The recent loss to Ohio State Buckeyes, which marked the end of the season in the NCAAF, was no ordinary defeat for the Texas Longhorns. Nor was it for their star QB, Quinn Ewers, who expressed his frustration after being eliminated for the second consecutive year at this stage.
In post-game statements, the QB, who is believed to continue his journey in the NFL next season, expressed feeling completely frustrated after falling just short of the National Championship Game once again. The previous season, the Washington Huskies had been the ones to eliminate them.
“Yeah, you know, it’s tough,” Ewers said postgame. “I think Coach (said it), you know, it’s the life of a competitor, and it sucks being on this side of things, for sure. I mean, back to back years, pretty much the game was decided in one play. And, you know, it’s hard, it’s hard, you know? All the work that we put in being in the Final Four, back to back years, and coming up short two years (in a row). It’s tough. But, you know, that’s, I think that’s how life is. You’re going to get punched in the face and (have) some hard moments.”
Ewers had the chance to become a hero for the Longhorns in the CFP semifinals. However, a sack by Jack Sawyer followed by a touchdown for the Buckeyes sealed the final defeat for Sarkisian‘s team.

Jack Sawyer #33 of the Ohio State Buckeyes forces a fumble by Quinn Ewers #3 of the Texas Longhorns in the fourth quarter during the Goodyear Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium on January 10, 2025 in Arlington, Texas.
“I felt him,” Ewers said of Sawyer. “I started drifting away. I thought I was gonna be able to get the ball off before he got there. Obviously, it’s not like I tried to give them the game. But, I saw jack running with the ball down the sideline, and it sucks, man.

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“But, he’s a great player, great individual, great person. Like you said, we were roommates when I was up at Ohio State. So it sucks. It sucks. But Jack’s a good player and he made a great play.”
Arch Manning faces two key losses for the upcoming season
The season for the Texas Longhorns ended in the most unexpected way, and now the program is starting to look ahead to what’s next. For now, Arch Manning knows he will be without two stars during the 2025 season.
The team’s strong campaign under Sarkisian was partly due to the immense talent on their roster. As a result, several players have declared for the upcoming NFL Draft and will not be available to help Manning next year.
Both offensive tackle Kelvin Banks and talented running back Jaydon Blue have decided to take the next step in their careers.