On 4th-and-13 with Texas’ season on the line in overtime, I had zero faith in Quinn Ewers. I know I wasn’t alone.
Never mind the fact that Ewers had more Playoff experience than any quarterback in the 12-team field. Never mind the fact that it was Ewers who played a monumental role in digging Texas out of the college football basement when he arrived to a 5-7 program. Never mind the fact that it was Ewers who returned from injury, only to lead Texas to consecutive 12-win seasons for just the second time in program history.
Nah. I had zero faith.
This was Arizona State’s time, not Ewers’ or Texas’ time. Instead, it was about time to end those national title hopes for Texas and spend all offseason wondering if Steve Sarkisian‘s faith in Ewers instead of the decorated Arch Manning was responsible for the Longhorns coming up short and blowing a 16-point lead to Arizona State in the CFP quarterfinals.
Yeah, about that.
Ewers stared down an all-out blitz, found his new favorite target Matthew Golden for 6 and reminded everyone that Sarkisian knew what he was doing.
And of course, it helped that Sarkisian reminded everyone of that again on the first play in double-overtime when he dialed up a perfect route for tight end Gunnar Helm, whom Ewers hit in-stride for the go-ahead touchdown.
Somehow, some way, Texas advanced to the Cotton Bowl CFP semifinals. If Ewers hadn’t snapped out of his late-game funk — we should also talk about Bert Auburn’s 2 missed kicks and Texas’ 4 false-start penalties in the 4th quarter/overtime — he would’ve been the one with his head hung on the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Instead, that was Arizona State running back/icon Cam Skattebo, who probably needed a shovel to be carried off that field Wednesday.
To be clear, Skattebo did everything in his power to deliver what would’ve been one of the most crushing losses in Texas history. About the only thing Skattebo didn’t do was pick off Ewers.
That was Javan Robinson. He picked off a fluttering deep ball to Isaiah Bond that never quite got there. That’s been a fair knock on Ewers since he returned from his oblique injury. For a team with dynamic skill players and an offensive mind like Sarkisian, Ewers hasn’t been the downfield assassin that one would’ve thought he’d be as a preseason Heisman Trophy favorite. As a result, Sarkisian has mostly catered to that. Ewers entered Wednesday just 16-for-44 on passes 20 yards downfield with 62% of his passes coming behind the line of scrimmage or within 0-to-9 yards (via PFF).
Perhaps it was only fitting that Ewers’ 2 biggest plays of the night were downfield passes. All 3 of Ewers’ touchdown passes were at least 20 yards downfield, though obviously, none will be remembered quite like 4th-and-13 to Golden. That play will be talked about in Austin for a long time.
The underrated throws that Ewers made were the timing routes with Golden. The Houston transfer help set up a potential game-winning field goal (which Auburn missed), and his 2-point conversion grab in the second overtime could’ve easily been the difference if not for Andrew Mukuba’s game-clinching interception.
Ewers’ connection with Golden has been monumental, especially with the aforementioned Bond dealing with a leg injury that he suffered in the SEC Championship. The Houston transfer clearly has a rapport with Ewers, which was showcased with his 7-catch, 149-yard showing.
Even Ewers’ biggest skeptics couldn’t guarantee that Golden would’ve had that with Manning. Are we sure that anyone would’ve had that with Manning? Like, a guy that Ewers could trust to get separation on the double move while facing an all-out blitz with the season on the line?
That’s what revisionist history would’ve ignored with Sarkisian’s decision to trust Ewers instead of Manning. We would’ve assumed that Manning’s 3-game sample size as Texas’ starter from early in the season would’ve sufficed in an all-or-nothing game. We all would’ve said, “well, you’ve just gotta trust that talent would’ve won out.”
Maybe it would have. And shoot, maybe it would have allowed Texas to distance that lead instead of watching it slip away.
Alternatively, maybe Manning would have thrown a pick-6 in the crucial moments and we would have been reminded that this is a game of inches. Go ask the Texas kicking game about that.
Ewers delivered. He delivered in ways that should never be taken for granted.
It felt fitting that as the broadcast crew brought up Manning’s name, Ewers promptly turned upfield and squeezed through a pair of ASU defenders to give Texas that aforementioned 16-point lead. It was almost as if Ewers heard that and tried to show the world that, even coming off his ankle injury from November, he can still get the job done.
Ewers did that alright. As he ran to Golden to celebrate that overtime score, he pointed at the Texas sideline. One would assume he pointed at Sarkisian for dialing up that perfect look in that spot. For all we know, he had another message to Sarkisian in that moment.
“Thanks for not giving up on me.”