Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers is "questionable" for Saturday's Week 5 game against Mississippi State with his oblique strain, according to coach Steve Sarkisian. With at least some doubt about Ewers' health and potential for further complications down the line, Week 5 presents a perfect opportunity for Arch Manning to get his second career start.
Manning has real game time after Ewers exited early in the Week 3 win against UTSA. Manning dazzled in relief, completing nine of his 12 pass attempts for 223 yards and four touchdowns. He also had a 67-yard touchdown run, during which he hit a top speed of 20.7 miles per hour.
Manning started the following week against ULM, and though he showed flashes of his elite arm talent and advanced ball placement, he ultimately looked like a player making his first career start. Manning struggled at times with decision making, completing just 15 of his 29 pass attempts and throwing two interceptions. His first, which ended Texas' opening offensive drive, was a bad ball that he forced into double coverage under pressure.
The Longhorns didn't attempt a single pass in the fourth quarter in a 51-3 home win.
Playing Manning against Mississippi State would give Ewers two more weeks to get healthy, with a bye week preceding the Oklahoma game on Oct. 12. That game holds obvious conference implications and means everything to both programs.
If Manning really is the future, which every sign seems to indicate, he is capable of starting and helping Texas beat Mississippi State. The Bulldogs are starting a rebuild under Jeff Lebby and on a three-game losing streak that includes a 41-17 loss to Toledo and a 17-point loss to Florida team led by a coach (Billy Napier) with the hottest seat in college football. Mississippi State's average scoring margin against FBS opponents is minus-16. And the Bulldogs, already struggling to consistently put points on the board, just lost starting quarterback Blake Shapen for the season.
Despite possessing a shorthanded running back room, Texas just ran for 238 yards and five touchdowns vs. ULM. It should be able to carry with similar success against Mississippi State's SEC-worst 216.8 yards rushing allowed per game. Mississippi State's pass defense isn't much better: its last two opponent each eclipsed 250 yards through the air.
Still, Mississippi State is a conference opponent, which represents its own kind of test for Manning. All signs indicate he can handle it until Ewers, whom the Longhorns will need to make a national championship run, is able to return fully healthy.