Arch Manning impresses Texas coach after taking over for injured Quinn Ewers: "I'm really proud"

On Saturday night, the Texas Longhorns witnessed its future at quarterback, Arch Manning, shine bright in Austin as he took over for Quinn Ewers, who suffered a "strained abdomen" in the second quarter of the 56-7 rout.

Evers, a Heisman Trophy favorite, had just completed a pass to his tight end, Gunnar Helm, when he went for a hand-off on the next play to Quintrevion Wisner. He walked away from the play limping and eventually took a seat on the turf, where he called trainers out.

In the medical tent, Evers would be evaluated and then head to the Texas locker room, where he'd return to the sideline in street clothes, ending his night.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian stated that the seriousness of Ewers' abdominal injury is yet to be determined.

Sarkisian turned to his redshirt freshman backup Manning to finish the job against a UTSA team that Texas should dominate as Ewers was being helped off the field.

The nephew of NFL greats Peyton and Eli Manning immediately gained domination.

In the victory, Manning scored five touchdowns, starting with a four-play, 72-yard drive that resulted in DeAndre Moore Jr. scoring a 19-yard touchdown, leaving Ewers with two touchdowns and one interception before being removed from the game.

On the second play of Texas' next drive, Manning displayed his impressive wheels by making tacklers miss and running 67 yards, increasing the score to 28-7.

The second half of the game witnessed more Manning magic, as he scored two more touchdowns, one for 51 yards and the other for 75 yards, both to Isaiah Bond and Ryan Wingo respectively.

Manning completed nine out of 12 passes for 223 yards and four touchdowns, while also rushing for 53 yards on three carries and scoring a touchdown on the ground.

During the game, Sarkisian evaluated Manning's potential to take control and excel when Ewers was injured.

""Having a backup with limited experience can be challenging. Arch was our third player last year, and playing in front of a large crowd is not an easy task. Despite this, I am proud of Arch's performance," Sarkisian stated, as reported by the New York Post."

Ewers, a senior who is projected to be a top NFL Draft pick in 2025, is one of the best quarterbacks in the country and led Texas to the College Football Playoff last season. He has the starting job, but his injury may keep him sidelined.

In his true freshman season in 2023, Manning saw limited playing time. However, this season, he has displayed his immense talent, and he is prepared to take on a larger role whenever needed. It must be comforting for Longhorns fans to know that such talent is waiting in the wings.

Although Manning's film from his outstanding play against UTSA is being watched by everyone, he hopes his teammate will recover.

"Manning stated that he had learned a lot from him and considered him to be a significant influence on him. He hoped that he was doing well."

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