Quarterback Quinn Ewers is expected to start for No. 3 Texas despite a high-ankle sprain when the Longhorns visit No. 20 Texas A&M on Saturday night in College Station, Texas.
The junior was listed as probable on the Southeastern Conference injury report on Friday. He sustained the injury during the first half of the Longhorns’ 31-14 victory over Kentucky last Saturday.
“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,” Ewers said after the game. “But it’s football and stuff like that happens.”
Ewers was hobbled and finished 20-of-31 passing for 191 yards with two touchdowns. Only 14 of those yards came in the second half, when Texas gained 132 on the ground.
He described the ankle as “just a little tender” after the game. By Monday, he told the Austin American-Statesman, “Nobody’s 100 percent, especially this late in the season. But that’s part of it. I feel good.”
Ewers has completed 189 of 278 passes for 2,089 yards and 23 touchdowns with six interceptions in nine games. He has missed time because of a strained oblique injury, and redshirt freshman Arch Manning has filled in, as he might be called to do on Saturday.
Manning is 61 of 90 for 939 yards, nine TDs and two interceptions in six games (two starts). He also has rushed 17 times for 81 yards and three touchdowns.
Texas (10-1, 6-1 SEC) has ruled out defensive back Derek Williams Jr. and running backs CJ Baxter, Christian Clark and Velton Gardner.
Texas A&M (8-3, 5-2) will be without wide receiver Cyrus Allen, defensive back Tyreek Chappell, running back Le’Veon Moss and offensive lineman Mark Nabou Jr.
–Field Level Media