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The Texas Longhorns are gearing up for a non-conference matchup against Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday as they look to move to 4-0 on the season.
ULM coach Earnest Hill spoke about the upcoming football contest on Wednesday. In the process, he both provided the Longhorns with bulletin board material and threw his own team under the bus!
The defensive coordinator questioned UT’s motivation for playing a “mediocre G5 team.” Hill isn’t sure the ‘Horns will be prepared!
“Texas – they know they’re playing against a mediocre Group of Five team,” Hill said. “Let’s be honest, they’re not gonna prepare like they normally do. That’s why we are [preparing], and we’re gonna go try to do our best and see where the chips fall.”
Texas vs. UL-Monroe on Saturday…
– Texas is -44.5 favorites with a 52.5 total
– The Game kicks off at 7 pm CT on ESPN+Sounds like @ULM_FB will be ready, Guess we will see on Saturday if @TexasFootball is🤦♂️
Get your weekly Longhorns coverage @orangebloods_ pic.twitter.com/W6RUC2t6gu
— ᴄᴏᴅʏ ᴄᴀʀᴘᴇɴᴛɪᴇʀ (@CodyCarpentier) September 18, 2024
It will be a week of change for the Longhorns, who will (likely) see signal caller Arch Manning make his first start under center. Steve Sarkisian hasn’t publicly named Manning the starter just yet, but it’s doubtful he tries to rush Quinn Ewers back from an abdominal strain.
Manning shined in replacement duty last week, completing 9-of-12 passes for 223 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran for a 67-yard score while hitting a speed of 20.7 MPH.
ARCH MANNING TAKES IT 67 YARDS TO THE HOUSE WITH HIS LEGS 😱
It’s the longest rush by a Texas QB since Vince Young in 2005. pic.twitter.com/AjU9uSli2c
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 15, 2024
ULM Football isn’t scared of Arch Manning!
Hill also commented on his players’ experience facing the quarterback in high school. They know what to expect!
“We have some kids on our team who played against him in New Orleans [in high school], and a couple guys done beat him already. So, they don’t hold too much fear against him. So, they’re not gonna hold any fear against him coming up here [on Saturday].”
-Earnest Hill
The QB arrived in Austin with much fanfare. The No. 1 passer in his class, he’s expected to continue the Manning legacy in the SEC.
That said, he had to sit behind Ewers while watching the veteran lead the Longhorns to the College Football Playoff last year.
Rather than transfer upon hearing Ewers’ decision to return to college for one final season, he stayed put. He’ll now see the field a bit earlier than anticipated when the Warhawks come to town.
We’ll see if he can rally the troops and get the offense motivated in his first start.