Texas star edge rusher Colin Simmons may have unintentionally given opposing fan bases a little extra motivation.
Asked about the toughest environment he’s has played in, Simmons didn’t point to LSU, Alabama, Georgia or any other SEC stadium.
Instead, he said:
“We have Arch Manning as our quarterback, any stadium we walk into is going to be tough.”
The comment appears to reflect the enormous attention that follows Manning and the Texas program. Wherever the Longhorns play, they’ll likely get every opponent’s best shot because of the hype surrounding college football’s biggest name.
Still, Simmons’ wording has sparked conversation. Taken at face value, it almost sounds as if having Arch Manning under center makes life harder for Texas on the road rather than easier.
That’s almost certainly not what Simmons intended. More likely, he meant that Manning’s star power turns every road game into a hostile, sold-out environment.
Even so, opponents won’t care much about the context. They’ll gladly embrace the idea that Texas already expects every road trip to be a battle because of the quarterback wearing No. 16.
With expectations sky-high in Austin, every trip away from home will now come with even more attention—and perhaps a few more opposing fans eager to remind Texas of Simmons’ comments.
