Booger McFarland stresses Quinn Ewers' need to be aggressive vs. Ohio State

ESPN’s Booger McFarland noted Quinn Ewers has to be more aggressive against Ohio State in order for Texas to be successful.

McFarland referred to Ewers’ passes having more zip, making more aggressive decisions and head coach Steve Sarkisian having a more decisive game plan. Of course, Texas did outlast Arizona State in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.

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But Ohio State is a different beast and Ewers has to be at his best.

“I think he’s got to be aggressive and he’s got to make aggressive throws,” McFarland said on Always College Football. “I don’t know what it is with him, like he floats the ball a lot, like what’s going on with him? Like floating the ball and these touch throws, but there’s several throws that I can go back and point to where you got to put your back foot in the ground, and you got to throw that thing with a little less trajectory, and you got to rip it in there. And he doesn’t seem to want to do it. 

“But if you go back in overtime, like when he makes that throw on fourth down, like that ball was thrown with the perfect trajectory. It was thrown with the perfect amount of zip. I don’t see him do that all the time. If you’re Sark, you have to ask the same questions that we’re asking right now. How can I get my quarterback, not only my team, but my quarterback, to play with a little bit more aggressiveness? I think that’s the word for Texas.”

Ewers finished the win over ASU 20-of-30 passing for 322 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Granted, McFarland pointed out the fourth down touchdown throw in overtime to tie the game.

With everything on the line, Ewers extended the game and Texas ended up winning in the next frame. That’s the type of QB play, the decisiveness and aggressiveness, that Texas needs.

Ewers called an audible on Texas’ protection on the play, a max protection according to Sarkisian, to help the play before the ball saw snapped. Sarkisian praised his QB1 for handling the Arizona State pressure up the middle on the play and eventually making the game-saving touchdown throw to Golden.

“[Ewers] changing it, to them getting the protection and then Matt [Golden] understanding why that route was going to be there predicated on the coverage — I thought Quinn’s ability to stand in the pocket and deliver the ball the way that he did was a real strike,” Sarkisian said. “There were layers to the whole thing.”