Last Saturday, the Texas Longhorns looked every bit the part of the national title contenders that they clearly are.
Quarterback Quinn Ewers is one of the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy and could very well be a top-3 pick in next April’s NFL Draft.
Having said that, he decided to return to Austin for one reason and one reason only – to win a national championship.
The path gets much tougher this week as Ewers and the Longhorns head to Ann Arbor to take on the defending national champion Michigan Wolverines.
Speaking of the Wolverines, an old comment Ewers made during this summer’s SEC Media Days has resurfaced where he referred to Michigan as “The Team Up North.”
“It’s going to be an awesome environment; the place is going to be rocking,” Ewers said of playing Michigan “Especially all the hype because it’s an early game. They’re coming off a national championship, yeah…The Team Up North.”
Of course, “TTUN” was made famous by legendary Ohio State coach Woody Hayes and the Buckeyes have routinely used it ever since.
In a way, Ewers has a right to use the term.
After all, he was originally a Buckeye for about 5 seconds before he decided to transfer to Texas.
Any ill-will Ohio State fans may have for Ewers will be set aside for 3 hours on Saturday when they will root like crazy for the Longhorns to knock Michigan back down to earth.
Of course, the only thing on Ewers’ mind is winning on Saturday. Having said that, ESPN’s NFL Draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. spoke about just how important this particular matchup is for Ewers’ draft stock.
“It’s a great defense, the Wolverines. High Noon kickoff at the Big House, what’s better than that? You’ve got three players. You’ve got Will Johnson, a lockdown corner, could be a top five pick for Michigan. Mason Graham Kenneth Grant, that interior pressure that bothers quarterbacks like no other,” Kiper said.
“Those two kids, Grant and Mason Graham will be top ten picks potentially. And then you’ve got Quinn Ewers. Consistency. A couple years ago, he’s at 58% (completion percentage). Last year, it goes up to 69%. But early in the year, against Rice he missed a couple throws.
“He’s great against Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Leads them to an upset with 3 touchdowns and 350 yards. The next week against Wyoming he’s at 52%. After that he’s at 65% or higher in every regular season game … This is Quinn Ewers’ year to maybe reestablish himself as QB1 by the time we get to April.”
With both ESPN’s College GameDay and FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff headed to Ann Arbor, it promises to be quite a scene at The Big House on Saturday.
What do you think about “TTUN” still being in Ewers’ vocabulary?
More importantly, what’s your prediction for the game? … Do you give Michigan any chance to upset Ewers and the Longhorns???