Texas Longhorns QB Quinn Ewers Returns From Injury, Will Start vs. TCU Horned Frogs

Texas Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian gave an update on the status of his starting quarterback Quinn Ewers on Monday

Matt Galatzan | Nov 9, 2023

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Texas Longhorns

AUSTIN, TX -- Texas Longhorns fans got some great news on Thursday, with head coach Steve Sarkisian announcing the return of quarterback Quinn Ewers ahead of the team's matchup with the TCU Horned Frogs in Fort Worth.

"Quinn's going to start Saturday night," Sarkisian said. "Not limited at all. He looked great this week."

Ewers has missed the last two games for the Longhorns with a shoulder injury on his throwing arm, which was originally reported to be a grade two AC sprain - an injury that typically takes six to eight weeks to heal.

However, Ewers has seemingly made a remarkable recovery, and will now take the field for the Horns after missing just two weeks.

“When he came back to practice this week he didn’t show a lot of rust - physically or mentally," Sarkisian said. "There wasn’t a throw he couldn’t make.”

The injury occurred during the third quarter of the Longhorns' 31-24 win over the Houston Cougars on October 21, and though Ewers tried to play through the pain, he was ultimately replaced by Maalik Murphy.

Texas Longhorns QB Quinn Ewers will return vs. the TCU Horned Frogs on Saturday / © Scott Wachter, USA TODAY

In Ewers' place, Murphy has started the last two games for Texas and has been up and down.

During his first start vs. BYU on October 28, Murphy showed glimpses of something special, completing 16 of 25 passes for 170 yards and two scores with one interception.

After getting off to a hot start against Kansas State, it looked like it was going to be much of the same. However, Murphy would ultimately struggle vs. the Wildcats, completing 19 of 37 passes for 248 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions.

Nevertheless, Murphy was able to guide the Longhorns to a 2-0 record in the absence of Ewers, which is all that can be expected out of the redshirt freshman.

With Ewers now back in the fold, and assuming he stays healthy, however, the Longhorns Big 12 title and College Football Playoff chances will take a major leap forward.

"I know he's put in a lot of work to get back," Sarkisian said. "I know his teammates are excited to have him back."

Published Nov 9, 2023

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Mustangs with 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.