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Arch Manning vs. Quinn Ewers: Who should start for Texas against Oklahoma?

Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning are turning a football axiom on its head. The classic saying is that a team that has two quarterbacks has no quarterbacks, essentially indicating that competition destroys identity.

However, Texas is proving that wrong. The Longhorns have two excellent and capable QBs. But who's the starter now? That's the immediate question.


Arch Manning or Quinn Ewers: Who's the QB starter against Oklahoma?

Steve Sarkisian has a tough choice at Texas-- whether to start Arch Manning or Quinn Ewers. (Photo Credit: IMAGN)
Steve Sarkisian has a tough choice at Texas-- whether to start Arch Manning or Quinn Ewers. (Photo Credit: IMAGN)

The Case for Quinn Ewers

Ewers was a massively recruited quarterback in the class of 2021. In fact, 247sports ranked him as not only the top passer but top player in that class. After a brief sojourn at Ohio State, Ewers landed at Texas, where he has steadily worked his way into the QB job.

Ewers took over starting for Texas as a freshman and was competent, throwing for 2,177 yards and 15 touchdowns against six interceptions. Texas posted a solid 8-5 season that year, narrowly losing to No. 1 Alabama and finishing the year ranked No. 25.

In 2023, Ewers and Texas blew up. The passer threw for 3,479 yards and 22 touchdowns, again with only six interceptions. The Horns went 12-2, beat Alabama and played in the College Football Playoff.

Ewers hasn't done anything wrong in 2024. In three games, he has played even better than he did last year, passing for 691 yards and eight touchdowns while increasing his completion percentage from 69.0% to 73.4%.

However, Ewers got injured, sustaining an abdominal strain late in Week 3 that opened the door for competition.

The case for Arch Manning

Arch Manning was the top national overall player in 2023, per 247sports. After seeing only a few snaps as a backup in 2023 for Texas, Manning looked better in spring practice and seemed too good to sit.

He saw some spot duty even before Ewers' injury, but now he has also had the benefit of two full games as a starter. Granted, Ewers started (and played the entire game) against Michigan, while Manning has started against Louisiana-Monroe and a Mississippi State team that's probably the weakest in the SEC.

However, Arch Manning has been great, completing 70.5% of his passes for 901 yards and nine touchdowns. He has better yardage better attempt and QB efficiency stats than Ewers.

The other impact is the ground game. Manning is an imposing runner, with 13 carries for 82 yards and three touchdowns. Ewers is essentially a pocket packer, with six rushes for one yard.

The likely verdict

Manning's impressive passing and running abilities have essentially created a competition, and whatever the outcome, it's difficult to not imagine both QBs seeing some time. The essential result is if Texas's offense staggers -- which it hasn't with either QB playing yet -- there's a backup plan.

However, Quinn Ewers is the experienced veteran who has played in big games, which Manning still hasn't. Also, football wisdom has long held that it's bad for team morale for a player to lose his starting job as a result of injury. Given that Quinn Ewers has taken Texas to the College Football Playoff, there's no jump in upside for the team with Manning.

However, certainly, keep an eye on Manning for the rest of the season. He's too good to sit, and the biggest challenge for Texas will be managing to keep him fresh and involved if he's not QB1. Frankly, Manning has proven good enough to be QB1, but Ewers is probably the logical call whenever he's healthy.


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