Tag: Quarterback Battle

Everything Hudson Card and Casey Thompson said after Wednesday’s practice

Quite the quarterback battle is brewing in Austin. Check out everything both Hudson Card and Casey Thompson said after Texas’ practice.

Quite the quarterback battle is brewing in Austin. With Steve Sarkisian going into his first season, the most important decision of his head coaching career is ahead of him. Choosing between Hudson Card and Casey Thompson.

Everyone knows the situation by now. Thompson has been in the program for three seasons, backing up Sam Ehlinger during that stretch. He performed well in the Alamo Bowl against Colorado, making everyone think he would be the presumed starter going into this season.

On the other hand, Card has come from behind a bit, making Sarkisian’s job difficult. Something the head coach says he wanted. The former four-star would be another local quarterback, coming out of Lake Travis High School. Some might argue Card is more of the stereotypical pocket passer quarterback and fits Sarkisian’s system better.

After Wednesday’s practice, both Card on Thompson had the opportunity to speak to the media. The competition against each other, how both are dealing with the pressure, and how Sarkisian is handling the competition

Check out everything both Hudson Card and Casey Thompson said after Texas’ practice on Wednesday on the next page.

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Longhorns Wire Roundtable: Who will win the QB battle at Texas?

Longhorns Wire staff members have provided their final predictions on who will ultimately become the starting QB for Texas.

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First-year head coach Steve Sarkisian has a tough decision to make in regards to who will become the starting quarterback for Texas. Continue reading “Longhorns Wire Roundtable: Who will win the QB battle at Texas?”

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Former Texas QB Sam Ehlinger earns first-team reps with the Colts

It’s happening. Keep an eye on the Colts QB battle over the next few weeks!

Well that escalated quickly.

Former Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger was widely viewed as a developmental quarterback at the professional level. In fact, many NFL draft analysts mentioned that his best case scenario would be to become a backup quarterback.

After the Indianapolis Colts selected Ehlinger in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL draft, the rookie was expected to compete with Jacob Eason to become Carson Wentz’s primary backup.

However, Wentz went down with a foot injury early in training camp and is expected to be sidelined through the first few weeks of the season. Ehlinger quickly stepped up and the team appeared to rally around him.

Several Indianapolis reporters have tabbed the former Longhorn as the more consistent quarterback throughout practices, and his impressive last week of performances has now earned him first team reps.

Eason is considered the favorite to land the starting role during Wentz’s absence, but the second-year player hasn’t thrown an NFL pass yet, much like Ehlinger. The Colts’ three preseason games will be telling for both Ehlinger and Eason’s future in Indianapolis.

It’s still certainly possible, and arguably likely, that the Colts could bring in another veteran quarterback to fill the void. However, it appears they’ll wait to see how the two young quarterbacks perform through a couple of preseason games.

It’s hard to root against a player like Ehlinger who consistently showcases his competitive nature, effort and resiliency.

Texas quarterback battle toughest of Steve Sarkisian’s career

Everything about Steve Sarkisian’s years could be defined by the current quarterback battle. He called it the toughest of his career.

The future of Texas football is in the hands of Steve Sarkisian. Not only with the bigger picture but in the short term as well. Everything about his years at Texas could be defined by the current quarterback battle.

Hudson Card and Casey Thompson have been battling for the starting spot ever since the end of the 2020 season. Thompson began with an advantage thanks to his outstanding Alamo Bowl performance against Colorado.

Fifteen spring practices were nowhere near enough to make the choice as the battle bleeds into fall camp. Something eventually has to give, with the deadline of Sept. 4 fast approaching.

Not only does Sarkisian know his pending decision is an important one, but tough as well. In fact, it’s one he described as the toughest quarterback decision of his career.

“Neither of them are making it easy,” said Sarkisian. “I wanted them to make it hard on us and they’re doing just that.”

You can see the full quote here:

Making the comparison to USC’s battle of Matt Cassel and Matt Leinart, Pete Carroll and his staff ended up going with the younger quarterback with a lot of upside. They went on to win two national championships with Leinart.

Of course, minus the two national championships, this would relate to Sarkisian eventually picking Card to be the starter. The difference could be though, Thompson would take advantage of the transfer portal instead of hanging around in Austin as Cassel did.

There was a subtle hint during the spring game possibly showing Texas’ hand as to why the Austin native will win the battle, but nothing outside of that.

Plenty of important decisions are ahead of Sarkisian over the next month. As usual, none will be more noteworthy than the quarterback.

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Steve Sarkisian addresses the quarterback situation at Big 12 Media Days

Steve Sarkisian provided some insight on the very anticipated quarterback battle between Casey Thompson and Hudson Card.

Since Steve Sarkisian took over as head coach, the biggest question that everyone wants to know the answer to is who will be the starting quarterback for the 2021 season.

After a decade of subpar quarterback play, the Longhorns stumbled on a gem in four-year starter Sam Ehlinger. The former Texas star was almost able to revive the program and return it to its former glory.

Ehlinger has since transitioned to the NFL, and Sarkisian is now tasked with choosing between Alamo Bowl star Casey Thompson or proclaimed golden arm Hudson Card.

At the Big 12 Media Days on Thursday, Sarkisian provided some insight on this hot topic surrounding the Texas football program.

The first-year head coach expressed that he has two fantastic players at the quarterback position, and he hopes that throughout training camp the two will eventually force him to make a very difficult decision in terms of selecting a starter.

Take a look at his comments below.

Sarkisian did not really favor one quarterback over the other in answering the question, which we should all expect. However, it was interesting is that the question asked to elicit these responses was solely about Casey Thompson.

That was likely Sarkisian attempting to show that both quarterbacks are at an equal level, but he did feel the need to address the quarterback competition in a question about Thompson’s development. Sarkisian continues to make subtle hints about Card’s very realistic opportunity to win the job.

He did mention that he will make a decision during training camp, which is the most we have gotten on the situation. Regardless, Sarkisian reiterated that neither quarterback was ahead of the other and they’re in good hands at that position.

“It is a little bit of a luxury for me to have two quality quarterbacks like this,” Sarkisian said.

WATCH: The best throws from Casey Thompson, Hudson Card in the spring game

While there were certainly rough moments for each quarterback, take a look at some of their best throws in the Orange-White game.

Texas quarterbacks Casey Thompson and Hudson Card each had their ups and downs throughout the annual Orange-White spring game on Saturday. Continue reading “WATCH: The best throws from Casey Thompson, Hudson Card in the spring game”

Is Texas QB Hudson Card a better fit for Steve Sarkisian’s offense?

The highly publicized quarterback battle at Texas between Casey Thompson and Hudson Card is nowhere near finished.

The highly publicized quarterback battle at Texas between Casey Thompson and Hudson Card is nowhere near finished. Continue reading “Is Texas QB Hudson Card a better fit for Steve Sarkisian’s offense?”

Former Wisconsin and current Notre Dame QB Jack Coan is locked in a quarterback battle in South Bend

Jack Coan’s Wisconsin career neither started nor finished how anybody hoped it would. First, he took over for an injured Alex Hornibrook

Jack Coan’s Wisconsin career neither started nor finished how anybody hoped it would.

First, he took over for an injured Alex Hornibrook during the 2018 season, losing to the Northwestern Wildcats in his first full game as a starter.

Then 2019 happened. Coan started the full year for the Badgers and led them to a 10-4 (7-3 Big Ten) record and Rose Bowl appearance. Even though the Coan-led Badgers battled and lost to Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship and narrowly lost to Oregon in the Rose Bowl, his play during the year forecasted a productive final season in 2020.

But Coan broke his foot before the season began, continuing to rehab all year while the Badgers played to a 4-3 (3-3 Big Ten) record.

The promise was there for Coan as a Wisconsin Badger. But in an understandable move, the senior transferred to Notre Dame to play his final year of eligibility.

The Fighting Irish, now, are fresh off a College Football Playoff appearance and one of their best seasons in recent memory. With QB Ian Book gone from that 2020 team, early indications saw Coan taking over the starting job for the 2021 season.

However, Notre Dame’s spring practice is not seeing that as a foregone conclusion. Instead, Coan is locked in a quarterback battle with sophomore Drew Pyne.

The Associated Press article quotes Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly talking about the spring position battle.

“What do we want from Drew Pyne?” Kelly said. “We want him to be the starter. We’re not handing this job to Jack Coan. Drew is built for this. He’s always been told that he’s not good enough, can’t be the starter or can’t win. It just motivates him even more.”

This is a story to watch for Badger fans with Wisconsin and Notre Dame set to square off at Soldier Field in September.

First, because the winner of the battle will start against Paul Chryst’s team.

But second, because Coan led the Badgers to a largely successful season just two years ago. Seeing him line up behind the opposing team’s center is still a weird scene to imagine.

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion and analysis.

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Steve Sarkisian, Casey Thompson among ESPN’s most compelling storylines

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach listed Steve Sarkisian’s debut and the quarterback battle at Texas as two of the most compelling storylines to watch.

There will be several new faces among college football’s powerhouse programs this season. Continue reading “Steve Sarkisian, Casey Thompson among ESPN’s most compelling storylines”

Could the Texas Longhorns go portal shopping for a quarterback?

The battle of 2021 at the quarterback position could be fast approaching. Could the Texas Longhorns look to add to it with a transfer?

Heading into the 2021 season, the Texas Longhorns and Tom Herman look like they may need to check the transfer portal for a quarterback. Continue reading “Could the Texas Longhorns go portal shopping for a quarterback?”