Horns expect Ewers to be ready to start vs. OU
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Dave Wilson, ESPN Staff Writer
Coach Steve Sarkisian expects quarterback Quinn Ewers to be ready to start when No. 1 Texas plays No. 18 Oklahoma in the Allstate Red River Rivalry on Saturday in Dallas, but the Longhorns will continue to monitor his recovery through the week.
Ewers suffered an oblique injury while throwing across his body and was replaced by Arch Manning in Texas’ victory against UTSA on Sept. 14. Manning started the past two games — victories over UL Monroe and Mississippi State.
Sarkisian said Ewers practiced three times last week and again Monday.
“I thought he looked good coming off the bye,” Sarkisian said. “I think if anybody benefited from the time off, it was probably him. We’re going to monitor him daily just to kind of see how he continues to progress, but I feel good about how he was [Monday].
“I feel good about him going into Saturday, but that remains to be seen.”
Sarkisian said he expects the unexpected against the Sooners (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC), since they are both coming off bye weeks. The Longhorns know they’ll have to prepare for new OU starter Michael Hawkins Jr., who took over for a struggling Jackson Arnold.
Hawkins, a freshman, was 10-for-15 for 161 yards, ran for 69 yards and a score and added a 2-point conversion in his first start — a 27-21 road win at Auburn.
“He went 50 for a touchdown against Auburn, so we got to be really mindful of his ability to extend plays and then create explosive [plays] with his legs,” Sarkisian said.
Nine of the last 10 games between the rivals have been decided by a one score or less. Last year was another classic, with No. 12 Oklahoma driving 75 yards in five plays, capped by Dillon Gabriel‘s 3-yard touchdown pass to Nic Anderson with 15 seconds left to beat the No. 3 Longhorns 34-30. In that game, Ewers threw for 346 yards, but had two interceptions and was sacked five times, tied for the most in a game in his career.
This is the 44th time both teams will be ranked heading into the game, which is second only to the Ohio State–Michigan rivalry (49). It’s the fifth time Texas will enter the game ranked No. 1; Texas is 3-0-1 in the previous four.
“There’s just stuff that happens in this game that I think that’s what makes this game special,” Sarkisian said. “We’re fortunate to be part of it. And this week’s no different.”
Between the stakes and the atmosphere at the State Fair of Texas, Sarkisian said he’s not going to need any motivational ploys.
“To think I’m going to have to give some Knute Rockne speech to get ready for this game is probably not true,” Sarkisian said. “I could probably show up at kickoff and our guys will be ready to play on Saturday morning.”
Knight’s Choice has won the 2024 Melbourne Cup, defeating Warp Speed and Okita Soushi in a thrilling finish at Flemington on Tuesday afternoon.
The massive outsider saluted for Irish-born jockey Robbie Dolan, who claimed victory in what was his first ever ride in the “race that stops a nation”.
In what was a gripping 164th staging of Australia’s most-watched thoroughbred race, Knight’s Choice proved too strong in a sprint to the finish, pulling over the top of Okita Soushi and holding off Warp Speed by the barest of margins.
Trained by John Symons and Sheila Laxon on the Sunshine Coast, Knight’s Choice was well down the betting across all markets. It was Laxon’s second Melbourne Cup triumph after she trained Ethereal to victory 23 years ago.
“This is the pinnacle of all pinnacles, this is the Melbourne Cup,” Symons said.
Zardozi rounded out the first four.
As the field approached the final few hundred metres it appeared as though Jamie Kah, aboard Okita Soushi, would become just the second woman to ride the winner in the Melbourne Cup. But Okita Soushi was swallowed up as the winning post neared, with Knight’s Choice beating Warp Speed to the line after a peach of a ride from Dolan.
“We’ll be singing tonight after a few beers,” Dolan, who was a contestant on the 2022 edition of “The Voice”, told Channel 9.
“It is amazing and a lot of people doubted this little horse. Doubt me now.”
Laxon was more than happy with the ride, with Dolan threading his way through the field from near last on the bend.
“He started the race, and he knew how to ride him. We didn’t give him instructions, he knew what to do,” she said.
“I love it being down for the Australians. The Australian horse has done it, and Robbie is Australian now as well, so I’m thrilled to win the Cup, and it is the people’s Cup, and that’s what it is all about.”
Knight’s Choice is just the sixth Australian-bred horse to win since 1993, and the first since Vow and Declare back in 2019.
The five-year-old gelding carried only 51kg to victory and was making its first start over the 3200m trip. It had most recently come off a fifth-placed finish in the Bendigo Cup, but had showed sparing little form this preparation otherwise.
“I watched every Melbourne Cup for the last 40 years. I thought my best chance was to get him to stay the trip and, hopefully, he can run home and do the quick sectionals he can on a good track and he proved everybody wrong,” Dolan said.
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