The latest on the injury sustained by Texas QB Quinn Ewers

According to head coach Steve Sarkisian, the Heisman contender suffered a “strained abdomen.”

AUSTIN, Texas — Redshirt junior Quinn Ewers, the starting quarterback for the No. 2 Texas Longhorns and an early-season Heisman contender following two strong performances to open the 2024 season, will not return to Saturday’s game against the UTSA Roadrunners after leaving the game early in the second quarter with what head coach Steve Sarkisian described as a “strained abdomen.”

Ewers went down on the field following a handoff on the fourth Texas drive, which started with a 49-yard pass to senior tight end Gunnar Helm.

The coaching staff took Ewers’ helmet as he received attention in the medical tent, he did pull his jersey over his head in frustration as he walked gingerly to the tent.

Ewers eventually left the field with a towel over his head, returning to the sideline late in the half wearing street clothes and was later spotted pointing to his ribs or oblique area on his left side.

After the game, Sarkisian provided a little bit more information about the nature of Ewers’ injury.

“It remains to be seen of kind of the seriousness of that and the length of that, but that’s what it is. We don’t think it’s anything structural or broken or things like that. It was an odd play,” Sarkisian said.

As Sarkisian and just about everyone else in the stadium watched senior tight end Gunnar Helm hurdle a defender near the end of a career-long 49-yard reception, Texas running backs coach Tashard Choice was the first to notice that Ewers seemed injured.

“Wo we call the run and he turned and looked at me right away, like he just pointed kind of at his stomach and then took the knee,” Sarkisian said.

It’s the third straight season Ewers has suffered an injury after hurting both of his shoulders.

“Our training staff does a really good job with him and I think mentally, because Quinn’s been through it, and I think because those other injuries he got with it, with the shoulder, were so structural and they were contact-type injuries, I think he’s probably in a little better spirit,” Sarkisian said.

With two running backs out with season-ending injuries and junior Jaydon Blue missing the game with a sprained right ankle, Ewers was 14-of-16 passing for 185 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception.

“Quinn was super efficient with his time in there,” Sarkisian said.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Arch Manning threw a 19-yard touchdown pass on his first play after replacing Ewers, then ran for a 67-yard touchdown on his third play. By the end of the first half, Manning was 3-of-5 passing for 21 yards and a touchdown with three rushes for 53 yards and a touchdown as Texas led 28-7.

“I think Quinn’s in pretty good spirits — I talked to him on the sidelines there, and he’s playing such good football,” Sarkisian said. “Again, my hope is that this isn’t a long-term thing that will give him back, because we need as many healthy, good players as we can get for this journey that we’re on right now.”

Depending on the severity of the strain that Ewers suffered, it could take several weeks or a month or more for him to recover.