Quinn Ewers' first start got off to a rough beginning, but he finished strong in Texas' rout of ULM
The day Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers had dreamed of arrived on Saturday. The mulletted redshirt freshman from Southlake took the field for Steve Sarkisian’s Longhorns in a moment that was several years in the making. When he ran out of the tunnel before kickoff, it was the culmination of a unique process that saw him take a sabbatical in Columbus, Ohio before making his way to Austin.
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Ewers had to wait a bit longer than usual to take his first snap. The Longhorn defense and special teams gave him an early 7-0 lead to work with thanks to D’Shawn Jamison blocking a punt and Keilan Robinson scooping and scoring.
Then, the moment arrived. Ewers, one of the highest-rated quarterback prospects in the recruiting era, took the field with the Longhorn offense.
His first pass was an incompletion. His second pass was an interception.
“Coach Sark pulled me aside and said it’s all good, and sometimes we have to punt,” Ewers said. “Sometimes it’s a win for us. I just stayed calm and focused on the next drive.”
Ewers prides himself on his even-keeled demeanor. It shone through in the rest of the game. He settled in after the two problem throws and completed 16 of his next 22 passes, tallying 225 yards and two touchdowns in the Longhorns’ 52-10 rout of the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks.
TEXAS VS. UL-MONROE: Box score
It took a small reset of sorts for Ewers to play like the quarterback who won the starting job over Hudson Card in camp. It may have appeared that Sarkisian was keeping things simple for a young quarterback against an overmatched Warhawk team. According to Sarkisian, that wasn’t the case.
“You can’t expect him to ride this bike and do it with training wheels on,” Sarkisian said. “I’ve got to let him go, and we did that tonight. I thought some guys made some nice plays around him.”
Said Ewers: “I think that was pretty important. I don’t want to be halfway into anything. I want to have the full experience.”
There were some nice throws to open receivers, like one to Ja’Tavion Sanders. The sophomore tight end was on the receiving end of Ewers’ first career touchdown. Ewers added another touchdown later on a 16-yard pass to Bijan Robinson early in the third.
There were also throws indicative of his lofty prep ranking, like his last throw of the night. Ewers found Sanders over the middle despite a Warhawk defender draped all over No. 0 in the third quarter. Ewers’ throw on the run was placed where only his teammate could get it. Sanders gawked on the field after seeing the throw on the big screen.
“Seeing the replay, I was like ‘oh my God,’” Sanders said. “I was like ‘Quinn, bro, that was a dime.’ He’s like, ‘I told you, I’m going to put it where it needs to be every time.'”
Ewers’ version of the story? “I stepped up into the pocket, saw a little bit of color, and tried to put it in the playmaker’s hands,” he said.
The next play, Bijan Robinson found the end zone from nine yards out, his second score of the night, and Ewers’ outing was done.
There were some missed opportunities for the young quarterback. Ewers targeted Xavier Worthy six times, several on throws deep downfield. The duo only made two connections for a total of 24 yards. While Ewers did well on short to intermediate throws, including some on his third or fourth read, he admitted there was room for improvement on the long ball.
“It’s going to get fixed this week, for sure,” Ewers said. “Just need to throw it to green grass when it comes down to it.”
But overall, Ewers did well in his first start. He fought through early adversity to play at a good level and offer contributions to his team’s winning effort. Sarkisian thought similarly.
“I didn’t feel for a second where he got flustered or was out of whack by any means,” Sarkisian said. “I thought he was very composed. Even the throws that he missed, he almost signaled to me ‘I should have done this.’ That part was encouraging.”
Sarkisian mentioned he wants Ewers to rely on the talent around him instead of trying to do everything himself. He had plenty of teammates contribute to the Longhorns’ dominating season opening win.
Sanders finished as the leading receiver, hauling in six catches for 85 yards and a score. Roschon Johnson and Jonathon Brooks got in on the scoring as part of a strong night for the Longhorn running backs.
Texas’ defense kept quarterback Chandler Rogers, wideout Boogie Knight, and the rest of the Warhawks out of the end zone for most of the contest, save for a rushing touchdown late in the fourth with backups in.
Jamison returned an interception for a touchdown in the third quarter after blocking a punt on the game’s opening series.
Other defensive standouts included senior DeMarvion Overshown, who had eight tackles including 2.0 for loss, and sophomore Barryn Sorrell, who had six tackles, 2.0 TFL, and 1.5 sacks off the edge.
The only blemishes were Ewers’ interception and a couple of bobbles from punter Isaac Pearson.
Ewers’ debut behind a O-line that featured two to three freshmen was a confidence booster. Though UT parking might have tried to ding that confidence by towing his car after the game, Ewers is ready for the challenge that the Alabama Crimson Tide will bring to Austin next week.
He plans to review and learn from his early mistakes before then, but overall he couldn’t have asked for a better first game.
“It was a great experience, and I’m so glad to be on a great team like what we have,” Ewers said.
