The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
No. 1/2 Football’s Manning recognized by Davey O’Brien Award
09.16.2024 | Football
The redshirt freshman quarterback was selected to the Davey O’Brien Award’s Great 8 following his performance in the win over UTSA.
AUSTIN, Texas – Texas redshirt freshman quarterback Arch Manning earned a spot on this week's Davey O'Brien Great 8 list, the Davey O'Brien Foundation announced Monday.
In addition to being selected to the Davey O'Brien Great 8 list, Manning also received his first career weekly honor after being named the SEC's Co-Freshman of the Week on Monday.
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.
This week, 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.
