Both redshirt sophomore quarterback Arch Manning and fifth-year safety Michael Taaffe practiced on Wednesday, three days before No. 20 Texas’ game at home against No. 9 Vanderbilt.

Manning, who got hurt with a head injury last week in the overtime win against Mississippi State, is trying to get back on the turf, but he must get through the proper steps of the NCAA’s concussion protocol first.

The offensive general is coming off his most productive game of the year, throwing for 346 yards and three touchdowns while running for another. 

“He’s a warrior. He stood in there. He competed like he always does,” Sarkisian said on Monday. “There were a couple protection breakdowns for sure in the game, which we need to clean up, but there were a couple others where he knew he was going to get hit, and he stood in the pocket and delivered a ball and delivered an accurate ball. So that was all very positive.”

Taaffe also returned to practice, but first got back on Tuesday. He went down two weeks ago after Kentucky, undergoing thumb surgery the Monday after the game. He still made a motivational impact on the sidelines against Mississippi State, but the senior safety is hoping to return in the near future. 

The decision whether Manning and Taaffe will play on Saturday is still up in the air, but both Longhorns seem to be making positive strides toward making that a serious possibility.