© Scott Wachter, USA TODAY
Texas QB Quinn Ewers 'Excited For Opportunity' Against Top-Ranked Alabama
In his first start as the Texas Longhorns' new quarterback, Quinn Ewers did enough to get the job done. That might work against teams like Louisiana-Monroe, but the Alabama Crimson Tide are a different entity.
The redshirt freshman isn’t treating this week any different. His preparation won’t change despite the increased level of competition. Neither will his attention to detail in practice.
In a sense, Ewers treated Saturday’s 52-10 win over the Warhawks as if he were facing Alabama. It’s the right mindset in theory, but will it work on the field?
“[Alabama] is a historic program,” Ewers said Tuesday. “I’m excited to get on the field.”
The top-ranked Crimson Tide (1-0) heads to Austin as a double-digit favorite over the Longhorns (1-0). That shouldn’t come as a surprise since they’re expected to be favored by at least 10 points in every game this fall regardless of the opponent.
When watching the film, Ewers was able to get a first look at what a Nick Saban-led defense can do if given the opportunity. In their 55-0 win over Utah State, the Crimson Tide looked every part of a national title contender, holding the Aggies to 136 total yards of offense.
“They’re fast. They’re good tacklers,” Ewers said of the defense. “They do everything the right way.”
Ewers will need to play better if Texas has a chance to pull off what could be the upset of the season. While he did finish with 225 passing yards and two touchdowns, the freshman was far from perfect against the Warhawks.
On Ewers’ second career throw, he tossed an ugly interception into triple coverage when trying to find sophomore receiver Xavier Worthy. He overshot both of his go-to pass catchers on more than one occasion when looking to go deep.
Building a connection with Worthy and senior receiver Jordan Whittington might take time. If anything, Ewers might be best looking toward tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders or running back Bijan Robinson to avoid the pressure coming from Alabama pass-rushers Will Anderson Jr. and Dallas Turner.
Anderson, the projected top player in the 2023 NFL Draft, might have an advantage over true freshman left tackle Kelvin Banks simply due to experience. Last season en route to an All-American campaign, the 6-4, 243-pound linebacker recorded 101 total tackles, 31 tackles for loss, and an FBS-leading 17.5 sacks.
“He plays with a lot of effort,” Ewers said of Anderson. “He’s a big effort guy. Obviously, he knows the game very well and he knows how to be a good edge rusher.”
Distractions will be easy to come by throughout the week as Texas begins its preparation. ESPN’s College Gameday will go live Saturday morning across from the stadium. So will FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff.
If that’s not enough, more than 100,000 fans will flock to Royal-Memorial Stadium to watch the game live while potentially millions more will be glued to their television screens at home.
How does Texas prepare itself for Saturday’s madness? Ewers said that Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian told players to throw the media narrative and representation out the window.
“At the end of the day, it’s a great opportunity to go up against a great team," Ewers said. "I’m excited to see how our team reacts and I’m thankful for the opportunity.”
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