Steve Sarkisian gives injury update on quarterback Casey Thompson

On3 imageby:Justin Rudolph10/09/21

Texas Longhorns quarterback Casey Thompson might not have been at 100 percent to close out the Red River shootout. Thompson and the Longhorns put up big numbers in the game but fell short in the end losing 55-48 to the Oklahoma Sooners.

Head coach Steve Sarkisian had plenty to talk about after blowing a 21-point lead to lose the Red River Showdown. One thing he spoke about was his quarterback’s health coming into the second half of the game in the post-game press conference.

“Casey had kind of banged up his thumb, but trainers got him right and he felt good. Obviously, he played a heck of a game. Almost 400 yards passing, five touchdowns, some critical throws there.”

Texas starts fast but can’t finish

Thompson put on a show in the game before injuring his hand in the first half. In that half, Alex Grinch’s Sooner defense could not stop Thompson and the Longhorns, as Texas marched down the field. The Longhorns reached the endzone through the air on three of their first four drives. He would throw one more touchdown in the half to Jared Wiley to bring his first-half total to four.

The second half is when things fell apart for the Longhorns. After scoring 38 in the first half, they could only muster up 10 points in the second. Their only touchdown came late in the fourth quarter to tie the game after Oklahoma took the lead. It was Thompson’s last touchdown pass of the game. He connected with freshman Xavier Worthy on a 31-yard score, tying the game at 48-48.

He finished with 388 yards passing, completing 20 of his 34 passing attempts and five touchdowns. The best part of his performance was the zero interceptions he threw.

Longhorns lose a key target

Bad news for Thompson as he might be without one of his key targets on the outside. Sarkisian said that sophomore receiver Jordan Whittington suffered a clavicle injury in their 55-48 loss. The sophomore from Cuero, Tx went for three catches for 35 yards in the game. He also added in one rush for eight yards but failed to score a touchdown on the ground or through the air. Whittington was on the sideline after suffering his injury. But in the fourth quarter, he left back to the locker room for further evaluation and did not return to the field of play. Only time will tell if the injury is significant enough for him to miss an extended amount of time.

The Longhorns quarterback was able to put up those kinds of numbers with an injury to his hand. The Sooners should consider themselves lucky. If he did all that injured, one can only imagine what he could’ve done fully healthy.