After spending last week on a bye, No. 1 Texas returned to action Saturday with a matchup against heated rivals No. 18 Oklahoma. Despite this being the 120th version of the Red River Rivalry, this was the first matchup between Texas and Oklahoma with both teams as members of the SEC.
Texas entered 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?
Manning did not appear for Texas despite the Longhorns cruising to a 34-3 win over Oklahoma. Ewers threw for 199 yards, one touchdown and one interception in his return as the starting quarterback.
Entering the game, Manning was not expected to play against Oklahoma. Ewers returned to the lineup Saturday for his third straight start in the Red River Rivalry. Ewers had been dealing with an oblique injury that kept him out of each of the last two games but had a normal week of practice leading up to Saturday's game.
With Ewers' return, Arch Manning returned to his role as Ewers' backup for the Sooners.
Arch Manning season stats
Here's where Manning's numbers sit through 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 now has 890 passing yards, nine touchdowns and just three interceptions, and in the games he started the Longhorns outscored their opponents 173-22.
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 once again backed up Ewers, which was Manning's role for the first three games of the season. 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.
