Steve Sarkisian sparked a Texas QB controversy with Arch Manning, even though he says he didn't do it

Kathleen William October 20, 2024

AUSTIN, Texas – On Thursday, on the eve of a heavyweight matchup between No. 1 Texas and No. 5 Georgia, Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian was asked what it would take to switch quarterbacks from Quinn Ewers to Arch Manning midway through the game. The coach quickly dismissed the question, saying, “I’m not even going to answer that. I don’t know what the question is.”

Two days later, we got an answer that is suddenly the new headline of the Texas season.

Sarkisian substituted Ewers for Manning late in the first half of Saturday's loss to the Bulldogs, trailing 20-0 for a final score of 30-15. Manning finished the first half with two drives. And while Sarkisian returned to Ewers to open the second half, and Ewers played better as Texas made the final score respectable, the coach opened a can of worms that he had long wanted to avoid.

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“Quinn is our starting quarterback,” Sarkisian said after the game.

He can tell the media and the fans that, but there's no putting that genie in the bottle anymore. It's a quarterback controversy, however you want to define it. It's an unexpected blow to what had been a perfect season for Texas until Saturday. Fans who already wanted Manning to play now know that he may be able to step in if Ewers doesn't play well.

Sarkisian had always been a staunch defender of Ewers from the moment he arrived on campus and had handled the quarterback situation as best he could up to that point. He was well aware of what it would mean for this team's attention to replace Ewers for the highly touted Manning for non-injury reasons. But the door is now open and will remain there for the rest of the season.

It's been nearly impossible for Texas and Sarkisian to keep the arch hype at bay because it's everywhere. Walk around a game in Texas this year and you'll see significantly more fans wearing Manning jerseys than Ewers. The number 16 jerseys and jerseys are prominently displayed in team stores around Darrel K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Fans wonder every game whether Peyton and Eli Manning's nephew will be in the game. Poor Ewers got a Ph.D. Pepper commercial, but the entire system needed a backup.

There are so many Arch Manning jerseys in Austin. pic.twitter.com/sg4UaWJLyI

— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) October 19, 2024

After Texas' win at Michigan, I wrote that Ewers deserved more respect and it was time to stop with the Arch questions while Ewers was still in the orange color. It was Ewers who brought Texas back to prominence. But then Ewers injured his oblique joint, missed two games and wasn't the same in the last two games. He threw for 17 yards on two turnovers in the first half on Saturday before being benched.

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When Manning entered Saturday's game trailing 20-0, the crowd cheered tremendously.

“I felt like Quinn was a little uncomfortable and I wanted to give him a chance to take a step back and regroup,” Sarkisian said, explaining the change. “I didn't know if we were going to get a series or two with Arch depending on how much time was left in the half, so we just told Quinn we're going to go with Arch here to give you the chance We regroup in the locker room and then come back out in the second half, so that’s what we did.”

But Ewers told reporters after the game that he wasn't told he would be returning to the game until he was in the locker room at halftime.

“(Coaches said) they’re going to give Arch a chance and just give me time to calm down,” Ewers said.

Manning briefly gave Texas a spark. The ball came out of his hand faster and faster than Ewers. He completed three of six passes, attempting a 21-yard gain, and his agility was clearly an advantage. But he took a bad sack for an 11-yard loss, then took another sack and fumbled the ball away, leading to a field goal for Georgia and a 23-0 lead at halftime.

GEORGIA Forces Arch Manning to fumble 😳

THE BULLDOGS KEEP ROLLING IN AUSTIN 👀 pic.twitter.com/c05YfLJnrR

– ESPN (@espn) October 20, 2024

It was a reminder that the vaunted Manning still has some work to do on the field, like when he threw two interceptions against Louisiana-Monroe and completed barely half of his passes before playing much better against Mississippi State.

Ewers started the second half and quickly drove Texas to a touchdown, sending the crowd into a frenzy. When a bizarrely overturned pass interference interception brought Texas to the doorstep, Ewers threw a second touchdown pass, bringing the Longhorns to within a score of 23-15.

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“I felt like (the change) was effective and Quinn came out and played a much better second half and played well in the third quarter,” Sarkisian said.

“I just settled down and didn’t try to make it The “I played and just kept playing,” Ewers said.

He played better, but not well enough to lead a comeback and keep us out of the bench. He finished the game 25-for-43 passing for 211 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception.

Ewers has typically played well in Texas' biggest games, such as twice against Alabama, in the Big 12 championship against Oklahoma State, in the playoff game against Washington and in the trip to Michigan earlier this year. After his injury, he struggled early against Oklahoma last week and was worse than ever in the first half against Georgia.

When asked if the oblique injury is still bothering him, Ewers said he feels it a little, but it might just be a mental hurdle.

“But that’s just how it is with injuries,” he said.

Sarkisian can say he just wanted to reassure Ewers, but he wouldn't have changed a thing if he didn't believe Manning would have given them a chance to come back. Texas' defense played well, allowing just 283 total yards and 4.0 yards per play. If Texas could just get something going on offense and stop turning the ball over in bad spots, they would have had a chance to win the game and stay undefeated. That's why he took the risk of changing QB. It didn't work.

It's a loss that completely reopens the SEC race. For the first time since 2007, no SEC team is undefeated in November. Only Texas A&M and LSU are undefeated in conference play and play each other next week.

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Texas is still good enough to win a national championship. Sarkisian knows this. Maybe the short bench press at the end is the motivation for Ewers to get things right on the field and put the Longhorns on top. When asked if he would be open to asking more Arch questions in the future, Ewers scoffed and chuckled and said, “I don't know.”

Every next Texas game will begin with the possibility that Manning could come on if Ewers isn't playing well. Sarkisian had skillfully avoided this for a year and a half. Now he has opened it. In a season with sky-high expectations for a show that's always keeping an eye on it, an unexpected giant question mark just popped up.