Steve Spurrier addresses Texas’ quarterback decisions vs. Georgia

In Texas‘ 30-15 loss to Georgia on Saturday, the Longhorns played both Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning at quarterback in the first half. As someone who understands the complexity of rotating two QBs, former Florida head coach Steve Spurrier weighed in on the Longhorns’ decision.

“[Danny Wuerffel] and Terry [Dean] both played in ’93 and ’94. We weren’t afraid to play two quarterbacks as we went and whoever’s playing the best at the time can stay in there,” Spurrier said. “It’s good to have two.

“If you’re comfortable playing a couple of guys, that’s fine. But if you feel like you need one, it’s best for your team, then do that. Head coaches got to have a feel for what they think is the best way to do it.”

The dual-quarterback strategy worked wonders for Steve Spurrier and Florida, with the program winning the SEC in 1993 and 1994. However, not every team is the same and Texas’ decision to play two quarterbacks wasn’t enough to take down the Bulldogs.

It didn’t appear that Texas initially planned on playing Manning. However, after Ewers led the Longhorns on six fruitless drives, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian subbed in Manning.

Manning didn’t find any more success than Ewers. Manning led Texas’ offense for two drives, one ending in a punt and the other with a fumble. Ewers started the second half and played the rest of the game.

Nonetheless, it’s worth noting that Ewers looked much improved in the second half after having a moment to clear his mind on the sidelines. Ewers recorded 194 passing yards in the second half compared to his mere 17 passing yards in the first.

After the loss on Saturday, Sarkisian explained his thought process behind subbing in Manning for Ewers in the second quarter.

“I thought we saw the competitor in Quinn really come out in the second half,” Sarkisian said. “I’m sure he wasn’t the happiest guy with me that that he got taken out for a couple series. I’m sure he wanted to stay in there and try to work his way through it. 

“I had to make a decision for what I felt was best for the team in that moment but also best for him in that moment. And sometimes the players don’t always see that, but I think when he takes a step back and looks at it, he’ll understand I was trying to do what was in the best interest of him, to get him kind of recalibrated and reset to go play the second half.”

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