After quarterback Quinn Ewers suffered an injury in Saturday’s game against the UTSA Roadrunners, the Texas Longhorns put former No. 1 prospect Arch Manning into the game and he subsequently went on a tear en route to a 56-7 win. So who will start this weekend against Louisiana-Monroe?
On Thursday, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian named Manning the starting quarterback for Saturday night’s game against the Warhawks. It will be the first collegiate start of Manning’s career. Whether it’s his last is totally up to how he plays against a team that the Longhorns enter as 44.5-point favorites against.
“Arch Manning is going to start at quarterback for Texas on Saturday, coach Steve Sarkisian said,” Sam Khan Jr. of The Athletic reported.
Saturday’s game against UTSA marked the most significant amount of playing time that Arch Manning has received since joining the Longhorns in 2023. He played exceptionally well, completing nine of 12 passes for 223 yards and four touchdowns while adding another 53 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
Granted, Texas is so good right now that Manning’s grandfather probably could have thrown for several touchdowns this past weekend. It will be very surprising if he doesn’t put up a similarly strong performance against Louisiana-Monroe.
Sarkisian probably won’t make a final decision on whether to make Manning the permanent starter based on how he performs this weekend. But if Manning is named the starter against Mississippi State the week after and plays well then, things could get very interesting.
Will this be the first of many starts for Manning this season?
Related: Texas Starting QB Quinn Ewers Injured, Replaced By Arch Manning