The night did not start pretty. Texas could not get anything going on offense with Garrett Gilbert at quarterback in the first quarter while the defense was forced to play “lights out” from early on. BYU was hitting on all cylinders offensively, essentially having their way with Texas in the first half. Starting quarterback Garrett Gilbert was pulled in the 2nd quarter and was replaced by the David Ash/Case McCoy combination which ultimately provided the efficacy the Longhorns needed to muster out a scrappy win in Austin.
Texas was down 13-3 at the half and came out with an entirely new energy to start the third quarter. Chase McCoy and Jackson Shipley connected on several big yardage plays and running back Malcolm Brown gave Texas critical first down yardage when needed. Neither Ash or McCoy threw a touchdown pass but equally impressive is the fact that neither quarterback turned the ball over. The Manny Diaz defense stole the show however, limiting BYU points to field goals when they could have easily been touchdowns. In the second half the Longhorn defense only gave up 67 yards of offense to BYU and played aggressive, hard-nosed football all night.
When asked why he made the quarterback change from Gilbert to McCoy/Ash, Harsin replied “we needed a spark, that’s why we made the change.” The change was just what the Longhorns needed to mount the comeback that was capped with a Cody Johnson touchdown run with 8:46 left to play in the game.
Beating BYU was more than simply notching another victory. It was about the Longhorns “knowing themselves” and making a statement about that knowledge. Coach Mack Brown said “this is the same place we were last year and didn’t respond well. This team wouldn’t have won this game last year.” He’s absolutely right.
It is a new era in Texas Football with a young team that is building the future “brick by brick.”
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