Longhorn fans got great news Saturday night as Texas Head Athletic Trainer Kenny Boyd announced that quarterback David Ash was cleared to train and practice with the team:
Update on QB David Ash: Head Athletic Trainer for Football Kenny Boyd confirmed Ash is clear for offseason training.
— Longhorn_FB (@Longhorn_FB) January 19, 2014
Ash is anticipated to be available for full participation in spring practices.
— Longhorn_FB (@Longhorn_FB) January 19, 2014
Ash has been out due to concussion symptoms since September 21 against Kansas State. He and freshman Tyrone Swoopes are the only two scholarship QBs Texas has so getting Ash back is huge news. Obviously it’s also great news for Ash as he can finally get back playing football. Hopefully for the sake of his career and his life after football he can stay healthy from here on out.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Jermichael Finley who is in ICU after neck injury suffered late in the Packers’ game against the Browns yesterday. Full story on ESPN. Good luck Jermichael, get well soon.
Both Orangebloods and Horns247 reporting that Jordan Hicks’ injury suffered during Kansas State game will cause him to miss the rest of the year. Rumors are that it’s a torn achilles.
In addition to the beatdown on the scoreboard, Texas left the Red River Rivalry this weekend badly battered and bruised. The official injury report is out and its not pretty:
Junior DE Jackson Jeffcoat sustained a right pectoral muscle rupture in the Oklahoma game, will undergo surgery and is out for the season, Texas’ Head Athletic Trainer for Football Kenny Boyd said on Sunday. It is not the same pectoral muscle Jeffcoat injured in 2011. He had surgery to repair his left pectoral muscle last January and has fully recovered from that injury.
Sophomore QB David Ash sustained a left wrist injury versus the Sooners. His injury occurred during a direct helmet blow to his wrist that resulted in swelling, but initial x-rays show no fracture. He will continue to be evaluated during the week but has not been ruled out for the Baylor game.
Junior DT Brandon Moore (neck sprain) and junior OT Donald Hawkins (left ankle) will be evaluated during the week to determine their availability for the Baylor game, Boyd added. Hawkins sprained his ankle in the first half of the Oklahoma game, and the medical staff did not clear him to return.
Could this weekend have gone any worse? Ugh.
The struggling Texas basketball team suffered a setback even in a win Saturday against Texas Tech. Early in the game starting point guard [tag]Dogus Balbay[/tag] went down in a non-contact injury and Monday we learned the junior from Turkey had torn the ACL in his left knee. He will at least miss the rest of the season.
From the Statesman…
“I think it just buckled on him,” coach Rick Barnes said. “As soon as he went down, he knew.”
Balbay, a junior who started 22 of the Longhorn’ 27 games, led the team with 3.9 assists a game. He had a 2.5-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. He was also the Longhorns’ best defender.
“We’re gonna miss Dogus’ toughness,” Barnes said. “We’re gonna miss his defense.”
With Balbay done, the Horns will need a guard to step up from among the trio of [tag]JCovan Brown[/tag], [tag]Jai Lucas[/tag], and [tag]Justin Mason[/tag]. A week ago Brown would have been the overwhelming favorite to nab Balbay’s minutes, but after starting two straight games the freshman only played 5 minutes against Tech. Hopefully someone steps up on both ends of the court or the free fall will continue.
With National Signing Day and the important junior days, February is usually a time when Texas football fans can focus on recruiting and the beginnings of future Longhorn football careers. This weekend, however, the University announced that two current Longhorns were giving up the football careers and focusing on their academics. Wide receiver [tag]Philip Payne[/tag] and running back [tag]Antwan Cobb[/tag] have both decided to forgo their final year of eligibility and will focus on getting healthy and getting their UT degrees.
WR Philip Payne out of Garland will spend this semester working towards his communications degree:
“It was a very tough decision, but after discussing things with my family, we decided that I’m going to focus all my energy on my school work so I can finish my degree this spring. I’ve enjoyed every minute of my time with the football program and I’m looking forward to the next phase of my life. I’ll miss being around the guys and I can’t say enough about everyone in the program and how much I appreciate everything they did for me. I’m so happy to have been a part of the program, from the football family, to The University and our fans and supporters, it has been the experience of a lifetime. I’ll always be a Longhorn and I’ll be pulling for the team to have another great year in 2010.”
Fullback and special teams standout Cobb’s knee injuries had added up:
“Since my knee injury a couple of years ago, I’ve had a series of injuries and just haven’t been able to get well enough to compete at the level I know I’m capable of. I talked to my family and the coaches and think it’s in my best interest to move on and focus on finishing my degree and getting ready for life after football. It was a tough decision and I’m very appreciative of everything the coaches and staff did to help me through the process. I’ve had a great experience here and learned so many valuable lessons on and off the field that will help me for the rest of my life. I’ll miss not being out there with my teammates every day but will be around and helping any way I can. I’ll always be a part of this family and pulling for my Longhorns.”
Good luck to both young men as they pursue their degrees and finish out their careers as Texas Longhorns.
Texas quarterback Colt McCoy sits down with ESPN to talk about his shoulder injury, how he’s recovering from the mental aspect of missing the biggest game of his life, and his future in the NFL…
It looked awkward but not too bad when it happened, but the pregame injury Texas guard [tag]Varez Ward[/tag] suffered Tuesday night turned out to be season ending. He went down hard during layup drill sand had to be taken off the court on a stretcher and the university announced Wednesday that Ward has ruptured his quadriceps tendon.
From the university:
Statement from Athletic Trainer Eric Fry
MRI results showed that Varez Ward ruptured his right quadriceps tendon. He is scheduled to undergo surgery early next week and will miss the remainder of the season.Statement from Head Coach Rick Barnes
We all feel for Varez. Everyone within our program understands how much time and hard work Varez has put in, and he has been the most improved player on our team from the end of last season. He means a lot to this program. There is one thing for certain, he will be back.
After hurting his knee jumping to celebrate a big play last week, Texas linebacker [tag]Roddrick Muckelroy[/tag] is listed as “probable” on this week’s official injury report for [tag]Baylor[/tag]. Normally you’d think that would mean we’d almost certainly see Rod against the Bears tomorrow, but since it is Baylor it might mean a week of extra space for his tweaked knee. I expect to see him in uniform but not in the game unless it’s an emergency.
The two other names on this week’s report are more familiar as defensive tackle [tag]Calvin Howell[/tag] remains out with his concussion and true freshman offensive lineman [tag]Mason Walters[/tag]’ foot is still keeping him out. Those two players are likely to seek a medical redshirt later in their time at Texas and possibly receive an extra year of eligibility.
Oklahoma State running back Kendall Hunter will be able to play against Texas this Saturday. He’s only played in two games so far this season and is still not 100%, but head coach Mike Gundy says he could get 8 – 10 touches during the game.