Quinn Ewers: From the perspective of Riley Dodge
If there is one person to talk to about Quinn Ewers, it is Southlake Carroll head coach Riley Dodge. Dodge coached and interacted with the Longhorns starting quarterback for three years.
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With Ewers first start in college football just twelve days away, Inside Texas caught up with Riley Dodge to get his perspective on Ewers.
What are your first memories of Quinn?
Riley Dodge: “It was fall camp going into his freshman year. I saw him throw before, but hadn’t truly worked with him. My first memories were his God-given arm talent, and how natural it was. He didn’t try to overpower the football. Just a smooth operator, and how impressive it was for a rising freshman.”
When did you truly know what you had in Ewers?
Dodge: “My biggest deal going into the season was the type of weapons we had around. I had to be careful not to get too creative too early. As I started giving him more offense, you could tell he could handle a lot. Obviously, we had a super, super talented team that year. Quinn being able to handle a lot, I knew we could challenge him offensively with the pieces we had on that team.”
A road game against Denton Guyer showed Dodge and the Southlake Carroll staff exactly what they had on Friday nights.
“Mine was Denton Guyer his sophomore year on the road. They were a top 3 team in Texas, and obviously we were talented. To see him go out, and what we did offensively against that Guyer team was impressive. We got down 14-0 early, and then settled in. He went off, not just in passing game, but the running game. Watching him take over with adversity hitting him in the face was impressive. His short term memory is one of his greatest assists. His thought if he dwells on anything too long, it’s not helping him or the team. I remember getting on the bus after that game, and I was like let’s go! We know what we have now.”
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Ewers completed 23 of 35 passes for 333 yards and four touchdowns without an interception in the 46-34 win over Guyer. He added 117 yards rushing and two touchdowns on nine carries.
Can you talk about the toughness Quinn showed in his time at Southlake Carroll?
“Obviously that (playing as a junior after surgery) showed a lot of guts. Having the surgery, being out eight games and battling back to play with his teammates in the playoffs. He wanted to give it a go. He had double hernia surgery. One of his strengths is doing things outside the pocket, and he couldn’t do it. But he battled.”
The toughness showed up long before the playoff run in Ewers’ junior season.
“I knew how tough he was his sophomore year. DeSoto was bringing eight guys, and we were in empty. He was taking shots, and still delivering the ball down the field. He stood in the pocket, and stepped up in the pocket knowing he was going to take shots. He can take hits, and not show people how much it hurts. That’s a quality he has.”
What are the keys for Quinn Ewers to have success?
Dodge: “The biggest thing is what Sark is telling him. He doesn’t have to do it by himself. The running back is pretty damn talented. He has trust the guys around him, and get the ball to them. Don’t try to do too much, run the offense and trust the guys around him.
