Steve Sarkisian assesses play of Arch Manning after replacing injured Quinn Ewers

Texas was forced to make a quarterback switch early in the second quarter against UTSA. Quinn Ewers went down the an injury, one Steve Sarkisian said was a strained abdomen. One of the more well-known backup QBs in college football, Arch Manning replaced Ewers and will likely see the game out.

Sarkisian had the opportunity to assess the play of Manning heading into the halftime locker room. Manning has received playing time before but the circumstances on Saturday are quite different, being competitive snaps. So far, so good from the head coach’s perspective.

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“It was a good start,” Sarkisian said. “Break down of protection there. So, he’s going through it. First time really playing good football.”

I mean, how could Sarkisian not like the start from Manning? His first place from scrimmage was a touchdown pass to DeAndre Moore. On the next drive, Manning ran the ball himself into the end zone on an impressive 67-yard touchdown.

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While Darrel K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium was described as having “angst” following the Ewers injury, Manning certainly brought some life back with his explosive plays.

At halftime, Manning has 25 passing yards on three completions plus the touchdown. Some rushing yards have been taken off his total due to sacks, officially having three carries for 53 yards.

When Texas takes the field for the second half, Manning will still be the quarterback. If the lead gets big enough, Sarkisian might think about getting third-string Trey Owens some snaps. But for now, it’s Manning’s offense to conduct.

Sarkisian does not believe he will have to change much from a play-calling perspective. He knows the strength and weaknesses of Manning’s game and will call the game as such.

“We just want to call the things that he’s good at, the guys have been practicing, and what we feel comfortable with,” Sarkisian said.

Steve Sarkisian gives injury update on Quinn Ewers

Steve Sarkisian likely wanted to get more than one quarterback on the field against UTSA. The switch came earlier than he likely hoped, though. Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers had to leave Saturday’s game due to an injury, eventually walking into the locker room. Redshirt freshman Arch Manning has been playing ever since.

Just before the two-minute timeout, Ewers was on the sideline in street clothes. Sarkisian was able to provide an update on his third-year starting QB, giving us the exact injury.

“He’s got a strained abdomen,” Sarkisian said.