In 2023, Michigan rode an outstanding defense and an offense that could’ve been called “third-and-J.J.” to a national title. On Saturday, in the Big House, Quinn Ewers and the No. 3 Texas Longhorns gave the No. 10 Wolverines a taste of their own medicine in a 31-12 throttling.
Ewers made mincemeat of a Michigan defense that didn’t look nearly as intimidating as last season, doing most of his damage on third down.
Ewers finished the day completing 6 of 9 third-down passes for 81 yards with two touchdowns. With Michigan bringing pressure nearly every time, Ewers stayed calm, let his offensive line do its job, and maneuvered in the pocket to buy an extra second or bailed when needed. Every time, he kept his eyes down the field and either found the open target for a first or threw the ball away, avoiding a costly error. It was a clinic.
It was also somewhat necessary. While it improved in the second half as the Michigan defense wore down, Texas’ first-down offense wasn’t terrific. It averaged only 4.5 yards per play before halftime (it finished at 5.3), routinely putting the Longhorns in tough spots on second and third downs. Penalties on the offensive line didn’t help early, either — in fact, one erased another touchdown pass on third down in the first quarter — nor did an injury to Jaydon Blue that made a Texas running back room that was already thin even thinner. Thankfully for the Longhorns, Blue would return, but Texas’ run game never found much room overall.
It was all eerily reminiscent. Last year, Michigan ground its opponents to dust with early down run plays that picked up two or three yards, and then asked J.J. McCarthy to keep the drive going on third down. He obliged far more often than not by posting some of the best third-down passing numbers of any QB in the country.
|
J.J. McCarthy |
67.1 |
169.7 |
9.2 |
7.67 |
7.6 |
48.1 |
|
FBS Average |
57.1 |
128.6 |
7.1 |
5.91 |
5.5 |
36.6 |
Those performances by McCarthy at big spots in big games helped turn him into a top-10 pick in the NFL Draft, and Ewers might follow his lead there, too.
This is the second straight season Ewers went on the road and beat a top team. Last year, Ewers threw for 349 yards and three touchdowns to beat an Alabama team that won the SEC and reached the College Football Playoff 34-24 in the second game of the season. This year, he finished with 246 yards and three touchdowns against the team that won a national title last year, albeit a much different version of that team.
While it was not a one-man show — the offensive line was great, the gameplan was impeccable, and the defense was suffocating — everything in this sport starts and ends with the quarterback. Ewers is a player who has repeatedly shown an ability to come through in big moments and keep cool when there’s chaos around him. It’s something every NFL team in need of a quarterback notices, and it’s something teams that want to win national titles need.
If you didn’t think Ewers and the Longhorns were serious threats to win the SEC or the College Football Playoff before Saturday, you should now.
