Kelvin Banks Jr. Excluded from Texas Team in SEC Championship Game
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas Longhorns junior left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. will be sitting out the Southeastern Conference championship game against Georgia this Saturday. Banks sustained an ankle injury during the early part of the first quarter in a game against Texas A&M, leading him to leave the field with a hobble and return to the sidelines wearing a walking boot. Despite being originally listed as a game-time decision on the official SEC availability report just 90 minutes before the 3 p.m. kickoff, Banks did not participate in the pregame warmups in full uniform. His status as questionable had been indicated on the report throughout the week.
Impressive Fill-in Performance by Trevor Goosby
During Banks’ absence against the Aggies, redshirt freshman Trevor Goosby stepped up to the challenge and performed remarkably well. His efforts greatly contributed to Quintrevion Wisner achieving a career-high of 186 rushing yards in a 17-7 victory during the Lone Star Showdown.
Monitoring Quinn Ewers’s Ankle and Strategic Player Usage
As the team prepares for the championship game, there is a keen focus on quarterback Quinn Ewers’s ankle condition, as he was limited in practice leading up to the Texas A&M match. Although Ewers showcased his mobility with a 24-yard scramble in the first quarter, head coach Steve Sarkisian opted to utilize Arch Manning in red zone situations to avoid putting Ewers at risk for quarterback runs.
Trevor Etienne Cleared to Play for Georgia
On the Georgia side, running back Trevor Etienne was removed from the injury report on Saturday after being marked as questionable throughout the week. Etienne’s return is significant, considering his impressive performance in a previous game against the Longhorns where he scored three touchdowns and rushed for 87 yards in a 30-15 victory on October 19 in Austin.
The championship game between Texas and Georgia is scheduled to air on ABC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, promising an intense match-up between the two powerhouse teams. Stay tuned for updates and analysis as the game unfolds.
