OTF Premium Immediate Reactions | Texas vs. Texas A&M

The game is finally here. For 13 years we were robbed of this game, and now it returns in all of its glory. Texas and Texas A&M – the winner to the SEC Championship in Atlanta on December 7th.

Let me start with this, the atmosphere is unbelievable.

***

1st Quarter

Texas kicks off to begin the game. Touchback. Texas defense on the field first.

A&M takes a vertical shot to Terry Bussey who gets lost in coverage on the second play of the game for a gain of 27. 

Barryn Sorrell jumps offsides on 3rd and 3 to move the chains. Cannot provide freebies in this game on the road. Can’t do it.

A&M is finding a lot of space through the air right now, something I did not expect to be the case. Texas secondary and linebackers have to clean this up and force tight window throws.

What a stop on 3rd and 4th down by the Texas defense! Huge momentum switch after the Aggies storm down the field with relative ease.

Texas goes three and out. A double-move to start to Isaiah Bond who did not run very hard and then a miscommunication on a hurry-up look between Ewers and Helm and Texas punts the ball back to A&M.

That was unbelievable by Michael Taaffe. Not just to get to the spot on the field, but to get a foot down in bounds.

Wow! I did not have a 26-yard rush by Quinn Ewers on my bingo card and he was about six inches from going 70+ to the house. 

Kelvin Banks is down in pain. Trevor Goosby is already in the game.

Okay! Texas is showing some life running the football at the moment. Tre Wisner with back to back runs of 22 and 11 yards. The run game is working right now. I would continue to pound the rock until A&M reacts and then the intermediate will come as a result.

The screen game is not going to work tonight for the Longhorn offense. Elko has a pair of really smart LBs and they are waiting for it on every single snap.

What a freakish turn this game has taken! 4th and 1, Texas opts to roll out Arch Manning for the snap and he takes a read option keeper 15-yards to the crib for the first touchdown. We had heard all week there was going to be some sort of Arch package this week and that’s a heck of a wrinkle to unveil on 4th down on the 2nd drive of the game. Texas leads 7–0.

Texas defense has settled in a good bit. They are playing sound football on this third drive. A&M having to grind out all three downs to scratch the line to gain.

End of 1st Quarter ••• Texas leads 7-0

Texas did a really nice job of settling in, quieting the crowd and playing their own style of ball which included ground and pound on the offensive side of the ball. Through one quarter, Texas is winning the LOS battle.

Tremendous play by Vernon Broughton who was turned loose to bring down Marcel Reed for the first sack of the game. Brings up a lengthy third down and the Longhorn D gets off the field on a 3rd down screen attempt. Texas gets the ball back at the 20 after a touchback.

That was an unbelievable window Ewers fit that pass to Helm in for the conversion on 3rd down. Heck of a snag, but man what a big play to move the chains and help flip some field.

Jaydon Blue misses a block on a screen and then misses his assignment on a sack by Taurean York. He has to be better. 

That was an unbelievable throw by Quinn Ewers to Matthew Golden for 45 yards, maybe the best of the season there for No. 3.

Elko has no answer for Arch Manning currently, just wasted a timeout.

What a beauty of a catch by Jaydon Blue, maybe the best play he has made the entire season. After review, Blue has possession and gets a foot in bounds. What a throw and catch there. Huge play for the Texas offense to go up two scores.

A stop here and the Longhorns can really run this up.

Wooooo…. I thought that might have been a targeting call on Andrew Mukuba, but the officiating crew sees it differently. Three and out for the Texas defense, which has been spectacular.

Quinn Ewers has been absolutely spectacular in this second quarter. He htis Ryan Wingo for a 35-yard gain and the Longhorns are into A&M territory.

Another big time play for Ewers who evades pressure, hits a pump fake and Helm adds another hurdle to his tally. What a play. This has been a superb second quarter for Quinn Ewers.

Texas A&M ran 10 plays for 33 yards on the final offensive possession before halftime, they have no vertical threats and no real attempts to stretch the field. Texas is sitting on everything and as a result, get another fourth down stop.

Bert Auburn misses from 48. Long kick, but it’s adding to a lengthy list of miscues.

***

Halftime ••• Texas Leads 17–0

***

Texas gets the ball to start the 2nd half. First play is a completion to Gunnar Helm on an easy pitch and catch for eight yards.

A couple of first downs, but ultimately Texas fails to convert on 3rd down and punts. Punt went into the end zone, so really it was only a 25 yard punt.

First rush attempt for the Texas A&M offense is the most successful of the night and the Aggies are out by midfield.

Alfred Collins has been spectacular at batting passes at the line of scrimmage this year. Another one goes straight up in the air and should have been picked off by Barryn Sorrell. Aggies punt back to Texas with 10:38 in the 3rd quarter.

Texas is storming right now down the field. The run game looks great, and finally there is some space for the screens after the catch.

Moved right into the red zone and could put this out of reach.

Annnnnddddddd – pick six.

DJ Hicks bats the ball at the line of scrimmage and the Aggies go 93-yards to the house for the first points of their evening. Texas will need a strong answer here, this game should be out of reach and instead it is reviving the A&M fanbase.

Texas needs a lengthy drive to settle things back down and it would be even better if they found the end zone.

Tre Wisner has been spectacular (again) tonight. Now up to 141 rush yards and Texas is firmly into the red zone.

Geez, man. Ewers scrambles on the outside and fumbles. Two consecutive turnovers on two drives in the red zone in this 3rd quarter. Texas has dominated, yet A&M is in a position to make this a one score game.

Texas won the time of possession in the 3rd quarter 12:34 to 2:19, yet lost the scoring battle 7–0.

*** 4th quarter ***

Texas A&M has done just enough to move the ball here. Over midfield after the intermission.

Liona Lefau has been spectacular tonight. A passed deflection and a forced fumble which Reed hopped back on. Maybe my player of the game tonight on defense.

Andrew Mukuba! Another big time PBU to force a punt.

Texas must take care of the football and they must take off some time with this drive.

Tre Wisner now over 160 yards on the ground.

Texas is trying to take off some time from the clock, yet back to back A&M defenders have gone down with injuries to delay that progress.

There is no reason for there to be miscommunications between Ewers and Bond in this stage of the game. Just absolutely none. Ewers throws to the sticks. Bond runs ten yards, Incomplete.

Next, Texas A&M blocks the punt and gets the ball immediately in the Longhorns red zone. Disaster upon us?

We will see.

I am running out of superlatives for this Texas defense. An unreal stop on the goal line leaves A&M without points and roughly 3:00 of the clock. Texas has the ball back just over 4:00 remaining and Elko has two timeouts left. 

Texas has closed out ballgames each of the last two weeks, none would be biggest than if they could do it tonight. 

2:00 timeout. Texas was a first down from icing the ballgame. A&M has one final bit of life. 

Trey Moore! Strip sack! 

Texas is going to the SEC Championship Game for a rematch with Georgia.