It’s Arch Manning Time In Texas; Quinn Ewers ‘Week To Week’ With Abdominal Strain

Quinn Ewers is listed as “week to week” after suffering an abdominal strain in Texas’ 56-7 win over UTSA on Saturday. Fortunately for Longhorns fans, Arch Manning has shown he’s more than capable of captaining the ship in QB1’s absence.

Entering the game with 12:19 left in the second quarter, Manning completed 9 of 12 passes for 223 yards and four touchdowns. He also added a 67-yard rushing score — something you’d never see from his uncles Peyton and Eli.

“You never know, as a backup, when you’re going to get put in the game,” Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said. “For [Manning] to come in on his first play to hit DeAndre Moore for the touchdown. On his third play — we’re in a little different style of offense when he’s in there — the little zone read, to pull it and the explosive play.

“I love the post throw to Ryan Wingo for the long touchdown. The big corner route to Ryan. He threw a beautiful kind of slot fade to Johntay Cook for a touchdown. He did some nice things for us and extended some drives on third downs. So that was a great experience for him that he got.”

Sarkisian said Ewers was in “good spirits” following his non-contact injury. After completing a 47-yard pass to tight end Gunnar Helm in the second quarter, Ewers jogged down the field before falling to the turf in pain. He walked off before heading to the medical tent with trainers.

“It’s an oblique strain, an abdomen strain, remains to be seen the seriousness of that and the length of that, but that’s what it is,” Sarkisian said. “We don’t think it’s anything structural or broken or anything like that. It was an odd play.”

Per ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Ewers is expected to miss Saturday’s non-conference finale against Louisiana-Monroe, meaning Arch Manning will start.

This season is Ewers’ third in a row suffering an injury. While Texas certainly doesn’t want to lose him under center, Longhorns fans have to be excited about the future with Manning.