Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers suffered a shoulder injury in Saturday’s victory over Houston. Now, the Longhorns’ offense will reportedly be without its starting quarterback for a significant stretch of time.
Ewers was playing extremely well early in Week 8 against Houston. He completed 23-of-29 passes, compiling 211 passing yards with two touchdowns. However, with Texas leading 24-21, Ewers collided with Houston’s David Ugwoegbu on a scramble, with the collision injuring both players.
- Quinn Ewers stats: 1,915 passing yards, 13-3 TD-INT, 77.9 ESPN QBR, 70.9% completion
Related: Week 9 college football rankings
Texas escaped Houston with the win, improving to 6-1 on the season and maintaining its spot in the College Football Playoff picture. However, the Longhorns will reportedly now be without their star quarterback for several games.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that Ewers was diagnosed with a Grade 2 AC joint sprain in his throwing shoulder. It’s less severe than the injury Indianapolis Colts starting quarterback Anthony Richardson suffered, which required season-ending surgery.
Fortunately for Texas, Ewers’ absence won’t be as long. While the Longhorns don’t have a definitive timeline for Ewers to return, the program does not believe its a season-ending injury. Texas is expected to have more clarity on the length of Ewers’ absence later this week.
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Who will replace Quinn Ewers?
Once Ewers was removed from Saturday’s game, backup quarterback Maalik Murphy took over. However, the 6-foot-5 passer only attempted two passes as the Longhorns’ offense put the game on its running backs to seal the 31-24 victory.
Murphy, an On3 Sports four-star recruit, was one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2022 recruiting class. He chose Texas despite offers from programs like the Alabama Crimson Tide, Georgia Bulldogs, LSU Tigers, Florida Gators, Michigan Wolverines and Ohio State Buckeyes.
ESPN’s Matt Miller shared on Sunday night that the Longhorns’ coaching staff and locker room are both extremely high on Murphy. While freshman quarterback Arch Manning is expected to receive more reps in practice, the five-star prospect seemingly isn’t a threat to turn this into a quarterback competition right now.
Because Manning hasn’t played his first collegiate snap, it remains possible that Texas redshirts him this season. He could only play in four games before exhausting his freshman status, anything less than that and he will still have that eligibility in 2024. With Murphy sidelined, the Longhorns’ offense will shift to a more run-heavy style moving forward. Facing BYU in Week 9, the Cougars allowed over 150 rushing yards per game.