Quinn Ewers reveals his mindset when Texas went down by 13 in Sugar Bowl

Quinn Ewers never gave up. With 14:51 left in the fourth quarter of the Sugar Bowl, Texas trailed Washington by 13 points. Nonetheless, Ewers refused to lie down.

The Texas QB propelled his team back into the game, nearly pulling off a comeback win for the ages. Following the Longhorns’ loss, Ewers discussed his mindset while trailing Washington late in the elimination game.

“Going down 13, I think the biggest thing we were talking about was just one play at a time. You can’t get all 13 points back in one single play,” Ewers said. “The small wins turn into big wins, so just trying to get back on track. And I think we did a good job of that.”

The game came down to one final play. Texas was fourth and 11 on Washington’s 13-yard line. Thirteen yards from tying the game. Add on an extra point, and Texas would have taken the lead. While the Longhorns didn’t pull off the comeback, Ewers put on a show.

The redshirt sophomore completed 24-of-his-43 pass attempts for 318 yards and a touchdown. He did not throw an interception. After the game, UT head coach Steve Sarkisian praised Ewers’ relentless effort to put the Longhorns in a winning position.

“Quinn [Ewers] had a really gutsy performance tonight,” Sarkisian said. “I thought he utilized his legs extremely well. They were really trying to deploy and match routes and cover people. And when that happened, he found some running lanes to use his legs to extend plays.

“He had made some big-time throws at critical moments, especially late in the ballgame. Gave us a chance to win. Down 13 in the fourth quarter with not a lot of time left. And we had the ball on the 12 with whatever it is, with a chance to win the ball game. That doesn’t happen unless he’s played his heart out and making some really big-time throws for us.”

Ewers will have plenty more opportunities to make big plays for his beloved program. On Jan. 11, Ewers announced his decision to return to Texas for the 2024 campaign. If Ewers can step his game up again next season, Texas will be dangerous.

He threw for 3,161 yards and 21 touchdowns across 11 games as a redshirt sophomore. His biggest game came in the Big 12 Championship against Oklahoma State when he threw for 452 yards and four touchdowns to set new title game records in both categories.