Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Watch: Quinn Ewers leads Texas on opening-drive TD against Arizona State

By Eric Smithling | Last updated Jan 1, 2025 11:07 PM ET

Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers wasted no time giving the Longhorns a 7-3 lead over Arizona State in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

Following a Sun Devils field goal, Ewers only needed two plays to give College Football Playoff No. 3 Texas (12-2) the lead.

Ewers completed a 54-yard pass to wide receiver Matthew Golden to start the drive. He found Golden on a seam route at the Texas 37-yard line, and the junior wide receiver sprinted 40 yards to set the Longhorns up outside of the red zone.

BIG PLAY FROM QUINN EWERS TO MATTHEW GOLDEN TO START pic.twitter.com/g9uj7Mu3ry
— Nash (@NashTalksTexas) January 1, 2025

Ewers followed that with a 23-yard touchdown on a beautiful deep ball to wideout DeAndre Moore Jr.

TWO-PLAY TUDDY #HookEm | #CFBPlayoff pic.twitter.com/4V6EpSJZp7
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) January 1, 2025

Texas entered the CFP with questions surrounding Ewers. He struggled in the Longhorns' two losses to Georgia, going 52-of-89 (58.4 percent) for 569 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions.

With 2023 five-star recruit Arch Manning as his backup, Ewers needed a strong start to quell calls for him to be replaced. His blazing start against the Sun Devils might also make him even more valuable to other teams.

On Tuesday, On3's Pete Nakos reported college programs were willing to offer Ewers $6 million to stay in college in 2025 instead of declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft.

Ewers might create a bidding war if his first quarter against No. 12 Arizona State (11-2) is a sign of things to come.

Eric Smithling

Eric Smithling is a writer based in New Orleans, LA, whose byline also appears on Athlon Sports. He has been with Yardbarker since September 2022, primarily covering the NFL and college football, but also the NBA, WNBA, men’s and women’s college basketball, NHL, tennis and golf. He holds a film studies degree from the University of New Orleans

More must-reads: