Quinn Ewers takes shot at Arizona State: 'They like to talk'
Cam Skattebo and Sam Leavitt gave Texas tons of bulletin board material heading into the 2025 Peach Bowl.
Arizona State's offensive leaders spoke openly about their confidence in themselves and their team heading into the biggest college football game of their lives.
And they backed it up.
Skattebo finished the game with 284 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns, making an impact in every way possible. He rushed for 143 yards, caught 8 passes for 99 yards and threw a 42-yard touchdown pass. After the game, he was named the Peach Bowl's offensive MVP — the first time in 26 years a member of the losing team won the award.
Leavitt passed for 222 yards and rushed for 60 more. More importantly, he kept Arizona State in the game with his scrambling ability when the Sun Devils were struggling in the first half.
The Sun Devils lost the game 39-31 in double overtime, but they gained the respect of the college football world with their gritty effort.
Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, however, was not impressed.
"They like to talk a lot on their side of the field, but we let our pads talk and let our game talk," Ewers said after the game.
"They like to talk a lot on their side of their field but we let our pads talk and let our game talk."
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) January 2, 2025
Quinn Ewers after @TexasFootball's win against Arizona State 🤘 pic.twitter.com/HQ7YSrECqq
Ewers struggled for most of the game, but turned it on in overtime. He threw two touchdown passes in OT, including a do-or-die 28-yard touchdown pass to Matthew Golden on a 4th-and-13 play in the first overtime. If that pass had fallen incomplete, Arizona State would have won the game. But Ewers threw a dart to Golden to tie the game, and followed up with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Gunnar Helm on the first play of the second overtime.
Ewers' interception late in the fourth quarter allowed Arizona State to get back in the game, and eventually tie it at 24-24.
Speculation has surrounded Ewers' status for months. With Arch Manning sitting behind him, Ewers will likely enter the 2025 NFL Draft or transfer to another team next season. He reportedly has been offered $6 million to enter the transfer portal and skip the NFL Draft.
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Ben Sherman has been covering the sports world for most of his journalism career, including 17 years with The Oregonian/OregonLive. One of his favorite memories was covering the 1999 Fiesta Bowl - the first BCS National Championship Game - at Sun Devil Stadium.