When you consider why Texas lost games or games played closer than we would have thought, our inability to run the ball and get the elusive yards inside the 20 defined the season. And because of this, Ewers was under the microscope more than most because his play was expected to save Texas from this fatal weakness.
What made Ewers such a frustrating quarterback was his ability to diagnose and make great plays in one moment while being highly vulnerable to negative plays in the next. More than any starting Texas quarterback I can remember going back to at least the 80s, Ewers seemed to self-sack often and offered virtually no chance for the occasional scramble conversion. Because of this, he too frequently balanced his highs with the lows in the biggest games, and the lack of a reliable running game only magnified his weakness.
In retrospect, too much was put on his shoulders, especially when the running game sputtered. Third and shorts increasingly became third and longs, a recipe for any team's failure. Texas was forced to become a team that had to feast on explosive plays to survive their costly famines.
As we head into next season, Sark has to figure out how to balance his offense with a complimentary and reliable run game. In 2024, it felt too finesse. Arch Manning operating as the occasional “Riley Leonard” within a Sark offense might be the only tweak Texas needs. Arch doesn’t need to run it as much, but 4-5 designed runs in a select few games likely enhance efficiency. And if Notre Dame (and Georgia) can do what they are doing with skill players less talented than Texas, then Texas can certainly emulate enough aspects to reap similar rewards.
Texas will have the talent to compete, and the margins are always thin when you reach the playoffs, but Texas doesn’t need wholesale changes; they need to tweak in the right places to maximize returns and improve efficiency a few degrees higher.
What made Ewers such a frustrating quarterback was his ability to diagnose and make great plays in one moment while being highly vulnerable to negative plays in the next. More than any starting Texas quarterback I can remember going back to at least the 80s, Ewers seemed to self-sack often and offered virtually no chance for the occasional scramble conversion. Because of this, he too frequently balanced his highs with the lows in the biggest games, and the lack of a reliable running game only magnified his weakness.
In retrospect, too much was put on his shoulders, especially when the running game sputtered. Third and shorts increasingly became third and longs, a recipe for any team's failure. Texas was forced to become a team that had to feast on explosive plays to survive their costly famines.
As we head into next season, Sark has to figure out how to balance his offense with a complimentary and reliable run game. In 2024, it felt too finesse. Arch Manning operating as the occasional “Riley Leonard” within a Sark offense might be the only tweak Texas needs. Arch doesn’t need to run it as much, but 4-5 designed runs in a select few games likely enhance efficiency. And if Notre Dame (and Georgia) can do what they are doing with skill players less talented than Texas, then Texas can certainly emulate enough aspects to reap similar rewards.
Texas will have the talent to compete, and the margins are always thin when you reach the playoffs, but Texas doesn’t need wholesale changes; they need to tweak in the right places to maximize returns and improve efficiency a few degrees higher.
