Official: No. 1 Texas to start Quinn Ewers in Oklahoma showdown

No. 1 Texas will have starting quarterback Quinn Ewers back on the field when it meets No. 18 Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry showdown on Saturday in Dallas. Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian announced Thursday that Ewers has recovered from an oblique injury and will lead Texas against its longtime rival in the first-ever meeting for the teams as members of the Southeastern Conference. The news wasn't as good for Oklahoma. ESPN reported Thursday that Deion Burks, the Sooners' leading receiver, is likely to miss the game because of a soft-tissue injury. Burks, a Purdue transfer who leads the Sooners with 26 catches for 201 yards and three touchdowns in four games, is listed as questionable after missing the team's win over Auburn on Sept. 28. He suffered the injury in Oklahoma's loss to Tennessee on Sept. 21. The Sooners will be shorthanded at wide receiver as Jayden Gibson, Nic Anderson, Andrel Anthony and Jalil Farooq have been ruled out of the game at the Cotton Bowl. J.J. Hester, who had three catches for 86 yards against Auburn, will help pick up the slack. Ewers exited Texas' victory against UTSA on Sept. 14 and was replaced by freshman Arch Manning, who then guided the Longhorns (5-0, 1-0 SEC) to wins over UL Monroe and Mississippi State. This season, Ewers has completed 73.4 percent of his passes for 691 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions, while Manning has completed 70.5 percent of his passes for 901 yards with nine TDs and two interceptions. Oklahoma (4-1, 1-1) defeated Texas 34-30 in last season's clash. --Field Level Media