Klatt: Arch Manning symbolizes Texas' depth, but won't create QB controversy

No. 1 Texas' 56-7 win over UTSA might be one of the more intriguing blowout wins by a power conference school against a non-power program in recent memory.

A week after becoming the favorite to win the Heisman, Quinn Ewers went down in the second quarter due to an abdominal strain. Even with Ewers' absence, Saturday's result was really never in doubt.

Entering the season, I felt Texas was incredibly deep, which was one of the reasons why I felt it was such an elite team. The thought was further solidified after I prepared for Texas' matchup against Michigan in Week 2 and I saw what it did in its 31-13 triumph in Ann Arbor.

I was so impressed with Texas' depth in that game — and part of that impressive depth includes its backup quarterback: Arch Manning. 

Prior to Saturday, a lot of our thoughts about Manning were assumptions. We all thought Manning, who was 247 Sports' No. 1 overall recruit in the Class of 2023, was going to be good, partly because of his last name. He looked good in some spring practices and in mop-up duty since he arrived in Austin in 2023, causing some of us to say, "Yeah, we think it looks good." 

But we didn't know for certain just how good he actually was.

We finally got a chance to see just how good Manning is on Saturday, when he completed nine of 12 passes for 223 yards and four touchdowns. He had the entire offense at his disposal, with Steve Sarkisian being ultra-aggressive in calling plays. We saw him get the opportunity to run along the edge, too.

Manning's performance solidified that Texas is one of the best teams in the country. In fact, the Longhorns are No. 1 in my most recent top 10 ranking, breaking a three-way tie with Ohio State and Georgia in last week's poll. They've done more on