Quarterback Quinn Ewers, Texas football in a rush to play Oklahoma this weekend

Vince Ewers. Quinn Vick. Wheels.

Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers has heard all the nicknames that have popped up across social media since he’s flashed his footwork over the past two weeks with several impressive touchdown runs.

Like most things that even hint at a boast, the third-year sophomore shrugs off the hype. Sure, he had a 29-yard touchdown run against Baylor two weeks ago and a 30-yard scoring dash this past weekend in the 40-14 win over Kansas.

More: From atmosphere to history, Texas reflects on what makes the Red River Rivalry special

But using his legs — and his increased speed — is just another way to beat a defense and win games, Ewers says.

“That's always an option for me, I guess,” Ewers said. “I don't think we really have talked about it that much, honestly.”

Ewers was referring to conversations with head coach Steve Sarkisian, who admits that his offense rarely utilizes designed quarterback runs even if Ewers did collect his fifth rushing touchdown of the season on a called bootleg in the second half against Kansas.

“A quarterback being a dual threat and finding a way, whether it’s through his receivers or with his legs? That's a great thing,” right tackle Christian Jones said. “When he takes off running, you’re trying to catch up and make a play for him downfield. It gets you hyped.”

Both the 29-yard touchdown run against Baylor and the 30-yarder against Kansas came on designed pass plays on third-and-long, when Ewers left the pocket after not finding an open receiver downfield. That ability to make plays when the patterns break down could prove especially crucial Saturday, when No. 3 Texas (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) faces off against blood rival and 12th-ranked Oklahoma (5-0, 2-0) in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.

“We don't run (quarterbacks) like a lot of other people do,” Sarkisian said. “But we do rely on the quarterback to use his legs at opportune times, most notably third down and in the red (zone) area. And I think Quinn is really starting to excel at that. If you notice, his scrambles come on third down and in the red area. He's used his legs, and he's used his newfound conditioning and speed to be an advantage for him and for us, so that's been a real positive.”

That conditioning includes Ewers’ much-discussed weight loss in the offseason, when the 6-foot-2, 195-pounder cut out the Chick-fil-A and reportedly trimmed about 20 pounds from his frame.

“Oh, he’s a lot faster this year,” UT linebacker David Gbenda said. “From practice and even when we're doing our Longhorn shuttle (workouts), I've seen that speed and quickness. During Longhorn shuttles, I'm trying to be the first of everyone out of a group, and he was giving me a run for my money. And I'm pretty fast. So just him giving me a run for my money was a good sign to me.”

More: RB Jonathon Brooks, WR Adonai Mitchell earn awards for Texas football from Big 12

No one can judge a player’s speed better on the team better than receiver Xavier Worthy, who will draw most locker-room votes when it comes to any player poll about the Longhorns’ fastest athlete.

“I didn’t know that was in his bag,” Worthy said when asked about Ewers’ long touchdown runs. “If it was a Madden rating, I’d give him an 80 for his speed.”

More: Texas takes on Oklahoma for the 119th Red River Rivalry: See photos over the years

For the record, Ewers has run for 74 yards on 25 carries. Take away the sacks that the NCAA counts toward rushing totals, and he has 124 yards rushing, which equates to almost five yards a carry.

Ewers’ arm remains his biggest asset, however, as evident by the 1,358 yards and 10 touchdowns with just one interception on 66% passing. If an occasional run can complement that passing, it makes the offense that much more dangerous.

“I'm definitely a whole lot more comfortable where I am right now than I was last year at this time, for sure,” he said. “I think I’m reacting off instinct more instead of thinking so much, which ultimately makes the game a lot more fun. And when I feel like when I'm having fun, when I'm joyful about the game, just playing free, that's when I'm at my best.”

More: Austin American-Statesman producing 160-page book on Longhorns' football years in Big 12

Saturday's game

No. 3 Texas (5-0, 2-0) vs. No. 12 Oklahoma (5-0, 2-0), 11 a.m., Cotton Bowl in Dallas, ABC, 1300

How does OU's Dillon Gabriel compare?

Much has been made of the less-than-imposing slate of quarterbacks who have faced the Texas defense during the team’s 5-0 start. The Longhorns, who have the top-rated defense in the Big 12 at 290.8 yards allowed per game, are allowing a conference-low 196 passing yards per contest and have more interceptions (six) than touchdown passes allowed (four). Those totals have come against a journeyman quarterback at Rice in JT Daniels, a quarterback making his third career start in Alabama’s Jalen Milroe and a trio of backups in Wyoming’s Evan Svoboda, Baylor’s Sawyer Robertson and Kansas’ Jason Bean.

When it comes to statistical production, Oklahoma’s Dillon Gabriel will be the top quarterback that Texas has faced this season. Gabriel, a fifth-year senior, leads the Big 12 in passing yards (1,593), passing touchdowns (15) and completion percentage (75.2). But how tough has the defensive competition been for Gabriel?

Week 1: Gabriel (19-of-22, 308 yards, 2/0) threw a season-low 22 times in a 73-0 blowout of Arkansas State, which allowed 264.5 yards a game with 7 TDs and 3 INTs in four other games.

Week 2: Gabriel (19-of-27, 176 yards, 4/0) played the entire game but had his quietest showing so far in a 28-11 win over SMU, which gave up 183 passing yards a game along with 5 TDs and 2 INTs in four other games.

Week 3: Gabriel (28-of-31, 421 yards, 4/0) threw for a season high in yards in a 66-17 rout of Tulsa, which has allowed 264 yards a game as well as 7 TDs and 4 INTs in four other games.

Week 4: Gabriel (26-of-38, 322 yards, 1/0) had his lowest QBR of any game, but still guided OU to a comfortable 20-6 win over Cincinnati, which has allowed 204.5 passing yards a game along with 9 TDs and 3 INTs in four other games.

Week 5: Gabriel (26-of-39, 366 yards, 3/1) ripped through the Big12's top-rated defense in 50-20 win against Iowa State, which has allowed just 177.3 passing yards a game along with 4 TDs and 5 INTs in four other games.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas football in a rush to face OU behind quarterback Quinn Ewers