Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers will be in uniform for the No. 22 Longhorns this week as they travel to face Texas Tech in the Big 12 opener for both teams, coach Steve Sarkisian said Thursday. Ewers' return to uniform comes two weeks after suffered an SC joint sprain in a loss against No. 2 Alabama, but Sarkisian did not reveal whether the redshirt freshman will be ready to start against the Red Raiders.
Backups Hudson Card and Maalik Murphy also practiced this week, giving the Longhorns a full quarterback room for the first time in weeks after dealing with health issues at the position early in the season.
Ewers went down for an extended period of time after a late tackle by Crimson Tide linebacker Dallas Turner. Early reports had Ewers out potentially as much as six weeks; however, the prognosis has steadily improved since the injury. The Statesman reported that Ewers, who was on the field during warm-ups Saturday prior to the Longhorns' game with UTSA, will be back "far sooner than people expect."
If Ewers can play this week, it will be a huge benefit for the Longhorns. The Southlake (Texas) Carroll product had an unbelievable first quarter against Alabama, completing 9 of 12 passes for 134 yards passing before the injury. If not for a brutal 35-yard drop by receiver Xavier Worthy in the end zone, his numbers would have been even more impressive.
Card was inconsistent for the Longhorns in the 41-20 win over UTSA. He completed 15 of 23 passes for 161 yards and a touchdown, but struggled to boast the kind of explosive playmaking that Ewers flashed in his first two starts.
Texas opens Big 12 play against Texas Tech at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, the first trip to Lubbock for Sarkisian. Ironically, Texas Tech reportedly made a strong pitch to Ewers during his transfer recruiting process that included feedback from NFL star Patrick Mahomes, but the former No. 1 recruit ultimately opted to join the flagship program in Austin instead.
