Hey, I'll admit it, I had some doubts about Quinn Ewers going into Saturday night.
The talent has always been there. Everyone knows about his arm. We've seen flashes, but we've never seen what we witnessed on Saturday night in Tuscaloosa.
What exactly did we witness?
* A very strong case (see below) can be made that we witnessed the best road-game passing performance in the history of Texas football against a Top 10 opponent.
* A very strong case can be made that Ewers' performance was better than the one Johnny Manziel gave in 2012, which eventually led to a Netflex documentary. All Ewers did was nearly throw for 100 more yards and an extra touchdown than Manziel did in the game of his life.
* A very strong case can be made that Ewers led the Longhorns to the best performance any Texas team has put together against a top-5 team on the road in the last 40 years.
This was no ordinary, run-of-the-mill moment in the history of Texas football. This was truly unlike anything any of us that have watched Texas football for decades has ever seen.
Welcome to the beginning of your newfound legacy, Mr. Ewers.
Throughout the off-season, I openly wondered what Ewers was playing for this season and how he might be remembered if he plays onlytwo seasons for the Longhorns before heading to the NFL as a likely first-round pick in the 2024 Draft.
Perhaps Saturday was the beginning of the answer to the question, as the Longhorns are now in a position to chase some dreams that have only occasionally been realized in the last 40 years. Oh, there's a long way to go this season, so we probably shouldn't get too far ahead of ourselves , but the entire nation can suddenly see the light at the end of this 2023 tunnel.
This team and its quarterback just put down a new marker for what is capable each week and no opponent left on the schedule represents a tougher match-up on paper.
Now it's time to roll some people.
Along the way, its quarterback is potentially chasing the best passing season in the history of the program. A conference title and a playoff appearance would put him in the conversation with James Brown for a spot in the top 5 in the all-time UT quarterback discussion (along with Vince Young, Colt McCoy, James Street and Bobby Layne).
More than the stats he compiled, it was the poise that Ewers displayed throughout the entire game against Alabama, but especially in the fourth quarter, that was impossible to ignore. The amount of progress that he's made as a player in the last 13 months is nothing short of exceptional.
As someone that has openly questioned whether Ewers would reach this level of play, it's time for me to shut the hell up and sit the hell down.
Rumble, young man, rumble.
Don't mind me, I'm going to get some popcorn ready.
No. 2 - Best road-game quarterback performance in Texas football history ...
Here's a look at the passing numbers of every Texas quarterback that has started a game on the road against a top-10 opponent in the last 40 years.
As you'll see no player has thrown for more yards or more touchdowns, while committing no turnovers, against a top-10 team on the road than Ewers did on Saturday night ... oh, and his team won.
Quinn Ewers at No.3 Alabama (2023): 24 of 38 for 349 yards, 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions
Sam Ehlinger at No. 6 Oklahoma State (2020)L 18 of 34 for 169 yards, 3 TD and 0 interceptions
Sam Ehlinger at No. 4 USC (2017): 21 of 40 for 298 yards, 2 TD and 2 interceptions
Shane Buechele at No. 10 TCU (2017): 21 of 44 for 254 yards, 1 TD and 0 interceptions
Tyrone Swoopes at No. 3 TCU (2015): 5 of 8 for 74 yards, 1 TD and 0 interceptions
Case McCoy at No. 9 Baylor (2013): 12 of 34 for 54 yards, 1 TD and 2 interceptions
Case McCoy at No. 7 Kansas State (2012): 26 of 34 for 314 yards, 2 TD and 2 interceptions
Garrett Gilbert at No. 4 Nebraska (2010): 4 of 16 for 62 yards, 0 TD and 0 interceptions.
Colt McCoy at No. 5 Texas Tech (2008): 20 of 34 for 294 yards, 2 TD and 1 interception.
Vince Young at No. 4 Ohio State (2005): 18 of 29 for 270 yards, 2 TD and 2 interceptions
Richard Walton at No. 6 UCLA (1998): 14 of 22 for 196 yards, 0 TD and 0 interceptions
Major Applewhite at No. 4 Kansas State (1998): 16 of 37 for 239 yards, 1 TD and 2 interceptions
Major Applewhite at No. 7 Nebraska (1998): 14 of 26 for 269 yards, 2 TD and 1 interception
James Brown at No. 8 Colorado (1996): 16 of 35 for 224 yards, 3 TD and 2 interceptions
Shea Morenz at No. 10 Colorado (1993): 23 of 42 yards for 347 yards, 1 TD and 4 interceptions
Shea Morenz at No. 8 Texas A&M (1993): 10 of 30 for 124 yards, 0 touchdowns and 1 interception
Peter Gardere at No. 9 Syracuse (1992): 14 of 27 for 246 yards, 2 TD and 2 interceptions
Peter Gardere at No. 10 Texas A&M (1991): 6 of 15 for 51 yards, 0 touchdowns and 1 interception
Peter Gardere at No. 6 Arkansas (1989): 16 of 20 for 247 yards, 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions
Bret Stafford at No. 5 Auburn (1987): 16 of 34 for 116 yards, 0 touchdowns and 2 interceptions
Bret Stafford at No. 4 Arkansas (1985): 10 of 14 for 137 yards, 0 TD and 1 interception
No. 3 - Let's give some love to the offensive line ...
Speaking of performances that I didn't see coming from a mile away, let's give some flowers to the Texas offensive line. After struggling against Rice last week to control the line of scrimmage, the Texas big uglies put the star-studded Alabama defensive line in their pocket.
Not only were Jake Majors and Hayden Conner completely different players this week than they were a week ago, but the right guard duo of D.J. Campbell and Cole Hutson were unsung heroes. Nothing got past them, as no sacks were allowed and Alabama only recorded two tackles for loss as a team.
Rice had six tackles for loss and multiple sacks in the first half alone last week. What a stunning turnaround.
While the interior guys surprised, the tackle tandem of Kelvin Banks and Christian Jones did what they are becoming known for ... stonewalling any and all comers. A year ago, Banks and Jones pretty much put the clamps on Will Anderson and Dallas Turner. A year later, the duo put the clamps at Turner, Chris Braswell and anyone else the Tide wanted to try its luck with.
It's one thing for Banks to do what he's doing, but it's entirely something else that Jones is playing like a Top 100 NFL Draft pick. Two years ago, Texas fans wanted his butt off the field and now there will be some genuine sadness when he leaves the program.
I dare you to find a better tackle duo anywhere in America. I'm not sure it exists.
No. 4 - Speaking of coming out parties...
You know who Anthony Hill reminded me of on Saturday night?
Derrick Johnson.
It's not that Hill and Johnson are carbon copies of each other ... they aren't. Yet, I don't think I've seen a true freshman come in and absolutely dictate things on the defensive side of the game for the Longhorns like Hill did on Saturday night since Johnson was a young pup playing back-up linebacker for the Longhorns in 2001.
Back then, every time Johnson came onto the field, it felt like the Longhorns suddenly had a nuclear weapon in its defensive weaponry. That's what it felt like last night with Hill, who finished second on the team in tackles, shadowed Jalen Milroe as a spy with relative ease, recorded two critical sacks against both Alabama starting offensive tackles and let the Alabama crowd know what they could do with their upside down Hook'ems to boot.
Folks, Hill is just getting started. He's only scratching the surface of what he's going to be and he's all yours for the next 34+ games all the way through the 2025 season.
The thing I kept asking myself throughout the game last night was this... how could one of the recruiting services not rank him as a 5-star? What on earth were they missing? First, Kelvin Banks in 2022 and now Anthony Hill in 2023.
No. 5 - About recruiting ...
No. 6 - Final Alabama Game Impressions ...
... Once Alabama decided that it needed to put two guys on Xavier Worthy (or else), it opened up the field and one on one opportunities for every other offensive weapon on the field. It's the choice opposing teams are going to have to make every week.
... The Minister of Culture was feeling it.
... Alabama freshman tackle Kadyn Proctor is not Kelvin Banks ... just in case any Alabama fan was wondering.
... I severely underrated Ryan Sanborn.
... Dez loves him some Ryan Watts.
... Jeff Choate has done a hell of a job with David Gbenda. I'm talking some real Harry Potter wizard stuff with him.
... Hot take: Jett Bush is actually a pretty good college football player.
... Ethan Burke is a major upgrade of Ovie Oghoufo. If you're wondering, Oghoufo has zero tackles or tackles for loss in LSU's first two games of the season.
... T'Vondre Sweat had a pretty quiet night and the Texas defensive line still kicked ass. That's telling.
... True Freshman Games Played Chart: RB - CJ Baxter (2), RB Tre Wisner (2), WR Johntay Cook (2), LB Anthony Hill (2), LB Liona Lefau (2), CB Malik Muhammad (2), DB Jelani McDonald (2) and DB Derek Williams (1)
.... So, what do we think happens to Alabama the rest of the way? I can't say I was overly impressed with the amount of playmakers on that team.
... Jalen Milroe wasn't great, but he was better than his supporting cast. How does that team not have a single passing game threat that scares you?
No. 7 – BUY or SELL …
(Sell) The Alabama game was one of the three losses that I thought would occur. This looks like a 10-2 team at worst right now, barring key injuries.
(Buy) I still think running the table is going to be more difficult than people believe.
(Buy) FIVE????
(Sell) Johnson is the greatest defensive player in school history. I'm not sure that Hill quite rises to that level.
(Buy) Sarkisian's agent is licking his chops after last night.
(Sell) #Fakenews
(Buy) I think that narrative had already kind of died, but winning at Alabama will certainly help push it further away. The Horns are on a three-game road winning streak!
(Buy) He's going to put up monster numbers on a team the national media loves to talk about.
(Buy) Sure.
(Sell) I don't think Saban would be looking to rush Manning this early in the season.
B/S - We play like we did yesterday the we go undefeated the rest of the regular season and win the CCG.
B/S You don’t think we play that way.
(Double Buy) I think there's probably a loss out there on the schedule somewhere, but it's hard to specifically locate it.
(Buy) Those schools never recruited at the level Texas is, which is why they were/are flashes.
(Sell) It was a big play, but there were probably 10 others I'd rank ahead of it.
(Sell) He genuinely seems to love Clemson.
(Sell) I don't agree with your premise, but I'm fascinated by the process that led to this question. Did Mike Adams make more big catches than say ... Wane McGarity?
(Buy) Yes, I don't believe that's hyperbole.
(Buy) These receivers are better than the Big 3 from the 2000s. Meanwhile, Ewers takes better care of the football than Simms.
(Sell) I might be wrong about this.
(Sell) No player on the defensive line warrants being mentioned in the same breath as Casey Hampton and Shaun Rogers.
(Sell) Road games, road games and road games.
(Sell) Nick Saban would tell you that he double-teamed Xavier Worthy for a reason.
(Buy) More like top-10 pick in the Draft.
(Buy) People need to stop acting like his defense is some kind of an accident.
(Buy) He mentioned after the game that he has told his team he wants to be aggressive and that he felt like he needed to prove that to them. This is his mantra.
(Sell) You think Ewers wouldn't have gone to Texas via transfer if Milroe was on the roster? Man, Sark would have moved Milroe to fullback if that's what he would have needed to do to get Ewers on campus.
(Sell) That feels like a big ask.
No. 8 - 3 Quick Texas Volleyball Notes ...
a. It was a quiet week. Just a sweep of Florida Gulf Coast on Friday night following the butt-kicking from Stanford on Sunday.
b. Both Ohio State (No. 15) and Washington State (No. 13) are ranked opponents in the upcoming week. We'll know a little more about the Longhorns (3-2) after Friday night.
c. The Big 12 schedule begins next week against Oklahoma in Norman. Three other Big 12 teams are currently ranked - Baylor (No. 14), Houston (No. 21) and Kansas (No. 22). Only 2 of the 6 matches against those three teams is on the road (at Houston in mid-October).
No. 9 – Scattershooting on anything and everything …
... The Aggies looked like a very average team in their loss to Miami. That team has more losses baked inside of it. I was not impressed with the play-calling on offense.
... All-America TE watch: Brock Bowers (6/81/0) - Ja'Tavion Sanders (7/158/1)
... Mel Tucker's career as we knew it is over. The man just tossed away $80 million because he apparently can't behave on the phone. Good grief.
... Oklahoma would be better off with Spencer Rattler as its quarterback.
... Bijan is filthy, regardless of the league he plays in.
... Shout out to Roschon Johnson, who scored his first NFL touchdown.
... Tyreek Hill is crazy good as a football player. I mean ... he might be Hall of Fame good. I've never seen an NFL receiver quite like him.
... Someone let the Cincinnati Bengals know that the NFL season has begun.
... Check on a Steelers fan, if you know any. Sunday was not a good day for them.
... The NFL is a cruel game. J.K. Dobbins deserves better, but deserves ain't got nothing to do with it.
... All hail, Coco Gauff, the new queen of American tennis.
... The Joker wins another major. He made it look easy.
... Germany won the FIBA World Cup for the first time, while Team USA finished 4th because Dillon Brooks cooked the red, white and blue for 39 points in the Bronze Medal Game. Our JV just isn't good enough any more.
No. 10 - The List: Top 10 Texas Road Performances ...
Ok, let's talk about comparing what the Longhorns did against Alabama on Saturday night vs. the other best road game wins that the Longhorns have had in its history.
For instance, the 2005 Ohio State game is one of the first games that will pop into everyone's mind, but for as good of a performance as it was, it felt like Texas got out of town by the slightest of slight margins. The Buckeyes were a Cedric Griffin blast on Ryan Hamby away from going up 10 late in the third quarter of that game.
What the Longhorns did last night against the Tide was simply far more emphatic than any road performance against a top-5 team than I've ever seen in decades of covering this program.
Of course, that Ohio State team ran the table and is remembered as a great team. This Alabama team might go 9-3. That win over the Buckeyes also led to a national title. The historical context matters and it probably punishes last night's win when you consider the competition.
Here's my Top 10 list.
10. 1985 at No. 4 Arkansas (15-13)
The highlight of the Bret Stafford era.
9. 1979 at No. 5 Missouri (21-0)
This ended up being a 7-5 Missouri team that finished the season unranked, but it was a No. 4 vs. No. 5 match-up when this game was played and it remains the only top 10 team Texas has shut out while playing on the road in the last 70 years.
8. 1983 at No. 8 SMU (15-13)
The No. 2-ranked Longhorns went into Dallas and handled their business against an SMU team that didn't lose another regular season contest.
7. 1989 at No. 6 Arkansas (24-20)
I'm not sure that it makes any sense that the 1989 Longhorns would make a list like this, but this was an Arkansas team that otherwise ran the table in the regular season and might have played for the national title if not for this game. The Longhorns trailed at halftime, but scored twice in the third quarter to give the Longhorns a 24-14 lead.
6. 1995 at No. 13 Texas A&M (16-6)
The importance of the game cannot be overstated. Not only did it give the Longhorns the final SWC title, but it flipped the power structure in this rivalry for the last 28 years.
5. 1998 at No. 7 Nebraska (20-16)
It's a game that helps Ricky win the Heisman and it starts the Applewhite legend, but if they played that game 10 times, would Texas have won 3?
4. 2023 at Alabama (34-24)
I'm really tempted to place this at No. 3, but I'm giving the 2005 Ohio State game its proper respect.
3. 2005 at No. 4 Ohio State (25-22)
The fact that it paved the path for the 2005 national title run aids it considerably, but the performance itself wasn't better than what Texas just did in Tuscaloosa.
2. 1983 at No. 4 Auburn (20-7)
Texas freaking dominated an Auburn team that went 11-1, won the SEC and won its final 5 games of the season against ranked teams, including 4 Top 10 teams. Yet, the Tigers didn't even get into the end zone until the final 2 minutes of the game on a Bo Jackson touchdown run.
1. 1969 at No. 2 Arkansas (15-14)
Talk about walking into the lion's den. The Longhorns were far from dominant in needing to come back from a 14-0 deficit, but a literal national title was on the line in a game billed as the Game of the Century. It'll be next to impossible to knock its historical perch.
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