Freshmen give UT beauty to build on
Three years ago, a manic and sweat-coated Breckyn Hager took advantage of a post-texas Bowl media scrum to bang the burntorange drum for Texas’ first-year head coach.
“I think tonight, coach (Tom) Herman won the locker room,” said Hager, then a junior defensive end, in the aftermath of a win over Missouri. “Onehundred percent, he now has our hearts as a team.”
The love affair with Herman has gradually tapered off since the Longhorns followed his opening act with a Sugar Bowl win in 2018. The team failed to meet expectations in 2019 and underachieved throughout a tumultuous 2020. At this point, Herman and athletic director
Chris Del Conte seem more like jilted lovers than partners.
What No. 20 Texas accomplished Tuesday night in the Alamodome won't serve to reignite the passion or alter the current perception of Herman. But these Longhorns (7-3, 5-3 Big 12), with their seven freshmen starters and wealth of youthful talent and Heisman Trophycaliber running back, looked like a team with an auspicious road ahead in a 55-23 win over Colorado (4-2, 3-1 Pac-12) in the Alamo Bowl.
“Happy to come away with a win, obviously, with a very depleted roster,” Herman said. “I think we counted 18 guys that were on the depth chart to start the season who did not play in this game.”
For Texas, the future arrived during the opening drive of the second half. Senior quarterback Sam Ehlinger (shoulder) never put his helmet back on after halftime, ceding his long-held position to redshirt sophomore Casey Thompson. Ehlinger (160 yards passing, one touchdown), in sweats and an arm sling, watched from the sideline as his understudy soared.
Thompson's first pass, the second play of that drive, was a 13-yard touchdown strike to redshirt sophomore Joshua Moore that gave Texas a 24-10 lead. And Texas let Thompson keep slinging — he lasered another 25-yard touchdown pass to Moore.
“As far as Casey is concerned, just really, really proud of him,” Herman said. “We knew at halftime there was a strong possibility he was going to have to finish the game for us.”
But the supernova on this night was true freshman tailback Bijan Robinson, who looked ready to rumble for an obscene amount of yards early on. His dominance only made it more baffling when Herman and offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich made the inexplicable decision to move away from him after he'd accumulated 105 yards and two touchdowns on six touches over the first 10 minutes.
But when Robinson broke off a 66-yard run to open the third quarter — just his second touch since that opening salvo — and set up Thompson's first touchdown toss, the rout was on. Robinson finished the game with 183 rushing yards, 37 receiving yards and three total touchdowns on just 12 touches.
“I don't think he's hit his ceiling yet,” Herman said. “He would be the first to tell you that. But really, really proud of the way that he has continued to improve and practice.”
Robinson went beast mode running behind an offensive line composed of two true freshmen (left tackle Andrej Karic and center Jake Majors), a redshirt freshman who'd never played a snap (right guard Tyler Johnson) and redshirt sophomore left guard Junior Angilau, the only season-long starter remaining after opt-outs, injuries and COVID-19 issues decimated the roster.
The kids were alright on defense, too.
True freshman defensive tackle Alfred Collins, starting for senior captain Ta'quon Graham (opt out), pulled out some Matrix-style acrobatics on his first career interception. While falling backwards, the 305-pounder somehow spied Colorado quarterback Sam Noyer's pass and stretched his hands toward the roof to pluck the ball mid-air. Collins added five tackles and one pass breakup.
Later on, fellow true freshman defensive tackle Vernon Broughton roared into the backfield to spear Noyer on third down. He finished with two tackles and his first career sack.
True freshman linebacker Jaylan Ford made his first start and recorded four tackles. True freshman safety Jerrin Thompson was up and down throughout the night but didn't look outclassed while recording four tackles in extended action for the second straight game.
For good measure, Thompson cemented his breakthrough night with a 73-yard touchdown strike to true freshman wideout Kelvontay Dixon with 11:01 remaining. He completed 8 of 10 passes for 170 yards and matched Major Applewhite's program bowl record with four touchdown passes — in less than two quarters of action. True freshman Hudson Card steered Texas over its final two drives.
“Proud of our players,” Herman said. “Man, what they've been through these last 10 months is indescribable, absolutely indescribable. They deserve all the credit in the world for going through what they went through just to get to this point.”
Electric as Texas looked in San Antonio, there is a sense of déjà vu permeating this win. After all, the Longhorns spent New Year's Eve 2019 pummeling No. 11 Utah in this same arena, departing that night with no intention of returning to defend their title.
But no one expected 2020 to sucker punch the world like it did, and Herman certainly didn't expect a life-altering pandemic would strike shortly after he hired seven new assistants. Yet, four years in at Texas, even amid the disruptive COVID-19 cataclysm, patience has worn thin and excuses ring hollow.
The calls for excellence — routine Big 12 titles and College Football Playoff berths — will swell after seeing all that young Texas talent run wild in the Alamodome. There's a lot to like, even love about this team. But whether Herman can get the base to love him once more, whether he'll even have the chance, is a question better saved for 2021.