Quinn Ewers led Texas' offense against Washington last year, and may have to do so again in the CFP
It didn’t count officially, but a second quarter pass from Quinn Ewers to Jordan Whittington during the Big 12 Championship let the fifth-year receiver know that Ewers was as dialed-in as he’s ever been.
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“He was just so on point,” Whittington said after the Big 12 Championship. “There was a play, a lot of people aren’t going to notice, where I was breaking out and there was a defender there, and he put it right (on me). I don’t know if anybody saw it, but that’s when I knew he’s locked in.”
It’s curious that’s when Whittington realized Ewers was locked in. By that point Whittington had two catches for 11 yards. Plus, Ewers had completed 15 of his first 16 passes for 255 yards and three touchdowns. If anything, Ewers was locked in from the start as part of a gameplan that focused on passing at all three levels.
Ewers’ conference championship-winning performance placed him in the UT record books, as it was just the third game in school history in which a UT quarterback passed for 450 or more yards. It placed him in the Big 12 Championship game record books. And more importantly, it eventually placed Texas in the College Football Playoff.
The career-best showing was an important one for Ewers as he leads the Longhorn offense into the CFP for a showdown with the Washington Huskies. Not only can he build off his Big 12 Championship performance, but he can also look back at last year’s matchup with Washington in the 2022 Alamo Bowl.
Because in New Orleans on New Years Day, Ewers may again be asked to carry the load for the Longhorn offense.
Last year in San Antonio at the center of an offensive gameplan akin to the one deployed last Saturday in Arlington, Ewers was 31-for-47 for 369 yards and a touchdown. A number of yards and points were left on the Alamodome field when a handful of on-the-money passes fell to the ground.
“I know that we’re going to come to play,” Ewers said Sunday. “We played Washington in the Alamo Bowl last year, it’s kind of funny how that all works out.”
Without the services of Bijan Robinson or Roschon Johnson last December, Sarkisian called on Ewers to lead the offense. He distributed the football to eight different receivers in the process.
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“But the plan tonight was we knew we were going to throw the ball more than we had kind of throughout the season,” Sarkisian said after the Longhorns’ 27-20 loss last year. “We felt like that gave us the best chance, and it did. I thought the pass game was effective.”
Last week without Jonathon Brooks and against a secondary where he felt his team had a matchup advantage, Sarkisian again called on Ewers to lead the offense. He distributed the football to nine different receivers, including defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat, as part of the Longhorns’ championship effort.
Throwing the ball gave the Longhorns their best chance to win, and Ewers may have to do so again in order to leave this contest with the Huskies victorious and give the Longhorns a shot at the national championship.
Kalen DeBoer’s offense gets most of the attention. But what Texas might look to exploit is the Husky pass defense. Washington ranks No. 120 in passing yards allowed with 263.2 yards per game. The Huskies rank No. 90 in total defense, giving up 396.9 yards per contest.
In order to take advantage, Texas will look for a performance from Ewers like the ones he offered versus OSU last Saturday and UW last year. It’s one he believes he and his team can offer.
“This year, I think we’re more than capable of staying poised, staying level-headed, and able to finish out those games,” Ewers said Sunday.
