Arch Manning dominant in relief of injured Texas QB Quinn Ewers

Touted Texas backup quarterback Arch Manning stepped in for an injured Quinn Ewers and the No. 2 Longhorns didn’t miss a beat in a 56-7 rout of UTSA on Saturday night.

Manning threw for 223 yards and four touchdowns and added a 67-yard rushing score in his most extensive playing time at the college level after Ewers exited in the second quarter with a strained abdomen. Ewers went into the locker room and returned to the sideline in street clothes just before halftime.

The redshirt junior starter threw for 185 yards on 14-of-16 passing with two touchdowns and an interception against the Roadrunners.

Manning entered the game with 12:19 left in the second quarter and completed 9 of his 12 pass attempts in the blowout victory. On his first snap of the night, he connected with receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. for a 19-yard touchdown. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound redshirt freshman showed off his speed on his next drive by making a defender miss and dashing away for a 67-yard touchdown run. The run was the longest by any Texas quarterback since Vince Young in 2005.

Manning took a 28-7 lead into halftime and built on it with a 51-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Bond, a 75-yard score to Ryan Wingo and then a 12-yard touchdown pass to Johntay Cook II early in the fourth quarter to end his night. The Longhorns scored on five of his nine possessions and finished with 614 total yards on 9.2 yards per play.

Manning, the nephew of Eli and Peyton Manning, son of former Ole Miss wide receiver Cooper Manning and grandson of Archie Manning, appeared in two games during his redshirt season with the Longhorns in 2023. He threw his first career touchdown pass in Texas’ season opener this year against Colorado State but had only attempted 11 passes at the college level entering Saturday.

Abdominal muscle strains typically require a recovery time of several weeks. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said the seriousness of Ewers’ injury “remains to be seen” but noted that they don’t think anything is broken. 

Texas concludes its nonconference schedule next Saturday against UL Monroe before making its SEC conference debut at home against Mississippi State on Sept. 28. The Longhorns then have an idle week before traveling to Dallas to face rival Oklahoma on Oct. 12.

Ewers, the Longhorns’ 25-game starter, previously missed two games during the 2023 season with an injured right shoulder and missed three games in 2022 after suffering a severe sprain of his SC joint. After leading the program to a Big 12 title and College Football Playoff appearance last season, Ewers opted to bypass the NFL draft and returned to Texas in 2024 to chase a national championship.

Behind Ewers and Manning, Texas has just one other scholarship quarterback on its roster in true freshman Trey Owens. The four-star signee made his first career appearance against UTSA and threw for 19 yards on 2-of-4 passing.

Ewers entered the weekend as the consensus favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, listed at 5-1 at ESPN BET, after throwing for 246 yards and three touchdowns in a rout of No. 10 Michigan last Saturday. His odds lengthened to 15-1 on Saturday night after the injury, while Manning’s Heisman odds moved dramatically, shortening from 150-1 to 18-1 at ESPN BET.

Miami quarterback Cam Ward emerged as the consensus favorite to win the Heisman Trophy on Saturday at sportsbooks. Ward was listed at 5-1 at ESPN BET on Saturday night.