Another QB Battle?: Texas' Thompson Makes Case For QB1 In Arkansas Loss
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian put up 45 unanswered points and over 500 yards of offense last season against Arkansas as Alabama's offensive coordinator. Maybe one day he'll get a chance to do that again when Texas joins the Southeastern Conference permanently.
For now, he'll have to find the right quarterback to finish 2021.
If there's anything to take away from No. 15 Texas' 40-21 loss in Fayetteville besides the fact that the Horns aren't SEC-material yet, it's that the battle for quarterback isn't over.
Hudson Card took Round 1. Casey Thompson made the case in two drives to take Round 2.
Now, who wins the third and final round?
Card's inconsistencies under center led to an early lead for the Razorbacks (2-0) in the first quarter. Texas picked up two first downs in the entire first half and missed a pair of field goals from Cameron Dicker.
But the real story was Card, who looked the part of QB1 in a 38-18 victory over then-No. 23 Louisiana. His passing was erratic at best. Throws that looked easy against the Ragin Cajuns weren't the same against the Razorbacks.
READ MORE: Failure in Fayetteville: Texas Offense Falls Flat in Loss vs Arkansas
A fumble late in the quarter was enough for Sarkisian to call on Thompson. Card finished 8 of 15 passing for 61 yards off 10 drives.
"We didn't play very good as a football team especially an offensive football team in the first half," Sarkisian said. "I thought we had some opportunities that we weren't able to take advantage of."
Thompson added a certain flair to the game when passing. He connected with wide receiver Jordan Whittington for a 7-yard gain and later for 15. Both passes to Xavier Worthy and Kelvontay Dixon went for 15-plus, one of which place Texas at the 1-yard line.
Thompson tacked on 44 rushing yards and a pair of rushing touchdowns to make things interesting and dynamic for the offense. Overall, he finished with 101 total yards on the evening.
"Casey maximized his opportunity," running back Bijan Robinson said. "I feel that he came in, stayed calm, understand the situation that he kind of had to bring us out of. He just knew what we had to do to get as much as he can to execute."
READ MORE: Back To The Drawing Board: Texas Falls In Fayetteville 40-21
Sarkisian told reporters Thursday that Thompson would see action, but didn't know how much based on the game flow. Two drives were enough to see that one week of play isn't enough to decide who's starting the remainder of the season.
Texas returns back to Austin to face Rice in Week 3. Sarkisian likely will give the starting nod to Card. That doesn't mean Thompson is playing mop-up duty.
"We have to understand that the way we played tonight was not enough for to win,"
Big 12 play is on the horizon. The Longhorns will face Texas Tech in Week 4, followed by TCU in Week 5. Both teams currently sit at 2-0, and the offense ran in Lubbock and Fort Worth could match Texas' defense pound for pound.
Thompson said last month that playing quarterback is much like a racecar driver. The bends, turns, and high tempo all must be mastered to win any race or, in this case, football.
Race cars only need one driver. Texas only needs one quarterback. It just has to be the right one, meaning Sarkisian must find "his" guy before pulling out of the pit next weekend at home.
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