Which QB Will be Under Center Against Wyoming in Austin?
LAS VEGAS, Nev., -- Wyoming never faced Peyton Manning.
He graduated from Tennessee in 1997. The Pokes and Vols hooked up two years later.
His little brother, Eli Manning, never played against the Cowboys, either. His final season under center at Ole Miss was in 2003. The Rebels waltzed into War Memorial Stadium the following fall and were handed a 37-32 loss.
For good measure, Joe Glenn's team dished out another upset in 2005. That was delivered in Oxford. The score even more lopsided, 24-14.
That Manning-less run could be coming to an end, though.
Earlier in the week, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said all positions on his roster are up for grabs, including the coveted quarterback spot where incumbent Quinn Ewers and freshman phenom Arch Manning will compete for the starting gig.
The Cowboys and Longhorn will meet on Sept. 16 in Austin.
"I'm not worried about who's going to be on the cover of what magazine next week," Sarkisian told ESPN. "I'm more focused on is, is each guy focusing on what they need to do to develop to be the best player that they can be? Quinn has an entire year of a head start, but I don't want to hold Arch back. I want to see how far he can take this thing and what it can look like."
Sarkisian said Manning performed like a freshman during the Longhorns' first spring practice. Other throws, "I think everybody was like, 'Wow, that was a heck of a play,"' he added.
Manning, the son of Peyton and Eli's brother, Cooper Manning, was the No. 5 recruit in the nation out of Isidore Newman School in New Orleans. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound signal caller was the top-rated prospect in the country, according to 247sports.com.
Ewers, who was the No. 2 recruit in the ESPN 300 in 2021, threw for 2,177 yards and 15 touchdowns while starting 10 games for Texas last season. He was named the Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year.
Wyoming's freshman quarterback Kaden Anderson served as Ewers' backup at Southlake Carroll High School in the Metroplex.