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    • 10 Notable First Starts for Longhorns QBs
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    10 Notable First Starts for Longhorns QBs

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    On Thursday, Texas State football coach Steve Sarkisian made it clear that there is no quarterback controversy on his depth chart.

    Quinn Ewers is still QB1 for the Longhorns.

    “I think we have a team that can play at a national championship level, and he’s the quarterback of that team,” Sarkisian said, adding that he believes Ewers can still compete for the Heisman Trophy and cement his status as a first-round draft pick in the coming months.

    Ewers, however, will not play Saturday night, as Texas concludes non-conference play against Louisiana-Monroe. He will be at Royal-Memorial Stadium, but he will wear an earpiece on the sidelines. Sarkisian has been pleased with Ewers’ progress since leaving last week’s game against UTSA with an oblique strain, but it was decided that an extra week of rest would be beneficial with UT’s SEC opener scheduled for Sept. 28.

    That means redshirt freshman Arch Manning will start for No. 2 Texas. True freshman Trey Owens will be his backup. Fourth-year quarterback Cole Lourd has been promoted to third-string.

    Steve Sarkisian: Arch Manning Must Be Smart, Not Great

    This will be Manning’s first start. The former five-star recruit and member of the famous family of quarterbacks gave fans a taste of his abilities last week when he replaced Ewers, throwing for four touchdowns and running for 67 yards.

    But Manning wasn’t studying to be the starter heading into the UTSA game. Sarkisian suspected his performance was a spontaneous reaction to being thrown into the deep end. Now that Manning has a week to prepare as a starter, Sarkisian wants his quarterback to execute the game plan.

    “I just don’t want him to overanalyze and get into some kind of paralysis-by-analysis state. I want him to play football,” Sarkisian said. “The best way to play football is to trust the call, execute it and then move on to the next play. That’s my goal for him that I’d like to see come out of Saturday night.”

    RELATED: How Arch Manning’s Top Speed ​​Was Calculated For Texas Football — And Why It Went Viral

    To start, how Arch Manning will be rated

    Sarkisian didn’t share the numbers he wants to see from Manning on Saturday. But what does history say about the bar for a Texas quarterback’s first start?

    First, you have to win. Of Texas’ last 10 rookies, eight have been winners. That shouldn’t be a big problem for Manning, as UT is a heavy favorite over the Warhawks (2-0).

    Manning doesn’t have to fill up the stat sheet to be successful, either. Of those last 10 rookie starters, none has thrown for more than 280 passing yards and none has thrown for more than two touchdowns. Neither Vince Young nor Colt McCoy is in that sample, but neither has thrown for more than 200 yards in his first start.

    Below are the last 10 starts by Texas quarterbacks:

    Malik Murphy (October 28, 2023, vs. BYU)

    Murphy replaced an injured Ewers and helped Texas advance past BYU, a program once quarterbacked by Sarkisian. Texas gained more yards on the ground than through the air, but the redshirt freshman threw for 170 yards and two touchdowns. Murphy was intercepted once while completing 16 of 25 passes in the 35-6 victory.

    Quinn Ewers (September 3, 2022, against ULM)

    Ewers, then a redshirt freshman who had transferred from Ohio State, was named the starter prior to Sarkisian’s second season at Texas. In his first appearance, Ewers saw his second pass intercepted, but he went 16-for-24 for 225 yards and two touchdowns. Texas cruised to a 52-10 victory over ULM.

    Casey Thompson (September 18, 2021, vs. Rice)

    Hudson Card was benched after an ineffective game at Arkansas, and Thompson was given control of the offense. Texas leaned on the run in the junior’s first start, as UT averaged a school-record 10.4 yards per run in a 58-0 win over Rice. Thompson threw for 164 yards, two touchdowns and an interception while completing 15 of 18 passes.

    Hudson Card (September 4, 2021, vs. No. 23 Louisiana)

    For the first time since Ed Price went with T. Jones in 1951, a new coaching era also began at Texas with a first-time starter at quarterback. Sarkisian picked Card to start at home in UT’s season opener against a ranked Louisiana team. Card performed admirably, throwing for 224 yards and two touchdowns on 14 of 21 passing.

    Sam Ehlinger (September 9, 2017, vs. San Jose State)

    With Shane Buechele sidelined, Texas defeated San Jose State 56-0, with Ehlinger throwing for a modest 222 yards and one touchdown. The freshman completed 15 of 27 attempts and rushed for 48 yards. Ehlinger and Buechele shared the starting job for the remainder of the season, before Ehlinger took over the job for the next three years.

    Shane Buechele (September 4, 2016, vs. No. 10 Notre Dame)

    The first true freshman to start a season opener for Texas since Bobby Layne in 1944, Buechele threw for 280 yards and two touchdowns as Texas shut out No. 10 Notre Dame in double overtime. He had one interception at Royal-Memorial Stadium but completed 16 of his 26 passes.

    Jerrod Heard (September 12, 2015, vs. Rice)

    Heard’s breakthrough performance came the following week against Cal, but the redshirt freshman still performed well in his first start against Rice. Heard threw just seven times, but two of his four completions were 32- and 69-yard touchdowns. He also rushed for a team-high 91 yards in the 42-28 victory.

    Tyrone Swoopes (September 6, 2014, vs. BYU)

    After David Ash’s college career ended in the 2014 season opener, the Longhorns turned to Swoopes. The sophomore struggled in his first start, as did the Longhorns, in a 41-7 loss to visiting BYU. Swoopes completed 20 of 31 passes, but he mustered just 176 yards and one touchdown. He was sacked three times and intercepted once.

    David Ash (October 15, 2011, vs. No. 7 Oklahoma State)

    After a 55-17 loss to Oklahoma, Texas brought in its third starting quarterback for the sixth game of the 2011 season. Ash and the Longhorns were defeated 38-26 by Oklahoma State, and the freshman from Belton struggled. Although he completed only 22 of 40 attempts and was intercepted twice, Ash threw for 139 yards and no touchdowns.

    Case McCoy (September 17, 2011, at UCLA)

    As the short-lived Garrett Gilbert era ended at Texas, McCoy got his first chance to start in a 49-20 win over UCLA. The sophomore was efficient, completing 12 of his 15 attempts and throwing for 168 yards and two touchdowns.

    Arch Manning doesn’t have to be a hero

    Texas is 3-0 this season and is ranked first in the Associated Press poll and second in the U.S. LBM Coaches Poll. The Longhorns have outscored Colorado State, Michigan and UTSA by 139-19 margins.

    As Texas looks to improve to 4-0 ahead of a home game against Mississippi State on Sept. 28, Sarkisian said he doesn’t need Manning to be the team’s unquestioned leader. There are enough veterans. Again, he’d prefer to see the young quarterback focus more on executing the playbook.

    Texas safety Michael Taaffe, however, sees it a little differently. Because of the way he has handled his role as Ewers’ backup, Taaffe believes Manning is ready to take a step forward as a leader.

    “Sam Ehlinger told me this a long time ago: Leaders have to be able to listen. He’s done a fantastic job of listening to Quinn, following Quinn, watching Quinn, and it showed in the way he prepares,” Taaffe said. “I’m very happy to have those two guys on my sideline when we play on Saturday.”

    Saturday’s match

    ULM (2-0) at No. 2 Texas (3-0), 7 p.m., ESPN+/SEC Network+, 1300, 98.1, 105.3 (Spanish)

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