Arch Manning Wows with 67-Yard TD Run — and Dad Cooper Says He 'Definitely' Gets His Speed from Mom
The University of Texas backup quarterback shined on Saturday after subbing for Heisman Trophy favorite Quinn Ewers, who went out with an injury
AP Photo/Eric Gay
Quinn Ewers needed backup on Saturday, and Arch Manning turned on the afterburners!
The University of Texas quarterback (and nephew of Eli and Peyton) showed off his speed — something not usually attributed to his legendary uncles — in a 67-yard touchdown run in which he reached nearly 21 mph, during Saturday’s 56-7 rout against UTSA.
Dad Cooper, who is the eldest of the Manning brothers, had fun celebrating his son’s success on the field.
“Definitely got his speed from mom,” Cooper, 50, joked on Instagram, alongside a picture of Arch, 19, with mom Ellen.
Related: Peyton Manning Says He Had Fun Hosting 'Capital One College Bowl' with Cooper: 'Great Brother Time'
The younger Manning made waves in the game after UT's usual starting quarterback — and early Heisman favorite — Ewers got injured with 12:19 left in the second quarter.
Arch promptly threw a 19-yard touchdown pass and then ran for 67 yards for another touchdown in his first three plays from scrimmage.
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The New Orleans product played two-plus quarters and finished 9 of 12 passing for 223 yards and four touchdown passes before the Longhorns passed the torch to their third-string quarterback once the game was out of reach for the Roadrunners.
Manning, a redshirt freshman, previously played in the first game of the season, a 52-0 blowout against Colorado State in which he accounted for two touchdowns.
The quarterback, whose namesake and grandfather is former NFL quarterback Archie Manning, has been biding his time at Texas, but seemingly absorbing every moment.
“That’s just kind of who Arch is,” UT coach Steve Sarkisian told reporters after the game. “He’s just a normal guy that plays quarterback at the University of Texas. The name on the back of his jersey is one thing, but who he is as a teammate is another. He just wants to play really good for all the guys around him.”
Cooper Manning/Instagram
Manning has at his disposal a treasure trove of quarterback knowledge — but that doesn’t mean he always calls upon it.
In a recent Bussin’ with the Boys podcast, Peyton, 48, shared that he lets Arch call the plays, so to speak.
“It's funny, you know these 19- and 20-year-olds, the text response rate is not super high; it's not a great completion percentage," Peyton said. "I kind of let him reach out to me if he has a question.”
He added, "Because you can't answer a question about a two-minute drill with a text back; you have to go to the voice memo. And it can't be just one. So you hit him back with a seven-minute voice memo response about the two-minute drill, what the defense is doing, and the plays that you like.”
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