Texas Football: 3 takeaways from Longhorns’ scare against Wyoming

Last weekend, Texas football picked up one of the biggest wins in recent program memory when they went into Tuscaloosa and ousted the then No. 3 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide 34-24. The win, undoubtedly the biggest of head coach Steve Sarkisian’s career, showed that the roster he has constructed in Austin is ready to compete on the biggest stages in the sport.

With every big win follows what is notoriously known as a “letdown spot” in college football. Inside the Texas building, however, this week was business as usual for the Horns. Reports said the Texas players organized a team meeting on Tuesday, while others outwardly recognized the media “rat poison” that was being heaped upon the program after their historic win. It seemed as if this coaching staff and these players would not let Week 2 success get in the way of their season goals.

Words are only so nice until action is needed to back them up. For 45 minutes on Saturday night, the Texas Longhorns looked as flat as any team in college football.

Through three quarters against Wyoming, the Cowboys dominated the time of possession. They held the ball for 28:37 compared to that of 16:23 for Texas. In the third quarter, Wyoming had a 17-play, 77-yard drive that lasted 10:22. They ran the ball between the tackles and converted third downs with the timely accuracy of quarterback Evan Svoboda.

Wyoming wanted to come into DKR and shorten this game. That is exactly what they did.

Texas had just six possessions in the first three quarters. Five of those drives combined for just 50 total yards. It was tough sledding for the Longhorn offense against an experienced and hardnosed Cowboy defense.

Texas football sweats out a 21-point win against Wyoming

The fourth quarter was a completely different story. Texas kicked off the quarter with a 44-yard catch-and-run touchdown from Xavier Worthy. The Longhorn defense followed up the touchdown by forcing the Pokes to their third three-and-out of the game. When the Texas offense got the ball back, they wasted no time working their way down the field.

A 61-yard scamper from Jonathon Brooks was cashed in by a five-yard Quinn Ewers touchdown run. Ewers seemed to let out some frustration as he lowered his shoulder and tumbled into the endzone.

Texas added on a pick-six from Jerrin Thompson in what was the second consecutive game this team has scored 21 points in the fourth quarter.

Looking at the final score does not tell anywhere near the whole story of this game. Wyoming, who beat Texas Tech two weeks ago, came into DKR and gave the Longhorns a scare. Let’s dive into three main takeaways from the win.

1. Texas still lacks consistency

The knock on Coach Sark and the 2022 Texas Longhorns was their inability to close out ball games. In six of the 12 losses Texas has suffered under Coach Sarkisian, they have led at the half. The 2022 Longhorns would look like a Top Ten team in the first half and an FCS program in the second. It was a bizarre trend that needed to be fixed.

So far in 2023, we have not seen Texas suffer from second-half issues. That said, similarly to last year, this team has struggled with consistency.

In Week 1 against Rice, Texas mustered just 16 first-half points. Against Wyoming, the Longhorns put up just ten points through three quarters. The offense suffered three three-and-outs and fell into familiar lulls that plagued them a season ago.

Playing down to the competition has been a problem for this program that pre-dates Coach Sarkisian. It happened again tonight as Wyoming dictated the game flow and forced Texas to play on their terms. For three quarters, the Cowboys mucked up this game with their experience and physicality.

If Texas runs out another performance like this, they will not make it through Big 12 play unscathed.

2. Jahdae Baron is the glue to this defense

For all the talent the Texas defense possesses, you cannot convince me that Jahdae Barron is not the most impactful player on that side of the ball.

Baron led the team with nine total tackles (six solo) against Wyoming. He had one recognized pass breakup but was all over the field making plays when the Texas defense needed him. Baron had a massive tackle at the line of scrimmage on a third-down screen pass early in the fourth quarter. The senior nickelback has an uncanny ability to diagnose offenses, often beating receivers to the spot their quarterback expects them to be.

When you turn on a Texas football game in 2023, you will see a multitude of playmakers on the defense. You will be hard-pressed to find someone more active and involved than No. 23. He should be squarely in the conversation for the Jim Thorpe Award.

3. Jonathon Brooks can be a bell cow

With the departure of Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson, Texas lost 87 percent of its rushing production from a season ago. There was no doubt Texas had the talent to replace their NFL-bound backs, but the question of who would step up remained.

Five-star freshman CJ Baxter got the Week 1 start but lasted just five carries due to a rib injury. Baxter had 15 touches in the win over Alabama, but Coach Sarkisian held him out tonight to allow his injury to fully heal ahead of Big 12 play.

With Baxter out, we knew junior Jonathon Brooks would be RB1, with sophomore Jaydon Blue and senior Keilan Robinson backing him up. On Saturday night, Brooks proved why the coaching staff was so high on the former three-star recruit.

Brooks finished Saturday night’s win with 21 carries for 164 yards. I was impressed with Brooks’ ability to chip away against the Wyoming defense, waiting for his opportunity to break free. He had eight carries for 43 yards in the first half and 13 carries for 121 yards in the second. More than half of those second half yards came via a 61-yard run early in the fourth quarter. The run set Texas up inside the five, allowing the Horns to take its first two-possession lead of the game.

Not only is Brooks impressive as a runner, but tonight, he proved he can be a true bell cow. 21 carries is a healthy amount and not something you see dolled out to backs that do not have Coach Sark’s trust. When Baxter returns from injury, I expect the two to split carries, but Brooks’ performance tonight shows he has what it takes to be RB1 in Austin.