Steve Sarkisian raves about what Quinn Ewers brings to Texas

Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers is only hours away from playing in the biggest game of his life. Head coach Steve Sarkisian believes his QB1 is ready for the moment.

“One thing that Quinn has done is tried to develop his overall game, his own body composition, his understanding of the offense, his rapport with his teammates — that just comes with confidence. That comes with experience,” Sarkisian said during an appearance on College GameDay.

“I think that the players really appreciated that. They needed that quarterback. They needed that leader to step up for us to take the next step as a program. I think that the guys have really rallied behind it.”

Ewers’ hard work has paid off. The sophomore QB boasts 3,161 passing yards and 21 touchdowns this season while completing 70.7% of his passes. Further, Ewers has only thrown six interceptions in the 2023 campaign.

In Texas’ win over Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship, Ewers completed a ridiculous 35-of-his-46 pass attempts for for 452 yards and four touchdowns while throwing one pick. Ewers knows how to shine under the spotlight.

Quinn Ewers looks to prevent history from repeating itself

Ewers didn’t shine bright enough in Texas’ loss to Washington in the Alamo Bowl last season. In the 27-20 defeat, the Texas native recorded 369 passing yards and a touchdown while connecting on 66% of his pass attempts.

Washington walked away with a win, preventing the Longhorns from securing a nine-win season. Now, Ewers and Co. have a chance to exact revenge on the Huskies. On Monday, the two teams will square off against in the Sugar Bowl. The winner will advance to the national championship.

On Saturday, Ewers explained why the outcome will be different this time.

“I think there’s a dramatic difference,” Ewers said. “We’ve been in a lot closer games and last year I don’t think we closed out those close games. But this year I think we’re more than capable of staying poised and staying level headed and able to finish out those games.”

Ewers will have an excellent chance of exploding against Washington’s defense. The Huskies have allowed 263.2 passing yards per game this season, ranking 119th in the country. For reference, there are only 130 FBS teams.

If Ewers was ever going to make history, tonight is the night. His fellow Longhorns certainly believe in him. Texas and the Washington Huskies will go head-to-head at 8:45 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.