Texas football finds itself in a big spot in Week 14 against Texas A&M as it can bolster its College Football Playoff resume and clinch a spot in its first SEC championship game with a win.
But all eyes are on whether Longhorns starting quarterback Quinn Ewers will play vs. the Aggies or will Arch Manning get snaps in the first meeting between both programs since 2011.
ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel reported on ‘College GameDay’ Saturday morning that Ewers is dealing with a high ankle sprain and is expected to play vs. Texas A&M but won’t be 100% healthy. Ewers was listed as ‘probable’ on Texas’ injury report on Friday.
‘Sources have told me that he is dealing with a high ankle sprain and that he is not going to be 100% tonight,’ Thamel said Saturday.
The winner of Saturday’s rivalry game between Texas and Texas A&M will go to Atlanta to play No. 6 Georgia in the SEC championship game next Saturday.
Here’s what to know of Ewers’ status for Week 14 vs. Texas A&M, plus a revisit to his injury:
Will Quinn Ewers play today? Texas QB’s status vs Texas A&M
Thamel reported on ‘College GameDay’ on Saturday that Ewers is expected to play but he’s ‘not going to be 100%’ against the Aggies.
Thamel continued saying that with Ewers not ‘100%,’ Longhorns backup quarterback Arch Manning could see some playing time.
‘That leaves open the possibility we could see some Arch Manning if Ewers struggles with his mobility,’ Thamel said. ‘Remember A&M has struggled with running quarterbacks (this season) like (Notre Dame’s) Riley Leonard and LaNorris Sellers from South Carolina.’
Manning does have some experience under his belt this season, as he started in relief of Ewers twice this season while Ewers dealt with a strained oblique injury. In six games this season for the Longhorns, Manning has completed 67.8% of his passes while throwing for 939 yards and nine interceptions.
Ewers was listed as ‘probable’ on Friday’s SEC availability report. The final availability report will be released 90 minutes before kickoff at Kyle Field in College Station on Saturday.
Quinn Ewers injury
Ewers is dealing with a high ankle sprain, per Thamel.
The Longhorns quarterback sustained an ankle injury in Texas’ Week 13 win vs. Kentucky. As noted by the Austin American-Statesman’s David Eckert, Ewers’s injury occurred at some point in the second quarter. He limped off the field following a touchdown from Longhorns running back Jaydon Blue but never left the game.
‘On kind of a scramble up the middle, he got – I guess you can call it a hip-drop tackle, as they refer to it in the NFL,’ Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said after last Saturday’s game vs. Kentucky. ‘It’s not illegal in college football. And it just kept kind of tightening up on him. And at that point, I said that I didn’t feel like it was worth having to expose him.’
Hip drops now result in fines at the NFL level.
When meeting with assembled media members on Monday in Austin, Ewers said that his injury ‘wasn’t a big concern,’ per Eckert.
‘Nobody’s 100%,’ Ewers said per the Austin American-Statesman. ‘Especially this late in the season. But that’s part of it. I feel good.’
Quinn Ewers stats
Here’s a breakdown of Ewers’ stats this season:
2024: 189 of 278 (68%) passing for 2,089 yards with 23 touchdowns and six interceptions; one rushing touchdown