Former Georgia recruit Arch Manning to lead No. 10 Texas against No. 5 Bulldogs in SEC showdown

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Georgia fans finally will have their chance to see Arch Manning play at Sanford Stadium.

He won’t be wearing Georgia’s red and black, though.

No. 5 Georgia (8-1, 6-1 Southeastern Conference, No. 5 College Football Playoff) will face Manning and No. 10 Texas (7-2, 4-1, No. 10 CFP) on Saturday night. Each team will be looking to protect its hopes of making a repeat trip to the SEC championship game.

Gunner Stockton replaced the injured Carson Beck and led the Bulldogs to a 22-19 overtime win over Texas in last year’s SEC championship game in Atlanta. Beck transferred to Miami and Stockton has kept the starting job this season, using his dual-threat talents to win over fans who once dreamed Manning would make Athens his home.

Manning acknowledged this week he came close to signing with Georgia.

“They’re a good team. I was considering them until the end,” Manning said Monday.

Manning, the preseason Heisman Trophy favorite, and the Longhorns, who were No. 1 in the preseason AP Top 25, have a four-game winning streak after a 3-2 start.

Manning claimed his first SEC offensive player of the week honor after Texas’s win over Vanderbilt. He has passed for 674 yards with six touchdowns and one interception over the past two games.

It’s the kind of production Georgia coach Kirby Smart anticipated when he recruited Manning, the latest in the line of Manning football players that includes his father, Cooper, grandfather Archie and uncles Peyton and Eli.

“It really wasn’t about the celebrity nature,” Smart said Monday, adding “the tape” was his motivation to recruit Manning.

“I have a good relationship with their family,” Smart said. “I’ve known his dad for a while, his uncle for a long time, and his grandfather. They’ve got a wonderful family, but it has nothing to do with his recruitment. His recruitment was based on he’s athletic, he’s fast, he’s tall, he’s intelligent, he’s got composure, he’s got an arm. He can do it all. He can run the ball, he can throw the ball. In this day and age, you got to have a quarterback that can do both and he can.”

Smart added Manning has “great composure” and is “not really affected by many things, even the way he’s managed the hype and expectations of what he was supposed to be this year.”

Return visit

This won’t be Manning’s first visit to Sanford Stadium. He said he attended a Georgia home game against South Carolina when he was a recruit.

“It’s a big-time atmosphere,” Manning said. “I’m excited.”

Thanks to that visit, Manning says he knows what to expect to hear on Saturday night.

“It’s my first time preparing for barking,” he said. “It should be fun.”

Ancient history

Georgia won two games against Texas last season. In addition to the SEC championship game victory, the Bulldogs beat then-No. 1 Texas 30-15 in Austin.

Players from each team agree last year’s games will have no effect on Saturday night’s contest.

“It’ll have no carryover,” Georgia safety KJ Bolden said. “Those are two different teams, a lot of different players on each team. You know it’s going to be a great game.”

SEC hopes

Texas and Georgia do not control their hopes of returning to the SEC title game. No. 3 Texas A&M and No. 4 Alabama have no SEC losses. The Bulldogs and Longhorns are playing to remain in position to enter a possible tiebreaker scenario if either Alabama or Texas A&M lose.

CFP hopes

Georgia and Texas also will be playing to protect their playoff hopes. The Bulldogs are motivated to play for a first-round bye.

With two losses, the Longhorns may have a greater sense of urgency. Texas defensive end Ethan Burke says that’s nothing new.

“I think every week we know what we’ve got to do,” Burke said. “We know how much has been on the line the last five games or so. Every game has been huge and it’s critical to where we want to be.”

Texas pass rush

The Longhorns have been on a tear getting to the quarterback. Texas ranks No. 1 nationally in sacks per game at 3.78 and has 34 overall. The leaders are edge rushers Colin Simmons and Burke. Simmons has eight sacks.

“He draws a lot of attention, it’s a benefit for the whole front,” Burke said of Simmons. “The quarterbacks have to keep him in their vision.”

___

AP Sports Writer Jim Vertuno contributed to this report.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football