Dec. 28, 2011

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Texas 21, California 10
December 28, 2011
Snapdragon Stadium at Qualcomm - San Diego, Calif.

Game Captains: #2 Fozzy Whittaker, #21 Blake Gideon
Coin Toss: California won the coin toss and deferred to the second half. Texas elected to receive.

TEAM NOTES
- Texas ends the season with an 8-5 overall record, marking the 13th winning season for the Longhorns in 14 seasons under head coach Mack Brown. The UT program has posted a winning season in 16 of the last 18 seasons and have won at least eight games in 13 of the 14 seasons under Brown.
- This was the fifth Holiday Bowl appearance for UT with Texas owning a 3-2 record in those five contests. Texas made its 50th all-time bowl appearance, making them just the second school in NCAA history to play in 50 or more bowl games (Alabama, 59). The Longhorns have now won eight of their last 10 bowl games.
- Mack Brown became Texas' all-time leader in bowl victories, breaking a tie with Darrell Royal (8-7-1) with his ninth career bowl victory while at UT (9-4). Brown has directed his teams to bowl games in 19 of the past 20 seasons.
- In the all-time series between Texas and Cal, the Longhorns hold a 5-0 lead in five meetings. This was the first meeting between the two schools in over 40 years with the last meeting coming in 1970 with a 56-15 Longhorn victory in Austin.
- Texas forced a season-high five turnovers and has forced two or more turnovers in seven of the 13 games in 2011. The previous best was four takeaways at UCLA and at Texas A&M. The last time Texas forced five turnovers was at Kansas State last season. The Longhorns forced 26 turnovers on the season with 12 interceptions and 14 fumble recoveries.
- The defense sacked Cal quarterback Zach Maynard a season-high six times in the game. The previous most was five sacks against Kansas State. The Golden Bears had allowed 22 sacks on the season in 12 previous games. The 13 tackles for loss were the sixth time they have made 10 or more stops behind the line of scrimmage.
- The Longhorns held California to just seven rushing yards, including negative 23 yards in the fourth quarter and negative two yards in the first period. Cal averaged 167.2 rushing yards per game during the regular season. The seven yards were the third fewest allowed in Holiday Bowl history.
- The Golden Bears were held to a season-low 195 yards of total offense, the first time they tallied fewer than 330 yards. It is the third time this this year UT held its opponent to under 200 yards of total offense.
- The 10 points by California were tied for the third fewest scored in Holiday Bowl history.
- Cal started each half with scores but the Longhorns either caused a turnover or forced a punt on each of the other 12 drives in the game.
- The Texas defense did not allow a touchdown in the first half and held Cal scoreless in the second and fourth quarters. It is the 17th and 18th time this season the Longhorns have given up zero points in a quarter. It marked the fifth time this year that opponents failed to score a touchdown in the first half against Texas.
- The Longhorns defense allowed only 73 total yards of offense in the first half while posting six tackles for loss, two sacks, one interception, one fumble recovery and three pass breakups.
- Ash's 47-yard touchdown pass to Marquise Goodwin in the third quarter was the 11th pass of 40 or more yards for the Longhorns on the season and sixth for a touchdown.
- The 10 points combined by Texas and Cal match the Holiday Bowl record for fewest combined points in a first half. Oklahoma and Oregon also combined for 10 points in 2005.

Mack Brown ERA MARKS
- UT is now 118-7 when outrushing an opponent
- UT is now 87-6 when winning the turnover margin
- UT is now 133-18 when scoring 20 or more points
- UT is now 116-8 when leading at halftime
- UT is now 126-6 when leading after three quarters

INDIVIDUAL NOTES
David Ash
- True freshman quarterback David Ash was named the Holiday Bowl Offensive MVP after he accounted for two touchdowns with one passing and one receiving. He is the third Longhorn to earn the award, joining Major Applewhite (2001) and Colt McCoy (2007).
- Ash threw his fourth touchdown pass of the season on a 47-yard throw to Marquise Goodwin. He set the school record for touchdown passes by a true freshman, breaking the previous record of three by Ted Constanzo in 1975.
- He also caught a four-yard touchdown pass from Jaxon Shipley in the second quarter for his first career touchdown reception and second career touchdown overall. The last Texas quarterback to catch a touchdown pass was Peter Gardere against Texas A&M in 1992.

Carrington Byndom
- Byndom tallied his first career fumble recovery.

Quandre Diggs
- Diggs recorded his fourth interception of the season to lead the team. He ties the school record for interceptions by a freshman, matching Chris Carter's four interceptions in 1993.
- He had two pass breakups on the opening series to give him 15 for the season, tying him for the team lead. The 15 pass breakups rank second most by a freshman in school history and are the most by a true freshman. Only redshirt freshman Earl Thomas' 17 pass breakups in 2008 are more.

Sheroid Evans
- Evans forced his first career fumble in the fourth quarter to give Texas five takeaways.

Blake Gideon
- Gideon started in his 52nd consecutive game. He finished his career ranked second in school history with most consecutive starts, one shy of Colt McCoy's school record of 53. Gideon is one of only three players in Texas history with 50 or more consecutive starts.

Marquise Goodwin
- Goodwin hauled in a 47-yard touchdown reception for his second touchdown catch of the season and fourth of his career. His touchdowns have come on plays of 80 and 47 yards this year and have happened in the final two games of 2011.
- He helped set up the Longhorns' third touchdown of the game with a 37-yard run. It was the longest rush of Goodwin's career and his fourth carry of 20 or more yards. His previous long was 31 yards against Texas Tech earlier this season.

Jordan Hicks
- Hicks had 1.5 sacks in the game after entering the game with just one sack in his career and none this year. He also had a career-high 2.5 tackles for loss and seven tackles in the contest.

Calvin Howell
- Howell forced and recovered a fumble in the game to be responsible for two of the Longhorns three caused turnovers in the game. Both the caused fumble and fumble recovery were the first of Howell's career.

Jackson Jeffcoat
- Jeffcoat recorded two sacks in the game to give him eight sacks on the season and 10.5 career sacks. He has at least one sack in six of the last seven games.

Cody Johnson
- Johnson scored on a four-yard rushing touchdown for his 36th career rushing touchdown and sixth this season. The 36 rushing scores are tied for fifth most in Texas history with Jamaal Charles (2005-07) and Steve Worster (1968-70).

Adrian Phillips
- Phillips had his second caused fumble of the season on his first career sack in the third quarter. He also caused a fumble at UCLA.

Keenan Robinson
- Senior linebacker Keenan Robinson was selected the Holiday Bowl Defensive MVP after recording eight tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and one pass breakup. He is the third Texas player to receive the honor joining Derrick Johnson (2001) and Brian Orakpo (2007).

Jaxon Shipley
- Shipley threw his third touchdown pass of the season, all as a wide receiver. The three touchdown passes are tied for the most by a true freshman in school history with his receiver on the play, David Ash, this season and Ted Constanzo in 1975.
- He completed one of the top freshman receiving seasons in school history, ranking second in receptions (44) and third in receiving yards (607).

Justin Tucker
- Tucker booted a 64-yard punt in the second quarter that resulted in a touchback for the longest punt in Holiday Bowl history. The previous long was 61 by Missouri's Vince Sebo in 1997.
- He missed a 38-yard field goal to finish his career tied for third on the school's career field goal percentage list with Ryan Bailey (.833). Tucker was 17-of-21 (.810) on the season.

Kenny Vaccaro
- Vaccaro tallied his second sack of the season and of his career in the second quarter when he leaped over a blocker to reach the quarterback on third down to force a punt.

Chris Whaley
- Whaley earned his first career fumble recovery in the game.

Attendance: 56,313

The University of Texas at Austin Athletics

Cal notes

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