WATCH: Texas Longhorns QB Arch Manning Makes Long-Awaited Debut vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders
College football fans were calling for him in the spring, and they immediately started calling for him when Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers went down with an injury against the Houston Cougars a few weeks ago.
The five-star freshman and nephew of Peyton and Eli and grandson of Archie Manning, Arch Manning, has finally made his debut for the Longhorns. The New Orleans native was the top-ranked recruit in the most recent recruiting class and is expected to be not only the next great Texas quarterback but the next great Manning at quarterback.
He and the No. 7 Longhorns are hosting the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Friday. Texas quickly turned things into a blowout in the third quarter, building a 50-7 lead in the third quarter. Steve Sarkisian decided it was finally time to turn to Manning instead of Maalik Murphy, as he entered the game in the third quarter.
Upon entering, the crowd at DKR erupted, so much so that Manning had to motion for the fans to quiet down,
Manning quickly made an impact, as he picked up a first down on a five-yard run on a 3rd and 6. However, the Longhorns turned it over on downs at the six-yard line. Manning added a 12-yard run before being unable to find a receiver at the goal line.
Take a look at his pair of runs:
Texas Longhorns quarterback quarterback Arch Manning (16) warms up before a game against the Brigham Young Cougars at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports
Manning then completed his first-career collegiate pass in the fourth quarter on a 17-yard catch-and-run from freshman receiver Johntay Cook II.
Sarkisian as he has been saying all season long that he did not feel that the past couple of weeks were the right time for Manning's debut. That is likely due to the amount of pressure on Manning, who is a true freshman that many people were expecting to snatch the starting job away from Ewers during spring ball.
For Manning, many fans have been clamoring for his showing as he appears to be the perfect mix of his uncles and grandfather in terms of his skill set, as he can throw well, is cerebral, and also can scoot if needed.
