NEW
ORLEANS — After a full month of hype, everyone wearing the burnt orange
and white couldn’t wait to get a piece of the Georgia Bulldogs.
Even Bevo himself.
Texas’
mascot nearly maimed Georgia’s favorite pooch, Uga, during an
ill-advised pregame meeting, and the Longhorns finished the job over the
next several hours by outmuscling the Bulldogs for a 28-21 win in the
2019 Sugar Bowl. Head coach Tom Herman’s team showed confidence and
urgency from the very first snap and ultimately left The Big Easy with
the program’s biggest postseason prize in a decade.
And
with regard to the obvious question surrounding Texas football,
quarterback Sam Ehlinger — the game’s Most Outstanding Player — answered
it during the postgame ceremony.
It
was a nearly flawless start for the Longhorns (10-4), who rattled off
17 consecutive points to take control of the contest. The Bulldogs
(11-3) eventually pulled to within two scores with plenty of time
remaining in the fourth quarter, but Texas’ defense rose to the occasion
and got the stop it needed thanks to a key sack by linebacker Gary
Johnson.
The
Longhorns survived a penalty-plagued final minute to snag an onside
kick that sealed a major upset — in Las Vegas’ eyes, at least.
“We
pride ourselves in our physicality,” Herman said after the game. “At
this point in our program, that’s how we’re going to win games. That’s
always how we’re going to win games.”
Texas
moved swiftly after receiving the opening kickoff, marching 75 yards in
10 plays and scoring on a 2-yard touchdown run by Ehlinger — the first
of three scores on the ground from the Westlake alum.
The
Longhorns then got a short field after Georgia punter Jake Carmada’s
knee touched the ground as he reached for a low snap. Cameron Dicker
capped the brief drive with a 37-yard field goal.
The
Bulldogs survived another disaster courtesy of Carmada — this time a
shanked punt that traveled all of 11 yards — but they weren’t so lucky
following a fumble by running back D’Andre Swift that was covered up by
defensive lineman Gerald Wilbon. The takeaway resulted in more Texas
points when Ehlinger ducked under the Georgia rush on third-and-goal
from the 9 and bullied his way across the goal line.
Georgia
showed signs of life by answering with a 12-play touchdown drive, but
Dicker tacked on a 30-yard field goal prior to intermission to give the
Horns a 20-7 edge.
The
Texas defense kept that lead intact for much of the second half, as
P.J. Locke III opened the third quarter with an interception and the
Longhorns then forced back-to-back Georgia punts.
Ehlinger
then led a determined 14-play, 70-yard drive that eventually found the
end zone after four consecutive runs from the 1 by the sophomore signal
caller. It was the second fourth-down conversion of the possession,
which proved to be a crucial one for Texas.
“Our
No. 1 goal coming to New Orleans to participate in the Sugar Bowl was
to win the game,” Herman said. “We weren’t just happy being here. We
were going to win the game and do everything it took to win it.”
Following a successful 2-point conversion pass, the Longhorns held a commanding 28-7 advantage with 11:49 left to play.
Georgia
quarterback Jake Fromm notched a pair of late TD tosses to try and
spark a rally, but the last one was mostly cosmetic. Texas’ Collin
Johnson easily handled the Bulldogs’ desperation onside attempt with 14
seconds left, and the Longhorns lined up in the victory formation.
“I’m
just so proud of how hard our guys played,” Herman said. “They played
hard early, they played hard late, they overcame some adversity and it
was a complete team effort.”
Ehlinger
became the first Longhorn quarterback to rush for three scores in a
bowl game since Vince Young did so in the 2006 National Championship
Game. Ehlinger finished with 241 total yards — 169 through the air, 64
on the ground and 8 on a pass from Lil’Jordan Humphrey.
As a team, Texas ran for 178 yards on 49 carries. Graduate transfer Tre Watson led the way with 91 yards on 18 totes.
Ehlinger
and the Longhorns’ youth movement, including freshmen B.J. Foster,
Joseph Ossai, Keaontay Ingram and Sam Cosmi — were on display all night
long, but the senior class also left a lasting impression in its final
college game. Elijah Rodriguez, Patrick Vahe and Andrew Beck helped pave
the way for the running game, while Locke, Gary Johnson, Chris Nelson,
Anthony Wheeler, Kris Boyd and Davante Davis helped put the brakes on
the SEC’s third-ranked offense.
“They
are going to go down as the most influential senior class, certainly of
our tenure here, because of the culture they have instilled and the
culture that they have upheld as well,” Herman said. “That locker room
has finally become a player-led team instead of a coach-fed team.”