TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Texas upset Alabama34-24 on Saturday night, and Longhorns linebacker Jaylan Ford couldn’t let the celebration pass without finding quarterback Quinn Ewers on the field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. It took a minute to locate the author of the Longhorns’ biggest win in more than a decade, but when Ford found Ewers, he pulled him in close for a big bear hug and a quick word.
“Helluva game,” he told Ewers. “You got more to go win.”
Ford let Ewers go enjoy the moment that had been such a long time coming. It felt great seeing Ewers’ success, Ford said, “Because all that s— people have been talking about him.”
Ah, yes, that. Ewers certainly has amassed more than his fair share of critics. And oddly enough, many of them were Texas fans at first when he backed off his commitment in 2020 and signed with Ohio State. The theory went that as the first college player to sign a $1 million name, image and likeness deal, he was doing nothing more than chasing the money. But then he left Columbus after one season, and Buckeyes fans got their turn at heckling him. Back to Texas he went — and under the microscope that every Longhorns’ quarterback gets treated to.
Maybe his mullet made him an easy target too. Who knows? He cut it off this summer.
Either way, it made what happened here on Saturday night all the more special. Because when it felt like momentum was slipping away — after Alabama scored a touchdown and secured a 2-point conversion to cut the lead to three in the fourth quarter — it was Ewers who calmly entered the huddle.
A year ago, he left the Alabama game with an injury and watched helplessly from afar as the lead slipped away.
This time, he was in control.
This time, he turned to his teammates and said, “Let’s go win.”
And they did.
Seven plays later, Ewers put the final nail in the Crimson Tide’s coffin with a 39-yard touchdown pass to Adonai Mitchell. His line: a sterling 24 for 38 passing for 349 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions.
Texas got its long-awaited signature win, and Ewers got vindication.
Forget the injury. Forget battling with Hudson Card for the starting job. Forget the addition of five-star Arch Manning during the offseason.
Ewers overcame all that and more.
“It’s been a long road, and he played a heckuva game,” Longhorns athletic director Chris Del Conte said.
Even Vince Young had to stand up and applaud.
“The whole world was against him; it was against all odds,” the Longhorns legend said. “I’m very proud of him.”
Not just that.
“We are not done yet,” Young said.
From the outside, there were plenty of questions about whether Ewers could carry Texas back to national prominence. But internally, there was belief, which is why teammates reveled in Ewers’ success more than he did.
“Quinn’s a dog,” veteran defensive lineman T’Vondre Sweat said. “I’m not surprised.”
Neither was Mitchell.
“I guess this is y’all’s first time seeing it,” he said. “So I guess it’s new to y’all, but we’ve always believed in him.”
Steve Sarkisian always believed in Ewers’ talent too. But what Ewers showed Saturday — a total command of the offense, the ability to quickly work through his reads and be decisive — was a result of his preparation leading up to the game, the Texas coach said.
Work like that every week and the sky’s the limit.
“I think it can serve as a springboard for Quinn if he can recreate the habits right Sunday through Friday to get himself ready,” Sarkisian said.
For his part, Ewers tried to keep the win in perspective, turning the attention back to his teammates — to their preparation, to the play of the offensive line, to the spectacular catches made by the wide receivers.
Did this represent redemption for him?
“I wouldn’t say redemption,” Ewers said skeptically.
He didn’t bite when asked whether the game “legitimized” his development.
But the signal-caller did say it was good to finish what the Longhorns started against Alabama last year.
“It was awesome to come in here and do what we did,” Ewers said.
What was special, Ewers explained, was seeing his parents afterward — their smiles and how “fired up they were.”
“It’s definitely going to be a moment I’m going to remember forever,” he said, allowing himself just a bit of reflection. “Yeah, it’s going to be pretty cool to look back on.”
Play like he did against Alabama and he’ll make even more memories.
ST. LOUIS — Chicago star Connor Bedard was injured on a last-second faceoff in a 3-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Friday night and will miss the Blackhawks’ game Saturday.
With 0.8 seconds left, Bedard attempted to win the draw to give Chicago one last chance, but he was knocked down by Blues center Brayden Schenn. Bedard grasped at his right shoulder and immediately headed to the locker room, accompanied by a trainer, while his teammates remained on the ice and the bench.
“He won’t play tomorrow,” Chicago coach Jeff Blashill said of the team’s game at home against Detroit on Saturday night. “I won’t know more info tomorrow, so don’t ask me tomorrow. At some point through the weekend, I’ll know more, so I’d probably have more info come Monday.”
Asked whether Bedard’s injury would be only short term, Blashill offered few details.
“I’d hate to say that without knowing the information,” he said. “Until we get the information, again, he’s not going to play tomorrow.”
Bedard ranked fifth in the NHL in points heading into the game, and he assisted on both of Chicago’s goals in the loss. He now has 12 goals and 25 assists.
He was pushed into desperation mode when the Blues iced the puck and a half a second was put back on the clock. Blashill said he’d have to see the play again, but his initial impression was that nothing dirty occurred on the play.
“Honestly, I think it’s a freak accident,” Blashill said, “to be honest with you.”
It’s one of the boldest moves in Wild franchise history, and signals GM Bill Guerin’s hunger to win now after signing Kirill Kaprizov to the richest contract in NHL history this summer. The Wild have not advanced past the first round of the playoffs since 2015.
Hughes, 26, is a 2018 first-round pick of the Canucks and considered one of the best defensemen in the league. He is one of six players already named to the Team USA Olympic men’s hockey team. Hughes won the Norris Trophy in 2023-24 when he recorded a career-high 92 points for a first-place Canucks team.
However, a Hughes trade became increasingly inevitable after the Canucks got off to a poor start. Vancouver entered Friday in last place in the Pacific Division at 11-17-3 with a minus-24 goal differential. Late last month, the Vancouver front office sent a memo across the league that it was open to trading any of its pending unrestricted free agents. That did not include Hughes, who is under contract through the end of next season.
However, it empowered many general managers across the league to inquire about Hughes, who did not have any trade protection.
The Canucks got plenty in return. Buium, 20, is a 2024 first-round pick of the Wild and can inherit Hughes’ role as a true power-play quarterback. Rossi, 24, and Ohgren, 21, are also former first-round picks of the Wild.
Though Hughes never asked for a trade, many around the NHL believed he did not want to re-sign in Vancouver after his contract expired in the summer of 2027. The prevailing belief is that Hughes preferred to play for a United States-based team on the East Coast. Hughes spends his offseason in Michigan. His brothers, Jack and Luke, play for the New Jersey Devils.
According to sources, the Devils did make a trade offer for Hughes to reunite him with his two younger brothers. However, New Jersey couldn’t match what Minnesota gave up.
Minnesota began engaging with Vancouver about a week ago, according to sources, and the deal came together quickly. The Canucks received at least six other offers, according to sources, but Vancouver believed Minnesota presented the strongest overall package that can best set the team up for the future.
Hughes is not eligible to sign an extension with the Wild until July 1.
San Jose State wide receiver Danny Scudero, the leading receiver in FBS this season, will enter the NCAA transfer portal when it opens in January, he announced Friday.
The 5-foot-9, 174-pound redshirt sophomore caught 88 passes for 1,291 yards and 10 touchdowns in his first season with the Spartans, becoming a semifinal for the Biletnikoff Award and earning first-team All-Mountain West honors.
Scudero is expected to be one of the more coveted wide receivers available when the transfer portal officially opens on Jan. 2 and has two more seasons of eligibility remaining.
Scudero spent two years at Sacramento State before transferring to San Jose State after the 2024 season. He broke out with 189 receiving yards to open the season against Central Michigan and surpassed 100 yards in five more games, including a career-high 215 and two touchdowns against Hawaii.
Scudero’s 88 receptions ranked fourth-most in FBS, and he leads all receivers this season with 16 catches of 30 or more yards.
The Spartans produced the No. 14 passing offense in FBS this season but went 3-9 in their second year under coach Ken Niumatalolo.