Marshall Manning got his first extended action at quarterback Friday night and made it count. Peyton Manning's son entered Baylor's 45-17 win over Montgomery Bell Academy Big Red after the game had already tilted hard in Baylor's favor, then kept the ball moving with a string of short completions and one handoff.
The timing matters because this was not a late cameo in a tight game. Baylor was ahead 45-10 when Manning entered with a running clock after Montgomery Bell Academy had finally scored its first touchdown, and the opportunity came only after the result was all but settled.
Still, the snap-to-snap work offered a cleaner look at what Baylor has in him. On his first play from the Baylor 20-yard line, he hit Bernardo Diaz on a short pass that became a 10-yard gain and a first down. He then escaped pressure to his right and found Jayden Cauvier for 17 yards to the Red Raiders' 47-yard line. He followed with a 3-yard handoff, then connected with Cauvier again for 9 yards and another first down.
That kept a small but telling pattern alive. Dating back to his debut on Aug. 20 in Baylor's 38-20 win over Brentwood Academy, Manning's first four passes as a high school quarterback have all been completions that turned into first downs. His first play that night was a 6-yard pass, and Friday's extended series showed the same basic traits again: quick decisions, short throws and enough control to move the chains without forcing anything downfield.
The unanswered question is how soon he will get a chance to do that in a game that is still in the balance. Friday's run came after Baylor had already put Montgomery Bell Academy away, so it was useful tape but not the kind that settles much about how Manning will handle a live defense when the pressure rises.
