Quinn Ewers believes Alabama win 'shows what we are capable of'

Quinn Ewers earned the signature win of his Texas career during Week 2 of the 2023 season, leading the Longhorns to victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide on the road in Tuscaloosa.

The victory cemented Texas as a legitimate College Football Playoff contender — a plateau that the Longhorns ultimately reached before falling to Washington in the national semifinal. Nearly a year later, Ewers looked back on the win over the Crimson Tide and how it shaped what was to come for him and his squad last season.

“I think that shows what we are capable of as a whole,” Ewers said. “I think the biggest thing for us is, yeah, we’re capable of playing games the way we played that one. Now we have to really do it on a much more consistent level. Because week in, week out, we’re playing a tough opponent. I definitely can agree with that.

“Going into Alabama and playing one of the hardest stadiums to play in, and, you know, against one of the greatest coaches ever is definitely not easy to go in there and accomplish what we accomplished.”

Ewers himself finished the game with a 63% (24 of 38) completion percentage and 349 passing yards for the three touchdowns previously noted. His top targets — AD Mitchell, Xavier Worthy and Jordan Whittington — combined for 11 receptions, 197 yards and three touchdowns on during the victory as well. Notably, none of the three wideouts will be around for Ewers to throw to in 2024, as they’ve all moved on to the NFL.

Overall, the Longhorns would finish the game compiling 454 total yards of offense against the Crimson Tide.

After that, Texas would go on to enjoy the most successful season of the Steve Sarkisian era. Going 12-2 to finish the year, the Longhorns’ success a year ago sets the stage for massive expectations in 2024.

Before the 2023 season, Texas had finished 13-12 over the first two seasons that Sarkisian led the program. However, now that his initial recruiting classes have matured and since Texas has become a landing spot for stars out of the transfer portal — Ewers — it appears that the winning culture in Austin is here to stay with Sarkisian leading the charge.

Now, they’re set to head to the SEC where they’ll face an uphill battle against a slew of new opponents. Before that, however, the Longhorns’ focus will be on their Week 1 opponent on Aug. 31 at home against Colorado State before they can worry about their new conference.