AUSTIN, Texas — Quinn Ewers didn’t throw the football over the mountains. He didn’t play his way into instant Heisman Trophy contention (though, the chances of that happening against Louisiana-Monroe were virtually nil). There weren’t grand proclamations to be made following the highly anticipated debut of Texas’ mulleted man.
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Ewers’ first Texas start Saturday night didn’t serve as a coronation, even if some hoped for it. After all, he was once the No. 1 overall recruit in the country and arrived on the Forty Acres with more fanfare than any quarterback since Vince Young.
The first impression that the golden-armed recruit left on the 94,873 watching at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium was that of a promising young prospect who made a few typical freshman mistakes. A forced pass into traffic here, an overthrown ball there. Though an oh-my-goodness toss reminiscent of his spring game touchdown pass to Isaiah Neyor was missing, there was plenty to like about Ewers’ performance in a 52-10 win over the Warhawks.
The 6-foot-2, 207-pound Ewers showed poise and progress. He could enjoy it late Saturday, though it all came with the caveat that next Saturday he’ll have to do it against No. 1 Alabama.
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“I found out about him,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “I found out that he’s not going to go into a shell, he’s not going to beat himself up and get down on himself. He’s gonna bounce back.”
Ewers carries himself like a cool customer. “I don’t think he gets nervous, ever,” running back Bijan Robinson said. When meeting with reporters after the win, Ewers — sporting a burnt orange Nike T-shirt, a cross around his neck, a “Luke 17:21” tattoo on his right forearm and a smile — casually held court, cracking jokes with a tranquil demeanor.
Asked what he saw on the second play of the night, an interception that Ewers forced into traffic while scrambling under pressure, he quipped with a grin, “I don’t even remember,” prompting laughs from the assembled group before dissecting the play.
Though the Warhawks were far outmatched by the more talented Longhorns, it wouldn’t have been difficult for Ewers to allow his early mistakes to snowball. The last time he threw a pass in a live game was in 2020 when he was a junior at Carroll High, the powerhouse in Southlake, Texas.
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Because of his lofty recruiting ranking and his presence via name, image and likeness deals, all eyes have been on Ewers, despite his inexperience. His brief stop at Ohio State, where he enrolled last August after reclassifying, included only two snaps in a blowout win over Michigan State, both handoffs.
“I’m actually kind of surprised that I didn’t really have any butterflies today,” he said.
It showed, as Ewers remained steady after the early interception. The redshirt freshman commanded the huddle with confidence and made a healthy number of safe, smart throws while taking a few calculated risks along the way.
“I don’t think anybody wants to throw an interception on their second career pass,” Sarkisian said. “It was a good learning lesson, too. … I didn’t feel for a second that he got flustered or was out of whack by any means. I thought he was very composed.”
By night’s end, his line proved respectable for first-time starter: 16-of-24 passing for 225 yards, two touchdowns and the pick. His composure on critical downs was admirable. On the six third- or fourth-down plays he faced following the turnover, he converted five with completions to a variety of targets. He also worked through his progressions and wisely distributed to pass catchers underneath to keep the chains moving.
“We had some things called down the field that I thought he did a nice job of finding the checkdowns on,” Sarkisian said. “We can’t expect him to ride this bike and do it with training wheels on. I’ve got to let him go.”
The best throw of the night was to sophomore tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders, a fellow five-star recruit who quickly became Ewers’ favorite target. He threw a 25-yard dart up the right seam between defenders to Sanders. After securing the catch, Sanders gazed at the jumbotron to admire it on replay.
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“That was a dime,” Sanders said.
Said Ewers, who described it as his favorite throw: “I just thought it looked cool.”
There is plenty to work on.Though turnovers will happen, Ewers’ first was avoidable. Downfield accuracy must improve. Xavier Worthy, the Longhorns’ freshman All-American in 2021, had only two catches for 24 yards despite six targets.
He and Ewers failed to connect on multiple deep passes, one of which Sarkisian attributed to a miscommunication. Their harmony downfield is critical to the offense’s success.
“It’s gonna get fixed this week, for sure,” Ewers said.
Sarkisian didn’t expect perfection and said he’s actually glad Ewers didn’t play that way. It allowed him to encounter and learn from adversity, something he’ll likely face plenty of when the Crimson Tide come to town.
“We’re going to have some growing pains, and we had some tonight,” Sarkisian said. “But I thought we came out on the other side of them and we’re better for it.”
Some other takeaways from Texas’ victory:
• Sanders, the No. 13 recruit in the 2021 class according to the 247Sports Composite, played in all 12 games last year but rarely in his primary position. As a true freshman, Sanders primarily contributed on special teams.
His patience was rewarded with his first career start Saturday and a six-catch, 85-yard performance that included a 19-yard touchdown. Tight ends are a key part of Sarkisian’s offense, and if Saturday was any indication, the 6-4, 242-pound Sanders could become a major piece of the Texas passing game in 2022. Sarkisian also lauded his blocking on Saturday.
“From when I got here, I’ve seen him grow a lot,” Ewers said. “He’s a big body, big target, easy guy to throw to. … He’s gonna catch a lot.”
• Sophomore Barryn Sorrell also got his first start, lining up at the “jack,” one of Texas’ edge rusher positions. The Longhorns struggled mightily rushing the passer in 2021, finishing seventh in the Big 12 in both sacks and tackles for loss.
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Sorrell provided ample pressure on Saturday, picking up 1.5 sacks and two tackles for loss. He was active, getting in on six tackles.
“He is a guy who played some as a true freshman that we all thought had the potential,” Sarkisian said. “I thought Sorrell has worked on his craft, and he cut it loose tonight and was able to generate some pressures on the quarterback. … We need that.”
• Texas started two true freshmen on the offensive line: left tackle Kelvin Banks and right guard Cole Hutson. Banks, a five-star recruit, has impressed since arriving in June. Hutson, a four-star recruit and January enrollee, has also performed well in the offseason.
The Longhorns’ pass protection was a sore spot in 2021, particularly during the team’s six-game losing streak. The first-team line, which included center Jake Majors, left guard Hayden Connor and right tackle Christian Jones, yielded only one sack.
The Longhorns’ top three backs — Robinson, Roschon Johnson and Jonathan Brooks — averaged a combined 6.5 yards per carry.
“They made some holes tonight,” Robinson said. “They did what they were supposed to do.”
Robinson didn’t sense any wide eyes from the two freshmen.
“For them to come here and not be nervous and just play football, it was fun,” Robinson said.
• Fifth-year senior cornerback D’Shawn Jamison had a huge night. He started the scoring by blocking a ULM punt, which running back Keilan Robinson returned for the game’s first touchdown.
Midway through the third quarter, Jamison intercepted a tipped pass and returned it 69 yards for a score. Also a gifted return specialist, Jamison is the first player in school history to return a kickoff, punt and interception for a touchdown in his career. He’s second on the school’s all-time list with four career non-offensive touchdowns, behind only former defensive back Michael Huff’s five.
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• Nine Longhorns made their first career starts Saturday, with defensive backs Jaylon Guilbeau and Ryan Watts and tight end Gunnar Helm joining Ewers, Banks, Hutson, Connor, Sanders, and Sorrell.
Guilbeau, a true freshman, started at the “star” position (Texas’ nickelback) and made a quick impact. He broke up a third-down pass on Texas’ first defensive series. He also applied some pressure on ULM quarterback Chandler Rogers on Jamison’s pick six.
“Guilbeau’s had a great camp,” Sarkisian said. “With freshmen, you never know until the lights come on.”
• With No. 1 Alabama on deck, Sarkisian said the Longhorns — who are 17.5 point underdogs — “don’t need to make this more than it needs to be.”
“We’re gonna have 101,000 people in the stadium, that’s all that we can fit,” Sarkisian said. “There’s not going to be 300,000 people in there or something crazy. They’re going to play with 11, we’re going to play with 11. Last time I checked, the field’s not going to change. … We need to focus on the task at hand and our preparation.”
(Photo: Scott Wachter / USA Today)
