Sark Announces Casey Thompson As Longhorns Starting QB vs. Rice

Steve Sarkisian has announced a new starting quarterback for the Longhorns

Matt Galatzan | Sep 13, 2021

AUSTIN - The Texas Longhorns will have a new man under center for Saturday's matchup against the Rice Owls, Steve Sarkisian announced on Monday.

Casey Thompson, who came in in relief of freshman Hudson Card late in the third quarter of the Longhorns 40-21 loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday, has gotten the nod in place of Card.

"I think it will be good for Hudson to take a little bit of a deep breath after last week's game," Sarkisian told the media.

In place of Card, Thompson led the Longhorns down the field for two scores, completing 5 of 8 passes for 57 yards, and rushing seven times for 44 yards and two scores.

Conversely, Card completed just 8 of 15 passes for 61 yards and had a key fumble in the second half that led to yet another Arkansas score.

"Casey maximized his opportunity," running back Bijan Robinson said after the game. "I feel that he came in, stayed calm, understand the situation that he kind of had to bring us out of. He just knew what we had to do to get as much as he can to execute."

Following his announcement, however, Sarkisian was very clear to point out that the quarterback competition will continue following Saturday's matchup with Rice and into Big 12 play.

Like Thompson against Louisiana, Card will get also a chance to play vs. the Owls.

Said Sarkisian, "I think the team believes in both of them."

Published Sep 13, 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.