Steve Sarkisian analyzes Quinn Ewers' performance against Kansas State

The Texas Longhorns broke away from old habits on Saturday in a top-25 matchup against the Kansas State Wildcats. The Longhorns were in danger of giving up another second-half lead and losing another game where they led by double-digits. Thanks to the solid play from quarterback Quinn Ewers in the second half, the Texas offense was able to keep the game out of reach. On Monday, head coach Steve Sarkisian took some time to analyze Ewers’ performance against the Wildcats.

“I thought Quinn responded well. That was a very good pass-defensive football team we played,” said Sarkisian. “They were very active, and they have been throughout the year of getting their hands on balls. It was a veteran group, a very good pass rush. So to protect him, him not taking any sacks — (he) took a couple of big hits there in the red zone where they came after him, but I thought he stood in there.

“I thought he really kind of controlled the game for us. (He) made a couple of really critical throws on third down. Even early on, the third down conversion of JT Sanders; I think that’s why our third down conversion rate was better this week. We were able to throw the ball and make some plays there. And then, obviously, a couple of critical third-down passes in the red area to Xavier Worthy that were really nice throws.

Viewers did a solid job leading the Longhorns’ offense completing 18 of his 31 pass attempts for 197 yards and two touchdowns. But hands down, the performance of the night goes to Longhorn star running back Bijan Robinson. Robinson had another massive game on the ground rushing for 209 yards on 30 carries with one touchdown.

Sarkisian impressed by Ewers improvement from last week

Sarkisian gave credit where credit is due for his young sophomore quarterback’s improved performance. In the Longhorns’ previous game against Oklahoma State, Ewers struggled to find his composure down the stretch resulting in trouble on the offensive side of the ball. And that trouble allowed the Cowboys to come back and win that game 41-34.

“So, all in all, we’re always striving to get better. But I thought the response by him in another hostile environment; we went from Stillwater, in a great environment, not ideal weather conditions to Kansas State, another great environment, again, not ideal weather conditions. The wind was a factor, but I thought he handled it much better the second time around than the first time. So, love the growth.

Up next for Sarkisian and the Longhorns is a Texas-sized showdown with the TCU Horned Frogs. TCU has a firm grip on the Big 12, sitting atop the conference with a 9-0 overall record and are 6-0 in conference play. Texas is tied for second in the Big 12 with Baylor. So a win on Saturday is an absolute must for Ewers and the Longhorns if they want a shot at the Big 12 title.