Did Steve Sarkisian create a QB controversy? That's up to him to decide.

Did Steve Sarkisian create a quarterback controversy? Many people are saying this. But, that’s up to him to decide. However, unlike Mick Jagger, Sark might not have time on his side.

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When Quinn Ewers was pulled for Arch Manning against Georgia on Saturday night, Texas was down 20-0. The once Heisman frontrunner, before an oblique injury in Week 3, had two turnovers and just 17 yards passing in what was billed as “The Biggest Weekend Ever” in Austin, with F1, the SEC’s top Dawgs, and Eminem in town. As Sarkisian said after the game, the move to Manning was less about benching Ewers and more about giving him a mental reset.

That was something Sarkisian emphasized on Monday.

“We were very clear of why we made that move at the end of that second quarter,” Sarkisian said. “Recalibrating him and getting him refocused. Getting him a chance to get into the locker room so we could visit. I thought it was an effective move for us as a team.”

Besides a scramble that got the crowd excited, Manning was also ineffective; his spark of the offense failed to ignite anything useful. Manning’s fumble off a strip sack gave the Bulldogs another short field, and they took a 23-0 lead into the half.

For a while, the pine therapy worked as Ewers looked more like the Ewers of the first two weeks of the season, and Texas cut Georgia’s lead to 23-15. But later, it was more of the same. Multiple Texas drives stalled in Bulldog territory, and Georgia defenders dropped several would-be interceptions. What’s more alarming is that, besides a jump ball prayer to Gunnar Helm, Ewers has shown almost no downfield passing threat since the oblique strain, hampering his ability to connect with his talented wide receivers.

Texas quarterback controversies in the past have been defined by one thing: indecision. Whether influenced by politics or paralysis, like Chris Simms vs. Major Applewhite, David Ash vs. Case McCoy, or more recently Hudson Card vs. Casey Thompson, indecisiveness by a head coach invites the old adage, “if you have two quarterbacks, you don’t have one.”

When healthy and confident, Texas has two quarterbacks it can win with in Ewers and Manning, but Ewers seems to lack both qualities right now. Or at least confidence in his health, as he alluded to after the game.

What’s more, Ewers seems to struggle further when the opening script and game plan aren’t executed well by Sark and the staff. That’s when we see the Ewers whose mechanics regress to the mulleted Ewers fresh off a fall trapped in Columbus. But none of that matters if Sark continues to act like he did after the Georgia loss when he clearly said, “Quinn is our starting quarterback.”

The media and dimwits online are clamoring that Sark “opened a can of worms or Pandora’s box” with the brief move to Manning. I might agree if it hadn’t been so obvious the move would have been made even if it was Maalik Murphy back there instead of Manning. It was a move that said more about Ewers than who was behind him.

But now, it’s up to Sarkisian to gauge things after the upcoming game against Vanderbilt. The media loves to report on Manning jerseys—cool, my son has one too—but frankly, that’s irrelevant when it comes to the starter debate. Arch’s last name is Manning, and that will naturally sell jerseys regardless of whether he starts or not. So, the fanbase should be the last thing Sark considers.

This is the program of Dance With Who Brung Ya, and Ewers has done a lot for Texas in 2.5 years. And that might be the crux of the issue: after almost 2.5 years, should Ewers still be having nights like last night?

Sark didn’t think his quarterback was helped out much by blocking or coaching, but if Ewers again looks like he did in Dallas and Saturday night at Vanderbilt, the bye week will be a trying one for Sark. He’ll need to determine the following quickly: First, is the locker room still behind Ewers? It’s hard to imagine a team—less emotional than fans or pundits—bailing on a three-year starter after one bad performance.

Another one like it against Vandy or, God forbid, a loss to the Commodores, and who knows?

Second, is Ewers’ mental state, injury, or a combination holding him back so much that he can’t execute game plans or exploit weaknesses? If so, he needs to sit until he’s right in both areas.

Third, does a healthy Ewers still give Texas their best chance to accomplish their goals, or does Manning? If it’s the latter, then the band-aid must be ripped off, and a choice must be made. In my own feeble fan mind, I’m trying to hold onto memories of Ewers from the first two weeks. But then I think of the dime Manning threw to DeAndre Moore Jr. against Mississippi State while getting blitzed, and I wonder if the depth issues at running back might require more athleticism at quarterback, which Manning offers.

As Joe Rogan would say: “I’m just asking questions,” trying to wash my hands like Pontius Pilate.

All I know is Sark has to ask the questions, find the answers, and be decisive in his determinations. If he does that, there won’t be a controversy. The talent levels are different, but you can see how catastrophic the switching back and forth has been for Oklahoma this year with Michael Hawkins Jr. and Jackson Arnold.

“We’ve got a ton of respect for Quinn and a ton of confidence in Quinn,” Sarkisian said Monday. “I think he’s going to come out and play really good football for us here in the second half of the season.”

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Quarterbacks shouldn’t have to look over their shoulder because none of them succeed when they can’t learn on the job out of fear of failure. That’s what doomed Texas QB rooms of the past and why the program is synonymous with the term. Decision is key. Once made, it should be final after Sark works through his checklist. He needs to do it firmly and do it soon—there’s no time for politics or paralysis by analysis; the stakes are too large.