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Arch Manning's first career start: Two TDs, two INTs and several lessons as Texas crushes ULM

The highly anticipated debut of Texas redshirt freshman quarterback Arch Manning had its ups and downs, but the Longhorns dominated underdog Louisiana-Monroe 51-3 on Saturday night before 102,850 fans at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.

Manning, the son of Cooper Manning, nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning and grandson of Archie Manning, finished the game completing 15 of 29 passes for 258 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Manning started Saturday night in place of injured starter Quinn Ewers, who is recovering from a strained oblique muscle he suffered in a win over UTSA last week.

Manning led the Longhorns' first-team offense for 10 series and left the game early in the fourth quarter when rookie Trey Owens came in. Here's what we learned from his performance.

Manning's top highlights

It's clear why Manning was such a coveted addition. His arm strength and accuracy were impressive Saturday night. The long balls he fired usually landed at or near their intended target, and he completed passes of 56 and 46 yards.

Manning, who is 6'4″ and weighs 220 pounds, never lost his composure, even when hit hard. He got back up immediately every time. And he led the offense like an experienced quarterback.

He recovered an interception on his first drive and led four consecutive touchdown drives that helped Texas take a 28-0 lead early in the second quarter. It was up and down from there, and he threw another interception late in the first half, but finished the second half strong with two more touchdown drives of 66 and 63 yards. — Sam Khan Jr.

Scouting Arch's first start

It was far from perfect, but Manning seemed to have a tight grip on the offense, not letting any checks or switches confuse or overwhelm him, and easily kept things moving against an inferior opponent. Texas put Manning in several play-action situations, allowing the big-armed sophomore to throw some pretty deep balls. Like many quarterbacks his age, Manning still resorts to the deep throw. He forced a ball into several defenders early on and was intercepted. A little later, he threw another into two more defenders and nearly completed it. More experience should provide more confidence and fix most of the current issues in Manning's game.

He's still a little late with his overall pocket processing, especially when the coverage isn't what he expected or a route is off-balance. A lot of it is timing, though, and Manning is a young backup player — so that's understandable. Overall, this will go down as a great experience for Manning, as he was able to capture both great throws and correctable mistakes on tape. He'll gain confidence while learning a ton. — Nick Baumgardner

Texas continues to make the most of its QB situation

While Manning's highs were impressive, his mistakes showed his youth and inexperience. From forced throws to lacking the grace Ewers displayed in his 25 career appearances, it's clear Manning still has room for improvement.

Manning's potential seems limitless given his physical abilities. Saturday's extended playing time will be a good lesson for coach Steve Sarkisian. — khan

GO DEEPER

How Texas achieves rare quarterback harmony with Arch Manning and Quinn Ewers

Arch's first college interception

Right now, Manning's biggest areas for improvement are overall pocket feel and running through his progressions quickly when he's stripped of his first read. The first pick of his college career, on Texas' opening drive, was an example of both. Manning was needlessly hit for staring at a read for far too long instead of either moving away from that receiver and toward his No. 2 or running. He then forced a throw into three defenders. Everything about Manning's passing technique, from his feet to his release, is ahead of his age. But the fundamentals of quarterback play against live defenders? A work in progress, as expected. — Baumgardner

Should Quinn Ewers look over his shoulder?

No, there is no quarterback controversy in Austin. Quinn Ewers led Texas to the College Football Playoff last season and narrowly missed a spot in the national championship game with an end zone deflection against Washington. Just two weeks ago, Ewers crushed Michigan in the Big House, a performance so impressive that it catapulted the Longhorns to No. 1 in the AP poll a week later. Once he's healthy, Manning will once again be the best backup quarterback in the country.

Of course, it would be a problem for Sarkisian if Ewers comes back but struggles, especially with games against Oklahoma and Georgia coming up in mid-October. But if Texas loses for the first time, it probably won't be because of its passing game, which has been the team's greatest strength. — Stewart Mandel

(Photo: Tim Warner/Getty Images)

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