Defense stands tall when it matters late in the game
Despite Arkansas' offense putting more pressure on the Texas defense in the second half, after the Longhorns shut them out in the game's first 30 minutes, this unit held strong when it mattered most. Texas's pass defense continued to show why it ranks No. 1 in the SEC this season, holding Arkansas and Green to well under 200 passing yards.
.@alfredcollins99 🤝 @MichaelTaaffe4 pic.twitter.com/LGwqtTrWUU
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) November 16, 2024
Forcing turnovers also made the difference that ultimately helped the Longhorns secure this victory over the Hogs. Barron's interception in the first quarter set up Texas's first touchdown of the game. And then, the turnover that helped Texas salt the win away late in the second half came courtesy of a forced fumble by senior defensive tackle Alfred Collins, landed on by redshirt junior safety Michael Taaffe.
Both turnovers that the Texas defense forced were around the Longhorns' side of the field, which could've prevented potential Arkansas scoring drives that would've brought this game closer on the scoreboard.
After that fumble recovery by Taaffe, Texas's offense was able to move the ball down the field and ultimately secure the victory over Arkansas.
In total, this was an extremely impressive performance by Texas's defense at multiple levels. Texas kept its streak alive of allowing under 300 total yards for the opponent's offense for every game this season outside of garbage time.
It was also huge for the Longhorns to win the turnover battle for the third game in a row during this three-game winning streak in SEC play.