Quinn Ewers was benched in favor of Arch Manning midway through the second quarter as Texas struggled early in their clash with Georgia.
On Saturday night, No. 5 Georgia stormed to an early lead over No. 1 Texas. Trevor Etienne scored a pair of touchdowns supplemented by Peyton Woodring field goals to establish a stunning 23-0 lead at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium.
Ewers struggled immensely. He only completed six of 12 attempts for a paltry 17 yards, including an interception. Manning’s introduction off the bench led to loud cheers around the home stadium, with fans desperate to see some improvement from the offense – and the freshman has flashed his potential this season.
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However, the cheers hardly lasted long. The unrelenting Bulldogs defense continued to harass Manning, forcing a fumble that was recovered by linebacker Jalon Walker. Manning went into halftime with three of six passes completed for 19 yards.
Last month, Ewers went down with an abdominal strain and Manning was handed the reins as the starter. He led the Longhorns to a 2-0 record as a starter, and after replacing Ewers in the UTSA meeting, Manning threw a touchdown pass on his first play before running for a stunning 67-yard score on just his third snap.
The 19-year-old then completed 26 of 31 passes for 325 yards and two touchdowns while adding another score on the ground in a 35-13 win over Mississippi State in his SEC debut. Heading into the clash with Georgia, Manning had completed 71 percent of passes for 901 yards and scored 12 total touchdowns.
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Arch Manning’s impressive movement is needed against the vaunted Georgia defensive line (
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Meanwhile, Ewers has been in uninspiring form since returning against Oklahoma. Against the Sooners, he threw an interception on his first drive and failed to put up over 200 yards.
Texas had just 15 yards on 22 plays when Ewers was pulled in favor of Manning. He was sacked three times and Texas sat in negative rushing yardage, but while the backup also struggled after coming on to face the fierce Bulldogs defense, Manning’s potential and current ability is too enticing.
Even Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons called for Manning’s introduction. The All-Pro took to social media to post: “Can’t lie I know it’s hard to compare competition but Archie had this offense way more electrifying!! Man idk both good QBs!!”
Ewers returned to the field minutes at the start of the second half and led Texas on a drive capped by a touchdown pass to receiver Isaiah Bond. Georgia held on to secure a 30-15 victory and move to 6-1 on the season.
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