FORT WORTH, Texas — Stop if you’ve heard this before: Texas football is on the verge of being “back.”
Once again, the Longhorns enter an offseason with momentum and hope. They just rolled to a 55-23 victory over Colorado in the Alamo Bowl on Tuesday night in San Antonio.
“We’re really excited about the future,” Texas coach Tom Herman said, “and these last two games, playing so many young guys, shows the trajectory of our program and what we’re capable of.”
That seems like a common theme throughout the Herman era, ending the season with an impressive victory in a bowl. Let’s see if it leads to real results in 2021.
The biggest question surrounding Texas and the 2021 season is at the quarterback position. Sam Ehlinger hasn’t made his future plans known yet, but most expect him to head to the NFL.
If Tuesday’s Alamo Bowl marked the end, Ehlinger will leave the Longhorns ranked second all-time in total yards (13,299), passing yards (11,436), total touchdowns (127) and passing touchdowns (94). That’s an impressive legacy, although a Big 12 championship eluded him.
The Alamo Bowl may have complicated matters. Ehlinger missed the second half after sustaining a shoulder injury.
There’s been no word on the extent of his injury yet. Ehlinger’s best option could be to return to school rather than pursuing a professional career if his stock drops significantly due to an injury to his right (throwing) shoulder.
“I hated that he couldn’t finish the game, but we wouldn’t be here without him,” Herman said. “He was the leader behind this senior class. I don’t know what the future holds for him, but I know that I’m thankful for him being on our team, being on my team each and every day. What he means to us is indescribable.”
Whether Ehlinger returns or not shouldn’t dampen the optimism for the Longhorns going into next season.
Backup quarterback Casey Thompson stepped in place of Ehlinger and dazzled in the second half of the Alamo Bowl. Thompson was 8 of 10 passing for 170 yards with four touchdowns.
Thompson, a junior-to-be, appears to be the favorite to replace Ehlinger should he depart. The Longhorns also have sophomore-to-be and former highly-rated recruit Hudson Card on the roster.
Herman wasn’t going to handicap the quarterback odds after the game, saying: “Ask me again when spring ball starts. I have no idea.”
Hey, maybe it’s still Ehlinger’s job.
Outside of the QB storyline, the real star of the game was Texas freshman running back Bijan Robinson. Robinson was the offensive MVP, finishing with 183 yards on 10 carries with one TD.
Robinson’s future is bright.
Another budding star was sophomore wide receiver Joshua Moore, who had two touchdown catches. Defensively, freshman lineman Alfred Collins made a great play for an interception. Another freshman, Vernon Broughton, had the Longhorns’ lone sack of the night.
Things are looking promising in Austin. But you’ve heard that before, right?
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For as much optimism as programs such as Texas have, Oklahoma remains the team to beat in the Big 12. That was reinforced in a big way on Wednesday night.
The Sooners blew out the Florida Gators, 55-20, in the Cotton Bowl. OU finished with 684 total yards, including 435 yards rushing.
Quarterback Spencer Rattler threw for three touchdowns and rushed for one more. He will be among the Heisman contenders going into 2021.
“We executed our game plan,” Rattler said. “We had a great game plan, didn’t have anything fancy in, just did what we do and made a lot of big plays doing it.”
