The Texas Longhorn faithful are all breathing a sigh of relief today. Quinn Ewers, quarterback, and Heisman favorite, left their game on Saturday against UTSA with what seemed a serious injury. Ewers lay on the ground appearing to be in a lot of pain after a handoff in the second quarter of Texas’ blowout win. According to the AP, Ewers felt something was off during the throw on the previous play. The injury was diagnosed as an abdominal strain.
Ewers’ Injury Doesn’t Appear Serious
One Game At A Time
Coach Steve Sarkisian updated the media on Monday saying Ewers is classified as “questionable” for next Saturday’s game against Louisiana-Monroe. That is Texas’ last non-conference game of the season. This news came after the Longhorns moved up to the top spot on the AP College Football Power rankings this week.
There’s a good possibility Ewers will miss the game this week against Louisiana-Monroe, obviously not a tough test for Texas. But their schedule gets a lot harder after that if Ewers is to miss multiple weeks. Week five the Longhorns face Mississippi St at home, another very winnable game. The next week the Longhorns head to Dallas to face the 15th-ranked Sooners in their second-hardest game of the year, the Red River Rivalry. The following week is potentially the game of the year against the second-ranked Georgia Bulldogs.
Ewers or Manning?
Sarkisian will have some big decisions to make in the coming weeks. Does he play Ewers as soon as he’s healthy enough or wait until he’s completely back to 100%? He has some more leeway given that he is arguably the country’s best backup quarterback. Arch Manning, son of Cooper and nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning, filled in admirably on Saturday, throwing for 233 yards and four touchdowns. But even for 247sports’ 2023 top overall recruit, playing UTSA is much different than playing the best competition in the SEC and the country. The redshirt freshman only appeared in two games last season and attempted a total of five throws.
Manning will be the Longhorns’ starting quarterback next year and most feel that he’s ready and beyond capable now. The oddsmakers clearly do to such a degree that he actually appeared twelfth on FanDuel’s Heisman odds this week at +2800. Since the injury, Ewers’ odds have dropped to +2000, moving him from first to the eighth best odds to win, only four spots above Manning.
There’s A Chance
Texas has a legitimate shot to win a National Championship this year, which they haven’t won since 2005. Ewers’s health is a key component of his talent and his experience playing in the College Football Playoff last year. His availability will be something Texas will need to monitor for the rest of the year.
