Steve Sarkisian Talks Decision to Bench Quinn Ewers for Arch Manning

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning took over for Quinn Ewers in the first half against the Georgia Bulldogs.

Sep 28, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) signals first down in the second half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

AUSTIN -- Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian decided to bench quarterback Quinn Ewers in favor of Arch Manning in the second quarter of Saturday's matchup with the Georgia Bulldogs.

As Texas headed into the half down 23-0, Sarkisian spoke with ESPN's Holly Rowe about the decision to move Ewers to the bench.

"I was just trying to settle Quinn down a little bit, try to give us a little bit of a spark," Sarkisian said. "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. ... We got to win on first down, and then we got to capitalize on third and fours and third and threes. We got to buy some explosive plays."

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart compared Ewers to Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck in the days leading up to the game but it was Beck that had the edge in the first half despite throwing two interceptions in the opening quarter.

"There's nothing he sees that he hasn't seen. ... He's a really good athlete," Smart said of Ewers. "He's been in Sark's system. I mean, I think the comparisons between him and Carson (Beck) are so similar in terms of the kind of quarterbacks they are. They're both better athletes than people think. They both have awareness of coverage, and they're really good in the pocket, this guy's taken off and hurt people running when he needs to, but he also can stand in the pocket and make all the throws and change the protection. So I've really been impressed with him. But that was the case even last year when I saw him play."

Upon exiting, Ewers was 6 of 12 passing for 17 yards and an interception. He also lost a fumble.

Manning wasn't much better. He went 3 of 6 passing for 19 yards. He had a 21-yard run but also lost a fumble.