Texas wrapped up its spring football practices by setting off some offensive fireworks in the Orange-White game on Saturday.
See you in August.
Technically, the score was maintained. Orange recorded a 35-34 victory over White, for what it’s worth. But the statistics weren’t officially tallied, and arguably more attention was paid to in-game interviews with former Longhorns like Bijan Robinson, Marquise Goodwin, Alex Okafor and Cameron Dicker. Texas even kept the drama to a minimum, as quarterbacks Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning shared photos on the Whites’ roster instead of facing each other.
“I like this team,” coach Steve Sarkisian said in his postgame press conference.
Arch Manning stands out for Texas
The star of the afternoon was Manning. A year after receiving loud applause from fans as he walked onto the field in the spring game, Manning received rounds of applause Saturday with his arm.
In the first half alone, his deep strike to DeAndre Moore Jr. turned into a 75-yard touchdown and he also threw a 29-yard touchdown to Jaydon Blue. According to the Longhorn Network broadcast, the sophomore threw for 190 yards while completing 11 of 13 passes in the first half and directed a drive in the final two minutes of the second quarter that ended with a 32-yard field goal.
To cap off the afternoon, Manning threw another 75-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. That ball was caught by Alabama transfer Isaiah Bond.
Manning wasn’t the only quarterback to shine
Not to be completely overshadowed on the depth chart, early enrollee Trey Owens threw a 50-yard touchdown to Thatcher Milton and later had a 56-yard touchdown catch to fellow freshman Ryan Wingo. The supposed third-string quarterback connected again with Wingo for the game-winning score with 31 seconds left in the game.
Ewers, who is the starter and declared starter, only played two series before calling it a day. The short shift worked by Ewers was intentional.
“I thought it was a great experience for Arch and Trey Owens to play football and play long-term quarterback at this level and they both did some really good things,” Sarkisian said.
A strong showing from the Texas defense
Although it was at the opposite end of the spotlight from the defenders, the defense also had its moments. The first touchdown from scrimmage was scored on an interception return by defensive lineman Alfred Collins, who took off after corralling an Ewers pass that had been picked off by edge rusher Ethan Burke. Freshman Kobe Black picked off a pass from backup quarterback Cole Lourd in the third quarter, and the fight ended with a comeback.
Sarkisian had previously reported that the Texas defense had gotten the better of the team’s offense during the first two scrimmages of the spring.
“I definitely think we’ve improved a lot,” edge rusher Barryn Sorrell said of the defense.
What’s next for Texas?
Texas fans will see the Longhorns on Aug. 31 when UT opens the 2024 season with a home game against Colorado State. The Longhorns will enter their first year in the Southeastern Conference with plenty of buzz since the program made the College Football Playoff for the first time last season.
In the coming days, Texas will hold exit meetings with each of the players. After these meetings, some players may choose to leave via the transfer portal. Others will stick around and start planning for the 2024 season.
What will these exit meetings be like? Earlier in the week, Sarkisian explained that he and his team will be sharing their thoughts with players on “We walk them through what we think their strengths are, where we think maybe some of their weaknesses are, things we want them to work on. . . , what their numbers are like in the weight room, how they’re doing with recovery in the training room, how they’re doing academically.” Sarkisian said these meetings can be brutally honest.
“I think one thing that our players appreciate from me and us as a team is that we are really honest with our players and try not to give false dreams,” Sarkisian said. “I never try to bring a guy in and just tell him, ‘Hey, you’re going to get 25 runs a game,’ when he’s running with the fours right now just to try to stay here. arrive on August 31st? I will have a disgruntled player saying that I lied to him, that we are not doing what we said we would do.
This article originally appeared in the Austin American-Statesman: Texas quarterback Arch Manning shines in Orange-White football game
