"Quinn Ewers is a Texas legend" - Emmanuel Acho jumps to Texas QB's defense amid backlash from Longhorns fans

Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers was unable to get the Longhorns over the hump as the Longhorns lost 28-14 to the rampant Ohio State Buckeyes in the Cotton Bowl Classic. It was the second consecutive season that the Longhorns fell just short of the national championship game, which will pit the Buckeyes against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Jan. 20.

Ewers finished with 283 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, but he was at the center of the game's defining moment. The signal-caller was sacked by Ohio State edge rusher Jack Sawyer, who recovered the fumbled ball and proceeded to score an 83-yard touchdown to finish the contest.

Amid the widespread backlash that Ewers has faced from Texas fans on social media, Fox Sports analyst Emmanuel Acho jumped to the quarterback's defense on Sunday.

"Quinn Ewers is a Texas Legend, I love the kid, and you can simultaneously desire more from him. In college, sacks count as rushing yards. In Texas’ 3 losses, Ewers has -79 rushing yards. Notre Dame advanced to the NC off their QB’s mobility. OSU put us under (4th & 2) off QB run," Acho tweeted.

Acho played 48 games over four years at the University of Texas, winning several accolades and recognitions. At UT, he completed his bachelor's degree in sports management in 2011 and a master's degree in sports psychology in 2017.

Quinn Ewers gets mixed reception after Cotton Bowl fumble

Quinn Ewers has been at the center of a tangled web of speculation about his future and whether he should declare for the 2025 NFL draft or return to college football for an extra year. During Saturday's segment of "The McShay Show," draft analyst Todd McShay was scathing in his assessment of Ewer's future.

“I don’t know that another year with Quinn Ewers is necessarily going to change him like I think it could elevate a Carson Beck, Garrett Nussmeier, if I’m being totally honest,” McShay said. “But I also think we didn’t see the best of Quinn Ewers this year.

“Whether it was the oblique injury, whether it was the ankle injury at times, whether it was the pressure of playing at Texas which is a lot more overwhelming than people think.

“When I talk to NFL teams, I’ve solicited and I’ve gotten unsolicited. ... When I’m talking to guys in the league—landslide: ‘He needs to grad transfer.’”

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During his postgame news conference, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian, who has supported Ewers in his battle against Arch Manning, was full of praise for the Longhorns' QB1.

"I'm super proud of Quinn," Sarkisian said. "He's taught me a lot, probably unknowingly to him, because what he went through every year dealing with injury, what he goes through where I don't know if he'd ever live up to the standards of what everybody thinks he's supposed to be.

"But at the end of the day, all he did was show up every day and work and be a great leader and be a great teammate."

Despite the mixed feelings from fans and analysts about his Texas career, Quinn Ewers has managed 9,128 passing yards and 68 touchdowns as the Longhorns QB1, placing him just behind legends Colt McCoy and Sam Ehlinger. He has also led the team to two consecutive College Football Playoff semifinals in his Texas career.