University of Texas quarterback Arch Manning made his first collegiate start on Saturday against the ULM Warhawks, exactly 56 years after his grandfather and namesake, Arch Manning, made his first start for Ole Miss at Memphis State.
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Archie’s final stats in 1968 – 8-of-14 completions for 116 yards, two passing touchdowns, one interception and one rushing touchdown in a 21-7 victory – suggested his ability to set an SEC offensive record that would stand for decades, but also showed he still had room for improvement.
Arches had the same performance on Saturday in the No. 1 Texas Longhorns’ 51-3 win over ULM, as Manning completed 15 of 29 passes for 258 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
That’s where the similarities end, especially considering the situation at the Arch on Saturday. Manning, a redshirt freshman, is normally the Longhorns’ backup quarterback but was thrust into the starting role after regular starter Quinn Ewers suffered an abdominal injury last week against UTSA.
For Archie, that debut against Memphis State was the start of a distinguished career that included the SEC Player of the Year award in 1969 and back-to-back SEC All-Star awards in 1969 and 1970.
Arch’s first start was his first since last year against Texas Tech, and Saturday could be his final one of the season. But the scion of America’s first football family looked like a redshirt freshman at times and like Manning at others.
What did Manning think?
“It’s probably a C+, but a win is a win,” Arch said after the game.
Said Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian: “Lessons learned, right? I don’t think anybody here expected him to go out there and play a perfect game. We knew he was going to prepare really well, practice hard and do everything he could to play good football. He’s going to have lessons to learn and I think that was what tonight was about.”
Manning joked that the game felt much longer considering he was on the field for the first offensive snap, as opposed to the first snap midway through the third quarter when Texas was up by 30. It took the Longhorns longer to extend their final lead, and Manning made some mistakes along the way.
ULM intercepted Manning on the Longhorns’ first offensive series, and he responded by throwing a pass to Isaiah Bond on the next pass for a 56-yard gain that led to Texas’ first score. That touchdown was a short pass from Manning to Jadon Blue.
Texas passed to Manning, the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2023 On3 industry rankings, early and often against ULM. The Longhorns’ offensive line gave him plenty of opportunities to show off his arm strength from the pocket. UT recorded eight passes of 15 yards or more, including three that were 25 yards or longer.
Sarkisian said that perhaps such a strategy would have Manning try to throw a fastball instead of a necessary changeup as a checkdown. One of his interceptions bounced off Blue’s hands. Many of Manning’s throws were rookie mistakes rather than game-plan lapses, but that’s to be expected for a quarterback his age, despite his last name.
Overall, Sarkisian liked what he saw from Manning, not just Saturday but since Cooper’s son arrived on campus. Manning showed up in Austin with all the expectations in the world on his shoulders but was stuck with the third team in his first season.
He’s since developed into a quarterback who, while not perfect, can throw passes that threaten defenders in all areas of the field in Sarkisian’s offense, and he’s also learned how to play with a sense of composure that Manning believes has helped him succeed.
“Sometimes I think just having fun, taking it easy and playing the game that I love is when I play my best,” Manning said.
Manning said he tries to prepare each week as if he’s the starter. Ewers typically holds the title of starting quarterback for Texas. Sarkisian wouldn’t say whether Ewers would return for the Longhorns’ SEC opener against Mississippi State in a week’s time, but he praised Ewers for helping Manning feel comfortable on the sideline during what could have been a nerve-wracking debut.
“He’s grown a lot. It takes a lot of maturity to get that done,” Sarkisian said of Manning.
The same would likely be said by Archie, who led the Rebels to a 7-3-1 season in 1968, but it’s possible Manning could return to a backup role next weekend or the week after when the Longhorns enter their first bye week of the 2024 season.
It was a debut with a lot of good and some bad. Like Archie’s first start in Memphis 56 years ago, Archie in Austin did what it took to help his team win and has shown great promise for this and future seasons.
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“It was fun,” Manning said. “Obviously there’s a lot of things we need to improve on and things we want to get back, but I thought it was a good first win.”