Arch Manning converts 2 touchdowns in 3 plays after coming off the bench for injured Texas starter

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning ran away from a family stigma Saturday. 

Manning scored a touchdown on the longest play of his college career when he took off on a 67-yard run, extending the Texas lead over UTSA. 

It was Manning’s second touchdown in three snaps on offense. Manning entered the game off the bench after Texas starter Quinn Ewers left due to an injury. Ewers’ status is unclear. 

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On Manning’s first play in, he connected with wide receiver DeAndre Moore for a touchdown to put Texas up 21-0.

UTSA responded with a 53-yard touchdown run by Robert Henry just two plays into its next possession to cut the lead to 21-7. But Manning answered just as quickly.

The Longhorns’ next drive started with an eight-yard run by running back Quintrevion Wisner. On the next play, Manning took off on the 67-yarder to extend the lead to 28-7 going into halftime. 

Manning’s long run was an unfamiliar sight for fans used to watching his two uncles, former NFL stars Peyton Manning and Eli Manning. 

Peyton and Eli were known for being old-fashioned pocket passers who rarely took off on runs. Both former quarterbacks were often joked about for their lack of speed, especially later in their careers. 

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Arch Manning of the Texas Longhorns fakes a handoff to Quintrevion Wisner in the second quarter against the UTSA Roadrunners at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium Sept. 14, 2024 in Austin, Texas.  (Tim Warner/Getty Images)

But Arch has shown he brings a different element to the table. 

Manning put a similar sequence together when he entered a game for Ewers during a blowout against Colorado State Aug. 31. He went 5-for-6 for 95 yards with his first touchdown pass and his first rushing score on the next drive. Texas won 52-0. 

The five-star recruit out of Isidore Newman School in New Orleans saw time in just two Longhorns games last season with Ewers as the team’s starter.

Ewers returned as the team’s starter this year for head coach Steve Sarkisian after a College Football Playoff loss to Washington last season. And he was productive in the win Saturday, going 20-for-27 for 260 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. 

Quinn Ewers (3) of the Texas Longhorns celebrates after throwing a touchdown pass in the second quarter against the Michigan Wolverines Sept. 7, 2024, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

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Manning was the Longhorns’ third-string quarterback last season, but with Maalik Murphy transferring to Duke, Manning is now second-string behind Ewers.