No. 3 Texas 31 vs. Kentucky 14: Five observations and Sunday chat

The Longhorns take care of business on Senior Day.

The No. 3 Texas Longhorns took care of business against the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday in Austin, 31-14, and got back to 10 wins for the second year in a row under Steve Sarkisian. There were some swoons on the back half of this one, but ultimately Texas was able to compose themselves and put the game away just like they did a week ago in Fayetteville.

Texas controlled this game for the most part and if it wasn’t for quarterback Quinn Ewers getting dinged up, it probably would have been put away a lot sooner. All that matters is that the Longhorns put another win on the ledger and they continue to control their own destiny in regards to playing for the SEC title in Atlanta in December.

There is plenty to discuss this week, so without much delay lets get to my takeaways from Saturday’s victory over the Wildcats of Lexington.

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The Texas OL might have played their best game of the year

Kyle Flood’s unit has had some tough goes over the back half of the year after looking like one of the best groups in college football early on in the season. On Saturday against a very formidable Kentucky defensive front they may have played their best game of the season.

It felt Sarkisian challenged this group with how they intently ran the football early on, but he absolutely put the game on their shoulders in the second half when the passing game began to sputter. The result was the Longhorns toting the pill to the tune of 250 yards on 47 attempts, 5.3 yards per carry. That’s some physical, big-boy football. Behind this group’s effort, Quintrevion Wisner had a career day with 158 yards on the ground and the late touchdown that “officially” put the game away.

On top of the offensive line dominating in the run game, they were very good in pass protection ass they gave Ewers good pockets to work from and kept the Wildcat pass rush in check. Ewers did have a sack on the ledger, but I am not prepared to put that on the offensive line given his condition at the time and him not really being able to move back there.

It was a very welcome sight to see this group put together a strong performance heading into a matchup where they will be responsible for another formidable defensive front. They need another burly effort in College Station to close out the regular season.

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The health of Quinn Ewers is something to monitor again

Prior to Ewers getting banged up, the offense had pretty good balance and was moving the ball well on Kentucky. Once it became clear that Ewers really couldn’t move much, things took a bit of a twist and started to stagnate on offense. The Kentucky fumble that resulted in a touchdown was a direct result of Ewers not being able to really move in the pocket post-injury.

A lot of people were saying that it would probably be wise that Sarkisian sit Ewers given his condition and the game next week. I was among that group. Ewers in the shape he was in was not really able to be a functional passer and it essentially made the Texas offense one-dimensional. Thankfully for Texas, the offensive line was absolutely steam rolling guys on Saturday and able to lean on the run game when they had to in the second half.

I’m sure Sark had his reasons for not sitting Ewers on Saturday, but I feel like Arch Manning could have at least came in and guided the ship in the second half. Just felt like a very risky proposition all things considered.

This will be an important storyline to follow all week leading up to Saturday. Hopefully Ewers is able to ice up and get off his feet some.

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The Texas defense was good once again

Not much else can be said about this group at this point. They been one of the best defensive units in the country all season long and they were at it once again on Saturday in the final home game of the year.

The Kentucky offense was having such a bad time in the first half that Mark Stoops benched Brock Vandagriff coming out of halftime and went to true freshman Cutter Boley. Vandagriff and Boley combined for 211 passing yards, one touchdown (Vandagriff in the first half), and two interceptions. The Kentucky run game had an even worse time in DKR, as they netted only 21 yards on the ground and averaged a whopping 0.7 yards per carry.

The Texas defense was once again disruptive and productive, as they got to the quarterback six times and notched tackles for loss. Linebacker Anthony Hill had himself a day (11 tackles, two sacks, four TFLs) and is playing himself into All-American consideration.

Edge Trey Moore is getting hot at the right time, too, as he notched 1.5 sacks and 1.5 TFLs on the afternoon. His sack towards the end of the game was very impressive, as he shotput the right tackle right into the quarterback’s lap before finishing the play off. Also, Collin Simmons is a dude as he notched a strip sack (now has seven sacks on the year) and had two TFLs.

The Longhorns defense already was at the top of the SEC leader board in interceptions entering the day and they added two more against the Wildcats.

Say what you want about the schedule, but this unit has been fantastic this year and gives Texas a chance to win every game that they play.

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Ball security was an issue once again for Texas

If I am a ball carrier wearing burnt orange, I am probably in for a bad time heading into next week.

Ball security has been a big issue for the Texas running backs as a collective unit this year and we continued to see the struggles on Saturday. Jaydon Blue put the ball on the ground once officially and I say that because it looked like he fumbled heading into the end zone earlier in the game, but there wasn’t enough evidence to overturn the touchdown call on the field.

On top of that you had Ewers who fumbled in the pocket that resulted in a Kentucky defensive touchdown, then you had Silas Bolden, who muffed a punt but was fortunate to be able to get back on top of it. If you are the Texas offensive staff you have to be fuming at this point, because it has been something that has persisted all year.

The fumbling issues for Texas backs actually extends into last season, as it was something that was an issue in the bowl game against Washington. Texas has a lot at stake this season and if they can trust the backs to consistently hold onto the football that is going to be a big issue if they are able to secure a playoff bid.

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The final scoring drive was borderline erotic

When your quarterback is hobbled and can’t move, all you can do is lean on the run game and hope you can ride it to victory.

The Texas offensive line had a fantastic game, but nothing was more impressive than when they marched off a methodical drive in the fourth quarter to punctuate the victory.

The drive begin on Texas’ own 14-yard line. They proceeded to march of a 15-play, 86-yard drive that took 8:22 off the clock. And Wisner was able to cap it off by punching it in on 4th down from inside the 1-yard line. FIFTEEN straight run plays on that drive between Wisner and Blue.

That was absolute football porn for this former offensive linemen and it highlighted how the Texas offensive line was able to dominant the Kentucky defensive front. The entire unit earned a game ball on Saturday in my opinion, but I may be a tad bit biased.

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10-1. You still control your own destiny and the only thing that stands in your way of playing for the SEC championship is your hated rival to the East.

It will be tough. It will be loud. But these are the kind of games you come to Texas for. Everything prior to November 30th no longer matters. Find a way to win the game in College Station and you punch your ticket to Atlanta and more than likely into the College Football Playoff. It’s that simple.

The 24-hour rule is officially in effect. Grab your hard hats and your pickaxes, folks. The Lone Star Showdown awaits.