This week, the Georgia Bulldogs will be taking on the Texas Longhorns in a SEC showdown between top-10 teams. And while Quinn Ewers is expected to serve as the starting quarterback for the Longhorns, it sounds like the Bulldogs have been impressed by Arch Manning, too.
Last month, starting quarterback Quinn Ewers missed two games with an injury, paving the way for young star quarterback Arch Manning to start in his place. Manning made the most of the opportunity.
In his two starts, Manning completed 41 of his 60 pass attempts for 583 yards and two touchdowns along with two interceptions as he led the Longhorns to two lopsided victories.
While Manning is not expected to play at quarterback this week with Ewers back in the lineup, Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart certainly took notice of his talent in his two starts this season as he did not hold back his praise for Manning.
I’ll say this. You watch the games that Arch played — he played really well,” Smart said during a press conference this week according to On3. “He did some really good things. Look at his numbers.
“He played and he comes out the first couple plays against Mississippi State ripping it and firing it in his first SEC play and played really good.”
Smart was impressed by what he saw from Manning, but he also acknowledges that Ewers is an elite quarterback, as well, putting the Longhorns in a pretty good position.
“But, Quinn’s a great player. They got a great quarterback.,” Smart said. “They got a great situation because they’ve got two guys that really both came in and are playing well.”
Even though Manning looked impressive in his two starts, showcasing a little more athleticism than Ewers, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian made it pretty clear he does not intend to play Manning as long as Ewers is healthy.
However, it sounds like Smart and the Bulldogs will be ready for both quarterbacks, because the preparation isn’t much different.
“It doesn’t change how we prepare,” Smart said. “They’re not really different style quarterbacks. They’re both really good.”
We’ll have to see how the game plays out.
