Arch Manning’s first game as Texas’ starting quarterback got off to a rocky start.
But it didn’t last long.
Manning was intercepted by UL-Monroe’s Carl Fauntroy on the first possession of the game Saturday night at Darrel K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas.
But as expected, Manning turned things around and led Texas to a 51-3 victory.
Manning, who played the entire game, completed 15 of 29 passes for 258 yards, scoring two touchdowns and throwing two interceptions.
On the first drive after the interception, the redshirt freshman completed a seven-play, 77-yard drive that gave the Longhorns a 7-0 lead, culminating in a 56-yard pass to Isaiah Bond and finishing with a one-yard run by Jaydon Blue.
Manning had just started.
After the Texas defense gave Manning a short field following an interception, he went back to work and finished a four-play, 13-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Blue to give the Longhorns a 14-0 lead.
After UL-Monroe was forced to punt, Manning threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to star receiver Ryan Wingo, capping a six-play, 73-yard drive that extended Texas’ lead to 21-0 in the first quarter.
Manning didn’t stop in the second quarter.
He led Texas on a 12-play, 87-yard drive that featured a 46-yard pass to Matthew Golden and a 19-yard run to Bond, capped by a 2-yard run by Blue.
After the Warhawks scored their first points on a field goal, Manning got the ball back, but this time it was intercepted by Wydett Williams Jr., giving UL-Monroe good field position.
The loss of the ball did not prove costly, however, as the Longhorns blocked Max Hunter’s 42-yard field goal attempt to end the half.
Manning finished the half 11 of 21 for 214 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Arch – the son of Cooper Manning, the grandson of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning and the nephew of Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning – came off the bench last week to lead the Longhorns to a blowout victory over UTSA after Quinn Ewers, a preseason Heisman Trophy contender, was forced out with an oblique abdominal muscle injury.
Manning and the Longhorns scored another touchdown in the third quarter, thanks largely to the strength of Blue and the running game, to take a 35-3 lead.
Texas then brought in a safety and went into the fourth quarter with a 37-3 lead.
The Longhorns scored a quick touchdown early in the fourth quarter when Manning extended his lead to 44-3 with a nine-play, 63-yard drive that was a mix of running and passing.
Later in the final stanza, the Longhorns took a 51-3 lead after a 10-play, 57-yard drive that was all running, which will likely keep Manning healthy in a game that is already decided.
The Longhorns received some hopeful news regarding Ewers’ injury status on Saturday.
According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Ewers is on track to return in a few weeks for the Red River rivalry game against Oklahoma on October 12.
“The overwhelming majority of participants believe that, barring any setbacks, he will be back in the game,” Thamel said on the network’s “College GameDay.”
If that’s the case, it would mean Manning could face Mississippi State again next week, after which Texas will have a bye before a showdown with Oklahoma.
