I don’t expect it to be quite as eye-popping as his five-touchdown performance against UTSA, but I suspect Manning will look like he has in his first two appearances this season: accurate, decisive and productive. This will be the first time he’s in command of the offense as the starter so don’t be surprised if there are a few hiccups. After all, he’s a redshirt freshman making only his fifth career appearance.
And even though he ran for a 67-yard touchdown last week, don’t expect that to become a major part of the equation on Saturday. Steve Sarkisian doesn’t major in the quarterback run game and keeping Manning healthy is paramount with Quinn Ewers already sidelined. But Manning will undoubtedly scramble and find some yards by using his athleticism.
