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Quinn Ewers has the opportunity to silence his critics and eliminate any doubt about his status as the undeniable starter next season.
Ewers no longer has to hear whispers about him being benched. Former Texas quarterback Hudson Card recently entered the transfer portal and is looking for another home. Ewers and Card battled for the position before the season and Sarkisian went with the redshirt freshman. Some Longhorn observers suggested Ewers should have been benched when he struggled this season in favor of Card. Sarkisian even suggested he considered benching Ewers late during his team’s loss against TCU this season when he said, “I don't think it was all on Quinn. I thought everybody took turns tonight. We were just off. That would not have been fair to Hudson Card to try to put him in to save the day with a couple of minutes to go. I thought Quinn continued to compete. A couple of unfortunate errors to where the ball gets knocked out of his hand and things happen. He slips. It was just one of those nights where we did not get into a rhythm. I'm sure Quinn would tell you he would have loved to play better but I think everyone will tell you we all could have played better.”
Not only is Card gone, but Sarkisian’s top two running backs are not expected to play against Washington in the bowl game. Bijan Robinson is expected to enter the NFL Draft and skip the bowl game to avoid any potential injuries. In addition, Johnson is recovering from an ankle injury and is expected to skip the game and shift his attention to the draft. Texas accumulated 5,164 offensive yards this season and Sarkisian’s top two running backs are responsible for 2,576 of those yards (rushing and receiving). Robinson and Johnson were responsible for 50 percent of this team’s offensive yards.
Texas will play against Washington in the Alamo Bowl on December 29. Ewers no longer has to look over his shoulder. The team’s top two running backs are gone. Texas cannot win this game without a strong performance by Ewers.
This is his opportunity to shine.
“I think at the end of the day our ability to be functional passing the ball, we have not been good enough growth-wise from a program perspective of our ability to throw the ball down the field,” Sarkisian said this past week. “That takes time, that takes effort, that takes work. Whether it's Quinn, wideouts, tight ends, we've got to put in the work to make sure we're growing in a positive direction to be the best program that we can be.
“Throwing the ball nowadays is, like, I feel like that's the norm. It used to be running the ball back in the day, now it's throwing the ball. How do we get better at it, continue and improve? That's what we're doing.”
I understand why some Longhorn observers have lost faith in Ewers.
Ewers played well against Alabama before sustaining an injury. He completed 9-of-12 passes for 134 yards before leaving at the end of the first quarter with a clavicle injury. He completed a 46-yard pass to Xavier Worthy late in the first quarter that set up the Longhorns' second quarter touchdown. Card took over and connected on 14-of-22 passes for 158 yards despite sustaining an ankle injury during the 20-19 loss. Sarkisian’s goal became to survive until Ewers returned.
When Ewers returned against Oklahoma, he had a performance that will be aired on the Longhorn Network for the remainder of its existence.
Ewers completed 21-of-31 passes for 289 yards and four touchdowns (182.2 passer rating) during a 49-0 Red River Showdown victory.
Photo via AP
Unfortunately, that was the highlight of Ewers’ season.
Ewers struggled in the second half of the year. His highest passer rating was 159 during a win against Iowa State. His lowest was 75.3 during a loss against TCU. His longest completion after Oklahoma was a 41-yard reception by Bijan Robinson against Oklahoma State - and it was not a deep pass.
Ewers struggled to connect with Worthy this season. Some of the incompletions were a result of missed throws. However, Sarkisian once said Ewers was throwing to the right spots, which led everyone to believe Worthy needed to improve.
“The passing game is about precision and timing and execution,” Sarkisian said on a Monday after losing against TCU. “ Like I said, we kind of took turns. There's some throws I think Quinn would like to have back. There's some opportunities that receivers and tight ends would like to have back where we didn't catch the ball. In the end, it's about that precision, that timing.
“I think to Quinn's defense, he's looking to where we designed the plays to go. Ultimately, we got to execute better in the passing game, but overall, collectively, we need to execute better offensively.”
In addition, I asked Sarkisian why he kept calling deep throws against TCU when it was not working. Ewers targeted Worthy 12 times. Worthy finished with four receptions for 32 yards.
“Well, I think at the end of the day, if you don't inevitably at some point … people run down the field deeper than others,” Sarkisian said. “You lay your route combinations and then defenders kind of dictate the progression of the quarterback. When they sit down on certain routes and the deep throws, you got to throw them if they're part of the progression. We felt like we had some opportunities one on one down the field. We didn't make those plays. We kind of adjusted there in the second half on some different things to try to get more completion-type plays.
“I think that helped some, but in the end, at some point, if we don't hit a ball or two down the field, people are going to sit on us. We've got to find a way to make those make that connection happen.”
Ewers can change the narrative heading into the offseason with a strong performance against Washington in the season finale.
I am reminded of former Texas quarterback Casey Thompson during the 2020 Alamo Bowl against Colorado.
Thompson was forced to play in the second half after Sam Ehlinger sustained a shoulder injury. All Thompson did was complete 8-of-10 passes for 170 yards and four touchdowns. His four touchdown passes tied Major Applewhite (2001 Holiday) for the school record in a bowl game.
More importantly, that performance gave Thompson the confidence he needed before last season.
That is exactly what Ewers needs.
He probably does not need an offseason of looking over his shoulder at incoming freshman Arch Manning. Ewers could put to rest a quarterback battle in 2023 with Manning if he plays well against Washington. It may not prevent some fans from speculating about a quarterback change, but Ewers could put Sarkisian's mind at ease.
Sarkisian was forced to abandon the passing game against Baylor and run it 22 straight times during the season finale. Sarkisian has started three quarterbacks in two seasons. You get the sense Sarkisian will not stop until he finds a quarterback who can consistently execute in the passing game.
Ewers no longer has to look over his shoulder. The team’s top two running backs are gone. Texas cannot win this game without a strong performance by Ewers.
This is his opportunity to shine.
Funniest Things You Will See This Week
This is for dog lovers
When he said “five finger discount”, I feared for his life
She expected a different ending (bad language alert)
Sports On A Dime
1. Sarkisian on his impressions of Washington on tape: “These guys, they score a lot of points. They throw it around, man. Wish I could clinic with Coach DeBoer. Michael Penix, those receivers, they do a heck of a job. Their ability to rush the passer defensively and create havoc on the quarterback are issues. But they can score. They score on everybody. It doesn’t matter the helmet. Doesn't matter who they're playing. They go score. You got to be prepared to make sure you’re playing four quarters and score collectively against them because they can do it at a high, high level.”
2. Sarkisian on playing in the Alamo Bowl: “I think that's what the beauty of the Alamo Bowl is. I know we're not a New Year's Six game. But to get two top-20 teams battling at a high level on a national stage, this is what it's about. Great opportunity for us at the University of Texas. I’m sure for Coach DeBoer and his program at the University of Washington. What a deal for the Alamo Bowl, like, to get these two teams. Are you kidding me? Fired up. It's going to be great.”
3. Washington coach Kalen DeBoer’s response when asked to compare Michael Penix to the four quarterback finalists for the Heisman Trophy: “I haven't had a chance to see all of them a lot. I do know what Michael does. He does it at a high level. Being around college football for a lot of years, he does as good as anyone I've ever seen. His ability to be accurate. He has a cannon for an arm. A great leader, great person, a high-character guy who came in and instantly brought life to our team. Our stadium became electric because of the big plays he's made. Taking an offense that was near the bottom of FBS a year ago and pretty much with everyone else around him for the most part being the same people, to be one of the top two offenses in the country in most categories, a lot of that credit is due to what Michael has done for us.”
4. DeBoer on Deion Sanders becoming Colorado’s head coach and joining the Pac 12: “Certainly Coach Prime, I guess I haven't met him in person, but Coach Prime is coming in the league, going to continue to make that program there at Colorado stronger, add value to our league, continue to be a challenge each and every week now. Every team, you know you got to bring your best. That will be the case with Colorado.”
5. Longhorn running back Bijan Robinson is a great person and will be an ideal ambassador for the University of Texas throughout his life. Robinson has earned the right to stand on the sidelines during the Alamo Bowl and cheer for his team. Robinson might be the most loved athlete by Texas fans I have covered since arriving in Austin.
6. In addition, I have no issue with running back Roschon Johnson and linebacker DeMarvion Overshown skipping the bowl game. Helping Texas achieve nine wins instead of eight is not worth risking their NFL futures. Thankfully, most college football fans have evolved and understand why some players must make business decisions to skip bowl games.
7. Texas currently has the fifth-best recruiting class, which is not surprising. However, I was surprised to learn Oklahoma’s recruiting class is ranked eighth. Five-star quarterback Jackson Arnold passed for 303 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 149 yards and four touchdowns to lead Denton Guyer to a 45-21 victory over Southlake Carroll in the UIL Class 6A Division II Region 1 Final. Oklahoma remains in the mix to obtain David Hicks and could potentially flip safety Peyton Bowen from Notre Dame. Oklahoma coach Brent Venables and his staff have recruited much better than I thought they would (insert “OU Sucks” here). Out of fairness, I have to give them credit.
If you need to wash the taste of that observation out of your mouth, here you go
8. Congratulations on the outstanding seasons by the Austin-area teams
9. Here is a trip down memory lane for the NBA fans
10. This knockout still gives me goosebumps. One of the greatest boxing rivalries.
Speaking of knockouts, Terence Crawford made it look easy in a stay-busy fight
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