For the better part of the last four years, the Texas Longhorns and the burnt orange faithful have known one thing. Sam Ehlinger was the starting quarterback. On Tuesday night, the fans and the staff got a glimpse of the future.
When the team emerged from the tunnel to begin the second half, it wasn’t led onto the field by Ehlinger but by his understudy Casey Thompson. He enrolled at the University of Texas in 2018 and was the main backup to the senior. When Ehlinger couldn’t go in the rest of the game with a shoulder injury, it was time for Thompson to take the field. In 2019, he threw 12 passes, none for touchdowns.
This year Thompson appeared in two games during mop-up duty. Against UTEP in the season opener, he threw two touchdown passes on seven attempts. He appeared in the Kansas State game on Dec. 5 but never threw a pass. In two seasons Thompson had thrown 19 total passes with two career touchdowns. His combined yardage total was 139. Then the second half of the Alamo Bowl got underway and the Oklahoma legacy player showed what he was capable of.
From the very first pass he attempted, Thompson showed something fans haven’t seen in a while. They saw a quarterback throw with touch and anticipation.
1 throw and I’m sold on
Casey Thompson 🔥 pic.twitter.com/5QxSVG5vIv— Will Blackmon 🍷 (@WillBlackmon) December 30, 2020
The redshirt sophomore quarterback side stepped a pass rusher and dropped it in Cade Brewer’s hand over the defenders and allowed him to continue running. That aspect of the offense has been missing for some time. That isn’t a knock on Ehlinger, some quarterbacks are throwers and some are passers. Thompson is more of the latter.
On his second throw of the game, Thompson put it in the end zone and gave Joshua Moore his first of two touchdown receptions in the game. It was an accurate throw on the inside that allowed Moore to haul it in.
Casey Thompson at the helm.
Casey Thompson to Joshua Moore.
Joshua Moore with the touchdown. pic.twitter.com/dAj0mVt29X— Longhorn Network (@LonghornNetwork) December 30, 2020
On the next drive, Thompson found Moore again. On this pass, Casey put the ball where his guy could go up and get the ball.
Casey Thompson is SLINGING ITpic.twitter.com/T0oBQw7CpJ
— PFF College (@PFF_College) December 30, 2020
He was far from done. In the fourth quarter, Thompson threw two passes. One went to freshman running back Bijan Robinson for a 23-yard catch and run. The other was an absolute bomb to another freshman, Kelvontay Dixon, who took it the rest of the way on a 73-yard shot down the middle of the field.
CASEY THOMPSON HAS THE LAUNCH CODES 🚀https://t.co/gMskwiix8S
— PFF College (@PFF_College) December 30, 2020
Thompson saw the mismatch with the linebacker and he didn’t miss on the deep shot — something the Longhorns offense hasn’t done consistently enough throughout the year. With Dixon, Robinson and Thompson the burnt orange saw what could be in the future.
The biggest takeaway from the second half is this Longhorns offense looked more like a Yurcich offense many thought we would see all season long.