Arch Manning received a huge round of applause at the Texas spring game, but it was Quinn Ewers who had the best throw of the day.
Manning entered late in the first quarter for the Orange team and completed his first pass to Thatcher Milton, throwing across the field from the right hash mark to the outside of the numbers to the left.
Earlier, 2022 starter Ewers — who started for the White team — delivered a gorgeous deep ball to Xavier Worthy to put the Longhorns inside the 10-yard line.
Ewers led the QBs on Saturday by going 16-of-23 for 195 yards.
Manning had a bit more difficulty in his first appearance in front of a wide audience. He finished 5-of-13 for 30 yards and added 15 rush yards.
The QB battle in Austin this season was expected to be between Ewers and Manning, but based on Saturday’s scrimmage, the actual competition is more likely at the backup position between Manning and sophomore Maalik Murphy, who finished the game 9-of-13 for 165 yards.
Murphy had a great deep completion of his own on a 79-yard touchdown to Johntay Cook.
Manning has as much hype around him as any QB prospect in recent history. Taking a backseat to Ewers and Murphy could be for the best. If both build off their strong spring game performances, head coach Steve Sarkisian won’t have to rush Manning onto the field. The Longhorns’ depth at QB allows them to take a cautious approach with their biggest asset.
