We go inside the trenches to look at the job of the Texas linemen who were instrumental in the Longhorns upset over Oklahoma in the Red River Showdown.
Ever since Mack Brown was booted from the sideline, the Texas Longhorns haven’t been the same from a culture standpoint. When Mack was running the program Texas was known for its run in between the tackles, physical style of play, once he left they shied away from that. They have had to label of being soft and not able to hold their own up front.
This past weekend we saw different from the Texas “Longhogs” (Texas offensive line) who took charge of the offensive line as they manhandled Oklahoma’s defensive front. I haven’t seen them play this well in a long time and this rivalry brought the best out of them. Even in the past Red River Rivalry games, Texas hasn’t been this physical up front.
Sam Ehlinger took advantage of the great play of his offensive line as he was 24 of 35 for 314 yards and added 72 yards on the ground for a total of five touchdowns. The quarterback power was unstoppable all afternoon and allowed Texas to move the chains, control the clock and wear out the Oklahoma defense that was gassed by the fourth quarter.
Further, the Texas offensive line kept Ehlinger upright, as he was sacked just once. The interior line play from Patrick Vahe and Elijah Rodriguez were outstanding as they were able to connect on double teams up to the second level making holes and picking up A and B gap blitzes to make sure their quarterback was protected in the pocket.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Longhorns defensive line was able to control the line of scrimmage and give Oklahoma problems on offense. They were able to contain their lead back Trey Sermon to just 54 yards on nine carries on the day and while Kyler Murray still had a great game, forced him into two costly turnovers that led to 10 points.
The pressure that was created from the outside with Charles Omenihu leading the pack with three solo tackles and Breckyn Hager having two tackles on the day and creating havoc for Kyler Murray making him uncomfortable in the pocket and forcing him to make bad decisions with the ball.
Today’s game showed what Texas football is all about and hard nose physical football in the trenches and if they can keep up this style of play the future is looking bright for Tom Herman and his “Longhogs” for years to come.