Tag: quarterback sam ehlinger

Sam Ehlinger named the starting QB for the Colts

A quarterback change is taking place in Indianapolis.

A quarterback change is taking place in Indianapolis. The Colts announced on Monday they are turning to second-year quarterback Sam Ehlinger ahead of its matchup against Washington on Sunday.

Ehlinger gets the nod over veteran Matt Ryan who has seen his fair share of struggles this season.

The move should not come as much of a surprise for those keeping up with Ehlinger’s professional career. He enjoyed an excellent preseason and was recently moved ahead of previous backup Nick Foles on the depth chart.

Colts’ head coach Frank Reich is giving the keys to Ehlinger for the rest of the season with hopes he can spark the sluggish offense.

Indianapolis currently sits with a 3-3-1 record, narrowly out of the AFC playoff picture. The former Longhorn has a great opportunity to prove himself as a starting NFL quarterback.

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Texas QB Sam Ehlinger will not opt out, “I want to finish what i’ve started here”

Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger spoke with the media on Tuesday regarding his decision to continue playing this season.

Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger will finish the year strong for his teammates. Continue reading “Texas QB Sam Ehlinger will not opt out, “I want to finish what i’ve started here””

For Texas to make a run, it needs Sam Ehlinger of Novembers past

For the Texas Longhorns to make it to Arlington for the Big 12 Championship game, they will need Sam Ehlinger to return to November form.

The Texas Longhorns find themselves in yet another must-win game as they host the Iowa State Cyclones. There is only one goal for the Longhorns and Tom Herman: Don’t lose another game. As long as they win out, then the Longhorns likely get another shot at Oklahoma. It would be much the same as the 2018 campaign except this time the Sooners would already have a win over their rivals.

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The Longhorns need the old Sam Ehlinger

For the Longhorns to make that much-needed run in the final three weeks, they need their quarterback, Sam Ehlinger, to play as they’ve seen before. He needs to put this team on his back one more time and push the throttle against Iowa State, Kansas State and Kansas in the final three weeks.

Ehlinger’s breakdown by month

Ehlinger Sept Oct Nov
Comp/Game 26 20 15
Att/Game 36.5 36.5 31
Comp % 71.2 54.8 48.4
Yards/Att 9.4 6.6 5.9
Yards/Game 344.0 240.5 184
TDs 10 10 2
INTs 1 4 0

Ehlinger’s numbers in November

Looking at the previous two years, Ehlinger has shown he can be counted on as the months grow cold.

Ehlinger 2018 2019 2020
Comp/Game 18.8 21.3 15
Att/Game 28.3 33.3 31
Comp % 66.4 63.9 48.4
Yards/Att 8.5 8.2 5.9
Yards/Game 240.3 271.0 184
TDs 10 6 2
INTs 2 2 0

Ehlinger’s numbers against ranked and unranked teams

The good news for Texas Longhorns fans is the team has two of its three remaining games against unranked foes. Ehlinger has thrived in those games, so expect a good performance against Kansas State and Kansas.

The bad news is Iowa State is in the top 15, and it is up next. Small sample size this year with only one game against a ranked opponent. The offense was stagnant in that game and the defense rose to the occasion. Which Sam shows up on Friday?

vs. Top 25 Category vs. Unranked
18 Comp/Game 21.5
34 Att/Game 36
52.9 Comp% 59.7
4.97 Yards/Att 7.7
169 Yards/Game 277.5
3 TD 19
0 INT 5

Career Averages against Iowa State

Category Total Numbers Per Game
Comp 34 17
Att 55 27.5
Comp % 61.8 61.8
Yards 410 205
YPA 7.5 7.5
TD-INT 4-0 2-0

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Texas QB Sam Ehlinger named finalist for William V. Campbell Trophy

On Thursday the National Football Foundation named Texas Longhorns quarterback Sam Ehlinger a finalist for the William V. Campbell trophy.

The Texas Longhorns have a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy. Former defensive end Sam Acho won the award in 2010. One decade later they could have another Sam win the trophy with the quarterback Ehlinger. The National Football Foundation released their finalist for the “Academic Heisman.”

The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced today the finalists for the 2020 William V. Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda – college football’s premier scholar-athlete award that annually recognizes an individual as the absolute best in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership.
The 12 finalists will each receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2020 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments. Later this year, one member of the class will be declared the winner of the 31st William V. Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000.
Along with Ehlinger, Brady White from Memphis was the only other quarterback to be named a finalist from the original list of 199 semifinalists. If Ehlinger wins the trophy he would be the third Texas Longhorn to be awarded the Campbell Trophy along with Dallas Griffin (2007) and Acho (2010).

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CFB analyst Joel Klatt breaks down Sam Ehlinger’s performance against Texas Tech

Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt broke down why Ehlinger was successful in the fourth quarter against the Red Raiders. You can watch the clip here:

When SaRodorick Thompson broke away for a 75-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to extend the lead to 15, Texas seemed to be out of the game. However, quarterback Sam Ehlinger told Tom Herman the Longhorns were going to score twice and win the game in overtime.

Ehlinger backed up what he told Herman, playing incredible football down the stretch. In the final two drives, excluding overtime, the senior quarterback went 6-of-7 passing for 93 yards and two touchdowns. Ehlinger added 15 rushing yards and a game-tying two-point conversion to Brennan Eagles.

In overtime, Joshua Moore caught the game-winning touchdown from Ehlinger to give Texas a 63-56 win in Lubbock.

The quarterback’s play down the stretch is one of the reasons the Longhorns won their fourth consecutive Big 12 opener. He finished with six touchdowns: five in the air and one on the ground.

Fox Sports’ college football analyst Joe Klatt has been high on Ehlinger all season, ranking him the third-best quarterback going into the season. He broke down why Ehlinger was successful in the fourth quarter against the Red Raiders.

You can watch the clip here:

If Texas wants to reach its goal of winning a Big 12 championship, Ehlinger will need to continue to perform the way he did against Texas Tech. Oozing confidence, the quarterback never thinks the Longhorns are out of a game.

Offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich knows he has a special quarterback and must let Ehlinger continue to thrive. Those kinds of decisions will come in handy in Texas’ bigger Big 12 matchups.

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Sam Ehlinger was the best quarterback against the blitz last season

According to PFF grades, Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger was the most efficient against the blitz last season.

Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger is well-known around the college football community, but his talent and production often feel underappreciated. Continue reading “Sam Ehlinger was the best quarterback against the blitz last season”

Sam Ehlinger was the best quarterback against the blitz last season

According to PFF grades, Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger was the most efficient against the blitz last season.

Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger is well-known around the college football community, but his talent and production often feel underappreciated. Continue reading “Sam Ehlinger was the best quarterback against the blitz last season”

NFL Draft: One team had preseason second-round grade on Sam Ehlinger

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler recently joined the Locked On Longhorns podcast to discuss Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger.

Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger has garnered plenty of preseason hype heading into this upcoming college football season. Continue reading “NFL Draft: One team had preseason second-round grade on Sam Ehlinger”

Texas legend Ricky Williams believes in Sam Ehlinger for Heisman

Former Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams believes quarterback Sam Ehlinger should be considered a Heisman finalist this season.

Former Texas running back Ricky Williams is hesitant to put too high of expectations on the Longhorns football team as a whole, but there is one particular player that he confidently believes in. Continue reading “Texas legend Ricky Williams believes in Sam Ehlinger for Heisman”

Texas QB Sam Ehlinger’s season grades show steady improvement

PFF recently released Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger’s season grades, which have improved drastically year over year.

If you’ve watched Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger compete over the past three seasons, the steady improvement has been obvious.

As a true freshman in 2017, Ehlinger split time at quarterback with Shane Buechele. Although he showed promise with his incredible competitive nature and physical style of play, Ehlinger wasn’t comfortable with what was happening around him.

Did he have an accurate arm? Could he limit the crucial turnovers? Would his pocket presence improve? Numerous questions began surrounding the young player.

But how much has he improved since then?

PFF.com recently released Ehlinger’s season grades, the drastic development from his freshman to sophomore year is eye popping.

The hype understandably surrounds Ehlinger as he heads into his senior season. If he continues to develop as history portrays, Ehlinger will be a legitimate Heisman Trophy contender in 2020.

Take a look at the season-by-season numbers below.

GP Rush Pass Total Avg/G
2017 9 385 1915 2300 255.6
2018 14 482 3292 3774 269.6
2019 13 663 3663 4326 332.8

Ehlinger is without a doubt the top overall player returning in the Big 12 conference, has the ability to finish his collegiate career as one of the top quarterbacks in the nation.