The emotional rollercoaster of college football is something fans, coaches, and players all experience in varying intensities. For Steve Sarkisian, head coach of the University of Texas Longhorns, this rollercoaster was on full display in 2024. One moment, Texas was soaring after a monumental victory, and the next, their playoff aspirations and championship dreams were shattered, not by a lack of talent, but by a pivotal injury to their star quarterback, Quinn Ewers. The aftermath of this loss went beyond the field—it left Steve Sarkisian’s heart broken and reshaped the future of the program and the trajectory of the Longhorns’ playoff hopes.
Quinn Ewers, the highly touted quarterback who had transferred from Ohio State to Texas with expectations of leading the Longhorns to national prominence, had been the cornerstone of the offense. His arm strength, poise under pressure, and ability to make all the throws had made him a Heisman contender in his sophomore season. However, during Texas’ playoff game against Ohio State, everything changed in an instant. The stakes were higher than ever, with the national championship on the line, and both teams fully aware that the winner would cement their place in college football history.
It was late in the third quarter, with the score tied and both teams trading blows on offense, when disaster struck. Ewers, looking to escape pressure from an Ohio State pass rush, was scrambling out of the pocket, trying to make a play. But as he planted his foot to cut upfield, his leg buckled awkwardly, sending him crashing to the turf in agony. The silence in the stadium was deafening as medical personnel rushed to his aid. It didn’t take long for fans to realize the magnitude of the injury—a torn ACL, a devastating blow to both Ewers and the Texas program.
The immediate heartbreak was palpable, and the collective atmosphere at the stadium shifted from one of fierce competition to one of quiet, stunned disbelief. The Longhorns’ hopes for a national championship were fading fast, and in that moment, so too were the hopes of their head coach, Steve Sarkisian. It was clear that the Longhorns’ star quarterback, the heart of their offense, was no longer able to play. Ewers would not return to the game, and Texas’ chances at victory grew slimmer by the minute.
Sarkisian, standing on the sideline, had witnessed enough setbacks in his career to know how devastating an injury like this could be to a team. As a coach who had faced personal and professional challenges over the years—battling his own demons and rebuilding his reputation—Sarkisian understood the profound emotional toll such an event could have on a young team. The weight of losing Ewers, the player he had built his offensive scheme around, was not only an athletic loss but an emotional one as well.
When asked about his emotions after the game, Sarkisian’s voice quivered with both sadness and frustration. “This is not just about football,” he said. “We put so much into this, and to have it all come crashing down like this… it hurts. For Quinn, for the team, for everyone who’s been a part of this journey.” His words reflected the heartbreak that transcended football strategy and tactics. It was about the human side of the game—about the sacrifices players and coaches make to reach the pinnacle of college football, only to have it all torn away in an instant.
But the pain didn’t end with Ewers’ injury. The team’s chances to finish the game and stay competitive without him were slim. Backup quarterbacks—though talented in their own right—were not prepared to handle the pressure and complexity of the situation. Ohio State, sensing the vulnerability of the Longhorns, began to seize control of the game. Texas, which had once seemed poised to make a championship run, was slowly falling apart at the seams.
The impact of Ewers’ injury rippled throughout the entire team. For Sarkisian, who had poured countless hours into developing game plans and instilling confidence in his players, watching the team struggle without their leader must have been an excruciating experience. Coaches spend months building a cohesive unit, not just in terms of X’s and O’s but in forging relationships and trust. When the team’s quarterback, the leader of the offense, goes down, it is as though the foundation has been fractured.
The psychological toll on Sarkisian was immense. He had, by all accounts, engineered a Texas team that was a legitimate contender for the national title. His offense, once anemic in previous seasons, had transformed into a high-powered juggernaut under his direction. Ewers had been the catalyst for that transformation, and the hopes for the future had rested squarely on his shoulders. As Ewers limped off the field, Sarkisian had to confront the harsh reality that those plans were now in disarray.
Beyond the immediate aftermath of the injury, there was the looming uncertainty about the future. Ewers’ torn ACL meant he would miss the remainder of the season, and it cast a long shadow over his future with the Longhorns. Would he be able to return to the form that had made him one of the top quarterbacks in the nation? Would Sarkisian’s offense remain as potent without the star signal-caller? These were questions that would have to be answered in the coming months.
But perhaps the most profound emotional blow came from the fact that Sarkisian had seen this kind of heartbreak before. As a coach who had spent years climbing the ranks, dealing with personal struggles, and facing professional setbacks, Sarkisian understood that sometimes, the hardest part of the game is dealing with the uncontrollable. Football is unpredictable, and no amount of preparation can shield a team from the kind of catastrophic injury that occurred to Ewers.
It wasn’t just Ewers who was affected by the injury; it was the entire team. Texas had rallied around their quarterback all season, and now, they were forced to play without him. Sarkisian’s heart must have broken as he watched his players try to rally but ultimately fall short. They had given everything to this season, but without their leader, they were no longer the same team.
For the players, the injury to Ewers was more than just a physical loss—it was an emotional one. Many of them had grown close to Ewers over the course of the season, developing friendships and bonds that transcended the locker room. Seeing him go down was a gut punch that left them reeling. It was a reminder that, in football, anything can happen at any moment, and no one is immune to the heartbreak that comes with the sport.
In the days following the injury, Sarkisian and his coaching staff were tasked with keeping the team together. The loss of Ewers was not just a loss of talent—it was a loss of hope. Without their quarterback, the Longhorns’ playoff dreams appeared dashed. But Sarkisian, despite his obvious pain, refused to let the team fall apart. He knew that this was a pivotal moment for Texas, not just in terms of their football program but in terms of their identity as a team. He urged the players to stay focused on the bigger picture, to remain united despite the adversity they faced.
And while the road ahead was difficult, with many questions still looming about the future of the program, Sarkisian’s leadership in the aftermath of the Ewers injury would be remembered as a defining moment of the season. He had seen his heartbroken, but he also knew that his job was to rebuild—both the team and the spirits of his players. The heartbreak would never go away, but it would serve as a lesson in resilience, in pushing forward even when the odds seem insurmountable.
For Steve Sarkisian, the journey was far from over. And for the Texas Longhorns, the road to redemption would begin the moment they decided to pick themselves up and move forward—just as their coach had taught them to do.
