Texas football pulled off the upset against Oklahoma State this past weekend with a final score of 41-34. This was a huge win for Texas and it now has completed phase one of getting to the Big 12 Championship game.
Defense
This Longhorn defense played amazing and was the main reason Texas won the game. Texas’ defense has been criticized constantly this season. It finally broke through with an outstanding performance over the course of the game.
The defense forced a total of four turnovers, recovering three fumbles and had one interception. The Longhorns defense had many crucial defensive stops during the game as well. Had it not made those stops, Oklahoma State would’ve won the game, and this would be a very different article.
This defense also had plenty of fun sacking the quarterback. The defense finished with a total of five sacks in the game. It’s amazing considering it came into the game with a total of seven all season. A very similar thing happened when it came to forcing turnovers. The defense forced a total of four this game and prior to this matchup it only forced a total of eight.
Sam Ehlinger
Ehlinger performed below the level of play Longhorn fans usually see him at. However, this can’t all fall on his shoulders, and let’s look at the positives. First off, he took care of the football. Another reason Texas stayed in the game was that he didn’t turnover the ball. Had he turned it over, the defense probably gets gassed and isn’t able to sustain its level of play at the end of the game. Ehlinger must play better, but this will probably the toughest defense he’ll have to face compared to the rest of the opponents Texas has on its schedule for the season.
Running Game
Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson led the way for the Longhorns running game. They combined for 108 yards on a combined 22 carries. Keaontay Ingram only had five yards on just two carries. This is interesting and we’ll have to see if Tom Herman will go back to Ingram or stick with the duo of Robinson and Johnson next weekend against West Virginia.
Looking Forward
This was just the first step towards getting to the Big 12 Championship game for Texas football. It will now face a West Virginia team that upset Kansas State last weekend. This is a very scary matchup and the Longhorns can’t afford to underestimate the Mountaineers.
West Virginia has been an under the radar good team this year. It is unranked, but its record could easily be 6-0. It’s a team that sticks around to the very end and will pounce and beat you when you’re least expecting it.
Herman needs to create a solid game plan and make sure his team isn’t listening to any of the outside media attention that Texas is getting after winning on Saturday. Herman must keep the Longhorns focused on the end goal of the season and take it one game at a time.
