Quinn Ewers was in a ‘beast’ version of himself as he threw that incredible touchdown pass to Gunner Helm against Michigan in the first quarter after faking the pass and scrambling through the D-line. The Longhorns won that game 31-12 in Week 2 of 2024, marking their biggest road win against a top-10-ranked opponent since 1979. Ewers declared joyfully after the game, “I just enjoy big moments.” But there was another version of Quinn Ewers, too, someone who Paul Finebaum believes might have cost them the natty.
Ewers’ legacy at Texas remains unwavering despite some of the criticisms that are leveled against him in terms of consistency. After all, he took Texas out of obscurity by competing at the highest level and led them to back-to-back semifinal berths in the playoffs. At the end of it, Ewers came out producing 9,128 yards and 68 touchdowns, something only a few Texas QBs could even claim. Additionally, Quinn was a loyal Longhorn.
Even when his draft stock tanked as the season progressed, he didn’t join another team in college football, even though he had offers from 2 prominent teams, as per reports. The decision was deliberate since he wanted to leave Texas on “good terms,” as his high school football coach points out. However, that Cotton Bowl performance still reveals a significantly different Quinn Ewers from what we saw against Michigan.
It would be unfair to blame the Ohio State loss on Quinn Ewers last year since there were multiple issues in the offense. But yes, Ewers’ performances in the playoffs took a major dip. The QB completed just 23 passes out of 40 for 283 yards. However, the turning point in the game was the costly fumble from Quinn Ewers, which was returned for a touchdown by Ohio State. Even before that game, Ewers had issues against ASU and Clemson. Moreover, against Georgia in the SEC championship game in 2024, Ewers was inefficient, completing just 27 of the 46 passes, giving 2 pick-sixes along with a few poor decisions. Seeing all these performances makes you think Arch Manning should have started against Ohio State, right?
Paul Finebaum, speaking on the 28th May episode of ESPN College Football, echoed the sentiment that if Arch Manning had started the Cotton Bowl game, then Steve Sarkisian would have won a national title. “There is nothing finer than Arch Manning starting at Texas. It’s long overdue. I think Arch Manning should have come in the Cotton Bowl loss to Ohio State. And I think there’s a chance that game could have gone differently, but he is going to bring Texas within a whisker of perhaps another run at a national championship (in 2025).” Let’s analyze it objectively.
It’s not a secret that Quinn Ewers had his troubles in the pocket with sacks and pressures against Ohio State. But saying Arch Manning could have done it against the toe-crushing OSU defense? Well, that’s a stretch. For context, Arch Manning was utilized in the game in a key fourth-down short-yardage situation. Young Arch even had some involvement in other playoff games, but his inexperience against bigger opponents probably enabled Steve Sarkisian to stick with Ewers. Even if he decided to start Arch Manning, that would be a very big gamble to take in a game as crucial as Ohio State.
Injury crisis looming in the QB room for Steve Sarkisian?
Well, now that Quinn Ewers is off to the NFL, the QB1 spot is all Arch Manning’s. The expectations are high, the hype is extreme, and the talent? Young Arch Manning is brimming with it. This was evident from his 2024 season, from his limited appearances. Last season, the QB finished with 939 passing yards, along with 108 rushing yards. The only thing that can now derail the exciting plans with Arch Manning is his injury.
“We’ve had four straight years where our starting QBs have gone down. We’ve got two young, talented guys, but adding an older, experienced QB puts us in the best spot for a long season. You need depth to survive 17 games,” said Steve Sarkisian. The take was apt since just last year, we saw Quinn Ewers going down with an injury for two and a half games. Even after he recovered from the injury, issues persisted and were one factor in the downgrade in the performance of Ewers. But this year? Sark has a solution.
Steve Sarkisian, to avoid any injury crisis in the QB room, has brought in Matthew Caldwell from the Troy Trojans. The player played 10 games for the Trojans last year and passed for 1,608 yards along with 13 TDs. Caldwell’s experience gives the QB room at Texas a greater depth and will help alleviate any unforeseen situation if Arch Manning goes down due to injury.
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