After spending last week on a bye, No. 1 Texas returns to action Saturday with a matchup against heated rivals No. 18 Oklahoma. Despite this being the 120th version of the Red River Rivalry, this is the first matchup between Texas and Oklahoma with both teams as members of the SEC.
Texas enters the game with a 5-0 record as arguably the best team in the country, and the Longhorns have gotten to this point despite starting two quarterbacks in that span. Quinn Ewers led the way in the first three wins, but due to Ewers’ back injury, Arch Manning got his first two collegiate starts in the last two games.
With Ewers finally healthy, Manning is expected to return to the bench? Did he find a way onto the field against Oklahoma? The Sporting News explains below.
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Did Arch Manning play today?
This section will be updated during Saturday’s game.
Manning is not expected to play against Oklahoma. Quinn Ewers will return to the lineup Saturday as the team’s starter vs. Oklahoma. It is his third straight start during the Red River Rivalry. Ewers had been dealing with an oblique injury that kept him out of each of the last two games, but he had a normal week of practice to play in this game.
With Ewers’ return, Arch Manning returns to his role as Ewers’ backup vs. the Sooners.
Arch Manning season stats
This section will be updated if Manning plays in Saturday’s game.
Here’s where Manning’s numbers sit entering Saturday’s game.
- Completions/Attempts: 55/78
- Completion Percentage: 70.5%
- Passing Yards: 901
- Passing Touchdowns: 9
- Interceptions: 2
- Rushing Yards: 82
- Rushing Touchdowns: 3
In Manning’s first few collegiate starts, the freshman lit it up for Texas’ offense. Manning led Texas to wins over both Louisiana-Monroe and Mississippi State, as the offense scored 86 total points in those two games.
With those numbers, Manning has produced more passing yards and passing touchdowns than Ewers despite throwing just one more pass attempt on the season.
Texas QB depth chart
| Rank | Name |
| 1. | Quinn Ewers |
| 2. | Arch Manning |
| 3. | Trey Owens |
1. Quinn Ewers
Ewers was sidelined for two games after suffering a back injury vs. UTSA, but he used the bye last week to help him heal up and prepare for this game. On the season, Ewers has 691 passing yards, eight touchdowns and just two interceptions, and in the games he started the Longhorns outscored their opponents 139-19.
Ewers started for Texas when the team lost to Oklahoma in last year’s matchup, which ended up as the Longhorns’ lone loss in the regular season. The junior quarterback is 1-1 in his career vs. the Sooners.
2. Arch Manning
Manning will once again back up Ewers, which was Manning’s role for the first three seasons of the game. Ewers has been the Longhorns starter since the 2022 season, so it was never likely that Manning would surpass Ewers on the depth chart unless Ewers dealt with an injury.
3. Trey Owens
In his freshman season, Owens got his first taste of collegiate action during Texas’ 56-7 blowout against UTSA. Owens completed two passes for 19 yards in that game, along with one rush for three yards, and has appeared in garbage time of each of the last two games.