Texas' Quinn Ewers Expected to Return from Injury, Start Over Arch Manning vs. OU

As No. 1 Texas returns from its bye week to face No. 18 Oklahoma in the Allstate Red River Rivalry on Saturday in Dallas, it sounds like the team will be bringing back a familiar face under center.

Per ESPN's Dave Wilson, Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian said Monday that the team expects starting quarterback Quinn Ewers to return from his oblique injury in Saturday's game, replacing sophomore Arch Manning after he started the last two games during his absence.

Sarkisian said Ewers participated in practice three times during Texas' bye week and again on Monday. He indicated that it's not yet definite that Ewers will be starting against Oklahoma.

"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."

With Ewers sidelined, Manning led the Longhorns to victories over UL Monroe and Mississippi State. The nephew of NFL legends Peyton and Eli Manning has impressed when he's been on the field this year, completing 70.5 percent of his passes for 901 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions while adding three rushing scores.

Oklahoma also will have a new face under center on Saturday, as freshman Michael Hawkins Jr. took over for struggling starter Jackson Arnold. Hawkins made his first start on the road against Auburn and led the Sooners to a 27-21 win, going 10-of-15 for 161 yards while adding 69 rushing yards and a score plus a two-point conversion.

"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 of Hawkins.

Ewers and the Longhorns lost last season's Red River Rivalry game, in which he threw two interceptions and was sacked five times, so they will be looking for a better showing this time around.