Sarkisian: Quinn Ewers Still Texas' QB1 Despite Benching for Arch Manning vs. Georgia

Facing a 20-0 first-half deficit against No. 5 Georgia on Saturday, No. 1 Texas made a quarterback change.

Starter Quinn Ewers was replaced under center by Arch Manning, who previously started two games earlier in the year. Ewers and the Longhorns' offense couldn't get on the board after six drives, mustering a mere 29 total yards of offense (h/t The Athletic).

Ewers finished 6-of-12 for 17 yards, getting sacked three times.

Manning didn't fare much better in the first half, as Texas was held scoreless. He completed three of his six pass attempts for 19 yards, taking two sacks.

Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian seemingly changed his mind at halftime, as Ewers was back on the field to start the third quarter. Texas was able to get on the board following the switch, scoring a touchdown as well as a two-point conversion on the opening drive of the second half.

"I was just trying to settle Quinn down a little bit," Sarkisian explained, via Griffin McVeigh of On3.com. "Trying to give us a little bit of a spark. But we got to get out of our own way. We're not playing very good as a unit right now. Thank God our defense is putting out some fires for us."

Sarkisian also confirmed that Ewers would remain the starting quarterback:

"Quinn's our starting quarterback," Sarkisian said, per Dave Wilson of ESPN. "I appreciate the fact that we're fortunate enough to have a backup like Arch that can come into the game and provide a spark in some sense, but at the end of the day, Quinn's our starter."

Manning, the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2023 class, has shown that he can be successful when given extended playing time. After Ewers suffered an oblique strain against UTSA on Sept. 14, the redshirt freshman finished 9-of-12 for 223 yards and five total touchdowns.

Manning continued his strong play after he was inserted as Texas' starter, completing 68.3 percent of his throws for 583 yards and four touchdowns as well as a pair of interceptions in two games.

Ewers hasn't been as effective in the pocket since returning from the oblique injury, throwing for just 199 yards and a touchdown during the Longhorns' 34-3 win over Oklahoma on Oct. 12. He was also picked off near the start of the first quarter.

Regardless of Saturday night's outcome against the Bulldogs, Texas may have a quarterback controversy moving forward.