Longhorns finish season on a high note
First bowl win since 2012, winning season cap Herman’s debut
The parallels were easy enough to draw. For much of 2017, it felt as if Texas was trapped in an inescapable episode of déjà vu. But there existed a final, straightforward way to snap the spell connecting present to past — beat Missouri in the Texas Bowl.
Three years ago, first-year coach Charlie Strong’s arrived at NRG Stadium with a 6-6 record. An SEC opponent, Arkansas, stood in the way of a winning campaign. The season would have been a happier tale had the Longhorns managed to reverse the outcomes of a three-point loss to No. 12 UCLA and a fivepoint loss to Oklahoma.
Those Longhorns were demolished 31-7 in one of the worst postseason performances in program history.
Wednesday night, first-year coach Tom Herman arrived at NRG Stadium with a 6-6 record. An SEC foe stood in the way of a winning campaign. UT dropped three one-score games to top-12 ranked opponents which, had they gone the other way, would have dramatically altered the season’s narrative.
But this Texas team, it seems, was not doomed to repeat the mistakes of its past. The Longhorns (7-6) defeated Missouri (76) 33-16 to claim their first bowl title since 2012 and first winning season since 2013.
Sophomore Shane Buechele and true freshman Sam Ehlinger split Texas’ first four offensive drives at quarterback, and each managed to manufacture points. The former hooked up with Daniel Young, who broke open following a fake handoff and trotted in for a 22-yard score. The latter rolled left and tossed a 7-yard dart to John Burt, who tapped both toes in the end zone before tumbling out of bounds to put UT up 14-0 late in the first quarter.
That was about as good at it got for UT’s offense, though. Buechele played most of the first half before suffering a groin injury, clearing the way for Ehlinger to close it out.
Dickson’s amazing night
Without a depleted defense stepping up, and without punter Michael Dickson (nine punts downed inside the 20) putting on one of the greatest kicking displays in bowl history and being named bowl MVP, Texas doesn’t get this win.
It helped that the Longhorns carried with them the spirit of school legend Tommy Nobis. Nobis, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame who died at 74 earlier this month, was honored both with a “60” team helmet decal and individually by junior defensive end Breckyn Hager, outfitted in a No. 60 jersey instead of his usual No. 44.
Hard-nosed Nobis would undoubtedly have approved of UT’s defensive performance against a Missouri offense that entered the game averaging 51.3 points and 578 yards of total offense over its six-game winning streak.
Mizzou didn’t cross into UT territory until nearly three minutes had passed in the second.
Quarterback Drew Lock connected with receiver J’Mon Moore on receptions of 19 and 15 yards, then Moore drew a holding penalty on Davante Davis. One play later, running back Ish Witter ran in untouched for a 4-yard touchdown to chop the Longhorns’ two-touchdown advantage in half.
A few minutes later, with Missouri feeling better about itself, safety P.J. Locke pried the ball loose from Witter’s hands. Linebacker Anthony Wheeler snatched the bouncing ball from midair, juked Lock, stiff-armed tight end Albert Okwuegbunam and crossed into the end zone 38 yards later.
Lock opened the second half by throwing a perfect, parabolic 79-yard touchdown strike to Johnathan Johnson.
After missing the extra point, the Longhorns’ lead was down to 21-13.
Momentum builder
A botched snap sailed over Lock’s head late in the third quarter, giving UT a 23-16 lead.
A few minutes, later kicker Josh Rowland nailed a 41-yard field goal, and the defense didn’t surrender an inch the rest of the game.
Armanti Foreman scored on an 18-yard run in the final minutes to put Texas up 33-16.
“I think winning this game will be important for us in terms of momentum ,” Herman said on Tuesday. “It’s not life or death, but we sure as heck can use this to springboard us into the offseason for 2018.”