Whether Arch Manning is out of concussion protocol in time to start at quarterback for No. 20 Texas against No. 9 Vanderbilt at Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday (11 a.m., ABC) or Matthew Caldwell makes his Forty Acres starting debut, donât expect Steve Sarkisianâs offense to change much, if at all.
âWe havenât changed anything that weâve done,â Sarkisian said on a Zoom call with reporters after Thursdayâs practice. âOur system has been our system.â
Itâs true that Sarkisianâs attack has looked largely the same, no matter which of the five quarterbacks heâs called upon to start in his tenure (Manning, Hudson Card, Casey Thompson, Quinn Ewers and Maalik Murphy) have run the show. Nevertheless, none of those quarterbacks operated the offense the same.
Manning, who practiced on Thursday but remains in concussion protocol, Sarkisian said, is making progress toward getting back on the field. If he canât go, however, Sarkisian remains steadfast in his belief that Caldwellâs coaches and teammates âhave the utmost confidence and respectâ in the Troy transfer to get the job done.
Regarding how the offense will function with Caldwell at the controls, itâs to Sarkisianâs benefit to play coy and avoid revealing his hand to Clark Lea and the Commodores. Everybody outside the Moncrief Complex has a limited viewing sample of what Caldwell can do, Sarkisian said, âbut he gives us a ton of confidence in the way that he practices every day, the way that he works.â
Between Caldwellâs 2023 season at FCS Gardner-Webb and what he did in five starts with the Trojans in 2024, there are two areas in which he could help Texas (6-2, 3-1 SEC) move the football through the air.
Five of Caldwellâs seven touchdown passes in 2023 came on pass attempts behind the line of scrimmage. Caldwell earned a 74.3 season-long grade from Pro Football Focus on those throws, going 43-for-47 for 250 yards, which is better than Manningâs 2025 grade on pass attempts behind the line of scrimmage of 70.2 (52-for-54 for 371 yards and no touchdowns).Â
Caldwell had more success on intermediate throws (pass attempts 10-19 yards down the field) at Troy last season, recording a PFF grade of 85.7 (28-for-46 for 433 yards and seven touchdowns against three interceptions). Caldwellâs overtime touchdown pass to Emmett Mosley V in last weekâs win over Mississippi State was an intermediate-range throw, a part of the field in which heâs 3-for-4 for 44 yards (a PFF grade of 86.8) and where Manning hasnât been at his best this season (27-for-54 for 431 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions).
Caldwellâs ability to execute screens and quick throws behind the line of scrimmage, along with the intermediate throws that Sarkisianâs play-calls can scheme open, can stabilize an offense that otherwise couldnât lean on Manning extending the play with his legs, be a factor in the running game or hit chunk-yardage plays on deep balls (on 60 career pass attempts thrown 20 or more yards down the field, Caldwell has completed just 19, throwing two touchdowns against seven interceptions). The Longhorns shouldnât be expected to run either quarterback much; Manning wouldnât be asked to run more than necessary for obvious reasons and in addition to Caldwell fumbling seven times (48 official rushing attempts, including sacks) in 2024, his elevation to QB1 would put KJ Lacey one play away from the first meaningful action of his true freshman season.
The closest thing Texas has had to a recognizable identity on offense is when it relies on Manningâs athleticism to extend plays. Manning's legs have taken pressure off the offensive line and created explosive plays down the field.
Even if Caldwell canât do those things, Sarkisian is confident in the offense putting a winning brand of football on the field with the well-traveled veteran at the wheel.
âThe game plan is the game plan,â Sarkisian said. âI think all of his teammates have a ton of confidence in Matt if itâs his time to go.â
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