Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers suffered what coach Steve Sarkisian deemed a “strained abdomen” in the second quarter of the Longhorns’ Week 3 matchup against UTSA. Ewers ran down the field awkwardly after completing a long pass to tight end Gunner Helm and went down on the turf after a handoff. Ewers spent about 15 minutes in the medical tent before leaving the field and walking to the tunnel with a towel over his head midway through the second quarter.
In his stead, backup quarterback Arch Manning went into the game and threw a 19-yard touchdown on his first play. On Texas’ next drive, Manning ran for a 67-yard touchdown.
Ewers completed 14-of-16 passes for 185 yards, two touchdowns an an interception in the first 18 minutes of action. Ewers returned to the Texas sideline during the second quarter in street clothes, sporting a black hoodie.
“He’s got a strained abdomen,” Sarkisian told ESPN at halftime.
No. 2 Texas has a manageable stretch for the next several weeks with Saturday’s game against UTSA, home contests vs. Louisiana-Monroe and Mississippi State and then a bye before playing Oklahoma on Oct. 12 and then Georgia. Ewers has missed games each of his first two seasons as a full-time starting quarterback.
Ewers is the Heisman frontrunner following Texas’ win at Michigan in Week 2.
Dating back to the 2022 season, Texas is 4-1 in games Ewers did not start because of injury (which does not include a heartbreaking home loss to Alabama in 2022 that saw Ewers exit the game in the first quarter). Ewers missed two games in 2023 with an AC joint sprain.
