By game time in Dallas, the Longhorns starter will be four weeks removed from his oblique strain.

In a repeat of 2022, Texas Longhorns starting quarterback Quinn Ewers will reportedly return from injury against the Oklahoma Sooners in the Cotton Bowl on Oct. 12, according to a Tuesday report from Anwar Richardson of Orangebloods.

Ewers suffered a non-contact oblique strain early in the second quarter of the 56-7 win over UTSA on Sept. 14 and missed the next two games as redshirt freshman Arch Manning received the first two starts of his college career. Ewers was 14-of-16 passing for 185 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception against the Roadrunners when he was injured and off to a strong start on the season, completing 58-of-79 passes for 691 yards, eight touchdowns, and two interceptions.

In replacing Ewers, Manning suffered some struggles against ULM in throwing two interceptions and completing 51.7 percent of his passes, but he’s largely been impressive, going 55-of-78 passing for 900 yards, nine touchdowns, and two interceptions.

Over the last two weeks, Ewers was listed as questionable in games the Horns were heavily favored, prompting Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian to take a conservative approach with Ewers as Manning showed flashes of future stardom.

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

Staying the course includes ensuring that Ewers has been engaged during meetings and practice while he rehabilitates his injury — he’s in every meeting, he goes through the call sheet with Sarkisian, the offense coaches, and other other quarterbacks on Friday night, and he wears an earpiece on the sideline during the game.

Two years ago, Ewers returned from a shoulder injury suffered against Alabama to lead Texas to its historic 49-0 win over Oklahoma that saw him go 21-of-31 passing for 289 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception.