Texas QB Quinn Ewers 'expected' to start vs. OU

Per Horns247's Chip Brown, redshirt junior quarterback Quinn Ewers is "expected" to return from the abdominal injury on Oct. 12 to get the start for No. 2 Texas football on Oct. 12 in the Red River Rivalry game against the No. 19 Oklahoma Sooners.

Texas football expecting QB Quinn Ewers back vs. OU after Arch Manning's two starts

Ewers missed the last two starts for the Longhorns after suffering an abdominal injury early in the second quarter in Week 3 against the UTSA Roadrunners.

Head coach Steve Sarkisian said in his press conference on Sep. 30 that Ewers is "making steady progress", while recovering from the abdominal strain injury in practice in the past couple of weeks.

"It's been steady progress. I think he's getting stronger and more comfortable and more confident, and so we'll just kind of stay the course with that."

- Steve Sarkisian on Quinn Ewers

ESPN's Pete Thamel said last week before Texas's SEC opener at DKR against the Mississippi State Bulldogs that Ewers was at "70 percent" entering the weekend after being limited in practice during the week leading up to the game.

Despite missing the past two starts, Ewers has remained fully engaged and active with Texas in the locker room, film room, and on the sideline during the games for the last couple of weekends.

"Friday night before the game, we go through the call sheet with the quarterbacks, and he's talking through different things. On Saturday, he's wearing the earpiece. So we keep him engaged on that front."

- Steve Sarkisian on Quinn Ewers

With Ewers out for the last two and a half games, redshirt freshman Arch Manning started the last two weeks for the Longhorns at quarterback. Manning led Texas to an undefeated 2-0 record in his two starts, including for the Longhorns' first-ever SEC win last weekend over Mississippi State by a score of 35-13.

Manning was tremendous in Texas's win over Mississippi State in the SEC opener on Sep. 28, completing 26-of-31 pass attempts for over 300 passing yards, three total touchdowns, and no turnovers.

In Manning's two and a half games he's played since Ewers suffered the abdominal injury against UTSA in Week 3, he's totaled nearly 900 yards, 10 total touchdowns, and two interceptions. He also helped Texas lock up the dominant 56-7 win over UTSA on Sep. 14 at home, with over 200 passing yards and five touchdowns.

Before Ewers suffered the injury in mid-September, he led Texas to a 2-0 start in the season's first two weeks. He was excellent leading the Longhorns' offense in the convincing 31-12 victory on the road at the Big House in Ann Arbor in Week 2 over the defending National Champion Michigan Wolverines.

In his three games played, Ewers has completed over 73 percent of his pass attempts for 691 passing yards, eight passing touchdowns, and two interceptions. Before he left the game early in the second quarter due to an injury, Ewers completed 14-of-16 pass attempts for 185 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, and one interception.

Ewers and the Longhorns get the bye week after the 22-point win over Mississippi State last weekend to rest up and get healthy before Red River in mid-October.

Texas (5-0, 1-0 SEC) and Oklahoma (4-1, 1-1 SEC) meet in the Red River Rivalry game at the Cotton Bowl at the Texas State Fairgrounds in Dallas on Oct. 12, at 2:30 p.m. CT.

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