Texas Football: Steve Sarkisian makes decision on Hudson Card

Texas head football coach Steve Sarkisian on Thursday gave the answer to a much-anticipated answer under center. After replacing the season-opening starting quarterback, Hudson Card, in favor of Casey Thompson, Sarkisian made it clear Card will not sit after the fourth game to preserve his redshirt season, meaning he will use a year of eligibility in 2021.

Sarkisian noted that Card is currently the holder for the kicking unit, but outside of special teams, he expects Card to make contributions to the Texas offense.

“Hudson is going to play plenty for us this year,” Sarkisian said.

Sarkisian first decided after the Longhorns’ 40-21 loss to Arkansas that it was time for a change, as he replaced Card with Thompson at quarterback.

Card, who started the first two games, 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.

Although Thompson and the Longhorns faced the lowly Rice Owls last week, Thompson still got the job done, completing 15 of his 18 passing attempts for 164 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in a 58-0 rout. Ahead of Texas’ first conference matchup with Texas Tech on Saturday, Sarkisian addressed the quarterback evaluation process, and he complimented Thompson for his preparation.

No change at quarterback

Thompson will remain the Longhorns’ starting quarterback on Saturday, Sarkisian confirmed, but Texas fans should expect to see more from Card, the redshirt freshman from Austin, Texas.

“Casey’s gonna [start] Saturday,” Sarkisian said, continuing, “ideally, I would love to play Hudson Saturday as well. But every flow of every game is different… If we feel like Hudson can provide an opportunity to get in the game, like he can provide something for our team, we’ll definitely get him in there.”

Through three games and two starts, Card completed 24 of his 39 passing attempts for 314 passing yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Thompson has done almost as much while working with less, as he’s needed just one start in three games to total 24 completions in 31 attempts, 262 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Thompson is also far more effective on the ground than Card, as he’s rushed for 51 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries, while Card, more of a pocket-passer, has rushed for 14 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries.

Sarkisian made his intentions clear by not preserving Card’s eligibility — he believes that Card will make an impact on Texas’ offense this season.