It was another wild game out in West Texas, with Texas pulling out a 41-34 win over Texas Tech. There was a lot to take away from Longhorns victory, and it’s time to take a look at the good, the bad and the ugly:
The Good
Sam Ehlinger to Lil’Jordan Humphrey
With Collin Johnson out with a knee injury, the Longhorns needed a huge game from Lil’Jordan Humphrey. The junior delivered his most memorable performance so far in a Texas uniform. Humphrey hauled in 8 passes for 159 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including the game-winning 29-yard touchdown with :21 left. What made his performance even more impressive was his ability to do damage both as an outside and slot receiver. Humphrey is now on track to have a 1,000 yard season, and is setting himself up to make a decision about whether to enter the NFL Draft after the season.
Texas stays alive in the Big 12 championship race
It was almost a perfect day for the Longhorns. Just prior to kickoff in Lubbock, Oklahoma State nearly pulled off a huge upset in Norman, which would have allowed Texas to control its own destiny to earn a berth in the Big 12 championship. Despite an Oklahoma win, the Longhorns are still very much alive as the conference schedule heads into the final two weeks. West Virginia faces a tough test in Stillwater this weekend and, of course, the Mountaineers and Sooners will meet in Morgantown the day after Thanksgiving. Of course, the Longhorns will have to take care of business themselves this weekend and in Lawrence, but the hopes of a trip to Dallas is still very much alive.
The Bad
Allowing another opening drive TD
As has become a trend this season, the Longhorns allowed the Red Raiders to drive the ball right down the field following the opening kickoff. The 4 minute, 12 second drive took a little longer than most opening drive scores Texas has allowed, but in the end the result was the same. In 6 out of 8 games this season, Texas has allowed their opponent to score points on its opening possession.
Pass Defense
Texas Tech backup QB Jett Duffey entered Saturday’s matchup known for his ability as a runner and having some limitations in the passing game. By the end of the game, Duffey had racked up 454 passing yards and tossed 4 touchdowns. Kliff Kingsbury did a nice job of giving Duffey high percentage throws, but the Texas defense did themselves no favors. The Longhorns secondary was burned multiple times on deep balls, and the tackling was again subpar. No one is happier that Texas is done facing the air raid portion of the Big 12 schedule than Todd Orlando. Orlando will continue to try to piece everything together until the Longhorns get to December’s bowl practices, where they will surely spend a ton of time re-emphasizing the simple fundamentals that helped make Texas’ defense successful a season ago.
The Ugly
Injuries
As is to be expected towards the end of a long season, the injury bug is beginning to bite Texas. In addition to Collin Johnson sitting out the contest, Brandon Jones missed his second consecutive game with an ankle injury. Josh Thompson, Caden Sterns, Keaontay Ingram and Davante Davis all suffered injuries during the contest. On Tech’s drive that tied the game, the Longhorns were playing Chris Brown and PJ Locke at the two safety spots, with Donovan Duvernay manning the nickel position in the first meaningful action he has seen as a Longhorn.
Texas allows another furious comeback
Tom Herman joked after the game that his team always knows how to make it interesting, and he is right. The Longhorns have proven they do not know how to put opponents away in the 4th quarter. Texas saw a 17-point lead quickly evaporate in the span of about 6 minutes. The Longhorns have a tough time slowing teams down once things start going downhill, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Luckily for Texas, the offense landed the final blow with 21 seconds to play, but it has to be concerning for Longhorn fans to see their team struggle to step on the throats of their opponent.
