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Author: Tucker Stephenson

Horns lose Big 12 Title to Sooners

Written by Tucker Stephenson on . Posted in UT FOOTBALL.

Horns lose Big 12 Title to Sooners

By Tucker Stephenson

The good news from Saturday is that Tom Herman had his team competing at the peak of its ability when a conference championship was on the line.

The bad news is that when Lil’Jordan Humphrey got assaulted on a potential first-down reception, the refs weren’t on the scene to make the proper call.

Texas (9-4) gave Oklahoma (12-1) all it could handle in a rivalry matchup for the Big 12 title on Saturday, but the Sooners’ late surge was enough to guide Lincoln Riley’s team to a 39-27 victory at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

“It’s difficult,” Texas head coach Tom Herman said. “Losing is supposed to hurt. With a 1-0 mentality that we have, we don’t worry about the big picture. We went 0-1 today. Tomorrow it’s our job to wake up and try to go 1-0 in the bowl game.”

Humphrey appeared to be roughed up on a third-down play in the final quarter, but the referees chose not to whistle the foul, which led to a Longhorn punt. Oklahoma took possession at its own 20 and appeared destined for a score until Gary Johnson jarred the ball loose on a long pass play and Brandon Jones pounced on the loose pigskin.

Moments later, a bit of rivalry deja vu ensued as the Sooners’  Tre Brown played the role of Roy Williams while sacking Sam Ehlinger for a safety after flying in unblocked on a blitz from the edge.

Oklahoma added a final TD to seize a 39-27 lead, and Ehlinger was picked off by Tre Norwood to end the game.

It was a memorable effort by Ehlinger, who staked the Longhorns to a 14-6 lead after capping a pair of early drives with scoring runs of 16 and 3 yards in the first half.

However, Kyler Murray found some rhythm prior to intermission and directed the Sooners to a pair of scoring drives before opening the second half with another TD march. CeeDee Lamb, Grant Calcaterra and Trey Sermon were the culprits in helping Oklahoma build a 27-21 edge.

Ehlinger then led a seven-play, 75-yard scoring march that was capped by a 27-yard toss to Collin Johnson, but the PAT carromed off the upright to keep the score tied at 27-all.

The Sooners’ Austin Seibert responded with a 31-yard field goal, and after the no-call on Humphrey’s key third-down route, Oklahoma survived a fumble to sack Ehlinger and change the complexion of the game for good.

“I felt like we weren’t running the ball like we thought we would be able to,” Herman said afterward. “That was certainly an issue. When you’re playing one-handed a little bit throwing the football, there’s things that can happen. When their drives stalled, they were able to get field goals. When our drives stalled, we had to punt. It’s a matter of 10 or 15 yards.”

The Longhorns still may sew up a bid in the Sugar Bowl, or at the least, a berth in the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio. No matter what, a 10-win season would signal a major accomplishment for Herman in his 2nd year at the helm.

 

 

 

THE REMATCH: TX-OU

Written by Tucker Stephenson on . Posted in TEXAS SPORTS.

Perhaps Sam Ehlinger and Kyler Murray were born to be rivals.

After Murray completed an immaculate run at Allen High School, where he went 42-0 as a starter and guided the Eagles to three straight state championships, he headed off to College Station — not exactly a friendly haven for those who bleed burnt orange.

Right about the time that Murray and the Aggies were preparing for their 2015 Music City Bowl match-up with Louisville, Ehlinger — then a junior at Westlake High School — sprung a 23-17 upset win over Allen in the UIL Class 6A Division I semifinals. The victory ended the Eagles’ winning streak at 57 games and cost Allen a shot at surpassing Celina’s state-record mark of 68 consecutive wins.

Everyone knows the next series of events. Murray transferred to Oklahoma, and Ehlinger, a lifelong Longhorn fan, chose Texas. A collision course was set, and the two finally met face to face at the Cotton Bowl in October, with Ehlinger earning a 1-0 edge by way of his team’s thrilling 48-45 triumph.

The two signal callers reportedly traded a few choice words after the game, which adds even more intrigue to Saturday’s rematch in the Big 12 Championship Game at Jerry World in Arlington. This week, Murray was asked how much he respect’s Ehlinger’s game, and the Heisman trophy hopeful responded with a brief chuckle and a “no comment.”

The Longhorns’ win in the 2018 Red River Showdown represents the Sooners’ lone blemish of the season, and with Ohio State’s recent bludgeoning of rival Michigan, Oklahoma understands that its shot at a national title rides on Saturday’s outcome. Style points may even be necessary depending on what the Buckeyes do against Northwestern in the Big 10 title game.

For Texas, a shot at playing in the program’s first Sugar Bowl since 1995 is likely at stake.

One of the Longhorns’ keys to success in the first meeting with the Sooners was a near-flawless start on offense, as Texas scored on each of its first four possessions and added three more touchdowns during a dominant third quarter. The Longhorns managed to survive a frenzied finish led by Murray when Cameron Dicker nailed a now-legendary 40-yard field goal with 14 seconds left.

To post a second straight win over Oklahoma, Ehlinger, who was picked off twice by Kansas, must return to taking care of the pigskin and converting key third downs to keep Murray and his weapons sitting on the sideline. Texas’ defense will also probably need to manufacture a few turnovers like it did back in October.

The Sooners, on the other hand, will be out to prove that they actually have a functioning defense. Breckyn Hager remains skeptical.

The battle lines have already been drawn for the 114th meeting all-time between the two programs — and the first outside of Dallas in 95 years. If the Horns can improve upon their current series lead of 62-46-5, then it’s finally safe to say that Texas is officially back.

As for Ehlinger, sore shoulder and all, a second straight win over OU will bring him another step closer to earning a spot beside VY, Colt and Major in modern Longhorn quarterback lore.