Just win, baby.
On a day when the Texas Longhorns were missing players all over the field and the No.12 Baylor Bears were down to their fourth-string quarterback and a bunch of running backs taking direct snaps, this was never going to be a game that was won with style points by either side.
However, when you’re a 4-7 team playing in its final game and you’re a 9-2 team playing for Sugar Bowl dreams, style points just don’t matter … only winning does.
And come hell, high-water or a last-second play, the Longhorns found a way to survive in the 60th minute.
Final: Core Values 23 No Core Values 17
As ugly as the second half was for all aspects of the Texas team, it made plays when it absolutely needed to and that’s all that matters. For one day, just winning the damn game was more than enough.
Now it’s time to move on to 2016. As soon as the clock expired, Charlie Strong was officially put on the clock.
2. This second half of this game felt like a scene out of Friday the 13th, as the Longhorns raced out to a big lead as Jason Voorhees (Baylor) chased them from behind for the final 30 minutes of the game. Although the Longhorns tripped over a number of rocks and trees, and never should have been in a position where Jason could even get within reach, it became a real race at the end. Usually, someone survives at the end of the movie and that’s exactly what the Longhorns did in winning … they survived.
3. If I’m giving a couple game balls our right now, I might give them to Poona Ford and Paul Boyette, both of whom made critical stops throughout the game. The strip and recovery by Ford as Baylor was driving to take the lead and potentially rips the program’s guts out was not only the biggest play of the entire game, but it was a game-saver.
4. It felt like Texas was playing without linebackers for much of the game, as the defense desperately missed starters Malik Jefferson and Peter Jinkens.
5. The difference in this game came in the turnover department, an area the Longhorns won 4-0. When I think of Tyrone Swoopes’ performance in this game, the thing that will stand out are the lack of critical mistakes that he was able to avoid, although he was almost intercepted in the first half. The shell of a Texas team that Charlie Strong fielded isn’t good enough to win this game without creating a few game-changing plays and Swoopes’ ability to drive the bus and make a few critical throws to the tight end when it was needed late in the game was what Strong needed from his quarterback today and he received it.
6. How about Michael Dickson with the punt of the year in the final two minutes, kicking the ball down to the four-yard line? I’ve been saying it all season, but Dickson very quietly had a very good freshman season.
7. It wasn’t all grins and laughs for the Longhorns in the second half. I’m not sure the tension has been higher all season than it was in the second half when Baylor was making its comeback. Consider this tweet from Chris Warren's father, who posted mid-game that Vance Bedford needs to be fired. It was that kind of stressful day.
8. Speaking of Chris Warren, I thought the freshman gave a workmanlike performance today in rushing for 106 yards on 28 carries. There weren’t many standout moments, but he did a good job of carrying the load for a team without many other options.
9. One of the sneaky important plays of the game occurred in the first half when Jake Oliver recovered a loose ball on the punt team after Daje Johnson inexplicably touched a ball in Texas territory that could have been a game-changer if the Bears had recovered it. Nice job, Jake on the Spot.
10. You can’t really mention this game without mentioning the near bench-clearing brawl that occurred in the first half. I’ll just let this tweet speak for itself.
11. Speaking of that situation, how did Baylor’s entire team come to the other side of the field in the name of rioting and not come away with a flag? Shouldn’t that have been about 100 off-setting penalties at the same time?
12. If Texas had found a way to lose the game on the final series, we’d have been talking about the Corey Coleman 24-yard run out of the Wildcat on 2nd and 26 until the end of time. I mean … the Texas defense was playing with danger from the moment it came out for halftime.
13. The halftime adjustments that Baylor made vs. the ones the Texas coaches didn’t make almost cost Texas the game.
14. Duke Thomas should have been playing safety all season. I’ve been more impressed with his play in the back end the last two games than I’ve ever been with his play at cornerback in the last four seasons.
15. After everything that happened with David Ash, I’m going to admit to being very uneasy about seeing Jerrod Heard playing in this game one week after he suffered a concussion. I know he was cleared by doctors, but haven’t we had this discussion before? With Swoopes starting, I would have not risked Heard one week after the injury. Ok, I’ll get off my soap-box.
16. Art Briles took this game so seriously early on that he was giving important snaps in the middle of the field to 400-pound tight ends because … well … I guess he wanted to be on Sportscenter. Congrats, Art, mission accomplished.
17. Those four points the Longhorns lost when John Burt dropped a Swoopes pass in the end zone in the second half were nearly very important.
18. Is the safest place in Waco for the Baylor coeds the actual stadium on game-days because of the railing that protects them from the players?
19. How about that touchdown pass from Swoopes to Caleb Bluiett? Where has that play been in the Texas offense all season? What a stretch for the score by Bluiett? Speaking of the tight end position, how about those first-down converting catches by Andrew Beck late in the game? Holy hell, the Longhorns have tight ends?
20. I hate to mention it in the aftermath of a win, but the Longhorns finished the day with the worst statistical defense in the history of the school after allowing 479 yards of offense on a day when Baylor had virtually no passing attack.
21. Texas had the edge in passing yards by 67, while the Bears had the edge in rushing yards by 239. Yeah, who saw that coming?
22. I thought Charlie Strong should have gone for it instead of going for the field goal in the fourth quarter that bumped the Texas lead from 20-17 to 23-17. In retrospect, Strong made the right call in that situation and I was wrong.
On a day when the Texas Longhorns were missing players all over the field and the No.12 Baylor Bears were down to their fourth-string quarterback and a bunch of running backs taking direct snaps, this was never going to be a game that was won with style points by either side.
However, when you’re a 4-7 team playing in its final game and you’re a 9-2 team playing for Sugar Bowl dreams, style points just don’t matter … only winning does.
And come hell, high-water or a last-second play, the Longhorns found a way to survive in the 60th minute.
Final: Core Values 23 No Core Values 17
As ugly as the second half was for all aspects of the Texas team, it made plays when it absolutely needed to and that’s all that matters. For one day, just winning the damn game was more than enough.
Now it’s time to move on to 2016. As soon as the clock expired, Charlie Strong was officially put on the clock.
2. This second half of this game felt like a scene out of Friday the 13th, as the Longhorns raced out to a big lead as Jason Voorhees (Baylor) chased them from behind for the final 30 minutes of the game. Although the Longhorns tripped over a number of rocks and trees, and never should have been in a position where Jason could even get within reach, it became a real race at the end. Usually, someone survives at the end of the movie and that’s exactly what the Longhorns did in winning … they survived.
3. If I’m giving a couple game balls our right now, I might give them to Poona Ford and Paul Boyette, both of whom made critical stops throughout the game. The strip and recovery by Ford as Baylor was driving to take the lead and potentially rips the program’s guts out was not only the biggest play of the entire game, but it was a game-saver.
4. It felt like Texas was playing without linebackers for much of the game, as the defense desperately missed starters Malik Jefferson and Peter Jinkens.
5. The difference in this game came in the turnover department, an area the Longhorns won 4-0. When I think of Tyrone Swoopes’ performance in this game, the thing that will stand out are the lack of critical mistakes that he was able to avoid, although he was almost intercepted in the first half. The shell of a Texas team that Charlie Strong fielded isn’t good enough to win this game without creating a few game-changing plays and Swoopes’ ability to drive the bus and make a few critical throws to the tight end when it was needed late in the game was what Strong needed from his quarterback today and he received it.
6. How about Michael Dickson with the punt of the year in the final two minutes, kicking the ball down to the four-yard line? I’ve been saying it all season, but Dickson very quietly had a very good freshman season.
7. It wasn’t all grins and laughs for the Longhorns in the second half. I’m not sure the tension has been higher all season than it was in the second half when Baylor was making its comeback. Consider this tweet from Chris Warren's father, who posted mid-game that Vance Bedford needs to be fired. It was that kind of stressful day.
8. Speaking of Chris Warren, I thought the freshman gave a workmanlike performance today in rushing for 106 yards on 28 carries. There weren’t many standout moments, but he did a good job of carrying the load for a team without many other options.
9. One of the sneaky important plays of the game occurred in the first half when Jake Oliver recovered a loose ball on the punt team after Daje Johnson inexplicably touched a ball in Texas territory that could have been a game-changer if the Bears had recovered it. Nice job, Jake on the Spot.
10. You can’t really mention this game without mentioning the near bench-clearing brawl that occurred in the first half. I’ll just let this tweet speak for itself.
11. Speaking of that situation, how did Baylor’s entire team come to the other side of the field in the name of rioting and not come away with a flag? Shouldn’t that have been about 100 off-setting penalties at the same time?
12. If Texas had found a way to lose the game on the final series, we’d have been talking about the Corey Coleman 24-yard run out of the Wildcat on 2nd and 26 until the end of time. I mean … the Texas defense was playing with danger from the moment it came out for halftime.
13. The halftime adjustments that Baylor made vs. the ones the Texas coaches didn’t make almost cost Texas the game.
14. Duke Thomas should have been playing safety all season. I’ve been more impressed with his play in the back end the last two games than I’ve ever been with his play at cornerback in the last four seasons.
15. After everything that happened with David Ash, I’m going to admit to being very uneasy about seeing Jerrod Heard playing in this game one week after he suffered a concussion. I know he was cleared by doctors, but haven’t we had this discussion before? With Swoopes starting, I would have not risked Heard one week after the injury. Ok, I’ll get off my soap-box.
16. Art Briles took this game so seriously early on that he was giving important snaps in the middle of the field to 400-pound tight ends because … well … I guess he wanted to be on Sportscenter. Congrats, Art, mission accomplished.
17. Those four points the Longhorns lost when John Burt dropped a Swoopes pass in the end zone in the second half were nearly very important.
18. Is the safest place in Waco for the Baylor coeds the actual stadium on game-days because of the railing that protects them from the players?
19. How about that touchdown pass from Swoopes to Caleb Bluiett? Where has that play been in the Texas offense all season? What a stretch for the score by Bluiett? Speaking of the tight end position, how about those first-down converting catches by Andrew Beck late in the game? Holy hell, the Longhorns have tight ends?
20. I hate to mention it in the aftermath of a win, but the Longhorns finished the day with the worst statistical defense in the history of the school after allowing 479 yards of offense on a day when Baylor had virtually no passing attack.
21. Texas had the edge in passing yards by 67, while the Bears had the edge in rushing yards by 239. Yeah, who saw that coming?
22. I thought Charlie Strong should have gone for it instead of going for the field goal in the fourth quarter that bumped the Texas lead from 20-17 to 23-17. In retrospect, Strong made the right call in that situation and I was wrong.
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