Arch Manning threw his first career touchdown pass and ran for his first score as a mop-up in No. 4 Texas’ 52-0 victory over Colorado State in the season opener on Saturday.

The five-star recruit with the NFL Family Tree is possibly the most high-profile backup quarterback in the country, waiting behind starter Quinn Ewers.

And while Manning, still a rookie after his brief stint last season, may not pose a threat to unseat Ewers, his every move on the field is met with loud cheers from Longhorns fans.

Manning, the son of Cooper Manning, is the grandson of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning and the nephew of Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning.

Texas led 38-0 in the third quarter when Manning entered the game. His first play was a 40-yard pass to Johntay Cook II.

His second passport was a 5-yard touchdown pass for Silas Bolden. On this play, Manning quickly tried to evade a pass rush, then appeared ready to charge into the end zone before flicking the pass to Bolden.

His 1-yard touchdown run with 10 minutes left was the final score for Texas.

Manning’s willingness to play significant minutes this season could be crucial in Texas’ first season in the Southeastern Conference. Ewers has missed several games the past two seasons due to injury.

“The ability to have the vision to find the man for the touchdown, those are his natural instincts,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said of Manning.

“I often argue with Arch because sometimes he acts a little too robotic because he wants to be right. I want him to play the game because he has so many cool instincts. We saw that today.”

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