By Rock Westfall
It was bound to happen. It has been brewing since the day that Arch Manning set foot on the Forty Acres. The Texas Longhorns have the look of a national championship team. But now their season could be torn apart over the status of quarterbacks Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning. Ewers, the number one quarterback, has been lighting it up for the past two years. He led Texas to the College Football Playoff in 2023 and has won over skeptics. But the dark cloud of Manning as the people’s choice has been his constant companion.
On Saturday night, Ewers had to leave the game with what is described as a non-contact injury after Texas took a 14-0 second-quarter lead. Manning came off the bench and lit it up in dominant fashion. As a result, Texas now has a good old-fashioned quarterback controversy. The genie is out of the bottle, and it won’t be easy putting it back in.
Additionally, as part of the controversy, Texas has on its hands the Caitlin Clark of college football.
The Caitlin Clark Effect
Last spring, I wrote here that only Arch Manning could become the Caitlin Clark of college football. A great example was the reaction to his performance in the 2024 spring game. In that intrasquad scrimmage, Arch lived up to his bloodlines and name with a stellar performance. Fans lost their minds about how good Arch looked, more so than what would be the case at most other schools in a regular season game. That is what I meant by the Caitlin Clark effect .
Saturday night, Arch lit up the UTSA Roadrunners for 223 yards and four touchdowns while adding a 67-yard touchdown run as Texas won in a 56-7 blowout.
The reaction to Manning’s performance went viral on social media in-game. As expected, the majority of posts were from folks who were losing their collective minds. As great as Ewers has become as the number one quarterback, he never comes close to drawing the reaction of the masses that Arch Manning attracts.
No, life is not fair. Manning has inherited football royalty . Manning’s grandpa , Archie Manning, was a Southern folk hero as the QB of Ole Miss. So much so that they sang folk songs about Archie, who went on to a star-crossed NFL career with the New Orleans Saints, the deep south’s pro team of choice in those days. Manning’s uncles, Eli Manning and Peyton Manning won multiple Super Bowl championships and are NFL legends. Arch takes academics seriously and, like Caitlin Clark, is softspoken and relatively classy, as opposite from Shedeur Sanders as can be fathomed.
As one would expect, Arch gave credit to others after the game.
"It helps when you have great players around you and good coaches," Manning said. "Isaiah Bond, Ryan Wingo, the O-line, they all played really well. They make it a little bit easier for me. Obviously there's a lot to improve on and grow from," Manning said, "but I'm glad I got to get in there and get hit again and feel what it's like."
Does Arch share some blood that we don’t know about with Caitlin Clark?
Quinn Ewers – The Forgotten Star Faces the People’s Choice
Quinn Ewers had a unique start to his college career as a misfit NIL case with Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes for one year. Soon, the 5-star prospect out of Carroll High School came home to Texas, where he developed a reputation as a carefree renegade with long hair and perhaps too many outside interests. But when Arch Manning arrived, Ewers got a haircut and became serious, emerging as the QB that everyone believed he would be. In the process, Ewers won a lot of converts and fans who appreciated his ability, production, and the unique situation he faced.
Arch Manning and Quinn Ewers became fast and good friends. Their ability and competition have made each other better. But now that relationship and the Texas season will feel the strain of outside forces. The talk of who should be the Longhorn QB will be relentless.
Texas hosts UL Monroe this week before playing Mississippi State in their SEC opener. The rubber meets the road on October 12 when Texas faces Oklahoma in the famed Red River Shootout.
"I think Quinn's in pretty good spirits," Sarkisian said. "I talked to him on the sidelines there. He was playing such good football. My hope is this isn't a long-term thing, that we'll get him back because we need as many healthy good players as we can get for this journey that we're on right now."
The mother of all quarterback controversies has begun Texas shootout style.
Buckle up for a wild ride.
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