AUSTIN, Texas — Texas redshirt freshman quarterback Arch Manning was the star of the Longhorns' annual Orange and White spring game, throwing for 355 yards and three touchdowns on Saturday.
Manning's performance included a 75-yard touchdown pass to DeAndre Moore in Manning's first game and a strong display of accuracy as he completed his first 10 passes. Manning finished 19-for-26 passing, with at least four of his incompletions hitting the hands of the intended receiver.
In coach Steve Sarkisian's scheme, quarterback Quinn Evers only played two series, so he got most of the action with the first-team offense. Sarkisian said after the game that Manning and true freshman Trey Owens wanted to get as much work as possible because he knows what Evers has.
“I know what Quinn is,” Sarkisian said Saturday. “Quinns had a great spring.”
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Evers did not produce a scoring drive on either of his series, and one of them ended in a turnover when edge rusher Ethan Burke batted a pass at the line of scrimmage. Evers, who led the Longhorns to the Big 12 Championship and the 2023 College Football Playoff, enters his third year as the Longhorns' starter.
Manning, the son-in-law of Peyton and Eli Manning and the son of Cooper — who has been seen in public since signing with the Longhorns — marked the most extensive playing time on Saturday. He played in just two games last season, going 2-for-5 in a 57-7 win over Texas Tech in November and then entering for the final possession to run out the clock in the Longhorns' Big 12 Championship Game win over Oklahoma. condition. Even in the Longhorns' spring game last season, Manning's no. 3 received fewer snaps as a quarterback and finished 5-for-13 for 30 yards.
“I wanted Arch to go to soccer,” Sarkisian said. “He hasn't really played in a year.”
Hello Endzone@ArchManning ➡️ @DeandreMooreJr pic.twitter.com/wSMLKzuVXz
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) April 20, 2024
Manning is the clear No. 2 quarterback behind Ewers in 2024 after Texas' 2023 backup Malik Murphy transferred to Duke in December.
Owens threw three touchdown passes for the Orange.
(Photo: Sarah Diggins / USA Today)
