Texas has a Quinn Ewers problem; Arch Manning is an obvious solution if Longhorns are to make CFP run

The Longhorns have a Quinn Ewers problem.

All right, that’s a bit dramatic. It’s more that the Longhorns and Quinn Ewers have a red zone problem. The primary problem is that they aren’t performing well enough in that part of the field, and I believe Ewers is a large part of the reason why.

Texas’ red zone woes were a primary topic of discussion last season. While the Longhorns won the Big 12 and reached the College Football Playoff, they did so while featuring a subpar red zone offense. Texas’ average of 3.93 points per red zone possession last year ranked 107th nationally and 59th among the 69 programs in the Power Five (RIP) leagues. For some perspective, last year’s fellow CFP participants ranked 8th (Alabama, 4.85), 10th (Michigan, 4.82) and 24th (4.6) among Power Five teams in points per red zone trip.

When it came to areas for improvement, it was a primary focus for Texas this offseason. One that, like the rest of Texas’ offense, was affected by running back injuries before the season began. Still, red zone performance has improved. Texas is at 4.42 points per trip this year, nearly half a point more than last season, but it ranks only 67th nationally and 37th in the Power Four. So, Texas has gone from bad to average.

The problem is they’ve been veering toward below-average down the home stretch. Here’s a comparison of how Texas’ offense performed in its first seven games (including the first loss to Georgia) compared to the latest six.

First 7 Games

3.08

4.92

Last 6 Games

2.33

3.65

The 3.65 points the Longhorns have scored on red zone trips over their last six games are 0.28 points fewer than last year’s 3.93 and would rank them 65th in the Power Four this year, ahead of teams like Michigan State, UCLA, Northwestern and Houston. That’s…

Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/texas-has-a-quinn-ewers-problem-arch-manning-is-an-obvious-solution-if-longhorns-are-to-make-cfp-run/

Author : Tom Fornelli

Publish date : 2024-12-17 14:56:00

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