It was a bit sloppy, but the Texas Longhorns got the job done against Kentucky 31-14.
The win was aided by freshman running back Quintrevion Wisner who had a career night with a touchdown and 158 yards on the ground.
The Longhorns are now 10-1 and 6-1 in the SEC heading into their final week of the regular season.
And before we get into the Texas A&M game next week, let’s take a look at some key takeaways from this game against Kentucky.
Can you imagine saying this before CJ Baxter’s injury?
But honestly, he earned the spot. His 158 yards and touchdown came mainly in the second half. In the midst of a struggling Texas offense, Wisner kept the lead with his running.
And while Jaydon Blue himself nearly reached the 100 rushing yards mark, his fumble in the third quarter has heightened concerns about his ball security.
The way Wisner played made him seem like the team’s vet. He was patient and fought for a lot of extra meters. I don’t think it should be a huge consideration as to who should take charge of this Texas offense. Wisner won it tonight.
It seems like all Texas has done is look Golden’s way in the red zone lately.
And who can blame them? He has been extremely efficient and is the team’s best target in the end zone this season (Gunnar Helm is a close second).
But against Kentucky, head coach Steve Sarkisian got him going early. Golden accounted for 53 yards and three catches on the first drive alone, which ended in a touchdown. Golden hasn’t had more than three catches in a game since Mississippi State. He finished with seven catches and 86 yards, both season highs.
When Golden gets involved, the Texas offense becomes a whole different story. Making sure he gets plays in front of him, whether he’s in the red zone or not, will be important for the Longhorns against Texas A&M and whoever they play.
The second half started very badly because of the attack. After a three-and-out on the first drive, Texas turned the ball over two consecutive times, including a Quinn Ewers fumble that was returned for a Kentucky touchdown. The next drive ended in a missed field goal and after the defense subsequently forced a punt, punt returner Silas Bolden dropped a fair catch, almost resulting in another catastrophic turnover before getting it back.
Fortunately for the Longhorns, they lined up well enough that the team had a comfortable lead despite all the mistakes, and again it helped that the defense held firm to prevent Kentucky from coming back.
But Texas A&M will face a tougher time and the momentum could shift dramatically in the Aggies’ favor at Kyle Field with some turnovers. We saw how that could happen against LSU. The Longhorns are better than LSU, but you can’t expect Texas to get the same result if they commit these mistakes in the second half against A&M.
After not allowing a sack at all this season, Moore now has 2.5 sacks in the last two games.
The linebacker’s presence in the pressure game was huge for the Texas defense. His lone solo sack caused a loss of 13 yards early in a drive. His four tackles in the match also equal a season high.
His help in the pass rush just adds another weapon at a time when Texas desperately needs one to take the next step before the playoffs begin. Hopefully he can be that for the Longhorns.
Even with a possible loss to Texas A&M, I think it would be a very difficult decision to take Texas out of the playoffs.
Ole Miss’ loss to Florida helps, and with the SEC not having a single team among its two losses, Texas almost seems like a lock. While the argument is that Texas hasn’t played a tough schedule, its ability to take care of business should be taken into account when considering the other teams in the playoff race. Notre Dame lost to Northern Illinois, Tennessee lost to Arkansas, Alabama lost to Vanderbilt, and so on.
The point is, Texas could have easily lost all the “easy” games on their schedule, but they didn’t when virtually every other team in the race has. With all the options left, Texas should be in the playoffs in just about every one of them.
The final game of the regular season will be none other than Texas A&M at Kyle Field.
The winner of the game will clinch the SEC Championship, while the loser will most likely stay home.
Kickoff is at 6:30 PM on ABC.
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