“All he’s done is work”: Arch Manning’s breakthrough earns Ryan Clark’s praise ahead of high-stakes Georgia clash

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning had an underwhelming start to the season despite massive expectations. However, the dual-threat quarterback has been impactful on the field in the past two games.

On Friday's episode of ESPN's "First Take", ex-Steelers safety Ryan Clark praised Arch Manning for showing growth and focusing on development as the season progresses.

"The one thing I want to say about (Arch Manning) and his family is that none of the things that were heaped on him before the season were because of him," Clark said as per On3. "He said himself, 'allow me to play football.' His family doesn't come out and refuted anything. They haven't said anything to the negativity that he's received, and all that young man has done is put his head down and continue to work. "Steve Sarkisian has done an amazing job of allowing Arch Manning to progress this season. And if he does play extremely well against Georgia and if that team wins, there has to be so much positivity heaped on the way he's fought through adversity this season. A lot of people never saw him facing that, and definitely didn't have him coming out the way he has."

Arch Manning has helped the Longhorns to a 7-2 record heading into Saturday's game against the Georgia Bulldogs. He has tallied 2,123 yards and 18 touchdowns passing while rushing for 203 yards and six touchdowns.

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Ex-Alabama coach Nick Saban highlights Arch Manning's growth ahead of Saturday's showdown against Georgia

On Friday's episode of the "Pat McAfee" show, ex-Alabama coach Nick Saban said that there are two reasons why the Longhorns have improved after a slow start to the season.

He highlighted Arch's development and also talked about how the O-line has been doing a good job of protecting their quarterback.

"Texas has improve for two reasons," Saban said. "I think in the last two games, Arch has played better, he's playing with a little more rhythm. Not hurrying everything up and he's been more effective and efficient. ...And the offensive line has played better. "So those two things I think have made them show improvement as a team. But they still haven't been a dominant team. ... They still have issues on the team that I think they need to resolve."

The Texas vs Georgia game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ABC and ESPN3. Can Steve Sarkisian's team improve on their four-game winning streak?

Edited by Priyam Hazarika