The Texas Longhorns dominated Texas Tech 57-7 to end the regular season at 11-1 and secure a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game.
What did we learn about Texas this weekend?
Texas Dominates on Defense
In the final regular season Big 12 game for the Texas Longhorns, the UT defense completely overwhelmed the Texas Tech Red Raiders in a 50-point blowout win. The Red Raiders’ lone touchdown came on a drive that began with excellent field position after a good kick return. Texas Tech was held to just 88 passing yards and only 2.4 yards per completion as quarterback Behren Morton turned the ball over three times against a relentless Texas defensive front. One of those interceptions was returned by linebacker Jett Bush for a touchdown. Perhaps more impressively, Texas Tech’s star running back Tahj Brooks was held to only 95 yards rushing on 19 carries. Texas has a terrific defense and showed up again on Friday night in Austin.
Offense Continues to Find Answers
The Texas Longhorns are still adjusting to the loss of running back Jonathon Brooks, with CJ Baxter and Jaydon Blue attempting to fill the void. Last week, it was Baxter who looked the part, but this week, backup Blue has the best game of his career. He exploded for a 69-yard touchdown run to begin the second quarter and finished with 121 yards on ten carries, plus a pair of catches out of the backfield. Blue is not an unknown former walk-on; he’s a former four-star recruit and one of the top-rated running backs coming out of high school, so his performance should not be entirely unexpected. Texas will need Baxter and Blue to perform consistently as they move forward.
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Red Zone Woes Continue
The only real negative from Friday night’s domination of the Red Raiders was the continued disappointing production in the red zone. The Longhorns reached the red zone eight times on Friday, a significant positive. However, they only scored on six possessions, and three were field goals. In short, Texas reached the red zone eight times and came away with only three touchdowns. That has been an issue all season for Texas, and if they get some help and reach the College Football Playoff, it will have to improve drastically if they are to advance. Steve Sarkisian is aware of the issue but has not been able to come up with a solution.
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