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Quinn Ewers injury gives Arch Manning an opportunity he might not give up

Do the words Wally Pipp mean anything to you?
Alicia de Artola
Alicia de Artola

Fansided

Sep 14, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) warms up for the game against Texas-San Antonio at Texas at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Normally, an injury to the starting quarterback would send lightning bolts of fear through a fanbase. For Texas Longhorns fans, there was only the tingling jolt of excitement from seeing Arch Manning get in the game.

Quinn Ewers had to exit against UTSA with an apparent shoulder injury. Manning, the five-star quarterback with the pedigree of a championship race horse, stepped in. How'd he do?

Manning just showed exactly why he's the next big thing in burnt orange.

Except, maybe Manning isn't the next thing. Maybe he's the right now thing.

The extent of Ewers' injury wasn't immediately clear. He did not come out for the next series. Manning did. And frankly, there is a chance he never comes back out.

On his second series, Manning ran 67 yards for a touchdown.

Is that the longest touchdown ever scored on the ground by a member of the Manning family? Who knew a Manning could even scoot like that?

Arch Manning is already making his case to start for Texas

Manning is still a young quarterback who will come with growing pains. But he looks so polished and poised already it's easy to imagine him being Texas' full-time starting quarterback.

That's not exactly fair to Ewers but being Wally Pipped is a concept that exists for a reason. Sometimes the backup is good enough to take over the job when the starter has to come out for reasons beyond their control.

Is Steve Sarkisian bold enough to go with Manning for good? I personally wouldn't bet on that. The Texas head coach is hunting for a national title and a veteran quarterback is almost always preferred for a team on that particular journey. Ewers won the starting job out of camp and he hasn't played poorly enough to lose it. He hasn't played poorly at all in fact.

Watching Ewers slowly walk to the locker room with a towel over his head didn't look good though. There might not be a choice at all.

If Ewers is healthy, expect him to maintain his status as QB1. But everyone and their mother watching Texas football will know who is waiting in the wings.

Alicia de Artola

Alicia de Artola

Alicia de Artola is an editor at FanSided.com, covering college football and basketball, NFL, MLB, NBA, English Premier League, Formula 1 and much more. She has more than a decade of experience in sports, and co-hosts Reign of Troy Radio, the popular USC football podcast. She’s covered games and practices, taken photos on the sidelines and interviewed Trojans legends as a USC beat writer from 2016 to 2019. Since 2020, she has taken a broader national focus, writing about every sport under the sun, including major events from the College Football Playoff and Super Bowl to the World Series and NBA Finals. A member of the Football Writers Association of America and Association for Women in Sports Media, de Artola joined FanSided in 2012 and has since been inducted into the FanSided Hall of Fame. She lives with her husband and border collie in Los Angeles.