The Texas Longhorns had a big scare during their win over the Kentucky Wildcats. Not neccesarily in the scoreboard, but on the field as quarterback Quinn Ewers was visibly hurt and the discomfort hindered his performance. The Longhorns are now gearing up for a must-win matchup with the in-state rivals Texas A&M Aggies. Ahead of the pivotal game, head coach Steve Sarkisian revealed the QB1’s status.
Ewers seemed to be mindful of his ankle after a hip drop tackle during the 31-14 victory over Kentucky. Many fans called for him to be replaced by Arch Manning, as the game looked to be sealed, and to avoid further injury. However, Sarkisian thought otherwise and Ewers stayed throughout the 60 minutes.
Texas appears to be a strong contender for a College Football Playoff spot. However, the team is also after the SEC title and their ticket to the final game is not secure, yet. On November 30, Texas will visit Texas A&M in College Station in a matchup has effectively become a semifinal for the SEC Championship Game.
The winner will face the Georgia Bulldogs on December 7 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Whichever Texas-based school wins next weekend will take on Georgia on a field that feels like the Dawgs’ second home. Ahead of the crucial matchup with Texas A&M, Sarkisian provided an update on Ewers’ status as the Longhorns return to practice on Monday afternoon.
Quinn Ewers #3 of the Texas Longhorns throws a pass in the first half against the Florida Gators at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on November 09, 2024 in Austin, Texas.
“I think he’s doing okay,” Sarkisian said, via On3. “Our schedule is a little bit different. We’re normally a morning practice team, but with this being Thanksgiving week and no school, we’re not practicing until this afternoon. I’ll have a better understanding when I get to see him really on the field, but he’s planning on practicing today. We’ll see how that goes.”
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Longhorns News: QB Quinn Ewers opens up about his injury in the Kentucky game
Could Arch Manning take Ewers’ place under center?
The Longhorns look to close out the NCAA regular season with a statement win that’d send them into the Championship game and confirm their place in the Playoffs.
Given this matchup’s high-stakes, it seems very unlikely Manning could take over Ewers’ spot. Especially considering the starting quarterback was not subbed-off during the win over Kentucky, which posed a much inferior threat than 8-3 (5-2 SEC) Texas A&M.
However, it still cannot be taken for certain. Perhaps Ewers’ ankle worsened over the weekend, though it’s not looking good for those fans desperate to watch Manning calling the shots.
Ewers addresses his injury
After the victory over Kentucky, Ewers delivered a message on his injury during the game.
“It’s just a little tender,” Ewers said. “I was around the 50-yard-line and I stepped up and kind of took off running a little bit and then kind of got hip-drop tackled and I think he kind of just rolled up on it a little bit. But it’s football and stuff like that happens.”
