With the midway point of the season upon us, it's time to take an updated look at the quarterback numbers involving Quinn Ewers and the top quarterbacks in the country that he'll be measured against.
Two things to keep in mind:
a. All of the quarterbacks listed below are ranked in the top 30 in national passing efficiency. None of these dudes are scrubs.
b. I'll take a more local look at quarterback play in the next 24-48 hours when I specifically compare Ewers to other Big 12 quarterbacks, especially the ones left on the Texas schedule.
Let's get started...
Kept Clean
* Bo Nix: 91.4%
* Michael Penix Jr.: 82.3%
* Quinn Ewers: 77.7%
* Dillon Gabriel: 77.3%
* JJ McCarthy: 76.1
* Jayden Daniels: 73.9%
* Caleb Williams (USC): 70.2%
* Drake Maye: 68.0%
* Sam Hartman: 67.1%
* Jalen Milroe: 63.6
* Shedeur Sanders: 62.7%
Once upon a time, Texas quarterbacks would be at the bottom of the protected list, but Ewers is actually the third best-protected player on the list, with a certain quarterback from Oklahoma literally right behind him. Everyone around these parts certainly has to have a higher amount of respect for OU's pass protection after what transpired on Saturday. Also, Bo Nix's protection is borderline ridiculous.
Under pressure:
* Shedeur Sanders: 37.3%
* Jalen Milroe: 36.4%
* Sam Hartman: 32.9%
* Drake Maye: 32.0%
* Caleb Williams: 29.8%
* Jayden Daniels: 26.1%
* JJ McCarthy: 23.9
* Dillon Gabriel: 22.7%
* Quinn Ewers: 22.3%
* Michael Penix Jr.: 17.7%
* Bo Nix: 8.6%
Obviously, it's just the inverse of the best-protected list, but I figured some would want to look at the numbers the other way around.
Not Blitzed
* Shedeur Sanders: 76.5%
* Michael Penix Jr.: 75.3%
* Bo Nix: 73.7
* Dillon Gabriel: 72.7%
* Jayden Daniels: 67.7%
* Sam Hartman: 66.7%
* Drake Maye: 61.2%
* Quinn Ewers: 60.0%
* JJ McCarthy: 57.5%
* Caleb Williams: 56.0%
* Jalen Milroe: 52.3%
The book on Ewers at this point is to still bring pressure, as he rated as one of the four-most blitzed quarterbacks in the country, among the players we profiled. What's interesting about the numbers is that the three players blitzed more often than him are all players that have much bigger reputations for making plays with their feet.
Here's a look at the numbers when we look a them from the other end...
Blitzed
* Jalen Milroe: 47.7%
* Caleb Williams: 44.0%
* JJ McCarthy: 42.5%
* Quinn Ewers: 40.0%
* Drake Maye: 38.8%
* Sam Hartman: 33.3%
* Jayden Daniels: 32.3%
* Dillon Gabriel: 27.3%
* Bo Nix: 26.3%
* Michael Penix Jr.: 24.7%
* Shedeur Sanders: 23.5%
Ok, now let's get to the fun stuff...
Passing When Kept Clean:
* Caleb Williams: (154.8 NFL/216.70 college) 99 of 128 for 1,495 yards, 16 TD and 0 INT
* Michael Penix Jr.: (143.1 NFL/204.48 college) 118 of 151 for 1,690 yards, 16 TD and 2 INT
* Sam Hartman: (138.0 NFL/193.82 college) 97 of 134 for 1,411 yards, 14 TD and 1 INT
* Dillon Gabriel: (136.9 NFL/187.59 college) 121 of 159 for 1,521 yards, 15 TD and 0 INT
* Bo Nix: (133.9 NFL/186.25 college) 121 of 150 for 1,320 yards, 15 TD and 1 INT
* Jayden Daniels: (133.7 NFL/190.45 college) 112 of 153 for 1,594, 15 TD, 2 INT
* JJ McCarthy: (133.0 NFL/191.30 college) 82 of 101 for 1,049 yards, 7 TD and 0 INT
* Quinn Ewers: (115.8 NFL/168.65 college) 112 of 156 for 1,438 yards, 11 TD and 3 INT
* Shedeur Sanders: (115.4 NFL/160.64 college) 145 of 183 for 1,420 yards, 9 TD and 0 INT
* Drake Maye: (111.3 NFL/162.60 college) 108 of 140 for 1,291 yards, 4 TD and 1 INT
* Jalen Milroe: (110.4 NFL/168.30 college) 60 of 85 for 830 yards, 6 TD and 3 INT
Ewers is very good, but not quite great when throwing from a clean set-up.
Under pressure:
* Jalen Milroe: (123.8 NFL/198.82 college) 14 of 25 for 331 yards, 3 TD and 1 INT
* Caleb Williams: (110.5 NFL/223.48 college) 21 of 40 for 341 yards, 6 TD and 1 INT
* Shedeur Sanders: (100.9 NFL/152.55 college) 41 of 75 for 599 yards, 7 TD and 2 INT
* Michael Penix Jr.: (96.4 NFL/151.34 college) 16 of 28 for 314 yards, 0 TD and 0 INT
* Jayden Daniels: (96.4 NFL/129.86 college) 32 of 59 for 374, 4 TD, 0 INT
* JJ McCarthy: (96.0 NFL/176.85 college) 15 of 24 for 241 yards, 4 TD and 3 INT
* Bo Nix: (95.8 NFL/141.40 college) 7 of 10 for 85 yards, 0 TD and 1 INT
* Drake Maye: (85.2 NFL/145.11 college) 21 of 39 for 338 yards, 4 TD and 3 INT
* Quinn Ewers: (84.7 NFL/130.07 college) 15 of 28 for 255 yards, 0 TD and 0 INT
* Dillon Gabriel: (73.0 NFL/133.20 college) 19 of 36 for 353 yards, 1 TD and 2 INT
* Sam Hartman: (56.7 NFL/94.01 college) 21 of 52 for 301 yards, 2 TD and 2 INT
Ewers hasn't thrown a single interception when pressured this season (according to PFF), but he also isn't beating teams with his arm. Meanwhile, Gabriel is even less efficient under pressure... if you can get him under pressure. It's kind of crazy seeing Milroe outperform everyone on the list in this department at the midway point in the season.
Not Blitzed:
* Caleb Williams: (144.2 NFL/218.99 college) 69 of 91 for 923 yards, 10 TD and 0 INT
* JJ McCarthy: (129.2 NFL/183.95 college) 61 of 75 for 665 yards, 7 TD and 1 INT
* Michael Penix Jr.: (125.4 NFL/183.89 college) 100 of 135 for 1,475 yards, 9 TD and 2 INT
* Dillon Gabriel: (123.9 NFL/177.34 college) 104 of 140 for 1,333 yards, 11 TD and 2 INT
* Jayden Daniels: (123.1 NFL/172.42 college) 123 of 153 for 1,331, 10 TD, 2 INT
* Shedeur Sanders: (121.2 NFL/167.06 college) 148 of 194 for 1,625 yards, 12 TD and 0 INT
* Sam Hartman: (116.7 NFL/168.66 college) 82 of 123 for 1,203 yards, 8 TD and 1 INT
* Bo Nix: (116.5 NFL/170.75 college) 97 of 118 for 1,032 yards, 6 TD and 1 INT
* Jalen Milroe: (112.58 NFL/168.30 college) 59 of 79 for 595 yards, 4 TD and 0 INT
* Drake Maye: (108.8 NFL/166.32 college) 87 of 110 for 1,072 yards, 3 TD and 2 INT
* Quinn Ewers: (103.3 NFL/157.75 college) 75 of 112 for 1,101 yards, 4 TD and 2 INT
Ewers ranks dead last among the quarterbacks we're profiling when teams rush three or four players and drop the rest. It's important to note that his numbers are very solid on the whole and only leg when compared to other peers in the Top 30.
When blitzed:
* Michael Penix Jr.: (156.2 NFL/230.76 college) 34 of 44 for 529 yards, 7 TD and 0 INT
* Jayden Daniels: (149.1 NFL/214.85 college) 50 of 62 for 637, 9 TD, 0 INT
* Caleb Williams: (140.9 NFL/214.66 college) 51 of 77 for 913 yards, 12 TD and 1 INT
* Bo Nix: (140.2 NFL/219.12 college) 31 of 42 for 373 yards, 9 TD and 0 INT
* Dillon Gabriel: (127.9 NFL/178.08 college) 36 of 55 for 541 yards, 5 TD and 0 INT
* JJ McCarthy: (124.2 NFL/195.40 college) 36 of 50 for 625 yards, 4 TD and 2 INT
* Quinn Ewers: (123.1 NFL/170.59 college) 52 of 72 for 592 yards, 7 TD and 1 INT
* Sam Hartman: (109.7 NFL/160.57 college) 36 of 63 for 509 yards, 8 TD and 2 INT
* Jalen Milroe: (103.90 NFL/176.56 college) 34 of 51 for 566 yards, 5 TD and 4 INT
* Drake Maye: (98.5 NFL/146.79 college) 42 of 69 for 557 yards, 5 TD and 2 INT
* Shedeur Sanders: (85.0 NFL/125.46 college) 38 of 64 for 394 yards, 4 TD and 2 INT
Ewers' numbers are much better when teams blitz him than when they sit back. Given how well he's generally protected, even when teams do blitz, it's probably safe to assume that Texas is going to see more teams sitting back in pass defense and resisting the urge to bring extra pressure based on the success Ewers has had when teams do. One of the real statistical puzzlers is the fact that Milroe has been the best this season when passing under pressure, but rated third-to-last when teams blitz him.
Two things to keep in mind:
a. All of the quarterbacks listed below are ranked in the top 30 in national passing efficiency. None of these dudes are scrubs.
b. I'll take a more local look at quarterback play in the next 24-48 hours when I specifically compare Ewers to other Big 12 quarterbacks, especially the ones left on the Texas schedule.
Let's get started...
Kept Clean
* Bo Nix: 91.4%
* Michael Penix Jr.: 82.3%
* Quinn Ewers: 77.7%
* Dillon Gabriel: 77.3%
* JJ McCarthy: 76.1
* Jayden Daniels: 73.9%
* Caleb Williams (USC): 70.2%
* Drake Maye: 68.0%
* Sam Hartman: 67.1%
* Jalen Milroe: 63.6
* Shedeur Sanders: 62.7%
Once upon a time, Texas quarterbacks would be at the bottom of the protected list, but Ewers is actually the third best-protected player on the list, with a certain quarterback from Oklahoma literally right behind him. Everyone around these parts certainly has to have a higher amount of respect for OU's pass protection after what transpired on Saturday. Also, Bo Nix's protection is borderline ridiculous.
Under pressure:
* Shedeur Sanders: 37.3%
* Jalen Milroe: 36.4%
* Sam Hartman: 32.9%
* Drake Maye: 32.0%
* Caleb Williams: 29.8%
* Jayden Daniels: 26.1%
* JJ McCarthy: 23.9
* Dillon Gabriel: 22.7%
* Quinn Ewers: 22.3%
* Michael Penix Jr.: 17.7%
* Bo Nix: 8.6%
Obviously, it's just the inverse of the best-protected list, but I figured some would want to look at the numbers the other way around.
Not Blitzed
* Shedeur Sanders: 76.5%
* Michael Penix Jr.: 75.3%
* Bo Nix: 73.7
* Dillon Gabriel: 72.7%
* Jayden Daniels: 67.7%
* Sam Hartman: 66.7%
* Drake Maye: 61.2%
* Quinn Ewers: 60.0%
* JJ McCarthy: 57.5%
* Caleb Williams: 56.0%
* Jalen Milroe: 52.3%
The book on Ewers at this point is to still bring pressure, as he rated as one of the four-most blitzed quarterbacks in the country, among the players we profiled. What's interesting about the numbers is that the three players blitzed more often than him are all players that have much bigger reputations for making plays with their feet.
Here's a look at the numbers when we look a them from the other end...
Blitzed
* Jalen Milroe: 47.7%
* Caleb Williams: 44.0%
* JJ McCarthy: 42.5%
* Quinn Ewers: 40.0%
* Drake Maye: 38.8%
* Sam Hartman: 33.3%
* Jayden Daniels: 32.3%
* Dillon Gabriel: 27.3%
* Bo Nix: 26.3%
* Michael Penix Jr.: 24.7%
* Shedeur Sanders: 23.5%
Ok, now let's get to the fun stuff...
Passing When Kept Clean:
* Caleb Williams: (154.8 NFL/216.70 college) 99 of 128 for 1,495 yards, 16 TD and 0 INT
* Michael Penix Jr.: (143.1 NFL/204.48 college) 118 of 151 for 1,690 yards, 16 TD and 2 INT
* Sam Hartman: (138.0 NFL/193.82 college) 97 of 134 for 1,411 yards, 14 TD and 1 INT
* Dillon Gabriel: (136.9 NFL/187.59 college) 121 of 159 for 1,521 yards, 15 TD and 0 INT
* Bo Nix: (133.9 NFL/186.25 college) 121 of 150 for 1,320 yards, 15 TD and 1 INT
* Jayden Daniels: (133.7 NFL/190.45 college) 112 of 153 for 1,594, 15 TD, 2 INT
* JJ McCarthy: (133.0 NFL/191.30 college) 82 of 101 for 1,049 yards, 7 TD and 0 INT
* Quinn Ewers: (115.8 NFL/168.65 college) 112 of 156 for 1,438 yards, 11 TD and 3 INT
* Shedeur Sanders: (115.4 NFL/160.64 college) 145 of 183 for 1,420 yards, 9 TD and 0 INT
* Drake Maye: (111.3 NFL/162.60 college) 108 of 140 for 1,291 yards, 4 TD and 1 INT
* Jalen Milroe: (110.4 NFL/168.30 college) 60 of 85 for 830 yards, 6 TD and 3 INT
Ewers is very good, but not quite great when throwing from a clean set-up.
Under pressure:
* Jalen Milroe: (123.8 NFL/198.82 college) 14 of 25 for 331 yards, 3 TD and 1 INT
* Caleb Williams: (110.5 NFL/223.48 college) 21 of 40 for 341 yards, 6 TD and 1 INT
* Shedeur Sanders: (100.9 NFL/152.55 college) 41 of 75 for 599 yards, 7 TD and 2 INT
* Michael Penix Jr.: (96.4 NFL/151.34 college) 16 of 28 for 314 yards, 0 TD and 0 INT
* Jayden Daniels: (96.4 NFL/129.86 college) 32 of 59 for 374, 4 TD, 0 INT
* JJ McCarthy: (96.0 NFL/176.85 college) 15 of 24 for 241 yards, 4 TD and 3 INT
* Bo Nix: (95.8 NFL/141.40 college) 7 of 10 for 85 yards, 0 TD and 1 INT
* Drake Maye: (85.2 NFL/145.11 college) 21 of 39 for 338 yards, 4 TD and 3 INT
* Quinn Ewers: (84.7 NFL/130.07 college) 15 of 28 for 255 yards, 0 TD and 0 INT
* Dillon Gabriel: (73.0 NFL/133.20 college) 19 of 36 for 353 yards, 1 TD and 2 INT
* Sam Hartman: (56.7 NFL/94.01 college) 21 of 52 for 301 yards, 2 TD and 2 INT
Ewers hasn't thrown a single interception when pressured this season (according to PFF), but he also isn't beating teams with his arm. Meanwhile, Gabriel is even less efficient under pressure... if you can get him under pressure. It's kind of crazy seeing Milroe outperform everyone on the list in this department at the midway point in the season.
Not Blitzed:
* Caleb Williams: (144.2 NFL/218.99 college) 69 of 91 for 923 yards, 10 TD and 0 INT
* JJ McCarthy: (129.2 NFL/183.95 college) 61 of 75 for 665 yards, 7 TD and 1 INT
* Michael Penix Jr.: (125.4 NFL/183.89 college) 100 of 135 for 1,475 yards, 9 TD and 2 INT
* Dillon Gabriel: (123.9 NFL/177.34 college) 104 of 140 for 1,333 yards, 11 TD and 2 INT
* Jayden Daniels: (123.1 NFL/172.42 college) 123 of 153 for 1,331, 10 TD, 2 INT
* Shedeur Sanders: (121.2 NFL/167.06 college) 148 of 194 for 1,625 yards, 12 TD and 0 INT
* Sam Hartman: (116.7 NFL/168.66 college) 82 of 123 for 1,203 yards, 8 TD and 1 INT
* Bo Nix: (116.5 NFL/170.75 college) 97 of 118 for 1,032 yards, 6 TD and 1 INT
* Jalen Milroe: (112.58 NFL/168.30 college) 59 of 79 for 595 yards, 4 TD and 0 INT
* Drake Maye: (108.8 NFL/166.32 college) 87 of 110 for 1,072 yards, 3 TD and 2 INT
* Quinn Ewers: (103.3 NFL/157.75 college) 75 of 112 for 1,101 yards, 4 TD and 2 INT
Ewers ranks dead last among the quarterbacks we're profiling when teams rush three or four players and drop the rest. It's important to note that his numbers are very solid on the whole and only leg when compared to other peers in the Top 30.
When blitzed:
* Michael Penix Jr.: (156.2 NFL/230.76 college) 34 of 44 for 529 yards, 7 TD and 0 INT
* Jayden Daniels: (149.1 NFL/214.85 college) 50 of 62 for 637, 9 TD, 0 INT
* Caleb Williams: (140.9 NFL/214.66 college) 51 of 77 for 913 yards, 12 TD and 1 INT
* Bo Nix: (140.2 NFL/219.12 college) 31 of 42 for 373 yards, 9 TD and 0 INT
* Dillon Gabriel: (127.9 NFL/178.08 college) 36 of 55 for 541 yards, 5 TD and 0 INT
* JJ McCarthy: (124.2 NFL/195.40 college) 36 of 50 for 625 yards, 4 TD and 2 INT
* Quinn Ewers: (123.1 NFL/170.59 college) 52 of 72 for 592 yards, 7 TD and 1 INT
* Sam Hartman: (109.7 NFL/160.57 college) 36 of 63 for 509 yards, 8 TD and 2 INT
* Jalen Milroe: (103.90 NFL/176.56 college) 34 of 51 for 566 yards, 5 TD and 4 INT
* Drake Maye: (98.5 NFL/146.79 college) 42 of 69 for 557 yards, 5 TD and 2 INT
* Shedeur Sanders: (85.0 NFL/125.46 college) 38 of 64 for 394 yards, 4 TD and 2 INT
Ewers' numbers are much better when teams blitz him than when they sit back. Given how well he's generally protected, even when teams do blitz, it's probably safe to assume that Texas is going to see more teams sitting back in pass defense and resisting the urge to bring extra pressure based on the success Ewers has had when teams do. One of the real statistical puzzlers is the fact that Milroe has been the best this season when passing under pressure, but rated third-to-last when teams blitz him.
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