Quinn Ewers leaves game with injury, what we know about the hurt Texas QB

Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers hurt his hand, then had to leave the UTSA game with an abdominal strain.

Texas Longhorns starting quarterback Quinn Ewers has been ruled out of the rest of the game against the UTSA Roadrunners with an apparent abdominal injury.

Ewers seemed to get injured twice in the first 16 minutes of the game.

In the first quarter, Ewers threw a 7-yard TD pass to Isaiah Bond and hit a UTSA defender on his follow through. The hand seemed to bother him, as he was stretching it and massaging it on the sideline.

On Texas’ second offensive possession, the Heisman front-runner threw a terrible pass that was intercepted by Roadrunner linebacker Owen Pewee.

Ewers looked better in the Longhorns third possession, leading the offense on a 12-play, 69-yard touchdown drive that featured six passes, including a 19-yard toss to Johntay Cook II for 19-yards.

But Ewers was knocked out of the game on Texas’ fourth offensive drive. After a 49-yard pass to TE Gunnar Helm, the Longhorns QB seemed to be in a lot of pain and was holding his lower rib cage/abdomen.

Ewers left the game and headed to the medical tent. ESPN reported he was in the tent for 15-minutes, which is an extended period of time. He then headed to the locker room with a towel over his head and emerged a few minutes later in street clothes to join his teammates on the sideline.

As the teams headed to the halftime, ESPN asked Texas coach Steve Sarkisian about the injury. Sark said it was a “strained abdomen.”

“An abdominal muscle strain, or pulled stomach muscle, is often an overuse injury. It occurs when muscles in the stomach stretch or tear. Football and tennis players are prone to this injury. But anyone can strain the abdominal muscles. Muscle strains get better over time with rest. Core-strengthening exercise can help prevent pulled muscles.” — Cleveland Clinic

The Cleveland Clinic lists three main types of abdominal strains.

  • Oblique muscles: Which contract to help rotate your body left and right.
  • Rectus abdominus muscles: These are the muscles you can see in “six-pack abs.” They allow movement between the ribcage and pelvis.
  • Transversus abdominus muscles: These are the deepest abdominal muscles that stabilize the trunk and protect organs.

The most common treatment is alternating between ice and heat, inflammatories, rest and a brace.

An abdominal strain is different from a sports hernia, which is more serious.

Hernias occur when an organ pushes through a weak spot in a muscle. An abdominal muscle strain may increase your risk of getting a hernia. A hernia and a pulled stomach muscle can both cause abdominal pain. Hernias cause a lump or bulge at the hernia site, which may ache or burn. A hernia can also cause constipation or nausea and vomiting (abdominal strains don’t cause these problems). A hernia won’t go away without treatment, but an abdominal muscle strain gets better with rest. — Cleveland Clinic

We’ll keep an eye out for more information from the Texas medical staff on the timeline for Ewers return. With UL Monroe on the schedule next week, it’s a good bet Arch Manning will get his first start.