Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian said Monday that junior quarterback Quinn Ewers [abdominal strain] is trending toward a return against Oklahoma on Saturday in the Red River Rivalry game at the Cotton Bowl.
“If we had to play today, sure [Ewers would start],†Sarkisian said Monday during his weekly media availability. “But again, that’s why it’s important that we monitor him kind of daily. I want to see how he responds to extended work and what that looks like to make sure he’s as healthy as he can be to perform.â€
Ewers, a Southlake Carroll alum, hasn’t played since Sep. 14 vs. UTSA and has missed Texas’ last two games against Louisiana-Monroe and Mississippi State with an abdominal strain. Freshman Arch Manning replaced Ewers vs. the Roadrunners and led the top-ranked Longhorns to three consecutive wins.
Ewers worked at three practices last week, according to Sarkisian, and practiced again Monday after Texas’ bye week.
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“I thought he looked good coming off the bye,†Sarkisian said. “I think if anybody benefitted from the time off, it was probably him. We’re going to monitor him daily, just to see how he continues to progress, but I feel good about it.â€
Ewers passed for 691 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions in two and a half games this season before he exited Texas’ 56-7 win vs. UTSA in the second quarter with what was then classified as a strained abdomen. He led Texas to a 49-0 win against the Sooners in his first season as the Longhorns’ starter in 2022 and passed for 346 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in last year’s 34-30 loss at the Cotton Bowl.
Sarkisian said that he has “no hesitation†to play Manning, if necessary. Manning, a five-star recruit and the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning, totaled five touchdowns in relief of Ewers vs. UTSA, has thrown multiple touchdowns in each of his two starts and passed for a career-best 325 yards in the Longhorns’ 35-13 win against Mississippi State on Sep. 28.
“I think he’s proven [he can play] to us over the two and a half games of football that he’s really played in and competed in,†Sarkisian said. “He can run our offense, he can be successful ... we’re fortunate to be in the position that we’re in, to have two quality players at the quarterback position that we have confidence in and that their teammates have confidence in.â€
