There is one reason why the Texas Longhorns can upset Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide

When Carroll quarterback Quinn Ewers left his first college, Ohio State, to go to “his first choice,” the University of Texas, he openly embraced his role to save Bevo from its well-earned reputation as the most disappointing team in major college football.

If Quinn Ewers is going to join Colt McCoy, Vince Young and a few other cherished Texas quarterbacks, it really needs to start on Saturday in Tuscaloosa.

If not, Quinn Ewers could be on a nice path to be the next Garrett Gilbert or David Ash.

Wearing Bevo’s horns is the heaviest of crowns, but VY nor Colt ever had a Manning right behind him.

The 2023 season was always supposed to be Quinn’s last year in college before he made himself eligible for the NFL Draft, but the production has not quite matched the hype.

By that calendar, Ewers is nearly at the midway point of his collegiate career.

On Saturday, Ewers ‘n’ friends will travel to play future SEC opponent Alabama in Tuscaloosa: No. 11 Texas at No. 3 Alabama.

Fortunately, the game begins at 6 p.m., ensuring that everyone inside Bryant-Denny Stadium will be properly lubricated, and able to digest a college football game the way God intends.

Bama is a 7-point favorite.

The rare times Alabama loses, it’s usually because the other team has an elite quarterback; players like Joe Burrow, Johnny Manziel, Matt Stafford, Chad Kelly, Cam Newton.

If Texas has any shot to pull off this upset, Quinn must play to the billing he received when he enrolled at Ohio State, and at Texas.

Thus far, we have seen bursts of that passer.

Right now he is a big, tall, strong, good-looking drop-back passer who can throw a pretty spiral to Pluto. He is awash in the “measurables.”

The “tape” is a bit more all over the place.

His best performance remains Texas’ game against No. 1 Alabama last year, on Sept. 10, in Austin.

In the first quarter, Ewers was it. The Answer. The Everything. The Savior. The Chosen One. The No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

He completed 9-of-12 passes for 134 yards, and Texas finally had its first real quarterback since Colt McCoy.

With 31 seconds remaining in the first quarter, and Texas at the Alabama 1-yard line, Ewers was sacked by Alabama linebacker Dallas Turner. Turner was called for roughing the passer, but he had done “necessary work.”

Ewers was out of the game with a sprained left shoulder.

Texas went on to lose on a last-second field goal, leaving every single Burnt Orange soul with more proof that a higher power wants Alabama to beat Texas.

The last time Texas had “the quarterback” to win the biggest games, it was Colt. He famously left the 2009 BCS Championship in the first quarter of UT’s game against Alabama, with a sprained right shoulder.

UT lost that BCS title game, and has not been the same since.

Ewers was supposed to fix all of this. Only amid all of these NIL deals, social media posts, we forget this is a college kid, and he’s growing up.

He missed three games last season, and when he came back he was everywhere from good, to really not good.

He played well in the shutout win against Oklahoma. Do you know who also played well against Oklahoma last season? Every single player who played against Oklahoma.

Ewers was terrible in the home loss to TCU.

At the end of the season, he was a nice passer who looked the part more than he played the part.

“He’s a really good player. Does a great job with their offense. He reads coverages well. He’s accurate with the ball,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said this week on the SEC Coaches’ Conference call. “They’ve got really good skill guys on the outside. It’s going to be a real challenge for us to affect him.”

Some of this reads/sounds like standard weekly coach speak about an opponent.

Some of this is also true.

There is a dynamic player in Ewers, just as there was VY and Colt McCoy.

We also said the same thing about Garrett Gilbert, David Ash and a string of other UT quarterbacks in this last decade.

Ewers is going to get some more time, think the entire season, before Texas coach Steve Sarkisian has to look at this school’s most celebrated recruit since VY, Arch Manning.

If Quinn is going to do this, and keep Manning where he needs to be on the bench, this needs to start on Saturday in Tuscaloosa.