Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers will start the Red River Rivalry against No. 18 Oklahoma, according to coach Steve Sarkisian. Ewers will make his return from an abdominal injury in the rivalry game. 

Ewers left the Longhorns’ 56-7 win against UTSA after appearing to pull a muscle while making a downfield throw. He handed the ball off one more time before leaving the game with visible discomfort. Ewers went on to miss games against ULM and Mississippi State. 

In his place, backup quarterback Arch Manning got the first major action of his career and excelled. In 10 quarters, Manning threw for 806 yards and compiled 10 total touchdowns. Ewers was listed as probable on the midweek SEC injury report. 

Despite Manning’s strong play, Sarkisian insisted that Ewers is the unquestioned starter for Texas after leading the Longhorns to a Big 12 championship in 2023. He threw for 246 yards and three touchdowns in a marquee 31-12 victory against then-No. 10 Michigan on the road and has eight touchdowns to two interceptions on the season. 

This is the second time that Ewers has returned from an injury in the Red River Rivalry against Oklahoma. In 2022, Ewers threw for 289 yards and four touchdowns against the Sooners as the Longhorns won 49-0, the biggest victory in program history against Oklahoma.

The Longhorns are 14.5-point favorites and look to make a statement against a team they’re 2-7 against since 2015. The Longhorns are the nation’s top-ranked team heading into showdown for the first time since 1984.