No quarterback switch for Texas heading into the bye week.
When Hudson Card struggled against Arkansas, Steve Sarkisian decided it was time to make a move at quarterback after just two games. Texas only found the end zone one time in Fayetteville with No. 1 under center with the 8/15 for 61 passing stat line being a big reason.
Five games later and Casey Thompson finds himself coming off a poor performance. Oklahoma State’s defense dominated in the second half, forcing four three and outs, a turnover on downs, and an interception to complete their comeback. Thompson’s second-quarter pick-six hurt as well, swinging the momentum of the entire game.
Sarkisian will not be making a similar move going into the bye week, saying Thompson will remain the starter during his press conference on Monday. According to the head coach, Thompson has “earned that opportunity to work his way out of this.”
“I think Casey has earned a little bit more of that right to work through some of those struggles,” Sarkisian said. “The week before he throws five touchdowns against Oklahoma, he had a six-touchdown game against Texas Tech, so he’s played and shown really good football to us.”
Thompson has been putting up solid numbers during his five starts despite the 3-2 record. 65% of his throws are going for completions, while his 6.3 yards per attempt is top of the Big 12.
But losing can rile parts of the fan base up. Especially back-to-back games when significant leads were blown due to offensive inefficiency. Sarkisian countered by saying quarterbacks can catch the shorter end of the stick when results are not favorable.
“When you win, sometimes you get a little bit more credit than maybe you deserve and when you lose, maybe you get a little bit more of the blame than maybe you deserve.”
Something that could force Sarkisian’s hand could be an injury to Thompson’s thumb. Being on his throwing hand, the quarterback looked to be in serious discomfort at times. The training staff was tending to it all afternoon.
Making sure Card is ready for the moment if called upon is something Sarkisian says is still happening. Of course, there is nothing the head coach is known for more than developing quarterbacks.
“Now, we’re still developing Hudson and if that time comes, where we need to make a change, we’ll be prepared to do so.”
However, before finishing up his full thought, he made sure it was known Thompson is still the guy and thinks he will rebound.
“We have all the confidence in the world in Casey to do that,” Sarkisian said.
Texas has a bye week before heading to Waco to face off against a what should be ranked Baylor team. Barring injury, there will be no switch at quarterback within the next two weeks.
Sarkisian made the decision to switch to Thompson after Arkansas and will stick to his guns.
