What's going on with Texas QB Quinn Ewers?

• Ewers struggled mightily against Georgia: Week 8 proved to be his worst game yet, as he recorded a career-high seven turnover-worthy plays.

• Now is a favorable time to sort out Ewers vs. Arch Manning: Texas’ schedule is favorable over the final month, with none of the Longhorns’ opponents being ranked in the top 15 of PFF’s Power Rankings.

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It’s crazy to think we are only a few weeks removed from Quinn Ewers being the Heisman Trophy favorite after a dominant Week 2 performance against Michigan. Fast forward to now, and there might be a legitimate quarterback controversy at Texas.

The Longhorns' offense has not looked as fluid since Ewers returned as the starter, and it begs the question: Where does head coach Steve Sarkisian go from here?

QUINN EWERS THROWS IT TO GEORGIA 😳

THE DAWGS' DEFENSE COMES THROUGH WITH THE INTERCEPTION 🔥 pic.twitter.com/wfAZ0kHARZ

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 20, 2024

Before Injury vs. After Injury

It wouldn’t be fair to Ewers to ignore his oblique injury when dissecting his play, as he was prolific early in the season. He was in tremendous control in Texas' win at Michigan, carving up the Wolverines' terrific secondary all day with two big-time throws and three touchdowns. We have to remember that this is still the same player who led Texas to the College Football Playoff a year ago behind an 86.8 PFF overall grade.

Since Week 1, though, Ewers' passing grade has gone down every single week, with his worst game yet coming against Georgia — where he recorded a career-high seven turnover-worthy plays. Ewers was even benched at one point in the game for Arch Manning in hopes of creating a spark that never came. On the year, he already has 10 turnover-worthy plays, which is more than he tallied in all 2023.

Quarterback Competition

Throwing Manning into action against the vaunted Bulldog defense while down 20 points was probably not the best call at the time. That is a lot to ask of a 19-year-old who had started only two games prior. But, it does make one ponder which quarterback will help the Longhorns win more down the stretch.

Ewers has more experience and pedigree at this point, but the numbers seem to suggest that Texas plays better when Manning is under center, and he also possesses far more dual-threat ability than Ewers. On the season, Manning has 117 rushing yards on 9.8 yards per carry, while Ewers has 13 rushing yards and has never been one to take off very often.

How does Texas get back on track?

Sarkisian has already announced that Ewers is still Texas’ starter going forward. That's more than fair, as Ewers is the fifth-ranked quarterback on the PFF Big Board and still oozes NFL potential. But expect there to be a shorter leash if he does not play up to standards over the next few weeks.

One would like to see Ewers raise his PFF overall grade back to the 80.0s and limit his turnover-worthy plays, let alone giveaways. Texas’ schedule is favorable over the final month, with none of the Longhorns’ opponents being ranked in the top 15 of PFF’s Power Rankings. Now is the perfect time for Ewers to get fully healthy before postseason play.

Ewers’ adjusted completion percentage is down from last season, as well. If he can show that his oblique injury is no longer affecting his throws, then he should be Texas’ guy. But with a national championship in mind down in Austin, there isn’t time to waste. Sarkisian will need to make the switch to Manning if Ewers’ injury continues to nag and inhibit his play.