Artuz Manning saw last year's three-win season as a test of character for the Viking football team, following on the heels of a year which featured wins over two bowl division schools and a trip to post-season play.
"Last year, we were just a little short, but we were never out of it. It came down to the end of games and we just have to grind it out…yes, we weren't healthy, but I don't want to use that as an excuse," said Manning, a junior safety and the 2017 co-recipient of the Pokey Allen Endowed Scholarship.
Yes, there were 28 injuries, he said, "but that's what the college game is…someone goes down, the next guy has to step up."
And Manning would know a little about that concept because he was the "next guy" as a freshman during a year when then-senior defensive back Aaron Sibley was bothered by injuries through the year.
He went into last season with a solid year's experience but feeling he needed to work on being more confident.
"Artuz is not the tallest or fastest guy, but he's got good speed. He's physical and a good tackler," said safeties coach John Ely.
To be that, "it takes precision. It takes a great amount of focus. You have to be very athletic. You may not be the fastest out there, or have the greatest feet, so you have to play with great knowledge and great certitude," said Manning.
In the off-season, Manning worked to gain weight and work on his strength and foot speed, which meant he did a lot of weights. He's also working hard in the classroom, carrying around a B average in the School of Business. His goal is to be an entrepreneur, working in real estate and specializing in providing shelter for people in need.
Following a freshman year playing mainly at cornerback, Manning was moved to nickel back last season and it was at fourth-ranked University of Washington, a 41-3 loss in the season's third game, that his confidence began to strengthen.
"That game showed me I can play with anyone," he said.
He listed the season's last game, a last minute 35-28 loss to Eastern Washington, as a personal highlight. "We dominated them for the first half (Manning ended up with 12 tackles…eight solo)."
Perhaps more importantly, "that's the game where the defense really came together. We learned to rely on each other. We learned to play together."
And that's why the Viking defense has been strong against two FBS opponents at the start of the 2017 season. The Vikings held BYU and Oregon State to an average of 377 yards total offense. After two games, Manning was tied for 14th nationally with seven solo tackles per game.
"We're having a strong year because we have a lot of upperclassmen with a lot of experience this year. We've played together for a long time and have learned to play off each other," he said.
And, Manning has an expanded role this season, being moved to safety, which has expanded defensive secondary leadership responsibilities.
This year, the Viking coaching staff is pleased with the way he's started the season.
"He's good in space. He made a couple of open field tackles in the OSU game that would have gone for a big gain," said Ely. In his expanded role, Ely expects Manning to "help with enforcing on defense. He needs to make it known what we need to do," said Ely.
So, what's the most fun part of the game for him?
"Trash talking. I love to trash talk. It just happens in the heat of the moment. Sometimes I play against someone who can give as well as take the trash talk and I prefer playing someone like that."
Having played BYU and OSU tough this year, Manning believes this year's edition of the Vikings "can beat anyone. These bowl division teams have more reserves that we do, but we ground it out. We just need to grind it out and we can beat anyone."
