The second half is going to be huge for Texas football to finish, but it got off to a great start in the first half of the Sugar Bowl against Georgia.
Few could have imagined the way that Texas football came out in the first half of the Allstate Sugar Bowl against the Georgia Bulldogs in New Orleans, LA, on New Years Day 2019. Texas football absolutely came out of the gates firing with an early lead in the first half that never wavered heading into the locker room at halftime.
In the first half of the Sugar Bowl, Texas football played inspired in its first New Year’s Six Bowl game/BCS Bowl in nearly a full decade. The 2009 BCS National Championship Game loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide was the last time that the Texas football program made it to a stage like this. The Fiesta Bowl win over the Ohio State Buckeyes, to cap the 2008 season, was the last time that Texas football won a postseason game of this magnitude.
Moreover, we’re really starting to see how far head Texas football coach Tom Herman brought this program in his two years leading the way. Herman is looking to carry the Texas Longhorns to a postseason victory over an SEC East opponent for the second year in a row. Last year, the Horns took down the Mizzou Tigers in the Texas Bowl.
But, the first half of this year’s Sugar Bowl saw the Texas offense come out with urgency as it posted 20 points behind a balanced attack. Sophomore quarterback Sam Ehlinger outplayed second-year Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm in the first half, and nabbed a few rushing touchdowns to add to an already impressive total on the season.
Current #SugarBowl vibes. #HookEm🤘 pic.twitter.com/HFBdEUYNa4
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) January 2, 2019
Here’s a look at the rest of the thoughts for the Sugar Bowl at halftime between Texas football and Georgia on Jan. 1:
Ground game powering the Longhorns offense
Texas got a nice push from the offensive line and ground game in the first half. Ehlinger wasn’t the only source of offense for the Horns on the ground in the first half. Senior running back Tre Watson and true freshman Keaontay Ingram showed some flashes, and even made some plays in the passing game. Texas rushed for 51 more yards in the first half than Georgia.
Defense flying all over the place
The biggest shock of the first half of the Sugar Bowl was the way the Texas defense played against a balanced and skilled Georgia offense. Texas did a great job holding the Georgia offense in check with less than 120 total yards allowed, one sack, and one fumble recovery.
Special teams fulfilling its role
Texas didn’t ask too much out of the true freshman kicker and punter in the first half. First-year punter Ryan Bujcevski had a nice punt to help the Texas defense out before halftime. Freshman kicker Cameron Dicker did provide a big boost as he was perfect on two field goal attempts.