You might not have even noticed that Quinn Ewers had left today’s game against UTSA with an injury with how efficiently former No. 1 prospect Arch Manning played after Ewers left the game.
Early in the second quarter, after throwing two touchdowns, Ewers suffered a non-contact injury and had to leave the game. Manning, who had been relegated to a grand total of 11 passing attempts up to that point, stepped in and looked like an experienced starter for the remainder of the game.
Manning contributed five touchdowns – four passing and one rushing – with 223 passing yards and 53 rushing yards in a 56-7 dominating win over the Roadrunners.
Arch Manning BALLED OUT in Texas’ 56-7 win over UTSA 👏🔥
276 TOTAL YDS & 5 TD 🤯
Stepped up for the injured Quinn Ewers 🙌 pic.twitter.com/AosP4r7G2Y
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 15, 2024
Granted, UTSA aren’t exactly Oklahoma or Georgia – both of whom the Longhorns play next month – but a big performance is a big performance.
It’s still not clear what’s ailing Ewers and whether he’s going to be out for a few days or a few months. But with the way Manning played today, there has to be plenty of confidence in his ability to lead them forward.
The Longhorns will be home for their final non-conference game of the season against Louisiana-Monroe followed by their first in-conference game as a member of the SEC when they host Mississippi State to close out the month of September.
Will Manning get the starting nod against Louisiana-Monroe next week or was today’s game the last we’ll see of him for a while?
Related: Arch Manning Shows Why He Was No. 1 Prospect With 2 Plays