'SASless' I would not trust a USNInews article about NavAv for them to get the details correct unless the author specialised in the matter. I read what you highlighted and thought 'that does not seem correct' but then did not try to puzzle it out at the time. The F-35C has automation that cannot be taken away as mentioned I think in the Dan Canin article.
My old brain always reverts to 'meatball, line up and airspeed (Opt AoA). Trim to that (the A4G held that attitude very well still with fast ailerons/elevators) controlling glideslope with throttle and AoA with elevator and line up with aileron. It is a twinkletoe business that keeps one occupied for a few intense concentration tunnel vision seconds. Nothing else will do. My skin crawls reading the F-35C mishap pilot was at flight idle for so long even lining up in that state. That was the time to wave off, given other bits were not OK, according to the pilot but then again I was not there - it was not me chief. For sure the LSOs need to know when the F-35C is in manual. I would have thought that was in the ball call. "Callsign Fuel Manual (or not)".