Texas football quarterback Quinn Ewers will reportedly not start for the Longhorns against Mississippi State on Saturday, via Anwar Richardson. Arch Manning will make his second career start, and his first start against an SEC rival.
From UT: “QB Quinn Ewers (oblique) and DB Derek Williams Jr. (hamstring) are out for today’s game.”
— Anwar Richardson (@AnwarRichardson) September 28, 2024
Ewers will miss his second straight game after he sustained an oblique injury during the Longhorns’ 56-7 win over UTSA. Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian called Ewers questionable at the beginning of the week and has noted that he has improved. Ewers did return to practice, where he was a limited participant.
Ewers is reportedly at 70 percent, and the Longhorns want him to be fully healthy to play against Oklahoma next week. Texas has back-to-back games against No. 21 Oklahoma followed by No. 2 Georgia, two of their four games against ranked opponents this season.
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The game against Mississippi State on Saturday might not be as significant as their two upcoming games, but notably marks the Longhorns’ debut versus an SEC opponent for the first time since joining the conference this season. Texas, who previously played in the Big 12, opened up their season with four non-conference games against Colorado State, Michigan, UTSA, and Louisiana-Monroe.
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With Ewers out, Manning has filled in for him. Manning took over for Ewers against UTSA, going 9-12 for 223 yards and four touchdowns after Ewers left due to injury. Manning also rushed for a 67-yard touchdown in the blowout victory.
Manning did not play quite as sharp in his first career start the following week, but still led the Longhorns to a commanding 51-3 win over Louisiana-Monroe. Manning completed 15 of 29 passes for 258 yards and three touchdowns against the Warhawks.
Manning will now start against a Mississippi State team that is 1-3 and has lost each of their last three games. The Bulldogs are also missing their starting quarterback. Mississippi starter Blake Sharpen sustained a season-ending shoulder injury last week against Florida, and true freshman Michael Van Buren will get his first career start. Van Buren did see some action versus Florida after Sharpen exited the game, and went 7-13 for 100 yards.
Even without Ewers, Texas is the clear favorite to get the win and start their season 5-0. The Longhorns are ranked No. 1 and are one of the deepest teams in the country. They will likely want the more experienced quarterback in Ewers available for their tougher opponents next week but should have no trouble earning a victory this week without him.
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