Baylor Game Recap
The Texas defense was dominant all night. Photo: Sara Diggins, Austin American-Statesman
Now that was fun.
In a game where the final result was never in doubt, almost every Longhorn got in on the action. A dominant Texas defense led the way for a balanced offensive attack with several explosive plays mixed in, ultimately making the egregious special teams blunders by the Horns completely irrelevant. This was a game where we had to come in and leave no doubt as to who was the better and more talented group and that’s precisely what we did. Eliminating the Baylor crowd early on through suffocating defense left the Waco faithful with little to no hope from the jump. This showed in a moment of the game where you could audibly hear the Longhorn supporters, of which there were numerous, shouting chants of “De-fense!” through the broadcast to help thwart the feeble Bears offensive effort. You know things are going well when by the end of the game both teams have their backup quarterback, among other reserve players, in the game for mop up duty and valuable game reps. And things went very well for the burnt orange and white.
Dual threat? Quinn Ewers showed off his wheels on a second quarter touchdown run. Photo: Ricardo B. Brazziell, Austin American-Statesman
The Longhorns’ front seven set the tone from the beginning, generating back-to-back sacks on Sawyer Robertson to force an opening punt. You knew it was going to be a long night for the Bears’ offense right off the bat. At the end of the first quarter, Texas led 7-3 on the back of a 40-yard touchdown burst from Jonathon Brooks, who shouldered most of the running back duty on the night. The Horns really got things going on a 75-yard TD drive that saw the appearance of none other than… Quinnce Young?? Surprisingly, Ewers scampered around the left end on a scramble and found himself with green grass in front - cruising to a light jog over the final 10 yards into the end zone. His 29-yard touchdown run, the longest run of his Longhorn career, put the Horns up 14-3. And by that point it felt like an insurmountable lead.
Still, Texas tacked on two more scores in the second quarter to break the game wide open. On one Texas drive following a huge punt return by Xavier Worthy, Sarkisian chose to break out the bag of tricks and really get the party going. Ewers took the snap under center, throwing a backwards pass to Worthy who then chucked it downfield into the waiting arms of Ja’Tavion Sanders. On the next play, CJ Baxter scored the first touchdown of his Texas career on an easy 7-yard run. Okay, so I may have been premature on the 100-yard rushing prediction, but it was nice to see Baxter get a few touches and his first score. It’s clear Brooks will be the #1 guy going forward this season - he polished off another short scoring drive with a 2-yard score. All the while the defense continued to smother Sawyer Robertson and company - with the likes of Byron Murphy, Jaylan Ford, and Anthony Hill, Jr. leading the way. By halftime the score read 28-6, and the Big 12 Farewell Tour had begun in style.
The Texas defense showed out with 4 fourth-down stops, 5 sacks, and interception, and only 6 points allowed. Photo: Ricardo B. Brazziell, Austin American-Statesman
The second half was a bit odd, and the Wack Factor made several appearances. The Horns muffed their second punt of the night inside their own 20, the first by Worthy and this one by 5th year senior Jordan Whittington. Bert Auburn also doinked a 26-yard field goal off the upright. That’s not exactly what you want on special teams from some of your most experienced guys.
Not that any of it really mattered.
Even when Texas gave the Bears a few gift-wrapped opportunities to score, they simply refused. Or rather, the Longhorns’ defense denied them, Dikembe Mutombo style. Baylor repeatedly failed on 4th down attempts - going 1-for-5, settled for two short field goals, and also threw a bad interception in the end zone to our ball magnet of a linebacker in Jaylan Ford. Five trips inside the 5-yard line only to come away with 6 points? Yeesh.
The Horns’ offense got a few more explosive plays through the air as Ewers hit Sanders on a beautiful seam route over the middle, a one-handed snag by Ja’Tavion for a gain of 49-yards leading to a field goal. Quinn also lofted a perfect ball to freshman JohnTAY Cook (the broadcast referred to him as Johnny Cook - put some respect on his name!) for another 51-yard gain leading to the final touchdown of the night on a pass to Worthy.
Texas has started the season 4-0 for the first time in 14 years. Photo: Ricardo B. Brazziell, Austin American-Statesman
And thus Texas Football closes the books on Baylor in emphatic and dominant fashion. The Longhorns now lead the all-time series 81-28-4. You may call that a “rivalry” if you want - I’ll let you be the judge of that.
On this night, the Horns left no doubt.
Final score: 38-6 Texas
Hook ‘em
