A roar erupted from the Texas crowd early in the second quarter at DKR as my two nieces chomped on stadium-priced Chick-fil-A. The youngest, Adi (8), looked up from the sandwich and asked, “Is Bevo on the screen or something?"

It was the only reason, in her mind at least, for the crowd to make that type of noise. But it wasn’t the mascot that elicited those cheers of excitement. It was the future. It was a Manning. 

An abdominal injury to starter Quinn Ewers during the blowout win over UTSA on Saturday in Austin allowed the nation’s most famous backup a surprise performance. And he delivered. His first pass was a 19-yard touchdown strike to DeAndre Moore. Two minutes later he raced 67 yards for a touchdown to prove he’s more Archie than Peyton. 

Manning was the story of the night. Maybe the week, since Georgia avoided an upset to Kentucky. He completed 9 of 12 passes for 223 yards and four touchdowns. He added 53 more yards and a score on the ground. On the season, Manning is 14 of 18 for 315 yards and five touchdowns to zero interceptions while adding two more touchdowns on the ground. 

The last name helps, but the talent seems undeniable. 

News began to leak on Sunday that Ewers’ abdominal strain isn’t serious, and that the Longhorn starter is expected back sooner rather than later. ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that Ewers expects to miss the Week 4 contest against Louisiana-Monroe but could be back by the SEC opener against Mississippi State. With nearly a month until the Red River Showdown, it sounds like Ewers will return for the Oklahoma and Georgia games.  

That’s good news for a Longhorn program that doesn’t need a quarterback controversy, even if it only exists as a national narrative, clouding the on-field product. Steve Sarkisian’s club was ranked No. 1 in the most recent AP Top 25. They’ve outscored opponents 139-19 through three games. They’re one of a handful of teams in the country with a roster good enough – and deep enough – to survive the 12-team College Football Playoff. 

The true quarterback controversy is in College Station, not Austin. Conner Weigman missed the Florida game in Week 3 with a reported shoulder injury suffered against Notre Dame and reaggravated in practice leading into the Aggies’ trip to The Swamp. Weigman missed the final nine games of the 2023 season with a leg injury. 

Marcel Reed started in Weigman’s place and led Texas A&M to a 33-20 victory – the program’s first road victory since 2021. Reed finished the game 11 of 17 for 178 yards and two touchdowns through the air with 83 yards and a score on 13 carries. The last time Reed played most of a football game for Texas A&M was the Texas Bowl when he threw for 361 yards. 

Both Ewers and Weigman were five-star prospects expected to flourish into NFL draft picks as collegiate prospects. They were in the same recruiting class (2022) until Ewers reclassified and skipped his senior season to enroll early at Ohio State. And both have dealt with injuries in their college careers. 

But that doesn’t mean their situations are the same. Ewers entered 2024 with 24 starts, a Big 12 championship, and a trip to the CFP under his belt. Weigman had nine starts entering the season. Ewers is 21-6 with nearly 7,000 passing yards as the Texas starter. He threw for three touchdowns against Michigan in the Big House during a Week 2 beatdown of the reigning national champs. Weigman was 12 of 30 for 100 yards in the Week 1 home loss to Notre Dame. 

Ewers has earned grace during a two- or three-game absence, even if the famous backup shines. Has Weigman? The Aggies look like a contender – maybe not for the SEC championship, but 9-3 puts you on the CFP bubble. The Aggie defense is rounding into form. The run game looked elite at times with Reed providing an extra number for Collin Klein’s scheme. The offense repeatedly gashed Florida on third down in the win. 

Three of the next four games are against Bowling Green, Arkansas, and Mississippi State. The test against Mizzou is at home. Trips to South Carolina and Auburn can be tricky, as are home games against LSU and Texas. The Aggies don’t need to win them all, but it doesn’t require maroon-tinted glasses to spot a 7-2 record if the offense produces. 

Florida’s defense isn’t as good as Notre Dame’s, so this isn’t an apples-to-apples comparison. Klein and the Aggie staff sees both quarterbacks in practice every day and determined that Weigman was QB1 after spring and summer. But Reed received a lot of reps with Weigman rehabbing from the 2023 injury, and it is clear he knows how to move the football. He showed that in the Texas Bowl and reminded us in the win over Florida. 

Sometimes this isn’t rocket science. Sometimes, you play the guy who moves the ball. SMU made a similar decision last week when the Ponies anointed Kevin Jennings the starter over Preston Stone. Texas A&M might be facing a similar reality, and the longer Weigman is out, the more likely it is that Reed never gives the job back.