In a game between two imperfect teams, even if one had the audacity to enter the game with a top-10 ranking, the Texas Longhorns did something they haven't done a lot of in the last three seasons.
They made fewer mistakes.
Couple the ability to take advantage of those mistakes with some of the most inspired play by Charlie's Strong's team all season and the final result added up to something yours truly didn't see coming from a mile away:
Texas 35 - Baylor 34.
In the grand scheme of what's scheduled to occur at the end of the season for the Texas Longhorns, it remains to been see what the game means, but for this final Saturday in October, Longhorn everywhere can enjoy a win over a program they have grown to loathe.
Forget about agendas. Forget about the optics of a win that lacked flash at times. Channel your inner-Mike Perrin for one night and allow yourself to enjoy the spoils of winning.
(Other random thoughts on the win)
1. I can't say enough about the work that junior running back D'Onta Foreman put into today, in racing to his ninth straight 100-yard game and becoming the first Longhorn to cross the 1,000-yard mark in a season since 2007. Texas offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert decided from the beginning of the game that this was going to be an afternoon when Foreman carried this team to victory, or there simply wouldn't be any victory. All Foreman did was dial up 250 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 32 carries. It was a dazzling workmanlike effort for a player that hasn't just been the best back in a UT uniform since Jamaal Charles, but he's been the best player the program has seen this entire decade.
2. I don't think you could have convinced me in a million years that Texas could win this with Shane Buechele only completing 12 passes, and only one to Devin Duvernay, but when Buechele dialed it up in the passing game, he made it count to the tune of 291 yards, which equates to 24.3 yards per reception.
3. No receiver stepped his game up more than junior Armanti Foreman, who caught four passes for 142 yards and a touchdown. Yes, he lost a ball at one point inside the 10-yard line after a long catch and run, but he more than made up for it in the final minutes when he caught a ball between two defenders that helped set up the game-winning field goal From Trent Domingue.
4. Speaking of Domingue, I wasn't sure he was capable of making the kick that he made to win the game. I considered that a 40-60 kick at best and he was more than up to the task. Good for him. That had to be one of the biggest kicks of his career.
5. The best thing I can say for the Texas defense is that it never stopped playing. There were times when Baylor not only had its way with the Longhorns, but there were moments of humiliation in there, but the group hung in there, created a few turnovers and made plays when it needed to in order to help the team win the game. For all of the bad that was mixed throughout the game, victory couldn't have occurred without some key plays of the defense.
6. I can't say I understood the play-calling for both offenses at various stages of the game, including in the game's final drive when Kendal Briles had his quarterback running the ball with no time outs and at least 60 yards to go for a comfortable field goal attempt.
7. From a football sense, Kendal Briles isn't within a 100-foot pole of his daddy.
8. From Sterlin Gilbert's play-calling, I did not understand having the ball on the one-yard line on a critical play and not giving the ball to his best player. Hell, even on the game-winning drive, I didn't understand having Swoopes in the game, snapping the ball with 20 seconds left on a running game clock and then running East-West on what needed to be a North-South run. Ok, I won't nitpick too much, but there was some seriously questionable coaching taking place on the offense today.
9. On a positive note on the play-calling, I thought the design of the Andrew Beck touchdown catch was outstanding.
10. I REALLY would have liked to have seen that Malik Jefferson touchdown return count. If there was ever a kid that needed that pick-me-up, it was Jefferson in that moment.
11. I'm not sure Patrick Vahe is getting his job back this season. I thought Jake McMillon did a very good job at first glance today.
12. The Texas defense gave up a lot of big plays, but it created some as well with five sacks and double-digit tackles for loss.
13. Michael Dickson had an All-American day today with a 52.7 yards per punt and three downed inside 20-yard line.
14. P.J. Locke had what I would describe as the best day of his career today.
15. Who has bigger nightmares tonight.... Lorenzo Joe for not scoring on his 61-yard catch and run or Dylan Haines for being hurdled by Seth Russell? Actually, we'll go with Haines because that wasn't the only moment Russell got him on.
16. Gotta give a game ball to Paul Boyette. Attaboy, senior.
17. Third and five ... down by five ... off-tackle to Swoopes from out of the backfield at tailback? Ok, I promise I won't dwell on the playcalling any more.
18. I'm still in shock, though, at the continued play of Swoopes at tailback in this game. Didn't see that coming.
19. What was up with Baylor almost refusing to throw the ball against this Texas defense, even in the red zone. It was as if Briles had never seen film of Texas.
20. Seth Russell running the ball on third downs was almost the straw the broke Texas' back today.
21. I was a little surprised that Kris Boyd wasn't thrown out of the game for helmet-to-helmet contact. I thought that was a gimmie.
22. Were there nearly 500 official reviews today or was that just me?
23. What an odd thing to say
24. I thought the questionable forward pass by Russell was a forward pass by the slightest of margins. Very slight.
25. All the changes in the line-up that Suchomel reported yesterday came to fruition, although Malik Jefferson didn't stay off the field long. Jefferson's line on the day: 10-leading 10 tackles, 2 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss.
26. I don't know that I would say either of these teams is all that good on special teams, outside of Dickson for the Longhorns.
27. Do you think the guy sitting next to Matthew in the suite was doing so because Matthew wasn't wearing deodorant?
28. Breck Hager might have saved a touchdown with that pass knockdown he had in the first half.
29. Baylor has a few more losses in its season. That was not one of the best Baylor teams from the last decade.
30. I hope the players and the coaches forget about everything else and just enjoy the win. Their bowl prospects look much better after tonight.
They made fewer mistakes.
Couple the ability to take advantage of those mistakes with some of the most inspired play by Charlie's Strong's team all season and the final result added up to something yours truly didn't see coming from a mile away:
Texas 35 - Baylor 34.
In the grand scheme of what's scheduled to occur at the end of the season for the Texas Longhorns, it remains to been see what the game means, but for this final Saturday in October, Longhorn everywhere can enjoy a win over a program they have grown to loathe.
Forget about agendas. Forget about the optics of a win that lacked flash at times. Channel your inner-Mike Perrin for one night and allow yourself to enjoy the spoils of winning.
(Other random thoughts on the win)
1. I can't say enough about the work that junior running back D'Onta Foreman put into today, in racing to his ninth straight 100-yard game and becoming the first Longhorn to cross the 1,000-yard mark in a season since 2007. Texas offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert decided from the beginning of the game that this was going to be an afternoon when Foreman carried this team to victory, or there simply wouldn't be any victory. All Foreman did was dial up 250 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 32 carries. It was a dazzling workmanlike effort for a player that hasn't just been the best back in a UT uniform since Jamaal Charles, but he's been the best player the program has seen this entire decade.
2. I don't think you could have convinced me in a million years that Texas could win this with Shane Buechele only completing 12 passes, and only one to Devin Duvernay, but when Buechele dialed it up in the passing game, he made it count to the tune of 291 yards, which equates to 24.3 yards per reception.
3. No receiver stepped his game up more than junior Armanti Foreman, who caught four passes for 142 yards and a touchdown. Yes, he lost a ball at one point inside the 10-yard line after a long catch and run, but he more than made up for it in the final minutes when he caught a ball between two defenders that helped set up the game-winning field goal From Trent Domingue.
4. Speaking of Domingue, I wasn't sure he was capable of making the kick that he made to win the game. I considered that a 40-60 kick at best and he was more than up to the task. Good for him. That had to be one of the biggest kicks of his career.
5. The best thing I can say for the Texas defense is that it never stopped playing. There were times when Baylor not only had its way with the Longhorns, but there were moments of humiliation in there, but the group hung in there, created a few turnovers and made plays when it needed to in order to help the team win the game. For all of the bad that was mixed throughout the game, victory couldn't have occurred without some key plays of the defense.
6. I can't say I understood the play-calling for both offenses at various stages of the game, including in the game's final drive when Kendal Briles had his quarterback running the ball with no time outs and at least 60 yards to go for a comfortable field goal attempt.
7. From a football sense, Kendal Briles isn't within a 100-foot pole of his daddy.
8. From Sterlin Gilbert's play-calling, I did not understand having the ball on the one-yard line on a critical play and not giving the ball to his best player. Hell, even on the game-winning drive, I didn't understand having Swoopes in the game, snapping the ball with 20 seconds left on a running game clock and then running East-West on what needed to be a North-South run. Ok, I won't nitpick too much, but there was some seriously questionable coaching taking place on the offense today.
9. On a positive note on the play-calling, I thought the design of the Andrew Beck touchdown catch was outstanding.
10. I REALLY would have liked to have seen that Malik Jefferson touchdown return count. If there was ever a kid that needed that pick-me-up, it was Jefferson in that moment.
11. I'm not sure Patrick Vahe is getting his job back this season. I thought Jake McMillon did a very good job at first glance today.
12. The Texas defense gave up a lot of big plays, but it created some as well with five sacks and double-digit tackles for loss.
13. Michael Dickson had an All-American day today with a 52.7 yards per punt and three downed inside 20-yard line.
14. P.J. Locke had what I would describe as the best day of his career today.
15. Who has bigger nightmares tonight.... Lorenzo Joe for not scoring on his 61-yard catch and run or Dylan Haines for being hurdled by Seth Russell? Actually, we'll go with Haines because that wasn't the only moment Russell got him on.
16. Gotta give a game ball to Paul Boyette. Attaboy, senior.
17. Third and five ... down by five ... off-tackle to Swoopes from out of the backfield at tailback? Ok, I promise I won't dwell on the playcalling any more.
18. I'm still in shock, though, at the continued play of Swoopes at tailback in this game. Didn't see that coming.
19. What was up with Baylor almost refusing to throw the ball against this Texas defense, even in the red zone. It was as if Briles had never seen film of Texas.
20. Seth Russell running the ball on third downs was almost the straw the broke Texas' back today.
21. I was a little surprised that Kris Boyd wasn't thrown out of the game for helmet-to-helmet contact. I thought that was a gimmie.
22. Were there nearly 500 official reviews today or was that just me?
23. What an odd thing to say
24. I thought the questionable forward pass by Russell was a forward pass by the slightest of margins. Very slight.
25. All the changes in the line-up that Suchomel reported yesterday came to fruition, although Malik Jefferson didn't stay off the field long. Jefferson's line on the day: 10-leading 10 tackles, 2 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss.
26. I don't know that I would say either of these teams is all that good on special teams, outside of Dickson for the Longhorns.
27. Do you think the guy sitting next to Matthew in the suite was doing so because Matthew wasn't wearing deodorant?
28. Breck Hager might have saved a touchdown with that pass knockdown he had in the first half.
29. Baylor has a few more losses in its season. That was not one of the best Baylor teams from the last decade.
30. I hope the players and the coaches forget about everything else and just enjoy the win. Their bowl prospects look much better after tonight.
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