Steve Sarkisian explains he temporarily benched Texas QB Quinn Ewers in favor of Arch Manning

AUSTIN, Texas — Suddenly, the No. 1 Texas Longhorns have a potential quarterback controversy after a disastrous first half against the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, who trailed 23-0 at halftime thanks to three turnovers and just one total 38 yards.

Texas redshirt junior quarterback Quinn Ewers, starting his second straight game after recovering from an oblique strain that caused him to miss two starts, again struggled to start the game and scored an interception and a fumble, going 6-of-12 passing for 17 yards on a cornerback blitz.

“I tried to calm Quinn down a little bit and give us a little bit of momentum,” Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian told ABC at halftime.

Redshirt freshman Arch Manning entered the game with 4:43 left in the second quarter and the Longhorns trailed 20-0 after a third three-pointer that led to a Bulldogs field goal. Manning quickly came under pressure and was forced to throw the ball away on his first snap as Georgia continued to attack Texas' veteran offensive line.

Manning's athleticism made the difference on a 21-yard scramble on his second drive, but he missed an open receiver to end his first drive and then fumbled late in the half after collecting his second straight sack, which resulted in a field goal for Georgia and the final deficit.

Manning finished the half 3-of-6 passing for 19 yards and Ewers was back on the field at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium to start the second half.