We got to give credit to Steve Sarkisian! In his first year in a new conference, he led No. 2 Texas to the SEC Championship game. Saturday’s going to give the Longhorns a chance for a comeback against the team that delivered their only loss of the season—Georgia. This time, the Bulldogs might be up against a different QB who is not Quinn Ewers. Can we expect him to lead Texas in the conference title game? Sarkisian chuckled, “We might.” If that’s the case, that’s something for Kirby Smart to worry about. 

Georgia insider Rusty Mansell joined Crain & Company on YouTube on December 4 to drop his thoughts on Arch Manning. He spoke of Texas’ backup QB, who started in three games this season: “You’re gonna see a lot of Arch Manning. You’re gonna see a lot of the run game especially in the red zone. Quinn had some turnovers last week in Texas A&M in the red zone. If I’m Texas man, we get to the 20, you’re gonna see Arch Manning. Because I’m gonna bring his legs and I’m gonna bring that run game.” 

We may not have seen much of Arch Manning this season, but when we do, we’re made to wonder why he isn’t getting more starting nods. In Texas’ last game against the Aggies, Sarkisian gave him the chance to play three snaps on the field. They all occurred in the red zone with Manning rushing the football. When Texas faced fourth and 2 from their opponents’ 15-yard line late in the first quarter, the 19-year-old took a shotgun snap and ran for the pylon, leading to a touchdown. 

The second statement play by Arch Manning happened in the second quarter on second and 6 from the Aggies’ 7-yard line. But HC Mike Elko called a timeout before the play snapped. But it was his rushing abilities that contributed to their final 17-7 win. Mansell made it obvious when he said, “His run game, if I’m Georgia… that makes me nervous this week.”  Should they prepare for Manning?

Arch Manning or Quinn Ewers?

That’s the debate, but the answer is almost clear. Turnovers have been a major problem for Texas, one of the main reasons for their lone regular season loss against Georgia. Quinn Ewers suffered three turnovers, and the last game against the Aggies replayed that costly mistake. Ewers completed 17 of 28 passes for 218 yards and one touchdown, but he had a second turnover in the third quarter in the last game. Still, Sarkisian is protective of his QB, as he called him “the epitome of being steady.”

Nonetheless, Arch Manning also got a nod of approval from Sarkisian after his last play. The Longhorns HC said, “We threw Arch in here in a couple of opportunities in the high-red (zone) to get into some quarterback run stuff, and we’ve gotten into 21 personnel and utilized Blue and Tre together. And so we’re constantly trying to evolve that stuff.” Ain’t that the kind of play you want to see in the SEC Championship game? Still, we don’t know for certain. It could be either or both could get snaps, but one thing’s for sure, it’s gonna be the ultimate showdown!