Johnny Manziel Throws for 79 Yards, 1 TD in Loss in Spring League Debut

Johnny Manziel came out on the losing end in his Spring League debut on Saturday at Kelly Reeves Stadium in Austin, Texas. Manziel and the South team fell 11-7 to the North team.

The North team sacked Manziel with 58 seconds remaining in the game to force a turnover on downs, which allowed the North to run out the rest of the clock and seal the victory.

The South team got the ball back with two minutes left and needed to go 80 yards for the go-ahead score. Manziel kept the drive alive with an 11-yard scramble on 4th-and-10.

The South offense stalled after that first down, though, and the North defense suffocated Manziel on a designed run on fourth down to end the South's comeback attempt.

Manziel finished 8-of-16 for 79 yards and one touchdown through the air. His lone touchdown pass came on the first play of the second quarter. He rolled to his right and found former Baylor wide receiver Antwan Goodley in the back of the end zone:

Former Virginia Tech quarterback Jerod Evans delivered what proved to be the decisive score of the game when he connected with former North Carolina tight end Jack Tabb on a 30-yard touchdown pass with 10:36 left in the fourth quarter.

For Manziel, playing in the Spring League is another step in his potential NFL comeback after he worked out at the Texas A&M Aggies' pro day in March. Saturday was his first game since the Cleveland Browns' Week 16 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2015 season.

The Spring League shared a photo of some NFL scouts in attendance for Saturday's games:

Of course, the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner still has some ways to go before he returns to the NFL, and a strong performance in the Spring League won't single-handedly erase the doubt about his future. ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert said the Spring League was equivalent to "the fourth quarter of an NFL preseason game."

Still, football fans couldn't help but get nostalgic after Manziel's touchdown pass when he displayed some of the elusiveness that helped make him a star at Texas A&M.

Manziel and the South team will return to the field for the first game of a doubleheader Thursday in Austin. Fans can stream the game on B/R Live.