Some former college football players have come out in defense of Texas quarterback Arch Manning this week, attributing most of his early season issues to simply not being seasoned at the position. Former Texas quarterback David Ash is among them. Ash, who started for the Longhorns in 2012 and threw 19 touchdown passes, says he once watched Garrett Gilbert "get booed off the field" before he transferred to SMU and eventually carved out a career as a backup signal-caller in the NFL .

Manning's final story is far from being written, Ash said ahead of the eighth-ranked Longhorns' clash with Sam Houston .

"As with any young quarterback, he's on a growth journey," Ash wrote on social media . "Out chasing perfection every day. There will be highs and lows. But at some point he

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