Oklahoma football: 5 best quarterbacks OU will face in 2019
![DALLAS, TX - OCTOBER 06: Sam Ehlinger #11 of the Texas Longhorns during the 2018 AT&T Red River Showdown at Cotton Bowl on October 6, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) DALLAS, TX - OCTOBER 06: Sam Ehlinger #11 of the Texas Longhorns during the 2018 AT&T Red River Showdown at Cotton Bowl on October 6, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/512a130840f6fc67772cabeb328f743b8de5ed9f8014e871ee8f8673f6e3812d.jpg)
Sam Ehlinger, Texas
There’s little doubt Sam Ehlinger is a major part of the reason Mike Stoops is no longer the defensive coordinator at Oklahoma. The brash quarterback from Westlake High School in Austin torched the Sooners for 312 passing yards, 72 rushing yards and five total touchdowns when he led the Longhorns to 48-45 upset win over Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry game.
Yes the Sooners got their revenge in the Big 12 Championship game, but they didn’t do anything that would resemble shutting down Ehlinger in that contest either. He threw for 349 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 42 yards and two scores.
Sure, you can make the argument he’s not as polished a passer as some of the other guys ont his list, but his arm strength, intelligence and downright toughness make Ehlinger the perfect quarterback for Tom Herman’s pro spread offense and he was in complete command of it last season with 3,292 yards, 25 touchdowns and only five interceptions.
Alex Grinch will be asked to do something neither of the Sooners’ two defensive coordinators were able to last year – find an answer for this tenacious young quarterback.