Quinn Ewers Delivers Enough In Longhorns' Win Over Iowa State

Quinn Ewers was a factor, but not the leading man, in a win over Iowa State.

Last week, Texas dominated Oklahoma in a 49-0 victory at the Red River Showdown. National pundits began saying those two words synonymous with the program over a decade. 

Spoiler alert; the Horns are still not back. 

If fans want to take anything away from a close 24-21 victory against Iowas State, it's that quarterback Quinn Ewers can be the difference between a win and a loss. No, he doesn't have to be perfect, but his impact on the field is warranted. 

Fans have seen this story play out before. A dominant win followed by a dreadful loss at home? Does anyone else remember the Tom Herman era? 

No. 20 Texas (4-2, 3-1 Big 12) will need to be on its Ps and Qs for the remainder of the season, but so long as Ewers is QB1, the Horns stand a chance.

"Coming off the game we had last week and hearing everyone tell us how good we are, sometimes it's kind of hard to regroup," Ewers said. "We faced some adversity and I'm just really glad at the way our team responded." 

There's been a standard set around Ewers' name since the second he arrived in Austin. Three games into his budding career, he's only raised the level of expectation. 

Texas was 2-1 in games the redshirt freshman started this season. It might have been 3-0 if not for a shoulder injury suffered against Alabama in the first quarter of Week 2. 

That's the thing. Football is a team sport, and Ewers is one portion of an 11-man offense that takes the field on Saturdays. Sometimes Ewers can be a part of the success without being the driving force.

Against the Cyclones (3-4, 0-4 Big 12), he was. Ewers completed 17 of 26 passes for 172 yards and three touchdowns. That was good. 

He also couldn't connect twice with Casey Cain on wide-open passes that would've gone for scores. That wasn't. 

"At the end of the day it's not just on me," Ewers said. "Everybody has to do their job and bring their 1-of-11. I was pleased with the way everything turned out." 

Ewers credited his offensive line for giving him a clean pocket for most of the afternoon. What was expected to be a crutch at the start of the season has now become a catalyst for the team's success. 

The Horns' line allowed three pressures on the afternoon and zero sacks. It opened running lanes for both Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson to move the chain and keep drives alive. Most of all, it gave Ewers time to connect with Jordan Whittington and Xavier Worthy for points. 

Ewers found Worthy on a 15-yard score to begin the second quarter. He targeted Whittington for his first touchdown of the season on a 5-yard slant. And with the game on the line, Ewers went back to the Longhorns' No. 1 weapon, this time punching it in on a 4th-and-goal from 3 yards out. 

"At the end of the day, I knew I was going to No. 8," Ewers said. "Everything kind of worked out." 

A touchdown will make Ewers the hero, but Saturday proved Texas can win in more ways than one. 

The defense allowed ISU quarterback Hunter Dekkers to throw for over 300 yards and two touchdowns, but it also forced a pair of turnovers thanks to linebacker Jaylan Ford. 

Robinson once again showed why he's more than just a running back, totaling 171 yards of offense while averaging 4.8 yards per carry. 

Yes, Ewers will get the praise because of the points, but Saturday proved that even with an inconsistent showing from its quarterback, Texas can win games ugly. So long as it keeps winning, hopes of claiming the Big 12 title remain alive.

And that's really all Ewers cares about at this point. 

"Wins like this are big," Ewers said. "Iowa State's a great football team...and wins like this are huge, especially in the way it happened." 

Texas will travel to Boone Pickens Stadium to take on No. 11 Oklahoma State next Saturday at 2:30 p.m. 

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