.
🔮 Milwaukee could come to a standstill Friday, with thousands of fans expected to line the streets for a victory parade celebrating the Brewers’ long-awaited championship.
🔮 After negotiations reportedly described as "tense," the Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries learned they would play Game 6 at State Farm Arena in downtown Atlanta on Thursday.
🔮 Christopher Neely, a YouTube content creator who goes by "Uncle Neely," recently suggested that Coach Prime was willing to pay up to $50,000 to silence his vocal critics.
Also by Chantz Martin
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 63 articles by Chantz Martin →

Topics

Florida Gators Longhorns Ole Miss Texas

Subjects

Texas GPE · 8× Sarkisian PERSON · 7× Florida GPE · 6× Longhorns ORG · 3× Arch PERSON · 2× Gators ORG · 2× Manning PERSON · 2× Ole Miss GPE · 2× Arch Manning PERSON · 1× FOX News ORG · 1×

Narrative

Following back-to-back losses to struggling SEC opponents, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said everything was under consideration as he looked to get the team back on track.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-18
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Claims (31 extracted, 3 hedged)

Florida's 2026 season got off to a strong start, with the Gators moving to 4-0 after upsetting then-No. 4 Ole Miss in Week 4. asserted
Gators → get → Week
Florida then dropped their next two games. asserted
Florida → drop → games
Despite entering this Saturday's game at Texas on a two-game skid and as an underdog, a late game sack-fumble by Arch Manning sealed a 30-27 upset victory for Florida. asserted
fumble → enter → Florida
Texas has struggled against Florida in recent history, losing to the Gators 29-21 in October 2025. asserted
Texas → struggle → October
That Florida team went on to finish 4-8. asserted
team → go → 4
This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. uncertain
page → contain → partners
If you sign up or place a wager, FOX News may be compensated. uncertain
News → sign → wager
This content was created by a team that works independently from the FOX newsroom. asserted
that → create → newsroom
The past eight days have been particularly painful for the Longhorns, who suffered a crushing loss to Oklahoma last week that cost them the No. 1 ranking. asserted
that → suffer → ranking
Following back-to-back losses to struggling SEC opponents, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said everything was under consideration as he looked to get the team back on track. asserted
team → follow → track
"Everything’s going to be evaluated," Sarkisian said. asserted
Sarkisian → go → ?
He also did not rule out a potential change at quarterback. asserted
He → rule → quarterback
"Everything means everything," Sarkisian said. asserted
Sarkisian → mean → everything
"It would be easy for me to say, 'Hey, Arch was the problem today.' asserted
Arch → say → ?
Sarkisian added that the opening quarter was the Longhorns’ lone bright spot. asserted
quarter → add → ?
"Obviously, I'm extremely disappointed," he said. asserted
he → disappoint → ?
"We didn't play very good football today, outside about the first quarter. asserted
We → play → quarter
We kind of bled out." asserted
We → bleed → ?
Texas finished Saturday's game with only 50 offensive snaps, the lowest total in Sarkisian’s tenure. asserted
Texas → finish → tenure
Florida sacked Manning five times. asserted
Florida → sack → Manning
Manning's day ended with 173 passing yards and one touchdown pass. asserted
day → end → yards
Texas entered the day having defeated 22 consecutive unranked opponents at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium. asserted
Texas → enter → Royal
The Longhorns now hold the dubious distinction of being just the third team since 1936 to reach No. 1 in the AP poll before losing consecutive games to unranked opponents, according to ESPN Research. uncertain
Longhorns → hold → Research
Sarkisian offered a blunt assessment of how Texas has performed recently. asserted
Texas → offer → assessment
"We're not playing very good football right now," he said. asserted
he → play → football
"I have to evaluate everything. asserted
I → have → everything
It's gonna be a long night." asserted
It → go → ?
Sarkisian also calls Texas’ offensive plays, meaning his own role will likely be part of the evaluation process. asserted
role → call → process
"I don't know how many times I need to say it," Sarkisian said. asserted
Sarkisian → know → it
"We're going to evaluate everything from an offensive perspective. asserted
We → go → perspective
Texas will host Ole Miss in Austin next Saturday. asserted
Texas → host → Austin
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