Texas Football: 5 overreactions from nailbiting win over the stingy Baylor Bears

2. Gary Johnson was the deciding factor for the defense

On a day where the Texas offense couldn’t get much of anything consistent going with Buechele under center, a lot of pressure was put on the defense. That’s when the Horns needed the biggest stars on that side of the ball to rise up and make the impact we’ve seen from them since the win over the USC Trojans.

The two most valuable players on the defensive side of the ball for Texas football here were senior linebacker Gary Johnson and true freshman safety Caden Sterns. Johnson led the team in total tackles and tackles for loss. He racked up 11 total tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss, along with one of three sacks the Horns had on the day.

Sterns nabbed his team-leading fourth interception of the season on a beautiful read to step in front of a Brewer pass. Junior safety Brandon Jones almost had his third interception of the season at the end of the game, but it fell through his hands. Jones did still have a good game for the Horns despite the dropped pick.

One other player that stayed hot in Week 7 was senior defensive end Charles Omenihu who racked up two sacks for the second straight week. Opposite Omenihu, senior defensive end Breckyn Hager was quiet again and put up donuts on the stat sheet. However, Johnson is the glue that holds this defense together now with how much he’s risen to the occasion since USC.