No. 1 Texas enters Saturday facing its biggest test to date, as No. 5 Georgia travels to Austin to face the Longhorns. Texas is currently an undefeated 6-0, while the Bulldogs are 5-1 with their only loss to No. 7 Alabama.
Arch Manning is preparing for his highest-profile regular-season game in college, though he may not see the field. The sophomore, who started two games this season, returned to backup status last week when Texas rolled Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry.
A win on Saturday would further cement Texas’ status in the SEC, as the Longhorns are currently the only undefeated team in the conference.
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Did Arch Manning play today?
Manning replaced Quinn Ewers in the second quarter of Texas’ game against Georgia on Saturday night. Ewers did not appear to be injured, so it was a benching in favor of Manning, by all indications.
The decision by Steve Sarkisian came with the Longhorns trailing 20-0 at home. Ewers was 6-of-12 for just 17 yards and an interception before Manning entered.
Manning didn’t provide much of a spark on his first drive, completing just one of his four passes with Texas’ lone first down coming as the result of a penalty. He finished the half but was replaced by Ewers at the start of the third quarter as Sarkisian searched for any answers he could find offensively.
Arch Manning season stats
Here’s where Manning’s numbers sit ahead of Saturday’s game.
- Completions/Attempts: 55/78
- Completion Percentage: 70.5%
- Passing Yards: 901
- Passing Touchdowns: 9
- Interceptions: 2
- Rushing Yards: 82
- Rushing Touchdowns: 3
Manning’s stats remain the same as last week, as he hasn’t appeared in a game since September 28. In his two starts, Manning totaled 583 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions, leading the Longhorns to two easy victories.
Texas QB depth chart
| Rank | Name |
| 1. | Quinn Ewers |
| 2. | Arch Manning |
| 3. | Trey Owens |
1. Quinn Ewers
Ewers missed two games with an oblique injury, but he regained his starting job last week despite Manning’s play. In a game where Texas ran for 177 yards and three touchdowns, and the Longhorns’ defense held Oklahoma to three points, Ewers only had to throw for 199 yards and one touchdown in the win. On Saturday night, Ewers will likely need to have a big game for Texas to score on a very tough Georgia defense.
In four games, Ewers has produced 890 passing yards, nine touchdowns and three interceptions as Texas has won every game this year by at least 19 points.
2. Arch Manning
Against Oklahoma, Manning did not play a snap for just the second time this year, as he had appeared in four of Texas’s first five games of the season. Expect more of the same on Saturday, as Georgia and Texas should play in a close game that keeps Manning on the sidelines barring another Ewers injury.
3. Trey Owens
On the season, Owens has played in just one game, totaling 19 passing yards on two attempts. The freshman will be an option for a redshirt season as long as both Ewers and Manning stay healthy this year.
