Discussion about Texas Football, Arch Manning, non-league games and polls
American-Statesman reporters discuss Arch Manning, non-league games and whether Texas should have overtaken Georgia in the Associated Press poll.
On Thursday, Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian made it clear that there is no quarterback controversy on his roster.
Quinn Ewers is still QB1 for the Longhorns.
“I think we have a national championship-caliber team and he’s the quarterback of that team,” Sarkisian said, adding that he believes Ewers can still compete for the Heisman Trophy in the coming months and cement his status as a first-round draft pick.
Ewers will not play Saturday night, however, as Texas finishes non-conference play against Louisiana-Monroe. He will be at Royal-Memorial Stadium but will wear an earpiece on the sidelines. Sarkisian has been pleased with Ewers’ progress since leaving last weekend’s game against UTSA with an oblique strain, but it was decided that an extra week of rest would be good with UT’s SEC opener coming up on Sept. 28.
That means redshirt freshman Arch Manning will start for No. 2 Texas. Trey Owens, a true freshman, will be his backup. Fourth-year quarterback Cole Lourd has been promoted to the third line.
Steve Sarkisian: Arch Manning has to be smart, not great
This will be Manning’s first start. The former five-star recruit and member of the well-known quarterback family gave fans a small taste of his abilities last week when he relieved Ewers, threw four touchdowns and scored a 67-yard touchdown.
But Manning didn’t practice for his role as a starter in the lead-up to the UTSA game. Sarkisian suspects his performance was a knee-jerk reaction to being thrown in at the deep end. With Manning having a week to prepare as a starter, Sarkisian wants to see how his quarterback executes the game plan.
“I just don’t want him to overanalyze and get into some kind of analysis paralysis. I want him to play football,” Sarkisian said. “The best way to play football is to trust the decision, execute it and then move on to the next play. That’s my goal for him and I’d like to see him accomplish that on Saturday night.”
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First of all, how Arch Manning is judged
Sarkisian didn’t specify numbers he’d like to see from Manning on Saturday, but what does history say about the bar for a Texas quarterback’s first start?
First, you have to win. Eight of Texas’ last 10 first-timers have been winners. That shouldn’t be a big problem for Manning, as UT is the clear favorite over the Warhawks (2-0).
Manning doesn’t need to fill his stat sheet to be successful, either. Of the last 10 rookies, none managed more than 280 passing yards and none threw for more than two touchdowns. Neither Vince Young nor Colt McCoy fell into that sample, but neither of them threw for more than 200 yards in their first start.
Here’s a look at the last 10 first starts for Texas quarterbacks:
Malik Murphy (Oct. 28, 2023, vs. BYU)
Murphy filled in for the injured Ewers and helped Texas beat BYU, a team once led by Sarkisian at quarterback. Texas gained more yards on the ground than through the air, but the redshirt freshman threw for 170 yards and two touchdowns. Murphy was intercepted once while completing 16 of 25 passes in the 35-6 victory.
Quinn Ewers (September 3, 2022, against ULM)
Ewers, then a redshirt freshman who had transferred from Ohio State, was named the starter before Sarkisian’s second season at Texas. In his first appearance, Ewers’ second pass was intercepted, but he ended up completing 16 of 24 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns. Texas won comfortably against ULM, 52-10.
Casey Thompson (September 18, 2021, against Rice)
Hudson Card was benched after an ineffective performance at Arkansas and Thompson was given control of the offense. Texas relied on the run in the junior’s first start as UT averaged a school-record 10.4 yards per carry in a 58-0 win over Rice. Thompson threw for 164 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, completing 15 of 18 passes.
Hudson Card (September 4, 2021, vs. No. 23 Louisiana)
For the first time since Ed Price played with T Jones in 1951, a new coaching era at Texas began with a new quarterback. Sarkisian chose Card to start UT’s season opener against a top-ranked Louisiana team. Card performed admirably, passing for 224 yards and two touchdowns on 14 of 21 passes.
Sam Ehlinger (September 9, 2017, vs. San Jose State)
With Shane Buechele out, Texas easily beat San Jose State 56-0, with Ehlinger rushing for a modest 222 yards and a touchdown. The freshman completed 15 of 27 attempts and rushed for 48 yards. Ehlinger and Buechele shared the starts for the rest of the season before Ehlinger took control of the job for the next three years.
Shane Buechele (September 4, 2016, vs. No. 10 Notre Dame)
Buechele was the first true freshman to start a season opener for Texas since Bobby Layne in 1944. He threw for 280 yards and two touchdowns as No. 10 Texas defeated Notre Dame in the second overtime. He was intercepted once at Royal Memorial Stadium, but 16 of his 26 passes were completed.
Jerrod Heard (September 12, 2015, against Rice)
Heard’s breakout performance came the next week against Cal, but the redshirt freshman also fared well in his first start against Rice. Heard threw just seven times, but two of his four passes were touchdowns of 32 and 69 yards. He also rushed for 91 yards, the most on his team, in the 42-28 win.
Tyrone Swoopes (September 6, 2014, against BYU)
After David Ash’s college career ended in the 2014 season opener, the Longhorns turned to Swoopes. The sophomore struggled in his first start, as did the Longhorns, losing 41-7 to BYU. Swoopes completed 20 of 31 passes, but managed just 176 yards and one touchdown. He was sacked three times and intercepted once.
David Ash (Oct. 15, 2011, vs. No. 7 Oklahoma State)
After a 55-17 loss to Oklahoma, Texas went back to its third starting quarterback for the sixth game of the 2011 season. Ash and the Longhorns lost 38-26 to Oklahoma State, and the freshman from Belton struggled. Ash threw just 22 of 40 attempts and was intercepted twice, but threw for 139 yards and no touchdowns.
McCoy case (September 17, 2011, UCLA)
As the short-lived Garrett Gilbert era at Texas came to an end, McCoy got his first chance as a starter in a 49-20 win over UCLA. The sophomore was efficient, completing 12 of his 15 attempts and throwing for 168 yards and two touchdowns.
Arch Manning doesn’t have to be a hero
Texas has a 3-0 record this season and is ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll and No. 2 in the US LBM Coaches Poll. The Longhorns have outscored Colorado State, Michigan and UTSA by a margin of 139-19.
Texas is looking to improve its record to 4-0 before its home game against Mississippi State on Sept. 28. Sarkisian said Manning doesn’t need to be the team’s undisputed leader. There are enough veterans. He would prefer if the young quarterback focused more on executing the playbook.
Texas safety Michael Taaffe, however, sees things a little differently. Based on his performance as Ewers’ backup, Taaffe believes Manning is ready to step up and be a leader.
“Sam Ehlinger told me this a long time ago: leaders have to be able to listen. He did a great job of listening, tracking and watching Quinn and it showed in his preparation,” Taaffe said. “I’m really happy to have those two guys by my side when we play on Saturdays.”
Game on Saturday
ULM (2-0) at No. 2 Texas (3-0), 7 p.m., ESPN+/SEC Network+, 1300, 98.1, 105.3 (Spanish)
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