Steve Sarkisian explains why he briefly benched Texas QB Quinn Ewers for Arch Manning

Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian said he felt Quinn Ewers, his starting quarterback, "was a little uneasy" in the first half of Saturday night's loss to Georgia.

Ewers completed 6 of his 12 pass attempts and turned the ball over twice before giving way to his backup, Arch Manning.

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Manning led two scoreless Texas drives — one of which ended when he fumbled — as the Longhorns entered the locker room at halftime without a point.

"I just felt like giving (Ewers) a chance to step back and regroup," Sarkisian said postgame. "I didn't know if we'd get a series or two with Arch depending on how much time was remaining on the half on the clock. So we just told Quinn, '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 in the second half.'"

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Ewers went back under center when the second half began and performed better. He finished the game 25-for-43 for 211 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

Sarkisian was asked postgame whether there might now be a competition at quarterback moving forward and made it clear that Ewers remains the starter.

"I appreciate the fact that we're fortunate enough to have a backup like Arch who can come into the game and provide a spark in some sense," Sarkisian said. "Quinn's our starter, but I think we've gotta do a better job around him. I think he would tell you that he can play better, but we've gotta coach better. Everybody's gotta be better."

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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Steve Sarkisian explains why he briefly benched Texas QB Quinn Ewers for Arch Manning