Is Quinn Ewers Heisman Campaign Officially Underway After Route of Michigan?

Though Ewers still hasn't become a Heisman favorite after a statline that left a lot on the field, the junior quarterback has officially turned into the top player on a national title contending team.

Sep 7, 2024; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) passes in the first half against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Did we just see the start of Quinn Ewers' Heisman campaign?

Maybe not quite yet, as a final stat line of 246 yards on 36 attempts isn't game-breaking production levels, but we did learn a lot about the young quarterback today.

Ewers has proven time and time again that he is a big game player, and Saturday's triumphant 31-12 win at Michigan was just another addition to an impressive resume.

In four games and a quarter (due to an unfortunate injury in the 2022 matchup against Alabama) against top-10 teams, Ewers has now thrown eight touchdowns to just two interceptions, averaging the equivalent of 287 yards per game and winning at both Alabama and Michigan in the last two seasons.

Ewers' stats at the half were nothing short of absurd. 203 yards on 26 attempts, helping the team convert on eight of ten third downs and two touchdowns, generating a 24-3 lead over the defending national champions, a group that returned 11 players who played over 200 snaps in 2023.

The junior quarterback showcased everything fans have critiqued him for not having in the past. Ewers used his legs to create big plays, most notably on his scramble to find tight end Gunnar Helm 21 yards downfield to open the scoring in Ann Arbor. Ewers stepped up in a quickly closing pocket, nimbly rushing forward and throwing on the run perfectly into the hands of Helm.

But no singular play felt more important for the Longhorns quarterback than the third play of the game. After an unsuccessful rush, a false start and an incompletion, the Michigan crowd was loud, possibly the loudest Ewers had heard in his young career. With 111,000 fas in the stadium, most decked out in Maize, the junior quarterback made one of the most veteran plays of his career, dropping the ball between two defenders and into the waiting arms of Isaiah Bond, a player who scored against the Longhorns in their week two matchup in Tuscaloosa last year as a part of the Crimson Tide.

Credit can be given to the offensive line for holding the rush, or for Bond beating his initial defender, but the pass exemplified Ewers' step up from last year, connecting deep downfield despite all elements working against him.

Ewers seemed more comfortable in this Sarkisian offense than ever, a testament to the growth the quarterback has shown from his sophomore to junior seasons. Sarkisian's offense looked steady and consistent for the second week in a row, only slowing down to conserve the lead at the end of the game.

The Longhorns were in the 79th percentile or higher on the following rate stats: Estimated Points Added per Play, Estimated Points Added Per DropBack, Explosive Play Rate, and third-down-success Rate.

Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) celebrates a touchdown against Michigan during the first half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, September 7, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Longhorns didn't waste time this game, something it struggled with early in the 2023 College Football Playoff season. While the Longhorns struggled to begin games against teams like Wyoming and Rice in 2023, Texas put itself in scoring position in all of its early drives.

It took six drives for Texas to give the ball over to Michigan, and eight for them to do it twice. The Longhorns scored on four of its first five drives, with the first drive ending in an uncanny field goal miss from kicker Bert Auburn. It took over 35 minutes for the Wolverines to stop this Longhorn offense, forcing the team's first punt after a short five-play drive.

As savvy as ever, Ewers turned around and scored on the very next drive, with freshman wide receiver Ryan Wingo electrifying a 75-yard drive with his 55-yard end-around run that took the Longhorns to the three-yard line. Despite a miscue on the next snap, where Michigan likely hit Ewers late after he kneeled down to lose five yards, Ewers connected with running back Jaydon Blue on a third down swing pass to score on five of the first seven drives, punting once and never turning the ball over.

With that kind of pace, one could expect the Longhorns to have hung 50 on the Wolverines, but Texas did what it needed to do to win the game. An odd interception gave Texas the ball back quickly after the scoring drive, but Texas failed to score again. The Longhorn offense, though, did its job of wearing out the clock to secure the victory. Texas held the ball for 6:42 after Michigan ended its drive with eight and a half minutes left in the fourth quarter, dominating possession despite being outscored in the final quarter of the game.

Though the offense showed inefficiencies in the run game and with miscues between Ewers and center Jake Majors, the junior quarterback has become a veteran in the burnt orange, or icy whites on the road. Ewers may not have a Heisman campaign yet, but with no major tests until Oklahoma and Georgia in October, the quarterback can rest easy knowing he's conquered last year's national champions.