Texas redshirt freshman quarterback Arch Manning’s long-awaited starting debut was up and down, but the Longhorns still managed to thrive, beating underpowered Louisiana-Monroe 51-3 on Saturday night in front of a crowd of 102,850 at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
Manning, the son of Cooper Manning, nephew of Peyton Manning and Eli Manning and grandson of Archie Manning, completed 15 of 29 passes for 258 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Manning started Saturday night in place of injured starter Quinn Ewers, who strained an oblique muscle in last week’s win over UTSA.
Manning led the Longhorns’ first-team offense for 10 series before leaving the game early in the fourth quarter as freshman Trey Owens was brought in. Here’s what we learned from his performance.
Going deeper
A look at Arch Manning: How the QB fared in his first start with Texas
Manning highlights
It’s clear why Manning was such a coveted player. His strength and accuracy were impressive Saturday night. His deep balls usually landed at or near their intended target, and he completed passes of 56 and 46 yards.
Arch Manning fights back after interception 🔥
56 YARD DIME GOING DIRECTLY TO ISAIAH BOND’S HANDS 😤 pic.twitter.com/mZ1aDgpLzT
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 22, 2024
The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Manning never wavered after taking big hits, quickly getting back up each time and attacking like a veteran quarterback.
Archie Manning drops a dime at UL Monroe game 😳
46-yard pass and catch to Matthew Golden 💪 pic.twitter.com/xWJtwqYu8A
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 22, 2024
He was intercepted on his first drive but bounced back to complete four consecutive touchdown drives to put Texas up 28-0 early in the second quarter. It was up-and-down from there, and he was intercepted again late in the first half, but finished strong in the second half with two touchdown drives of 66 and 63 yards. — Sam Kahn Jr.
Scouting Arch’s debut
While far from perfect, Manning had good control of the offense, wasn’t confused or overwhelmed by any checks or changes, and had no trouble going at it against an inferior opponent. Texas put Manning in a few play-action situations, forcing the long-armed sophomore to throw some pretty deep passes. Like many quarterbacks his age, Manning still defaults to the deepest pass in this concept. He forced a pass through multiple defenders early on and was intercepted. He quickly followed that up with a pass through two more defenders that nearly completed. With more experience, he’ll feel more comfortable and most of the current stumbling blocks in Manning’s game should go away.
He’s still a little slow in general handling the pocket, especially when the coverage is unexpected or the route goes awry, but a lot of it is timing, and Manning is a young reserve, so that’s understandable. Overall, this will go down as a great experience for Manning, as he was able to capture both great passes and correctable mistakes on tape. He’ll gain confidence and learn a lot at the same time. — Nick Baumgardner
Texas continues to get its QB situation right.
Manning’s performance was impressive, but his mistakes showed his youth and inexperience, forcing pitches he shouldn’t have made and lacking the polish that Ewers has developed over 25 career starts, making it clear that Manning still has room to grow.
Given Manning’s caliber, his potential seems limitless. Saturday’s extended game will provide a good lesson for head coach Steve Sarkisian. — Kahn
Going deeper
How Texas achieves rare QB harmony with Archie Manning and Quinn Ewers
Arch’s first collegiate interception
Manning’s biggest challenge right now is general awareness of the pocket and moving forward quickly when an initial lead is taken. His first collegiate interception on Texas’ opening drive was an example of both. Manning took an unnecessary hit because he stared too long at the lead rather than moving from that receiver to the second or scrambling. He then forced a pass through three defenders. Manning’s passing mechanics, from his feet to his release, are all well beyond his age. But the fundamentals of playing quarterback against a live defender? As expected, they’re still developing. — Baumgardner
Arch Manning recorded the first career interception on the opening drive of the game. pic.twitter.com/2wXd8q4HcK
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 22, 2024
Should Quinn Ewers look back?
There’s no quarterback controversy in Austin. Quinn Ewers led Texas to the College Football Playoff last season, missing the national championship by just one ball on an end-zone deflection against Washington. Just two weeks ago, Ewers dominated Michigan in the Big House, and his performance was so good that it propelled the Longhorns to No. 1 in the Associated Press poll a week later. When Manning is healthy, he’ll again be the best backup quarterback in the country.
Obviously, if Ewers struggles when he returns, it will be a problem for Sarkisian, especially with back-to-back games against Oklahoma and Georgia looming in mid-October, but if Texas loses for the first time, it probably won’t be because of the passing game, which has been the team’s greatest strength thus far. — Stewart Mandel
(Photo by Tim Werner/Getty Images)
