Steve Sarkisian: Texas QB Arch Manning will make his first career start Saturday vs. ULM
Texas redshirt freshman Arch Manning will make his first career start Saturday against Louisiana-Monroe as quarterback Quinn Ewers continues recovering from a strained abdominal injury, coach Steve Sarkisian said Thursday. “I feel like Quinn has made great strides ever since Saturday night into where he's gotten to, but my decision is, you know, I’m looking […]
Texas redshirt freshman Arch Manning will make his first career start Saturday against Louisiana-Monroe as quarterback Quinn Ewers continues recovering from a strained abdominal injury, coach Steve Sarkisian said Thursday.
“I feel like Quinn has made great strides ever since Saturday night into where he's gotten to, but my decision is, you know, I’m looking forward to his future as a player, but also the future of the season for us and the longevity and getting him possibly one more week healthier for the long term, I think, is good for us as we're getting ready for SEC play," Sarkisian told reporters Thursday.
Sarkisian also made clear that Ewers remains the long-term starting quarterback once he returns from injury. For Saturday's game, Manning will be the starter with Trey Owens and Cole Lourd as the backups.
As for what Manning needs to do Saturday, Sarkisian said, “I don’t think he has to focus on leading right now. I think he needs to focus on knowing what he’s supposed to do and do it at a high level.”
Texas QB Quinn Ewers’ abdominal injury is common among baseball players and the only solution is rest
Schlossnagle told Ewers, ‘They’re a challenge to come back from quick, because literally everything you do aggravates it.’
Ewers suffered the injury early in the second quarter last week against UTSA. Manning came on in relief and immediately threw a 19-yard touchdown pass on his first play. On his third offensive play, Manning ran straight up the middle for a 67-yard touchdown run.
The internet went wild, and Manning’s Heisman odds went from 150-1 down to as low as 16-1 before the game even ended.
When it was over, Manning had accounted for five touchdowns total in a 56-7 romp.
“Arch is more than capable, as I think we all know,” Sarkisian said. “He's got a lot of confidence from his teammates and trust from his teammates to go out and play. Had a really good week of work. Understands the plan and but it’s different.
“You know, it’s different when you’re the starting quarterback, as opposed to coming in cold off the bench as a backup,” the coach added. “So different challenge for him. But I know that he'll be more than ready to go out and operate and play football at high level for us.”
