Week 2 vs LSU
LSU and Texas played an instant classic in Austin this past season that the Longhorns sadly came out on the losing end. The eventual national champions rode the wave of eventual Heisman winner Joe Burrow to a 45-38 win.
In our simulation, the game was another offensive shootout, but in a different way. Both teams ran the ball really well, with neither Burrow nor Sam Ehlinger dominating the way they each did on Sept. 7 this season. With the Tigers having 182 rushing yards, running backs John Emery Jr and Clyde Edward Helaire had 166 of them.
For the Longhorns, Keaontay Ingram once again led the way, having 67 yards on 19 carries. Ehlinger contributed as well, rushing the ball eight times for a combined 34 yards.
As for scoring, it was much like the real-life game in September. Texas fell behind early, not be able to take advantage of their red zone opportunities. Of their five possessions inside of the 20 yards line, only two resulted in touchdowns. Cameron Dicker was able to provide three total field goals, with two coming after failing to reach the endzone.
Joe Burrow was a decent 14-23, completing 60% of his passes. His 183 yards and two touchdowns are significantly lower than the 471 yard, two-touchdown performance in real life. On the other side, Ehlinger once again struggled, going 19-30 with 271 yards and a touchdown. 100 of those yards were to Devin Duvernay, as he was the game’s leading receiver.
After being down 21-6 at halftime, Texas tried to make a second-half rally as they did earlier this season. Ehlinger threw a touchdown pass to Collin Johnson to make it 27-22 in favor of LSU with 28 seconds left, but the Longhorns were not able to recover the onside kick. The Tigers ran out the clock and secured the victory.
Here are the full team stats:
Texas now moves onto a neutral site matchup against Rice before starting Big 12 play.
Overall record: 1-1
Sam Ehlinger’s season stats: 34-60 430 yards 3 TDs 1 INT
Season’s leading rusher: Keaontay Ingram with 132 yards on 37 carries
Season’s leading receiver: Devin Duvernay with 142 yards on eight catches
Sack leader: Ta’Quon Graham with 2.0 sacks
Interception leader: Jalen Green and B.J. Foster with one each