Sark: Ewers, Manning in competition for QB job
After the Texas Longhorns‘ first spring practice, coach Steve Sarkisian said on Monday that all positions are up for grabs, including quarterback, where sophomore Quinn Ewers and freshman Arch Manning will compete for the starting job.
“I’m not worried about who’s going to be on the cover of what magazine next week,” Sarkisian said. “I’m more focused on is, is each guy focusing on what they need to do to develop to be the best player that they can be? Quinn has an entire year of a head start, but I don’t want to hold Arch back. I want to see how far he can take this thing and what it can look like.”
Both were highly coveted recruits, with Ewers ranked as the No. 2 player in the 2021 ESPN 300 and Manning — one of the most high-profile recruits in history — at No. 5 in the 2023 edition.
Ewers arrived last season as a transfer from Ohio State; started 10 games, throwing for 2,177 yards and 15 touchdowns with six interceptions; and was named the Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year. He struggled in stretches of the season but closed strong, going 31-of-47 for 369 yards and a TD against Washington in the Alamo Bowl, and he finished the season with 116 straight passes without an interception.
Still, Sarkisian said the passing game has to improve this season, and he’s aware of the huge spotlight on his QB derby. Sarkisian noted the reaction on social media when Ewers cut his trademark mullet this offseason, saying the two had spoken about how sometimes your appearance creates a perception about you.
“All of a sudden, now the guy gets a haircut and cleans his beard up a little bit and everyone thinks Quinn’s real serious right now,” Sarkisian said. “But that’s human nature. It’s never been a question of him taking this serious. He wants to be really good. He wants to be a leader on this team. He wants to win a championship with these guys. And that doesn’t change what he does day to day, but appearance is what it is. And so I do think him recognizing that shows some maturity.”
Sarkisian said that Ewers has become a more vocal presence this offseason.
“I think what he’s done, he’s serving for Arch and, ‘Hey, this is what it looks like,'” Sarkisian said. “‘And this is how to go about your business.'”
Sarkisian mentioned, similarly, the attention Manning got earlier this year when he twice lost his student ID and other students shared it on social media, and cautioned that it’s a reminder that Manning is a freshman who still should technically be in high school, despite the excitement around his signing and his name.
“For Arch today, Day 1, there’s some plays for sure that he would love to have back,” Sarkisian said. “There’s some other plays that he made where I think everybody was like, ‘Wow, that was a heck of a play.’ But he brings a worker’s mentality and he wants to be really good at this game.”
Sarkisian also revealed that wide receiver Xavier Worthy, who had a bit of a disappointing sophomore season with 760 yards and nine touchdowns (58.8 yards per game) after a breakout freshman year in which he had 981 yards and 12 TDs, played with a broken hand for about half the season last year.
“Anytime you’re a receiver and you’re playing with a broken hand, that’s a pretty important aspect of your game, and that guy never wanted to sit out, not play,” Sarkisian said, noting that he didn’t reveal it so opponents didn’t know. “He came to work. He fought through it. There were days in practice where we purposely didn’t throw him balls just to take some of the pressure off of it. But I think we’re going to see a version of Xavier Worthy that’s going to be dramatically different now that he’s healthy.”
Monday also brought a new look in the backfield, with Texas seeking replacements for running backs Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson, fixtures for the Longhorns the past few years.
On Monday, Jaydon Blue took first-team reps and freshman Cedric Baxter Jr. also was in the rotation. Sarkisian said running backs Jonathon Brooks (offseason hernia surgery) and Keilan Robinson (muscle strain) were both held out while they recover.
EDMONTON, Alberta — Oilers captain Connor McDavid suffered a lower-body injury and did not return in the third period of a 4-3 overtime loss to the Western Conference-leading Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night.
Goalie Stuart Skinner also was hurt when he was involved in a late-game collision and removed due to concussion protocols. Calvin Pickard stopped three shots in Skinner’s place.
Speaking after the game, coach Kris Knoblauch said there was no update on the statuses of either McDavid or Skinner.
McDavid appeared to get hurt while attempting to chase down the puck in the Jets’ zone when he was bumped by Winnipeg defenseman Josh Morrissey.
In the second period, McDavid assisted on Jeff Skinner‘s goal to extend his point streak to 13 games. McDavid has combined for four goals and 15 assists in the span.
McDavid’s injury came at the same time the Oilers held out NHL leading scorer Leon Draisaitl for precautionary reasons after the forward was hurt in a 7-1 win over Utah on Tuesday. Knoblauch said Draisaitl is day-to-day.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
WASHINGTON — Alex Ovechkin is one step closer to NHL history after the “Great 8” reached a fitting number in his pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s career goals record.
Ovechkin scored his 888th goal Thursday night in a 3-2 victory by the Washington Capitals over Philadelphia that helped them clinch a playoff berth, moving seven back of passing Gretzky’s mark of 894 that long seemed unapproachable.
“Again a big goal at a big time,” goaltender Charlie Lindgren said. “Credit to Ovi: another big goal and another goal off the mark.”
With just over five minutes left in the first period, the puck hit linemate Aliaksei Protas in front and he passed it to Ovechkin. The 39-year-old beat Samuel Ersson for his 35th goal of the season, which is tied for fourth most in the league.
“It was a great play,” Ovechkin said. “Take it and move on.”
Confetti flew and Big Joe Turner’s “Shake, Rattle and Roll” blared from speakers as mascot Slapshot flipped the goal counter in a corner of the arena from 887 to 888. Fans chanted “Ovi! Ovi!” as play resumed.
“Every time he scores, the crowd gets 10 times more involved and it just kind of blows up, and whatever happens after, they’re still always cheering,” winger Andrew Mangiapane said. “It’s a great atmosphere every time he gets a goal for us.”
Mangiapane, who wears jersey No. 88, saw the triple 8s and manifested he might get one, too. Midway through the second period, he scored.
“There was lots of 8s out there,” Ovechkin said.
Ovechkin at his current pace has a chance to to break Gretzky’s record before the end of the regular season.
“It seemed like the last two years no one really expected it to happen this quick,” Flyers captain Sean Couturier said. “It’s definitely special. I’m sure when we’re done playing we can say we played against the greatest goal scorer of all time. … Happy for him. It’s fun to see him get closer.”
The Capitals have 13 games left in the regular season before the playoffs. Ovechkin has one year left on his current contract in case he does not reach the mark this season.
His teammates are hoping he gets to 895 with time to spare.
“We’d love to see him get it done,” Lindgren said. “He’s generating a ton of scoring chances every single game. He could’ve had a couple tonight. Obviously, I don’t know exactly what he’s feeling, I don’t know how much pressure he’s feeling, but, boy, I’ll tell you, seeing him and being with him every day you look at him, you wouldn’t know that he’s feeling any sort of pressure at all.
“He’s still going out and producing and scoring goals for us and being one heck of a captain.”
Coach Spencer Carbery believes there are many positives for the Capitals with Ovechkin on this mission.
“Our guys feed off it on the bench – they’re pulling for him,” Carbery said. “I think it energizes them to play at a higher level. … There’s no question as a coach I feel like this chase and the energy around it hasn’t been a distraction or a hindrance to our group. It’s been a massive benefit.”
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