AUSTIN, TX — Starting center Cole Hutson won’t start when Texas faces Kentucky at Kroger Field on Saturday, but he has an experience replacement to help fill his shoes in the meantime.
Hutson was listed as out in the SEC availability report, along with wide receiver Aaron Butler and linebacker Jonathan Cunningham. Connor Robertson, a fourth-year offensive lineman, will replace Hutson at center.
Head coach Steve Sarkisian addressed Hutson’s injury in Thursday’s media availability, saying it wasn’t season-ending, but that he would need some time to recover.
“Hopefully, he’ll be back sooner rather than later,” Sarkisian said. “Time will tell. We have another player on the team who has a very similar injury who bounced back probably quicker than we anticipated, so hopefully he’s not out very long.”
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As a fourth-year offensive lineman who has played in 42 games, Hutson brings much-needed experience to this year’s offensive line. He started at center in four games so far this season, missing Sam Houston due to a separate injury. Robertson took over for Hutson during that game, earning his first career start
Robertson has been with Texas football for four years and has appeared in 23 career games.
“When you talk about continuity, it’s not like we’re throwing a new guy in there at the center,” Sarkisian said. “This guy’s been in the program, he’s been in the system. He knows all the calls, so we’re very comfortable with him that way.”
One important factor to consider when starting a new center is their connection with the quarterback.
“He’s got really good rapport with Arch [Manning],” Sarkisian said. “They’re very close, and I think that there’s some connectivity there, which is important [for] the quarterback and the center.
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