With Quinn Ewers still recovering from an oblique injury, Arch Manning will make his first start for No. 1 Texas on Saturday night against UL Monroe, Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian said Thursday.
“Quinn has come a long way from Saturday night to where he's been,” Sarkisian said. “But my decision is I'm looking forward to his future as a player, but also the future of the season for us. … And to have him possibly a week healthier long-term, I think, is good for us as we get ready to play in the SEC.”
The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Manning, the top prospect in the Class of 2023, has appeared in four games for Texas but had his big moment last week in a 56-7 win over UTSA after Ewers was injured.
Manning, who entered in the second quarter, scored five touchdowns. His 75-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Wingo and his 67-yard touchdown run (the longest ever by a UT freshman) marked the first time in school history that a player recorded a rush and a pass of at least 65 yards in the same game. Only Colt McCoy and Vince Young had done that in the same season for Texas.
Sarkisian said Manning always prepares as if he could be a starter, but it will be different executing the opening-series game plan rather than just being thrown into the fire.
“Arch is more than capable, as I think we all know,” Sarkisian said. “I mean, if you go out there and score five touchdowns off the bench, you've already proven you can play. Now, it's about executing the plan, doing it with confidence and fixing some of the issues on the field when they arise.”
Sarkisian said Ewers will be there to help Manning with any of those issues.
“Obviously Quinn will have a headset on. He'll be listening to every play,” Sarkisian said. “Certainly his support for Arch is critical and I don't foresee anything different than that.”
“All the goals that (Ewers) had and that we had for him heading into this season are still there for him. I think we have a national championship-caliber team, and he's the quarterback of that team. And I think we still have that to do to get there. … This kid is going to be in New York for the Heisman … and I think he has the ability to be a top-five pick in the NFL draft.”
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian
Sarkisian said he stressed to Ewers that taking a week off doesn't change anything. The Longhorns play their SEC opener Sept. 28 against Mississippi State. After a bye week, they have back-to-back games against No. 15 Oklahoma in Dallas and No. 2 Georgia in Austin.
Ewers is completing 73.4 percent of his passes this season, throwing for 691 yards and eight touchdowns, with two interceptions.
“All the goals that he had and that we had for him heading into 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.
“I think in some of the games we have coming up, this kid is going to be in New York for the Heisman. And whether he wins it or not, he has the ability to do it, and I think he has the ability to be a top-five pick in the NFL draft.”
ULM defensive coordinator Earnest Hill raised eyebrows Wednesday when he referred to his team's familiarity with Manning, a New Orleans native who attended Isidore Newman for high school.
“We actually have some guys on our team that played against him in New Orleans, and a couple of guys already beat him,” Hill said. “So they're not really scared of him. They're not going to be scared of him coming here at all.”
The Longhorns are 44.5-point favorites for Saturday's game, according to ESPN BET.
