EWERS CAN DEMAND MILLIONS AFTER SKATTEBO ALMOST RALLIES A CRAZY VICTORY

Arizona State soared behind a boastful running back, who could not be stopped, but Ewers might want to consider high-priced transfer options after he rallied Texas to a spot in the national semifinals

Which college program would hand $6 million to Quinn Ewers if he leaves Texas? The transfer meganumber might rise higher after he rescued his team from a colossal upset by Arizona State, which entered the national quarterfinal with its own wild bravado. There was Cam Skattebo, who might be smaller than 5-10 and might be bigger than 225 pounds, saying he’s more unstoppable than a moving desert cactus.

“There's nobody out there that can stop me,” he said.

He was correct Wednesday in what became a boggling, 39-31 loss in double overtime. Against one of America’s best defenses, Skattebo rallied his team from a 16-point deficit as a running back mastering his fourth-quarter kingdom. He threw a 42-yard scoring pass. He rushed for 143 yards and two touchdowns, one to tie the game — along with a two-point conversion — and another for a a 31-24 lead in overtime. He also caught a ball for 62 yards, and in the scope of the College Football Playoff, this loomed as a much-needed upset. We were sick of conference champions who earned bye weeks, such as ASU from the Big 12, and we were sick of schools issuing a new five-year contract to coach Kenny Dillingham.

Back it up? Skattebo did, creating magic and space from fan/media stress for the CFP selection committee. He also vomited on the sideline before his heroics. Still, next came Ewers, better than everyone. He can make an unprecedented financial call for his final season of services, if he wants, throwing a 28-yard touchdown pass to Matthew Golden and a game-winning 25-yard scoring pass to Gunnar Helm. Is $6 million or more too much? Not when Arch Manning is waiting to play in Austin while Ewers can make NFL wealth on another campus.

“I felt like I was watching March Madness,” said Texas coach Steve Sarkisian, “with all the swings all over the place. The one thing that I know about our group is when our backs are against the wall and when our best is needed, our best shows up time and time again. The resiliency that these guys showed today was something that as a coach makes you really proud.”

Said Skattebo: “We gave everything we had. We never stopped.”

It’s a nonsensical and laughable world. Don’t bother telling Texas fans who saw their team advance to the semifinals, where they’ll play Ohio State and need even more from Ewers, who threw for 322 yards and three scores. Some insiders think the Longhorns are equipped to win the national championship. We’ve yet to see their very best when we’re seeing the best of Ohio State, though Texas has a semi-home game in Arlington at the Cotton Bowl. Sarkisian was lucky to have avoided a targeting call against his defensive back, Michael Taaffe, with 1:15 left and the score tied. He can’t have anything but perfection in the next round.

Only Manning, who remains on the bench in the postseason, shed any light about the transfer process. He’s staying for a third year with Sarkisian. “I really have no plans on entering the portal or anything so I don’t really know about it, about the whole windows and everything,” said Manning, the nephew of Peyton and Eli. Arch’s NIL valuation, by the way, is $5.5 million. Don’t believe both are staying.

For now, Ewers becomes a thriving performer in the playoff. “That's just a testament to how mature this team is and just taking advantage of every single opportunity that we have,” he said. No word on his transfer prospects, which explains why Manning is in the quarterback room. He’ll start next season, or Peyton might raise hell.

At present, Matthew McConaughey would raise hell without Ewers.

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Jay Mariotti, called “without question the most impacting Chicago sportswriter of the past quarter-century,’’ writes general sports columns for Substack while appearing on some of the 1,678,498 podcasts and shows in production today. He is an accomplished columnist, TV panelist and talk/podcast host. Living in Los Angeles, he gravitated by osmosis to film projects.