Texas QB Shane Buechele suffered a sprained ankle vs. ISU

After one game back following two games sidelined by a bruised throwing shoulder, Texas Longhorns sophomore quarterback Shane Buechele is banged up once again:

Buechele also took a significant hit to his non-throwing shoulder on Thursday night against the Iowa St. Cyclones, but his toughness is undeniable — he remained effective running the football despite all the hits he took.

However, the sophomore’s shoulder didn’t quite look right against the ‘Clones, as the football didn’t jump out of his hand as it did during the spring, and Buechele didn’t show any ability to drive the football down the field effectively.

As a result, there are now further concerns about whether Buechele is actually healthy and how effective he can be this season if he keeps getting banged up, as he has been now for most of his career.

Based on the fact that head coach Tom Herman and offensive coordinator Tim Beck didn’t turn away from Buechele even amidst his second-half struggles in Ames, it’s hard to imagine that freshman Sam Ehlinger will start next weekend.

But the Longhorns will need the quarterback in the running game and the health of Buechele’s ankle could impact that part of the game plan.

With so little margin for error now across the entire team, this is a setback Texas can’t particularly afford, though it’s certainly not as bad as it could be.