Shane Buechele's Shoulder Injury Diagnosed as Bruise, to Undergo Evaluation

Texas Longhorns head coach Tom Herman announced quarterback Shane Buechele suffered a bruised throwing shoulder in Saturday's 51-41 defeat to the Maryland Terrapins, OrangeBloods.com's Anwar Richardson reported Monday.

Herman also said the training staff will evaluate Buechele's shoulder throughout the week to determine his availability for Texas' upcoming game against the San Jose State Spartans.

Buechele made a strong first impression as a true freshman in 2016, throwing for 280 yards and two touchdowns in the Longhorns' season-opening 50-47 double-overtime victory over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

His inexperience was evident as the season unfolded, though, as he struggled to find consistency. Buechele finished the year with 2,958 yards, 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

Still, Buechele appears to be the difference-maker at quarterback Texas has lacked since Colt McCoy left after the 2009 season.

Should Buechele be forced to miss any game time, the Longhorns would likely turn to another blue-chip recruit, Sam Ehlinger, who was the fourth-best dual-option quarterback in the 2017 recruiting class, according to Scout.