Quinn Ewers injury update: Pete Thamel offers game day update on Texas QB

Quinn Ewers is not expected to play against Mississippi State, paving the way for Arch Manning’s second start for Texas, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

“Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers is not expected to play against Mississippi State today, per ESPN sources,” Thamel wrote on Twitter. “A final decision will be made later in the day, as Ewers is nearly 70-percent and the coaching staff is prioritizing full health for Oklahoma.”

Texas takes on Mississippi State at 4:15 p.m. ET in Austin.

“We’re gonna decide on the quarterback thing tomorrow. It won’t be a secret,” head coach Steve Sarkisian said Thursday. “We’re not trying to pull the wool over anybody’s eyes. Just want to give Quinn every opportunity to see if he’s ready to play and what he looks like. I’d say he’s improved every day. I think Arch [Manning] has had a very good week and I would say this, Trey Owens had his best week of practice.”

In place of Ewers, Texas started Manning against ULM. A sophomore, Manning came into college as one of the most highly-anticipated recruits that college football has seen, joining the Longhorns as a five-star recruit in the Class of 2023, according to the On3 Industry Ranking.

In that first start, he threw for 258 yards and two touchdowns but he also had two interceptions.

The actual injury that Quinn Ewers suffered was a non-contact injury. Later, it would be described as an oblique strain and as an abdominal strain. Sarkisian also has described him as being day-to-day and questionable.

In the lead-up to the game against Mississippi State, Sarkisian shared what it was going to take to get Ewers healthy enough for the game.

“He’s got to do enough to show me he can play,” Sarkisian said. “I know that’s probably not the answer you wanted, but that’s what I mean. We’ve got a game plan. Can he execute the game plan? I hate to pare it down to that but that’s really the truth. I want to make sure he’s healthy enough to play at a high level. Can he go operate the game plan we have in place for him?

“That’s why I need to see how he responds from today’s work, and then what it looks like on a Tuesday then a Wednesday, which are pretty heavy days for him. Then, how he rebounds on a Thursday, so on and so forth.”