Arch Manning replaced Quinn Ewers in the second quarter of No. 1 Texas’ game against No. 5 Georgia.
Ewers was benched with the Longhorns trailing 20-0. Texas had just 15 yards on five possessions with Ewers under center and committed two turnovers with a fumble and an interception.
Ewers was playing his second game since returning to the lineup after an abdominal strain during the Longhorns’ Week 3 game against UTSA.
“I was just trying to calm Quinn down a little bit, try to give us a little spark,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian told ESPN before halftime. “But we have to get out of our own way. We’re not playing well as a unit right now; our defense is putting out some fires for us.”
Ewers returned to the game early in the third quarter with Texas trailing 23-0.
Manning, Peyton and Eli’s nephew, began warming up after Ewers was sacked with 7:26 left in the second quarter. Texas held Georgia to a field goal on its next drive, and Manning ended up taking the field for the Longhorns’ sixth possession. The possession ended in a punt and the only first down came when Mykal Williams was flagged for grabbing Manning’s mask.
Manning’s second attack had a worse result. After rushing for a first down, Jalon Walker got his third sack of the night when he tackled Manning. On the next play, Manning was stripped and Walker recovered the fumble with 25 seconds left before halftime. Texas added a field goal after the fumble to take that 23-0 lead into halftime.
Manning started two games in Ewers’ absence as Texas beat Louisiana-Monroe and Mississippi State. Had five TDs in relief of Ewers in a 56-7 win over UTSA.
Ewers was rusty to start Texas’ 34-3 win over Oklahoma a week ago, but settled down and scored two touchdowns as the Longhorns cruised through the final three quarters. Before Ewers returned to the lineup, coach Steve Sarkisian had insisted that it was Ewers’ team and that he would regain his starting role when healthy.
Manning spent most of the 2023 season as Texas’ No. 3 quarterback behind Ewers and Maalik Murphy before being elevated to the No. 2 spot in 2024 when Ewers returned for his senior season and Murphy transferred to Duke. Manning was the No. 2 quarterback for two games when Ewers was sidelined with a shoulder injury and also served as a backup in the team’s College Football Playoff loss to Washington when Murphy had entered the transfer portal before the postseason.