Quinn Ewers, Texas Hyped for CFP Title by Fans After Crushing Blowout Of Michigan
Mike Chiari@@mikechiari
Featured Columnist IVSeptember 7, 2024
The third-ranked Texas Longhorns bolstered their status as one of the top national championship contenders in college football this season with a 31-12 road win over the No. 10 Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Saturday.
Michigan went undefeated and won the national title last season, but after the departure of head coach Jim Harbaugh and several key players, they were no match for a Texas team led by star quarterback Quinn Ewers.
Ewers finished with 246 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions on 24-of-36 passing in the blowout, leading to a ton of praise for him and hype for Texas as a College Football Playoff team on social media, including some from former Texas and current Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson:
Emmanuel Acho @EmmanuelAchoQuinn Ewers is putting on an absolute masterclass! <br><br>He's trying to tell the world he's the best quarterback in college football. 🔥🔥🔥<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Texas?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Texas</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/TexasFootball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TexasFootball</a>
Texas came out firing in the first quarter, scoring the first points of the game on a 21-yard touchdown pass from Ewers to tight end Gunnar Helm:
By halftime, the Longhorns led 24-3, punctuated by five-yard touchdown from Ewers to wide receiver Matthew Golden with 10 seconds remaining in the half:
Michigan closed the gap slightly with a 52-yard field goal in the third quarter, but Texas answered right back by marching down the field and finishing the drive with a seven-yard touchdown from Ewers to running back Jaydon Blue to essentially put the game out of reach:
Last season, Ewers led Texas to the CFP as Big 12 champions and had a solid individual campaign, completing 69.0 percent of his passes for 3,479 yards, 22 touchdowns and just six interceptions.
Even so, there was some thought that Ewers was entering 2024 on a short leash due to the looming presence of backup quarterback Arch Manning, who is one of the most hyped prospects in college football in decades.
Ewers may have put a stranglehold on the starting job Saturday, though, and he had many on X expressing their belief that he is a Heisman Trophy candidate:
As good as Ewers was Saturday, head coach Steve Sarkisian's Longhorns won thanks to a total team effort.
Texas' defense allowed only 284 total yards and forced three turnovers, which perhaps speaks to the type of talent Michigan lost from last year's team to the NFL.
Running back Donovan Edwards is one of the Wolverines' top returning players on offense, but he was held to 41 yards and no touchdowns on eight carries Saturday, as Michigan was playing from behind and was forced to throw it.
That played to Texas' advantage since first-year starting quarterback Davis Warren struggled mightily for the Wolverines, finishing with 204 yards, one touchdowns and two interceptions on 22-of-33 passing.
Entering the season, it was widely expected that dual-threat quarterback Alex Orji would be Michigan's starter, but head coach Sherrone Moore went with the surprising decision to start Warren.
After Warren was largely unimpressive in a Week 1 win over Fresno State and then played even worse on Saturday, there may be a great deal of pressure on Moore to make a quarterback change.
Many eyes will be on Michigan and the quarterback situation next week when the Wolverines look to get back on track against Arkansas State.
Meanwhile, Texas will return home next week to face UTSA, which is considered one of the top contenders to seize a CFP spot among non-Power Four teams.
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