Texas Longhorns Coach Steve Sarkisian Reveals Why Quinn Ewers Is Returning Against TCU

The Texas Longhorns were without starting quarterback Quinn Ewers for the past two games.

Late in their victory against Houston, Texas' star quarterback Quinn Ewers went down with an injury that sidelined him for the next couple of games.

His backup, Maalik Murphy, along with strong performances by the defense were able to lead Texas to victory in both games, but it was evident that Ewers was missed. While Murphy would make the occasional jaw-dropping throw down the field, he was also prone to forcing passes and at times just throwing it up for grabs. Both are signs of a young player trying to do too much, which at this point in Texas' season could derail them entirely.

It's not to say that Murphy doesn't have promise because he does, and a lot of it. But, the Longhorns are in the mix for the College Football Playoff, and have no room for error thanks to their loss to Oklahoma. With Ewers' status progressing to day-to-day prior to this weekend's game against TCU, head coach Steve Sarkisian revealed why he felt it was the right time for Ewers to return.

“I think it started, really, coming out of the Houston game. I thought his approach to the injury was very professional,” said Sarkisian. “He did the work needed from a rehab standpoint, he stayed very engaged with the team and with us offensively."

Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers / © Jay Janner, Austin American-Statesman

Sarkisian also credited Ewers for staying dialed in, even when he wasn't playing these past couple of games. 

“He was wearing the headset in-game on the sideline – hearing the play calls, hearing the adjustments,” Sarkisian said. “So, when he really came back to practice this week, when he was really practicing? It didn’t feel like there was a lot of rust, not only physically but mentally.”

The Texas head coach also expressed that the quarterback had no limitations throwing, which was a major factor.

“I thought he got stronger as the week went on of really throwing the ball. He went out the last two days and I didn’t feel like there was a throw he couldn’t make. He made all the throws in a very comfortable fashion,” said Sarkisian. “I thought he managed the game plan really well.”

The No. 7 Longhorns are favored by 12 points and have a 77% chance of winning according to ESPN.