With Ewers Out, No. 1 Texas Looks to Arch Manning

© Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Texas Longhorns picked up some good news on multiple fronts on Sept. 14 and 15. Starting quarterback Quinn Ewers’ injury isn’t as serious as some people thought. Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian reacted positively to watching backup QB Arch Manning play in meaningful minutes. And the Longhorns (3-0) found themselves atop the Associated Press (AP) Top 25 Poll for the first time in 16 years.

Let’s start, though, with Ewers. The transfer quarterback from Ohio State went down in the second quarter of a 56-7 Texas victory over UTSA (1-2) on Sept. 14. Ewers suffered an abdominal injury that forced him out of the game. After getting checked out by Longhorns medical personnel, Ewers returned to the sidelines.

On Sept. 15, On3 reported that Ewers suffered an oblique strain and abdominal strain. He’s listed as week-to-week. Immediately after the Longhorns’ 56-7 win over the Roadrunners, Sarkisian spoke about Ewers’ situation.

“We don’t think it’s anything structural or broken or things like that,” Sarkisian said. “It was an odd play. But again, that gave an opportunity for Arch to get some valuable playing time and experience.”

Texas Turns Manning Loose

Once Ewers went out, Sarkisian simply turned to Manning. What did Manning do? Simply play a role in 5 Texas touchdowns, including his very own 67-yard run past the UTSA defense.

“For Arch to come in, you never know as a backup when you’re gonna get put in the game,” Sarkisian said on Sept. 14. “For him to come in on his first play and hit DeAndre Moore for a touchdown or on his third play to be able to run a little bit of a different style of offense when he’s in there. The zone read to pull it in for the explosive play. Did some nice things for us and extended some drives on third down. So that was great experience for him that he got.”

College football fans and pundits attempted to start up talk about a quarterback battle between Ewers and Manning. Sarkisian, though, has made it clear that Ewers is still QB1 at Texas. Ewers is expected to miss the Sept. 21 game against Louisiana-Monroe at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas. This will give Manning a chance to show his own style from the get-go.

Of course, Manning comes from a quarterback-rich family. He’s the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning. Arch’s play on Saturday night cemented his name in Texas lore for at least one game. Texas fans and opponents, though, will get plenty of time to see Manning play. He has three more years of college eligibility, so Manning can become QB1 for the Longhorns when Ewers leaves.

“There’s nothing like being in the game. Playing in front of 105,000 people is not the easiest thing to do. I’m really proud of Arch,” Sarkisian said, according to the AP.

It is presumed that Ewers will enter his name into the NFL Draft after this season. He was eligible for the 2024 NFL Draft but chose to return to Texas for a third season. It's also possible that Ewers might back for one more season. Should Texas secure a national championship this season, though, don't look for Ewers to lead the Longhorns' offense again.

AP Poll Voters Love Longhorns

All of the quarterback drama, though, is taking place while Texas now sits at the top of the college football world by way of the AP Top 25 Poll. The Longhorns found themselves at the No. 1 spot as college writers were obviously not too impressed with No. 2 Georgia’s 13-12 win over Kentucky.

As for Texas’ top ranking, it appears that AP voters were quite impressed with Texas in its blowout victory. Ohio State, Alabama and Mississippi rounded out the poll’s top 5 teams.

For more Texas Longhorns coverage this college football season, check in regularly with College Football Dawgs.