Texas Longhorns quarterback David Ash was out on the practice field on Wednesday in jersey and shorts throwing passes, said head coach Mack Brown during his media availability.

The return to the practice field to start the clock on a week free of concussion symptoms has Brown hopeful that Ash could return to practice next week on Tuesday. It was only the second time that the Texas quarterback has been out at practice since before the Kansas State game, though he has not yet practiced.

"It's the first time he's thrown out there around us," Brown said. "And he was in a drill with Major to be very specific. He was standing and throwing with one of the other players while he was watching practice. But he stayed out there the whole time and he has been in meetings now for a week so he is making significant progress."

Ash had been declared out of the West Virginia game on Monday as a result of a recurrence of the symptoms that have kept him out since the second half of the Kansas State game on September 21.

The setback over the weekend came after a week of optimistic news that included Brown saying Ash had made progress despite losing 10 pounds, a fact that suggests Ash may not be in game-ready shape even if his symptoms stay away and he returns to practice next week -- the best-case scenario at this point is probably a return for the Thanksgiving game against Texas Tech.

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