Longhorns fall short again
Late lead lost to another ranked team from the Sooner State for the second week in a row
AUSTIN — Negativity has a way of festering inside Texas’ metaphorical gut, and when the rot spreads the Longhorns tend to submit.
The darkness snowballed during last Saturday’s collapse against Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl, one bad play begetting another and another as the Longhorns’ 21-point lead vanished. One week later, frustrated and fatigued No. 25 Texas watched another multiscore lead against an undefeated Big 12 program from the Sooner State go up in smoke.
And after No. 12 Oklahoma State (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) surged back from a 17-3 deficit to claim a 32-24 win over the soon-to-be-unranked Longhorns (4-2, 2-2) at Royal-Memorial Stadium, coach Steve Sarkisian couldn’t be more grateful to the scheduling gods for his team’s upcoming bye week.
“We’re in a space where we get a lead, something doesn't go our way and we harbor a little bit of the negative thoughts,” Sarkisian said Saturday. “And ultimately, those negative thoughts creep into cautious play, uncertainty and ultimately, errors.
“So the bye is probably coming at a good time because as much as it is schematically, I think there's some things we need to work on mentally from a psyche standpoint for us to be the team that we're capable of being.”
Sarkisian wanted to punch the Cowboys early and set a tone, and his opening script featured several exotic looks that eventually led to a 1-yard rushing touchdown, the first of tailback Bijan Robinson’s three scores.
But cracks started appearing even before the Longhorns took a 17-3 lead.
Wideout Joshua Moore dropped a pass that would’ve generated a first down. Nose tackle Keondre Coburn extended one Cowboys drive with a blatant horse-collar tackle on third down inside OSU territory. Sarkisian and offensive line coach Kyle Flood kept shuffling the offensive line, the results a mixed bag early on before the wheels flew off in the second half.
Starting weakside linebacker and leading tackler DeMarvion Overshown (concussion) also exited the game during Oklahoma State’s third drive and did not return.
Still, Texas had the menacing Robinson, and that seemed enough. Sarkisian kept feeding the most mildmannered monster in college football, and he rewarded that faith with 112 first-half yards. Robinson also broke free on a well-designed wheel route to snare a 13-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Casey Thompson.
The Longhorns had a chance to pile onto their 17-3 lead after cornerback D’Shawn Jamison skied for an interception off OSU quarterback Spencer Sanders. But Thompson returned the favor, choreographing a cross-field pass that Cowboys safety Jason Taylor II gobbled up.
Taylor’s 85-yard pick-six turned a potential rout into a more claustrophobic contest, with deflated Texas unable to pull away from the stingy Cowboys. And after a short last-second field goal, what could’ve been a 24-3 lead at halftime become a shaky 17-14 advantage – with OSU’s offense set to start the second half.
“We can't relax,” Sarkisian said. “And I think somewhere in there maybe there was a sense of relaxing. We lost our stinger and we lost our focus.”
Robinson (173 total yards) almost saved Texas’ hide once again. After forcing an opening three-and-out, Robinson blasted off on a veering 38-yard touchdown run to pump the lead to 2413 with 11:43 remaining in the third quarter. But Texas never crossed midfield again.
The Longhorns’ final six drives resulted in four three-and-outs, one turnover on downs and one game-sealing interception. They were also outgained by the implausible margin of 170-1 in the fourth quarter.
And as doubt swirled about an offense that seemed to rotate its offensive line every possession, the defense began gasping for air against a relentless rushing attack led by graduate transfer Jaylan Warren (33 carries, 193 yards).
OSU controlled the ball for 20:01 in the second half and outgained Texas 24292. The Cowboys also capitalized on the Longhorns’ mounting mental lapses.
Like a drive-extending roughing the passer penalty on Texas defensive end Ray Thornton that helped setup a 21-yard field goal. Or a tricky 17-yard reverse flip to wideout Brennan Pressley that fully duped Texas and kickstarted the Cowboys’ game-turning drive.
After an illegal hands to the face penalty gifted OSU a first down at the Texas 11, Sanders beamed a 7-yard touchdown pass to Pressley. Texas prevented the 2-point conversion, but momentum had firmly planted itself on the visitor’s sideline.
Thompson met a wall of Cowboys on a failed 4thand-3 attempt, then Sanders plunged into the end zone on a 10-yard run with 2:18 remaining. Still with a chance to force overtime, Thompson’s final wobbly throw landed in the hands of OSU safety Tanner McCalister.
“We can't just think to hold on because a couple of things don't go our way,” Sarkisian said. “We have to think that something good is right around the corner. And the only way it's going to show itself is if that if we execute our jobs.”