AUSTIN, Texas — A dreadful start in their biggest game of the season was too much to overcome on Saturday night, as the Longhorns fell to the Georgia Bulldogs 30-15.
The team had an extraordinarily bad first half, accumulating just 38 yards of total offense. Head coach Steve Sarkisian even made a brief quarterback change, benching starter Quinn Ewers midway through the second quarter, after the redshirt junior threw an interception and lost a fumble in the first half.
Arch Manning took over with the Longhorns down 20-0 in the back half of the second quarter. Manning's successes didn't fare much better, as the sophomore lost a fumble of his own with just over a minute to go in the first half, enabling Georgia to tack on a field goal and push the lead to 23 at halftime.
After Manning's struggles, Sarkisian elected to put Ewers back in to start the second half, and the Longhorn signal caller led the Burnt Orange on a much needed touchdown drive, finding wide receiver Isaiah Bond on a seven-yard score on the opening drive of the half and giving the Longhorns their first points of the game.
The Longhorns gained some much needed momentum on the next defensive series, after senior Jahdae Barron intercepted Carson Beck and returned the ball to the Bulldogs' nine-yard line. Ewers would find running back Jaydon Blue on a touchdown pass two plays later to cut the deficit to 23-15.
From that point on, however, the Bulldogs maintained control. The potent Georgia offense scored on the following drive, thanks to a one-yard Trevor Etienne touchdown run to push the lead back to two scores. That would be the final margin, as the Longhorn offense was unable to generate any offensive momentum throughout the fourth quarter.
Ewers finished the game 25-of-43 passing for 211 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Manning finished 3-of-6 passing for 19 yards. Ewers and Manning were both sacked multiple times, as the Georgia pass rush overwhelmed the Longhorns' offensive line for much of the game.
The Longhorn running game, which has been incredibly effective all season, was completely stymied. Tre Wisner led the team with 59 yards on 15 carries.
Matthew Golden led the team in receiving, grabbing three passes for 77 yards. Jaydon Blue led the team in catches with seven, followed by Gunnar Helm with six.
The Longhorn defense performed well, intercepting Georgia quarterback Carson Beck three times, with Jahdae Barron collecting two Beck interceptions. However, the Bulldog running game was effective, tallying 109 yards and Trevor Etienne being responsible for all three Georgia touchdowns.
The loss means the Longhorns will drop when the new AP Poll is released on Sunday. Next up, the Longhorns will travel to Nashville to face Vanderbilt on Oct. 26. The Commodores are in the midst of one of their best seasons in recent memory, as they sit with a 5-2 record on the season, which includes a win over perennial powerhouse Alabama.