After Quinn Ewers' promising debut and one scintillating quarter against Alabama, there is going to be a pause before seeing what the Texas quarterback can do next.
Ewers will miss at least a month with an SC sprain to his left shoulder, sources told ESPN. Ewers underwent an MRI confirming the injury Saturday.
The recovery period is four to six weeks, which means the earliest he could return is against Oklahoma on Oct. 8. Ewers is experiencing significant pain, sources said, as basic things like breathing and swallowing are difficult.
Ewers was injured in the first quarter Saturday on a crushing hit by Alabama's Dallas Turner, who was flagged for roughing the passer as officials said he drove the quarterback into the ground.
Ewers was replaced by Hudson Card, who was hobbled in the third quarter by an ankle injury. The injury clearly limited Card's speed and mobility, but he said postgame that he didn't consider leaving the game. But at one point in the second half, Texas third-string quarterback Charles Wright, a redshirt freshman who has appeared in one career game, began warming up.
Card finished 14-of-22 for 158 yards while nearly leading the Longhorns to an upset of the top-ranked Crimson Tide, who won 20-19 on a field goal in the final minute. He is expected to make his third career start Saturday against UTSA.
Ewers had won the starting job over Card this summer after transferring from Ohio State in December. He threw a pair of touchdown passes against Louisiana-Monroe in the opener and appeared well on his way to a breakout game against Alabama.
He had thrown for 134 yards in the first quarter against the Crimson Tide, completing 9 of 12 passes. One incompletion was a perfect parabola to wide receiver Xavier Worthy in the end zone, but Worthy dropped the ball, which led in part to Texas' opening drive stalling for a field goal.
Ewers' 134 yards was the fourth-highest first-quarter total against one of Nick Saban's Alabama teams. The ball spun effortlessly off Ewers' hand, sending a buzz through DKR Texas Memorial Stadium that he could live up to his billing as one of the top quarterback recruits ever in the state of Texas.