Steve Sarkisian created Texas QB controversy with Arch Manning, even when he says he didn’t

AUSTIN, Texas — On Thursday, on the eve of a heavyweight conflict between No. 1 Texas and No. 5 Georgia, Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian was requested what it will take for him to vary quarterbacks mid-game from Quinn Ewers to Arch Manning. The coach shortly dismissed the query, saying, “I’m not even going to reply that. I don’t know what the query is.”

Two days later, we bought a solution that’s out of the blue the brand new headline of Texas’ season.

Sarkisian pulled Ewers for Manning late within the first half of Saturday’s loss to the Bulldogs, trailing 20-0 in what turned a 30-15 remaining rating. Manning closed the primary half with two drives. And whereas Sarkisian went again to Ewers to open the second half and Ewers performed higher as Texas made the ultimate rating respectable, the coach opened up a can of worms he was lengthy determined to keep away from.

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“Quinn’s our beginning quarterback,” Sarkisian mentioned after the sport.

He can say that to the media and the followers, however there’s no placing this genie again within the bottle now. It’s a quarterback controversy, nonetheless you wish to outline it. It’s an surprising wrench thrown into what was till Saturday an ideal season for Texas. Followers who already needed Manning to play now realize it’s doable he can are available when Ewers doesn’t play effectively.

Sarkisian has at all times been a staunch defender of Ewers from the second he arrived on campus and so far had dealt with the quarterback state of affairs in addition to humanly doable. He was effectively conscious of what pulling Ewers for the extremely touted Manning for non-injury causes would imply for the eye on this group. However the door has been opened now, and it’ll keep there for the remainder of the season.

It’s been nearly not possible for Texas and Sarkisian to maintain the Arch hype at bay as a result of it’s all over the place. Stroll round a Texas sport this yr and also you see much more followers in Manning jerseys than Ewers. The No. 16 jerseys and shirts are prominently positioned within the group shops across the Darrel Okay. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Followers at each sport ask one another in the event that they’ll see Peyton and Eli Manning’s nephew get into the sport. Poor Ewers bought a Dr. Pepper business however the whole premise was having a backup.

There are such a lot of Arch Manning jerseys in Austin. pic.twitter.com/sg4UaWJLyI

— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) October 19, 2024

I wrote after Texas’ win at Michigan that Ewers deserved extra respect and it was time to cease the Arch questions whereas Ewers was nonetheless within the burnt orange. It was Ewers who introduced Texas again to prominence. However then Ewers injured his indirect, missed two video games and hasn’t been the identical within the two video games again. He threw for 17 yards with two turnovers within the first half Saturday earlier than getting benched.

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When Manning entered the sport Saturday dealing with a 20-0 deficit, the roar of the gang was huge.

“I felt Quinn was a bit uneasy, and I felt like giving him an opportunity to step again and regroup,” Sarkisian mentioned, explaining the change. “I didn’t know if we’d get a sequence or two with Arch, relying on how a lot time was remaining within the half, so we simply informed Quinn we’re going to go together with Arch right here, offer you an opportunity to get within the locker room, regroup after which come again out within the second half, in order that’s what we did.”

However Ewers informed reporters after the sport that he wasn’t informed he would return within the sport till he was within the locker room at halftime.

“(Coaches mentioned) they’re going to present Arch a shot and simply give me time to quiet down,” Ewers mentioned.

Manning briefly gave Texas a spark. The ball got here out of his hand with extra quickness and zip than Ewers. He accomplished three of six passes, scrambled for a 21-yard achieve and his mobility was clearly an asset. However he took a foul sack for an 11-yard loss, then took one other sack and fumbled the ball away, resulting in a Georgia area purpose and a 23-0 halftime lead.

GEORGIA FORCES THE FUMBLE ON ARCH MANNING 😳

THE BULLDOGS CONTINUE TO ROLL IN AUSTIN 👀 pic.twitter.com/c05YfLJnrR

— ESPN (@espn) October 20, 2024

It was a reminder that the hyped Manning nonetheless has some rising to do on the sector, like when he threw two interceptions and accomplished barely half of his passes in opposition to Louisiana-Monroe, earlier than taking part in a lot better in opposition to Mississippi State.

Ewers began the second half and shortly drove Texas down for a landing, placing a jolt within the crowd. When a bizarrely overturned move interference interception put Texas on the doorstop, Ewers threw a second landing move and pulled the Longhorns inside one rating at 23-15.

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“I felt (the change) was efficient, and Quinn got here out and performed a a lot better second half and performed effectively within the third quarter,” Sarkisian mentioned.

“I simply settled down and wasn’t attempting to make the play and simply saved taking part in,” Ewers mentioned.

He performed higher, however not effectively sufficient to steer a comeback and put the benching out of our minds. He completed 25-for-43 passing for 211 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception.

Ewers has sometimes performed effectively in Texas’ largest video games, like twice in opposition to Alabama, the Huge 12 championship in opposition to Oklahoma State, the playoff sport in opposition to Washington and the journey to Michigan earlier this yr. Publish-injury, he struggled early in opposition to Oklahoma final week and was as dangerous as he’s ever appeared within the first half in opposition to Georgia.

Requested if the indirect damage was nonetheless bothering him, Ewers mentioned he feels it a bit bit but it surely would possibly simply be a psychological hurdle.

“However that’s simply how accidents go,” he mentioned.

Sarkisian can say he simply needed to settle Ewers down, however he wouldn’t have made a change if he didn’t assume Manning gave them a shot to return again. Texas’ protection performed effectively, permitting simply 283 whole yards and 4.0 yards per play. If Texas may simply get one thing occurring offense and cease turning the ball over in dangerous spots, they’d have had an opportunity to win the sport and keep undefeated. That’s why he took the danger of the QB change. It didn’t work.

It’s a loss that utterly opens up the SEC race once more. No SEC group is undefeated getting into November for the primary time since 2007. Solely Texas A&M and LSU are undefeated in convention play and so they play one another subsequent week.

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Texas continues to be adequate to win a nationwide championship. Sarkisian is aware of that. Possibly in the long run, the transient benching is the motivation for Ewers to sort things on the sector and take the Longhorns to the highest. Requested if he was able to get extra Arch questions shifting ahead, Ewers scoffed and chuckled and mentioned, “I don’t know.”

Each Texas sport shifting ahead will open with the chance Manning may are available if Ewers doesn’t play effectively. For a yr and a half, Sarkisian had expertly prevented that. Now he’s opened it. In a season with sky-high expectations on a program that at all times has eyes on it, an surprising large query mark has simply appeared.