Quinn Ewers has been a better game manager than an elite QB in SEC play
Ewers' box score stats weren't particularly impressive for this game against Arkansas, completing 62.5 percent of his passing attempts for a season-low 176 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, and no interceptions. What the box score stats fail to illustrate is how much meat Ewers left on the bone for the offense with some key missed passes to his targets downfield in the passing game yesterday.
What really seemed to give Ewers so much trouble against Arkansas' defense yesterday was the three-high safety defense that the Hogs utilized against Texas's offense. Arkansas limited the options that the Texas passing game had on intermediate and curl routes on the outside.
Texas also had trouble finding the crossing routes and deep passes that Ewers had so much success targeting in the dominant win over the Florida Gators last weekend, 49-17.
All told Ewers had seven intermediate and deep passes that weren't counted as "catchable balls" against Arkansas' defense (per SIS Data Hub). Many of these missed passes would've resulted in key first downs and money down conversions that could've got Texas closer to putting up more points on the scoreboard that wuold've put this game out of reach much sooner than the fourth quarter.
The lack of a true vertical passing threat also hurt the Longhorns' offense in this game. Ewers only completed 1-of-6 deep passing attempts against the Hogs, with the one completion coming on the 20-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Matthew Golden in the first quarter.
Ewers missed pretty badly on at least three of those incompletions in the deep passing game. He wasn't able to get in a good rhythm the way he did when he passed for over 300 yards and five touchdowns in the Florida win against Arkansas in the first half.
"I just don't think we started the way that we wanted to. That's always frustrating whenever you put a good plan together and you think you're going to go start fast and it doesn't work out that way. I think that's just a little frustrating for everybody."Quinn Ewers
Texas's ground game produced enough for the Longhorns to emerge from this rivalry game against Arkansas victorious. Mostly thanks to Blue and sophomore running back Quintrevion Wisner, Texas rushed for nearly 150 yards and over four yards per carry.