Watch what Steve Sarkisian called Quinn Ewers’ biggest leadership moment for the Longhorns this season
There have been some critical moments through this season that paved the way for Texas to reach the College Football Playoffs.
A stunning 31-12 win at Michigan jumps to mind. Or when Steve Sarkisian challenged every offensive player and staff member after the 30-15 home loss to Georgia. Fourth-quarter closeouts against Kentucky and Texas A&M were big, too.
For Sarkisian, he learned everything about his team and his quarterback on a specific play late against Arkansas. Ewers is the driving force behind the Longhorns’ push into the Peach Bowl and the College Football Playoffs quarterfinals.
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“I don’t know how many people even remember the play, but it was a fourth-and-two at Arkansas,” Sarkisian said. “And we’re not a big quarterback run zone read team, but sometimes we’ll call them in critical moments. And we called it, and Quinn pulled it and probably could have very easily went right, went left, got the first down and the game would have been over.
“And this dude decides to try to run the safety over, and it’s a massive collision. And he gets the first down.
“And probably the emotion that came out of Quinn and the emotion that came off of our sideline for Quinn were, to me, really indicative of how much the team values him and how much he wants to win for the team.”
Afterward, Ewers said, “Coach Sark was like, you want to run whatever the certain play that we’ve chosen? I’m like, heck yeah, let’s do it. It was just one-on-one, and me and one of their defenders. And I wasn’t really thinking a juke move. I was just trying to, you know, get the first down and try to fall forward.”
After Texas got the first down, cornerback Jahdae Barron snuck into the offensive huddle to give Ewers a hug. Said Barron: “He has a lot of haters, he has a lot of love. But I love that dude all the way to the fullest. That’s a warrior move.”
That particular play also happened after Alfred Collins’ biggest defensive play of the season. The fifth-year senior lunged at Arkansas’ CJ Brown and knocked the ball loose for a turnover. Texas took over at its own 27-yard line with 6:55 remaining.
The Horns drove to the Razorbacks’ 30-yard line and, with 2:24 remaining, needed a first down to essentially put the game away. Ewers got it.
That was Ewers’ biggest moment on the field, to the head coach at least. Off the field, Sarkisian said Ewers’ “true leadership showed up when he was out and Arch was starting” for 2 1/2 games in September. “To me, that was the real leader in Quinn coming out.”
“But I loved that moment against Arkansas,” Sarkisian said, “because there was some real emotion that came out of that play for him and for our team.”
