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Following a heartbreaking overtime loss at the hands of the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship Game, the Texas Longhorns are now focusing on readying themselves for a four-game run through the College Football Playoff that will begin with a matchup against the Tennessee Volunteers on campus in Austin.
But before the Longhorns and Vols take the field at DKR Stadium on December 21st, two weeks of runway have opened the door for Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian to have to answer questions regarding his usage of his two quarterbacks.
During a Friday afternoon appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, Sarkisian fielded a version of the very same question that he's already been asked a thousand times throughout the season… what's the deal with Arch Manning and Quinn Ewers?
“He [Manning] took the first snap for you in overtime in the SEC Championship coach, but how do you manage that knowing it might cause questions, but it also might be quite helpful to you? It’s also one of those, ‘you’ve got two. You might have none scenarios,'” Eisen asked.
Sarkisian was quick to offer a rebuttal on what Eisen, and many others, have wondered aloud throughout the season.
“I’d like to disagree with you on the last statement,” Sarkisian said bluntly. “We’ve got two, and we’re pretty good, so we’re fortunate on that.
“I think at the end of it, I try not to consume myself with what y’all think. We focus on the task at hand, and that’s doing what’s in the best interest of the team to win ballgames. If I let the emotional roller coaster of what other people think, I’d be an emotional nightmare.”
Sark went onto explain that no matter how he divvies up the playing time between Ewers and Manning, he feels like the media response will be polarizing.
“I could read one article that says Quinn is the greatest thing since whomever, and then the next is why don’t you play Arch,” Sarkisian said.
After throwing only five passes during the 2023 season, Manning has stepped into the spotlight in 2024 and made the most of his limited opportunities for the Texas Longhorns. The nephew of Peyton and Eli has completed 61 of 90 passes for 939 yards, nine touchdowns and just two interceptions. He's also rushed for 100 yards and four touchdowns on only 21 carries.
The majority of Arch Manning's work was done during a three-week stretch in which Quinn Ewers left a game against UTSA with an abdominal injury, leaving Manning to close things out before getting the start for the next two Longhorns games, a pair of wins over Louisiana-Monroe and Mississippi State.
These performances, along with subpar play from Ewers in a few big spots throughout the season, have allowed the redshirt freshman to gain momentum heading into a 2025 season in which he's already been deemed the starting quarterback.
