The Texas Longhorns watched its future at quarterback shine bright in Austin on Saturday night against UTSA when Arch Manning had to take over for Quinn Ewers, who suffered a "strained abdomen" in the second quarter of the 56-7 rout.
Ewers, a Heisman Trophy favorite, had just completed a pass to his tight end, Gunnar Helm, when he went for a hand-off on the next play to Quintrevion Wisner. He walked away from the play limping and eventually took a seat on the turf, where he called trainers out.
Ewers would end up being evaluated in the medical tent and head out to the Texas locker room, where he’d return to the sideline in street clothes. His night was finished.
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"It remains to be seen the seriousness of that," Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said of Ewers’ abdominal injury.
As Ewers was being helped off the field, Sarkisian turned to his redshirt freshman backup in Manning to get the job done against a UTSA team that Texas should dominate.
That domination came immediately from the nephew of NFL greats Peyton and Eli Manning.
ARCH MANNING RECORDS FIRST COLLEGE TOUCHDOWNS AS TEXAS RUNS OVER COLORADO STATE IN SEASON OPENER
Manning ending up totaling five touchdowns in the victory, and it began with a four-play, 72-yard drive that saw DeAndre Moore Jr. scoring a 19-yard touchdown to take a 21-0 lead. Ewers had thrown for two touchdowns and one interception before coming out of the game.
Then, Manning showed off his wheels, as he busted out a 67-yard run, where he made tacklers miss, on just the second play of Texas’ next drive to make it 28-7.
The second half saw more Manning magic, as he hurled a 51-yard touchdown to Isaiah Bond to kick off the Longhorns’ third quarter, and then he connected with Ryan Wingo for another deep ball downfield for a 75-yard touchdown.
In the end, Manning threw just 12 passes, but he connected on nine for 223 yards with four touchdowns, while owning 53 rush yards on three carries with his score on the ground as well.
After the game, Sarkisian discussed Manning’s ability to take over and produce when Ewers went down.
"It’s hard when you have a backup who doesn’t have a ton of experience. Arch was our third guy last year," Sarkisian said, via the New York Post. "There’s nothing like being in the game. Playing in front of 105,000 people is not the easiest thing to do. I’m really proud of Arch."
While some may talk about Manning’s performance as a reason to let them continue starting, Ewers, the senior who is expected to be a top NFL Draft pick in 2025, is one of the best quarterbacks in the country who led Texas to the College Football Playoff last season. He has the starting job, unless his injury remains something that will keep him sidelined.
Manning has showcased his tremendous talent this season after sparingly seeing the field in his true freshman season in 2023. He knows his role and is ready to step up when he’s called upon, but it has to feel good for Longhorns fans knowing that sort of talent is waiting in the wings.
So, while everyone looks at Manning’s film from his brilliant play against UTSA, he’s hoping his teammate can be healthy.
"I’ve just learned so much from him," Manning said. "He’s been the man to me, and I hope he’s OK."
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