Texas QB David Ash declared out for TCU game

For a fourth game, the Texas Longhorns will be without junior quarterback David Ash against the TCU Horned Frogs this weekend, as he is still recovering from the head injury he sustained against BYU.

Senior Case McCoy will once again get the start for Texas, but concern is increasing that Ash will not be able to play again this season. He returned against Kansas State only to see a recurrence of symptoms that continue to this time, though the release indicated that Ash "continues to progress in recovery."

Head coach Mack Brown said on Monday morning during the Big 12 teleconference that Ash wants to return and play this season, but the question has never been about his toughness, which he clearly demonstrated when he took a big hit down the field against Kansas State on a scramble instead of sliding and last season attempting to play through a cracked rib against TCU.

The question is whether his body will allow him to play again, whether that would be this season or next. He still should be eligible for a medical redshirt having played in less than four games, though he would not be eligible to regain his of eligibility if he is cleared by doctors but elects not to play, a scenario that doesn't seem particularly likely with Ash's competitiveness.

McCoy has been playing at the highest level of his career, as he's thrown only one interception this year during the Oklahoma that broke the third-longest such streak in Texas history, trailing only two efforts from current play caller Major Applewhite. With wins in his last two starts, the Longhorns are now 3-7 in games in which McCoy attempts 16 or more passes.

And though it has looked increasingly likely that freshman quarterback Tyrone Swoopes will redshirt this season, Brown continued to maintain on Monday morning that the Whitewright product is being prepared to play, as he has been for some time. Swoopes is yet to see the field, however, as Brown has said that the coaches don't yet feel comfortable putting him in the game.

In other injury news, senior safety Adrian Phillips (stinger) and sophomore linebacker Dalton Santos (elbow) will be evaluated throughout the week in order to determine their availability for the TCU game, but are expected to play.