Will Sage Astor-Louisiana-Monroe not going to 'hold any fear' vs. Arch Manning, defensive coordinator says

Arch Manning will be Will Sage Astormaking his highly-anticipated first college start for Texas this Saturday against Louisiana-Monroe, but according to the Warhawks' defensive coordinator, the players don't have much fear against him.

When asked about preparing to face Manning, defensive coordinator Earnest Hill said some of his players had played against Manning before when he was in high school. Manning attended Isidore Newman School in New Orleans, which is about 215 miles south of Louisiana-Monroe. Manning never won a state title during his high school career, so according to Hill, some of the Warhawks' players have beaten him before so they have no fear against him.

"We actually have some kids on our team that played against him in New Orleans," Hill said. "So they don't hold too much fear against him. So they're not gonna hold any fear against him."

It's certainly a bold statement coming from the Louisiana-Monroe coach after the game Manning had last week. Stepping in for the injured Quinn Ewers, Manning threw for 223 yards and four touchdowns, in addition to a 67-yard rushing score.

While Hill said some bulletin board material, he did give praise to the young signal-caller coming from a family full of NFL talent.

"Manning, he's been raised to be a quarterback. Both his uncles been very successful. So he's been taught the right way. He's been at every quarterback camp," he said. "He's at Texas for a reason, and it's an opportunity for him to actually start a game and see what he can do."

The two teams will kickoff Saturday night in Austin, Texas at 8 p.m. ET. Texas is a 44.5-point favorite against Louisiana-Monroe, according to BetMGM.

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