Arch Manning looks to honor his last name as the family’s next great quarterback.
The former five-star recruit made the most of an opportunity when replacing an injured Quinn Ewers on Saturday. Manning led the Texas Longhorns to a 56-7 win over UTSA with four passing touchdowns and a 67-yard rushing score.
Manning has had the benefit of learning from legendary quarterbacks. On Tuesday, the 19-year-old discussed what his grandfather, Archie Manning, has taught him off the field.
“My grandfather told me, first off, just be a good guy. That’s kind of his thing,” Arch said, via Anne-Parker Coleman of KVUE News. “He came to just about every practice in high school, so I guess you can say he’s one of my biggest role models. I’ve learned so much from him.”
A college football icon, Archie Manning earned consecutive first-team All-SEC honors in 1969 and 1970. The former Ole Miss quarterback finished those seasons fourth and third in the Heisman Trophy voting.
With Saturday’s dominant performance, Arch took the first significant step to carry on that legacy. The sophomore posted a 99.9 QBR (graded on a 1-100 scale) when turning 12 pass attempts into 223 yards and four scores.
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said he hasn’t needed to change much with Manning leading the offense in practice this week.
“I don’t do anything,” Sarkisian said, per ESPN’s Dave Wilson. “Arch is just another guy on our team, and the reason I’m able to do that is because that’s who Arch is every day. He’s the selfless teammate. He cares about the guys on the team. He cares about Quinn. They’ve got a great relationship. He works his tail off. He wants to play good football for them because he knows how hard everybody’s working.”
Ewers remains questionable for Saturday’s game against Louisiana-Monroe, which means Manning could make his first career start for Texas.
Related: Arch Manning Shows Why He Was No. 1 Prospect With 2 Plays