Ryan Day’s Ohio State Buckeyes are no longer willing to be in the backseat. Now that they have risen like phoenix from ashes, beating Tennessee Volunteers and Oregon Ducks, they will make sure not to taste any more defeat. That’s when they have oomph up their confidence game 100x. So much so, that their defensive lineman can’t wait to face off against Steve Sarkisian’s QB Quinn Ewers. There was a time when players used to be aware of Ewers. Now players like the DL are sending a warning message to the Texas QB to beware of them. Ewers’ legs turned out to be his biggest enemy.  

The Cotton Bowl is going to be special for Sarkisian’s Longhorns. However, it’s going to be even more special for Ewers. After all, he will be facing off against Ohio State. His old program, where his stint has been a short and sweet one, for only four months. Three years later, the Texas QB will go head-to-head against the team he started his college career. It has been indeed a tough call for Ewers. After all, he went from being the star quarterback at Southlake Carroll High School to sitting on the bench at Ohio State. Despite being ranked as the nation’s No. 1 overall prospect even after his reclassification, the now-Texas QB got only one chance to appear for a game. But even during this short tenure, Tyleik Williams still remembers the time he played with Ewers.

And no brownie points for guessing, he now will be using it in the Buckeye’s favor in the Cotton Bowl. Being on the same team he now knows Ewers’ weak points. That’s what makes it thrilling for the defensive lineman. During the press conference, Williams shared, “Quinn’s my guy. He’s a great competitor, great quarterback. I think it’ll be fun going against him you know trying to get him running around.” Yes, he particularly mentioned the words “fun” and “running” together in one line while talking about Ewers. 

When it comes to Sarkisian’s QB’s Achilles heel, it has to be his running game. The stats are enough to convince you. Ewers came up with six carries for ONE yard. On top of that, racked up 52 carries for negative 64 yards. Now that’s enough for Longhorns fans to not trust their QB.  While Williams is thrilled to face off against the Texas QB, Ewers gushed over his experience with the Buckeyes. 

Quinn Ewers reflects on his time with the Ohio State Buckeyes

It has been mainly a to-and-fro ride for Ewers. The quarterback initially committed to play for Texas, but then flipped his commitment to Ohio State and joined the Buckeyes for fall camp in 2021. With the Buckeyes, he spent one semester where he just played two snaps. After that, the Houston Texans quarterback C.J.Stroud started to emerge. When Stroud was set to start again for Ohio State in 2022, Ewers got a break in Sarkisian’s program as the starter.

It is now time for Ewers to retrospect how far he has come. “Learned a lot when I was there under Coach Day and CJ Stroud. Super thankful for the time that I got to spend there. Like I said, I learned a whole lot. So I don’t regret any decision I’ve made ongoing or anything like that,” stated the Texas QB. Why would the Ohio State HC be left? 

Ryan Day too showered praise on Quinn Ewers. He said, “He decided he really wanted to play. It was disappointing for us, but we certainly understood. And from afar, I’ve watched him, and he’s got a lot of talent. He’s a really good player. He comes from a great family. And he’s had a great career at Texas.” But deep down we know how the Buckeyes defense will be a tough challenge for Ewers. And how could Steve Sarkisian’s program come to his help? The Texas offense needs to be at its peak to take down the powerhouse Buckeyes.