The Texas Longhorns returned from the bye this past weekend, looking to win out to earn a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game. But when facing off against the Houston Cougars, starting quarterback Quinn Ewers left the game in the second half after lowering his shoulder when colliding with Houston defensive lineman David Ugwoegbu on a scramble. Ewers entered the locker room and emerged wearing a sling on his right arm.
After the game, head coach Steve Sarkisian said that they would have an update on Ewers on Sunday.
Well, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported on Sunday that an MRI revealed Ewers is dealing with a grade 2 AC joint sprain in his right shoulder. Ewers is expected to miss time, but it's not expected to be season-ending. Per Thamel, there should be a clearer timetable for a return later in the week.
Quinn Ewers expected to miss time due to a AC joint sprain
So, a bit of good news and bad news. It's not a season-ending injury, but it will keep him out for an indefinite amount of time.
This is the second consecutive year that Ewers is expected to miss games due to an injury. Last year, he suffered a sprained clavicle in a game against Alabama, forcing him to be sidelined for the next three games.
With Ewers out, Maalik Murphy is expected to be the next quarterback up. Murphy, a former four-star recruit in the 2022 class by 247Sports, entered in relief of Ewers against Houston, where he completed one pass for seven yards on two attempts.
Here is what the schedule looks like for Texas for the remainder of the season:
- Week 9: vs. BYU
- Week 10: vs. Kansas State
- Week 11: at TCU
- Week 12: at Iowa State
- Week 13: vs. Texas Tech
Through seven games this season, Ewers threw for 1,915 yards, 13 touchdowns, and three interceptions while completing 70.9 percent of his passes while running for 53 yards and five touchdowns on 39 carries.
Texas will have to navigate the next week without Ewers. We should get a better idea of how many games the quarterback will sit out in the coming days.