- NCAA. Arch Manning and Quinn Ewers hit with bold challenge from Matthew McConaughey for Longhorns' season finish
- NCAA. Arch Manning is challenging Quinn Ewers' complacency: What's the Texas Longhorns' next move for both?
It is often said that if a team has two starting-caliber quarterbacks, then it really has none. The Texas Longhorns though are challenging that thinking, as they are blessed with two very talented signal-callers in Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning.
When Ewers missed multiple weeks with an oblique injury, Manning -- whose uncles are Eli and Peyton Manning -- stepped in and led the top-ranked Longhorns to consecutive victories. But with Ewers' return came a loss to Georgia and a narrow win over Vanderbilt while Manning returned to the bench. Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian may have had a thought or two about handing the ball back to the highly-touted Manning as the Longhorns pursue a first national championship in nearly two decades.
Sarkisian praises Ewers' toughness
Sarkisian has told the media though that the junior Ewers will continue to be his QB1 over redshirt freshman Manning -- whose time at Texas is still to come. Even though Texas had to hold on for a 27-24 win at Vandy on Saturday, Ewers worked around two interceptions to throw for a season-high 288 yards and three touchdowns. At one point, Ewers completed 17 es in a row.
"It was bad luck. He made a great read. Ball got tipped, interception," Sarkisian said of Ewers' first pick. "He came right back out, believed in his preparation and in the plan and really executed at a very high level tonight."
That maturity is setting Ewers apart from Manning, who remains inexperienced at the NCAA level -- although he hasn't thrown a single interception this season. But following the limp 30-15 loss to Georgia, Texas needed a response -- and Ewers' toughness mirrored that of his team. That's good enough for Sarkisian, as the Longhorns prepare to visit the Florida Gators in 10 days' time.
"His ability to bounce back and show that resolve that he showed - I always say that the sign of the true character of a man is in the face of adversity. That was a lot of adversity for him. It was a lot of adversity for us as a team coming off of last week's game," Sarkisian said. "If we can get that version of Quinn Ewers for the rest of the way, we'll be OK."