Steve Sarkisian knows he has to manage two college football stars who play the same position as Quinn Ewers, who shares a role with Arch Manning. The Texas Longhorns head coach talks about the starting quarterback competition and the relationship between the two players.
Saturday night will be a crucial showdown for the NCAAF season as the No. 1 Longhorns take on the Georgia Bulldogs. Ewers will be the starting quarterback in the SEC divisional showdown, but Manning’s name is slowly gaining weight as a contender for the job and rumors are growing about how the competition is between the two players.
“I think Arch is Quinn’s biggest supporter, and when Arch was playing, Quinn was his biggest supporter too. That’s a really great sign of a great team and the teammates that they are and the way that they support each other,” was Sarkisian’s clear message on The Pat McAfee Show, dismissing any possibility of conflict between the two quarterbacks.
“It’s not easy when the backup (Manning) comes in and can get a louder ovation than the starter (Ewers). It just is what it is, but I think the recognition of that and the understanding of the situation, the support for each other from those guys has been huge,” Sarkisian said of the post-competition between the Longhorns’ two standouts.
Manning and Ewers’ performance in the 2024 NCAAF season
Both players have rotated in and out of the position, especially when Manning has been called upon to fill in for Ewers on occasion. Each player’s role has been instrumental as the Longhorns are undefeated with a 6-0 record and sit tied for second in the SEC with a 2-0 mark.
In the current season, Manning has completed 55 of 78 passes with 9 touchdowns and two interceptions, and leads the team in passing yards with 901. Starter Ewers, meanwhile, has completed 78 of 108 passes for 890 yards with 9 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. Their numbers are very similar, and they are both known to be ready to start.
Ewers’ confession on returning to play for the Longhorns
Quinn Ewers returned to the starting lineup for the Texas program on October 12 during the 2024 Red River Shootout as the Longhorns defeated the Oklahoma Sooners by a resounding 34-3 score. However, the starting quarterback admitted he was not happy with his performance.
Ewers had been out for a month with an abdominal strain and was replaced by quarterback Arch Manning. “I think I just should have practiced a little bit better. My speed with my feet and my confidence in my throws throughout practice should have been better, which would have carried over to the game,” Ewers said, per Horns 24/7.