Roller coaster ride for Texas's special teams
Texas's special teams unit got off to a rough start to this game, costing the team a potential three-to-10 point swing in the first quarter with a running into the kicker penalty on the game's first drive by Arizona State. Morice Blackwell Jr. nearly blocked a punt after Texas had initially stopped Arizona State's offense on the opening drive of the first quarter.
But Blackwell narrowly missed the blocked punt and made contact with the Arizona State punter without getting a hand or finger on the football.
Jeff Banks' unit on special teams responded quickly to make up for the running into the kicker penalty with a punt return touchdown by Bolden for Texas's second score of the game in the first quarter. Bolden's touchdown helped Texas establish the momentum early in the first half, after the Longhorns scored a touchdown from Ewers to Moore roughly 60 seconds earlier in the first quarter against Arizona State.
Arizona State pulled out the bag of tricks with the special teams punting unit later in the first half, with a fake punt for a 40+ yard catch and run that kept the Sun Devils' drive alive, and the Texas defense had to stay on the field before halftime in the second quarter.
Texas's defense was forced to stay on the field and faced more plays against Arizona State's physical ground game in the first half for over five minutes after the penalty and fake punt that resulted in the Longhorns not getting the ball back on offense.
Arizona State's kicking game has been unreliable this season. The Sun Devils had a field goal attempt blocked before halftime by Texas edge rusher Ethan Burke.
To say that the Longhorns' field-goal kicking game was a letdown is a complete understatement. Bert Auburn missed two field goals that could've won the game for the Longhorns in regulation.