"Georgia has harassed Quinn Ewers" - Josh Pate bluntly assesses Texas QB1 as Arch Manning remains a realistic option to replace him

The Arch Manning vs. Quinn Ewers debate has continued to drag on before the Texas Longhorns clash with the Arizona State Sun Devils in the Peach Bowl on Wednesday. Ewers took most of the Longhorns' snaps in the 38-24 win against the Clemson Tigers in the first round of the College Football Playoff.

On Sunday's "Josh Pate's College Football Show" segment, Pate outlined Ewers' struggles against the Georgia Bulldogs defense, which throttled the quarterback in the two losses.

"Here is the big concern for me if you're trying to paint the picture for the upset: in Texas' losses, aka when they played Georgia, Georgia has harassed Quinn Ewers," Pate said. (2:45)

"They've sacked him a million times. Arizona State is 120th on the pressure rankings, they do not affect the quarterback, they do not get home. It's not their bread and butter, they've outscored folks this year, that's not how they've won games. And they will not succeed if that number holds up against Texas. ... When you give Ewers enough time, he will pick you apart."

Analyst backs Quinn Ewers over Arch Manning for CFP run

During last week's "Get Up" podcast segment, analyst Greg McElroy bucked the trend and backed Quinn Ewers to lead the Texas Longhorns to the national championship over Arch Manning.

"Let's stop trying to make Arch Manning into his uncles right now," McElroy said. "He'll get there. He'll be a great player in time. I'm a real believer in his upside. ...

"You look at the teams they're likely to face between now and the national championship, they're going to have to throw it to win the national championship. So, I think Arch is going to be a great player situationally, but at this point, Quinn's your guy and should hopefully take you to the promised land if you're a Longhorn fan."

Most teams can only dream of the dilemma Texas coach Steve Sarkisian faces: choosing between Ewers and Manning in the quarterback room. If the Longhorns advance deeper into the College Football Playoff, fans will eagerly watch to see which star takes the majority of the snaps.