Texas' Ewers sets Big 12 title game record in dominant win

Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) is interviewed while he holds the WWE Big 12 Championship belt after the Longhorns defeated the Oklahoma State Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Texas QB Quinn Ewers sets Big 12 title game record in dominant win

By Eric Smithling | Last updated 12/2/23

Thanks to a historic performance by quarterback Quinn Ewers, Texas is headed to the SEC as Big 12 champions.

Texas pounded Oklahoma State, 49-21, in the Big 12 Championship game, securing its first conference title since 2009 in its final season as a Big 12 member.

Ewers was named MVP, finishing 35-of-46 for 452 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. He set the Big 12 conference championship game record for yards in a game and was given the inaugural Big 12 championship belt from WWE's The Undertaker afterward.

Quinn Ewers got a championship belt from the @undertaker after the Big 12 Championship pic.twitter.com/fHAhpqM26F
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 2, 2023

Texas raced out to a 35-14 halftime lead with Ewers throwing four touchdowns. ESPN Stats & Info notes that's the most in a half in Big 12 title game history. He also finished with the third-most yards in a game in Longhorns program history.

Quinn Ewers is the first player with 4 Pass TDs in a half in the Big 12 championship game.

Texas has the most yards in any half of a Big 12 title game over the last 20 seasons. pic.twitter.com/45hu4m76Kn
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 2, 2023

With Quinn Ewers' day done, he finishes with 452 passing yards, the 3rd-most in a single game in Texas school history (Major Applewhite - 473, Colt McCoy- 470) pic.twitter.com/gS0YwiQ00c
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 2, 2023

Texas could join 2018 Ohio State as the only one-loss conference champion in the College Football Playoff era to fail to reach the semifinals due to potentially four undefeated champions in the ACC (Florida State), Big Ten (Michigan), Pac-12 (Washington) and SEC (Georgia).

Texas wins their 4th Big 12 championship in school history and 1st since 2009.

The only 1-loss Power 5 conference championship game winner that has missed the College Football Playoff is Ohio State in 2018. pic.twitter.com/ppZvDyI0GC
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 2, 2023

Even if the Longhorns fail to make the playoffs, an earlier report on Saturday suggests their championship window isn't closing. ESPN's Pete Thamel reported that Ewers is trending toward returning to Texas next season instead of declaring for the NFL Draft.

That decision would significantly boost Texas as it moves to the SEC and increase its odds of making the 12-team playoff in 2024.

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