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In 2023, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers unbuckled his helmet for the final time of the season and walked off the field in Caesars Superdome. His Longhorn squad, who just completed the best regular season since 2009, was going home a game too early.
Ewers came to Texas to win a national championship, so it’s no surprise that he decided to pull his name from the NFL draft to come back to the Forty Acres for one more try. So now that Texas has reached the College Football Playoff for the second season in a row, how does this 2024 team compare to Ewers’ last Playoff roster?
In 2023, Texas finished 12–2 with an 8–1 conference record and a Big 12 title. Its opponents scored 18.9 points per game, which was 15th best in the country, and averaged nearly 36 points per game, also 15th best.
In 2024, Texas’ offense took a hit but the defense reached nationally acclaimed numbers. Currently sitting at 11–2, Texas currently averages 33.6 points per game, 26th best in the nation, but only allows 12.5 points a game, which is second best in the FBS.
In 2023, Texas had 12 players on the all-big 12 team while facing the nation’s second hardest strength of schedule, according to sports-reference.com. In 2024, Texas had only seven, but faced the country’s 21st most difficult schedule.
Key players for the 2023 Longhorn squad, like Byron Murphy II and Xavier Worthy, left for the NFL last year — both were were first-round picks. T’vondre Sweat was a second-round pick.
But new guys have stepped up. Senior defensive back Jahdae Barron just won the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the best defensive back in college football. Junior left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. was awarded both the Outland Trophy, given to the best interior lineman, and the Lombardi Award, given to the best lineman in college football.
Newcomers like senior Clemson transfer safety Andrew Mukuba and freshman edge rusher Colin Simmons have also helped contribute to one of the best defenses in college football.
In the 2024 campaign, the Longhorns finished No. 3 in the CFP rankings for the second year in a row. Ewers led his team to another conference championship, this time in the SEC, and lost in overtime to a home crowd-like atmosphere that heavily favored its opponent Georgia. Despite the loss, Texas’ performance solidified its reputation across the college football landscape, positioning the program on a trajectory that could culminate in a national championship.
Ewers is well acquainted with the number three. He wears it on the back of his jersey. He’s in his third year at the university. In his past two seasons, Texas finished No. 3 in the CFP rankings. Now, Ewers and head coach Steve Sarkisian’s 2024 squad seeks its third Bowl Championship Series national championship game in program history, a mere three games away.
Official newspaper of The University of Texas at Austin
