It’s almost like Arch Manning got tired waiting for so long to play and actually entered the NCAA Transfer Portal.
Manning, a redshirt freshman backup quarterback at Texas, will start his first game since he was at Newman High in New Orleans in 2022, for the No. 1 Longhorns (3-0) against little ole Louisiana-Monroe (2-0) Saturday (7 p.m., ESPN+, SEC Network+). Texas coach Steve Sarkisian named him the starter on Thursday as regular junior starter Quinn Ewers is dealing with an abdominal injury.
Manning, the 6-foot-4 former No. 1 overall prospect in the country with the dynastic family, has waited patiently for his turn. He was third string last season and made only cameos in two long-decided blowouts, completing 2 of 5 passes for 30 yards and rushing three times for seven yards in the 57-7 win over Texas Tech and taking the final snaps in the 49-21 win over Oklahoma State in the Big 12 championship game.
But he did outdraw Ewers by droves at the College Football Playoff Sugar Bowl Media Day in the Superdome last December just 10 minutes from his grandfather Archie Manning’s uptown home. Manning watched Ewers start 12 games last season and saw his backup, Maalik Murphy, start the two that Ewers missed with an acromioclavicular (AC) joint injury in the shoulder area.
Manning watched Ewers enter the 2024 season as a deserving Heisman Trophy favorite and start the first three games, including a 31-12 win at No. 10 Michigan in which Ewers hit 24 of 36 passes for 246 yards and three touchdowns.
Arch Manning And Family Never Complained About Not Playing
Through it all, Manning never said a word of discontent, never considered a transfer, and the Family Manning – dad Cooper and uncles Peyton and Eli – did same in unison.
Then something happened early in the second quarter of Texas’ 56-7 win over Texas-San Antonio. As Ewers threw what would be his 14th completion in 16 attempts for a 49-yard gain (and already a 185 total) to tight end Gunnar Helm to UTSA’s 20, something didn’t feel right. Ewers suffered an oblique strain in his abdomen, left the game after one more play, and is questionable for Saturday’s game.
Manning came in and on cue completed a 19-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver DeAndre Moore. He threw three more TDs – 75 yards to wide receiver Ryan Wingo, 51 yards to former Alabama wide receiver Isaiah Bond and 12 yards to wide receiver Johntay Cooks. Oh, and he ran for a 67-yard touchdown. He finished 9 of 12 for 223 yards.
Then not long after the game ended, “The Book of Manning” documentary aired yet again on ESPNU, as another chapter unfolds with the third generation. Oh, and just a few days later, Eli Manning was nominated for entry into the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2025.
UTSA was not a challenge by any means, but Sarkisian still really liked what he saw, particularly after the 75-yard TD pass.
“He takes a really good shot,” he said of Manning, whose grandfather took a few of those almost every Sunday as the Saints’ quarterback from 1971-81 and more with the Houston Oilers and Minnesota Vikings late in his career.
“Two guys come and hit him late on the delivery, and he’s able to stand in there. He didn’t flinch, and he delivered the touchdown pass. Definitely encouraged by that,” Sarkisian said.
“Poised and composed” is how Sarkisian described Manning. “You never know, as a backup, when you’re going to get put in the game. For him to come in, and on his first play to hit the touchdown. I love the post throw to Wingo for the touchdown. He did some nice things for us and extended some drives on third downs. So that was a great experience for him.”
Manning may also get a second start next week against lowly Mississippi State (1-2) before an open date, so Ewers can be tip-top for the clash with No. 15 Oklahoma (3-0) in Dallas on Oct. 12.
So, in the meantime, Texas will pivot to Arch, and Ewers will hope he’s not pulling a Pipp.
Wally Pipp Headache Gave Lou Gehrig A Chance
Wally Pipp, like Ewers in college football, was a very established star for the New York Yankees in the 1920s and was one of Major League Baseball’s premier power hitters. But on June 2, 1925, Pipp had a headache and took himself out of the lineup at first base. His replacement that day – similar to Arch Manning – had been his backup for two years … Lou Gehrig. And Gehrig never gave the job back through 2,130 straight games – the MLB’s consecutive games played record until Cal Ripken Jr. broke it on Sept. 6, 1995.
“I’m glad I got to get in there and get hit again,” Manning said after the game. “At any moment, your name can be called. You always have to be ready. That’s what they’ve been trying to tell me all along – just to prepare like I’m the starter every week.”
Even if Ewers returns for for Mississippi State or for Oklahoma, the time Manning has prepared as the starter and knowing he will be the starter for one game or two or possibly more will be invaluable when he does take over for good in 2025. Ewers is expected to enter the 2025 NFL Draft.
Manning’s game against UTSA and on Saturday against ULM cannot be mimicked in practice.
As Grandpa Archie texted to Tiger Rag on Thursday, “Experience is best for development.”
SEC SCHEDULE SATURDAY
Florida at Mississippi State, 11 a.m., ESPN.
Ohio at Kentucky, 11:45 a.m., SEC Network.
Auburn at Arkansas, 2:30 p.m., ESPN.
UCLA at No. 16 LSU, 2:30 p.m., ABC.
Vanderbilt at No. 7 Missouri, 3:15 p.m., SEC Network.
No. 6 Tennessee at No. 15 Oklahoma, 6:30 p.m., ABC.
Akron at South Carolina, 6:30 p.m., ESPNU.
Bowling Green at No. 25 Texas A&M, 6:30 p.m., SEC Network+, ESPN+.
Georgia Southern at No. 5 Ole Miss, 6:45 p.m., SEC Network+, ESPN+.
Louisiana-Monroe at No. 1 Texas, 7 p.m., ESPN+, SEC Network+.
THE GUILBEAU POLL
1. Ole Miss (3-0).
2. Texas (3-0).
3. Alabama (3-0)
4. Tennessee (3-0)
5. Georgia (3-0, 1-0)
6. Missouri (3-0)
7. Oklahoma (3-0)
8. LSU (2-1)
9. Texas A&M (2-1, 1-0)
10. South Carolina (2-1)
11. Vanderbilt (2-1)
12. Kentucky (1-2, 0-2)
13. Auburn (2-1)
14. Arkansas (2-1)
15. Florida (1-2, 0-1)
16. Mississippi State (1-2)
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“When you have two first-year coordinators, they’re learning their personnel, who they want to use, who are the best 11 in each situation and what schemes put us in the best situations. You know, I wish we could’ve done that in preseason camp, but we didn’t know a lot about who were those best players.”
-LSU coach Brian Kelly
BS QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“You can’t trick a really good team like that. You have to man up and make plays when you need to.”
-Kentucky coach Mark Stoops, who did not man up on a 4th-and-8 play from the 47-yard line of No. 1 Georgia while trailing 13-12 with 3:03 to play in the game. He punted, and Kentucky never got the ball back until nine seconds remained and was on its 20-yard line.
“I don’t regret punting that ball,” Stoops said. “Plenty of time to pin ’em back and get the ball back.”
But even if his defense had not allowed two first downs and he got the ball back sooner, it is unlikely with his offense that Stoops gets back to the 47-yard line. If he somehow converts a 3rd-and-8, he is a first down or two away from attempting a game-winning field goal. And Alex Raynor had just booted a 51-yard field goal to get the Wildcats within 13-12 with 8:01 to go. And his 55-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead in the first quarter was the school record.
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