Steve Sarkisian Shuts Down Texas Longhorns QB Controversy

Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers was benched for Arch Manning against the Georgia Bulldogs before returning to the lineup in the second half.

Oct 19, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) takes a snap against the Georgia Bulldogs in the first quarter at Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sara Diggins/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images / Sara Diggins/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

AUSTIN -- Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian made a quarterback change in the second quarter of Saturday's matchup against the Georgia Bulldogs.

The decision didn't create a spark in what ended up being a 30-15 loss at home for No. 1 Texas.

Quinn Ewers was benched late in the first half in favor of Arch Manning, who took over the offense for two series before the Longhorns headed into halftime down 23-0. Ewers returned back to the starting lineup to begin the third quarter and remained the quarterback for the remainder of the game.

Naturally, Sarkisian was asked after the loss if there will be a quarterback battle moving forward but made it clear that this is still Ewers' offense.

"Quinn's our starting quarterback," Sarkisian said. "I appreciate the fact that we're fortunate enough to have a backup like Arch that could come into the game and provide a spark, in some sense, but at the end of the day, Quinn's our starter, butI think we've got to do a better job around him."

Sarkisian said that he thinks Ewers "wasn't the happiest guy with me" after the decision but the benching gave Texas a fighting chance in the second half.

"My feeling in the game was I felt Quinn was a little uneasy, and I just felt like giving him a chance to kind of step back and regroup," Sarkisian said. "I didn't know if we'd get a series or two with Arch, depending on how much time was on the clock. So we just told Quinn, and said, 'Hey, we're going to go with Arch here. Give you a chance to get into the locker room. Let's regroup and then come back out the second half. And so that's what we did, and I felt like it was effective. Quinn came out and played a much better second half and played well on the third quarter."

Ewers finished 25 of 43 passing for 211 yards, two touchdowns and one pick. He also lost two fumbles. Manning went 3 of 6 passing for 19 yards and had a 21-yard run, but lost a fumble as well. The two quarterbacks combined for all four of Texas' turnovers.

With no quarterback controversy brewing, Ewers will look to regain momentum next week when the Longhorns visit Vanderbilt.