With Ehlinger set, UT ponders backup plan By Danny Davis hasn't been hard to answer. freshman is also eight months [email protected] There simply weren't a lot of removed from a knee injury possible answers. During Tom that ended his spectacular To be clear, Texas has Herman's UTcoaching debut prep career at Duncanville. a starting quarterback. seasonin2017, his only schol­ That leaves Thompson and Full stop. Period. End of arship quarterbacks were freshman Hudson Card discussion. Ehlinger and Shane Buechele. as the more viable backup Sam is still the man. Sam The next year, Buechele was candidates. Ehlinger enters Ws senior clearly favored over fresh­ Ifthe season started today season with 33 starts, 8,870 men Cameron Rising and - it actually kicks off with a career passing yards and 68 Casey Thompson. AfterTexas home game against UTEP on touchdown tosses. Only Colt moved Roschon Johnson to Sept. 12 - Thompson would McCoy has thrown for more running back last year, only be the second in line. In this yards and touchdowns at Thompson and a couple of scenario, Herman analyzed Texas quarterbacll Casey Thompson scrambles past Louisiana Tech Texas. walk -ons remained. that experience simply wins defensive end Milton Wiliams late In last year's season opener. But who's Ehlinger's Now there are four scholar­ out. Thompson got 42 snaps last season as Sam Ehlinger's backup, backup? ship quarterbacks. Ja 'Quinden incblint some mop-up action in the Alamo Bowl win over utah. In past years, that question Jackson is practicing, but the SeeTEXAS, C4 [STEPHEN SPILLMAN/FOR STATESMAN] TEXAS FtomPageCl "That should be an interesting battle for years to come," Herman said Sunday of Thompson and Card. "But if we played a game tomorrow, certainly Fresllnan Hudson card, the Casey is the most game­ latest In a string of L.alle Travis ready of the two." quarterbac:b who signed with Thompson, a third-year FBS programs, is battling for sophomore, is the son of the bactup role in the Texas former Oklahoma quar­ Ofteme, [RICARDO B. BRAZZial/ terback Charles Thompson. AMERICA/11-STATESMAI'{] The four-star signee red­ shirted in 2018 and saw Car d was the Cavaliers' some mop-up duty last fill-in quarterback in the season, getting 42 snaps 2017Class 6ADivisionltitle while closing out wins game. After Lake Travis lost over Louisiana Tech, Rice, its starter on the first snap, Texas Tech and Utah. He Card totaled 297 yards of completed 8 of 12 passes offense in a 35-33 loss to and scored on a 2 -yard run. Allen. Despite the limited game Referencing Card's time, he still managed to comeback from a foot injury impress some onlookers. during his senior year, Lake Ahead of the Alamo Bowl, Travis head coach Hank Herman recalled a prac­ Carter described his former tice in which a guest coach quarterback as "tough and nudgedhimandsaid, "Hey, gritty as nails." Carter has that backup you've got is worked at Lake Travis since pretty dang good, isn't he?" 2008, and many of Card's "He's really, really tal­ attributes - ann strength, ented," Herman said in athleticism and mentality December. "When he gets - remind him of the best his shot, there's no doubt parts of a Cavs quarterback in any of our minds that lineage that includes cur­ he's got the skill set to be a rent Baylor starter Charlie championship-level quar- Brewer. terback here." "He's kind of a combina­ Card was among the eight tion of all of them," Carter early enrollees this year, but said. "Tremendous athlete. the four-star freshman was If he had never played quar­ unable to do much since terback, he would have had spring practices were called the same amount of offers." offbecauseofthecoronavi­ Texas otight not need to rus pandemic. Still, Herman worry about its backup this said the Longhorns are season. It didn't last year as "veryexcitedwithHudson's Ehlinger remained healthy potential." over 13 games. But two Ehlinger noted last year years ago, Texas wouldn't that Card comes from "a have reached the Sugar long line of successful quar­ Bowl had it not been able terbacks at Lake Travis." to turn to Buechele after Card is, indeed, the ninth Ehlinger's injuries in wins straight starter from Lake over Baylor and Iowa State. Travis' quarterback factory And four times in 2017, to sign with an FBS-level either an injured Buechele school. (Nate Yarnell, a was replaced by Ehlinger senior and Card's expected or an injured Ehlinger was successor at Lake Travis, is replaced by Buechele. committed to Pittsburgh). Last season, three of Two Lake Travis quarter­ the top 10 teams in The backs - Baker Mayfield and Associated Press' year-end Garrett Gilbert - are in the poll did not have a quar­ NFL. terback who started every Card threw 74 touchdown game. No.6 Florida, No. passes in his final two years 8 Alabama and No. 9 Penn in high school. Primarily State all needed to start a used his sophomore year backup at least once because as an all-district receiver, of the starter's injury. Football activities tied to virus cases at Austin-area schools 11 of 25 known Interim Austin -Tr avis COVID-19 cases are Cow1ty Health Authority linked to football Dr. Mark Escott told Austin strength and City Council members conditioning Tuesday that, as a whole, the area is doing well fight­ By Ryan Autullo ingoffCOVID-19. [email protected] The seven-day average of new cases and daily new Althoughin-personleam­ hospitalizations are both ing has not started for most at the lowest they've been Austill area schools, public in nearly three months. health offi­ Now, Escott said, would cials have be a good time for people identified t o schedule elective sur­ at least 25 geries they might have put coronavi­ off while hospitals were rus cases at treating more COVID-19 primary and patients. Escott second- But there are two rea­ ary schools sons for caution, Escott - with nearly half of them said: socializing over the linked to football strength and conditioning activities. See VIRUS, Ab Austill Public Health is risk," Escott said. VIRUS not naming schools where Escott said ilwestiga­ there are known infec­ tions are underway in FromPageAl tions. Escott said one coordination with schools school has put a stop to where clusters were found football workouts. to see ifbasic health pre­ upcoming Labor Day An Austill Independent cautions were taken. holiday weekend and the School District spokes­ The Austill school dis­ reopening of schools. woman said Tuesday that trict's guidelines include Lake Travis elementary her office did not have disillfectmg equipment students and others who accesstocoronavirustest used during practices. have opted for in-person results, but that the infor­ Students are asked to learning can return as mation would! be available bring a reusable water early as Sept. 8. Leander through an open records bottle to practices and to also will resume in-per­ request. The American­ wash their uniforms every son learning in phases Statesman made a request day. Staff members and beginning Sept. 8. The Tuesday and is awaiting a students must wear face Austin school district is response. coverings while inside scheduled to open for in­ Some area school locker rooms, meeting person learning Oct. 5. districts begin official rooms, training rooms Escott said clusters of football practices this and other areas where coronavirus cases have week, moving on from groups congregate. been found at four local the conditio·ning phase Escott is encouraging schools. A cluster is of the preseason. They schools to send letters defined as at least three are scheduled to play their alerting parents to the people at each site testing first games Sept. 25 with risks of their children positive. Early indications stadiums capped at 25% participati11g in extracur­ are that 11 ofthe25 known capacity. Some smaller ricular activities. cases associated with schools started playing As for the Labor Day the clusters are linked last week. holiday weekend, Escott to football strength and "Even if they are run­ is encouraging people to conditioning activities, ning on a treadmill or remain disciplined and Escott said. It's unclear liftil1g weights, if they're avoid pool parties and what activities might doing that without a mask barbecues. have contributed to the or have a spotter that's "Ifwe relax too quickly, other cases. standing over them, it's we'll pay for it in two or For privacy reasons, goillg to illcrease their three weeks," he said. HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: PRESEASON RANKINGS Westlake football players hoist the state championship trophy after beating Denton Guyer in last year's Class 6A Division II title game. The Chaps enter this season ranked atop the American-Statesman's preseason Class 6A pol. [STEPHEN SPILLMAN/ FOR STATESMAN] CLASS6A 4.Manor 8-6 Mustangs reloading under new Team 2019 W·L coach James Keller after run to 1. Westlake 15-1 regional finals in Dl Defending Class 6A Division S. Georgetown 8-4 II state champ boasts stel­ Gritty Eagles return 13 letter­ lar defense, young offensive men in 01, including dual-threat play makers QB Darson Herman 2. Lake Tiavis 13·2 Also receiving votes: MCCallum, Perennial state contender has EastView made five straight trips to at least state semifinals CLASS 4A AND BELOW 3. Vandegrift 11·1 Vipers haven't lost a regular­ 1. Lampasas 13-2 season game since 2017 Coming off best playoff run 4. Vista Ridge 8-3 in school history in 4A 01 and All-state QB Kyle Brown returns returns QB Ace Whitehead for dynamic offense 2.