"Rattled and got baited": CFB analyst gives breakdown of Quinn Ewers' play sequence before getting benched
Quinn Ewers has had a strong season under center for the No. 5-ranked Texas Longhorns, throwing for 1,101 yards, 11 touchdowns and four interceptions while completing 68.2% of his pass attempts.
The former five-star prospect—and top-ranked overall recruit—in the 2021 recruiting class missed two games after suffering an abdominal strain in the second quarter of the Longhorns' Week 3 (56-7 victory) game against the UTSA Roadrunners.
Ewers returned for the Oklahoma matchup in Week 7, leading Texas to a 34-3 win in the Red River Rivalry.
While he also started against the Georgia Bulldogs the following week, the Longhorns starting QB found himself on the bench for the final two drives of the first half.
College football analyst Max Browne recently pointed to a four-play sequence that could have led to his benching.
In a video shared on social media, the former five-star prospect in the 2013 recruiting class welcomed Ewers to the Steve Sarkisian backup quarterback club before stating:
"End of the first quarter, Georgia dials up a corner cat blitz. This is a phenomenal disguise by the Dawgs, but if you're Quinn Ewers, you've got to recognize that you're hot. He doesn't and it's a sack fumble.
"Quinn's very next pass attempt, Texas dials up a post shot over the top. There's a real opportunity to throw this closer to the left hash and allow your receiver to go get the thing. Instead, Ewers throws it behind him.
"His next pass attempt is on third and seven with his heels on the five-yard line. This is tight coverage, but based off the look and the leverage, Quinn knows that this is his only answer.
"He's got to layer this football on time and throw his receiver open. He doesn't. He takes a sack. And I'd rather you throw this ball in the front row of Doak Walker or at a receiver's ankle, but what you can't do is take a sack.
Browne continued:
"The next two passes are a swing and a screen to the running backs. On the very next drop back, early on in the second quarter, this corner looks like he's playing man coverage, but this safety, he's well outside the hash.
"That's a giveaway for a Cover 2 disguise and for a top-five college quarterback like Quinn Ewers, who's played a lot of football, he should see that.
"I'd take it a step further and say I think it's connected back to that corner cat blitz that they missed early on in the game where he's rattled and he gets baited into throwing a bad pick into Cover 2."
Check out Max Browne's breakdown below:
Browne added that he does not expect Ewers to remain as the backup quarterback. The Longhorns will travel to Nashville to face the No. 25-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores this weekend.
Quinn Ewers shuts down rumors he will sit out for the season
A report surfaced on Monday claiming that Quinn Ewers would sit out the rest of the season to focus on the 2025 NFL Draft. The Texas starting QB took to his Instagram story to debunk the rumor. Hayes Fawcett of On3 Sports shared a screenshot, tweeting:
"Texas QB Quinn Ewers responds to the rumors: 'Fake News.'"
Check out the since-deleted post from 247Sports and Quinn Ewers' response below:
While the Longhorns are coming off their first loss of the season in Week 8, there will not be a change on the QB depth chart. Following the game, head coach Steve Sarkisian confirmed that Ewers remains the starting quarterback.