Arch Manning getting first Texas start after electric fill-in performance

It’ll be another week of the speed show as the apparently incredibly fast quarterback Arch Manning was officially announced as the Texas starter for Saturday’s matchup against Louisiana Monroe.

Starter Quinn Ewers will miss the game due to an abdomen strain.

Manning lived up to the immense hype when he took over for Ewers, who suffered the injury against UTSA in the second quarter of last week’s 56-7 victory.

The nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning went 9-for-12 for four touchdowns while also galloping for a 67-yard rushing touchdown where he broke Tyreek Hill’s best speed time of the 2024 season.

Manning was clocked at 20.7 MPH, while Hill’s best so far this year was a still impressive 20.3 MPH.

“When the adrenaline kicks in, it helps you run a bit faster,” Manning said after the victory.

While all of college football appears excited to see Manning take the gridiron behind a star-studded cast of offensive linemen and playmakers, Louisiana Monroe has made their stance clear.

“We actually have some kids on our team who played against him in New Orleans, and a couple guys done beat him already,” defensive coordinator Earnest Hill told reporters earlier this week. “So, they don’t hold too much fear against him. So, they’re not going to hold any fear against him coming up here.”

Perhaps ignorance is bliss for Louisiana Monroe, who comes in as massive 44.5-point underdogs on Saturday.

However, the Warhawks — like the Longhorns — have started the season 2-0 with wins over Jackson State and UAB.

After throwing just 16 passes in his college football career, Manning has jumped to the sixth best odds to win the Heisman Trophy, despite having no clear path to playing time once Ewers returns.