Former NFL MVP and Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton came to the defense of Arch Manning amid criticism over his decision to spend two years as the backup to Quinn Ewers at Texas, saying that developing as a backup was a wise approach by Arch and his family.

Michael Shapiro is a sports reporter for Chron, covering the Astros, Rockets, Texans and every team in town. Michael is a Denver native and graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, and a noted fan of pull-up threes, wide-receiver passes and a good hot fudge sundae.

In 2016, Allen’s most statistically successful season as a college quarterback, he threw 19 touchdowns on passes targeted 20 or more yards down the field, according to Pro Football Focus data. He averaged 13.5 yards per attempt and threw a touchdown every 5.3 attempts.