The Texas Longhorns are facing a quarterback conundrum with an abundance of options.
Backup Arch Manning made a significant impact in his first game after starting quarterback Quinn Ewers sustained a non-contact abdominal injury against UTSA.
Manning, part of the renowned Manning football family, stepped in with impressive stats, throwing for 223 yards and rushing for 53 yards, contributing to 5 total touchdowns over 9 drives.
Despite the slow-footed reputation of his uncles, Peyton and Eli, Arch channeled his namesake and grandfather, Ole Miss legend Archie Manning while running with the rock.
This performance has raised questions about the Longhorns’ quarterback position moving forward.
It’s actually a good problem for Head Coach Steve Sarkisian and the No. 1 ranked Longhorns.
Saturdays Down South has the story:
The Texas Longhorns have a problem at quarterback.
No, this isn’t the column you are expecting. No, we aren’t saying there is a quarterback controversy brewing in Austin. No, Quinn Ewers isn’t going anywhere other than back to QB1 at some point – although that point likely will not this Saturday when the now-No. 1 Longhorns welcome Louisiana-Monroe to DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium.
Nevertheless … the Texas Longhorns have a problem at quarterback.
The problem is that Texas now has too many options under center. What was a theorem has now been proven – as beloved backup Arch Manning got his first meaningful taste of game time last week against UTSA.
Ewers went down with a non-contact abdominal injury in the second quarter against the Roadrunners, an eventual oblique strain that surely sent shivers down the spine of Longhorn Nation. But those shivers didn’t last long, as Manning – nephew of Peyton and Eli and grandson of Archie from the legendary Manning football family – calmly stepped in to produce 223 passing yards, 53 rushing yards and 5 total touchdowns over 9 drives.
Before we get too crazy here, a few caveats: Yes, we know UTSA isn’t exactly Alabama or Georgia. The Roadrunners might be in the running for all-time college athletics nicknames, but even Wile E. Coyote could break his lifetime winless streak against them. Also, it isn’t like Ewers hurt the shoulder or elbow in his throwing arm. Steve Sarkisian may be many things, but he isn’t dummy enough to consider replacing a preseason Heisman Trophy candidate with a redshirt freshman.
That hasn’t stopped the breathless Longhorn fans among you from helping the latter surge up the Heisman Trophy odds. Once a triple-digit longshot, Manning is now inexplicably as low as 16-1 in some parlors. That, dear reader, is precisely how the lights stay lit in Las Vegas.
Still, it is worth lobbing more than a few kudos in Manning’s direction. He electrified the Texas home crowd last Saturday with a 67-yard touchdown dash – the longest by a Longhorns quarterback since Vince Young in 2005. His first throw of the afternoon was a 19-yard TD toss to DeAndre Moore Jr. And his command of the pocket (again, this is UTSA we are talking as the opponent) was sharp throughout.