It’s Champioship week in college football. The Texas Longhorns and Georgia Bulldogs will meet at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in a highly-anticipated in-season rematch. Ahead of the title match, the Dawgs star Dan Jackson issued a big challenge for the Horns quarterbacks Arch Manning and Quinn Ewers.
During the Longhorns victory in the Lone Star Showdown, Texas sent a strong message to the rest of the league. Backup quarterback Arch Manning was sent into the huddle in a few plays, showcasing the trust Steve Sarkisian has on his QB room.
Although Sarkisian had a suspenseful answer on whether Manning will see the field against Georgia, the Bulldogs will prepare for both star signal callers in Texas’ program.
Earlier on the season, Georgia walked into DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium and handed Texas an embarrassing loss. Manning saw the field on that occasion, but it was more of a last-ditch effort from the Horns than their actual gameplan.
Arch Manning #16 of the Texas Longhorns reacts at the line of scrimmage in the second half against the UTSA Roadrunners at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on September 14, 2024 in Austin, Texas.
Since that crushing 30-15 defeat, the burnt orange evolved and only got better. The Dawgs know they are up against a tall task, but star defensive back Dan Jackson is confident and he issued a strong statement, challenging Ewers and Manning.
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“We’ll be ready for both of them,” Jackson stated, per On3. “They’re both really smart guys. Nobody’s the exact same. We’re definitely going to be watching a lot of film this week, like we have in the past. We’re just going to be ready for both of them.”
Longhorns looking to avenge previous loss
Texas is going into Atlanta with a chip on their shoulder. On October 19, the Dawgs dismantled them on the road, and on December 7, the Longhorns will be hoping to return the favor when they take on Georgia in their home state.
Ahead of the marquee matchup in the NCAA, Texas star Jahdae Barron voiced the team’s mentality on the upcoming SEC Championship.
“It’s not payback. We have it in the back of our minds what (Georgia) did to us,” Jahdae Brown said, per ESPN. “We have respect for them, but we don’t fear them.”
Texas Longhorns November 30, 2024, College Station, Texas, USA: Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) passes the ball during the first half of the college football game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Texas Longhorns on November 30, 2024 in College Station, Texas. Texas won, 17-7.
Sarkisian gives cryptic answer on playing Manning in special packages
Earlier this season, Sarkisian stated he didn’t like playing the backup when the starter is healthy. However, the Horns’ head coach went back on his words as he sent Manning into the field against Texas A&M for designed QB run plays.
Ahead of the rematch against Georgia, Sarkisian was asked whether it could be expected Manning to have a similar role during the SEC Title game.
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“We might,” Steve Sarkisian said. “I don’t know. We’re gonna run stuff Saturday that we haven’t run all year because of who were are as a team. There’s always things that we’re gonna do that are new. I think that the beauty of these guys, offensively, is that they really accept that stuff.”
