If junior quarterback Quinn Ewers’ injury has taught us anything, it’s that Texas’ quarterback room has depth.
After Ewers went down early in the second quarter of the UTSA game Saturday, redshirt freshman Arch Manning came in to save the day, scoring five total touchdowns and a 67-yard rushing touchdown.
Freshman third-string quarterback Trey Owens even had his first minutes on the field for Texas in the fourth quarter.
In Monday’s press conference, head coach Steve Sarkisian said Ewers is marked as “questionable” and will be examined daily. While Ewers is off the field, Texas has security in Manning, especially after last Saturday’s performance, and this Texas team knows that sense of security stems from Ewers’ mentorship.
“(Manning) looked after Quinn (Ewers),” sophomore wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. said. “Quinn has really set a great example of how to work and how to go about your business, and Arch (Manning) is doing the same exact thing.”
Manning’s triumph over UTSA has sparked debate over who really is the best quarterback for the Longhorns, with loads of commentary online comparing the two. However, it does not matter to the team which player is receiving the snap, as their ultimate goal is bringing home a championship win.
“Quinn is a fabulous guy, and we love Quinn. Arch is a fabulous guy, and we love Arch,” junior safety Michael Taaffe said. “So we let coach (Sarkisian) and his staff pick out who goes at safety, who goes at receiver, who goes at quarterback, and everybody just trusts that. And then we just love each other and we’re ordered to love each other as teammates, to go win a national championship and win every single play, and that’s what we do.”
Despite the debate, Sarkisian can assure that there is no controversy in the quarterback room; in fact, the two quarterbacks are excited for the
other’s successes.
“I think if you ask Quinn today, he’s fired up for Arch, because he knows how hard Arch has been working,” Sarkisian said. “I know Arch has been there supporting Quinn through his journey as well.”
Manning, although a young player, was already well known before his Texas career, with the status of the Manning family within the NFL. Some believe he should be starting over Ewers, one of the top contenders for the Heisman Trophy. However, Sarkisian mentioned that it’s not about where Manning came from, but rather who he is.
“He’s a selfless teammate,” Sarkisian said. “He cares about the guys on the team. He cares about Quinn. They’ve got a great relationship. He works his tail off. He wants to play good football for them, because he knows how hard everybody’s working. So, I literally don’t address it with him. … If you even go back to the recruiting process, it was never about the name.”
With Ewers under injury watch, Manning could potentially put out some reps for Texas in this week’s matchup against ULM at home with Ewers by his side helping him through it.
