Sept. 21, 2008
AUSTIN, Texas -- Longhorn sophomore starting tight end Blaine Irby sustained a dislocated right knee in Texas' 52-10 victory over Rice on Saturday, will undergo surgery and is out for the rest of the season, UT Head Athletic Trainer for Football Kenny Boyd confirmed on Monday.
"It's going to be a long journey, and I just have to take it one step at a time," Irby said. "I know the tight end spot and the offense won't lose a beat because Peter (Ullman) and Greg (Smith) are there to lead the way. I'm going to be there too, helping out Coach Chambers. I'll be there as a coach and a teammate and ready to help anybody in any way that they need me. Coach Brown told me that I could use a medical redshirt since this happened so early in the season, which would give me three more years, but that's down the road. Right now, I just need to focus on being patient, taking it one day at a time, getting healthy and coming back stronger than ever."
The 6-3, 235-pound Irby started all three games and had 10 catches for 95 yards and two touchdowns on the year. He led the Horns with seven catches for 62 yards and a TD in their 52-10 season-opening victory over Florida Atlantic. Irby also posted nine knockdown blocks in that game. He had a 23-yard catch at UTEP and registered two catches for 10 yards before sustaining the knee injury against Rice. He played in 11 games and registered two catches for 29 yards as a true freshman in 2007.
"We have a great history of tight ends and Blaine was quickly developing into the type of player to follow in those footsteps," said head coach Mack Brown. "He was getting better every week and making a big impact in our offense. Blaine was very productive for us at a key time since we lost Jermichael (Finley) early to the NFL. As much as we'll miss him this season, thank goodness he'll get a redshirt year and have three seasons left when he gets back."
In addition to Finley leaving school early, Texas also lost sophomore Josh Marshall during preseason drills. He sustained a left scapula injury and remains out indefinitely. Senior Peter Ullman and sophomore Greg Smith both have played this season and will compete for the starting tight end job.
Redshirt freshman Ahmard Howard will move up the depth chart and compete for action after playing primarily on special teams this season. Fellow redshirt freshman Ian Harris, who sustained a neck sprain in August, is expected to be cleared to return to practice soon. Offensive tackle Britt Mitchell has been playing tight end in short-yardage and goal-line situations as well.
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