Quinn Ewers, Texas football's road warrior
Quinn Ewers‘ first career road start on October 22, 2022 at Oklahoma State didn’t quite go as planned, as the Longhorns left Stillwater with a 41-34 loss due in large part to Ewers’ alarming inconsistency. Since then? He hasn’t lost a true road game.
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Ewers is 8-0 in enemy territory since that loss with wins at 2022 Big 12 champion Kansas State, 2023 SEC champion Alabama, and at Michigan on Saturday in front of over 111,000 people versus the defending national champions.
The game at Oklahoma State in 2022 was a brutal introduction to life on the road for Ewers. Seen with a wrap on his throwing hand pregame, Ewers was a putrid 19-for-39 for 319 yards with two touchdowns and three picks. Steve Sarkisian kept calling downfield passes, and Ewers kept failing to convert them.
Sarkisian called Ewers “jittery” in the pocket two years ago, but even so was adamant he never considered pulling Ewers amidst his poor play. He also mentioned neither the swirling Oklahoma wind nor the wrap on his hand were the causes for the 48 percent completion percentage.
“He’s going to have a great career,” Sarkisian said in 2022. “He’s got a great career ahead of him. There’s going to be a heck of a lot better days than today that he’ll have. He’s in the young stages of his career. We’ll get back to work. We’ll work on the fundamentals, the techniques, the schemes to operate those things, make sure that he’s going to the next ballgame with a great deal of confidence that he can execute this offense and do it at a high level.”
Sarkisian’s prophetic endorsement of Ewers saw hints of accuracy the very next week as two touchdown passes from No. 3 helped Texas top Kansas State in Manhattan at night. It’s been all progress ever since.
Ewers said on Monday he had never really noticed noise on the road until that first drive in Stillwater. Then, he was in his head.
There wasn’t much to see emotionally from Ewers during that game, at least not externally. Sarkisian told a different story about that loss on Monday.
“Because of his cool, calm demeanor, sometimes we don’t see the anger and frustration come out that I’m privy to on a regular basis,” Sarkisian said. “The competitor in Quinn was pissed in that game. He felt like he was better than that. We all felt like we were better than that.”
Ever since then, Ewers has developed his game on the field all while working to play with a level of faith-based poise that keeps his focus where it needs to be.
As the quarterback of the visiting team, Ewers is 164-for-244 for 2001 yards and 15 touchdowns to one interception since leaving Oklahoma State with a rushing touchdown added for good measure. His per game average is 20.5-for-30.5 for 250 yards and 1.88 touchdowns to 0.13 interceptions, an average that has improved as Stillwater gets further and further in the rearview.
Sarkisian credited Ewers’ leadership for elevating others, but he couldn’t ignore what everybody around the country saw on the field after the junior quarterback’s performance at Michigan.
“He’s playing good,” Sarkisian said. “There wasn’t a throw Saturday outside of maybe a checkdown that I don’t think he saw the linebacker when he went to check it down that was ever really in danger.”
Ewers is slow to credit himself publicly, giving credit to everyone first.
“I think we’ve all come very far in comfortability,” Ewers said Monday. “Especially playing away games. I think we’re just a whole lot more comfortable within the offense and I think the defense does a great job on the road.”
But the progress since leaving Oklahoma State is undeniable.
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2022 at Kansas State
18-for-31, 197 yards, 2 TDs
Quality K-State pass-rushers made this a tough game for Ewers as he completed under 60 percent of his passes, and the Longhorn offense stalled out in the second half scoring just three points. However, timely defense from Keondre Coburn helped Ewers to his first road win in what was just his second opportunity. Signs of progress were there, but the growing pains were persistent.
2022 at Kansas
12-for-21, 107 yards, 1 TD
Ewers didn’t have to do all that much this game as Texas ran the ball 57 times for 427 yards and six touchdowns. It bumped Ewers to 2-0 on the road and he did his part on this play.
2023 at Alabama
24-for-38, 349 yards, 3 TDs
A little different than the two prior road venues.
Ewers, lacking a mullet this season, walked into Bryant-Denny Stadium and walked out with a win, joining the likes of Joe Burrow and Chad Kelly. Ewers hit three touchdown passes, two to Adonai Mitchell and one to Xavier Worthy, to knock off the Crimson Tide in their own house.
This was the best game of Ewers’ career up to that point, and in addition to the scoring plays there were signs of leadership, hustle, and even improved acumen while going against one of the best defensive minds in football history.
2023 at Baylor
18-for-23, 293 yards, 1 TD, 1 rushing TD
Sarkisian has little real interest in designed quarterback runs, he calls the position “the passer” at times. But Ewers tallied five rushing touchdowns in the early portion of the season including in Waco.
2023 at Houston
23-for-29, 211 yards, 2 touchdowns
Ewers found Mitchell and Worthy quickly on Texas’ first two drives, but the Longhorn defense struggled against crossing routes and let Houston back in the game.
This was also yet another occasion, joining 2022 Alabama at home, where an upper body injury knocked Ewers out of not just this game, but the following two games. Maalik Murphy stepped in and kept Texas’ championship hopes alive.
2023 at TCU
22-for-33, 317 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
The only road interception Ewers has thrown outside of Stillwater took place in this game, but his mistake was undone by the heroic effort of Worthy and Jordan Whittington. No harm, no foul, right?
Ewers was at the head of an offense that provided him with decent numbers but stalled out and gave the Horned Frogs a chance to make it two straight over Texas. Ewers wouldn’t be denied as Sarkisian, in the first game back from injury for Ewers, dialed up deep pass for Mitchell to ice the game.
Ewers delivered, Mitchell delivered, and Ewers’ road win streak continued. More importantly the game was put on his right arm and he made sure to do what was asked.
2023 at Iowa State
23-for-33, 281 yards, 2 TD
Ewers was sacked a handful of times but touchdown passes to Whittington and Gunnar Helm, along with Byron Murphy showing the ISU offensive line who’s boss, helped the Longhorns earn their first win in Ames since 2017 and inch closer to locking up their spot in the Big 12 Championship.
2024 at Michigan
Few players have had the privilege to play at Bryant-Denny Stadium and Michigan Stadium. Fewer still have wins at both.
Ewers is one of those elite quarterbacks to have earned a victory in the Big House and in Tuscaloosa. On Saturday in Ann Arbor, Ewers made great reads in the progression passing game and via play-action. His throws were accurate and only one throw may have had the potential of getting intercepted.
He displayed a poise and confidence emblematic of the whole team. That represented a significant development from when this picture was taken in Boone Pickens Stadium ahead of what will go down as one of the worst games of his career.
Since that point, he’s given performances in opposing stadiums that have him heading to the airport looking like this.
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