OU reigns in Big 12
Sooners exploit 13 penalties, pull off game-changing plays to capture Big 12 championship
ARLINGTON — Six days after the calendar flipped to 2014, Charlie Strong was introduced as the new coach of Texas, the man selected to step into, and eventually escape from, Mack Brown’s Forty Acres-size shadow.
University president Bill Power sidled up beside Strong during that Jan. 6 news conference, slung his left arm around the former Louisville coach and proclaimed, “He’s the right person to represent our university on the field, on campus and in living rooms.” Strong lasted three seasons. A similar mood soaked Tom Herman’s formal introduction two years ago.
“We got our man,” current university president Greg Fenves declared in front of a room brimming with reporters, boosters and Texas football power-brokers.
Fenves was, it seems, a better prophet than his predecessor.
Herman manufactured a swift and significant turnaround at Texas over two years, though his program demonstrated Saturday it wasn’t ready to ascend to the top of the Big 12 as the 14th-ranked Longhorns (9-4) fell to fifthranked Oklahoma 39-27 in the conference championship game at AT&T Stadium.
“Hard-fought game,” Herman said. “Really proud of our effort. Proud of our physicality. We obviously didn't make enough plays down the stretch.
“Extremely disappointed in the outcome for these seniors, especially. But we’ve earned the right to the play in a big-time bowl game.”
The game was perfectly unpredictable, a thriller with sudden swerves and lead changes.
Texas built a 14-6 lead in the first half on a pair of touchdown runs by quarterback Sam Ehlinger.
Oklahoma moved into the red zone on its first two possessions, but settled for a pair of field goals. Credit goes to linebackers Gary Johnson and Anthony Wheeler for their third-and-goal gang tackle on running back Trey Sermon, and cornerback Kris Boyd for breaking up a touchdown pass to wideout Marquise Brown.
But Texas could only keep the Sooners’ punishing offense in check for so long. With under five minutes remaining in the first half, Oklahoma quarterback and most outstanding player Kyler Murray threw touchdown passes to receivers CeeDee Lamb and Grant Calcaterra.
Then Sermon rushed for a 6yard touchdown on the opening drive of the second half to put Oklahoma ahead 27-14.
For a good portion of the day Ehlinger was Murray’s equal. And his main target, receiver Collin Johnson, looked as unstoppable as any receiver in the nation.
Johnson, who set a championship-game record with 177 receiving yards, put his 6-6 frame to use on a leaping 27-yard touchdown reception in the back corner of the end zone.
Six minutes later, Ehlinger hooked up with receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey for a game-tying 5-yard touchdown.
But kicker Cameron Dicker’s extra-point try ricocheted off the left upright, keeping the game knotted at 27. And maybe that was the sign these Longhorns weren’t quite ready.
For Texas, the culprits in this loss are many. Too many penalties. Thirteen in all, for a staggering 128 yards.
Texas handed Oklahoma’s offense, which ranked fourth nationally in first downs this season, a fresh set of downs five times via penalty.
“We had some aggressive penalties that were called that certainly hurt us,” Herman said.
Then there’s the safety. The game-changing play that followed what seemed like a game-changing fumble recovery by Brandon Jones at the Texas 8-yard line.
Gary Johnson was responsible for jarring that ball loose from Lamb, who had bobbed and weaved through Longhorns for 54 yards before the senior linebacker crunched him from behind.
Texas, then trailing 30-27 after a Sooners field goal, had walked itself back from the brink of defeat. Two plays later, it was right back on the precipice.
Ehlinger admitted he never saw Tre Brown coming. None of his teammates did, either.
Brown came clean on a cornerback blitz and converged on Ehlinger in less than two seconds. By the time he entered Ehlinger’s peripheral vision, it was too late.
“It seemed to be their gameplan blitz,” Ehlinger said. “Unfortunately, we didn't pick it up in our slide and it was my fault for not seeing him, because I was looking the other way. We had an opportunity, our defense did a great job of getting the ball back to us, and then offensively we didn't take care of our part of the bargain. That's on us.”
Oklahoma (12-1) began its ensuing drive with eight minutes 19 seconds remaining and drained the game clock for what felt like an eternity. Calcaterra clinched the Sooners’ fourth straight Big 12 title with a stunning one-handed touchdown catch with two minutes left too little time for the Longhorns.
“I will make it my mission to never let this team or this school feel this disappointment again,” Ehlinger said.
Texas waited eight seasons to win a conference championship under Brown. In 2018, that sort of patience no longer exists. Especially not within an athletic department that annually rakes in over $200 million in revenue.
But there’s no hot seat for Herman, whom Fenves once called “the hottest coach in college football today.” This, Texas believes, is just the start.
“After the bowl game, I think we will do some reflection and be very proud of where we’ve come,” Herman said. But there’s just not any time for that right now. We’ve got a game to prepare for starting tomorrow.
“I do know that whenever we’re done we will reflect on the season and realize truly just how much progress we have made.”