Texas Football: 3 most shocking surprises halfway through 2020
1) Most shocking surprises for Texas football halfway through: Sam Ehlinger’s late game heroics
Over the course of the last two weeks, the individual stat lines for senior star Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger were not very impressive. Ehlinger had well under 200 passing yards and less than 50 rushing yards in each of the last two weeks. He also didn’t a rushing touchdown over a two-game stretch for the first time since the 2019 regular season.
What was the driving force for good from Ehlinger in each of the last two weeks was the way he managed the games late, and didn’t turn the ball over. Winning the turnover battle is a staple in Longhorn wins this season. First-year defensive coordinator/safeties coach is getting an improved turnover margin for Texas this season. And the reduced number of picks tossed by Ehlinger of late is certainly helping that battle.
So far this season, Ehlinger has registered 1,834 passing yards, 22 passing touchdowns, five interceptions, 58.8 completion percentage, 8.2 adjusted yards per passing attempt, 145.5 passer efficiency rating, 323 rushing yards (3.6 yards per carry), and seven rushing touchdowns. A lot of the finer points of quarterback efficiency stats aren’t looking great right now for Ehlinger. But the fact of the matter is that it doesn’t matter if he comes through when it matters most.
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Ehlinger is now on a streak extending to a double-digit number of quarters since he tossed his last pick. If he can continue that streak on out of the bye week, if will go a long way to helping the Longhorns keep finding more success in the win column. It wouldn’t hurt either if his late game heroics continue against the likes of Iowa State and Kansas State.