"Wouldn't wait to play Arch Manning": Paul Finebaum issues clear advice to Steve Sarkisian amid Quinn Ewers' struggles

Analyst Paul Finebaum is among those who would like to see Arch Manning in the No. 3 Texas' season finale against the No. 20-ranked Texas A&M on Saturday. The Texas quarterback room is one of the strongest in the nation, but coach Steve Sarkisian has struggled to find consistency this season.

Quinn Ewers has been dealing with a nagging ankle injury he sustained in a Nov. 23 31–14 win over Kentucky. He was listed as probable on the injury report, but many people, including Finebaum, believe he should sit out for the game.

Given the nature of the injury, the Texas quarterback needs to get healthy before the SEC Championship Game. Finebaum told SportsCenter on Friday that he would not wait to bring in Manning.

"I would do it very quickly because Ewers is banged up," Finebaum said. "Arch Manning is one of the best players in the country that we just haven’t seen very much of, so I wouldn’t wait (to play Manning)."

Finebaum further stressed the importance of the game for Texas (10-1).

"It’s a critical game because (if) Texas loses this and they really throw away the SEC championship, they have to sit around and wait on the CFP (committee)," Finebaum said.

Arch Manning has played well in relief of Quinn Ewers this season

Although Arch Manning has not been the starting quarterback for most of the season, he has played well in relief of Quinn Ewers. This is not the first injury Ewers has sustained this season. He missed two games early in the season because of an abdominal sustained early in a 56–7 win over UTSA. He missed the next two games before returning for a 34–3 victory over Oklahoma.

Manning played well in those three games. He has played well in all four games where he got a lot of minutes (those three plus the game against Mississippi State). However, he has performed poorly in games where he was brought in for only a few plays.

His QBR was about 75 in the four games, whereas it was below 30 in the two games he entered for a few plays. As a result, if Texas wants to play Manning, it should commit to playing him for most of the game.