Texas’s Steve Sarkisian Explains Why He Didn’t Play Arch Manning in Win Over BYU

The acclaimed heir to the Manning family legacy didn’t play Saturday despite the Longhorns’ big lead over the Cougars.

Texas rolled to a 35-6 win over BYU in its first game of the season without quarterback Quinn Ewers, who is expected to be sidelined for several weeks due to a shoulder injury. And although it was backup Maalik Murphy who got the starting nod Saturday, fans held out hope that five-star freshman Arch Manning would see playing time as well—which didn’t prove to be the case.

After the Longhorns wrapped up the win, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian addressed the decision not to play Manning despite the lopsided score.

“I’m always hesitant on those things to say, ‘Yes, he’s going to go in,’ because now I’m going to get called a liar and that I didn’t put them in,” said Sarkisian. “I just felt like it wasn’t the right time today. Hopefully, in the future, we can do it.”

Sarkisian expounded on that comment by citing that the team’s focus was on getting Murphy additional reps in the game.

“I was more focused on the rhythm of Maalik and the offense. It wasn’t the right time today,” Sarkisian explained.

As for what the “right time” is for the Longhorns to give Manning some in-game reps, that remains a question fans will continue to ask as long as Ewers remains sidelined.