Texas Longhorns: Sarkisian gives Update on Ewers’ injury and analyzes Mannings’ style of play
During his press conferences, coach Steve Sarkisian provided updates on injured quarterback Quinn Ewers as well as an analysis of Arch Manning’s first start. The top-ranked Texas Longhorns will play their first SEC game this weekend versus one and three Mississippi State. This follows their 51-to-3 victory over UL Monroe last weekend.
Manning’s First Start
Top recruit Arch Manning made his first career start in place of the injured Quinn Ewers. Manning completed 15 of 29 passes for 258 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. Texas Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian explained that they had to take an aggressive approach due to UL Monroe’s playing style. After the game, Sarkisian shared his thoughts on Manning’s debut.
“It’s tough for a player making his first start because you want to keep hitting those big plays. But maybe we could have mixed in some easier completions to help him stay in rhythm. We managed to do that toward the end of the third quarter with some shorter throws, but I’d like to see a higher completion percentage than we had tonight.”
Despite an interception on Manning’s first drive, Sarkisian was generally satisfied with the redshirt freshman’s performance, highlighting his growth over the past year.
“The Arch we saw today handled negative plays much better than he did a year ago. He’s matured a lot, and I think having Quinn to observe has helped in his development.”
In his Monday press conference, Sarkisian reiterated that Manning could benefit from taking more check-down options instead of forcing deep throws.
“There are probably four or five plays where if he had embraced checking down instead of forcing the ball, it could have made a difference. That’s the difference between completing 52 percent of your passes and 65 percent. There’s definitely room for growth.”
Ewers’ Injury Update
Sarkisian also provided an update on injured starting quarterback Quinn Ewers, who missed last week’s game due to an abdominal strain. Sarkisian outlined what he needs to see before considering Ewers for the starting role.
“He’s got to show me he’s capable of playing,” Sarkisian stated. “We have a game plan, and the question is: Can he execute it?”
The coach stressed the importance of monitoring Ewers’ daily progress before making a final decision on his status. However, Sarkisian noted that the junior quarterback participated in Monday’s practice.
“Today was a good start. I was impressed with where he was.”
With Texas holding National Championship ambitions, Sarkisian appears cautious about risking Ewers’ health.
“I want to make sure he’s healthy enough to play at a high level.”
This is significant news for the Longhorns, even if Ewers isn’t ready to return this weekend. Mississippi State, fresh off a blowout loss to the struggling Florida Gators, shouldn’t pose a major challenge. Manning, despite his sub-par performance, should be able to handle the Bulldogs. With Texas having a bye the following week, Sarkisian can afford to wait until Ewers is closer to full health. This would give Ewers nearly three weeks to recover before critical back-to-back games against 21st-ranked Oklahoma and 2nd-ranked Georgia starting on October 12.