• FOREMAN LEADS UT BY TECH.
Tailback’s 341 yards, interception in end zone in final seconds secure first road win of year
LUBBOCK — When it came time for Texas coach Charlie Strong to ice his first road victory of the year Saturday, he could have gone with D’Onta Foreman, the historically great tailback whoran for 341 yards against a Texas Tech defense that couldn’t tackle him. Or, if he’d felt a little friskier, he could have relied on the precocious freshman quarter back who’ d been maturing with every throw.
But Strong, crazy like a fox, had no intentions of being so obvious. And when two curiously called Tyrone Swoopes runs in a row failed to put the Red Raiders away, Strong called his players over and told them everything was going according to plan.
“This is exactly the way we want it,” Strong said he told his much-maligned defense. “Now let’s go finish the game.”
Somehow, in a 45-37 UT victory at Jones AT&T Stadium that was a bit more dramatic than it needed to be, that’s exactly what Strong’s defense did. Cornerback Kris Boyd intercepted a pass by Tech’s Patrick Mahomes in the end zone with nine seconds left, allowing the Longhorns to finally win a game away from home.
On a day when Fore man ran for the third-most yards in a game in UT history and Shane Buechele passed for two touchdowns, it was UT’s long-suffering defenders who saved the day, holding the nation’s top-rated offense scoreless on each of its final three possessions.
“That’s our main focus — not letting anyone down,” Boyd said.
If the Longhorns (5-4, 3-3 in the Big 12) hadn’t made those fourthquarter defensive stands, they would have had to explain how they managed to let a game they mostly dominated slip away.
Big pick by Boyd
UT led 44-30 early in the fourth quarter, and Foreman — the brilliant junior tailback who ranks second in the nation in rushing — had racked up more than 300 yards with more than nine minutes remaining.
But much like last week, when UT offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert went in a curious playcalling direction in the closing minutes, the Longhorns didn’t hand the ball to Foreman at all on a three-and-out with seven minutes left. Then, when they regained possession and faced a third-and-2 from the Tech 45, they left Foreman off the field and went with Swoopes’ “18-wheeler” package instead.
Swoopes was stopped short on third and fourth downs, leaving the UT defense to make another stand.
Taking over with 2:11 left, Mahomes needed nine plays to drive the Red Raiders (4-5, 2-4) to the UT 20. But on third-and-10, he rolled out and fired the ball into the left side of the end zone, where Boyd hauled it in for the Longhorns’ only interception of the day.
“Make the play and let them know, ‘I’m here every day, all day,’” Boyd said, smiling.
“To be able to come through on defense the way we did, after the way we’ve been criticized all year, was big,” UT cornerback John Bonney said.
The Longhorns, who now are one victory away from bowl eligibility, outgained Tech in total yards, 658-482. And the game might not have been nearly as close if Foreman had been given credit for one extra inch on a bizarre play midway through the second quarter.
On third-and-goal from the his arms and recovered by Tech’s Douglas Coleman, who returned it 100 yards for a touchdown.
Closing in on Campbell
Instead of being ahead by five points, the Longhorns suddenly trailed by nine.
“We could have hit a lapse there,” Strong said. “But we knew we were coming back with our offense.”
Said Foreman of his fumble: “I knew I had to make up for it.” He did. Reaching the 100-yard mark for the 10th consecutive game — one short of Earl Campbell’s school record — Foreman scored three touchdowns. One of them, a 74yard scamper in the fourth quarter, came after he lost his shoe at the line of scrimmage.
His 341 yards left him only nine short of Ricky Williams’ UT single-game record. When asked after the game if he considers himself a Heisman Trophy contender, Foreman smiled and said, “I can’t control it.”
As for the Longhorns and their season? They’re looking more in control of that.
“This just shows what we can do,” Boyd said.