The Texas Longhorns are eagerly anticipating the return of starting quarterback Quinn Ewers as they prepare for the highly anticipated Red River Rivalry clash against the Oklahoma Sooners on October 12.
The high-stakes showdown will of course take place at the historic Cotton Bowl.
After missing two games due to an oblique injury, it appears that Ewers is on track to reclaim his starting role just in time for one of the most important matchups of the season.
Ewers has been sidelined since his injury, forcing backup quarterback Arch Manning to step in.
Manning has performed spectacularly in Ewers’ absence, but it seems his stint as the starting quarterback may be coming to an end.
According to multiple reports, Ewers is back practicing with the team, showing signs of readiness for the upcoming clash with Oklahoma.
“According to multiple sources, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers participated in practice on Tuesday and received the first-team reps,” reported Anwar Richardson of OrangeBloods. “I was told, ‘Quinn is playing [against Oklahoma]. No way he misses this game or the rest of the season. He wants to win the SEC and a Natty.'”
Ewers has been the unquestioned leader for the Longhorns this season, throwing for 691 yards and eight touchdowns with just two interceptions in the three games he has played.
His standout performance came in a win over the then-No. 10 Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor on September 7, where he completed 24 of 36 passes for 246 yards and three touchdowns, helping Texas secure a signature 34-24 victory.
The Longhorns’ offense hasn’t skipped a beat in his absence, averaging 45.0 points per game.
In last weekend’s 35-13 win over Mississippi State, Manning showed flashes of his incredible potential, completing 26 of 31 passes for 325 yards and two touchdowns, along with a rushing touchdown.
One thing is clear: Quinn Ewers deserves to be the starting quarterback for Texas. Period.
While Manning may end up being the better quarterback in the long-run, you won’t find any serious person who doesn’t think Ewers is more than capable of leading the Longhorns on a national title run.
In fairness, you can make the extremely strong argument that BOTH Ewers and Manning are capable of winning it all for Texas this season.
Manning deserves all the credit in the world for how he’s handled the situation in Austin. By all accounts, Arch and Quinn are genuinely close and help each other every way they can.
Thanks in large part to his family, Manning knows full-well that 2024 is Ewers’ year. As long as he stays healthy, there’s little doubt that Texas will ride-or-die with Quinn.
Having said all of that, the fact of the matter is there is a portion of Texas’ fanbase that prefers Manning to be the starter over Ewers.
Those fans are certainly entitled to their own opinion – but it’s best they don’t lose sight of just how special of a quarterback Ewers is.
Either way, you have to love and admire Ewers’ mindset and dedication to the program. As the reports indicate, there’s nothing that will stop him from trying to carry the Longhorns back to the mountain top of college football.
While there are strong contenders out there, such as Ohio State, Georgia and Alabama, Texas has as good of a shot as anyone at winning the national title this season.
Sitting on top of the rankings with a perfect 5-0 record, the Longhorns are off this weekend and will take advantage of the extra time to prepare for the rival Sooners.
What are your thoughts on Steve Sarkisian’s decision to go back to Ewers? … Do you wish he would stay with Manning under center?
While we’re on the subject, let’s take a look 20 years down the road for a second … Who will end up being the better quarterback of the two???