Texas coach Steve Sarkisian turned to talented true freshman quarterback Arch Manning for two plays for the Longhorns‘ comfortable 38-24 win against Clemson on Saturday in the College Football Playoffs.

He received three running plays, with the first two coming on the second half’s opening drive with Texas up 28-10. Manning rushed for three yards and a first down on a 3rd and one near midfield then was stuffed at the goalline on a second-and-goal later in the drive. The Longhorns settled for a field goal and extended their lead to 21 points.

For the third, Manning would recover his own fumble on a play where Texas failed to convert on a fourth down.

Sarkisian’s decision was by no means a reflection of the play by starter Quinn Ewers – he completed 17 of his 24 passes for 202 yards.

This isn’t the first time the Texas head coach turned to Manning for gadget running plays: the true freshman scored the opening touchdown in the Longhorns’ win against Texas A&M back in November.

Sarkisian’s decision to feature Manning goes directly against his comments from October when he described his own mentality as a former backup quarterback.

“When I was a starter I never wanted the backup coming in the game, even for a play,” Sarkisian admitted in October. “And I remember my senior year of college, I had been banged up and coaches wanted to run a quarterback draw. And they called the play and I scored a touchdown.”

Arch Manning Texas

Arch Manning picked up a first down on one of his three rushes ( 

Image:

Getty Images)

“So I’ve got respect for a guy that’s a starting quarterback and the rhythm that is needed to play with, so no that’s not something I’ve ever entertained.”

ESPN analyst Desmond Howard predicted that Texas would turn to Manning in the red zone on Friday’s edition of “College Football GameDay.”

“I think Arch Manning is a guy they can use in the red zone,” Howard said. “They’ve really struggled to run the ball down there.”

Manning’s two offensive snaps will hardly capture the headlines (neither will Ewers’s play, either). Instead, a pair of Texas running backs stole the show.

Jaydeon Blue turned his 14 carries into 146 yards and two touchdowns. Not to be outdone, Qintrevion Wisner parlayed his 15 carries into 110 yards and a pair of scores for himself.

Texas will face Big 12 champions No. 4 Arizona State in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff. The Longhorns spent 28 years in the Big 12 before switching to the SEC in 2024.