Texas Longhorns QB Quinn Ewers Breaks Big 12 Championship Game Passing Record In Win Over Oklahoma State Cowboys
Welcome to the Big 12 history books, Quinn Ewers.
Behind an all-out offensive assault against No. 18 Oklahoma State, Ewers broke the Big 12 Championship passing yards record with a 19-yard pass to Adonai Mitchell in the third quarter on Saturday at AT&T Stadium. With Ewers' quick-striking prowess, the Texas Longhorns secured the 49-21 victory, winning their first conference title since 2009.
"It's the best game he's played," said Texas coach Steve Sarkisian postgame with ESPN. "He played really well. I thought the guys around him made a lot of plays for him, too. This is what this team has: a lot of playmakers at the wide receiver, running back, tight end spot."
The passing record was set by Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Sam Bradford in 2008 early in the third quarter against Missouri. By the end of the third quarter in Arlington, Ewers had 402 yards passing while helping the Horns jump out to a three-touchdown lead.
"It's a dream come true," said Ewers via the ESPN broadcast. "I grew up wanting to be a Texas Longhorn, and to come here and for us to make a statement for this really historic program, it's truly a blessing and an honor."
Ewers finished 35 of 46 passing for 452 yards and four touchdowns. From the jump, No. 7 Texas (12-1, 9-1 Big 12) relied on its quarterback to set the tone against a woeful Pokes' secondary.
And boy, did he. Ewers looked locked in as he connected with Mitchell, Xavier Worthy, Ja'Tavion Sanders and others. On the opening drive, the redshirt sophomore found Mitchell for the 7-yard score.
Sarkisian opened the playbook a drive later, running a double reserve to find Sanders for a 24-yard score. And just to keep momentum at an all-time high, Ewers connected with defensive lineman T'Vondre Sweat for a two-yard touchdown, extending the Longhorns' lead by 14 with under two minutes remaining in the first quarter.
"I'm just so proud of how these guys come to work every single day," said an elated Ewers. "They just give it their all."
Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers.
© Kevin Jairaj, USA TODAY
Ewers finished the first half 23 of 31 for 354 yards with four touchdowns. His 206.6 passer rating marked the highest ever for a half in the Big 12 championship game.
This was the type of performance Longhorns' fans envisioned when Ewers elected to transfer to Austin after a brief stint at Ohio State. Ewers, the No. 1 quarterback recruit in 2022 before reclassifying as a member of the 2021 class, won the starting job over Hudson Card last fall and produced mixed results.
This season, Ewers dazzled when on the field. He led the Big 12 in completion percentage (68.5 percent) and finished third in passer rating (159.6) behind Kansas' Jason Bean and Oklahoma's Dillon Gabriel.
And he won. He won often, leading the Horns to the most wins in a single season since 2009, dazzling in performances against Alabama, Kansas, TCU, and Oklahoma.
The Longhorns finished with 662 yards of total offense and scored seven touchdowns. Behind Ewers' arm, Texas finished 10-for-16 on third down and averaged nearly 10 yards per completion.
The Longhorns now await their status in the College Football Playoff rankings. According to Ewers, Texas proved its worth as one of the nation's top-four teams.
Said Ewers: "We came out and were a first-half and second-half team. It's going to be really hard for those guys to make a decision whether we should be in or not, but I think today we made a point that in championship games, we play at a very high level."
Should the Longhorns not make the College Football Playoff, they will likely return to Arlington for the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on Dec. 29.
