Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart has hailed both Texas Longhorns quarterbacks Quinn Ewers and backup Arch Manning as game-winners.
The No. 5 Bulldogs will travel to Texas to face the No. 1 Longhorns on Saturday night, looking to snap their rivals’ unbeaten start to 2024. Texas has beaten Colorado State, reigning national champions the Michigan Wolverines, UTSA, LA-Monroe, MS State, and Oklahoma Sooners, with Ewers and Manning both receiving game time at quarterback.
Both Ewers and Manning have played four games in 2024, with the former getting the nod against ranked opponents, the Wolverines, and the Sooners before and after overcoming an injury. The Longhorns have the most mouth-watering quarterback dilemma in college football, something Bulldogs HC Smart recognizes.
“They’re both (Texas quarterbacks) really good. I’ll say this,” said Smart. “You watch the games that Arch (Manning) has played, he played really well. He did some really good things. I mean look at his numbers. He played and he comes out first couple plays against Mississippi State, ripping it and firing it in his first SEC play, and he played really good.”
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Ewers will be trusted ahead of Manning against the infamous Bulldogs, though. “Quinn’s (Ewers) a great player and they got a great quarterback situation because they’ve got two guys that both are capable of winning and playing well,” continued Smart.
The last time Texas and Georgia met was on Jan. 1, 2018, at the Allstate Sugar Bowl, where the Longhorns claimed victory with a score of 28-21 over the Bulldogs. Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian is hoping for a deafening atmosphere on Saturday night for the Bulldogs’ visit.
“I think for us, it’s a huge component [the atmosphere],” Sarkisian said. “I think in my time here through four years, DKR has created an environment that has become intimidating and that has become loud.
Arch Manning received game time while Quinn Ewers was injured (
Getty)
“In this game especially, we need more than our students. We need everybody. In this ballgame, it should be a rocking environment. We need to make it as difficult as we can on Georgia.”
On his quarterback headache, Sarkisian has stayed largely tight-lipped. He refused to answer a question from the media over Manning ahead of the clash with Georgia. However, he has previously conceded that he understands neither of his quarterbacks will want to play backup.
“When I was a starter, I never wanted the backup coming in the game, even for a play. So I’ve got respect for a guy who’s a starting quarterback and the rhythm that is needed to play with,” said Sarkisian. “So, no, that’s not something I’ve ever entertained. He [Manning] wants to learn. He can learn from others. But his development, I think, has probably been the biggest key. From where he was a year and a half ago when he first got here in spring practice to the way he played. It’s a credit to his work ethic.”
