4 takeaways from Texas's resolute win over Kentucky
No. 3 Texas football hosted the Kentucky Wildcats on Senior Day in the final home game of the regular season at DKR on Nov. 23. In a key SEC game for Texas and head coach Steve Sarkisian with only two contests remaining for the regular season in conference play, Kentucky posed a tricky foe for the Horns this afternoon.
Stiff defense and the ground game leads No. 3 Texas football over Kentucky in the home regular season finale on Senior Day
Kentucky's physical defensive play challenged Texas's offense from the very get-go in this game in the first half. Texas had to earn the points it got from the outset of this game, including the first points of the first half coming on a fourth-down conversion pass play from quarterback Quinn Ewers to wide receiver Matthew Golden.
Despite a quick Kentucky response, the Longhorns started to build a comfortable lead in this game later into the first half. Texas's defense continued to come up big at the outset of the second half, to help the Longhorns keep a multi-score lead.
Texas did have a convincing 24-7 lead heading into the locker room at halftime. But the Longhorns weren't as buttoned up on the offensive side of the ball in the second half. Kentucky kept the game within 10 points for most of the second half, thanks to a scoop-and-score by linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson.
But the Longhorns responded when it mattered in the fourth quarter to come away with the victory and reach double-digit wins for the regular season on Senior Day.
Texas now boasts a record of 10-1 (6-1 SEC) entering the marquee game in the regular season finale on the road next weekend against the rival Texas A&M Aggies in College Station.
An interception by senior safety Andrew Mukuba was what officially put the nail in the coffin for the Longhorns, with the 31-14 victory over the Wildcats.
Here are four takeaways from Texas's willing double-digit victory over Kentucky at home on Nov. 23.
Quinn Ewers responds with a strong start vs. Kentucky
In Texas's win on the road in a rivalry game last weekend against the Arkansas Razorbacks, 20-10, Ewers missed some key opportunities for the Longhorns' offense to put the contest away early. Ewers did come through with clutch plays late to seal the victory for the Longhorns against Arkansas on Nov. 16, but he finished up with under 200 passing yards.
The response from Ewers in this game against Kentucky was much stronger in the first half than we've seen in some weeks for the junior quarterback since he returned from the oblique injury against OU in mid-October. Ewers led a few big scoring drives to establish a big 17-point halftime lead over Kentucky.
Unfortunately for Ewers on Senior Day, he suffered a lower-body injury when he was brought down awkwardly on a QB keeper in the first half. Ewers was limping around for the rest of the game, not able to fully be mobile in the pocket for the Texas offense.
Ewers wasn't nearly as effective after suffering the ankle injury in the second half against Kentucky's stingy defense. He had a detrimental play where the ball slipped out of his hands when the pocket was collapsing on him that resulted in a scoop-and-score that got Kentucky back within 10 points in the second half.
Like the Arkansas game last week, though, Ewers and the Longhorns went on a long drive to officially seal the win late in the second half to take the lead by multiple possessions. Ewers didn't need to do much after that point.
We will be following closely for any updates regarding Ewers' injury status before the Texas A&M game next week.