Both Texas QBs "Slinging the Rock" Early In Fall Camp

The Texas quarterback competition is potentially the most watched positional battle in the entire country

Matt Galatzan | Aug 7, 2021

The Texas Longhorns entered fall camp without a solid commitment to a starting quarterback for the first time since Sam Ehlinger battled Shane Buechele in 2017.

Now four years later, Texas enters a similar situation, hoping to find the program's new leader before they officially kick off the season on September 5.

With new head coach Steve Sarkisian's system so heavily dependent on the play at quarterback, the current battle between Hudson Card and Casey Thompson will be one of the most-watched positional competition's in the country.

According to one of the Horns' top pass catchers, however, neither quarterback has given any room to the other pull away in that competition just yet.

"Both of them are slinging the rock," wideout Joshua Moore said of the QB battle. "They make us look good. It's not that we make them look good. If you come to practice you'll see. They're putting it right where it needs to be."

Both quarterbacks bring different skillsets to the table.

Card is more of a dual-threat quarterback with a bigger arm and more polished mechanics. Thompson brings the experience, is the better decision-maker, and is the more accurate passer of the two.

According to Moore though, neither quarterback has lacked in the accuracy or consistency department thus far either.

"It’s a strong battle right now," Moore said. "Whoever ends up winning the battle, they deserve it. Whoever the quarterback is, I’m fine with it. And I speak for all the receivers."

One good thing for Card and Thompson is that the system they will be playing in is built to maximize its quarterback's strengths.

We saw it in 20202 in Alabama with Mack Jones. We also saw it with Cody Kessler at USC and Jake Locker at Washington.

However, that system also maximizes the talents of the top pass catchers on the field.

And for a wideout like Moore, who has seen what Sarkisian did with Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle, and the up-and-coming John Metchie, that is a very exciting proposition.

"What makes it so unique, every receiver that runs a route, no matter what defense they play, somebody will be open," Moore said.

Texas has 29 days to pick its starter before the kick-off the season against Lousiana on September 5.

Want to join in on the discussion? Click here to become a member of the Longhorns Country message board community today!

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Longhorns? Click Here

Follow Longhorns Country on Twitter and Facebook.

Published Aug 7, 2021

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.