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The Texas football team lost their first game of the season on Saturday as Georgia came to town and knocked off the Longhorns for a huge win. This game saw a lot of things that we weren't expecting to see. First off, most people expected Texas to defend home turf in this one and get a win, but the Bulldogs pulled off the minor upset. Also, the Longhorns ended up making a quarterback change at one point in the game. Things weren't going well in the first half, so Steve Sarkisian let Arch Manning lead a couple drives.
This game did not get off to a good start for the Texas football team. The Longhorns were expected to win, yet they were dominated in the first half of this game. Both teams had some early mistakes, but Georgia was able to play through them as they led 23-0 at halftime.
When Texas went down big in the second quarter, they let Arch Manning run the offense for a couple drives. Remember, Quinn Ewers started the season as the starting QB for the Longhorns, but after going down with an injury, Manning took over for a few games. Manning would start for 99% of college football programs, but he is the backup at Texas, and he is the most well-known backup in college football.
Arch Manning looked great while Quinn Ewers was out, but when Ewers was ready to play again, he returned to his duties as QB1 of the team. Ewers came back for the rivalry game against Oklahoma, and after a slow start, he led the team to a dominant win over the Sooners. Texas won the game 34-3, and all was well.
On Saturday against Georgia, Ewers got out to another slow start. The Bulldogs were capitalizing on his mistakes, and they got out to a big lead. Manning was brought in, but not for very long.
Texas ended up making it a one-score game in the second half after trailing 23-0, but they still lost 30-15. Now people are wondering who the Longhorns should go with at QB.
Arch Manning is ready
The Texas football team making a QB change right now wouldn't be the worst idea. Quinn Ewers is a really good QB, but does he give the team the best chance to win? That's the question, and the sample size from Manning on Saturday is too small to say he's not ready because of it.
Manning did struggle when he was in the game on Saturday, but the Georgia football defense is also one of the best in the country, and they make a lot of good QBs struggle. The Georgia defense also made Ewers struggle for just about the entire game, and that's why the Longhorns did go with this QB change to begin with. They didn't give Manning enough time to settle in and prove that they he could get the job done.
The Texas offense was struggling to get going early with Ewers in on Saturday as their first six drives went punt, punt, fumble, punt, interception, punt. That's when Steve Sarkisian decided to make the move over to Arch Manning. Manning got two drives, and they didn't go very well. One drive resulted in a punt after six plays and 23 yards, and a penalty helped it last that long. Manning fumbled on the next possession. After that, Ewers went back in the game.
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Quinn Ewers played the entire second half for Texas and he only led one successful drive. Texas was set up inside the Georgia 10-yard line because of an interception for their other touchdown, so you can't really give credit to Ewers for that, but he did help lead the other scoring drive which helped the Longhorns get back into the game. Would Manning have been able to lead more than one?
Manning was given a chance on Saturday, but he was put into a very difficult spot, and he wasn't given enough time. If Texas is going to make a QB change like that, they either need to do it at a better time, or they need to give Manning more than just two drives. Bringing him in during a situation like that and then immediately taking him out wasn't fair and it could hurt Manning's confidence.
Manning did get a chance on Saturday and he didn't play his best, but he did show some promise with his mobility, and that adds another element to the offense. He didn't get enough reps in that game to make a decision one way or another, but he has shown in prior games that he is ready to lead this team.
Arch Manning vs. Quinn Ewers comparison
The Texas football team has a good problem here. They have two really good quarterbacks, and whoever is in is going to give them a good chance to win against most opponents. However, Saturday's game against Georgia showed that Ewers is probably going to be the guy going forward. He is one of the best QBs in the country, so it's not a bad thing that Manning isn't ready to be the starter yet. When his time comes, he will do great things for Texas.
So far on the season, Ewers has thrown the ball 151 times and he has completed 103 of those passes. He has racked up 1,101 passing yards, 11 touchdown passes and four interceptions. He is currently completing 68.2% of his passes.
Manning on the other hand has thrown the ball 84 times and he has completed 58 of those passes. He is completing passes at a 69% clip. Manning has 920 passing yards on the year, nine touchdown passes and two interceptions. He's clearly a very talented QB and he is ready to start at this point in his career.
If you just look at the numbers, it might look like Manning is having a better season so far, but you have to remember that Ewers has gone up against much harder competition. Michigan isn't doing great overall, but their defense is still solid, and Ewers handled the majority of the duties against Georgia after Manning struggled. Manning has played against UTSA, UL Monroe and Mississippi State. He handled those games very well though, and absolutely deserves a lot of credit for that.
Texas will be back in action this weekend as they have a tricky road contest against Vanderbilt, and then they will have a bye week following that.
