Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said starting quarterback Quinn Ewers would be questionable this week against Louisiana-Monroe with a strained abdominal injury.

“Quinn will be day to day,” Sarkisian said at his Monday news conference.

With Ewers’ status in limbo, Sarkisian said the offensive coaches will begin to tailor backup Arch Manning’s practice time with the first-team offense as the week progresses. Considering No. 1-ranked Texas (3-0) is a 45-point favorites against Louisiana-Monroe (2-0), it seems highly unlike Ewers can, or should, play this week. It should be all Arch, all the time.

So how did Sarkisian, a former quarterback himself, rate Manning’s performance last Saturday against UTSA? Manning was named the SEC co-freshman of the week for his five touchdown showcase. The coach was pleased overall, too.

Arch Manning wins first weekly SEC honor with more playing time coming for Texas football with Qunn Ewers injured

Arch Manning isn’t even the starting quarterback for top-ranked Texas and he’s winning SEC weekly awards. The budding star with the recognizable last name proved Saturday night against UTSA he’s more than just some quarterback with famous genes. Manning accounted for five touchdowns in a blowout win and was named the SEC co-freshman of the […]

Manning came in a threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to DeAndre Moore on his first play. Two offensive plays later, Manning went straight up the middle for a 67-yard touchdown run. He would later throw touchdown passes of 51, 75 and 12 yards to finish off an impressive night.

“I thought Arch really made good decisions Saturday,” Sarkisian said Monday. “Obviously, it was a very efficient day. I think he was like 9-of-12. And even his first play in, that was the third read. You know, DeAndre (Moore) was his third read.

“We were actually trying to get, I think it was Isaiah Bond in the flat. They guarded him. Then we were trying to hit Gunnar (Helm) on a corner. They guarded him. And then he found DeAndre on the over route. So that was encouraging. The first play in, he was getting to his third read. But I thought the ball was really going to the right people.”

“You know, I thought he kind of missed a throw to DeAndre Moore a little bit later on kind of a corner route,” Sarkisian continued. “Hey, human nature sometimes we don’t throw it perfect. Then, he got pressured on the on the backed-up throw. We were trying to hit the ball down our sidelines. The ball, it looked errant, but it really just got hit on it.”

Sarkisian then said he showed Manning’s 75-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Wingo as an example of toughness. On the play, Manning stepped up into the pocket and fired downfield while taking a huge hit.

“But the other thing that was encouraging, like I showed the team today, we talk about being a physical football team, and it's hard to quantify a quarterback being physical,” Sarkisian said. “But on the touchdown pass to Ryan Wingo, he takes a really good shot. The two guys come and hit him late on the delivery, but he's able to stand in there. He didn't flinch, and he delivered the touchdown pass. So definitely encouraged by that.

“Both times he pulled the ball to run was the right decision to do that,” Sarkisian added. “I know the second time we didn't block it great on the perimeter, but he made good decisions even in that realm of when to pull it and when to hand the ball off.”

Manning’s teammates were impressed in the quarterback’s preparation. They weren’t fazed one bit when Ewers went down and Manning went in.

“If you take Arch, for example, he prepares like a starter,” senior center Jake Majors said. “That’s what every guy in this program does. Whenever you go throughout the week, you prepare like a starter. When your number is called, we expect no drop off.”