Texas raced out to a quick 14-0 lead after Bijan Robinson struck twice early on with an eight-yard touchdown run and a 14-yard catch and run on a screen pace. The Longhorns would start off the second half with a long run by Bijan once again. He ran it 66-yards to set up the Longhorns in a great position. Casey Thompson finds Joshua Moore the touchdown throw from the 13-yard line. Texas would go up 24-10. Sam Ehlinger was ruled out of the rest of the game with a shoulder injury.
As the Longhorns get the ball again, Thompson comes out guns blazing. He led the offense to a second-straight touchdown pass to Moore to extend the lead to 31-10 with 8:00 to go in the third quarter. He is putting his stamp on the 2021 quarterback battle ahead of the actual competition as we await what Sam Ehlinger will do.
The offense started to hum with Thompson as the quarterback in the game. In his third series of the game, he led them to a third-straight scoring drive with another Cameron Dicker field goal to extend the lead to 24 points. The backup for Colorado, Brenden Lewis was able to get some big chunks that included a 42-yard run to set up another Jarek Broussard touchdown run from the two. The conversion failed to keep it a three-score game, 34-16.
As the game moved into the fourth quarter, Thompson and Robinson put their stamp on the game. Robinson hauled in a pass from the backup quarterback and scampered 23 yards for his third touchdown of the game. On their next drive, Thompson hit freshman Kelvontay Dixon down the field for a 73-yard catch and run. Texas led at that point 48-23.
Hudson Card would get some snaps in the final 10 minutes of the game. After Colorado got the ball back, the defense forced a fumble by DeMarvion Overshown. On the next play, Roschon Johnson made an amazing run after forcing four missed tackles to run it 21 yards for another touchdown run.
The Longhorns set a school record for points in a bowl game with 55, it broke the 2007 Holiday Bowl record of 52 points. Casey Thompson tied an Alamo Bowl record with four touchdown passes in essentially a quarter plus in the game.
With two receiving TDs in today's @valeroalamobowl, Bijan Robinson is now the first running back in UT history to register two receiving TDs in a bowl game. He also ties the UT record, regardless of position, for TD catches in a bowl game🤘
— John Bianco (@UT_Bianco) December 30, 2020
Texas' 584 yards of offense at this point in the @valeroalamobowl is second-most in school history in a bowl game, trailing only a 592-yard effort the Longhorns recorded versus Washington in the 2001 Holiday Bowl.
— John Bianco (@UT_Bianco) December 30, 2020