Texas QB controversy? Sark picks between Quinn Ewers, Arch Manning

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian put any talk of a quarterback controversy to bed by announcing his starter going forward.

Texas Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian got out ahead of the speculation and named his starting QB going forward. / Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

The moment Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian swapped out starter Quinn Ewers for Arch Manning at quarterback during Saturday’s game against Georgia, the words “quarterback controversy” immediately sprung to mind.

But the Longhorns’ coach put an end to that speculation by announcing that Ewers remains the team’s starting quarterback going forward after losing to No. 5 Georgia.

“Quinn’s our starting quarterback,” Sarkisian told reporters after the game.

“I appreciate the fact we’re fortunate enough to have a backup like Arch that could come into the game and provide a spark in some sense. At the end of the day, Quinn’s our starter.

“I think, like I said, we’ve got to do a better job around him. I think he would tell you he can play better, but we’ve got to coach better. Everybody’s got to be better for our offense to perform better.”

Manning played on two series as Ewers waited on the sideline, but would not play at all in the second half as Texas went back to its starter to finish out the 30-15 loss to the Bulldogs.

So, why bench Ewers?

“My feeling in the game was I felt Quinn was a little uneasy,” Sarkisian said.

“I felt like giving him a chance to kind of step back and regroup. I didn’t know if we’d get a series or two with Arch depending on how much time was remaining in the half on the clock.

“So we told Quinn we’re going to go with Arch here and give you a chance to get into the locker room. Let’s regroup and then come back out in the second half, and so that’s what we did. I felt like it was effective. Quinn came out and played a much better second half.”

Texas will drop out of the No. 1 position in the rankings with the loss, falling to 6-1 overall with a 2-1 mark in SEC play, and will go on the road against Vanderbilt next weekend.

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