Arch Manning shined in his second start at quarterback for No. 1 Texas on Saturday as the Longhorns beat Mississippi State 35-13 with top QB Quinn Ewers still on the mend from an abdominal strain. It was the second straight start for Manning, who is now 2-0 but likely destined for a return to the backup role.
Manning completed 26 of 31 passes for 324 yards and two touchdowns and no interceptions against the Bulldogs as Texas won its first conference game as a member of the SEC without too much stress. It marks Manning’s first game with 300 passing yards.
Manning also added a one-yard touchdown run that was set up by his own 26-yard scramble. One of Manning’s incompletions was a drop from receiver Johntay Cook on a play that could have been another touchdown.
It was a more efficient performance for Manning than his first start in Week 4 against UL-Monroe. The highlight was a 49-yard touchdown bomb to DeAndre Moore late in the first half to put Texas ahead 14-6. He later found Moore for a 27-yard scoring strike to put the Longhorns up 28-6 in the fourth quarter.
As solid as Manning’s performance was, it could go down as the last substantive action of the season for the Class of 2023’s No. 1-ranked recruit.
Texas listed Ewers as questionable this week, and he did practice. But with Texas favored by 38.5 points, coach Steve Sarkisian opted against pushing the envelope on Ewers’ return. The circumstances of Texas’ schedule only made that choice easier for Sarkisian.
The Longhorns have a bye next week, which will allow Ewers more time to fully heal before the all-important Red River Rivalry game against Oklahoma on Oct. 12. Plus, with Mississippi State in a rebuilding year, it was a good opportunity to get Manning more game reps after his up-and-down first start against UL-Monroe.
The Manning brood moves to 5-2-1 against Mississippi State, which was of course the arch-rival of grandpa Archie and uncle Eli at Ole Miss. Peyton Manning played the Bulldogs twice at Tennessee, splitting the series 1-1.
