Big 12 Football

Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers is expected to miss four-to-six weeks with two sprains at his clavicle, according to Rival.com's Anwar Richardson and ESPN's Pete Thamel.

Sources: Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers is expected to be out 4-6 weeks with an SC sprain, which is a significant injury where the sternum meets the clavicle. He got an MRI on Saturday that confirmed the diagnosis. He’s experiencing significant pain.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 11, 2022

Ewers suffered the injury in the first quarter of Saturday's 20-19 loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide. The earliest he could return is the team's Oct. 8 matchup against Oklahoma, Richardson added.

Ewers was driven to the ground by Alabama's Dallas Turner, who was flagged for roughing the passer, late in the first quarter and did not return to the game. He was later seen on the sideline wearing a sling.

The 19-year-old had an impressive outing before exiting, completing 9 of 12 passes for 134 yards, consistently keeping the Crimson Tide defense on its toes.

Saturday's loss to Alabama was Ewers second career start with the Longhorns after transferring to the program following a stint at Ohio State in 2021 in which he sat behind C.J. Stroud.

In the team's season opener against Louisiana-Monroe on Sept. 3, Ewers threw for 225 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in a 52-10 win.

Luckily for Texas, the program has some solid depth at quarterback.

Hudson Card replaced Ewers in Saturday's game against Alabama and managed to keep the team in the game until the very end when the Crimson Tide kicked a field goal to win it in the final minute.

Card completed 14 of 22 passes for 158 yards and also rushed for eight yards on six carries.

Card has been with Texas since 2020. He appeared in seven games during the 2021 season, completing 61.4 percent of his passes for 590 yards, five touchdowns and one interception.

Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian should be more than comfortable with Card under center until Ewers returns. Texas will face unranked programs in UTSA, Texas Tech and West Virginia before facing No. 7 Oklahoma on Oct. 8.

Retired NFL quarterback Drew Brees called for Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers to re-enter the game Saturday after he was knocked out during the first quarter against No. 1 Alabama with an apparent shoulder injury.

In an Instagram post, Brees wrote: "If it's an AC joint separation…locker room, shoot it up, put on a harness, and shot gun snaps only the rest of the game. You got this young buck!"

Alabama's Dallas Turner landed hard on Ewers and was called for roughing the passer. Ewers was replaced by Hudson Card and never returned to a game Texas lost 20-19 on a field goal by Bama with 10 seconds remaining.

Per ESPN's Pete Thamel, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian announced after the game that Ewers suffered a sprained clavicle and would get an MRI.

Before the injury, Ewers was fantastic, completing nine of 12 passes for 134 yards.

In his place, Card finished 14-of-22 for 158 yards with zero touchdowns or interceptions, and he led Texas to a go-ahead field goal with 1:29 left in the game.

Brees seemingly implied in his post that Ewers should get a cortisone injection, but the injury turned out to be a collarbone issue.

The 43-year-old Brees is widely regarded as one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history and a surefire first-ballot Hall of Famer.

In 20 seasons with the San Diego Chargers and New Orleans Saints, Brees was a 13-time Pro Bowler, two-time Offensive Player of the Year and 2009 Super Bowl champion and Super Bowl MVP.

He ranks second in passing yards with 80,358 and second in passing touchdowns with 571.

Brees didn't miss many games in his career, playing 15 or 16 every season from 2004 through 2018. He missed five contests in 2003 and 2019, and four in his last campaign in 2020.

After he suffered a torn labrum and other damage in his throwing shoulder in 2005, it was unclear if Brees would ever be the same, but he was better than ever upon signing with the Saints in 2006.

Given the issues Brees experienced with his shoulder early in his career, it can be argued that calling for Ewers to play through a potentially significant injury was a bad look.

Alabama overcame a sluggish offensive performance to survive Texas' upset bid with a 20-19 win at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday.

Reigning Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young endured his share of struggles but came alive when it mattered most. He set up the game-winning field goal with 10 seconds left by taking the offense 61 yards over nine plays in 79 seconds.

WHAT A PLAY BRYCE YOUNG 😤

cc: @AlabamaFTBL pic.twitter.com/LZgACXQlmI

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 10, 2022

Bryce Young. Dipsy do dunkaroo.

— Art Stapleton (@art_stapleton) September 10, 2022

Give him the Heisman again

— Jon Scott (@JonScottTV) September 10, 2022

Houdini Bryce!

— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) September 10, 2022

Bryce Young is a bad, bad man. That was electric.

— Kyle Tucker (@KyleTucker_ATH) September 10, 2022

Sheesh Bryce Young said chill I got this

— Tyrese Haliburton (@TyHaliburton22) September 10, 2022

Turns out you shouldn’t give Bryce Young more than a minute

— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) September 10, 2022

As impressive as that final possession was, it may not have been the best drive by Young in the game. The junior star accounted for 68 of 75 yards on an 11-play drive early in the fourth quarter that ended with Jahmyr Gibbs' touchdown catch to help give Alabama a 17-16 lead.

BRYCE YOUNG

What a play to give @AlabamaFTBL the lead! 🐘🔥 pic.twitter.com/tVfrFCYtKU

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 10, 2022

https://twitter.com/Tyler_Greever/status/1568675059904188417

Prior to that, Young was 12-of-20 for 77 yards. He finished 27-of-39 for 213 yards and one touchdown plus 38 yards on seven carries.

Bryce Young in the 4th quarter: 15-of-19, two 60+ yard scoring drives.

— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) September 10, 2022

Oh. My. Word. Bryce Young ducks and dips, avoids sack. Possibly saved game. His last two drives have been Heisman worthy.

— Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) September 10, 2022

https://twitter.com/Tyler_Greever/status/1568683696617828353

Bryce Young is like that!

— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) September 10, 2022

Bryce Young is still that damn dude.. His WR’s have not played great, Young is different..
Extending plays, eyes down the field, he is hard to defend..

— Rusty Mansell (@RustyMansell_) September 10, 2022

This was one of the worst performances by the Crimson Tide in recent years. It marked just the second time since 2018 they have been held to 20 points or fewer in the regular season.

Jase McClellan did have an 81-yard touchdown run in the first quarter to help Alabama to a 10-3 advantage, but his other five carries gained 16 yards.

At one point in the fourth quarter, Alabama had more penalty yards (100) than passing yards. The usually stout secondary gave up 292 yards and 8.6 yards per attempt.

Texas didn't even have Quinn Ewers available for most of the game. The redshirt freshman sensation left in the first quarter with an apparent shoulder injury after being hit by Dallas Turner.

On a day when so many things seemed to work against Alabama, Young pushed his team to victory on the road against a quality opponent.

Things will almost certainly be easier next week. The Crimson Tide will host Louisiana-Monroe at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Sept. 17.

Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers suffered a sprained clavicle in the first quarter of Saturday's 20-19 loss to Alabama, head coach Steve Sarkisian told reporters after the game.

Sarkisian added Ewers will undergo an MRI to determine the extent of the injury.

The injury occurred when Alabama linebacker Dallas Turner landed on Ewers after getting pressure on the Longhorns star on a pass attempt near the goal line.

Quinn Ewers left the game with an apparent shoulder injury in the 1st quarter

Hudson Card will step in at QB for Texas

(via @CFBONFOX)pic.twitter.com/pqQf5p6TU1

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 10, 2022

The medical staff looked at Ewers on the field for a few moments before he was taken to the locker room for further examination.

Turner was flagged for roughing the passer. Bijan Robinson scored from the 1-yard line on the next play to even the score at 10.

Sophomore Hudson Card took over for Ewers on the Longhorns' next offensive possession. The Texas native was a 4-star prospect and No. 2 dual-threat quarterback in the 2020 recruiting class, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

Card beat out Casey Thompson to be Texas' starting quarterback in 2021, but he was benched early in the season after a poor performance against Arkansas.

Expectations for Ewers are incredibly high. He was the top-ranked prospect in the 2021 recruiting class and spent his first season at Ohio State before transferring to Texas in December.

Head coach Steve Sarkisian named Ewers the Longhorns' starter to begin the season. He went 16-of-24 for 225 yards and two touchdowns in a 52-10 win over Louisiana-Monroe last week.

Ewers was having his way against Alabama's defense prior to the injury. He went 9-of-12 for 134 yards in the first quarter.

Card played well in relief, going 14-of-22 for 158 yards over the final three quarters. Texas took a 19-17 lead on Bert Auburn's 49-yard field goal with 1:29 remaining in the fourth.

Alabama responded with a nine-play, 61-yard drive that ended with Will Reichard hitting the game-winning 33-yard field goal with 10 seconds left to play.

Saturday marked the 10th all-time matchup between the Crimson Tide and Longhorns. Texas has a 7-2-1 advantage in those games, but both of Alabama's wins have come in the past two matchups.

Texas hasn't beaten a team ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 standings since a 45-35 victory over Oklahoma in October 2008.

Former NFL punter Pat McAfee, who has carved out a niche for himself as a star in the podcasting world and in professional wrestling as a WWE announcer, recently discussed the aftermath of West Virginia's loss to Pittsburgh in the 2007 Backyard Brawl.

In an interview with Ross Dellenger of Sports Illustrated, McAfee talked about having suicidal thoughts after missing two field goals for WVU in a 13-9 loss to Pitt in the final regular-season game of the 2007 season.

"I didn’t know if I wanted to live anymore," McAfee said. "My life changed immediately that day. It was a terrible f------ night, to be honest with you. It was like something out of a movie. I just drove. I got all the way to Virginia through Maryland. I was gone for a couple days. I drove, parked, slept and kept driving. I didn’t know where I was. I didn’t know where I was headed. I didn’t know what was coming next."

McAfee also noted angry fans vandalized his car, destroyed his yard and made death threats against him.

The Mountaineers entered the Backyard Brawl with a 10-1 record, ranked No. 2 in the BCS standings and likely would have played for the national title with a win over their rival. They scored at least 28 points in each of their 10 victories up to that point.

Pitt was 4-7 and coming off back-to-back losses to Rutgers and South Florida.

McAfee missed two field-goal attempts from 20 and 32 yards in the first half. He did make his only extra-point attempt after backup quarterback Jarrett Brown's six-yard touchdown run gave West Virginia a 7-0 lead late in the second quarter.

Pittsburgh got 13 points in the second half to earn a 13-9 upset win. The Mountaineers fell to ninth in the final BCS standings, but they were able to salvage the season with an impressive 48-28 victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.

McAfee finished his career at West Virginia in 2008, was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in 2009 and had a successful eight-year NFL career as a punter. He was named to the Pro Bowl twice and All-Pro first team in 2014.

The Backyard Brawl is being revived this year for the first time since 2011. The Panthers will host West Virginia at Acrisure Stadium on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.

If you or someone you know is in immediate crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988 for 24/7 access to a trained counselor. You can also contact the Crisis Text Line by texting "HOME" to 741741. For more information about ongoing support and mental health resources, contact the HelpLine at the National Alliance on Mental Illness by calling 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or emailing info@nami.org.

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian announced Friday that Quinn Ewers will be the team's starting quarterback in 2022 following a battle with Hudson Card this summer, per Brian Davis of the Austin American-Statesman.

Sarkisian told reporters Thursday that he had "a pretty good idea" which quarterback he would name the starter.

This is the second straight year that Texas has had to host a quarterback competition leading into the regular season.

Last year, Card and Casey Thompson, who has since transferred to Nebraska, battled for the job. Card won the start for the team's first two games, but Thompson replaced him in a Week 2 loss to Arkansas and remained the starter for the rest of the year.

Earlier this week, Sarkisian made mention of Card's experience in the Texas offense, prompting some to believe he was going to be named the Longhorns' starting signal-caller, via ESPN's Chris Low:

"Last year was difficult in having two players that were new to the [offensive] system, and that's always hard, especially when one of them isn't a returning starter who had really been in the fire. This year, even though they're new, Hudson's got a little experience, and Quinn is coming in from another program. The reality is Quinn should really be a freshman in college. He reclassified after preseason camp had started. It was kind of a wash of a season for him."

Ewers was the No. 1 prospect in the 2021 class, per 247Sports' composite rankings, and a 5-star recruit out of Southlake, Texas. He initially committed to Texas in August 2020 before decommitting and heading to Ohio State to capitalize on the opportunity to earn money from name, image and likeness deals.

C.J. Stroud won the starting job for the Buckeyes, and Ewers spent part of the 2021 season with the team but didn't see the field before entering the transfer portal in December.

Now that he's in Texas, Ewers will have to prove he is the right man for the starting job, especially with Arch Manning, the top-ranked prospect in the 2023 class, per 247Sports' composite rankings, set to come in and battle for the spot soon.

Texas opens the 2022 season against Louisiana-Monroe on Sept. 3.

Texas running back Bijan Robinson has released a gourmet Dijon mustard with the name "Bijan Mustardson."

Bijan Robinson’s gourmet dijon mustard, Bijan Mustardson, is now available to order. Here’s the website.https://t.co/YD9Ko6GqX7 pic.twitter.com/Eaqtp4AGoq

— Max Olson (@max_olson) August 19, 2022

The Heisman Trophy contender is featured prominently on the condiment's website, which includes a funny origin story:

"Throughout his formative years, Bijan scored touchdowns everywhere, mostly on the football field via football. By 2022, Bijan had scored touchdowns in every way, shape and form. Running and receiving. Stiff arming and juking. Even occasionally passing. The only place he hadn't scored a touchdown was his taste buds.

"So Bijan did what everyone expected Bijan to do: Create his own gourmet Dijon mustard and call it Bijan Mustardson. With the help of top-quality chefs, Bijan made a mustard that was so good, it tasted like a touchdown. It was then he knew, pending production timelines, mouth touchdowns for everyone would be a mustard-purchase away."

It's the only item available on the website and has three purchase options: one jar for $7.95, two jars for $15.90 or four jars for $31.50.

Robinson is coming off a 2021 season with the Longhorns where he recorded 1,422 yards from scrimmage and 15 total touchdowns (11 rushing and four receiving) across 10 games.

It's made him a popular target for companies looking to do name, image and likeness (NIL) contracts ahead of the 2022 campaign.

He's recently made Instagram posts showcasing deals with C4 Energy and Lamborghini Austin.

Robinson explained he doesn't drive the Lambo much because he's not a "flashy guy or anything," and he's hopeful other NIL contracts include his Texas teammates, per Matthew Postins of Heartland College Sports.

"Obviously, it's been really fun," he said. "But I'm just the guy that's gonna try to help out the next man and try to get him in on a deal."

The Longhorns kick off the season Sept. 3 when they host Louisiana-Monroe at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.

University of Texas head football coach Steve Sarkisian is looking to make significant improvements in his second season at the helm with the Longhorns.

Per ESPN's Chris Low, Sarkisian suggested that there could be some addition by subtraction this season, as not everyone involved with the team bought in during the 2021 campaign:

"The kids knew not everybody in that locker room was all-in last year. I think they could feel it, and they wanted to weed out some of the warts, some of the bad apples. I think they got a sense of reality about some of the things we were talking about and trying to instill last offseason. I don't know how much they gave credence to it, and then those same things reared their ugly head in-season.

"They came back in January with this mindset of, 'We've got to take these things to heart because they will show up again.' They've made that investment and bought into every aspect of it, and you can feel it amongst our team."

In the first season under Sarkisian, the Longhorns posted their worst record since 2016 at 5-7 and failed to qualify for a bowl game. They also lost six consecutive games, which was the program's most losses in a row since 1956.

While the results weren't immediately there, one thing Sarkisian has already done is turned the recruiting tide back in Texas' favor.

According to 247Sports, the Longhorns have the fifth-best recruiting class in the nation for 2022, behind only Texas A&M and a trio of perennial national championship contenders in Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State.

Also, 247Sports ranks the Longhorns' 2023 recruiting class as the second-best in the country, suggesting that the future is bright for Sarkisian's team.

Fans and observers are eagerly awaiting the arrival of quarterback Arch Manning next season, but until then, the Longhorns have a quarterback battle on their hands entering the 2022 campaign.

Sophomore Hudson Card and freshman Quinn Ewers are vying to take the first snap of the season, and while Card has the experience edge after starting the first two games of the 2021 season, Ewers is the more highly touted player.

Ewers transferred to Texas from Ohio State after being ranked by 247Sports as the No. 1 overall player in the 2021 recruiting class.

One year in, Sarkisian has been able to bring in more of his handpicked players, while watching some of the incumbent players from the previous Tom Herman regime leave.

That means Sark may have gotten a pass for last season, but he'll likely start to be graded more harshly in 2022 and beyond since more of the players were recruited by him.

Texas was once one of the premier programs in college football, but it has only one double-digit-win season to its credit since going 13-1 in 2009, and it hasn't won a Big 12 title since 2009, either.

The Big 12 has largely been dominated by Oklahoma over the past decade, but Sarkisian was brought in to put that to a stop.

Although the Longhorns still have to prove it on the field, Sarkisian's comments suggest that he believes the program is finally moving in the right direction.

Oklahoma State head football coach Mike Gundy didn't mince words when speaking about Oklahoma and Texas leaving the Big 12 for the SEC, saying that the two rivals "took the money and ran."

"Let's just cut to the chase. They made a choice to financially secure their athletic departments for the next 12 to 15 years," Gundy told Chris Low of ESPN. "People can talk about all the reasons, but that's why they did it, all for the money, and took a lot of history out of this league and a lot of history out of college football with them.

"Now, they're not the first ones to do it. Texas A&M did the same thing when they jumped ship to the SEC [in 2012]."

Texas and Oklahoma will officially leave the Big 12 for the SEC on July 1, 2025, and both schools are bound to take in far more cash thanks to the seemingly bottomless pit of money waiting for SEC institutions, as Chuck Carlton of the Dallas Morning News noted on Feb. 18, 2022:

"The latest staggering number came Feb. 10, when the SEC reported $777.8 million in revenue for the 2020-21 fiscal year. That translates into $54.6 million for each of the 14 member schools, including Texas A&M. The figure represented a $9.1 million increase over 2019-20, the first fiscal year to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and paves the way for a lot of pricey contract extensions and facility upgrades."

Jabari Young of CNBC reported in July 2021 that Texas and OU had "received about $34 million from the Big 12 over the last year."

Gundy also noted that "some great rivalries and a lot of history" will be lost with Texas and OU leaving, including the infamous "Bedlam" showdown between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

"It's just not going to be feasible," Gundy said in part. "We're scheduled out to 2036, I think, and I'm sure the SEC is going to nine conference games. They'll have to, or the media will kill them."

As far as the Big 12's future goes sans Oklahoma and Texas, Gundy isn't overtly concerned that their exodus will negatively affect the conference.

"The Big 12 is going to be fine, and I'm just giving you my opinion and know people get upset with my opinion, but we were fortunate that the two teams that left did it when they did [last year] and not now," Gundy said.

Gundy also praised the four schools (BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF) who will be joining the Big 12 with Texas and Oklahoma now leaving, noting they "can compete at any level."

"They have great television markets in different locations in the country that we didn't have," he said. The SEC and Big Ten are going to be strong, but after that, we're right there."

Gundy is entering his 18th season as the Cowboys' head coach. His team is ranked No. 12 in the preseason Associated Press poll and is slated to begin the year against Central Michigan on Sept. 1.

Texas Longhorns wide receiver Agiye Hall has been suspended by the football program indefinitely following his Thursday arrest for criminal mischief, head coach Steve Sarkisian announced Friday.

"We're aware of the situation involving Agiye Hall, have talked with his family, and have suspended him indefinitely from all team activities for conduct that is detrimental to our program," Sarkisian said in a statement (h/t Anwar Richardson of Rivals.com).

Hall was arrested Thursday in Austin, Texas, on criminal mischief charges valued between $100 and $750, according to public booking information obtained by Michael Casagrande of AL.com.

The 19-year-old was a 4-star recruit out of Florida and the fifth-ranked wide receiver in the 2021 class, per 247Sports' composite rankings. He committed to playing for the Alabama Crimson Tide in April 2020.

Hall appeared in just three games during his freshman season at Alabama, catching four passes for 72 yards. He was buried on the depth chart behind players like John Metchie III, Jameson Williams and Slade Bolden.

Hall went on to question his playing time in a since-deleted Twitter post, writing, "Yea nah, calling it quits," per AL.com's Mike Rodak.

Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban was asked in October about Hall's frustrations:

“It still comes down to players creating value for themselves by what they do. I've said this before, that there’s players that have talent but they have to learn how to use it, and they have to use it in an effective way in the way they practice. It’s up to the player to impress the coaches that they can be trusted to go in the game and do what they’re supposed to do.

“So when players get frustrated, they sometimes don’t respond the way they should in terms of their preparation and focusing on what they need to do to become a good player, because they’re so concerned about how much they’re playing.”

Saban announced in April that Hall would be suspended indefinitely for a violation of the team rules. When asked what the receiver could do to rejoin the team, he told reporters that he had already been given the chance to do so before.

Hall entered the transfer portal on April 7 and announced his move to Texas on April 9. He was set to compete for the team's No. 3 receiver role alongside Isaiah Neyor and Tarique Milton, with Xavier Worthy and Jordan Whittington expected to lead the group.