Photo Courtesy: Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK
Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns had an abundance of bulletin board material heading into Friday’s matchup against Texas Tech. Since Joey McGuire was hired to be Texas Tech’s head coach prior to last season, he and current Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark have not been afraid to make headlines for taking shots at the Longhorns, who will be departing for the Southeastern Conference next season. However, after Texas’ stunning loss to the Red Raiders in overtime last year, the Longhorns came ready to play and trounced McGuire’s squad in a lopsided 57-7 game that was led by superb play from Texas’ defense and special teams.
Entering Friday’s game against Texas Tech, the stakes were high. With a win against the Red Raiders, the Longhorns would secure an appearance in next weekend’s Big 12 Championship game. Unfortunately for Steve Sarkisian, on Friday, the Longhorns offense continued to sputter within the red zone. However, a reoccurring theme this season once again came alive under the bright lights of DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium… excellent play from the Texas defense and special teams units.
Against Tech, the Longhorns forced Red Raiders sophomore quarterback Behren Morton to throw three interceptions. Additionally, Texas’ special teams unit repeatedly put the Longhorns in solid positions to score the football. In fact, Keilan Robinson actually opened the second half of play with a 95-yard kick return touchdown which extended Texas’ 19-point halftime lead to a score of 33-7. Moreover, prior to Robinson’s big return, Longhorns safety Michael Taaffe had a massive punt block which later set up a 37-yard Bert Auburn field goal attempt – giving the Longhorns a 20-7 lead with 10:07 left in the second quarter.
Following Friday’s contest, Steve Sarkisian said, “I thought that our special teams was lights out tonight.”
Speaking of Keilan Robinson, the Longhorns running back also opened Senior Night with a bang as he scored the contest’s first touchdown via a 10-yard rush with 10:29 left in the first quarter. However, it ended up being sophomore running back Jaydon Blue who stole the show out of the backfield as he made the team’s highlight play on offense with a 69-yard touchdown rush which gave the Longhorns a 17-7 lead with 12:50 in the second quarter. While Blue’s touchdown rush occurred early in Friday’s game, it very well might have been the game-deciding play as it set the tone for the rest of the contest. Ultimately, the Blue finished the day with 121 rushing yards on 10 carries.
Although Blue may have had the offense’s signature moment, senior linebacker Jett Bush had the play of the game after scoring a pick-six touchdown on a ball that deflected off of teammate Anthony Hill’s foot. Bush’s touchdown came late in the third quarter with 3:26 remaining, extending Texas’ already sizable lead to 50-7. Joining Bush with interceptions on Friday were defensive backs Terrance Brooks and Malik Muhammed, who both killed Texas Tech drives with impressive grabs in their own right.
With the win over Texas Tech, the Longhorns have clinched a spot in the Big 12 Championship game next Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX. The Longhorns will find out who their opponent is following Saturday’s plethora of games, with Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and Kansas State all in the mix. The game will be televised on ABC with kickoff set for 11 A.M. (C.T.).
