Faith fuels Texas's win over Arizona State in the Peach Bowl

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ATLANTA, Ga. – Quinn Ewers began and ended the Peach Bowl with a virtuoso performance. It was that pesky middle act that almost cost Texas. 

Ewers started the contest against Arizona State with two completions for 77 yards and a touchdown pass to give the Longhorns their first lead of the game. He ended it with three straight throws that ended with scores as Texas scored two overtime touchdowns and one 2-point conversion to avoid a collapse in Atlanta. 

Texas’s much maligned quarterback provided the Longhorns a 24-8 fourth-quarter lead when he dashed into the end zone for what looked like the game-ending touchdown with 10:17 left in the game. Fewer than five minutes later, he threw an interception with the game tied at 24 that nearly cost the Longhorns a return to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff. 

Ewers receives backlash for his laidback demeanor. But in these pressure moments, the former five-star from Southlake Carroll rarely blinks. That was true again in the 39-31 win over the Sun Devils that punched the Horns’ ticket to the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 10. He was 9-of-16 after the interception. He completed 11 of his next 14 passes for 161 yards and two scores. 

“Quinn is a G, man. He is,” Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said after the game. “I know he doesn’t always exude that with his body language and demeanor, but I say it about him all the time. He’s a steady C. He never gets really high. He never gets too low.” 

Ewers is a prisoner to his prep star hype. He received his first offer from Graham Harrell before he reached high school. He led the Dragons to a state championship game appearance as a junior and then bounced early for a spot at Ohio State, only to transfer to his dream school a year later when Sarkisian came calling. He was rated as a perfect prospect by 247Sports, but he hasn’t been a perfect collegiate. 

He didn’t take the step forward many believed he would in Year 3 under Sarkisian. He threw for fewer yards in 2024 than he did in 2023. His yards per completion dropped by over a yard. In 2023, he threw for over 300 yards six times. This year? Only twice entering the Peach Bowl. The fans clamored for Arch Manning. But his teammates and head coach never lost faith. And neither did Ewers, who credits his faith for his clutch gene. 

“I try to be that calm within the storm for our guys and I think that my relationship with Jesus has helped me in that specific way of knowing no matter what happens, He’s going to be there for me,” Ewers said of staying calm in pressure moments. “He’s still going to love me.”

Texas spent over a decade building an earned reputation as a program that couldn’t handle big moments. The Longhorns have spent the last two years killing off that narrative. They’ve won at Alabama and Michigan. They’ve won the Big 12 championship. They’ve now won two straight playoff games. They took Georgia to overtime in the SEC championship less than a month ago. 

Maybe the fans lose faith in those moments. Residue of the PTSD from a 13-year slumber following the 2009 national championship game appearance in the Rose Bowl against Alabama. The Horns cycled through coaches and administrations to find their lost mojo. The Texas of old folds when the Sun Devils take the lead in overtime and put Ewers and his offense into 4th and ballgame on the ensuing drives. But not these Longhorns. Faith pulls them through. Faith in the quarterback and the Lord. 

“Quinn’s a leader. He’s been leading us this whole time,” Jahdae Barron said after the game. “But, again, he knows the Lord is his creator and he can give everything to him. He can just go play fast. We’re all blessed to be here and blessed to play a game we love, but at the end of the day, you can’t make a mistake in God’s eyes.” 

Texas made plenty of mistakes on Wednesday in Atlanta. The Longhorns allowed 214 yards running as Arizona State controlled the clock and eventually wore down an elite defense. Texas gained three yards on eight plays between taking a 17-3 lead with 8:57 left in the second quarter and the 13-play scoring drive capped by Ewers’ touchdown run with 41 seconds left in the third quarter. Texas then allowed 16 points in 91 seconds of game play, aided by that Ewers interception. 

None of those mistakes proved fatal. The Horns continued to rise. When the plays needed to be made, they were. Ewers came alive and the defense sealed the win with an interception. Sarkisian admitted his Longhorns played a sloppy game that could’ve ended the season. He was also adamant that he never wavered in his belief because his team has walked through the fire over the last two seasons. The moment is no longer too big. This is the stage Texas is supposed to star on. 

“This is where we’re supposed to be,” Sarkisian said. “That’s what experience gives you. It gives you being on this stage, being in the arena, and understanding what it’s like to be in the arena so that you can focus on your play rather than all of the other stuff that’s going on.” 

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