Texas Football: 4 overreactions after the underwhelming Alamo Bowl loss

Texas football and head coach Steve Sarkisian rounded out the 2022 campaign on a disappointing note on the night of Dec. 29, with a loss to the No. 12 ranked Washington Huskies and first-year head coach Kalen DeBoer in the Alamo Bowl snapping a two-game winning streak. Texas had quite a few opportunities to take control of this game in the second half.

But missed opportunities were definitely one of the biggest takeaways from this frustrating 27-20 loss in the Alamo Bowl to the Huskies on Dec. 29 in San Antonio.

Texas couldn’t get behind redshirt freshman quarterback Quinn Ewers in a way that was supportive enough to top the Huskies. And you could definitely tell that the absences of star junior running back Bijan Robinson, senior running back Roschon Johnson, and senior linebacker DeMarvion Overshown had a major impact on both sides of the ball.

On the other hand, there were some definitive positives to take away from this game for the Longhorns. The defense did pretty well against a high-powered Washington offense that boasts the nation’s leader in passing yards. And the passing game showed some life in areas that it didn’t down the stretch during the regular season.

Overreactions following Texas football’s Alamo Bowl loss, despite a strong night from Quinn Ewers

Texas will now head into the offseason with a record of 8-5 (6-3 Big 12) following the Alamo Bowl loss to Washington. Here’s a look at four overreactions following the underwhelming performance of the Longhorns in the Alamo Bowl.

The secondary could be even better next season after showing a lot of improvement this fall

One of the true defensive standouts in the Alamo Bowl for the Longhorns was true freshman cornerback Terrance Brooks. The 5-foot-11 and 200-pound field cornerback put on a show in pass coverage as he split reps at the position with senior corner D’Shawn Jamison.

But Brooks was clearly the better of the two cornerbacks in this game.

Not only did Brooks post his best defensive and coverage grades of the season in the Alamo Bowl, but he also broke up multiple passes. In fact, Brooks is currently tied with Washington’s Mishael Powell for the lead in forced incompletions among Power Five cornerbacks in bowl season thus far.

The way that Brooks played down the stretch this season inspires a lot of confidence in the direction that the secondary is headed for 2023. He could be one of the real standouts in the defensive backfield with the trajectory he showed down the stretch this season.

Texas returns some key pieces, including standout redshirt sophomore boundary cornerback Ryan Watts, junior nickelback Jahdae Barron, and junior field safety Jerrin Thompson in what looks to be a very formidable group for next fall. And considering what Texas is getting with the additions of the former Wake Forest Demon Deacons cornerback Gavin Holmes, four-star South Oak Cliff cornerback Malik Muhammad, and five-star New Iberia Westgate safety Derek Williams, I really like what’s in store for the secondary next year.