Texas Longhorns Fans Missing Quinn Ewers After Brutal Arch Manning Performance

It's only one game, but Texas Longhorns fans are understandably upset.

No. 1 Texas dropped its season opener on Saturday in Columbus against the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes, 14-7, in a game where both defenses dominated. However, the Buckeyes' offense had the slight edge and ultimately came up with the game-sealing stop when Texas was trying for a last-gasp attempt at tying things up.

Texas quarterback Arch Manning showed a few positive signs of life, but it was overall a poor performance for arguably the biggest name in college football. And as a result, whether fair or not, many Texas fans quickly wondered if they treated Quinn Ewers too harshly last season when Manning was his backup.

Arch Manning, Quinn Ewers Conversation Continues

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning against the Ohio State Buckeyes. | Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Manning gave Texas life late in the fourth quarter with a 32-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Parker Livingstone with 3:28 to play, but it was too little too late. Manning finished the game 17 of 30 passing for 170 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He made plays with his legs, adding 10 carries for 38 yards with a long of 15.

His performance prompted many Texas fans on social media to reflect on Ewers' time in Austin, with many potentially backpedalling on their criticism toward Steve Sarkisian for keeping Ewers as the starter last season despite some wanting Manning to take his spot.

"We took Quinn for granted," one fan wrote on X.

Here are just a few examples on social media:

Starting to miss Quinn.

Now yall see why Quinn started.
— TEXAS NIL (@TexasNIL) August 30, 2025

If Quinn had this pocket rn man😭 he would be dealing dawg
— SAM (@sam_txxx) August 30, 2025

We really forced Quinn to the NFL to keep Arch 😂 we would’ve won the game with #3
— Francisco Kuhrke Limia (@franciscokuhrke) August 30, 2025

We took Quinn for granted
— Chuy ⭐️ (@YoungChuy23) August 30, 2025

Does Manning's forgettable performance mean he is destined to be a bust? Of course not. A few of his throws late in the game were NFL-worthy passes but on the flip side, he struggled mightily on accuracy for short and intermediate passes, which caused Texas to stall on the potential game-tying drive.

Given Manning's approach and attitude, it's hard to imagine this game will linger in his head for long, but there is still a ton for him to learn from once he looks back at the film.

Unfortunately the Ewers-Manning conversation will likely continue throughout the season for each time Manning struggles in any way. This isn't fair to either him or Ewers, who is set to begin his rookie season with the Miami Dolphins after being a seventh-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

But that kind of talk is what ensues when you are the quarterback at Texas, though the criticism is nothing Manning hasn't prepared for leading up to this season.

He and the Longhorns will look to bounce back next week at home against San Jose State.