Arch Manning Remains Texas Starter as KJ Lacey Gets More Work Before Ole Miss

Arch Manning will get the first opportunity to pull the Texas Longhorns out of their midseason slide Saturday night. The question is whether Steve Sarkisian will turn to KJ Lacey if his starter cannot get the offense moving.

ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported on College GameDay that Manning received fewer first-team practice repetitions than usual this week while Lacey’s work with the starting offense increased.

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According to the report, Sarkisian prefers to keep Manning as his starter but has prepared for a potential change if he struggles against No. 7 Ole Miss. Athlon Sports reported Thamel’s comments Saturday morning.

Texas has not announced a starting-quarterback change. Manning remains the choice to open the game.

Still, the reported adjustment in practice gives the Longhorns’ quarterback situation a different level of urgency entering a matchup that could shape the rest of their season.

Sarkisian publicly backed Manning earlier this week while making clear that the offense needs better execution.

“He’s our starter. I need to see a better version of Arch Manning,” Sarkisian said Monday.

Sarkisian also said Lacey had received first-team work throughout the season. Thamel’s Saturday report adds a more recent development: an increased share of that preparation for the backup ahead of Ole Miss.

Practice repetitions do not establish when a coach will make a substitution. They do, however, give a reserve quarterback more opportunities to work through the offense with the players he would join on the field.

For Texas, that preparation could matter if Sarkisian decides the offense needs a different direction during the game.

The Longhorns enter Saturday at 4-2 overall and 1-2 in SEC play following consecutive losses to Oklahoma and Florida.

Manning has completed 63.9 percent of his passes for 1,295 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions through six games.

Those totals provide context, but Saturday’s evaluation will come down to whether Texas can sustain possessions and finish drives against the Rebels.

A substitution alone would offer no guarantee of improvement.

Protection, the running game and the receivers’ execution would remain part of the same offensive challenge.

The injury situation makes that challenge more difficult.

Running back Hollywood Smothers has been ruled out, along with offensive lineman Jaydon Chatman and receiver Kaliq Lockett. Texas will also be without edge rushers Colin Simmons and Richard Wesley.

Freshman running back Derrek Cooper is listed as probable, according to the latest Inside Texas availability report.

Smothers’ absence removes an option from a backfield Texas needs to help keep the offense out of difficult passing situations.

For Manning, the clearest response to the week’s scrutiny would be an offense that moves with consistency.

That means completing the available throws, protecting the football and giving Texas manageable situations as drives develop.

For Sarkisian, it means evaluating the entire offense while deciding whether his starting quarterback gives the Longhorns their best chance to win.

The increased work for Lacey makes him a player to watch. It does not establish a predetermined substitution schedule or mean one unsuccessful possession will end Manning’s night.

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Texas hosts Ole Miss at 6:30 p.m. CT Saturday at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, with the game televised on ABC. 

Manning will begin the game with the opportunity to steady the Longhorns. How effectively he uses it could determine whether Lacey’s expanded preparation becomes part of Saturday’s action.