On SI's Matt Galatzan believes Quinn Ewers closed the door on Arch Manning's chances of starting at QB for Texas during the 2024 season. Ewers had three touchdowns and two interceptions during a 288-yard passing performance in a 27-24 win at Vanderbilt.

"Was it the kind of Heisman Trophy performance that many expected out of him coming out the Michigan game and before his injury in September? No," Galatzan prefaced before saying, "Was it enough to silence the doubters and prove that he is without question the right player to have under center for the remainder of the Longhorns' season?

"Coming into the season, there was a clear-cut distinction over who was the starter and who was the backup," Davis prefaced before saying, "Ewers was QB1, no doubt. And that was OK because everyone knew Manning would take over in 2025 and potentially be a two- or three-year starter. But Ewers missed 2 1/2 games with a strained abdominal injury and Manning went wild, throwing for nine touchdowns and nine passes for at least 30 yards or more. Steve Sarkisian, a former quarterback himself, never let a controversy fester. He maintained Ewers was the starter. Against Oklahoma, Ewers was rusty early but settled in. Fans won't see Manning again unless something goes drastically wrong with Ewers or the score gets out of hand."

If nothing else, we won't hear much about Ewers' job being on the line for a while. Texas enters its second bye week and has Florida, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Texas A&M left. Only the Aggies appear dangerous, though the Razorbacks' offense could keep them in any game.

If/when there's an issue again, Manning's name will come up. Usually, when you have two QBs, you have none, but the backup is so good in this case that the cliche doesn't apply.