Louisiana-Monroe Defensive Coordinator Says Players Don't Fear Texas QB Arch Manning

Earnest Hill and the Warhawks defense had some fighting words for Manning and the Longhorns offense.
Louisiana-Monroe defensive coordinator Earnest Hill says that his defense does not fear Texas quarterback Arch Manning.
Louisiana-Monroe defensive coordinator Earnest Hill says that his defense does not fear Texas quarterback Arch Manning. / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

No. 1 Texas hosts Louisiana-Monroe in Austin on Saturday, where the Longhorns are an overwhelming 44.5-point favorite at FanDuel.

And for good reason.

Texas has looked every bit the part of one of the top teams in the country, and didn't miss a beat offensively when prized recruit Arch Manning entered the game off the bench in relief of Quinn Ewers in last Saturday's 56-7 win over UTSA. Ewers suffered a strained abdominal muscle and is questionable for Saturday.

If Ewers is unable to go, Manning will be under center for his first college start. But that doesn't mean Louisiana-Monroe will play scared. In fact, according to their defensive coordinator, Earnest Hill, the players don't fear Manning.

"We actually have some kids on our team who played against him in New Orleans," Hill said during his press conference on Wednesday. "So they don't hold too much fear against him. So they're not gonna hold any fear against him coming up here."

Manning completed nine of his 12 pass attempts for 223 yards and four touchdowns in relief of Ewers in Week 3, and added a 67 yard touchdown run as well.

It's one thing for Louisiana-Monroe to not fear Manning, it's another for that to translate into actually competing with him and the Longhorns on Saturday.

Kickoff is set for 8:00 p.m. ET in Austin.


More of the Latest Around College Football

feed


Published
Mike McDaniel
MIKE MCDANIEL

Mike McDaniel is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where he has worked since January 2022. His work has been featured at InsideTheACC.com, SB Nation, FanSided and more. McDaniel hosts the Hokie Hangover Podcast, covering Virginia Tech athletics, as well as Basketball Conference: The ACC Football Podcast. Outside of work, he is a husband and father, and an avid golfer.