Steve Sarkisian and the Texas football team ran past rival Oklahoma at the Cotton Bowl to the tune of 34-3. This year’s rendition of the annual Texas-Oklahoma game cannot be categorized as a “shootout” because Oklahoma had trouble mustering offensive yards and points. In fact, Pete Kwiatkowski’s defense held yet another team from finding the end zone, forcing the Sooners to settle for a lone field goal on the day. Texas’ defense has given up just 38 points in six games which is the fewest they have given up as a program since 1960. Halfway through the season, this defense looks special.
Saturday’s win brought the Longhorns to 6-0 on the season and 2-0 in SEC play and gave Steve Sarkisian his 31st win as head coach at Texas. The last time they held an undefeated record through six games was 2009 – the same season they played for a national championship. The ‘Horns played a complete game in Fair Park and are playing like a team, midway through the season, that is prepared to make a run at a conference and national championship. Let’s give a few hat tips to recognize several individual performances from the game.
Quintrevion Wisner – RB
Steve Sarkisian has gone with a mixed bag at running back due to player injuries, but Tre Wisner has emerged from a third-stringer to legitimate starting running back – and his stats are showing it. He picked up his first career 100+ yard game on the ground, rushing 13 times for 118 yards and a touchdown against the Sooners. The DeSoto High School product had rushes of 36 and 43 yards in his most impressive performance as a Longhorn. Expect to see more and more of Wisner as he has proven to be a dependable, power-rusher that now leads the team on the ground with with 278 yards.
Gunnar Helm – TE
Gunnar Helm largely flew under the radar the last few seasons with Jatavion Sanders serving as TE1. This season, the senior has shown up in big games and sustained drives when needed. He hauled in seven passes for 98 yards and a touchdown in the win over Michigan and led the team in receiving with five catches for 91 yards and a touchdown against Oklahoma. Helm is a tremendous component in the Texas offense and has become a favorite target of Quinn Ewers. As long as he stays healthy, the Texas offense will continue clicking.
Anthony Hill Jr. – LB
Sophmore linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. tied his career high in tackles on Saturday with 11 (7 solo, 3.5 tackels for loss) and made the day difficult for Sooner quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. Hill sacked Hawkins twice and also forced a fumble in the second quarter, leading the defense to a dominant performance over their arch-rival. Hill has proven he can stop the run, drop back in coverage and defend the pass and apply pressure almost at-will. The Denton Ryan product earned Co-Defensive Player of the Week in the Southeastern Conference for his performance in the Saturday’s game.
Quinn Ewers – QB
After missing two games due to injury Quinn Ewers made his return at quarterback for the Longhorns. Sure, things started slowly for Ewers and the Texas offense, but they picked up the pace and finished with more than 400 yards of total offense. When Ewers plays, Texas usually wins and that was the case on Saturday. He finished the day 20-29 for 199 yards and a touchdown and rushed for another in the fourth quarter. The junior gunslinger has now thrown at least one touchdown pass in the last 17 games. Credit to Ewers for guiding his team to a win despite a bit of rust early on.
