Who will start at quarterback for the Texas Longhorns when they open SEC play against Mississippi State Saturday? Not even head coach Steve Sarkisian knows.
In his weekly Zoom call, Sark said they will decide on Friday if it will be Arch Manning again or Quinn Ewers.
“We’re going to decide on the quarterback thing tomorrow,” Sarkisian said. “It won’t be a secret. We’re not trying to pull the wool over anybody’s eyes. Just want to give Quinn every opportunity to see if he’s ready to play and what he looks like.” — Steve Sarkisian on Thursday
Sark says he’s been encouraged by what he has seen all week, even from third-string true freshman QB Trey Owens.
“I’d say he’s improved every day,” Sarkisian said on Thursday. “I think Arch has had a very good week, and I would say this: Trey Owens probably had his best practice as a Longhorn today, so that was really encouraging as well.” — Steve Sarkisian on Thursday
Earlier in the week, Sarkisian said Ewers was still ‘questionable.’
“He’s got to do enough to show me he can play. Can he execute the game plan? I kind of need to see how he responds,” Steve Sarkisian on Monday
Quinn Ewers questionable again, Sark needs QB to 'show me he can play' https://t.co/leN9Ev7egX pic.twitter.com/hpoqK6IlNa
— Longhorns Wire (@LonghornsWire) September 24, 2024
The Bulldogs are dealing with QB issues of their own. Last week, Hail State lost its starting quarterback Blake Shapen for the season with a shoulder injury. True freshman Michael Van Buren Jr. has been named the starter for the Texas game. Sark says the lack of film on Van Buren makes it challenging for the Longhorns defense.
“It’s a small sample size. They’ve had a week now to prepare a game plan for the things that he does well, and that’s what we’re going to have to sort through and figure out. But knowing Jeff Lebby, a really good offensive mind, he’s going to put him in a good position to have some success. … Our job is to try to get him uncomfortable and we’ll see how effective we are.” — Steve Sarkisian on Thursday