Throughout the current decade, unrest behind center has become a normal way of life on the Forty Acres.

It’s no different now as Texas, 6-6 following a disappointing 27-23 loss to Texas Tech in the regular season finale, prepares to face Missouri (7-5) in the Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl.

Tom Herman doesn’t know whether Shane Buechele or Sam Ehlinger will be the team’s starting quarterback for the Dec. 27 (8 p.m., ESPN) contest. Speaking with reporters on a Sunday night teleconference, Herman said he and his staff haven’t yet discussed whether Buechele or Ehlinger, who each started six of the team’s 12 games during the regular season, will start against the Tigers.

“They’ve rotated reps with the ones and twos evenly,” Herman said, referencing how much work the quarterbacks received through the team’s first two bowl practices in Austin. “So, I haven’t really talked about it much.”

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The Longhorns hit the practice field again on Monday and the plan, according to Herman, is to continue to split the work between Buechele and Ehlinger. While the numbers prior to the Texas Tech game suggested that Ehlinger was the better option the Longhorns should go with to maximize their chances of winning, a lackluster offensive showing against the Red Raiders that included two late-game interceptions by Ehlinger appears to have taken Herman and Tim Beck back to the point of having to open up the quarterback competition.

Both quarterbacks played in eight games with Ehlinger leading the team in passing yards (1,803), touchdown passes (10), rushing attempts (103) and rushing yards (368). Buechele led the team in completion percentage (65.8) and threw fewer interceptions than Ehlinger (Ehlinger threw seven, Buechele threw four).

Ehlinger’s ability to have quarterback runs designed for him and to escape pressure, the latter of which a critical element he provides considering the issues the Longhorns have had along the offensive line throughout the season, is the biggest edge he has on Buechele. That said, for everything Ehlinger has done well as a true freshman he hasn’t cut down on the ill-timed mistakes that showed in overtime against USC and Oklahoma State, in the red zone against West Virginia and late against Texas Tech.

Texas is set to face a Missouri offense led by an NFL prospect at quarterback in Drew Lock that ranks seventh nationally in total offense (511.5 yards per game) and 10th in the country in scoring offense (39.3 points per game). Holding onto the ball and extending possessions to limit the exposure of a defense that will be without two of its best players in DeShon Elliott (declared for the 2018 NFL Draft) and Holton Hill (suspended), and possibly a third should Malik Jefferson be either unable (turf toe) or unwilling (early entry to the draft) to play in the Dec. 27 contest, will be hugely important to the Longhorns’ chances of winning.

Herman said he and the offensive coaches are in no hurry to determine which quarterback would best give the Longhorns a chance to finish with a winning record for the first time since 2013.

“The good thing is with these bowl preps, you can put these guys in some very game-like situations, scrimmage-like situations and see how they do,” Herman said. “So, we’ll keep evaluating them and we’ll make a decision as to the direction we’re headed after a couple weeks.”

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