Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers passed on the NFL last season for another year in the burnt orange, but that hasn't stopped him from generating NFL buzz as his third season at Texas gets underway.

Ewers toyed with Colorado State in the season opener on Saturday, logging 260 passing yards on just 20 completions, three of them for touchdowns, in a 52-0 win. On his way there, he tossed in a no-look pass down in the red zone, which led former NFL player and media personality Emmanuel Acho to a make lofty comparison.

“WOW! Checkout this no look pass by Texas Quarterback, Quinn Ewers 🔥🔥 1st round pick stuff right here, shades of Matthew Stafford in the Super Bowl vs the Bengals.”

The Matthew Stafford comparison is a good sign for Ewers' NFL prospects, as the former No. 1 overall pick has carved out a borderline Hall of Fame career and won a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams. Ewers' draft stock isn't currently as high as Stafford's was when he came out, but the star signal caller is off to a good start on the road to improving that in 2024.

Texas football impresses in dominant season-opening win

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Texas didn't have the marquee Week 1 opponent like other contenders such as Georgia and Notre Dame did, but they still went out and had an impressive showing. The Longhorns smoked Colorado State 52-0 in Austin on Saturday afternoon, completely shutting down a Rams team that has been projected by many to be a bowl-caliber team.

Steve Sarkisian and company were clicking on all cylinders in the win. The passing game was rolling, as Quinn Ewers was spreading the ball around to different receivers in an efficient, workmanlike performance. Star transfer wide receiver Isaiah Bond got in the end zone in his Texas football debut. The backfield situation — a big question mark after the injury to CJ Baxter — looked fine, as the Longhorns still managed to run for 190 yards. Even Arch Manning was able to get some run toward the end of the game, leading two promising drives and throwing a touchdown.

The defense was arguably the more impressive side of the ball. Texas held Colorado State — projected to be a very good offense this season — to 0 points and just 192 yards, with only 74 of them coming through the air. It was a suffocating performance against a talented passing offense by a secondary that has the ability to be one of the best in the SEC, if not the country.

Texas will take a step up in competition next week as the schedule heats up. They'll head to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan in a top-10 clash after the Wolverines picked up a win over Fresno State on Saturday.