This week presents a gut-check moment for Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, both literally and figuratively.

Coach Steve Sarkisian reported Monday that Ewers practiced on Monday as he improves from a strained abdominal injury. But it’s imperative the Longhorns’ starting quarterback be honest with his coach about his pain level.

Starting Saturday’s SEC opener against Mississippi State — UT’s debut outing in the new conference — is important, no doubt. But it’s merely one game in what the No. 1-ranked Longhorns (4-0, 0-0 SEC) hope is a long journey into January and the College Football Playoffs.

“I think the beauty of it for Quinn and I is, our time together, him having to come back from injuries previously is him knowing that being honest with me is in his best interest and our best interest,” Sarkisian said Monday. “I’ll do everything in my power to put him in the best possible position to be successful if he plays, and if he doesn’t, OK, what does that look like moving forward?

“But I think our history together is probably the most beneficial thing that we have going for us this week,” the coach added.

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Ewers did practice Monday, and Sarkisian said, “I was actually impressed with where he was today.” Still, when Texas’ first SEC injury report is released on Thursday, Ewers is likely to be listed as questionable.

“If I had to put a report out (Monday), he’d be questionable for Saturday,” Sarkisian said.

This is the third straight year Ewers has suffered some kind of injury that kept him out of the lineup. In 2022, Ewers suffered a broken clavicle after getting smashed into the turf by an Alabama defender. Last season, he had a shoulder injury against Houston.

This season against UTSA in the third game of Texas’ season, Ewers threw a long pass to tight end Gunna Helm and felt something funny. Everyone was busy watching Helm hurdle a would-be tackler, but Ewers was in pain back behind the line of scrimmage.

Sarkisian told Ewers to get down and let the trainers come out. Ewers was pulled from the game and went to the locker room, opening the door for backup Arch Manning.

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As the entire college football world knows by now, Manning went wild against the Roadrunners, throwing for four touchdowns, running 67 yards for another and triggering an internet tornado of hype.

But Sarkisian got ahead of the Manning train last week when he noted, in rather firm fashion, that Texas had a championship caliber team and Ewers “is the quarterback of that.” ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit even praised Sarkisian for trying to stop the speculation dead in its tracks.

So whether Manning starts this week against Mississippi State (1-3, 0-1 SEC) or not, Ewers will be put back into the lineup when he’s healthy.

“He’s got to do enough to show me he can play,” Sarkisian said. “I know that’s probably not the answer you wanted, but that’s what I mean. We’ve got a game plan. Can he execute the game plan? I hate to pare it down to that. But that’s really the truth.”