AUSTIN, Texas — Arch Manning threw for 258 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in his first career start at Texas, beating injured starter Quinn Evers 51-3 and pushing the No. 1 Longhorns to 4 over UL Monroe. -0.
After throwing an interception on his first possession, Manning settled in and scored touchdowns on six of his 10 drives to take a 44-3 lead as Texas put the game away early in the fourth quarter. The redshirt freshman completed 15 of his 29 pass attempts.
In the Longhorns’ first game as a No. 1-ranked team in the AP Top 25 since 2008, Manning had plenty of assists. Running back Jayden Blue rushed for 124 yards and scored four total touchdowns, and Texas’ defense held General Booty and the Warhawks (2-1) to 111 total yards on 2.2 yards per play.
Evers left after suffering a tilt in Texas’ 56-7 loss to UTSA last week. His status is considered day-to-day, and he could return next week for the Longhorns’ SEC debut against Mississippi State.
Manning shared SEC Freshman of the Week honors after producing 276 total yards and five touchdowns against UTSA in Ewers’ absence. He completed eight passes of 15 or more yards against ULM, including 56-yarders to Isaiah Bond and 46-yarders to Matthew Golden.
The Longhorns have a week off after their first SEC conference game at home against Mississippi State, followed by the No. Matchups with No. 15 Oklahoma and No. 2 Georgia followed in consecutive weeks.
