One second, Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium was drowning in the sound of Longhorn fans cheering on senior tight end Gunnar Helm as he caught a pass for a 49-yard gain and hurdled over the UTSA defense for a first down. The next, utter silence loomed over junior quarterback Quinn Ewers lying on the UTSA 20-yard line.
The starting quarterback handed the ball off to running back Quintrevion Wisner on the previous play, but was found on the ground in a matter of seconds with medical officials rushing onto the field.
Enter second-string and redshirt freshman Arch Manning.
With 12 minutes to go in the second quarter, Manning made an earlier-than-usual appearance during Saturday’s game. But he managed to bring life back to a concerned Texas crowd that watched Ewers head toward the locker room, receiving a round of applause as the two exchanged places.
Manning completed a 19-yard pass to sophomore wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. on his first drive for a touchdown before UTSA cruised into the endzone for one of its own, getting its first points on the board at 21-7.
What ensued on Texas’ next drive was the longest rush made by a Longhorn quarterback since the Vince Young era. A 67-yarder was hauled in for a touchdown by Manning, nearly surpassing Young’s 80-yard rush for a score against Oklahoma State in 2005.
“When the adrenaline kicks in, it helps you run a bit faster,” Manning said during his post-game press conference. “I credit that to Torre Becton, our head weight coach. He runs our tails off in the summer, so I think I’ve gotten a little bit faster.”
Alongside Manning, Texas fans and fellow teammates barely had time to catch their breath, let alone register the fact that Ewers had yet to come out of the medical tent.
“It’s the highest of the highs, and the lowest of the lows,” Helm said. “Obviously our QB1 was down, and then Arch was able to step in, make some great plays, so you’re back on the highs, and you just got to maintain it and stop the roller coaster.”
It was later announced that Ewers had suffered a strained abdomen injury, and it was confirmed his job was done for the day when he was seen on the sidelines wearing street clothes as halftime approached.
Manning kept the Longhorns offense running smoothly in Ewers’ sustained absence in the second quarter, displaying his ability to work his arms after his legs had been put to good use.
He found multiple wide receivers throughout the second half, including junior Isaiah Bond, sophomore Johntay Cook II, and he even launched a 75-yard pass to freshman Ryan Wingo, each ending their respective play with a touchdown.
Manning ended the evening with 223 passing yards, 53 rushing yards and five touchdowns before Sarkisian sent in third-string freshman Trey Owens for the remainder of the matchup, who took the Longhorns to a 56-7 final score over the Roadrunners.
At the end of the evening, Manning credited his impressive performance to co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach AJ Milwee, a key factor in how Manning anticipated the big moment.
“Coach Milwee kind of instills that I got to prepare and be ready every week for when my number is called and help this team win games,” Manning said. “That’s what I tried to do tonight. Obviously, there’s a lot to improve on and grow from, but I’m glad I got to get in there.”
