AUSTIN – The Texas Longhorns and their fans were treated to a show Saturday night when redshirt freshman quarterback Arch Manning came in to replace Quinn Ewers and put on a dominant performance in a blowout win over UTSA.
Manning finished the game completing 9 of his 12 passes for 223 yards and four touchdowns, while also running for 67 yards.
Even though Manning is widely believed to be the starting quarterback, Ewers should and will remain the starting quarterback once he recovers from his abdominal strain.
And they will need it.
There is no doubt that Manning’s performance on Saturday night was incredible and he deserves the title of the best backup quarterback in the country.
Still, Ewers was the betting favorite for the Heisman Trophy in Week 3 for good reason.
And going forward, in the SEC, Ewers’ battle-tested experience will be invaluable.
Yes, Manning is as talented as they come, and he will be the No. 1 quarterback next season after Ewers takes his talent to the NFL.
But against UTSA, Manning showed some signs of inexperience that would have made a much bigger difference for the Longhorns in SEC play.
These brief moments were obviously overshadowed by his spectacular plays, but upon closer inspection, Manning actually held onto the ball too long a few times – one of which led to a hard hit and a sack.
The same goes for a zone read play where Manning made the wrong decision and held onto the ball, resulting in a loss in the backfield.
In this particular scenario, these moves had no impact on the outcome.
But in the heart of SEC games, against the defenses of Georgia or Oklahoma, something like that could be a disaster.
Is that a bit petty? Sure.
But Ewers has proven himself time and again in the biggest moments and under the toughest conditions over the past two seasons. He did so against Alabama in Tuscaloosa in 2023 and several times on the road and in the Big 12 title game.
This season, he did it on the national stage against Michigan in the largest stadium in the country.
Such things are priceless.
Could Manning come out big in such scenarios? Absolutely. But the truth is that it’s a complete unknown, and until we see it, it will remain that way.
Meanwhile, the Longhorns knowledge that Ewers can do it and as the undisputed leader of the team, the players know that too.
So yes, the Longhorns will continue to ride the Arch Train until Ewers is ready.
But once he’s back to a point where he’s ready to play, Ewers will once again take the lead on offense.
