Published: October 08, 2007 07:39 pm            

Texas loses receiver Limas Sweed to wrist injury

AUSTIN (AP) — Texas senior wide receiver Limas Sweed, whose 20 career touchdown catches rank No. 2 in school history, will have wrist surgery that will end his season, the team announced late Monday.

Sweed will have surgery to repair ligament damage, trainer Kenny Boyd said. He first injured the wrist in the preseason but came back to play in the No. 23 Longhorns’ first six games. He had just two catches in a 28-21 loss to Oklahoma and was taken out late in the game.

“I knew it was an injury I would be dealing with going into the season and I did everything I could to play through the pain and help the team,” Sweed said.

“I’ve aggravated it a couple of times and again last week and have probably been in more pain than I let anybody know,” Sweed said.

Losing Sweed is a blow to a Longhorns team trying to end a four-game losing streak in the Big 12 that dates to last season. Texas (4-2, 0-2) plays at Iowa State (1-5, 0-2).

Sweed tied a school record last season with 12 touchdown receptions. He started 39 consecutive game and had 19 receptions with three TDs this year.

At 6-foot-5, Sweed was often a mismatch for cornerbacks and a big target for Texas quarterbacks. He averaged 33.3 yards on his touchdown catches, none bigger than his late-game catch in the end zone at Ohio State in 2005, a key victory in Texas’ march to the national championship that season.

“He’s made a lot of great plays and had a record-setting career at Texas,” Brown said. “We appreciate everything he did to try to help the team this year, but since he is in such intense pain, he cannot continue to play.”

Team physician Dr. Carey Windler said the Longhorns have been monitoring the injury all season. On Monday, he recommended having surgery now.

Sweed said he hopes to be healthy in time to work out for NFL teams before next year’s draft.

“I’m disappointed I won’t be out there playing but I ’ll be around cheering on the guys and doing everything I can to help the team,” Sweed said.

Texas also will be without junior fullback Luke Tiemann and junior defensive end Aaron Lewis at least part of the season.

Tiemann will have surgery to repair a fracture in his right wrist and fractured his left elbow against Oklahoma. Tiemann will miss at least two weeks and Lewis will be out indefinitely, Boyd said.

        

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