Ash told Strong and team doctors that he believes the first hit he took against North Texas triggered a recurrence of symptoms after the game. He missed 10 games and received a medical redshirt after suffering a concussion at BYU last season.

Strong said he is worried, but no official determination has been made about how long Ash will be sidelined or if he will play again this season.

“Anytime you have that number of concussions, you have to be concerned,” Strong said. “You’re always concerned about a young man’s health, and we would never jeopardize a young man’s health just for this football team. Players’ health is always first.”

Texas sophomore Tyrone Swoopes will make his first career start at quarterback in Ash’s place. He passed for 26 yards and rushed for 79 and a touchdown in six games last year. True freshman Jerrod Heard will be his backup.

“Tyrone can handle it,” Strong said. “I’m not concerned about that. The team will rally around him.”

Ash was hit on the first play of Texas’ second offensive drive when he mishandled a snap from center Dominic Espinosa. When he recovered his fumble, Ash was immediately hit by UNT defensive end Jarrian Roberts for a 2-yard loss.

Ash did not report symptoms to team doctors during the game or immediately thereafter. He called the Texas staff late Saturday night after experiencing headaches and dizziness and was brought in for further evaluation.

The fourth-year junior was making his 22nd career start and finished with 190 passing yards. He passed for a touchdown and scored another on a 1-yard run.

Ash returned last season to play the first half against Kansas State on Sept. 21, but he did not appear in another game due to recurring concussion symptoms.

Texas will adjust its offensive plans to accommodate Swoopes, a 6-foot-4, 245-pound dual-threat quarterback, but Strong said he has confidence in the sophomore going into his first start.

“We can function,” Strong said. “It’s not like it’s the end of the world. We know we’ve got to go play a football game, and that’s what we’re going to go do.”

Strong also announced Monday that Espinosa, a 40-game starter at center, fractured a bone in his right ankle and is out indefinitely.

Espinosa, a fifth-year lineman, went down in the third quarter Saturday and had to be carted to the locker room.

He has started every game for Texas since the start of the 2011 season and was by far the Longhorns’ most experienced lineman. Texas’ four other starting linemen Saturday have a combined 14 career starts. If Espinosa misses the season, he could apply for a sixth season of eligibility.

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The sophomore threw a 36-yard touchdown strike to Marquise Goodwin with 2:24 left for the last of two fourth-quarter touchdown passes, stunning Oregon State and lifting the Longhorns to a 31-27 comeback victory Saturday night.

The Longhorns (9-4) never led before Goodwin scored his second touchdown on a deep post pattern, just a down after Texas converted a fourth-and-1 play to keep its chances alive.

“I guess in in every situation you have to be thankful,” said Ash, who was pulled in a loss to TCU a month ago and wasn’t immediately selected the starter for the Alamo Bowl. “I learned a lot at TCU. It was a tough situation I was in. I was just really thankful I got another opportunity to play a game I love.”

With Texas down 20-10 at halftime, Longhorns coach Mack Brown said he told his players they would win.

“I told them this it wasn’t going to be easy, but I told them this game was ours and we would win it,” Brown said. “This one is really special.”

Storm Woods ran for 118 yards and scored two touchdowns for the Beavers (9-4), who left stunned after looking as though they would wrap up their first 10-win season since 2006.

“Not to take anything away from Texas, that was a great team offensively and defensively,” Wood said. “In the first half we had a great style of football. In the second half, Texas made some adjustments and I guess, they just wanted it more.”

The victory was a dose of much-needed good news for Texas after coming into the game under a cloud of questions following the suspensions of backup quarterback Case McCoy and injured linebacker Jordan Hicks.

Ash, whose been pulled at times for McCoy this season, was 21 of 33 for 241 yards. Ash sputtered until the fourth quarter, when he went 9 for 11 for 146 yards. Even if there were doubts about Ash before then, Texas had no choice but to stick with him: the only backups were two redshirt freshmen who haven’t taken a snap all season.

Brown announced the suspensions Friday but wouldn’t reveal which players were sent home. A source within the school’s administration told ESPN.com on Friday the players were McCoy and Hicks.

Brown addressed the suspensions during a previously schedule news conference and referred to a local TV report that police were investigating two unidentified Texas players in an alleged sexual assault at a San Antonio hotel. Police released a heavily redacted incident report that only identifies the suspects as two students, one 20 and the other 21.

Authorities are still investigating and no charges have been filed.

Brown said he would not address the suspensions further.

Oregon State quarterback Cody Vaz was 15 of 28 for 194 yards and two interceptions. The Beavers had negative 4 yards in the fourth quarter as they were muffled by the Longhorns defense that was led by Alex Okafor, who finished with 4 1/2 sacks.

“When we tried to just drop back and pass, it was difficult,” Oregon State coach Mike Riley said. “That’s why Cody had to just hang in there. It was very, very tough. He made some plays and some other plays didn’t develop because he didn’t just have time.”

Although Goodwin’s touchdown catch might have won the game, two spectacular Texas plays in an earlier 83-yard scoring drive handed the Longhorns momentum — and a chance.

First was wide receiver Jaxon Shipley rescuing a pass sailing behind him with a dazzling one-handed grab at midfield. Ash made up for that off-target throw six plays later, slithering out of safety Anthony Watkins’ near-certain sack and flinging the ball to Johnathan Gray, who then zipped down the sideline for a 15-yard scoring play that got the Longhorns to 27-24

The Longhorns played for a national championship in 2009. What’s followed has been the shakiest of Brown’s 15 years at Texas: a combined 22-16 record, an overhaul of assistant coaches and stubborn instability at quarterback following seven spoiled years with Heisman Trophy finalists Colt McCoy — the suspended player’s brother — and Vince Young under center.

A surge of four consecutive victories late this season put this nine-win season in reach — a benchmark that had been the ho-hum standard of the Brown era. It comes following an unexpected twist earlier this month, when school President Bill Powers went to his blog to write that Brown had his “full support” and would remain the head coach.

Powers cited an increase an “increase in media speculation” about Brown’s future. It was published on his blog the same day Brown would not yet commit to Ash or Case McCoy as his starting quarterback for the Alamo Bowl.

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