Arch Manning's first season as Texas's full-time starting quarterback hasn't gotten off to the best start by any means. The preseason Heisman Trophy hopeful has a lot of pressure on him as the season continues.

In the Longhorns' second home game of the season this past Saturday vs. UTEP, Manning was even booed by his home crowd after really struggling in the first half. Manning completed just 5 of 16 passes for 69 yards and an interception before halftime, and after the game, he was honest about how he needed to improve moving forward.

Since the rough outing, Manning heard from a former Heisman Trophy winner to help lift his spirits. Charlie Ward, the 1993 Heisman winner for Florida State, said on CBS Sports HQ Tuesday that he offered support to Manning after the Saturday game. Ward admitted he was booed at home in '92, his first year as starter, so he can empathize with the Texas starter.

“When you go through different experiences and you see someone else going through it, you just want to offer some support because there are a lot of people out there killing him about his play, like he doesn’t recognize that he’s not playing well,” Ward said. "Just to be able to offer some words of encouragement and hope that you can overcome where you are."

Ward also noted that he struggled with "making bad decisions" in games, too. It's something you grow from as a football player.

“I struggled throwing interceptions, making bad decisions as well, but the one thing that I saw when I saw he got booed and what have you, I just immediately went back to ’92 when I was struggling, and I actually got booed at home,” Ward said. “And that was one of the reasons why I reached out to him.”

Ward's words surely helped Manning feel a bit better during this tough time. We'll see how the quarterback does on Saturday night when the Longhorns host Sam Houston.


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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Heisman Winner Offers Support to Arch Manning After QB Was Booed by Home Fans.

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