Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers didn’t look like himself in the 30-15 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs last week.

Whether it was the oblique injury or the daunting Georgia pass rush led by Jalon Walker and Mykel Williams, Ewers made some poor throws, questionable decisions and, for one reason or another, appeared to be without some of the basic fundamentals that a quarterback of his caliber is expected to posses.

This all led his benching late in the first half in favor of Arch Manning, who didn’t do much better during his two drives at the helm. Ewers caught a rhythm in the third quarter to make it a one-possession game after the Longhorns had trailed 23-0 at halftime but the fourth quarter saw more of the same struggles.

Headed into Saturday’s ranked matchup in Nashville against No. 25 Vanderbilt, Ewers has a chance at a major bounce-back game. With the Heisman Trophy no longer a realistic goal, the individual pressure is off his shoulders, which should ideally allow him to cut it loose.

Based on how he’s looked in practice this week, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian expects him to do just that

“Quinn’s have a really good week of work,” Sarkisian said Thursday. “I think he’s really dialed into the game plan, think he’s playing with a lot of confidence. And again, I’m looking forward to him to get another opportunity as a competitor, to go back out and compete at a high level.”

Sarkisian was asked if Ewers is having to overcome any mental hurdles following his return from the injury and said that no player is 100 percent at this point in the season. If Ewers is indeed still bothered by his oblique injury, Sarkisian says that his starting quarterback would hardly be using it as an excuse for the up-and-down performance.

“We’re going into game No. 8. I don’t know if a guy on our team is 100 percent,” Sarkisian said. “So the life of a competitor, as a football player, you learn to operate with those things that are going on with you, an ankle, a calf, a shoulder, a knee, an oblique, whatever. They’ve all got stuff. And so I don’t think … by any means do I think Quinn was using that as a crutch or an excuse. He had this thing. That’s the reality of we’re in week eight of a season, and everybody’s dealing with stuff.”

This season, Ewers has gone 103 of 151 passing for 1,101 yards, 11 touchdowns and four interceptions. He’s also rushed for one touchdown.