BREAKING NEWS: Texas Issues Warning About Quinn Ewers Following Arch Manning’s Decision, Sparking Concerns About Ewers’ Role as Starting Quarterback and His Future with the Program. .giang

Steve Sarkisian could have a difficult choice on his hands when deciding between Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning as Texas’ season continues.

Ewers struggled mightily in the Longhorns’ 30-15 loss to the Bulldogs. At one point, Sarkisian benched Manning in the second quarter in hopes that Manning could break through Georgia’s defense. Instead, Manning was strip-sacked before halftime, showing just how ferocious the Bulldogs were on that end.

In the second half, Ewers was reinserted, and he bounced back after a tough first half. He threw for 211 yards and two touchdowns, though that point had already done the damage.

• Quinn Ewers rumor swirls as Texas QB skips press conference after Arch Manning decision
• Texas makes Arch Manning decision after briefly benching Quinn Ewers vs. Georgia

In the days after the game, former NFL running back Damien Harris explained what he saw from Texas’ loss to Georgia. Particularly, Harris was fascinated by the dynamic between Ewers and Manning, which reminded him of another famous quarterback battle at Alabama: Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa.

“I see the same similarities that I saw with Jalen and Tua,” Harris admitted, per Essentially Sports. “I see it kind of playing out with Quinn and Arch and you know, it’s just hard because it does throw a wrench in team chemistry.”

Harris also adds that the decision to be briefly benched could have affected Ewers’ mental headspace, especially considering that his success at the next level hinges on what happens the rest of the year. “I believe Sark will handle it well throughout the rest of the season,” the 27-year-old said.

“But I just worry about Quinn’s mental fortitude moving forward because now it’s apparent [that he won’t be starting].” And while Harris believes the Longhorns already are looking at Manning as the starting signal caller moving forward, Sarkisian has outwardly expressed that is not the case.

After the game, the head coach explained why he briefly took out Ewers after his rough first half against Georgia. “I was trying to settle Quinn down a little bit, try to give us a little bit of a spark,” he told reporters after the loss. We’ve got to get out of our own way. We’re not playing very good as a unit right now. Thank God our defense is putting out some fires for us.”

Sarkisian also made sure to reiterate that Ewers is not going anywhere and will remain the starter, despite how it might seem from the outside looking in.

“Quinn’s our starting quarterback,” he continued. “I appreciate the fact that we’re fortunate enough to have a backup like Arch that can come into the game and provide a spark in some sense, but at the end of the day, Quinn’s our starter.”

Sarkisian gave more context as to why he benched Ewers in favor of Manning late in the second half. “My feeling in the game was I felt Quinn was a little uneasy,” the 50-year-old said. “I felt like giving him a chance to kind of step back and regroup.

“So we told Quinn we’re going to go with Arch here and give you a chance to get into the locker room. Let’s regroup and then come back out in the second half, and so that’s what we did. I felt like it was effective. Quinn came out and played a much better second half and played well in the third quarter.”