The timing of the Texas Longhorns‘ bye week couldn’t have been better as starting quarterback Quinn Ewers continues to rehab and seek a return from injury ahead of the team’s biggest game of the season next weekend. Facing off against rival Oklahoma next Saturday on October 12.

Ewers has missed Texas’ last two games after suffering from an abdominal strain early in the second quarter of the Longhorns’ Week 3 matchup against UTSA. And during his press conference on Monday, head coach Steve Sarkisian provided an injury update for his starting quarterback.

“He’s just rehabbing as he has been,” Sarkisian said. “I think he’s been making steady progress one day to the next, which is a good sign. We haven’t had any setbacks, it’s been steady progress. I think he’s getting stronger and more comfortable and more confident, and so we’ll just kind of stay the course with that.”

Ewers’ most recent injury marks the third straight season where he’s missed time for Texas due to an injury. Hurting his shoulder in 2022 against Alabama and missing the next three games followed by another shoulder injury in 2023 suffered against Houston that led to two more games out of the starting lineup.

His most recent abdominal injury came on a non-contact play, listed as questionable ahead of Texas’ most recent matchup against Mississippi State before being ruled out 90 minutes before kickoff. As some early reports already suggest that Ewers is expected to play in the Red River Rivalry game next weekend.

“He’s got to do enough to show me he can play,” Sarkisian said. “I know that’s probably not the answer you wanted, but that’s what I mean. We’ve got a game plan. Can he execute the game plan? I hate to pare it down to that but that’s really the truth. I want to make sure he’s healthy enough to play at a high level. Can he go operate the game plan we have in place for him?”

Redshirt freshman phenom Arch Manning has been starting in place of Ewers and has kept the Longhorns undefeated this season. But there’s no question that a matchup against Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl next Saturday would represent the biggest challenge of his young career.

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