Report: Texas QB Quinn Ewers Targeting Oklahoma Game for Return from Injury

Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers is reportedly expected to miss Saturday's game against West Virginia but hopes to return from a shoulder injury for next week's rivalry clash with Oklahoma.

ESPN's Pete Thamel reported Ewers was able to practice on a limited basis throughout the week but isn't quite ready to retake the reins of the Longhorns' offense.

The redshirt freshman suffered the injury during a Sept. 10 loss to Alabama and reportedly received a four-to-six-week recovery timetable, which lines up with a possible return against the Sooners next Saturday.

Ewers transferred to Texas in December after spending his first college season at Ohio State, making just one appearance. It was highly unlikely he'd overtake Heisman Trophy contender C.J. Stroud on the Buckeyes' depth chart, leading to the move.

The San Antonio native put together a solid debut for UT. He completed 16 of his 24 throws for 225 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in a Week 1 blowout win over UL Monroe. He went 9-of-12 for 134 yards before getting hurt against Alabama.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said Thursday that Ewers, the consensus top-ranked prospect in the 2021 recruiting class, has been pushing to play every week.

"I think there's no doubt Quinn wants to play," Sarkisian told reporters. "He's wanted to play since he first got injured against Alabama. He wanted to go back in that game. Mentally, he's a highly competitive young man. He's worked at trying to get himself healthy. He's been throwing now for about two, two and a half weeks and has gradually improved."

The Longhorns are a sizable favorite against West Virginia (-7.5, per DraftKings Sportsbook). Backup Hudson Card has also played well since stepping into the lineup, completing 66.3 percent of his attempts with three touchdowns and one interception.

So it makes sense for UT to give Ewers another week of recovery time to get as close to full strength as possible ahead of the Red River Showdown.

Texas is coming off a 37-34 overtime loss to another rival, Texas Tech, last week that dropped its record to 2-2.

The Horns still have a chance to make an impact on the season with four games left against currently ranked opponents and Kansas, one of the year's surprise teams at 4-0, has a chance to join that group in the coming weeks.