Steve Sarkisian doesn't tip his hand regarding Texas' starting quarterback for Louisiana-Monroe
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said Monday that Quinn Ewers was questionable for Saturday’s game between the No. 1 Longhorns and the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks. Sarkisian had an opportunity on Wednesday to offer clarity on the quarterback situation with Ewers nursing what Sarkisian described as an oblique strain, but he kept things murky for upcoming opponents.
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Has he named a starting quarterback for Saturday?
“No, I have not,” Sarkisian said on the SEC Coaches Teleconference.
Any injury update from the program?
“Nothing today,” Sarkisian said.
Has Arch Manning taken first-team snaps?
“He’s done a really good job with all the reps that he’s gotten,” Sarkisian said. “Arch has got a really good understanding of what we’re trying to do. When we’re putting in a new gameplan, I think he understands the premise of the plays that we have in our system. Yes, we’re dressing them up in certain ways with different things, but I think he has a firm understanding of the premise of those plays, so when he gets in he can operate them to a pretty high level.”
The question remained unanswered. However, Sarkisian did take the chance to praise Manning for his work during Wednesday’s practice.
“I thought whether it was Arch or just our offense in general today, today was the best day of the week so far,” Sarkisian said. “I thought they practiced well. A lot of that can be credited to Arch, his understanding of what we’re trying to do, and then make the throws necessary.”
On Sunday, Inside Texas offered the latest news from inside the program on Ewers’ status. If this were to have happened with a SEC opponent on the horizon, Ewers would likely be listed on the SEC Availability Reports that are released Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and 90 minutes before kickoff. Since ULM is a non-conference matchup, that requirement is not in place for the Longhorns this week.
Either way, Louisiana-Monroe is not the type of opponent Texas needs to rush Ewers back for. Manning, as he was against UTSA, is more than capable of handling a Group of Five school from his home state.
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Whether he is or not won’t be laid bare by Sarkisian likely until pregame warmups on Saturday. That is, unless Sarkisian decides to make a proclamation during his scheduled Zoom with local media on Thursday.
