Sark still unsure on starting QB for SEC debut
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Dave Wilson, ESPN Staff Writer
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said on Thursday that the No. 1 Longhorns still haven’t decided on a starting quarterback for Saturday’s inaugural SEC game against Mississippi State.
Quinn Ewers was listed as questionable on Texas’ first SEC injury report, still recovering from an oblique strain. Arch Manning made his first career start last week in a 51-3 win over UL Monroe.
“We’re going to decide on the quarterback thing tomorrow,” Sarkisian said. “It won’t be a secret. We’re not trying to pull the wool over anybody’s eyes. Just want to give Quinn every opportunity to see if he’s ready to play and what he looks like.”
Sarkisian said on Monday that Ewers practiced and looked good, but he wanted to see how he was feeling after a week of work. He said he has been encouraged by what he has seen all week, even from third-string quarterback Trey Owens, a true freshman.
“I’d say he’s improved every day,” Sarkisian said on Thursday. “I think Arch has had a very good week, and I would say this: Trey Owens probably had his best practice as a Longhorn today, so that was really encouraging as well.”
Mississippi State has had injury issues of its own at quarterback and will be starting a true freshman, Michael Van Buren Jr., after starter Blake Shapen was lost for the season last week with a shoulder injury that will require surgery. Van Buren, the No. 57 prospect in the 2024 ESPN 300, went 7-for-13 for 100 yards off the bench in a 45-28 loss to Florida on Saturday.
Sarkisian said that presents a challenge to Texas, without having much film on a new quarterback. And he knows his opponent in first-year Bulldogs coach Jeff Lebby, who was Oklahoma’s offensive coordinator last year when Dillon Gabriel led the Sooners on a 75-yard drive in 62 seconds to beat Texas, 34-30.
“It’s a small sample size,” Sarkisian said. “They’ve had a week now to prepare a game plan for the things that he does well, and that’s what we’re going to have to sort through and figure out. But knowing Jeff Lebby, a really good offensive mind, he’s going to put him in a good position to have some success. … Our job is to try to get him uncomfortable and we’ll see how effective we are.”
The defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers are rolling. The Carolina Hurricanes are reeling.
Sam Bennett scored one of his two goals in Florida’s three-goal first period, Sergei Bobrovsky made 17 saves, and the Panthers beat the Hurricanes 5-0 on Thursday night to take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.
Gustav Forsling and Matthew Tkachuk also scored in another tone-setting opening 20 minutes for the Panthers, while Carter Verhaeghe had three assists in the win.
“It might have been natural for us to take a little bit to get going tonight, and it was the exact opposite,” said Tkachuk, whose putaway off the feed from Verhaeghe at the crease marked his first goal since Game 3 of the first round against the Tampa Bay Lightning. “It was an unreal start from us. The goals aside, just the way we played in the first period was as good as it gets. Yeah, that’s just a hell of a road trip.”
Florida had already ripped home-ice advantage away Tuesday night with a 5-2 win, the opener in a rematch of the 2023 conference finals swept by the Panthers with four one-goal wins. Florida tightened its grip on the series with this one and now heads back south to host Game 3 on Saturday night.
Bennett scored a second time by skating in to clean up an attempt at the right post in the final minute of the second period to make it 4-0, ending a long shift in Carolina’s end prolonged by Hurricanes defenseman Brent Burns being stuck on the ice after breaking his stick. Aleksander Barkov added a goal midway through the third as punctuation.
Bobrovsky had his third shutout of the playoffs this year and the sixth of his career, with Florida’s defense smothering a Carolina team that typically peppers the net with shots but found little daylight.
Florida has won four straight road games by a combined score of 22-4, this time sending Hurricanes fans fleeing for the exits early.
“It’s fun when you’re on the road and it goes quiet,” Verhaeghe said. “It feels like we’re doing our job.”
It wasn’t all great news for Florida. Veteran forward Sam Reinhart was knocked from the game in the first period after taking a hit from Sebastian Aho in the left leg, causing Reinhart’s knee to bend awkwardly.
Panthers coach Paul Maurice said after the game that Reinhart would be evaluated Friday and that there would be no update on Reinhart’s status until Saturday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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