Over 3 treacherous months of football have finally conjured the CFP field. Widespread discourse involving some precise but largely fallacious hypotheticals and projections has condensed down to 12 teams. Some guaranteed their playoff status early, and some left it to a last-gasp 56-yard field goal. Two teams with these opposing spectrums face off in round 1. Amidst the multitude of storylines, one underlying facet is particularly fascinating.

No.5 seeded Texas Longhorns host the no.12 Clemson Tigers in Austin. The backdrop is befitting of the occasion. It also pours extra fuel over this proverbial fire, as if it was lacking any. The quarterbacks for the two teams, Quinn Ewers and Cade Klubnik, both hail from Texas. In fact, Clemson’s Klubnik is actually a thoroughbred Austin native. This duo’s history runs deeper than just their shared geography.

Cover3 podcasts’ Bud Elliot relayed the fact that this imminent meeting is not the first time the two will face off. Ewers and Klubnik played each other back in 2020. The stakes were pretty adjacent to this upcoming game, too. The meeting came in the 6A Division 1 State Championship Game. So how did the two fair, and will it have any bearing over 4 years on?

Cade Klubnik-led Westlake HS beat Quinn Ewers’ Carroll team, 52-34. This scoreline reflected the QBs’ performances aptly. Klubik threw for as many as 3 TDs and was largely the reason for his team’s triumph. Meanwhile, Ewers had an off-night, quite rare for the time. He got picked off by Westlake’s secondary twice. This win came in the midst of 3 state championships on the bounce for Westlake from 2019 to 2021.

As their paths converge once again, the two adversaries come into this game with differing expectations of them. The way in which Clemson even managed to reach this point makes it a bit of a free hit for Klubnik. Very few think Clemson can advance to the next round. This puts the onus right on Ewers. After his last outing in Atlanta, there has been some external disgruntlement that puts him under more duress.

Quinn Ewers’ poor performance against Georgia amplified by other factors

Quinn Ewers’ performance in the SEC Championship Game left a lot of room for the ensuing criticism. His inability to move the ball with much success in the red zone was especially damaging to his team. Ewers threw for 358 yards to go with 2 picks. That high yardage, though, came on a season-high 46 attempts. Steve Sarkisian persistently put the pigskin in his hands, but mostly in vain. 

What amplified his shortcomings was the impact of backup QB Gunner Stockton for Georgia. After QB1 Carson Beck went down with injury, Stockton infused the Bulldogs’ offense with some much-needed whim. This ties in with the Arch Manning-shaped cloud looming over Ewers. With Arch breathing down his neck, Ewers is perpetually under pressure to deliver.  A plethora of Texas fans, as well as analysts, are demanding Sark to use Arch in timely circumstances. These calls inadvertently seep into Ewers’ performances.

Over the past 24 hours or so, Quinn Ewers has made a potentially career-altering decision. He has declared for the NFL Draft and is forgoing his final year of college eligibility. The clarity that comes from the weight of such a decision getting lifted off your shoulders is real. Fans will hope this translates into an upturn in Ewers’ performances. Every time he steps on the gridiron, now could be the last time he does so for the Longhorns. Quinn Ewers will seek to elongate his collegiate career past the Clemson game.