Is Quinn Ewers too much of a dink and dunk QB or is he taking what defenses give him? Steve Sarkisian sends a warning to future oppenents.
Through the first two and a half games this season, Quinn Ewers looked like a Heisman winner. In fact, the junior QB was the front runner for the Heisman Trophy.
In Week 3, Ewers got hurt and Arch Manning took over for two and a half games. Manning’s penchant for going deep was noticeable right out of the gate. Ewers would throw long occasionally, but Manning did it regularly.
Ewers came back for the Oklahoma game, but looked rusty. The next week against Georgia was a disaster. It didn’t even look like Ewers could go deep.
The Southlake product was 25 of 43 for just 211 yards passing, two TDs and three turnovers. It was certainly his worst game of 2024. It was reminiscent of his game against Oklahoma last year and the final drive against Washington in the playoff. He looked lost. By the second quarter he already had that thousand yard stare of someone that is shell shocked.
Ewers started to look more like himself against Vanderbilt. He was 27 of 37 for 288 yards, 3 TDs and 2 INTs. At one point he had 17 straight completions. But the Commodores turned both interceptions into touchdowns. Still, Texas won beating a ranked SEC opponent on the road.
But since the game, Ewers has been criticized for settling for check-downs and throwing passes short of the sticks.
Quinn Ewers aDOT (Average Depth of Target) is 5.9 yards in 2024, ranking 79th of 79 in the Power 5. pic.twitter.com/UCiNg4oitz
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian address this concern in his weekly press conference. “Tell the DBs to move up, and we will throw over them,” Sarkisian said. “They played man-to-man on one snap that wasn’t in the red area, we threw a touchdown pass. Tell them to move up.”
23 of Ewers’ 27 completions were passes less than 10 yards. But it was successful because Texas pass catchers generated 228 yards after the catch. A lot of this is by design. Sark’s offenses are known for getting the ball to athletic receivers and letting them make a play.
Quinn Ewers is attempting more deep passes now than when we were in the first three games of the season (pre-injury)
Ewers is actually throwing deep a tick more than he was pre-injury. But fans and media seem to be subconsciously comparing him to Manning. When Manning is the starting QB next year, presumptively, he might not throw deep as much as he has this season.
When Ewers is on top of his game, he takes what the defense gives him. With the weapons the Horns have at WR, he can go short and try for yards after catch or go long. We’ll see how it plays out the rest of the year.
Texas Longhorns face a crucial SEC game vs Vanderbilt as they look to rebound and strengthen their CFP hopes ahead of the November 5 rankings reveal.
As the No. 5 Texas Longhorns prepare for their first conference road trip of the season against No. 25 Vanderbilt, head coach Steve Sarkisian expressed confidence in quarterback Quinn Ewers after a strong week of practice. Sarkisian praised Ewers’ focus and execution, suggesting the junior signal-caller is in top form heading into a pivotal SEC matchup.
“I thought Quinn’s had a really good week of work. I think he’s really dialed into the game plan. I think he’s playing with a lot of confidence,” Sarkisian noted during his weekly media availability. “I’m looking forward to him getting another opportunity as a competitor to go back out and compete at a high level.”
Texas is looking to rebound after a disappointing 30-15 home loss to the Georgia Bulldogs, a result that has left the Longhorns in the spotlight. Sarkisian acknowledged as much on Wednesday, emphasizing that his team “has something to prove” following the setback.
Sarkisian on his Thursday availability; “One of the beauties in sports is you get to do it again.”
Saturday’s 3:15 p.m. CT matchup in Nashville will be no easy task, as Vanderbilt enters on a three-game win streak, including a signature 40-35 victory over then-No. 1 Alabama. Commodores head coach Clark Lea made it clear this week that his team is preparing for Texas’ entire offensive system, which may include backup quarterback Arch Manning, a nod to the recent history of injuries at the position.
“I believe that this is a system on offense that doesn’t change dramatically with respect to who’s taking the snaps,” Lea said Tuesday. “So, we’re preparing to defend the system. Obviously, both quarterbacks have played, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see both. They’ve got injury history there, and you just never know.”
While Sarkisian remains committed to Ewers as the starter, Lea’s comments highlights the growing attention being placed on Manning’s potential role. Manning, the highly-touted sophomore, brings a more mobile dynamic to the field, a contrast to Ewers’ pocket-passing style. It’s clear that Manning’s athleticism and ability to push the ball vertically have drawn intrigue from opposing defenses, even as Ewers continues to lead the offense.
Tuesday, November 5th, will be a night all college football fans have circled on their calendars, as the College Football Playoff Committee unveils its first rankings of the season.
This game in Nashville carries significant weight for the Longhorns in the SEC standings. A win could propel Texas further in their quest for a College Football Playoff spot, while a loss could deal a serious blow to their postseason hopes.
Though the LSU-Texas A&M showdown may grab more attention, the Longhorns’ performance will be closely watched as they aim to rebound from their defeat to Georgia and keep their CFP ambitions alive in their first year in the Southeastern Conference.
With 4:43 left in the second quarter, the offense was flat. There was no life. The five Longhorns possessions ended punt, punt, fumble, punt and interception
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs already had 20 on the board.
There are only so many buttons a coach can push to change momentum. One of them is to change quarterbacks. Sark has a very capable backup QB. He pulled Ewers and inserted Arch Manning.
Immediately, experts from around college football started to question the move. They started to psychoanalyze Ewers. They started to talk about the future impact.
All valid questions. It didn’t help that Sark’s move seemingly backfired. Manning fared no better leading the offense to a punt and fumble.
“Coach Sark has come out and said that [Ewers] is his guy, he’s our starter, so at no point throughout would I ever think I would see him have to go to the bench. I thought this was a really weird decision. I don’t think it’s a situation where you have to go to the sideline and look at something or anything like that. Maybe [Texas] were trying to get a little bit of a spark going, but it didn’t really come to fruition the way they wanted it to.” — Johnny Manziel
It’s hard to imagine any quarterback advocating for a starter to be pulled. But the move might have worked better than the national media is giving Sark credit for. At least in the second half.
AUSTIN, TEXAS – OCTOBER 19: Quinn Ewers #3 of the Texas Longhorns walks off the field after being defeated by the Georgia Bulldogs 30-15 at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on October 19, 2024 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
Ewers came out of the locker room looking more confident. He played better. His throws were better. The junior was 3 of 5 on the next drive, which ended in a Ewers TD pass to Isaiah Bond for Texas’ first score of the game. Ewers hit Bond again on the 2-point conversion.
UT then went on a bit of a run to cut the lead to 23-15. Ultimately, Texas and Ewers couldn’t complete the comeback. But you can’t rule out that Ewers two series on the bench may have contributed to his hot start in the second half.
The long term impact of the move is being much discussed across the nation. ESPN’s Greg McElroy had some harsh words about the move.
“So when your backup quarterback has rock star status, you just can’t make that move there. Now Pandora’s box has been opened, because Steve Sarkisian showed that he is not afraid to replace Quinn Ewers in favor of Arch Manning in the event in which Quinn Ewers struggles. So the only way you could have pulled the plug on Ewers is if Arch is going to be your guy moving forward.” — Greg McElroy
It’s an interesting point. McElroy is suggesting the move could harm Ewers’ psyche, partly because the backup is famous. Sark has stated, before and after the game, that Ewers is his starting QB. I don’t think anyone on the team questions that.
Could the move harm Ewers mentally? Maybe. But if Ewers is the guy that’s going to lead Texas to the playoff and a chance at the national title, his mental makeup better be stronger than to cave in for the season because he was benched for two series. Ewers has been through a lot in his college career. I don’t think the benching Saturday will have much of an impact.
The more pressing questions are: Why did Ewers have a bad game in the first place? Why did Ewers look lost? Why has Ewers not risen to his pre-injury level of confidence and performance?
The short answer is he’s still probably hurt on some level. If your abs hurt, they hurt on every throw. You just can’t put your entire core into a throw if the oblique injury is nagging.
In 2021, Georgia QB JT Daniels suffered the same injury in Week 2 and wasn’t cleared to play until mid-October. By then, Stetson Bennett had taken over and would lead the Bulldogs to back-to-back national titles.
It you’re in pain every time you throw the ball, you will not have the same amount of confidence you have when you’re pain free. The biggest impact on Ewers mentality is most likely his health.
"As soon as Arch jogs on the field, if he has success, it's his job."@joelklatt shares his thoughts on the Texas QB changeup against Georgia and he doesn't think it's that serious, yet 🙌 ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/Jo3NEPJes6
— The Joel Klatt Show: A CFB Pod (@JoelKlattShow) October 21, 2024
McElroy mentions Manning’s “rock star status.” Should the fame and notoriety of the backup have any impact at all on who plays? Should Sark take the celebrity status of his backup and outside opinion into account when making the decision of which QB to play? McElroy thinks so.
“With who the backup is, and the celebrity status that he carries, I would have avoided that at all cost. That’s a problem because now, first series of the game, if Quinn Ewers starts a game one for three and they punt after a five-play drive stalls, you’re going to start hearing chants of Arch. You have to force your starting quarterback into feeling comfortable.” — Greg McElroy
Sark’s job is to win. A coach has to be aware of player mentality, but ultimately, this is big boy college football. This is a program where you have to win. It is a program you have to be aiming for the top. Sark might worry about feelings, but winning takes precedent.
Ewers is far from perfect. He is a really good college quarterback. There are only a handful of QBs that might be better. Does Ewers have what it takes to beat a top shelf defense? A top three of four defense? He never has.
I fear he doesn’t have enough arm strength or mobility to thrive against an elite SEC defense, or at the next level for that matter. Speed on the other side of the ball is his kryptonite.
It is obvious Manning’s tools are better. His arm strength has a much better chance against the speed of an elite SEC, or even NFL, defense. But his experience is lacking. We saw that on full display during his two series against Georgia.
No one knows Ewers and Manning as players better than Sark. Juggling the two personalities is and will be a challenge. But if you start hamstringing the coach based on outside perceptions and popularity, then you’re not doing everything you can to win. You’re not doing everything to be at the top of the sport.
A hacked post falsely claiming Texas QB Quinn Ewers declared for the NFL Draft caused a social media frenzy, later debunked as fake news.
College sports fans were reeling today when an alarming notification appeared on their social media feeds. A prominent college football Instagram account, 247 Sports, had been hacked, leading to the spread of a false report claiming that Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers was opting out of the remainder of the season to declare for the NFL Draft.
The post was quickly deleted, but not before it had already gained rapid traction across Instagram and Twitter, sparking a wave of panic and speculation.
The post, which gained rapid traction across social media, suggested that Ewers had decided to preserve his draft stock for the upcoming NFL Draft. For nearly half an hour, social media was sent into a frenzy. Some speculated that an intern was to blame for the mishap, while others fueled rumors of a possible shake-up at quarterback — with many fans dreaming of Arch Manning stepping into the QB1 role in his second year.
It’s ironic to see how quickly the mood shifted — fans who, just earlier today, were calling for a quarterback change at Texas, suddenly went into full panic mode when confronted with the fake news of Ewers opting out. This is still Quinn’s team, he’s not going anywhere.
Roughly thirty minutes after the post was taken down, 247 Sports staff insiders addressed the issue on the site’s forums, confirming that the account had indeed been compromised and that Ewers had not made such a decision. The false report even prompted Ewers to respond personally, posting a GIF on his Instagram story with the caption “Fake News,” accompanied by an image of former President Donald Trump.
24/7 Sports has since removed the erroneous post and launched an internal investigation. On their forum the company acknowledged the mishap and assured everyone that they have escalated the matter to their security team.
Straight from the source. 247 reporting they were indeed hacked. Crisis in Austin averted, Quinn Ewers remains a Longhorn pic.twitter.com/p32Eg8BcVv
NFL Draft analysts do indeed have Quinn Ewers slated as a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. However, the rumors about him opting out now were completely unfounded. Texas, currently 6-1 after an upsetting home loss to Georgia, is looking to bounce back and improve their SEC record from 2-1 as they head to Vanderbilt this Saturday.
Where were the New Orleans Saints scouting 2025 draft prospects this week? Their scouts were spotted at a couple of high-profile matchups:
Where were the New Orleans Saints scouting during this week’s college football games? Their scouting department is spread out nationwide catching games and filling out reports on 2025 NFL draft prospects, but we only know where they are when it’s reported. This week’s news had them at several high-profile matchups.
Per the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Eli Hoff, the Saints were one of six teams scouting Mizzou’s game with Auburn. It’s at least the second time this season they were watching Missouri live, and the school’s best prospect is wide receiver Luther Burden III, a likely top-10 pick in the 2025 draft class. The 5-foot-11, 208-pound wideout totaled 6 receptions for 49 yards against Auburn and is up to 168 catches, 2,034 yards, and 19 touchdowns in his career. He’s also gained 209 rushing yards and scored four times on just 30 carries as a runner.
But that’s not all. The Saints joined half the league in scouting all of the early-round prospects competing in Texas-Georgia on Saturday night, a game the Bulldogs won handily. Quarterbacks Carson Beck and Quinn Ewers have both also earned top-10 buzz, but they took a step back against the future NFL players on each other’s defenses. Beck was intercepted three times and Ewers was briefly benched in favor of Arch Manning after throwing an interception and taking several sacks.
This may not be the year to look for a quarterback early on. The Saints need help at multiple positions, and it could be worth taking the best player available if they hold onto their position with a top-10 pick. We’re waiting for the rest of Week 7’s games to resolve, but Sunday morning’s Jacksonville Jaguars win put the Saints at No. 6 overall.
Texas benched QB Quinn Ewers vs. Georgia and that should be a reality check for Ewers’ 2025 NFL Draft stock
Texas QB Quinn Ewers continues to get some prominent placement in 2025 NFL mock drafts, but that lofty potential first-round status continues to take hits. Perhaps the biggest jolt to Ewers as a draft prospect came Saturday night, when Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian benched Ewers for celebrated freshman QB Arch Manning.
Ewers wilted under heavy pressure from the Georgia defense early on. A skittish Ewers had no answers and looked panicked and overwhelmed, so Sarkisian benched him for Manning.
The yanking worked, albeit not in the expected way. Manning also struggled in his two offensive series, and Sarkisian turned back to Ewers for the second half.
In that half, Ewers looked more poised and confident. He also got better protection from the right side of his line, which performed inadequately throughout the first half. Ewers threw two touchdowns and provided some short-lived comeback life for the top-ranked Longhorns.
“Quinn’s our starting quarterback,” Sarkisian said after the game. “I appreciate the fact that we’re fortunate enough to have a backup like Arch that can come into the game and provide a spark in some sense, but at the end of the day, Quinn’s our starter.”
The way Ewers played after reentering the game might salvage some draft stock dignity for the Texas QB. He bounced back nicely and held his own against the most effective defense Georgia played all season.
The Ewers in the second half looked like a guy who might have a viable NFL future. Balancing that with the disastrous first half and generally underwhelming senior season to this point is the trick. The benching could provide the spark Ewers needs to reach his considerable potential. But it’s more likely Ewers’ draft stock tumbles in coming projections.
Texas made a huge change at quarterback against Georgia.
This story has been updated.
No. 1 Texas fell behind to No. 5 Georgia early at home on Saturday night and decided to make a quarterback change before halftime.
The Longhorns opted to bench quarterback Quinn Ewers in the game’s second quarter. Ewers struggled in the first half against the Bulldogs’ defense, which sent quarterback Arch Manning into the game.
Ewers only had 17 yards of passing and an interception before he was pulled from the contest. Rather than keep Ewers in, Texas chose to give Manning a chance to lead the Longhorns back into the game.
At halftime, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian explained to ESPN’s Holly Rowe why he made the quarterback switch without reveling if he’d put Ewers back in.
Steve Sarkisian in his halftime interview with Holly Rowe on the QB change — “I wanted to settle Quinn down and give the offense a little bit of a spark with Arch.”
The Saints’ doctors can’t just keep doing what they’ve been doing. They consulted with Texas after Quinn Ewers suffered the same injury as Derek Carr:
The New Orleans Saints will be without starting quarterback Derek Carr for a few more weeks, which gives Spencer Rattler an opportunity to learn on the job and take more live reps. But it’s not like the Saints are planning to keep Carr on ice forever. They want him back in the lineup, and their doctors have been doing their homework to devise the best plan for treating his oblique muscle injury.
Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers suffered a similar oblique strain, which is an unusual injury for a football player. But the school’s medical staff treated him well and Ewers only missed two games, plus a bye week, before returning against Oklahoma in the “Red River Rivalry” game. Ewers scored a touchdown pass and ran for another score in the Longhorns’ 34-3 rout on Saturday.
And on the broadcast, FOX Sports sideline reporter Holly Rowe shared an interesting footnote. She said the Saints had reached out to consult with Texas’ doctors on how they treated Ewers so effectively.
“It’s such a rare injury, it’s actually something that we see in baseball pitchers and volleyball players,” Rowe said, misspeaking and calling Carrr by his older brother’s name, “Actually David Carr in the NFL had a similar injury, they reached out to Texas this week to find out how they’re treating him, treating Quinn Ewers, because he has looked good. A lot of different techniques.”
That misstep aside (it’s not the first time the Carr brothers have been confused for one another, and it won’t be the last), this is good information. There’s nothing unusual about medical professionals consulting with each other especially for rare conditions like this one. The best surgeons in the world still sit through seminars and visit universities for workshops to learn how to better treat their patients.
But that hasn’t stopped fans on social media from laughing at the Saints’ expense — what kind of sports doctors can’t treat sports injuries? That seems to be a negative response due to all the frustration the team has had with injuries over the years, which is a little unfair. It would be more concerning if the Saints weren’t looking for help when working outside their area of expertise. They can’t just keep doing what they’ve been doing and hope for different results.
A look at some of the best photos from Oklahoma’s 34-3 loss to the Oklahoma Sooners.
The State Fair of Texas always provides a phenomenal backdrop for what is the best rivalry in college sports. On Saturday, the Oklahoma Sooners fell well short of expectations in their 34-3 loss to the Texas Longhorns.
Sure, the Longhorns are the No. 1 team in the nation and OU is still dealing with a lot of injuries at wide receiver, but many of the issues that are plaguing the offense have less to do with personnel available and gameplan and execution.
It’s the second time in three years in which the Sooners have been blown out by the Longhorns in the Red River Rivalry. And it’s the second time in three years that Oklahoma failed to score a touchdown.
It was a huge letdown by the Oklahoma Sooners, who now fall to 4-2 on the season with a number of tough games looking ahead. You may not have enjoyed the game, but I’m sure there were some fantastic scenes around the State Fair that Oklahoma fans enjoyed before and after the game. Here’s a look at some of the best photos from the game.
