Getty Image / Tim Warner
Texas Longhorns sophomore quarterback Arch Manning, nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning and grandson of Archie Manning, decided to stay at Texas this season and serve as the backup to Quinn Ewers instead of transferring and starting somewhere else.
On Saturday night, he was thrust into the role as starter against Texas-San Antonio when Quinn Ewers left in the 1st half with an abdominal injury. Manning played great, and early reports were that Ewers could miss multiple weeks as he recovers.
But, it seems like that won’t be the case, as new reports claim that Arch Manning might only get one start as Quinn Ewers’ injury isn’t all that serious.
“Sources: Quinn Ewers ab injury isn’t as serious as initially feared. He’s likely to miss the Louisiana Monroe game this week, but is “week to week” after leaving the UTSA game with what Steve Sarkisian termed an abdominal strain,” Pete Thamel said on Twitter Sunday afternoon.
That’s probably good for Texas fans, as Quinn Ewers is arguably the best quarterback in the country and has a ton of big-game experience. But, Arch Manning sure was fun to watch on Saturday night.
On the night, Manning was 9/12 for 223 yards and three touchdowns through the air, and added this long rushing touchdown.
ARCH MANNING TAKES IT 67 YARDS TO THE HOUSE WITH HIS LEGS 😱
It's the longest rush by a Texas QB since Vince Young in 2005. pic.twitter.com/AjU9uSli2c
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 15, 2024
The number-one overall recruit in the Class of 2023 according to multiple recruiting sites obviously has elite pedigree. But, he wasn’t ranked so highly just because of who his family is. The New Orleans native has bona fide NFL traits. And, as the long touchdown run showed, he’s got considerably more natural athleticism than his two uncles. In that regard, he’s much more like his grandfather.
Texas has games against two bad teams in Louisiana-Monroe and Mississippi State coming up. As Thamel said, Ewers is unlikely to play next week. But, it sounds like he could possibly play against Missisippi State in Week 5. If he can’t go then, it seems nearly certain he will be back for the Red River Rivalry after an October 5 bye on October 12.
That being said, if Ewers were to struggle, Manning has now put film on tape, albeit against a bad opponent, that shows that he can be a very productive quarterback for the Longhorns.