Tag: Horns Football

Three reasons Texas will beat Texas Tech

Texas has a very important game to close out the season against Texas Tech. Here are three reasons the Longhorns will beat the Red Raiders.

Texas has a very important game to close out the season against the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Currently sitting at 6-5, Texas needs a win to guarantee another winning season under Tom Herman. Needing a walk-off win from Lil’ Jordan Humphrey to win in Lubbock last season, the Longhorns should be able to win by a greater margin this year.

Here are three reasons Texas will beat Texas Tech:

Texas Tech’s pass defense

Going into this week, the Red Raiders have the worst passing defense in the entire conference. Opponents have thrown for an average of 369.4 yards per game against Texas Tech, including three 400 yard games for Oklahoma, Kansas, and West Virginia.

Quarterback Sam Ehlinger and the Longhorn passing game has been this team’s strong throughout the season. Ehlinger has thrown for 3,114 yards, the third-most in the Big 12. He has also found the endzone 27 times in the air, only trailing Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts.

While the passing game is coming off a rough game against Baylor, Texas should be able to throw all over this Texas Tech defense. Wide receiver Devin Duvernay will be important, but other receivers like Brennan Eagles and Malcolm Epps need to step up for the Longhorns. If they can, Texas should be able to win easily.

Home field advantage

Even though the road team has won the last four matchups, Texas should benefit from playing in Austin this year. Overall, Texas is 4-1 at home with its only loss coming to No. 2 LSU. In the Big 12, Texas has yet to lose at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium with wins over No. 21 Oklahoma State, Kansas, and Kansas State. Texas Tech, on the other hand, is 1-4 on the road.

The Longhorn offense, in particular, has soared at home, averaging 39 points a game. The defense has struggled, but playing in a close shootout is nothing Texas has not seen this season. In the Big 12, the three wins have come by an average of 3.7 points, with the largest margin being the six-point victory against Oklahoma State.

The Red Raiders have done a little of everything on the road. To start their Big 12 season, they got blown out 55-16 to Oklahoma, but also only lost by three to Baylor and Kansas. Their defense has allowed 34 points a game on the road and the Texas offense must take advantage.

The Longhorns have more to play for

This is a crucial game for Texas as they need a win to guarantee their third straight winning season. If they do not, a loss in their bowl game would give the Longhorns their fourth seven loss season in six years. Texas Tech, on the other hand, is 4-7 and cannot reach a bowl game.

Not only will a win give Texas a winning season, but it will improve what bowl game they play in. Getting to 7-5 could see the Longhorns as high as fourth in the pecking order. A loss would drop them as low as sixth, which could be the last Big 12 team available.

Not only are bowl game scenarios on the line, but possible coaching jobs are on the line. While Head Coach Tom Herman may not be in any danger, his staff on both the offensive and defensive staff may be. Texas players have told the media that the coaches still have the locker room’s respect. If they can come out and prove they some promise, it may save some coaching jobs.

Texas will face Texas Tech at 11:00 a.m. CST on Fox.

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Texas may make coaching changes as soon as this weekend

Texas has had a disappointing season and that may come at a cost to some coaches. Texas is expected to make some changes to the staff soon.

This season has been a disappointing one for the Longhorns, currently sitting at 6-5. While much more was expected of this team, it has failed to produce victories, let alone compete for a conference championship. Because of that, some changes may be made after the season finale.

According to Anwar Richardson of OrangeBloods.com, Texas could be making changes to the coaching staff as early as this weekend, no matter what happens in Friday’s game against Texas Tech.

While it seems like Head Coach Tom Herman is safe, members of his staff are in danger. Offensive coordinator Tim Beck and defensive coordinator Todd Orlando have taken a lot of heat the past few weeks for the Longhorns’ performances.

While both coaches have stated that they are not worried about their future, their time may be coming to an end in Austin.

With the regular season ending on Friday, Texas must figure out their coaching situation as soon as possible. Since the early signing day for recruiting is on Dec. 18, Texas must have it all worked out by then.

First and foremost, Texas must focus on Texas Tech to finish their season out on a positive note. They will face the Red Raiders at 11:00 a.m. CST on Fox.

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Throwback Thursday: Texas vs Texas Tech 2009

In 2009, Texas was looking for revenge against Texas Tech. Let by some good defense, the Longhorns were able to do that with a 34-24 win.

To open Big 12 play in 2009, Texas hosted Texas Tech in what was a revenge game from the year before. In 2008, the Red Raiders beat the Longhorns, giving them their only loss of the season. This year, Texas made sure they would not come in their way of a perfect season.

Ranked No. 2 in the country, Texas was led offensively by quarterback Colt McCoy and wide receiver Jordan Shipley. The two connected 11 times for 73 yards. Shipley also returned a first-quarter punt 46 yards to give Texas a 7-3 lead.

Hunter Lawrence kicked a field goal in the first minute in the second quarter and that was the only scoring of the first half. Texas went into the locker room winning 10-7.

The second half was the opposite of the first, with each team finding their rhythm on offense. The first four drives in the half had four touchdowns, two for each team. Running backs Tre Newton and Cody Johnson found the endzone for Texas, while Texas Tech quarterback Taylor Potts found wide receiver Lyle Leong twice to make it 24-17 in favor of the Longhorns.

With the good, also came the bad. The four drives after the scores were a Texas punt, Potts interception, McCoy interception, and a Sergio Kindle strip-sack on Potts. After the fumble, the Longhorns finally took advantage of a turnover, as McCoy found wide receiver Dan Buckner for a three-yard score.

The Red Raiders responded with another Taylor Potts touchdown, but Texas was able to ice the game with a nine-play, 50-yard drive that ended in a Lawrence field goal to give the Longhorns a 34-24 lead. Texas forced a turnover on downs and got their revenge against Texas Tech.

While Potts’ 420 yards was the most the Longhorn defense allowed all year, Texas held Texas Tech to -6 yards on the ground. They also forced five fumbles, but only recovered two of them. Add an interception and the Longhorns forced three turnovers.

Colt McCoy had one of his worst days of the regular season, throwing his only multiple interception game. Tre Newton led the team in rushing, having 88 yards on 20 carries.

This game started a six-game winning streak in the series for the Longhorns. Tomorrow’s matchup will make it a decade since this matchup and Texas has gone 8-2 in those 10 games. With a win tomorrow, they can keep that 8-2 record in the 2010s.

Texas will face Texas Tech on Friday at 11:00 a.m. on Fox.

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A special Thanksgiving series history against Texas A&M

A dead rivalry since 2011, Texas used to play Texas A&M on Thanksgiving night. Here is the series history between these two bitter rivals.

One of the best rivalries in all of college football, the annual Lone Star Showdown between Texas and Texas A&M was played every single year from 1915-2011. The rivalry had started before then, being played 22 times beginning in 1894.

Being played on Thanksgiving for the first time in 1901, it became an annual tradition beginning in 1996. Playing on the holiday for a total of 63 times, it was one of, if not the only, college football game played that night.

When Texas A&M left for the SEC in 2012, the matchup that had been played 118 times went dormant. There have been rumors of the two schools playing each other in a bowl game, but until then, it remains a dead rivalry.

Here is the series history of the historic Thanksgiving Day rivalry between the Longhorns and Aggies:

All-time series record: Texas leads 76-37-5

Largest wins: Texas 48-0 in 1898, Texas A&M 42-10 in 1985

Latest Texas win: Nov. 24, 2011

The final matchup between the two schools took place in College Station where the 25th ranked Longhorns faced now NFL quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Neither team lit up the stat sheet, with Texas having 237 yards and Texas A&M having 328. Both teams each had 10 penalties, totaling 187 yards.

The Aggies were in total control of the game in the middle of the second quarter, up 13-0. Their defense had forced the seventh straight Texas punt, but returner Dustin Harris muffed the punt and the Longhorns recovered. One play later, wide receiver Jaxon Shipley threw a double pass 41-yard touchdown to Blaine Irby.

After a couple A&M field goals to end the half, Tannehill threw a pick-six to Carrington Byndom to cut the Longhorn deficit to two.  Later in the quarter, Quandre Diggs took a punt down to the Aggie nine-yard line to set up the field goal that gave Texas their first lead. The Longhorns extended that lead to 24-16 on their next drive via a Cody Johnson rushing touchdown.

In the fourth quarter, A&M scored 10 points in their final two drives, taking the 25-24 lead. With 1:48 left in the game, quarterback Case McCoy lead Texas on a drive to put them in field goal range that included a 25 yard run from McCoy. They set up kicker Justin Tucker to have a chance to end the rivalry with a game-winning field goal.

Tucker hit the field goal to give the Longhorns their 76th win in series history. Texas ended the rivalry the only way they knew how, with a win.

Latest Texas A&M win: Nov. 25, 2010

Thanksgiving night 2010 ended up being the final Lone Star Showdown that took place in Austin. The Aggies were ranked No. 17 at the time and had a chance to make an appearance in the Big 12 championship with a win. Even though they beat Texas by seven, they still came up a little short of winning the Big 12 South.

The story of the game was Texas A&M’s running back Cyrus Gray. On 27 rushes, he ran for 223 yards, averaging 8.3 yards per carry. A good chunk of his yards came on his two touchdowns, where he had an 84-yard score in the second quarter and a 43-yard touchdown that ended up being the game-winning score for Texas A&M.

For Texas, quarterback Garrett Gilbert was under-center, where he went 20-37 with 219 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions. His one touchdown came late in the first quarter, as he found Marquise Goodwin for a 31-yard touchdown. Running back Cody Johnson had 107 yards on 14 carries, leading the Longhorns in rushing.

Down seven late in the fourth quarter, Texas had the opportunity to tie the game up in the red zone. On 3rd and 5, Gilbert threw his second interception of the night, sealing the A&M win.

Since the game ended in 2011, both teams have played different teams on Thanksgiving weekend. Texas has played TCU and Texas Tech on both Thanksgiving night and the day after the holiday. Add Kansas into the mix and the Longhorns have not had a consistent opponent. For Texas A&M, they have developed a small rivalry with LSU while also playing Missouri.

While it may be a long ways off, these two schools will find a way to renew the rivalry, hopefully on Thanksgiving night.

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Texas’ series history against Texas Tech

UT and TTU meet for the 69th time in their history on Friday. The road team has won four years in a row and Texas can snap that this year.

With the road team winning the last four games, Texas and Texas Tech meet for the 69th time on Friday. Playing every year since 1960, the Longhorns and Red Raiders go all the way back to the Southwest Conference. While neither team has anything to play for as far as bowl eligibility, Texas needs a win to avoid their sixth 6-6 or worse regular-season record this decade.

Here is the series history between the Longhorns and Red Raiders:

All-time series record: Texas leads 51-17-0

Largest wins: Texas 58-7 in 1999, Texas Tech 33-9 in 1994

Latest Texas win: Nov. 10, 2018

Last season’s game against Texas Tech was an offensive slugfest that saw 38 of its 75 points scored in the fourth quarter. Both teams had over 450 total yards, including huge days for both Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger and Texas Tech quarterback Jett Duffy.

The Red Raiders were able to both throw and run the ball, having 595 total yards on offense. Duffy was the main guy for Texas Tech, throwing for 444 yards, while also leading the team in rushing with 80. Completing 78.7% of his passes and throwing four touchdowns, Duffy found seven different receivers. Antoine Wesley caught two of Duffy’s touchdowns and also racked in 171 receiving yards.

For the Longhorns, Ehlinger had one of his best days of the year, going 22-34 with 312 yards and four touchdowns. Three different receivers had over 50 yards for Texas, as Lil’ Jordan Humphrey led the way with 159 and Devin Duvernay and Jerrod Heard followed with 66 and 54 receiving yards respectively.

The play of the game came with 0:21 left in the game, tied at 34. Ehlinger threw a ball down the right sideline toward Humphrey, who reached over his defender, snagged the ball away from him, and went into the endzone to win the game for the Longhorns.

Texas won 41-34, making them 7-3 on the year. It was the fourth year in a row the road team had won in the series and Texas’ fifth straight win in Lubbock.

Latest Texas Tech win: Nov. 24, 2017

Playing on the Friday after Thanksgiving in 2017, both teams really struggled to throw the ball, with Texas completing 57% of their throws and Texas Tech completing 44%. To make matters worse, both teams threw two interceptions, turning the ball over a total of six times.

Late in the fourth quarter leading 23-20, Texas had a 3rd and 2 from their own 42-yard line. With 2:18 left in the game, a first down would have sealed the game for the Longhorns as Texas Tech only had one timeout left. Ehlinger scrambled to his right, threw across the middle and it was intercepted by cornerback Justus Parker. He took the ball all the way to the Texas 15 yard line, setting the Red Raiders up with a chance to win it.

Two plays later, Texas Tech quarterback Nic Shimonek found Cameron Batson for the go-ahead touchdown. On the final possession for the Longhorns, Ehlinger threw another interception with 0:55 left in the game, giving the Red Raiders the 27-23 win in Austin.

Struggling all day offensively, Texas fell to 6-6 on the season, giving them their fourth straight season with at least six losses. For Texas Tech, they also went to 6-6 and gained bowl eligibility for just the fourth time in seven years.

Texas will play Texas Tech on Friday at 11:00 a.m. CST on Fox.

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Texas projected to face Texas A&M in the Texas Bowl

ESPN is projecting Texas to face Texas A&M in the Texas Bowl. It would be the first time they would play since the rivalry ended in 2011.

In ESPN’s latest bowl projection, Mark Schlabach projects one of the country’s best rivalry not only to come back but to be played in Houston, TX. Schlabach thinks the Longhorns will face off against former in-state rival Texas A&M in the Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl on Dec. 27.

A historic matchup that has been played 118 times, Texas has double the number of wins the Aggies do, leading the series 76-37-5. It was played for the final time in 2011 when Texas A&M decided to join the SEC. In the final game, Justin Tucker hit a game-winning field goal to give Texas a classic 27-25 win.

Since that moment, there have been continuous questions of when these two teams will play again. Either in a bowl game or scheduling a home and home series, the fans agree the Longhorns and Aggies need to play each other.

“Us not playing Texas A&M is not good for college football,” Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte said. “We’d love to play A&M.”

There were reports that Texas reached out to Texas A&M to renew the series with a home and home series in 2022 and 2023, but the Aggies “were already booked,” said Texas A&M athletic director Scott Woodward said.

Since being in the SEC in 2012, the Aggies have only had less than four losses once. Before leaving the Big 12, it had been since 1998 since they only had three losses. They agreed to play against Kansas State in the 2016 Texas Bowl but lost to the Wildcats 33-28.

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While the basketball teams will play each other on Dec. 8, this rivalry will remain all talk until the two meet again on the football field. With both teams expected to end their season 7-5, the opportunity for the two schools will be there to play in the Texas Bowl. While there have been rumors that the Aggies would turn down that opportunity, the two schools need to find a way to face off against each other.

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Texas still unranked in AP poll

Texas remains unranked in the AP poll after losing to Baylor. With rivalry week this week, a lot of ranked matchups are on the schedule.

The Longhorns remain unranked in the AP poll after Saturday’s 24-10 loss on the road to Baylor. The Bears moved up two spots to No. 11, just missing out on the top 10 by three points.

Here is the new top 25:

1) LSU

2) Ohio State

3) Clemson

4) Georgia

5) Alabama

6) Utah

7) Oklahoma

8) Florida

9) Minnesota

10) Michigan

11) Baylor

12) Penn State

13) Wisconsin

14) Oregon

15) Notre Dame

16) Auburn

17) Memphis

18) Cincinnati

19) Iowa

20) Boise State

21) Oklahoma State

22) Appalachian State

23) Virginia Tech

24) Navy

25) USC

Others receiving votes:

Iowa State 74, Virginia 38, Texas A&M 27, Air Force 22, SMU 9, Arizona State 4, Louisiana-Lafayette 1

The team that fell the most was No. 14 Oregon. Losing on the road to Arizona State, the Ducks’ playoff hopes are finished as they pick up their second loss of the season.

With rivalry week ahead of us, there are a few ranked matchups that set up for a great weekend. The biggest one will be No. 2 Ohio State traveling to the Big House to face No. 10 Michigan. The Wolverines have not beaten the Buckeyes since 2011.

Other games include the Iron Bowl, with No. 5 Alabama facing No. 16 Auburn, No. 9 Minnesota hosts No. 13 Wisconsin for the right to go to the Big 10 championship, and No. 7 Oklahoma goes to Stillwater to play No. 21 Oklahoma State in Bedlam.

Unranked Texas will face unranked Texas Tech on Friday at 11:00 a.m.

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Amway Coaches Poll: Texas remains unranked

Texas remains unranked after losing on the road to Baylor. Oklahoma and Baylor are the other Big 12 teams ranked and are inside the top 10.

Texas remains unranked in the Amway Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports after a disappointing loss to Baylor on Saturday. The 24-10 loss was the Longhorns’ second loss in a row and moved Texas to 2-4 in their last six games.

The top five remain the same, but Utah takes over at No. 6 as No. 13 Oregon suffered a loss on the road to Arizona State. The Utes are the PAC 12’s remaining hope for the College Football Playoff.

Fellow Big 12 members Oklahoma stay at No. 7, Baylor moves up three spots to No. 10, and Oklahoma State moves up two spots to No. 21.

Below is the latest Amway Coaches Poll in its entirety, voted on by 65 FBS head coaches.

1) Louisiana State

2) Ohio State

3) Clemson

4) Georgia

5) Alabama

6) Utah

7) Oklahoma

8) Florida

9) Minnesota

10) Baylor

11) Michigan

12) Penn State

13) Oregon

14) Wisconsin

15) Notre Dame

16) Auburn

17) Cincinnati

18) Memphis

19) Boise State

20) Iowa

21) Oklahoma State

22) Appalachian State

23) Virginia Tech

24) Navy

25) Southern California

Schools dropped out

No. 21 Southern Methodist; No. 24 Texas A&M; No. 25 San Diego State.

Others receiving votes

Air Force 74; Iowa State 55; Virginia 32; Texas A&M 26; UL Lafayette 18; Southern Methodist 18; Wake Forest 5; San Diego State 4; Indiana 2; Hawaii 2; Temple 1.

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Texas’ series history against Baylor

Texas’ third most-played opponent, Baylor comes into Austin with only one loss. The Longhorns can make it five wins in a row on Saturday.

Texas and Baylor have been playing against each other for a long time, with the first game dating back to 1901. Only Texas A&M and Oklahoma have played the Longhorns more. The Bears are also the team Texas has beaten the most in their history. Dominating the series for years, the momentum swung towards Baylor in the first half of the decade. Now on a four-game winning streak and back in favor of Texas, they can add another win against an old rival on Saturday.

Here is the series record between the Longhorns and Bears:

All-time series record: Texas leads 78-26-4

Largest wins: Texas 77-0 in 1913, Baylor 50-7 in 1989

Latest Texas win: Oct. 13, 2018

Last season’s victory against Baylor was one that was led by then backup and now SMU quarterback Shane Buechele. Sam Ehlinger left the game injured in the first quarter and Buechele played well in this place.

Buechele was 20-34 with 184 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. His touchdown was a 44-yard deep throw to Collin Johnson who beat one on one coverage down the right sideline to give the Longhorns a 13-10 lead.

Where the Longhorns really succeeded though was on the ground. Keaontay Ingram had a season-high 110 yards on just 19 carries. Tre Watson contributed 41 yards and Texas rushed for 170 total yards. Lil’ Jordan Humphrey had the only rushing touchdown for the Longhorns, scoring on a wildcat formation touchdown.

Holding Baylor go 100 rushing yards, the Bears’ 88 rushing yards were third-fewest Texas allowed in the regular season. Quarterback Charlie Brewer led the Baylor in rushing with 22 yards. As for passing the ball, Brewer struggled, only completing 51% of his throws. His 240 yards, a touchdown, and an interception were apart of an offensive struggle for the Bears.

Texas won 23-17, making it four wins in a row against Baylor. It is the longest winning streak the Longhorns have had in the series since winning 12 straight from 1998 to 2009.

Latest Baylor win: Oct. 4, 2014

Ranked No. 7 at the time, Baylor was riding a 4-0 start with an average margin of victory of 41 going into the 2014 matchup against Texas. Under first-year Head Coach Charlie Strong, Texas was 2-2 and still trying to find themselves.

Both quarterbacks had an awful day, completing a combined 41% of their throws. Baylor’s Bryce Petty was 7-22 with 111 yards. Two of those seven completions were second-half touchdowns to Antwan Goodley and Corey Coleman. Texas’ Tyrone Swoopes was a little better going 16-34 with 144 yards, but he had two interceptions.

Both teams excelled running the ball, especially the Bears. Baylor’s Shock Linwood averaged 5.3 yards per carry, with 148 yards on 28 carries. Other running back Johnny Jefferson had 72 yards on 11 carries. Texas had Jonathan Gray and Malcolm Brown go for 134 yards on 24 carries, while Gray scored the Longhorns’ only points of the game.

In a low scoring affair, both offenses struggled to find points. The only scoring play of the first half was a first-quarter blocked field goal by Baylor and Terrell Burt returned it 62 yards to give the Bears a 7-0 lead.

Baylor beat the Longhorns 28-7, making it their second win in Austin since 2010. Before those two wins, it had been since 1991 that the Bears beat Texas on the road. Baylor ended the season 11-1 and just missed out on the inaugural College Football Playoffs, while Texas stumbled to a 6-7 season.

Texas will play Baylor on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CST on FS1.

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Devin Duvernay does not make the cut as a Biletnikoff semifinalist

Despite the outstanding season, Devin Duvernay was not named a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff. The snub was “shocking” to Tom Herman.

The Biletnikoff semifinalists were announced on Monday morning and Texas wide receiver Devin Duvernay did not make the cut. Only one receiver from the Big 12 made the cut and it was Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb.

To this date, Duvernay has 87 catches and 1,017 receiving yards. Both of those numbers lead the Big 12 and are ahead CeeDee Lamb. Outside of the conference, his 87 catches rank second in the country and his receiving yards are eighth. Here is how he stacks up to the other semifinalists:

What he does not have like most of the other receivers is receiving touchdowns. All but four of the Biletnikoff semifinalists have double-digit touchdowns receptions, while Duvernay only has seven.

“You’re telling me he’s not one of the 20-best wideouts in the country? That’s a shame,” Head Coach Tom Herman said.

Herman also added that it is “shocking” that Duvernay was left off the list. While it is shocking, everyone knows how important he has been to this team this season. With other star wide receiver Collin Johnson missing time throughout the season, Duvernay has stepped up and become one of the best players for Texas.

Duvernay will need to step up big time again on Saturday, as the Longhorns have the chance to spoil Baylor’s College Football Playoff dreams.

Texas will face Baylor on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CST on FS1.

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