Is Quinn Ewers Texas’ lifeline or downfall? It might sound ridiculous considering that he led the Longhorns to two back-to-back playoff appearances. But there’s more than the winning records to consider, and that involves individual assessment. Back in January, Ewers fueled Texas’ hope by staying back for one more year under Steve Sarkisian’s leadership. But unfortunately, he emerged as a polarizing player in the eyes of many people. 

Is it impossible for Texas to beat Georgia? Quinn Ewers faced his second defeat in the hands of Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs in the last SEC Championship game. On December 9, Crain & Company got into a discussion debating if the 21-year-old is the Longhorns’ lifeline or if he’s holding Texas back. As Jake Crain observes, “With Quinn Ewers, it’s just so wild to me because he looks so good at times and then at other times, he looks so lost… With Quinn, if it’s not all perfect, it turns into a disaster.” 

A 4-yard TD run by Trevor Etienne in overtime sealed the final score at 22-19, rendering a huge heartbreak for Texas, who nearly won the conference title in their first year in the SEC. Jake Crain laid out the biggest reason why fans are judging Quinn Ewers, saying, “If you’re a Texas fan, here’s what you got to ask yourself. Not only did you lose to Georgia again after dominating them statistically. You played Georgia with their backup quarterback for a full half and an overtime and still lost.” 

David Cone is more straightforward in his opinion on Quinn Ewers. He bluntly stated, “I don’t think Quinn Ewers is a starting quarterback at the next level. I don’t think he’s a projected top-5 quarterback in all these.” In the SEC Championship game fallout, Ewers completed just 27 of 46 passes for 358 yards and one touchdown. He also had two picks and was sacked six times. But amidst the hot discussion, the blame also went to Steve Sarkisian for not making the right calls

Steve Sarkisian takes blows for Quinn Ewers

“One more year with my teammates and one more year of development with Coach Sark made the most sense,” that’s what Quinn Ewers said when he announced his return for the 2024 season. But it seems to have backfired. Is that why Steve Sarkisian is adamant on starting his senior QB as it’s his last college football season? Whatever the reason be, fans aren’t thrilled. 

Following the devastating loss, fans questioned Steve Sarkisian’s decision not to bench Ewers for Arch Manning. After what happened inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, many fans have one request, which is to play backup Manning instead of Ewers in the playoffs. With the loss, Georgia takes their No. 2 spot in the playoffs as Texas falls out of the top four seeds who will get a first-round bye. 

Texas will now play against the No. 12 seed Clemson on December 22, who snagged a playoff berth by beating SMU in the ACC Championship game. Who do you think we’ll be seeing in the playoff games—Quinn Ewers or Arch Manning?