Steve Sarkisian says nothing changes if Arch Manning starts for Texas

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas ascended to No. 1 this week and Arch Manning captured the nation’s attention with a four-touchdown performance following an injury to Quinn Ewers. But Steve Sarkisian said Monday that none of the hype or attention changes anything for the Longhorns.

Manning threw for 223 yards and four touchdowns and added a 67-yard rushing score in a 56-7 win over UTSA after Ewers exited in the second quarter because of an oblique strain. Sarkisian said Ewers is listed as questionable this week and will be monitored day-to-day, but that Manning and freshman Trey Owens would get more practice reps to prepare. He did not name a starter this week, and said he doesn’t change anything in how he approaches his quarterbacks.

“I don’t do anything,” Sarkisian said. “Arch is just another guy on our team, and the reason I’m able to do that is because that’s who Arch is every day. He’s the selfless teammate. He cares about the guys on the team. He cares about Quinn. They’ve got a great relationship. He works his tail off. He wants to play good football for them, because he knows how hard everybody’s working. So I literally don’t address it with him. I don’t address it with the team. He’s just part of the team.”

Sarkisian said Ewers threw a corner route to tight end Gunnar Helm and felt pain but thought it would go away. A play later, Ewers said he knew something was wrong and needed to get it checked out. Manning went in, looked poised and composed, according to Sarkisian, who said he was impressed with how Manning played from the first snap.

“I thought Arch really made good decisions Saturday. Obviously, it was a very efficient day,” Sarkisian said, noting that Manning’s first play, a 19-yard touchdown pass to DeAndre Moore Jr. was his third read. “That was encouraging his first play in. I thought the ball was really going to the right people.”

He said Ewers has been encouraging to Manning as well.

“Quinn, he just wants to keep playing, you know?” Sarkisian said. “Nobody wants to have to come out of the game because you get injured, but I think if you asked Quinn today, he’s fired up for him, because he knows how hard Arch has been working.”

Sarkisian said he goes back to the 2023 spring game, Manning’s first at Texas, when he struggled, going 5-of-13 for 30 yards, and how far he’s come.

“He didn’t play very good,” Sarkisian said. “The growth that he’s shown and the ability to work at his craft, there’s a real level of appreciation, I think, from Quinn to Arch. But also Arch to Quinn because I know Arch has been there supporting Quinn through his journey as well. So that’s a sign of a great room and a sign of a good team.”

The Longhorns are a good enough team that they moved to No. 1 in the AP poll this week, Texas’ first spot at the top since 2008. Sarkisian said “the mission is far, far from over” and doesn’t change anything for the Longhorns. He said in a 12-team playoff era, the polls are validating but don’t essentially matter, saying, “nowadays you’ve got to go earn it.”

“My thing is I’m not going to change,” Sarkisian said. “This is what I was anticipating where we would be, and it was probably hard for a lot of other people to see when you’re 5-7 [as he was in Year 1 in 2021], but we had a vision and a goal of where our program could be and the way we were going to get there, and so the messaging has been very consistent. I just don’t think now is the time for me to start to change.”

Sarkisian had a nice moment late in the game when his son, Brady, a 6-2, 230-pound linebacker, got into the game late and registered half a tackle.

“I just looked up and I saw 32 in and I literally, I took my headset off,” Sarkisian said. “I didn’t want to hear the chatter, I didn’t want to hear the call. I just wanted to watch him play football like a dad. And after two plays, then I yelled down at the defensive staff, can we blitz 32? I was like a dad would be in the stands. ‘Why aren’t we blitzing? Don’t throw it to that guy. Run that.’ So that was fun for me. I had a lot of fun and I was proud of him.”