Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian spotlighted Georgia’s quarterback change as pivotal in the Longhorns’ narrow 22-19 overtime loss in the SEC Championship Game.

While Sarkisian praised his team’s resilience, his acknowledgment of Georgia’s proactive move for an injured Carson Beck left Texas fans questioning why the Longhorns have not followed suit with their own quarterback situation.

After Beck left the game following a halftime injury, he was replaced by backup Gunner Stockton, who guided the Bulldogs to victory following an 8-yard ruin in overtime that resulted in a hit so hard that it knocked off his helmet. Stockton left the game after the play for Beck to return, where he handed off the ball to Trevor Etienne for a game-sealing four-yard touchdown.

“They made the change of quarterback. I think it sparked them some and provided some different style of offense running the quarterback. I thought our guys showed a great deal of resiliency and fight today to fight back to force overtime,” said Sarkisian. “But at the end of the day, we weren’t effective enough in the high red to put touchdowns on the board. And I think that in and of itself was probably a microcosm of the game because we had plenty of opportunities, but we didn’t capitalize on it.”

“The beauty of it for us is this one stings; it’s hard, but we get a chance to regroup here in a couple weeks and get into the college football playoff and go compete for a National Championship,” he continued. “And I think we’re plenty good enough to go win that, but we’re gonna need to get healthy so we can put our best foot forward to make that happen.”

The Longhorns’ inefficiency in the red zone and costly penalties were glaring issues. Texas committed 11 penalties, more than double Georgia’s total, and gave up nearly 100 yards in free yardage, disrupting their own offensive rhythm.

Quarterback Quinn Ewers performed inefficiently, completing 27 of 46 passes for 358 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. His inability to convert key opportunities, including a fourth-quarter INT, reignited fan and media frustration and calls for freshman quarterback Arch Manning.

Quinn Ewers takes a sack

Quinn Ewers’ pocket mobility was examined compared to Arch Manning ( 

Image:

Getty)

Before the game, college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit implied that implementing Manning into the offensive game plan could be a key factor in determining the game’s outcome. Even if Manning played in select playcalling packages, analysts see advantages Ewers doesn’t possess in Arch’s game.

“Another area, the read-option and power-option game that we all watched last Friday night against Georgia Tech the eyes, again, not necessarily where they need to be, freed up Haynes King,” said Herbstreit. “Who does that for Texas? Not Quinn Ewers. Arch Manning, we saw him last week come in. I wouldn’t be shocked necessarily by this game, especially after watching what happened against Georgia Tech and seeing him do that.”

Despite Ewers’ struggles, Sarkisian has continued to sideline Manning and use him essentially only in medical emergencies. While Sarkisian remains optimistic about Texas’ championship chances, questions surrounding whether Texas can fully capitalize on its roster’s talent remain at the forefront before the College Football Playoffs, which are scheduled to begin on Dec. 20.