Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian admitted that he felt his team’s loss to Georgia swung on the moment when their opponents made a change at quarterback – with many telling the coach that he should have made the same move.
The Longhorns’ were narrowly defeated by a score of 22-19 in an overtime loss with Georgia making a forced move at quarterback with sophomore Gunner Stockton coming in for an injured Carson Beck – as the senior struggled mightily in the game. Stockton brought life to Georgia’s offense, driving them down the field while being a threat to run alongside running back Trevor Etienne – putting in two big drives to win the game with the latter finding the end-zone.
At quarterback for Texas, senior Quinn Ewers threw for 358 yards, but made two costly errors when throwing interceptions in huge moments to swing the momentum Georgia’s way – with Texas fans clamoring to see Arch Manning come into the game.
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After the game, Sarkisian was asked on where he believed the game changed in Georgia’s favor. He responded: “They made the change of quarterback. I think it sparked them some and provided some different style of offense running the quarterback. I thought our guys showed a great deal of resiliency and fight today to fight back to force overtime.
“But at the end of the day, we weren’t effective enough in the high red to put touchdowns on the board. And I think that in and of itself was probably a microcosm of the game because we had plenty of opportunities, but we didn’t capitalize on it.”
Manning has given a spark to Texas’ offense whenever he’s been called upon this season, but Sarkisian has chosen to stick with Ewers, in what looks to be his final year with the school before he enters the NFL Draft, or potentially even transferring away.
Ewers made two costly errors in the game
And many were quick to point out Sarkisian’s inconsistencies, wondering why he didn’t make the move that Georgia were forced into in an attempt to steal the championship.
Former NFL quarterback Kurt Benkert said: “Arch Manning would have won them that game,” while Fox reporter Aaron Torres said: “If Steve Sarkisian felt the need to bench Quinn Ewers at home and give Arch Manning a shot a few weeks ago, I don’t see a reason where he shouldn’t do the same here”.
One Texas fan had added: “Sark admitted that Georgia were boosted by their back-up… probably should have learned from that himself!”
Ewers’ inability to convert in key moments, most notably when he threw a pick in the fourth quarter had immediately seen fans call for redshirt freshman quarterback Manning. Whatever the case moving forward, Manning looks set to take over as the starter in 2025, with Ewers set to make his decision on his future after the playoffs.
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