The Texas Longhorns are the number one team in the nation, according to the AP rankings. Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns look to start the season 4-0, and they may have to do so without their starting QB Quinn Ewers. As his status for next Saturday remains undisclosed, Arch Manning has gotten reps with the first team and is preparing for his potential first start in college football. The head coach shared an important message to his stellar-backup quarterback.
Arch took centerstage as he emerged in the Longhorns blowout victory over UTSA. As Ewers sustained an abdominal strain and left the field, Manning called the shots at the huddle and put on a performance for the decades. Manning threw for 4 TDs and rushed for another one as fans witnessed school history. The longest QB touchdown run since Vince Young’s era at Texas.
As the injury report on Ewers remains unclear, Arch is getting reps with the first team ahead of NCAA‘s week 4 matchup. Head coach Sarkisian delivered a pivotal message to Manning.
“I think that Arch has got a really good understanding of what we’re trying to do,” Sarkisian said, per On3. “Even though we’re putting in a new game plan, I think he understands the premise of the plays that we have in our system. I think he has a good, firm understanding of the premise of those plays. So when he gets in, he can operate them to a pretty high level.“
Manning’s first rodeo
Although not confirmed by Coach Sark, Manning is trending towards his debut as starting quarterback in college football. It would be the first time Manning has a full week of preparation for an opponent. It would also grant the opposition a full week of training and scheming for the freshman QB.
“No, I have not (made a decision),” Sarkisian said about the starting QB on Saturday. “I thought, whether it was Arch or just our offense in general — today was the best day of the week so far. I thought they practiced well and lot of that can be credited to Arch and his understanding of what we’re trying to do and make the throws necessary.”
Previously, Longhorns’ rivals had enough on their plate trying to cover Ewers, Arch was not on the list of concerns. If Manning entered the field it meant they were getting blown out and the game was out of reach. But now that might have changed, at least for this upcoming week.
The University of Louisiana Monroe travels in southwest direction to Austin, and they may face a QB from which they’ve heard tons, but cannot watch as much tape, as his sample size is still scarce.