Ewers’ four-TD game lifts No. 7 Texas to Big 12 championship
Quinn Ewers passed for a record 452 yards and four touchdowns and No. 7 Texas’ defense did the rest in a 49-21 shellacking of Oklahoma State on Saturday afternoon in the Big 12 Championship game in Arlington, Texas.
The Longhorns (12-1) captured their first Big 12 title since 2009 and successfully bookended their 27 seasons in the league with championships before an event record 84,523 fans at AT&T Stadium.
Texas will now wait to see if winning its final seven games, beating Alabama on the road and blowing out Oklahoma State in the title contest is enough to earn it a spot in the College Football Playoffs.
Ewers completed his first 12 passes of the game to eight different receivers and finished 35-of-46 while throwing for the most yards ever in a Big 12 Championship game. It was just the third 450-yard passing game in school history and first since Colt McCoy threw for 470 against UCF in 2009.
The Longhorns’ defense did not allow Oklahoma State (9-4) to broach the 200-yard barrier until the 10minute mark of the fourth quarter. By that time Texas was ahead by five touchdowns. The Longhorns outgained Oklahoma State 662-281 in the victory.
Oklahoma State quarterback Alan Bowman threw for 250 yards and three touchdowns but star running back Ollie Gordon, the Big 12’s offensive player of the year, managed only 34 yards on 13 carries.
“We needed to get off to a really good start to kind of maintain the blows back and forth and we didn’t. We got into a multiple score game and it was difficult,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said after the game. “But gosh, Texas is really explosive and on a roll right now – it’s a good football team.
“Our team deserved to be in this game today. We came up short. Texas made some plays. We didn’t. They made some coaching calls. We didn’t. So I give them credit. When you get up multiple scores, you can call a game more freely and that’s what Texas was able to do.”
Ewers hit Adonai Mitchell for a 10-yard TD pass at the end of its four-play, 39-yard opening drive to put Texas ahead for good. Ewers then connected with Ja’Tavion Sanders on a flea-flicker play for a 24-yard TD and a 14-0 lead six and a half minutes into the game.
Oklahoma State responded with a 5-yard Bowman-to-Brennan Presley touchdown pass that cut the Texas lead to 14-7 with 5:36 to play in the first quarter.
The Longhorns countered with a 2-yard TD pass from Ewers to 362pound defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat, the Big 12’s defensive player of the year. After an interception by Texas’ Kitan Crawford at the UT 5, the Longhorns drove to CJ Baxter’s 10-yard scoring run and a 28-7 lead.
Midway through the second quarter, the Cowboys’ Nickolas Martin intercepted Ewers and returned the pick 27 yards to the UT 3. Bowman then passed to Rashod Owens for a 7-yard TD that culled the Texas lead to 28-14 with 5:50 remaining in the second quarter.
The Longhorns swung back, adding to the lead on an 8-yard pass from Ewers to Jaydon Blue with 2:11 to play before halftime.
Keilan Robinson ran 57 yards for a touchdown with 3:33 to play in the third quarter to build the Texas lead to 42-14. Robinson added an 11yard TD with 10:38 to play before Bowman and Owens hooked up again for a 3-yard scoring pass with 6:26 left.
LATE FRIDAY
No. 3 Washington 34, No. 5 Oregon 31:
Michael Penix Jr. passed for 319 yards and Dillon Johnson accounted for three touchdowns as Washington secured a place in the College Football Playoff with a victory over Oregon in the Pac-12 championship game in Las Vegas.
Washington (13-0) won a wild game that wasn’t decided until Johnson ran 18 yards for a first down in the final minute.
The Huskies went up 34-24 with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Quentin Moore with 2:44 left, but Oregon (11-2) responded in just two plays and 30 seconds. Bo Nix hit Traeshon Holden on a deep crossing pattern, and Holden battled his way into the end zone, tightroping the sideline near the goal line for a 63-yard touchdown.
The ensuing onside kick bounced out of bounds, giving Washington the ball at its 45-yard line. The Huskies made two first downs to run out the clock.
No. 24 Liberty 49, New Mexico State 35:
Kaidon Salter threw two touchdowns and ran for another and Liberty scored the only points of
the fourth quarter to defeat visiting New Mexico State in the Conference USA championship game at Lynchburg, Va.
Salter passed for 319 yards and rushed for 165 yards, teammate Quinton Cooley had three touchdown runs and CJ Daniels posted 157 receiving yards and a touchdown on seven receptions.
Liberty (13-0) is contending for the Group of 5 spot in the College Football Playoff’s upper bowl tier.