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O’Gara: Doubting Texas as a national title contender? Saturday at Michigan should’ve changed that
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Overhyped. One-hit wonder. Destined for regression in the SEC.
Take your pick. Those anti-Texas narratives floated during talkin’ season. They were used to support the argument against Texas following up last year’s Playoff run with another season in national title contention.
Well, those narratives should’ve died a painful death on Saturday in Ann Arbor.
Texas didn’t just get out of Michigan with a victory in a building wherein the Wolverines hadn’t lost in front of fans in nearly 5 years (Nov. 2019 vs. Ohio State). The Longhorns dropped the hammer on the defending champs.
A 31-12 victory saw Texas keep Michigan out of the end zone for 58 minutes, and it was another reminder of why Quinn Ewers is neither overhyped nor a one-hit wonder. “Heisman Trophy front-runner” has a better ring to it.
Ewers was masterful in fueling a 3-touchdown Texas lead at the break. In the first half alone, he was 18-for-26 yards for 206 yards and 2 touchdowns. Perhaps even more impressive, he led a Texas offense that was 8-for-10 on third downs in the first half.
That was more of the same for Ewers after his 2023 campaign. While it might not have been as “coming of age” as his Alabama performance in Week 2 last year, it certainly added to the notion that he’s as clutch of a player as there is in the country.
Something clear about Quinn Ewers at this point: Is regularly at his best in Texas’ biggest games.
His stats in six games vs. ranked teams the last two years:
— 70 percent completion percentage
— 339 passing yards per game
— 15 total TDs
— 30+ points for Texas in each game pic.twitter.com/ECBfPBNUk4— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) September 7, 2024
Yeah, that’ll play for a national championship contender.
Ewers poise was needed for a Texas team that watched tailback Jaydon Blue limp off the field in the first half. Mind you, that was for a Texas team that lost 2 scholarship running backs to season-ending injuries in fall camp. But the good news for the Longhorns was that not only did Blue return to action in the second half, but he showed a nice burst by getting into the end zone on Ewers’ third touchdown pass of the day.
Jaydon Blue scores on a Quinn Ewers pass from 7 yards out, give the #Longhorns a 31-6 lead over the #Wolverines. #UTvsUM pic.twitter.com/fpDTqnD0GY
— College Football Buzz (@CFBBUZ) September 7, 2024
Blue’s day won’t necessarily live in Texas lore, but seeing him bounce back was a key box to check for the Longhorns’ national title hopes.
As for the Texas defensive line, that’s where the national title discussion should’ve picked up some steam. In the second game of the post-T’Vondre Sweat/Byron Murphy era, the Longhorns dominated up front. New faces like true freshman Colin Simmons stepped up, as did decorated UTSA transfer Trey Moore. Veteran Alfred Collins helped stuff a Michigan ground attack that was held to 80 rushing yards on 3.5 yards per carry, and the Wolverines converted just 3 of its 12 third-down attempts. Their longest run of the day went for 12 yards.
Texas exposed Michigan’s new-look offense. Sherrone Moore’s 2 quarterback system saw both Davis Warren and Alex Orji throw interceptions. Add in the unforced fumble from Wolverines’ tight end Colston Loveland, and yeah, a 3-0 turnover advantage worked in Texas’ favor.
Related: Looking to place a bet on the 2024 National Championship? SDS has you covered with all the latest odds!
Some might want to discredit the Longhorns’ effort and say that was more about Michigan’s turnover after Jim Harbaugh’s NFL departure and the 13 players it lost to the NFL Draft. Did that play a part in Saturday’s result? Absolutely. Time will tell how Michigan navigates a difficult schedule with so much inexperience in its title defense season.
But ask yourself this — wouldn’t you say that’s what a national title contender is supposed to look like in The Big House? National title contenders impose their will. Steve Sarkisian did just that.
Texas’ will wasn’t to go into Michigan and run the ball 50 times against a Mason Graham-led defensive line. It was to run the ball effectively — it picked up 143 yards on the ground with true freshman Jerrick Gibson looking the part — and to put the game in Ewers’ hands. Never mind the fact that Texas was relying on a new-look group of pass-catchers with transfers like Isaiah Bond and Matthew Golden to replace Xavier Worthy and AD Mitchell.
It’s early, but if Saturday was any indication, the pass-catchers won’t hold Texas back from winning a title. If anything, we saw more to suggest it can be a driving force. Both transfers and returners were reliable for Ewers. His safety valve was veteran tight end Gunnar Helm, who had a game-high 98 receiving yards, 45 of which came after the catch. But his most important grab of the day didn’t require any YAC.
Too easy for Texas
Quinn Ewers finds Gunnar Helm for the @TexasFootball TD pic.twitter.com/hiJt0s5pZt
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 7, 2024
It’s hard to teach that kind of poise. Ewers has it in spades. To say he’s a lifetime removed from being the mullet-rocking true freshman who held a clipboard as a backup at Ohio State would be an understatement. Three years ago during his last visit to Ann Arbor, Ewers didn’t have a say in that result. Three years later, Ewers was the most valuable player on the field in a top-10 showdown.
Time will tell how Texas navigates its first full SEC slate. Lord knows the preseason draw was favorable with just 2 SEC matchups against teams who won at least 8 games last year, one of which is fellow newcomer Oklahoma. The Longhorns also have just 1 SEC road game until mid-November, and that’ll be a late-October game at Vanderbilt.
Getting past Michigan bodes well in the 12-team Playoff era. Blowing out the Wolverines in Ann Arbor bodes well in any era.
Texas had championship DNA last year. The statement in Tuscaloosa was the first sign of that.
The statement in Ann Arbor shouldn’t have been the first sign that Texas has championship DNA in 2024, but it sure as heck confirmed it.
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Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Down South. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.
