Texas vs Oklahoma: Quinn Ewers will start Red River Rivalry, says coach Steve Sarkisian
Quinn Ewers will start against Oklahoma on Saturday, Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian confirmed during his weekly Zoom call with reporters Thursday.
Ewers, a Heisman Trophy candidate and a three-year starter for the Longhorns (5-0, 1-0 SEC), has missed the past two-and-a-half games with an abdominal strain. Redshirt freshman Arch Manning replaced Ewers in a Week 3 win over UTSA and led Texas to wins over Louisiana-Monroe and Mississippi State.
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Sarkisian said Ewers returned to practice last week, and Ewers was listed as probable on Wednesday’s availability report released by Texas.
Prior to his injury, Ewers had started the season on a roll while leaping to the top of the various Heisman Trophy watch lists. He threw for 691 yards and eight touchdowns with two interceptions on 58-of-79 passing before his injury in the second quarter against UTSA, which translates to a beefy collegiate QB rating of 175.25.
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Manning did just as well in relief while throwing for 901 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions on 55-of-78 passing with a rating of 200.49. Sarkisian quickly quelled any talk of a quarterback controversy after Manning’s impressive showing by emphasizing that Ewers remains the starter once fully fit.
Ewers has reached that status just in time for the 120th edition of the Red River Rivalry. In two career starts against No. 16 Oklahoma, Ewers has thrown for a total of 635 yards and five touchdowns with three interceptions on 52-of-68 passing. He led Texas to a 49-0 win over the Sooners in 2022, and Oklahoma won last year’s game 34-30.
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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Quinn Ewers to start for Texas football vs Oklahoma
