When it comes to injuries creating ironic storylines, few sports deliver more than college football.
This week’s example involves the Texas Longhorns (8-3), who climbed to No. 11 in Sunday’s updated AP poll and need only a victory over the league cellar-dweller in Friday’s regular-season finale to secure a chance to win the school’s first Big 12 title in nine years.
If Texas defeats Kansas (3-8) in Friday’s matchup in Lawrence, Kan., the Longhorns will play in the Dec. 1 Big 12 championship game against the winner of this week’s battle between No. 6 Oklahoma (10-1) and No. 12 West Virginia (8-2).
To earn their title shot at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, the Longhorns may have to rely heavily on the services of an Arlington native: backup quarterback Shane Buechele, a Lamar High graduate and son of Texas Rangers’ executive Steve Buechele. The younger Buechele, who lost a tight battle for the starting job in fall drills, has played only sparingly this season in relief of Sam Ehlinger.
But his most recent appearance was significant. Buechele came off the bench to complete 10 of 10 passes for 89 yards and a touchdown in Saturday’s 24-3 victory over No. 25 Iowa State, after Ehlinger sustained a bruised throwing shoulder in the first half.
Buechele entered the game with the Longhorns holding a 14-point lead and played a near-flawless second half that included a 27-yard touchdown strike to Lil’Jordan Humphrey late in the third quarter. Ehlinger’s status for the Kansas game is unknown.
After Saturday’s win, Texas coach Tom Herman said X-rays showed no fracture for Ehlinger but the Longhorns’ starter could not throw the ball much farther than 15 yards because of pain and weakness in the arm. An MRI was performed Sunday.
During Monday’s news conference in Austin, Herman stressed that a decision on Ehlinger’s availability for the Kansas game will not be made until later in the week. He said Ehlinger has not been cleared to throw but is expected to do so on Tuesday. In terms of the severity of Ehlinger’s ailment, Herman said there is “no broken bones, no separation, no ridiculous amount of damage. But it’s angry. It’s upset. The join, the shoulder, is inflamed.”If Ehlinger’s improvement is limited between now and Friday, there is a good chance that Buechele, who has started 19 games during his college career, could make his first start of the 2018 season against Kansas … in the same stadium where he was the quarterback of record in the school’s most embarrassing loss as a Big 12 member.
If that becomes reality, Herman said he expects Buechele to meet the challenge in the same venue where the former starter took every snap during Texas’ 24-21 loss to Kansas in 2016 under former coach Charlie Strong.
“Nobody is surprised when Shane comes in and doesn’t miss a beat. He’s the definition of a great teammate,” Herman said of Buechele, who is 10-9 as a Texas starter and led the team to a 23-17 victory over Baylor on Oct. 13 when Ehlinger suffered a similar shoulder injury on the game’s opening possession. “When a guy loses a job, he checks out. That says the world of his professionalism … to come in off the bench, and all he did was go 10 for 10, carried the ball a couple times and threw a touchdown in the second half (against ISU). What a remarkable young man.”
Herman praised Buechele, who had an August discussion with Herman about the possibility of transferring after Ehlinger was named the starter, for his ability to remain ready at a moment’s notice despite minimal practice reps during game week. In his two extended appearances this season, Buechele has completed 30-of-44 passes for 271 yards and 2 touchdowns. Against Baylor, he threw for 184 yards and a TD while also rushing for 11 yards on five carries.
“His family and himself should be extremely proud,” Herman said. “He gets his mental reps at practice, a few physical reps here and there when the 2’s go. But most of his preparation is done mentally. And then he obviously stays extremely engaged throughout the course of the game and nobody bats an eye when he jogs in. I’m just really proud of him. Everybody’s extremely confident in how well he prepares.”
Texas’ opportunity to win its first Big 12 title since 2009 could depend on Buechele’s ability to prepare and atone for his past struggles in Lawrence. During Texas’ 2016 loss, he threw three interceptions, including one on the second snap of overtime, in a game that saw Kansas win its first game in two years against any Big 12 opponent. The loss was Texas’ first to the Jayhawks since 1938 and sealed the fate of Strong, who was fired after the season.
Two years later, Texas heads back to Kansas as a Big 12 title contender while the Jayhawks will be playing their final game under coach David Beaty, who was fired last month but allowed to finish the season. Kansas announced Sunday that former LSU coach Les Miles will take over the program following the Texas game.
After starting this season with a stunning loss to Maryland, the Longhorns have rebounded to win eight of their last 10 games, including a 48-45 upset of sixth-ranked OU on Oct. 6. Running back Tre Watson said the Longhorns are capable of winning Friday with either quarterback under center and plan to earn their way into the Dec. 1 title game.
“We’ve put ourselves in position to have a shot,” Watson said. “Now, we have to finish the journey.”
Unless Ehlinger makes significant progress from his condition Saturday night, when Herman declined to let him re-enter the game despite the starter’s sideline pleas, the opportunity to lead the charge against Kansas probably falls to Buechele. Although Herman said Ehlinger’s shoulder ailment “feels different than the last time” because the quarterback took a direct hit from a face mask rather than being driven into the turf under the weight of a defender, he acknowledged concern about the lingering effects.
“He came up to me and said, ‘Coach, I can go. I can run, I can take a hit,’’’ Herman said. “But (throwing) anything over about 10 or 15 yards, I’m just really weak because of the pain.”
Herman indicated Ehlinger would need to be capable of making all the throws required to win the game before he will return to the lineup. After watching Kansas score 40 points in Saturday night’s 55-40 loss to Oklahoma, Herman acknowledged the team can use all the points it can muster in Lawrence.
“We’re overachieving right now,” Herman said. “We’re winning on toughness. We’re winning on grit.”
In the estimation of Iowa State coach Matt Campbell, “grit” is a commodity that Buechele brings to the Longhorns even when Ehlinger is sidelined.
“I think he did a great job,” Campbell said of Buechele’s emergency role against ISU. “Having a veteran that has a great understanding of the offense, I think that was certainly a major difference in the football game. There’s a guy that’s played a lot of football in this offense and knows his answers when the looks get multiple. He goes where he needs to go, so credit to him.”