4 reasons why Texas football can dominate West Virginia in Week 5
Texas TE Ja'Tavion Sanders was asked if he feels like Quinn Ewers is ready to go this week:
— Joe Cook (@josephcook89) September 26, 2022
"I feel like he is honestly. Quinn's a tough player for sure. I feel like if he was to come back this week, he's gonna be ready for sure."
Quinn Ewers could return
We don’t have a definitive word yet that the Longhorns will see the return of redshirt freshman quarterback Quinn Ewers to the starting unit on offense this weekend against West Virginia. But there is plenty of speculation that Ewers could return to the lineup for Texas in Week 5 for the first time since he suffered a sprained clavicle on his non-throwing shoulder on Sep. 10 against the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Getting Ewers back in the mix this weekend could make a world’s difference for this offense. There are clear limitations that this offense had to deal with last weekend against this stout Texas Tech defense with junior quarterback Hudson Card leading the way.
There were some missed throws from Card late in the game that were costly. And we all know the limitations that Card has on his deep ball and when he’s forced to make some off-schedule throws.
Moreover, a certain degree of mystery also surrounds this week of game planning for the Mountaineers. Brown and the West Virginia staff don’t know for sure yet whether they’ll be facing Card or Ewers. And that can add another element of surprise to the Texas offense that wasn’t present in the last two weeks.
That would at least be the case if Ewers is the starting quarterback.
It goes without saying how much more Sark can do with this offense when Ewers is in the game. His timing and insane precision allow him to make all the throws. And against a West Virginia secondary that has some gaps to exploit, Ewers could be in for a big weekend if he’s able to return from the shoulder injury.
West Virginia has one of the five lowest-graded corners in pass coverage among Big 12 starters this season in senior Rashard Ajayi. As the starter at corner on the left side, Ajayi could be a questionable part of this WVU secondary that Texas tries to attack.
The starting corner opposite Ajayi, former JMU transfer Wesley McCormick is an ex-teammate of Texas linebacker Diamonte Tucker-Dorsey. McCormick proved to be vulnerable against quicker wideouts in the intermediate passing game in WVU’s opener against the Panthers.
If Worthy or redshirt junior wideout Jordan Whittington is matched up with McCormick in this game, Sark should get some glance and quick corner routes drawn up to create space against overmatched WVU corners.