Steve Sarkisian: Hudson Card will get his opportunity at Texas

First-year Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian decided weeks ago that after Casey Thompson took over as the starter, he still wasn’t going to sit quarterback Hudson Card, rendering him unable to preserve a potential redshirt season.

Card, who started Texas’ first two games of the season, led Texas to a win over Louisiana-Lafayette but struggled against Arkansas, completing eight of 16 passing attempts for 61 yards and no touchdowns. Card was sacked three times in that game, too, prompting Sarkisian to give Thompson, a redshirt junior, the green light. Since then, Card has played a handful of snaps, at most, on Sept. 18 against Rice and on Sept. 25 against Texas Tech, and he hasn’t started a game, zx Sarkisian has given Thompson a long leash.

Thompson struggled in a 32-24 loss to Oklahoma State last week, completing just 15 of 27 passes for 179 passing yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Still, Sarkisian never let Card see the field. But in Monday’s press conference, Sarkisian made it clear that Card will get an opportunity at some point.

“We’re always trying to find a way in developing [Card], and Hud was ready to go, jumped in there and did it,” Sarkisian said of Card, who’s been used in large part as a temporary replacement when Thompson gets injured. “I wasn’t surprised, I think Casey is a tough kid. I think he’s a competitor, and football is a physical sport. And he’s not the first guy since the inception of the game to get dinged up, sit out a play and go back in. I don’t think that that’s uncommon. I felt like he’s kind of earned that right coming off of the Oklahoma game, when he injured his thumb and went back in and played good football for us.”

Card in 2021 has completed 24 of his 39 passing attempts for 314 passing yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, while logging a stat in just four games. (Against Texas Tech, however, that stat was a mere one rush for 13 yards and no passes.) Thompson has looked good at times, too: he’s completed 65 percent of his pass attempts for 1,274 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions. Thompson is also far more effective on the ground than Card, too, as he’s rushed for 87 yards and three touchdowns on 37 carries, while Card, more of a pocket-passer, has rushed for 14 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries.

“We monitor a lot in the program, but [Card] is going to get his opportunity,” Sarkisian continued. “We’ve been saying this since day one. We’re going to need both of these guys to compete at the highest level for us this fall, and Hud is doing the necessary things for him to keep developing his game, so that when he number does get called, he can perform at a high level.”

Following its loss to Oklahoma State, Texas on Saturday will make the short trip to Waco, Texas for a road game against No. 20 Baylor. Perhaps, as Sarkisian game plans for another top-25 opponent, he’ll give Thompson less leeway if he struggles against the Bears.