Texas Football: Looking back at recent games against top 5 opponents

In less than 48 hours, Texas football will kick off its Week 2 blockbuster against the No. 3 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. The stakes are high for both teams in what we could look back on as one of the most consequential nonconference games of the 2023 season.

The “Is Texas back” question has been asked (and mocked) ad nauseam since Sam Ehlinger held up the Sugar Bowl trophy after the Horns’ win over Georgia in 2019. The framing and verbiage of the question are tired, but the point remains the same. Are the Longhorns back to a position of power in the national college football landscape?

A win in Tuscaloosa on Saturday would do two things for the Texas football program. First, it would send a message to the rest of the country that the 2023 Longhorns are ready to compete on the grandest stages in the sport. Secondly, and more importantly, it would legitimize what Coach Steve Sarkisian is building in Austin as they transition into the Southeastern Conference next fall.

This is a prove-it game for Coach Nick Saban and his program. The Tide have been unseated as the standard in the sport as the Georgia Bulldogs are coming off two National Titles. Saban has not missed the College Football Playoff in back-to-back seasons since the system’s inception in 2015. A loss this weekend would create razor-thin margins for the Tide as they try to navigate through the rest of the season.

Alabama is a 7-point favorite ahead of Saturday’s matchup, a far cry from the 20-point line Vegas put on their 2022 meeting. Both teams are loaded with talent on both sides of the ball but also have various concerns that will be tested this weekend.

We have covered everything you need to know about Saturday’s matchup. I thought it would be fun to take some time to look back at Texas’ most recent games against AP Top 5 ranked opponents. Let’s get into it.

Looking back at the last five games between Texas football and top-five ranked teams.

Nov. 12, 2022 – No. 4 TCU vs. No. 18 Texas (Austin, TX)

Result: TCU 17, Texas 10

Texas’ most recent matchup against a top-five opponent was not one to remember. The then fourth-ranked TCU Horned Frogs came to Austin with a perfect 9-0 record. That said, TCU went into this game as a 7.5-point underdog. Texas had won four of its last five games as its offense and quarterback Quinn Ewers were firing on all cylinders.

The TCU defense completely stymied Texas, holding the offense to just 199 total yards and three points. It was a complete embarrassment for the Texas program under the lights of DKR. Ewers was 17-of-39 for 171 yards and an INT. The ground game had just 28 yards on 22 attempts. It was only the third time Texas had been kept under 20 points in the Steve Sarkisian era.

The game brought about many questions surrounding Sark’s ability to problem-solve in-game and Ewers’ understanding of solving defensive disguises. This was a “bury the tape” type of game for the Horns.

Sept. 10, 2022 – No. 1 Alabama vs. Texas (Austin, TX)

Result: Alabama 20, Texas 19

No one forgets Texas and Alabama’s matchup last season. The then No. 1 ranked Crimson Tide came to Austin as a three-touchdown favorite sporting the 2021 Heisman winner and one of the best defenses in the country.

Despite Quinn Ewers’ being knocked out of the game in the first quarter, the Horns adapted and were the better team over the 60-minute game. Unfortunately, a missed intentional grounding call in the endzone, a missed 20-yard field goal, and a Heisman-level Houdini act from Bryce Young doomed the Longhorns in a one-point loss.

The Horns finished the game with nine more first downs and 79 more yards than Alabama. It was a valiant effort with backup quarterback Hudson Card taking over, but the result was not one that any Texas fan, coach, or player was happy with. They have a chance at revenge this Saturday.

Dec. 1, 2018 – No. 9 Texas vs. No. 5 Oklahoma (Arlington, TX)

Result: Texas 27, Oklahoma 39

The last time Texas played in the Big 12 Championship game was 2018. The ninth-ranked Longhorns came into the game with a 9-3 (7-2) record. No. 5 Oklahoma was 11-1 (8-1). The Sooners’ sole regular season loss came at an absolute classic Red River Showdown, where a 40-yard Cameron Dicker field goal sealed the Longhorn victory in the final seconds.

Kyler Murray and the Sooners came to Arlington knowing they needed a win to secure a spot in the College Football Playoff. The game was back-and-forth throughout, with neither team grabbing a two-possession lead until the final two minutes. The Sooners outscored Texas 12-0 in the fourth quarter, including a backbreaking safety with 8:27 remaining. Sam Ehlinger finished with 391 total yards and four touchdowns. Murray had 418 yards and three scores.

Surprisingly enough, this was the only time Texas and Oklahoma have squared off in the Big 12 Championship.

Sept. 16, 2017 – Texas vs. No. 4 USC (Los Angeles, CA)

Result: Texas 24, USC 27 (2OT)

For a program that has delivered many heartbreaking losses over the last decade, the third Saturday of the 2017 season stands out. An unranked Texas squad traveled to Los Angeles to take on Sam Darnold and the No. 4 ranked USC Trojans. USC was coming off a Rose Bowl victory and felt like they were one of the best teams in the country going into 2017.

Led by true freshman quarterback Sam Ehlinger, the Longhorns went to the Coliseum as 15.5-point underdogs and almost left with an outright win.

Down by four with 4:53 left, Ehlinger led the Longhorns on a 14-play, 91-yard touchdown drive to give Texas a 17-14 lead with 45 seconds remaining. His 17-yard touchdown pass to Armanti Foreman is one of Ehlinger’s most iconic plays as a Longhorn. Darnold subsequently marched his team into field goal range to send the game into overtime.

After trading touchdowns in the first overtime, Ehlinger was stripped at the goal line to begin overtime No. 2. Chase McGrath then connected on a 43-yard field goal to win it for the Trojans. Despite the devastating nature of the loss, the game showed Texas fans they had found their quarterback for the next four years.

Oct. 3, 2015 – Texas vs. No. 4 TCU (Fort Worth, TX)

Result: Texas 7, TCU 50

The only lopsided result on this list was when an unranked Texas squad traveled to Fort Worth in October 2015. TCU outscored Texas 30-0 in the first quarter and never looked back.

Trevone Boykin finished with 384 total yards and five touchdowns. Contrarily, Texas quarterbacks Jerrod Heard and Tyrone Swoopes combined to complete 13-of-28 passes for 122 yards. The Horned Frogs outgained the Longhorns 604 to 313 and seemingly scored every time they touched the ball.

The 43-point loss was a low point for the program in the 21st century and, unfortunately, seemed to be the epitome of the Charlie Strong era.