Must see: No. 1 Texas hosts No. 5 Georgia
Quarterbacks Carson Beck and Quinn Ewers will be on center stage
Top-ranked, undefeated Texas continues its debut in the Southeastern Conference Saturday against No. 5 Georgia, winner of two of the last three National Champships who began the season as No. 1.
We probably need not say much more, but we damn sure will.
The vitals: 7:30 p.m. | No. 5 Georgia at No. 1 Texas | ABC/ESPN+
Links to all games: We have a list of times, locations, broadcast information with live, in-game and post-game stats down below. Bookmark this post and follow all the action right here all weekend.
Georgia (5-1, 3-1 SEC), whose only three losses over the past four seasons have all been to Alabama, plays in Austin for the first time since 1958.
The top-five matchup with SEC and playoff implications pits former Nick Saban coordinators who now are two of the nation’s highest-paid head coaches — Kirby Smart, with 99 wins in nine seasons at Georgia, is paid the most at nearly $13.3 million annually, and fourth-year Texas coach Steve Sarkisian third at $10.6 million, according to a USA Today salary database released this week.
This will be the biggest challenge yet in their new league for the Longhorns (6-0 2-0), who in Week 2 won 31-12 at reigning national champion Michigan. Georgia won back-to-back titles before that.
Sark on Georgia: “They have somewhat been the standard of college football for the last six or seven years. The moment won’t be too big for them,” Sarkisian said. “When we started conference play, the first thing I talked about was ‘this is an SEC championship game,’ every week we play. … Any blemish on your record could knock you out of that championship game. We think of every game that way, whether it’s Mississippi State, Oklahoma or now Georgia.”
The Longhorn's defense leads the nation, allowing only 229.7 total yards and 6.3 points per game. Only three TDs have been scored against them. On offense, Texas is seventh with 495.7 total yards and 43.2 points a game and got starting quarterback Quinn Ewers back last week from an abdomen injury after touted freshman Arch Manning won both games he started.
Texas opponents have forced four turnovers inside Longhorns territory only to get shut down from there. The Texas defense has allowed no points from any of those possessions.
“We practice the mentality of sudden change,” Sarkisian said. “We take the field as an opportunity to seize momentum.”
Ewers vs. Beck, Part 1
I think this game is huge for Ewers, who seems unable to convince people he is the real deal. We have liked him since he destroyed Alabama’s touted defense two years ago until he was injured in the second quarter and the Tide managed to pull out a win.
Maybe those injuries cause pause. This is only his second game back from his latest, a non-contact ab injury
For some reason he reminds me of Justin Herbert, who had difficulty convincing people how good he was at Oregon and still doesn’t get the respect he deserves with the Chargers.
Ewers threw a touchdown and ran for another last week in his first game since Sept. 14, wasn’t at his best in a 34-3 victory over Red River rival Oklahoma.
Georgia’s Carson Beck was the AP preseason All-American. He is 18-2 as a starter and 6-2 against ranked opponents. Even when he struggled early in Georgia’s only loss at Alabama, Beck rallied the Bulldogs to a lead late in the fourth quarter. This game could turn into a shootout between the two QBs.
“They both have the ability, if something goes wrong, to get you out of a bad play and typically avoid catastrophes,” Smart said.
Georgia’s backfield
Georgia will have to rely more heavily on starting running back Trevor Etienne and freshman backup Nate Frazier after losing Branson Robinson with a sprained right knee in last week’s win over Mississippi State. Smart said Robinson sprained his MCL.
“He’s a huge part of the running back room,” said Etienne of Robinson. “You know, just be ready when your name is called and, you know, prepare. Prepare, that’s something we harp on during the week.”
🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈
Ewers’ round trip
Many forget that Ewers, who has the highest rating of any prep recruit this century, originally committed to former Longhorns coach Tom Herman on Dec. 12, 2021. But Ari Wasserman of On3, reminded us this week of the circuitous journey Ewers has taken to get back where he started as a Texas superstar.
Most only remember that he transferred from Ohio State two years ago. But he was, is and always will be a Texas-grown star.
Wasserman reminds us: He was the No. 1 overall player in the country from Southlake (Texas) Carroll, was the face of change for Texas football while he was still in high school. When he issued that verbal commitment to Texas’ former coach, it signified the revival of a storied program that had gone dormant. He was the face of the restoration of one of the country’s most prideful programs, the home-grown talent that was going to save Texas from college football purgatory. He was the savior when Texas still needed one.
That seemed to get lost after he decommitted from Herman’s staff — marking the beginning of the end for Herman at Texas — flipped to Ohio State and signed with the Buckeyes as part of their 2021 recruiting class. Even though he only spent one fall in Columbus before returning to Texas as a transfer, his career story was splintered.
And then Sarkisian landed the most hyped quarterback recruit of all time in Arch Manning in the 2023 cycle after Ewers started only one year for the Longhorns. Because of Manning’s larger-than-life presence, so many who track this Texas program have continued to stay fixated on the future. The present—which has transformed this program—sometimes even feels secondary.
Maybe that’s because you couldn’t create a fictional recruit who commands more attention, headlines and hype than Manning. Manning’s hype was infinitely larger than the hype around Ewers’ recruitment, which is saying something.
The legend of Manning continued into this season, one in which Texas is one of the favorites to win a national title. Ewers, who has been prone to injury during his two-plus years as Texas’ starter, got banged up this year and had to miss a few games. That opened the door the for the all-world figure Manning, who started two games, looked great and secured wins. Now, it seems like all but a certainty that Manning will be a star when his time comes, presumably next year.
But this year is still happening. And the ceiling is a national title.
Ewers, somehow, seems to get lost in the shuffle. He doesn’t command as much national attention as former star quarterbacks have in the past. He isn’t talked about the way we spoke about Trevor Lawrence while he was at Clemson, for instance. He isn’t even the no-doubt-about it biggest star in the sport this year, even during a season in which there aren’t many quarterbacks who steal all the headlines like Lawrence or even Caleb Williams did a year ago. In reality, Ewers is the second-most famous player on his own roster, behind the quarterback who backs him up.
Maybe he doesn’t get the recognition because injuries have periodically taken him out of the spotlight like the one he suffered this year. Or maybe it is crazy to compare him to Lawrence, who won a national title as a true freshman, or Williams, one of the most electric players we’ve ever seen.
Ewers hasn’t won a national title at Texas, but he’s been the quarterback during this Sarkisian rebuild.
Ewers led Texas to its first Big 12 championship in 14 — yes, 14 — years and its first College Football Playoff appearance a year ago. He did it during predicting Texas to find success during the preseason was met with an eye roll.
Had he completed one more pass at the end of the Playoff semifinal game against Washington, the Longhorns would have advanced to the national title game. Who knows what would have happened in Houston, back in the Lone Star State, against the Wolverines.
For some reason, there are many people out there who still feel like Ewers is just pretty good. Even after he looked shaky for a quarter and a half against Oklahoma last week, there were some already itching to see more of Manning. That’s the reality of his situation.
Why is it so easy to ignore Ewers has played well in the biggest moments? In his second-ever start at Texas in 2022, he pushed Alabama to the brink in the first half before having to leave the game with a collarbone injury. Against the same Alabama team in Tuscaloosa last season, he threw for 349 yards in the Longhorns’ statement win. Even against Washington in a game where it seemed like Texas barely possessed the ball for much of the second half, he threw for 318. Against Michigan this year? 246 yards and three touchdowns. Ewers shows up.
Much of the credit for Texas’ rebirth has to go to Sarkisian’s roster building. Yes, Texas broke through a year ago, but pound for pound, player for player, the Longhorns are built like the recruiting juggernauts of the sport. Texas is much more like Ohio State, Alabama and Georgia than every other team still in the mix for the Playoff this year. That’s a fact.
In the 15 years before Sarkisian’s arrival, this program was in a constant state of mediocrity. Nobody had done less with more than these Longhorns. So when quarterback Sam Ehlinger said “Longhorn Nation: we’re baaaaaaaaack!” following the Sugar Bowl win over Georgia at the conclusion of the 2018 season, Texas has been mocked over it.
Six years later, against these same Georgia Bulldogs, that isn’t a joke anymore.
Texas is back because being back was never about one fun season or a big win. Being back was about being a program with staying power, a roster that’s going to be elite year over year. It was about being considered a legitimate national title contender without the eye rolls.
This transformation all happened during Ewers’ tenure as Texas’ staring quarterback, just like it was supposed to be while he was a recruit.
Yet three years into this, it feels like every time he comes out onto the field he has to prove to the world he’s good all over again.
Against Georgia Saturday, Texas doesn’t have to prove it’s back.
But Ewers has the chance to remind us anyway.
🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈
Ewers vs. Beck, Part 2
Right, wrong or otherwise, there will be a referendum delivered on Beck and Ewers after Saturday’s game.
Chip Towers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tells us why:
The quarterbacks for Georgia and Texas both are very good. They’re also remarkably similar.
They’re a close match physically, both lead powerhouse football programs and each carried into the season some of the country’s best odds for winning the Heisman Trophy.
As the No. 1 Longhorns (6-0, 2-0 SEC) prepare to host the No. 5 Bulldogs (5-1, 2-1) Saturday at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium (7:30 p.m., ABC), Beck generally is thought to be the superior passer and Ewers the better overall athlete. Both have a wealth of experience in big games, and each is surrounded by great athletes and protected by exemplary offensive lines.
When breaking down Saturday’s matchup position-by-position, at quarterback it’s difficult to come to any conclusion other than it’s a “push.”
ExploreMore AJC coverage of the Bulldogs
“I mean, I feel that way,” coach Kirby Smart said after Georgia’s practice Tuesday night. “You don’t have a full quota (for Ewers) because he hasn’t played in every game. But the games he’s played in, they’re very similar in terms of knowledge, understanding of their offense and protections.”
Ewers, a junior, missed two games with an abdominal injury before returning for the Longhorns’ last game against Oklahoma. For the season, he’s averaging 225 yards passing per game on 72.2% completions with nine touchdowns and three interceptions.
Beck’s numbers are 303 per game passing on 67.9% completions for 15 TDs and five interceptions.
Those similarities hold up for the balance of their college careers. Following is a snapshot:
Beck+Category+Ewers
Beck: 6-4, 215; Ewers: 6-3, 206
Beck 32 game; Ewers 27
Beck 20 starts, Ewers 2620+Starts+26
Beck 18-2 record, Ewers 20-6
Beck 70.2 Comp. pct. , Ewers 65.4
Beck 6,245Pass yds, Ewers 6,546
Beck 290.2 Pass ypg , Ewers 251.8
Beck 45-15+TDs-INTs, Ewers 46-15
Both quarterbacks were major prospects coming out of high school. Ewers was a consensus 5-star recruit when he signed with Ohio State out of Southlake, Texas. He spent a year in Columbus, making only a token appearance in one game, before entering the transfer portal and settling on coach Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns. Essentially he has been the Texas starter ever since.
“He doesn’t seem like pressure affects him much,” Smart said of Ewers. “He seems like he has really good composure and stands in there. If something goes wrong, they both get you out of a bad play and typically avoid catastrophes. That’s what older quarterbacks do.”
Sarkisian is very familiar with Beck. The coach recruited him when Sarkisian was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Nick Saban at Alabama. Beck was committed to the Crimson Tide for a while.
“Carson Beck I know really well,” Sarkisian this week. “He’s a great young man, military background from his father. He’s big, strong kid, can make all the throws. He’s got a real presence in the pocket. There’s nothing in the throwing game that he really can’t do. And he’s played a lot of football now, too. It’s kind of hard to confuse guys when they’ve played that much football.”
Both quarterbacks have had challenges to overcome this season. For Ewers, it has been the injury and the presence of one of the more talented backup quarterbacks in the country. Sophomore Arch Manning has been incredibly impressive in four games this season, completing 70.5% of his passes for 901 yards, nine TDs and two interceptions while adding 82 yards rushing and three scores, including a 67-yarder.
Ewers got off to a slow start in the first game back Saturday against Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry in Dallas. The first pass he threw in 28 days was intercepted. He finished with 199 yards on 20-of-29 passing in the 34-3 victory.
“It was definitely tough because, throughout the week, you don’t have live bullets flying at you,” Ewers said. “The speed of the game is just not the same in practice, even though you try to emulate it as best you can. I’m not going to belabor the point, but I don’t think I played as well as I needed to for the standard.”
Beck echoed those sentiments. Even though he passed for a career-best 459 yards Saturday and tied a school record with 36 completions, he also threw two interceptions.
“It is what it is. Oh, well,” Beck said after Georgia’s 41-31 win over Mississippi State. “The first one gets tipped up in the air. The second one was whatever. You keep playing. You throw the ball almost 50 times a game, things are gonna happen. Balls are gonna get batted in the air, guys are gonna make plays on defense. We’re playing in the SEC.”
It’s upon close inspection of the teams’ respective opponents where the discussion of Saturday’s quarterbacks gets interesting. The Texas defense hasn’t faced any team that throws the football nearly as effectively as Beck and Georgia. The best passing team the Longhorns have met so far was Texas-San Antonio, which ranks 45th nationally in passing. Otherwise, they’ve faced two freshman starters and backups in two other games.
By the same token, Georgia’s secondary has looked extremely vulnerable this season. The Bulldogs allowed seven explosive plays to Mississippi State, which was playing with a freshman quarterback. Georgia’s secondary also was badly victimized in a 41-34 loss to No. 4 Alabama, whose 374 yards passing included a 75-yard touchdown pass.
Meanwhile, both teams could be down a receiver or two. Georgia has lost two split ends this season to a dismissal and a suspension in Rara Thomas and Colbie Young.
Meanwhile, Texas star wideout Isaiah Bond was considered questionable with an ankle injury as of Wednesday. The Longhorns’ leading receiver (21-369-3) victimized the Bulldogs with five catches for 79 yards while playing for Alabama in the 2023 SEC Championship game in December.
“Thankfully at the University of Georgia we go against great offenses every single day,” Bulldogs safety Dan Jackson said. “With the skill players and quarterback that we have, I have complete confidence in our defense. I know our coaches will have a great game plan for us. We just need to go out and execute.”
Both sides were extremely complimentary of the other heading into Saturday’s contest.
“Carson Beck is somebody you have to be ready and dialed in for,” Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron said. “He’s amazing. He does a lot of great things as a quarterback on this level.”
Said Smart of Ewers: “Him and Carson are so similar in terms of the kind of quarterbacks they are. They’re both better athletes than people think, they both have awareness of coverage and they’re really good in the pocket. This guy’s taking off and hurting people running when he needs to, but he also can stand in the pocket and make all the throws and change the protection. So, I’ve been really impressed.”
So enjoy!
College football scores, schedule, game times, TV channels
All times Eastern. All schedules and networks subject to change.
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Week 8
Friday, Oct. 18
7 p.m. | Florida State at Duke | ESPN2
7 p.m. | Brown at Princeton | ESPNU
8 p.m. | No. 2 Oregon at Purdue | FOX
10:15 p.m. | Oklahoma State at No. 13 BYU | ESPN
10:30 p.m. | Fresno State at Nevada | CBSSN
Saturday, Oct. 19
12 p.m. | No. 6 Miami (Fla.) at Louisville | ABC/ESPN+
12 p.m. | Virginia at No. 10 Clemson | ACCN
12 p.m. | Nebraska at No. 16 Indiana | FOX
12 p.m. | Auburn at No. 19 Missouri | ESPN
12 p.m. | East Carolina at No. 23 Army | ESPN2
12 p.m. | Wisconsin at Northwestern | Big Ten Network
12 p.m. | UCLA at Rutgers | FS1
12 p.m. | Wake Forest at UConn | CBSSN
12 p.m. | Arizona State at Cincinnati | ESPN+
12 p.m. | Louisiana at Coastal Carolina | ESPNU
12 p.m. | Northwestern State at Nicholls | ESPN+
12 p.m. | Holy Cross at Harvard | ESPN+
12 p.m. | Lehigh at Yale | ESPN+
12 p.m. | St. Francis (PA) at Wagner | ESPN+
12 p.m. | Catholic at Lycoming | FloSports
12 p.m. | Wilkes University at Keyston | FloSports
12 p.m. | Norwich at Merchant Marine | FloSports
12 p.m. | MIT at Springfield | FloSports
12:30 p.m. | Sacred Heart at Lafayette | ESPN+
12:45 p.m. | South Carolina at Oklahoma | SEC Network
1 p.m. | Villanova at Maine | FloSports
1 p.m. | Hampton at North Carolina A&T | FloSports
1 p.m. | Stony Brook at Towson | FloSports
1 p.m. | Rhode Island at New Hampshire | FloSports
1 p.m. | Bryant at Monmouth | FloSports
1 p.m. | Drake at Presbyterian | ESPN+
1 p.m. | Stetson at Davidson | ESPN+
1 p.m. | Central Connecticut at Dartmouth | ESPN+
1 p.m. | Columbia at Penn | ESPN+
1 p.m. | Cornell at Bucknell | ESPN+
1 p.m. | Stonehill at Merrimack | ESPN+
1 p.m. | Georgetown at Colgate | ESPN+
1 p.m. | UVA Wise at Carson-Newman | FloSports
1 p.m. | Emory & Henry College at Anderson (SC) | FloSports
1 p.m. | Michigan Tech at Ferris State | FloSports
1 p.m. | Roosevelt at North Michigan | FloSports
1 p.m. | Juniata at Susquehanna | FloSports
1 p.m. | West Florida at Chowan | FloSports
1 p.m. | Miles at Clark Atlanta | ESPN+
1 p.m. | Assumption at St. Anselm | FloSports
1 p.m. | New Haven at Southern Connecticut State | FloSports
1 p.m. | American International at Bentley | FloSports
1:30 p.m. | Wofford at Chattanooga | ESPN+
1:30 p.m. | Lindenwood at Gardner-Webb | ESPN+
1:30 p.m. | The Citadel at VMI | ESPN+
1:30 p.m. | Salve Regina at Coast Guard | FloSports
2 p.m. | Central Michigan at Eastern Michigan | ESPN+
2 p.m. | Tulsa at Temple | ESPN+
2 p.m. | Shorter at West Georgia | ESPN+
2 p.m. | UNI at North Dakota | ESPN+
2 p.m. | Western Carolina at Furman | ESPN+
2 p.m. | St. Thomas (Minn.) at Valparaiso | ESPN+
2 p.m. | Fort Valley State at South Carolina State | ESPN+
2 p.m. | Erskine at North Greenville | FloSports
2 p.m. | Wayne State (MI) at Davenport | FloSports
2 p.m. | West Texas A&M at Eastern New Mexico | FloSports
2 p.m. | Lenoir-Rhyne at Barton College | FloSports
2 p.m. | WPI at SUNY Maritime | FloSports
3 p.m. | Mercer at Samford | ESPN+
3 p.m. | Illinois State at Murray State | ESPN+
3 p.m. | Indiana State at Missouri State | ESPN+
3 p.m. | Grand Valley State at Saginaw Valley State | FloSports
3 p.m. | Mississippi College at Valdosta State | FloSports
3:30 p.m. | No. 7 Alabama at No. 11 Tennessee | ABC/ESPN+
3:30 p.m. | No. 12 Notre Dame vs. Georgia Tech (Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta) | ESPN
3:30 p.m. | No. 24 Michigan at No. 22 Illinois| CBS/Paramount+
3:30 p.m. | Charlotte at No. 25 Navy | CBSSN
3:30 p.m. | NC State at Cal | ACCN
3:30 p.m. | Houston at Kansas | ESPN+
3:30 p.m. | Hawai'i at Washington State | CW Network
3:30 p.m. | Texas State at Old Dominion | ESPN+
3:30 p.m. | Ohio at Miami (Ohio) | ESPN+
3:30 p.m. | Kent State at Bowling Green | ESPN+
3:30 p.m. | Western Michigan at Buffalo | ESPN+
3:30 p.m. | Toledo at Northern Illinois | ESPN+
3:30 p.m. | UAB at South Florida | ESPN+
3:30 p.m. | Florida Atlantic at UTSA | ESPN+
3:30 p.m. | Rice at Tulane | ESPN+
3:30 p.m. | Campbell at William & Mary | FloSports
3:30 p.m. | Delaware at Richmond | FloSports
3:30 p.m. | Elon at UAlbany | FloSports
3:30 p.m. | Florida A&M at Jackson State | ESPNU
3:30 p.m. | Tennessee State at Howard | ESPN+
4 p.m. | USC at Maryland | FS1
4 p.m. | Colorado at Arizona | FOX
4 p.m. | Baylor at Texas Tech | ESPN2
4 p.m. | New Mexico at Utah State | truTV/Max
4 p.m. | Wyoming at San Jose State | Mountain West Network
4 p.m. | James Madison at Georgia Southern | ESPN+
4 p.m. | Austin Peay at Utah Tech | ESPN+
4 p.m. | Eastern Kentucky at Abilene Christian | ESPN+
4 p.m. | Southeast Missouri State at Charleston Southern | ESPN+
4 p.m. | Tennessee Tech at Western Illinois | ESPN+
4 p.m. | Cal Poly at Idaho | ESPN+
4 p.m. | Idaho State at Northern Arizona | ESPN+
4 p.m. | Montana State at Portland State | ESPN+
4 p.m. | La Verne at Claremont Mudd Scripps | FloSports
4:15 p.m. | No. 14 Texas A&M at Mississippi State | SEC Network
4:30 p.m. | Lamar at Texas A&M-Commerce | ESPN+
5 p.m. | McNeese at Incarnate Word | ESPN+
5 p.m. | Marist at San Diego | ESPN+
5 p.m. | Stephen F. Austin at SE Louisiana | ESPN+
5 p.m. | West Alabama at Delta State | FloSports
6 p.m. | South Dakota at Youngstown State | ESPN+
7 p.m. | No. 8 LSU at Arkansas | ESPN
7 p.m. | Ball State at Vanderbilt | ESPN+/SECN+
7 p.m. | Arkansas State at Southern Miss | ESPN+
7 p.m. | UC Davis at Eastern Washington | ESPN+
7 p.m. | Alcorn State at Southern | ESPN+
7 p.m. | Western Oregon at UT Permian Basin | FloSports
7 p.m. | Benedict College at Allen | ESPN+
7:30 p.m. | No. 5 Georgia at No. 1 Texas | ABC/ESPN+
7:30 p.m. | UCF at No. 9 Iowa State | FS1
7:30 p.m. | No. 17 Kansas State at West Virginia | FOX
7:30 p.m. | Iowa at Michigan State | NBC/Peacock
7:30 p.m. | North Texas at Memphis | ESPNU
7:45 p.m. | Kentucky at Florida | SEC Network
8 p.m. | No. 21 SMU at Stanford | ACC Network
8 p.m. | Colorado State at Air Force | CBSSN
8 p.m. | South Dakota State at North Dakota State | ESPN2
8 p.m. | Angelo State at Midwestern State | FloSports
8 p.m. | Central Washington at Texas A&M-Kingsville | FloSports
9 p.m. | Weber State at Sacramento State | ESPN+