The much-hyped matchup between Texas and Michigan turned into a one-sided rout on the scoreboard. While the lopsided outcome took some luster off the game in Ann Arbor, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers turned in a very impressive performance that should help solidify his NFL Draft bonafides.
Ewers built off his impressive opener against Colorado State by looking sharp, poised and more than ready for the jump in degree of difficulty of playing in Michigan against the defending national champs. The whole Longhorns team was dialed in, and it started with the quarterback.
Ewers completed 24 of his 36 pass attempts, netting 246 yards and throwing for three touchdowns. His touch and precision on shorter throws was outstanding all afternoon. Whether it was a dig route to wideout Isaiah Bond or a feathery slant between layers of the defense to Johntay Cook (negated by penalty), Ewers had the right level of arm strength locked in. Two throws to big TE Gunnar Helm exhibited Ewers’ growing ability to hit anticipatory throws, something he’d struggled with in his first season at Texas.
He also handled whatever pressure Michigan tried to generate against him. Ewers showed the ability to find the correct place to slide or shift in the pocket and kept his eyes down the field very well.
Entering the year, Ewers’ draft stock was highly variable. Some preseason mocks had him in the top 10, while others featured the Ohio State transfer just outside the first round. Ewers improvement in several areas should have him listed in every first-round projection after the Michigan game.
