Arch Manning to make first start at Texas: Star quarterback sees action against ULM as Quinn Ewers recovers from injury
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian announced Thursday that quarterback Arch Manning will start Saturday against Louisiana-Monroe. Incumbent starter Quinn Ewers, whom Sarkisian called “questionable” on Monday, suffered an abdominal injury in the Week 3 win over UTSA.
Sarkisian wasn’t worried about Ewers’ long-term future, but the Longhorns will be cautious with SEC games coming up in the coming weeks. This will be the first start of Manning’s young career.
“I don’t think he needs to focus on leadership right now,” Sarkisian said of what to expect from Manning. “I think he needs to focus on knowing what he’s supposed to do and playing at a high level… But our focus has been on him playing good football, and leadership will come when it needs to come.”
Manning stood out in his first truly significant actioncompleting 9 of 12 passes for 224 yards and four touchdowns, while also adding a fifth on the ground with a thunderous 67-yard run.
The nephew of legendary quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning signed with Texas in 2023 as the No. 1 player in his class. He was a backup for most of his freshman season but appeared in two games, including the Big 12 championship game against Oklahoma State.
Opportunity to increase pass efficiency
Take a limited sample for what it’s worth, but Manning… has He’s been one of the most efficient throwers in college football this season. His passing efficiency of 317.8 yards literally leads the FBS (15 passes minimum). His 17.7 yards per attempt lead the SEC. He even has more passing yards (318) than Kentucky’s Brock Vandagriff (313 on 55 attempts) and nearly as many as South Carolina starter LaNorris Sellers (393 on 53 pass attempts).
Although the Warhawks have one of the highest-scoring defenses in the country after games against FCS Jackson State and UAB, their passing defense currently ranks eighth in the Sun Belt while allowing an average of 197 yards through the air. Jackson State quarterback Jacobian Morgan completed 23 of his 28 passing attempts for 228 yards and a touchdown in the season opener.
Athletic versatility on full display
Manning’s 67-yard field goal wasn’t just an easy jog to the end zone. He made a smart read on an option play, outran a defender to the edge, pulled another one of his cleats past the first-down line and then finished the play looking like the fastest person on the field.
He might as well have been. He hit a top speed of 20.7 miles per hour on the touchdown run, similar to some of the NFL’s best speed and skill position players. Manning also had touchdown passes of 75 and 51 yards, for good measure.
The jars should be ready to go.
This decision does not seem to have any impact on Ewers’ future, as he continues to make progress with his injury.
“My decision is I’m looking forward to his future as a player, but also the future of the season for us and his longevity and the possibility of him being a week healthier long-term,” Sarkisian said. “I think it’s good for us as we’re getting ready to play in the SEC.”
Texas has been in this situation before. A shoulder injury forced Ewers to miss two games last season, allowing Maalik Murphy (now at Duke) to get more playing time. Murphy threw three touchdowns and three interceptions against BYU and Kansas State, but the Longhorns won both games.
Ewers entered the game against UTSA as the Vegas favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. Not playing for a week won’t hurt his chances too much; the Longhorns open SEC play next week against Mississippi State and then have a bye week against Oklahoma on Oct. 12.
“One thing I tried to convey to Quinn is that all the goals that he had and that we had for him before this season are still there for him,” Sarkisian said. “I think we have a national championship-caliber team, and he’s the quarterback of that team, and I think we still have that ahead of us to accomplish.”
