Texas starting quarterback Quinn Ewers suffered a Grade 2 AC joint sprain in his throwing shoulder during the Longhorns’ 31-24 win over Houston. ESPN Reports. Ewers’ injury does not appear to be season-ending, although he is expected to be out for some time.
Ewers was hit directly in the shoulder by Houston defensive lineman David Ugwoegbu and immediately went to the injured tent. He was later taken to the locker room for further examination. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian noted after the game that Ewers, who had 211 passing yards and two touchdowns before leaving, was trying to play through the injury.
Ewers is in his second season as Texas’ starting quarterback. In seven games, the Ohio State transfer and 247Sports’ No. 1 overall prospect in the 2022 class completed 151 passes for 1,915 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also scored five rushing touchdowns and caught at least two pass scores in four games. With Ewers at the helm, Texas boasts the Big 12’s fourth-best passing offense with 289 yards per game.
Ewers finished five of the six complete games with more than 250 yards passing. His best performance of the year came against Alabama, when he completed 24 of his 38 pass attempts for 349 yards and three touchdowns, leading the Longhorns to a huge 34-24 victory.
Where Texas turns next
Backup Maalik Murphy came into the game as quarterback, Ewers was missing. He was able to help Texas hold on by scoring late in the fourth quarter to secure a victory for the Longhorns and avoid a major upset. Murphy, a redshirt freshman, has completed four passes in four appearances this year.
The 6-foot-1, 220-pound signal-caller turned heads in the offseason with his strong arm and outstanding athleticism. Murphy, a former four-star prospect, signed with the Longhorns out of Gardena, California in 2022. He was the No. 9 quarterback in his class according to 247Sports.
Texas also famously has five-star freshman Arch Manning on the roster. Some fans will certainly want to see what he can do if Ewers is out. However, Murphy is the clear No. 2 prospect in Texas and Manning has not yet taken an official snap at the college level. It’s highly unlikely that the Texas staff would cut him this late in the season unless there was an emergency.
Lean into the running game
Murphy brings a new dimension to the offense with his running ability that the Texas coaching staff could take advantage of with some creative touches in the playbook. The Longhorns also have an extremely talented roster of running backs to help carry some of the load and give Murphy an outlet.
Sophomore Jonathon Brooks ranks third in the Big 12 in rushing with 825 rushing yards. His six touchdowns on the ground rank second in the conference. Five-star freshman CJ Baxter — the No. 1 running back in the 2023 class — could see a bigger share of carries.
Baxter has already played a lot this year, rushing for 217 yards and two touchdowns. But after a season-high 15 rushing attempts against Kansas, he has only 13 touches in Texas’ last two games. Getting him more involved will take some of the pressure off Brooks and give Texas a chance to relieve Murphy.