'What It's All About': Mississippi State Coach Jeff Lebby Praises Arch Manning

In a press conference held on Monday, Lebby thought Arch did a lot of 'good things' last week against UL-Monroe.

Sep 21, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) throws a pass in the first half against the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images / Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian stated on Monday that starting quarterback Quinn Ewers is officially listed as 'questionable' for Saturday's game against Mississippi State, leaving a window open for Arch Manning to make another start.

After Arch's performance last Saturday against ULM, where he threw for 258 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions, and a 71.3 QBR rating, it's safe to say the future is bright but Arch will need some time to fully develop.

Nevertheless, Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby talked a little bit about the quarterback situation and his thoughts on Arch Manning.

"Regardless of who the QB is going to be, both those guys have the ability to run the offense the way Sark wants them to," Lebby said.

Lebby mentioned that Texas is an 'explosive' team, while Arch was not able to complete majority of his deep passes, it didn't stop him from throwing them constantly throughout the game.

And while it's still up in the air if Manning will start against his team, Lebby voiced his respect for the young quarterback.

"Arch did some really good things," Lebby said. "You listen to what Sark said after the game and he's talking about Arch and just the experience part of it and learning from some of the mistakes maybe he had inside the game. That's what playing the position is all about."

Mississippi State also has had struggles with health in their quarterback room. After their loss to Florida last Saturday, it was announced that starting quarterback Blake Shapen suffered a season-ending shoulder injury.

With that, Lebby announced Monday that true freshman Martin Van Buren Jr. would start for Mississippi State after leading two successful drives against Florida in the fouth quarter last week.

While they have an official starter for Saturday, Lebby must wait to see who will be under snap for the Longhorns.

The game will be played at 3:15 p.m. CT at DKR Stadium, airing on SEC Network.