Manning dominant in relief of injured QB Ewers

• Max Olson, ESPN Staff WriterSep 14, 2024, 08:47 PM ET

  Close

  • Covers the Big 12
  • Signed up with ESPN in 2012
  • Graduate of the University of Nebraska

Promoted Texas backup quarterback Arch Manning actioned in for the injured Quinn Ewers, and the No. 2 Longhorns’ offense didn’t miss a beat in a 56-7 thrashing of UTSA on Saturday night in Austin.Manning tossed for 223

lawns and 4 touchdowns and included a 67-yard rushing rating in his most comprehensive playing time at the college level after Ewers left in the second quarter because of an oblique strain.Ewers appeared to suffer the noncontact injury on a pass to tight end Gunnar Helm for a 49-yard gain early in the second quarter. Ewers stayed in for one more play before leaving the game. He went into the locker space and returned to the sideline in street clothing prior to halftime.The redshirt junior starter tossed for 185 yards on 14-of-16 passing with 2 touchdowns and an interception versus the Roadrunners.Manning got in the game with 12:19 left in the 2nd quarter and

completed 9 of 12 pass efforts in the blowout victory. On his very first breeze, he got in touch with pass receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. for a 19-yard touchdown.Editor’s Picks 2 Associated The 6-foot-4, 225-pound redshirt freshman flaunted his speed on the next drive by making a defender miss on a zone read run and dashing away for a 67-yard goal. The run was the longest by a Texas quarterback given that Vince Young in 2005. Manning took a 28-7 lead into halftime and developed on it with a 51-yard goal pass to Isaiah Bond, a 75-yard score to Ryan Wingo and

a 12-yard goal pass to Johntay Cook II early in the fourth quarter to end his night.The Longhorns scored on five of his 9 belongings and install 614 overall yards on 9.2 lawns per play.”It helps when you have fantastic players around you and great coaches,”Manning said.” Isaiah Bond, Ryan Wingo, the O-line, they all played really well. They make it a little

bit easier for me.”Manning, the nephew of Eli and Peyton Manning, child of previous Ole Miss wide receiver Cooper Manning and grandson of Archie Manning, appeared in 2 games during his redshirt season

with the Longhorns in 2023. The previous luxury hire tossed his very first profession touchdown pass in Texas ‘season opener this year against Colorado State however had tried only 11 passes at the college level getting in Saturday.”Undoubtedly there’s a lot to enhance on and grow from,”Manning said,”but I’m delighted I got to get in there and get struck again and feel what it resembles.” Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian said the seriousness of

Ewers’injury” remains to be seen” but noted it does not appear anything is broken.”I believe Quinn’s in respectable spirits,”Sarkisian said.”I spoke to him on the sidelines there. He was playing such good football. My hope is this isn’t a long-term thing, that we’ll get him back, since we require as many healthy great players as we can get for this journey that we’re on today. “Texas concludes its nonconference schedule Saturday versus UL Monroe before making its SEC launching in the house versus Mississippi State on Sept. 28. The Longhorns then have an idle week before taking a trip to Dallas to face rival Oklahoma on Oct. 12. Ewers, the Longhorns ’25-game starter, formerly remained two games during the 2023 season since of a hurt right shoulder and remained three games in 2022 after sustaining a serious sprain of his SC joint.After leading the program to a Huge 12 title and College Football Playoff appearance last season, Ewers decided to bypass the NFL draft and returned to Texas to chase after 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 appearance against UTSA and tossed for 19 backyards on 2-of-4 passing.” Because Quinn’s been through it and I believe since those other injuries he got with the shoulder were so structural and they were contact-type injuries, I believe he’s most likely in a little better spirits,”Sarkisian stated.”We’ve got to do everything on our part to get him as healthy as we can as rapidly as

possible.”Ewers went into the weekend as the agreement favorite to win the Heisman Prize, listed at 5-1 by ESPN BET, after throwing for 246 backyards and three touchdowns in a thrashing of No. 10 Michigan last Saturday. His chances extended to 18-1 on Saturday night after the injury, while Manning’s Heisman chances moved significantly, reducing from 150-1 to 16-1 by ESPN BET.Miami quarterback Cam Ward emerged as the agreement favorite to win the Heisman Prize on Saturday at sportsbooks. Ward was noted at 5 1/2 -1 by ESPN BET on Saturday night.