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A year ago, I tried to talk everyone out of the clouds after Maalik Murphy flashed well enough in the spring game that a number of people were convinced the wrong player was starting at quarterback for the Longhorns.
I tried to implore to Orangebloods for months that Murphy didn't always look like that in practices and scrimmages, but people didn't care. Who were they going to believe... me or their lying eyes?
I'm not even going to bother this year. We know what's about to happen and there's nothing any of us is going to be able to do to stop it.
The Arch Manning buzz is about to be uncontrollable.
The story of the Texas Spring Game is that Arch Manning looked freaking fantastic and when a former No.1 overall prospect in the nation looks the way he did on Saturday, it starts a discussion that's not going to die any time soon.
18 of 25 for 353 and 3 touchdowns (and one int on the last play of the game)
You could see this coming a mile away all week long. In fact, we had sources that admitted they were a little apprehensive about how a strong performance from Manning while Quinn Ewers was scheduled to play very little might alter the optics of the quarterback discussion as a whole.
Again, are you not going to believe your eyeballs?
Manning looked great. None of it looked like an accident. He's as exciting as any prospect in college football.
ESPN will talk about it. Every interview I do with an SEC radio station will ask me about it. Most of us at least wondered to ourselves once during the spring game... "Is Quinn definitely better?"
The Arch thing is about to be non-stop.
(Other thoughts on the spring game...)
* How ironic is it for the defense that it played so well during the last two scrimmages of the spring, only to turn into BBQ chicken in the spring game?
* This was a pretty entertaining spring game. This is a very talented team and it shows.
* At the exact moment when I was drooling over Kobe Black's physical appearance, he got toasted by Ryan Wingo for a long touchdown on a go-route. How in the hell are they going to keep that kid off the field?
* As for Black, he did get some revenge later in the scrimmage with a third-quarter interception. How in the hell are they going to keep that kid off the field?
* Isaiah Bond didn't exactly impress with his hands at all times on Saturday. He simply HAS to catch the ball that Arch Manning put on his hands on the goal line. NFL players catch that ball. That's what Bond is expected to be. To his credit, he came back and had a much stronger second half.
* Arch Manning starting 5 for 5 for 133 yards and two touchdowns is going to get people excited. I mean I couldn't bring people out of the clouds after Maalik Murphy's performance last year and that wasn't remotely as good as how Arch looked in the scrimmage.
* Trey Owens looked pretty damn good in his first spring game. Here's hoping that kid is patient because you can see that he has some real talent. I was very impressed.
* It sure felt like they tried to get Bond involved in the offense throughout the scrimmage. On the other hand, that didn't quite happen with Matthew Golden. I'm not quite sure what it means, if anything.
* Austin Jordan might be one of the best third-team nickels in the entire country. That's a position where the Longhorns have some real quality depth.
* Damn, CJ Baxter did to Michael Taaffe along the sideline what Cedric Benson once did to Huston Street.
* Arch Manning going deep for a touchdown to Deandre Moore on his first play from scrimmage was just the thing ESPN was craving.
* That was not good defense by Terrance Brooks on the long touchdown to Moore. "Just a blown coverage<" Sark said when asked about the play.
* Here's hoping Xavier Filsaime leans a lesson for the way he played that ball to Thatcher Milton because that... was... bad. He looked like he went in thinking he could make a play on the ball and in the end he did nothing because he just didn't see the play unfolding in front of him.
* It feels like Jordan Washington is going to be the third tight end at some point this season. He's definitely ahead of the second-year guys from the 2023 class.
* Thatcher Milton? In case you were wondering, he's a former defensive back walk-on from Cy Fair, who switched to the offensive side of the ball this spring. He's a mechanical engineering major.
* Feels like Colton Vasek had a sack that he didn't get credit for. Overall, he made a nice impression on Saturday.
* Savion Red looked good, but he looked almost exclusively good running with the third-team offense.
* I didn't really think any linebacker caught my eye outside of Anthony Hill and one play by Kendrick Blackshire.
* Based on a very small sample size, when it comes to catching passes from Quinn Ewers, it feels like Johntay Cook has a better rhythm with him than Isaiah Bond. Those guys just have to keep trying to work things out.
* I did not have Alfred Collins intercepting Quinn Ewers and returning it back to the house for six on my bingo card today. Great play by Ethan Burke to set that play up with the tipped pass.
* I don't get Vernon Broughton getting married the day of the spring game. I've never heard of that in 30 years of covering this team. When they were choosing a date, they had to know that this weekend could end up being the weekend of the spring game. None of his teammates were involved?
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