The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
No. 1/2 Football’s Manning named SEC Co-Freshman of the Week
09.16.2024 | Football
The redshirt freshman quarterback earned his first career weekly honor on Monday.
AUSTIN, Texas – Texas redshirt freshman quarterback Arch Manning was named the Southeastern Conference's Co-Freshman of the Week, the league office announced Monday morning. It's his first career weekly honor.
After entering the game for an injured Quinn Ewers in the second quarter against UTSA on Sept. 14, Manning completed 9-of-12 pass attempts for 223 yards and four touchdowns. The New Orleans native accounted for five touchdowns on the night after logging a 67-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. After entering the game, Manning tossed a 19-yard touchdown pass to WR DeAndre Moore Jr. to extend UT's lead to 21-0. Manning hit WR Isaiah Bond for a 51-yard touchdown to open the third quarter followed by a 75-yarder to WR Ryan Wingo with 10:57 remaining in the third. To cap the night, Manning found WR Johntay Cook II for 12 yards in the end zone, stretching the lead to 49-7 with 13:19 left in the fourth.
With his 67-yard touchdown run, Manning became the fifth SEC freshman QB in the last 15 years to have a 65+ yard touchdown run, joining South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers (did so on Saturday) Florida's Anthony Richardson (2021) Auburn's Malik Willis (2017) and Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel (2012). Manning's 75-yard touchdown pass (tied for seventh-longest by a UT freshman) to Wingo and 67-yard touchdown run (longest ever by a UT freshman) against UTSA marked the first time in UT history that a player recorded a 65-yard-plus pass and run in the same game. Colt McCoy (2009) and Vince Young (2003 and 2005) are the only other players in program history to post a passing and rushing play of play of 65 or more yards in the same season. Manning is the only FBS or NFL quarterback in the last 25 years to record a 75+ yard touchdown pass, a 65-yard rushing touchdown and another 50+ yard touchdown pass in the same game (via OptaStats). Manning's 67-yard rushing touchdown was the longest by a UT quarterback since Vince Young was credited with an 80-yard scoring run in the third quarter against Oklahoma State on Oct. 29, 2005. His rushing touchdown was the longest scoring run by a Longhorn since Jaydon Blue reached the end zone on the ground from 69 yards out during the second quarter of Texas' 57-7 win over Texas Tech on Nov. 24, 2023. His 12-yard touchdown pass to Cook II early in the fourth quarter marked the first time a UT quarterback has accounted for five-or-more touchdowns in a game since Casey Thompson had six in the Longhorns' 70-35 win against Texas Tech on Sept. 25, 2021. Manning's five (four passing, one rushing) touchdowns on the night are the most touchdowns accounted for by a UT freshman quarterback since Colt McCoy had six passing against Baylor on Oct. 14, 2006.
Manning and the Longhorns return to the friendly confines of Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium for a 7 p.m. CT kick against ULM on Saturday, Sept. 21 on ESPN+/SEC Network+. Lowell Galindo (play-by-play), Fozzy Whittaker (analyst) and Alex Chappell (sideline) will have the call.
