Who would’ve thought that two talented quarterbacks both recruited and signed by the Texas Longhorns would be beating two of the stingiest Big 12 opponents on the same day in 2019. Former Longhorn starting quarterback Shane Buechele led the SMU Mustangs to an upset road win over the TCU Horned Frogs. And star junior Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger led his team to a huge 36-30 home win over the Oklahoma State Cowboys to open up Big 12 play.
Buechele managed just over 300 total yards and three touchdowns with one interception in the win over TCU. His efforts guided SMU to hang on at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth for the nail-biting 41-38 victory. SMU is still undefeated heading into the meat of their schedule in the American Athletic Conference.
While SMU moves to 4-0 on the season so far, TCU was bounced from the top 25 and have a good list of items to improve upon before contending in the Big 12 this fall. TCU is in dire need of finding a quality starting quarterback, although sticking with freshman Max Duggan for the long haul might be a good move for long-time TCU head coach Gary Patterson.
Moreover, Ehlinger also helped his team rake in a win over a quality Big 12 opponent. He finished the night with more than 350 total yards and four touchdown passes with one interception.
Ehlinger also sealed the win for the Longhorns with a 29-yard run on a third-down play late in the fourth quarter. He’s coming up big in clutch time and winning the Longhorns games when it matters most in conference play.
All in all, it is interesting that the two teams that were the biggest thorn in the Longhorns’ side from 2013 until the present day were knocked off by Buechele and Ehlinger in the same four-hour span. This is the first win for Shane Buechele over either team as the starting quarterback.
For the three years that Buechele was a member of the Longhorns football program, he never etched a win over Oklahoma State or TCU as the starting quarterback. Between 2016 and 2018, the only win Texas came up with against either team was in the Big 12 opener last year against the Horned Frogs. Ehlinger was the starter in that game.
It’s a relief to see Texas get the Oklahoma State monkey off its back. At the same time, Buechele got the TCU thorn out of his side. It was a big day for two Longhorn quarterback signees.
