4 big overreactions from Texas's humbling loss to Georgia
It's time to start Arch Manning at QB
This game against Georgia was another poor outing from the outset of the first half for Ewers. After a sluggish start for Texas's offense in the first half of the Red River Rivalry game win last weekend, by a dominant score of 34-3 over the Oklahoma Sooners, Ewers couldn't muster much leading the Longhorns against Georgia.
In the past two games combined, Ewers and the Longhorns offense have only registered three first downs in the first quarters. Texas didn't get a single first down on offense in the first quarter of Red River last weekend.
The results weren't much better offensively regarding Texas's ability to keep the chains moving against Georgia, as it registered only three first downs last night.
Due to the offensive struggles and early turnovers, Sarkisian went away from Ewers for Manning at quarterback for the last two drives of the first half. Making the quarterback switch seemed to work to restore some of Ewers' confidence coming out of the locker room for the second half.
But putting Manning in the game at quarterback late in the first half didn't do much for Texas's offense regarding its ability to move the chains or put points up on the board.
"I'm sure Quinn wasn't the happiest with me that he got taken out for a couple of series. I had to make a decision on what I felt was best for the team and for him at that moment. Sometimes, the players don't always see that, but when he takes a step back and looks at it, he'll understand I was trying to do what was in his best interest."
- Steve Sarkisian on Quinn Ewers
Manning only completed 3-of-6 passing attempts for 19 passing yards, no touchdowns, and one fumble.
From what Sarkisian said during his postgame press conference on Oct. 19, it doesn't sound like he's planning to make a permanent change at quarterback. But it's worth noting that how long its taking for Ewers to shake off the rust after coming back from the abdominal strain injury for Red River against Oklahoma has severely impacted Texas offense's efficiency in the past couple of weeks.