This was the ugliest win of the Steve Sarkisian era, but it was a win nonetheless. It wouldn’t have been a win if not for the heroics of the Texas defense in overtime.
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With the game on the line in overtime, Texas won the toss and decided to lean on its defense to get over the hump.
But quickly, Kentucky was at the goal line. Speedy receiver Kendrick Law caught a screen, and just like that, they were on the Texas 3. First and goal.
But the Longhorns relented.
Dante Dowdell was stuffed up the middle.
Cutter Boley scrambled for two, and it was third and one at the goal.
While many started flashing back to disastrous seasons of Texas’ past, the Longhorn defense flashed back to Texas A&M—or maybe even Clemson—on this goal-line stand.
The Wildcats lined up for two plays in the same position: jumbo, with a fullback offset to the right of the quarterback and a running back waiting five yards behind the quarterback under center.
On third and one, Dowdell leaped and was caught short of the line to gain—just inches away.
On fourth and one, the Wildcats dialed it up once again. Your best versus my best. The Longhorns were just better.
Dowdell was met at the line of scrimmage. Quickly, 11 white gloves shot up in the air holding a fist—stopped. The Wildcats came up empty on the goal line, and the Longhorns were able to catch their breath for the first time in hours.
Texas’ offense did its best to ruin the moment, adding a false start and a surprise pass on the next possession, but Mason Shipley quieted the stadium. Texas had won 16–13.
“What a tremendous goal-line stand in overtime,” Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said.
The Longhorn defense didn’t have its usual dominant game—Kentucky had nearly 400 yards of offense with 31 passes completed and 26 first downs—but that lacks the context of what occurred on Kroger Field.
The Longhorn defense was on the field for 86 plays and still kept the Wildcats to just three yards per carry. They sacked Boley five times, had 11 tackles for loss, an interception, and forced two fumbles. Somehow, neither of them fell into the hands of a Longhorn.
“In the heat of the moment, man, everything is so fast,” LB Anthony Hill said. “When you’re playing defense, you don’t really see the ball, then the ball’s on the ground, like, ‘It’s really happening right now?’”
Either way, the Longhorns held Kentucky to just 13 points in a game where they were on the field for nearly 40 minutes of possession. You can’t ask for more on the road in the SEC.
Texas stumbles its way to 5–2, 2–1 in the SEC, but if not for this Texas defense, there would be no cause for celebration in Austin. There probably won’t be a whole lot either way, but the Longhorns leave Lexington with a win. On to Stark-Vegas.