Quinn Ewers was subbed in for Arch Manning as Texas trailed Georgia Big at halftime

AUSTIN – The Texas Longhorns were beaten in the first half by the Georgia Bulldogs in Austin on Saturday, prompting an early quarterback change from head coach Steve Sarkisian.

No. 1 Texas had a terrible first half against No. 5 Georgia, going into the locker room down 23-0. Arch Manning replaced Quinn Ewers in the second quarter but couldn’t provide a spark to the Texas offense.

The Bulldogs got the ball first but struck quickly. Texas managed to get two first downs on its first drive before stalling and rebounding. After Georgia got the ball back, Longhorns safety Andrew Mukaba came up with one of the Texas defense’s biggest plays of the season so far.

When Beck received a high pass in traffic, Mukuba put the ball in the air and brought the ball to himself to intercept the ball. However, the Longhorns were unable to score any more points after a three-and-out win.

The Bulldogs got the ball back and picked up some yardage with a 21-yard catch by Lawson Luckie and an 18-yard run by Etienne. Beck then found Etienne for a 13-yard catch-and-run on 3rd-and-9, but three plays later the Longhorns had another takeaway. Luckie was unable to intercept Beck’s pass on 3rd-and-8, allowing Jahdae Barron to use the tipped pass for a turnover in the red zone.

The Longhorns were pinned near their own goal line after the takeaway and had a 15-yard lead after Ryan Wingo drew a pass interference penalty on the Georgia defense. The flag gave the offense some breathing room, but the Bulldogs got a blitz on third down a few plays later when Daylen caught Everette Ewers by surprise and forced the fumble. The Bulldogs recovered at the Texas 13-yard line and Etienne hit a two-yard touchdown four plays later to give Georgia a 7-0 lead.

At the end of the first quarter, Matthew Golden had a 64-yard kickoff return, but it was overturned by a holding penalty. The Longhorns were then pushed back in front of their own end zone and quickly went for a three-pointer. After the punt, Georgia started for a 19-yard return at the Texas 28-yard line.

The Texas defense held the Bulldogs to a field goal, but the offensive struggles continued for Ewers and Co. On the third play of the ensuing drive, Ewers threw the ball into traffic and Everette got his second takeaway, this time with an interception.

Georgia receiver Dominic Lovett broke free for a 17-yard gain and Etienne found the end zone again one play later with a 15-yard run. The Longhorns were now down 17-0 and had no momentum on their side. Another three-pointer for Texas led to another field goal for the Dawgs.

Manning then replaced Ewers, but his two drives resulted in a punt and a lost fumble. Georgia added another field goal in the final seconds of the half.

The Longhorns receive the ball at the start of the second half.