It’s simple to level to the truth that Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson sat this one out in favor of saving themselves for the NFL draft as the rationale for Texas’ disappointing efficiency in Thursday evening’s Alamo Bowl loss to No. 12 Washington. Because yeah, that is in all probability the most important offender.
Without Robinson, their Doak Walker Award winner, and Johnson, the versatile working again and workforce chief, the Longhorns’ bread-and-butter working recreation confirmed up stale in San Antonio. Quinn Ewers ended his first season as Texas’ starter in sturdy style, and the protection disrupted issues simply sufficient to throw Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr. off his recreation, however the protection finally wore down and the shortage of working punch was an excessive amount of to beat.
Our takeaways from Texas’ 27-20 loss:
What this loss means
Texas ends its season with an 8-5 report, which positive does not really feel pretty much as good as 9-4 would have. It’ll seemingly imply the Twentieth-ranked Longhorns will finish the season exterior the Top 25. There at the moment are query marks at working again and linebacker, which have been two of Texas’ prime place models all season lengthy. We’ll seemingly see some heavy portal motion, whether or not it is present gamers like Xavier Worthy or Jordan Whittington heading elsewhere for modifications of surroundings or instances the place the Longhorns usher in ready-made starters at recever, working again, linebacker and defensvie again. It means Steve Sarkisian’s first 12 months will probably be remembered for going 5-7 and his second might properly be the bowl loss. And it means the Big 12 is now 1-5 in bowl video games with two to go.
Who’ll be Texas’ lead again in 2023?
Chances are superb he is not even on campus but. Five-star working again Cedric Baxter Jr. — like Bijan Robinson in 2020, the No. 1 highschool working again prospect within the nation — signed out of Florida final week, and who is aware of what tonight’s speeding efficiency means to how Steve Sarkisian works the switch portal.
Keilan Robinson, with questions over his sturdiness, acquired the beginning and completed with 8 carries for 27 yards. Jonathon Brooks, who was anticipated to be Texas’ lead again, had 18 yards on six carries. He flashed on a 34-yard landing catch off a display play, however averaged 3.0 yards per run.
Not having Robinson was felt all through the evening. Sarkisian went for a slant cross on fourth-and-1 within the first half slightly than what usually would have been a Bijan run behind a strong offensive line. Later, on third-and-1, Keilan Robinson was stuffed for no achieve. The Longhorns punted.
Three huge performs from tonight’s loss
Fourth-down trickery. What a play name. Washington went for it on fourth-and-1 from its personal 34 with 10:30 left within the third quarter. Which made no sense, main 13-10, and when Michael Penix Jr. lined up beneath heart for the primary time all evening, after which the Huskies flashed all types of gamers in movement, after which as Penix let the play clock roll down, it appeared like an apparent ruse to get a Longhorn to leap offside. But simply as you figured that was the decision, the Huskies snapped it and Penix surged for a primary down. They went on to attain a landing to go up 20-10.
Wayne Taulapapa’s 42-yard run. It not solely put Washington up 10-3, it was the primary wow second of the evening from the Huskies’ offense. And actually, one of many solely ones, because it turned out.
Xavier Worthy’s drop. And Xavier Worthy’s drop. With Texas having simply gone down 20-10, the Longhorns actually wanted a solution within the third quarter. But on back-to-back performs, Quinn Ewers discovered an open Worthy for 35- to 40-yard pictures downfield, and each occasions, Worthy dropped the catch. Ewers’ placement on each passes have been spot-on. And Worthy’s second drop ought to have gone for a 66-yard rating.
Texcetera
Quinn Ewers completed 31-of-47 for 369 yards and one landing. Casey Cain (4-106) and Gunnar Helm (1-19) had good video games. Ja’Tavion Sanders had 5 grabs for 36 yards.
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