Quinn Ewers' progress in drop-back passing has him as confident as ever ahead of a matchup with Michigan
Quinn Ewers has made concrete progress since last year in multiple areas.
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Let’s start with numbers first, and a truism about passing offense.
Quality quarterbacks should have better passing stats when they operate out of play-action. The play-fake, whether it’s at the mesh point in shotgun or with the quarterback turning around in pistol and faking a handoff in the Longhorns’ scheme, keeps second and third level defenders occupied at least for a moment longer than when QBs just straight up drop back and go through progressions.
Last season, Ewers’ pass attempts were split just about 50-50 between drop-back and play-action.
With a play-fake, he completed 75 percent of his passes for 2076 yards and 16 touchdowns over three interceptions.
Without a play-fake while just dropping back? Ewers converted 61.3 percent of his passes for 1384 yards and six touchdowns over three interceptions.
Contrast that to Saturday. According to PFF, Ewers was 9-for-11 for 149 yards and a score against Colorado State on play-action.
Without play-action? He was a high quality 11-for-16 for 111 yards and two touchdowns along with his lone interception. And a closer review with knowledge of how Texas’ play-fakes function reveals that Ewers was more likely 10-for-14 with the same TD-to-INT ratio.
How did Ewers improve in this aspect? He has the benefit of one of the best pass-protecting offensive lines in the country, and that along with development in the system has him far more comfortable in the offense than in previous years.
“I’m not as antsy as I used to be,” Ewers said Saturday. “I think that’s a good word for it, I used to get just antsy in the pocket, especially whenever you’re not play-faking and throwing something on rhythm. You’ve got to sit back. Like you said, a full progression. I definitely am a whole lot more comfortable.”
There’s an increased level of comfort not just in the offense for Ewers, but also in the building and in the meetings with Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian. There’s always a tenseness in any relationship in its early stages. Over two years later, now there’s increased comfort between Sarkisian and Ewers.
“Our conversations are different,” Sarkisian said. “He’s so much more mature now that I don’t think he ever feels like he has to prove anything to me. I think he just goes out and plays and then we talk about it. it’s fun as a coach that you can have that relationship with your quarterback.”
And as for Saturday?
“The ball was going to the right people on time,” Sarkisian said. “He made good decisions in the RPO game. I just through his command of the offense on the field was really good.”
Sarkisian calls quarterback the most important position in sports. With that comes a considerable amount of nuance. Does he want his players to run the system? Of course. Does that mean they should be X’s and O’s on a chalkboard? No.
“I don’t want those guys to be robots,” Sarkisian said. “They need to play the game. We try to train them and we try to train them from a disciplined approach. I’m hard on them. They’ll be the first ones to tell you I’m hard on them and Coach Milwee is hard on them. But in the end, when it’s time to play the game, play the game.”
What was Ewers’ least robotic play on Saturday? A pass a robot couldn’t make.
Ewers looked to Amari Niblack for a split second before firing a no-look pass to Matthew Golden, who waltzed into the end zone for Ewers’ third touchdown pass and Golden’s second scoring reception of the day.
If Ewers had missed it, who knows what would have happened. That said, he knows it’s a good thing he didn’t waste what he called a move from his “shortstop background” on an interception.
Plus, it took a lot of confidence to make that type of throw.
“I don’t want to miss it and get my butt ripped,” he said with a smile. “I guess some things fall your way.”
Ewers knows the eyes will be on him all season. He appeared more energetic and even confident on Saturday after his performance against Colorado State, something almost out of character for one of the most reserved five-stars in recent memory who just now is starting to come out of his shell. Dr. Pepper, anyone?
That confidence will be necessary especially as the Longhorns head to Ann Arbor, Mich. to face the Michigan Wolverines. There’s still some Buckeye in Ewers, who transferred to Texas from Ohio State. It’s almost all gone. Almost. Ewers has called Michigan “that team up north” in the past, a callback to his one season in Columbus.
He’s a Longhorn these days. All he’s doing is facing the defending national champion Wolverines.
“It’s just a little funny joke for sure,” Ewers said. “That team up north is always funny. But I’ll say it: Michigan. It don’t matter.”
Ewers’ skill and confidence will face a tough test in a Wolverine defense anchored up front by Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant and featuring Will Johnson in the secondary.
It’s a test Ewers is more ready than ever to take on.
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“We’re all excited to get up there and be able to play against the defending national champions,” Ewers said. “We’re excited for the opportunity that we’re granted. Fired up to see how we handle this week.”
