Upsets and Surprises in College Football
From No. 2 Miami’s loss to Louisville to No. 7 Texas Tech’s loss to Arizona State, this weekend has been full of upsets. It looked like there might be another added to the list in Kentucky’s homecoming game against No. 21 Texas, showing why night games in the SEC are a different animal. However, in the messy 16-13 overtime win, the Longhorns survive another week.
Texas may have won its first true road game, but it certainly wasn’t a pretty win. Here are five key takeaways from the Longhorns’ battle in Lexington.
Key Takeaways from the Game
The game was a close and intense match, with both teams giving their all. The Longhorns’ win was a testament to their determination and perseverance. Here are some key takeaways from the game:
Special Teams Shows Up and Shows Out
Arguably, without the opportunities created by special teams against Kentucky, Texas wouldn’t have a single point on the board. At Thursday’s media availability, head coach Steve Sarkisian said that the special teams unit was one of the more underappreciated phases of Texas’ game. However, they got the chance to shine against the Wildcats.
Texas punter Jack Bouwmeester was on a roll. In the second quarter, after the offense failed to build off the momentum of a 19-yard throw to DeAndre Moore, Bouwmeester punted for 29 yards to put Kentucky on its own nine-yard line. After a solid performance by the Texas defense to prevent a first down, it was Ryan Niblett who received the ball at the 50-yard line. After getting the first punt return touchdown against Oklahoma last week, it looked like he was planning on doing it again. Running down the field, Niblett avoided the first tackle but was brought down just five yards away from the endzone.
Niblett did it again in the fourth quarter, returning the ball for 43 yards into Kentucky territory. Without his efforts, Texas would likely have been down 10 points. Finally, there was kicker Mason Shipley. The senior transfer from Texas State has kicked 50-yard field goals before, with his career high being a 60-yarder against Sam Houston at his former school, and he showed he could do it again with a long 53-yard field goal. His 39-yard field goal put the Longhorns up in the fourth quarter.
And in overtime, Shipley made the kick when it mattered. From 45 yards, the ball went right through the uprights to give the Longhorns the win.
Arch Manning’s Inconsistency Continues
Manning made several good throws in the Longhorns’ third road game this season, but he wasn’t consistent and overthrew wide-open receivers. Because of this, the Texas offense wasn’t able to capitalize on explosive plays and put more points on the board. Early on in the first quarter, Manning created an opportunity in a third-and-long situation. He found Ryan Wingo in the soft spot in the zone, hitting him solidly in the chest despite the double coverage. However, the next play, he targeted a wide-open Wingo and threw it over his head.
Immediately after a beautiful play action pass to Emmett Mosley for 31 yards, Manning overthrew a wide-open Jack Endries. His off-target throws, along with a stifled run game, led to Texas not being able to generate momentum on offense.
Defense Shuts Down Short-Yardage Run Game
The Longhorn defense did what was expected of them. The No. 5-ranked rushing defense shut down the Wildcats’ run game in multiple short-yardage situations. Just like last week’s matchup against Oklahoma, the first drive started out with Kentucky driving down the field. Once the Wildcats got into the red zone, though, the defense kicked it up a notch. Kentucky turned the ball over on downs after two attempts to get one yard.
On the very next drive, Kentucky tried it again. A second down on the one-yard line turned into 3rd-and-1, which turned into the team punting the ball away. However, the biggest stop came in overtime. Kentucky was on the goal line, only one yard to go to put themselves up by seven in a tight game. The Wildcats tried to push through the middle, but the Longhorns were an impenetrable wall.
Texas Loses the Offensive Battle
The Texas offense may have been able to generate occasional explosive plays, but it wasn’t a consistent effort, and it shows up in the stats. The Longhorns lost the time-of-possession battle, with the defense spending almost double the time on the field as the offense. During regulation, Texas spent 20 minutes on the field, while Kentucky spent 39.
Texas may have created an explosive first-down play to start the drive, but the team wasn’t able to continue driving down the field. The Longhorns only had eight first downs throughout the game. Mostly, this was due to the Longhorns finding themselves in many third-and-long situations, which are difficult to overcome. The offensive line wasn’t able to hold for Manning or create many gaps for the run game, leading to only 179 total yards on offense.
Texas Defense Unlucky with Fumble Recovery
Luckily for Kentucky, the ball bounced away from the Texas defense and special teams. There were two muffed punts that Kentucky managed to recover. The Texas defense also forced two fumbles, but both were recovered by Kentucky. The first was punched out by defensive tackle Hero Kanu. Two Texas players were close to jumping on the ball, but were ultimately unable to recover.
In the fourth quarter, Colin Simmons forced a fumble after sacking the quarterback, but the ball bounced just out of reach of Simmons before Kentucky recovered.
Other News and Updates
Get the latest D-FW sports news, analysis and opinion delivered straight to your inbox. Plus, Kevin Sherrington’s A La Carte. By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
The Cowboys LB hit a new milestone when his 21-day window to return from a knee injury opened Wednesday.
Panelists from The Dallas Morning News, The Ticket and NBC5 select outcomes for college football games, straight and
