This came as the most surprising revelation, to me at least. When Sarkisian first explained that both quarterbacks will be used in the game, I genuinely figured Casey Thompson would get a few meaningless snaps towards the end of the game.
I was wrong.
Sarkisian pulled Card out of the game towards the end of the third quarter and put Thompson in who finished out the game. I, like my fellow Longhorns Wire writer Griffin McVeigh, found this to be a puzzling move. Louisiana only trailed by a couple scores, and it seemed as if Card was finding a fantastic rhythm and gaining confidence which is a huge win for a young inexperienced quarterback. Nonetheless, Sarkisian opted to bring in Thompson, who also did well in his limited time leading Texas to a field goal and a touchdown.
This is certainly something to look out for in the coming weeks to determine if Sarkisian was just feeling confident enough that the game was out of reach, or if Thompson will have a consistent role to help ensure he is always ready should the time come for him to relieve Card. Many have speculated that this move was to prevent Thompson from transferring, but you can’t coach to save feelings, you coach to win games. It seems as if for the current moment, Sarkisian will find situations in games to play Thompson.