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Arch Manning didn't see any playing time on Texas's Saturday victory 35-6 over the BYU, despite the fact that starting quarterback Quinn Ewers was out with an injury since Week 8.
Instead, Maalik Murphy filled in for the injured signal caller and had a solid game with 170 passing yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. With Murphy's performance, it will be highly unlikely to see Arch Manning as the starting quarterback against Kansas State.
Texas fans were left puzzled by Steve Sarkisian's decision to leave the highly touted prospect from the Manning football dynasty out of the encounter.
In addition to being the nephew of NFL legends Peyton and Eli Manning, Arch Manning is a five-star prospect for the Longhorns this season, according to 247Sports. The young quarterback is regarded as the finest recruit in the Texas Longhorns' 2023 recruiting class. Fans have been waiting for the young star to throw his first college-level passes with bated breath.
Could Arch Manning be the starter against Kansas State?
The Longhorns face No. 25 Kansas in Week 10 in what appears to be the first of a series of difficult matchups remaining on their schedule.
From here until the end of the regular season, they face Kansas State, TCU, Iowa State, and Texas Tech. All of those are teams with the tools to pull off the upset against a Texas team without its first-choice starting quarterback.
The Iowa State Cyclones, Kansas State Wildcats, and Oklahoma State Cowboys are all hot on the heels of the Longhorns for the second spot in the Big 12 standings. If the Longhorns want to secure a trip to the Big 12 championship game against Oklahoma, and possibly consider the national playoffs if they win there, they must avoid any blunders.
All of that must have been in the mind of coach Sarkisian when picking a starter for the BYU game. While surely Arch Manning is the most talented quarterback on the roster behind Ewers, Sarkisian could be pondering if the middle of a playoff run is the right environment to test an 18-year-old freshman like Arch Manning.
Maalik Murphy, a redshirt freshman, had a year to acclimate to the college level and that's probably why Sarkisian went with him. Murphy will likely take the starting spot against Kansas State.
Texas Longhorns QB Depth Chart
- Maalik Murphy Fr. RS
- Arch Manning Fr.
- Charles Wright So. RS
Quinn Ewers Injury Update
Quinn Ewers suffered a grade 2 AC joint sprain in the victory over Houston, which doesn't look season-ending but could take the signal-caller off duty for a couple of weeks. He should be returning by the end of the regular season, though there isn't an official timetable for it.
Ewers is in his second season with the Longhorns, after transferring in from Ohio State where he spent the 2021 season. He was the top prospect of the 247Sports 2022 class.
