With Texas Football quarterback Arch Manning in the concussion protocol, there is a very real possibility he doesn’t play this weekend in Austin against the Vanderbilt Commodores. That means little-known backup QB Matthew Caldwell would get the start. But what if the Texas offense is better with Caldwell at the helm?

Manning has been inconsistent this year, to put it mildly. To be fair, the rest of the offense hasn’t helped the starting QB. The offensive line has been leaky, receivers have struggled to get open and the running game has been historically bad.

But the Mississippi State game was a perfect microcosm of Manning’s year. He struggled to hit wide open receivers in the first three quarters, but set up four scores in the fourth quarter and overtime.

It was after a run in overtime Manning got hurt. Manning left the MSU game after his helmet bounced off the ground at the end of a 13-yard run on the first play in OT. After dropping back to pass and seeing no one open, Manning scrambled up the middle and as he dove for the first down, he was tackled by safety Isaac Smith and hit him from behind by defensive lineman Kedrick Bingley-Jones.

Enter Caldwell, who came into the game and calmly threw a back corner fade to WR Emmett Mosley V for the winning touchdown. Caldwell’s composure appears to be his biggest strength.

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“I think the good thing for Matt is he’s a very even keeled guy. I thought he had a great practice today. I think the players have a lot of confidence in him. I think his maturity, his approach. He’s very engaged even when he doesn’t play.” – Texas coach Steve Sarkisian

In limited time this season, Caldwell has gone 8 for 11 with a TD and no INTs. While he doesn’t have Manning’s wheels, Caldwell is capable of extending plays. At Troy, the Auburn, Alabama native didn’t put up huge numbers, but was very accurate and played smart, ball-control football.

Caldwell got his start at Jacksonville State in small-town Jacksonville, Ala. After not playing much, he left for FCS Gardner-Webb in another small town, Boiling Springs, N.C. He spent two seasons as a backup there before transferring to Troy. He spent one season with the Trojans, starting the final five games of the season.

As the starting Troy QB, Caldwell had a 63% completion percentage, a 140 quarterback rating, threw for 1,608 yards and 13 touchdowns. Pretty good numbers for just five games.

This spring, Caldwell got a call from Texas coach Steve Sarkisian, who asked him to spend his final season of eligibility as the backup to Arch. While the season hasn’t gone according to plan, Caldwell has been engaged the entire time.

Caldwell is more of a ball control QB. Manning will try for big plays in a lot of situations. Caldwell is more likely to make the safe play. His accuracy with the football helps safe plays stay safe.

There is a good chance the Texas offense runs better with Caldwell under center. Several negative plays by Manning have killed drives. Drives lead to scores and Texas’ offense isn’t scoring enough. But if Caldwell just keeps the chains moving, the entire offense could look better.

“He’s played well every time that we’ve put him in the game. What gives me confidence is who he’s been, so I feel very comfortable with Matt whenever he’s in the ballgame.” – Texas coach Steve Sarkisian

So, what happens if Caldwell plays better than Manning? What does Sark do when Manning is healthy again? History would suggest Sark will stick with Manning at all costs. Many fans begged for Sark to bench Quinn Ewers at QB last year in favor of Manning. But he never did that except for a couple series against Georgia last October.

We are not witnessing the dawn of the Matt Caldwell era on the 40 Acres. But we could see a good offensive performance against Vandy. It will be needed to beat the red-hot Commodores Saturday.