Texas Football: 3 ways Sam Ehlinger is better than Joe Burrow

2. Better thrower on the run

One major advantage for Ehlinger and Texas football in the massive Week 2 showdown against LSU will be the threat of his legs. Ehlinger is a known tough dual-threat quarterback, but it wasn’t until recently that he showed his elusiveness in the pocket. Being able to quickly step up in the pocket while maintaining proper footwork is no easy feat.

When Ehlinger is rolling out, he’s also still a rather accurate passer. He is strong enough and smart enough to get the ball across his body when he’s able to find an open receiver. Registering only five interceptions last season and a 5-to-1 touchdown/interception ratio was more than twice as good as he did as a true freshman. That shows some level of improvement in his decision making.

Ehlinger knows how to pick and choose now when it benefits him most to make certain decision. He gave good balls on nearly all of his passing attempts against Louisiana Tech, even on the 10 incompletions. Those incompletions weren’t necessarily because he made a poor throw on the run or didn’t set his feet, but a young set of wide receivers got beat by the opposing defensive back occasionally.

The overall strength and speed that Ehlinger brings to the table as a runner makes him a much bigger threat to deal with when he evades the pocket than Burrow. He was mostly kept clean against Georgia Southern, but is coming off a junior campaign where he was sacked 35 times behind a competent offensive line.