The Texas Longhorns‘ season has taken a bad turn in the blink of an eye. Although his comeback was highly-anticipated, Quinn Ewers has not looked great and many narratives have started to brew over what may be causing the Horns QB’s struggles. However, head coach Steve Sarkisian firmly shut down one popular theory.

The Longhorns suffered their first defeat of the season at the hands of the Georgia Bulldogs. The Dawgs dominated the pace of the game and were the better team in a hostile Texas environment. The Horns undefeated NCAA campaign came to a crashing end and the bubble may have burst on their star quarterback, Quinn Ewers.

Concerns on the Longhorns QB1 have intensified since his comeback to the lineup. Ewers no longer looks like the clear-cut number one guy in Austin, and Arch Manning’s presence on the sideline adds pressure for changes in Sarkisian’s program. Although Manning stepped in for Ewers briefly against Georgia, Coach Sark has made it clear Ewers’ spot in the depth chart is not in jeopardy.

However, fans are not satisfied with what they’ve seen from the junior quarterback. Many believe Ewers’ dip in production is a consequence of lingering issues from the injury that sidelined him earlier this season, but Sarkisian has shut down any speculation.

Quinn Ewers #3 of the Texas Longhorns throws the ball during the third quarter against the Georgia Bulldogs at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on October 19, 2024 in Austin, Texas.

I don’t think it’s impacting him at all,Sarkisian stated, via burntorangenation.”I really think he’s healthy and feels good about it. Is he 100 percent? I don’t know. Is anybody on our team 100 percent going into Week Eight? Probably not. Everybody’s got something right now.”

Sarkisian keeps hopes alive in Austin

The Longhorns demoralizing loss to the Bulldogs will only be as meaningful to their season as they let it be. The ‘Burnt Orange’ must put it behind them as soon as possible and move on to the next game. The Horns look to bounce back against the Vanderbilt Commodores and get back on the right path to the College Football Playoffs. Though the ugly defeat at home stings, the sky is not falling on the Longhorns.

The beauty of this format, losing a game like this doesn’t kill you. Everything we want is still in front of us,” Sarkisian said, via On3. “The challenge for us is to be able to regroup and get ourselves back up off the mat and prepare for a Vanderbilt team next week that’s going to be hungry for us coming to town.“