The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Great Games and Moments: 1950s
GREAT GAME
#7 Texas 23, #1 SMU 20
Saturday, November 4, 1950
Memorial Stadium (Austin, Texas)
Seventh-ranked Texas defeated the top-ranked Mustangs, 23-20. The Longhorns limited SMU great running back Kyle Rote to minus-three yards on seven carries.
GREAT MOMENT
#5 Texas 27, Baylor 20
Saturday, November 11, 1950
Baylor Stadium (Waco, Texas)
In a pivotal game for the conference championship, stubborn Baylor tied the game at 20 late in the final quarter. That's when All-American safety Bobby Dillon changed the complexion of the game with a sparkling 84-yard punt return for a touchdown with 5:41 left. For good measure, Dillon intercepted a last-ditch Baylor pass attempt to seal the win.
GREAT GAME
#13 Texas 35, Baylor 33
Saturday, November 8, 1952
Baylor Stadium (Waco, Texas)
In a wild offensive show, Texas edged the Bears 35-33 at Waco. Billy Quinn capped a 74-yard drive with a 1-yard run with 39 seconds on the clock for the UT win. The game featured 46 and 54-yard touchdown runs by Texas and a 67-yard punt return and 28-yard pass play for scores by Baylor.
GREAT GAME
#10 Texas 16, #8 Tennessee 0
Thursday, January 1, 1953
Cotton Bowl (Dallas, Texas)
With memories of a 20-14 Cotton Bowl setback to Tennessee in 1951 still fresh in their minds, the Longhorns went out and dominated the Volunteers, 16-0. The hard-charging UT defense, led by Harley Sewell and Carlton Massey, limited the Vols to six first downs and an amazing total of minus-14 rushing yards. The game was the first Cotton Bowl to be nationally televised (by NBC Sports).
GREAT GAME
Texas 35, TCU 34
Saturday, November 13, 1954
Amon Carter Stadium (Fort Worth, Texas)
Texas erased a 27-7 deficit with 21 fourth-quarter points as Buck Lansford's dramatic extra point caromed off the right goal post for the deciding margin. The game produced 813 yards of total offense. UT scored its final TD on a 4-yard run by Delano Womack with 2:20 left to set the stage for Lansford's game-winning kick.
GREAT GAME
#16 Texas 15, #2 Oklahoma 14
Saturday, October 11, 1958
Cotton Bowl (Dallas, Texas)
Texas, a 13-point underdog, came into the Oklahoma game having lost six in a row and nine of the last 10 to its hated neighbors to the north. The Longhorns struck first on a 10-yard TD pass from Bobby Lackey to Rene Ramirez and surprised the Sooners by converting a two-point conversion for an 8-0 lead. Bud Wilkinson's Sooners cut the lead to 8-6 with a third-quarter TD. Then, with Texas starting a drive from its own 24-yard-line, the Sooners' Jim Davis picked a fumbled ball off the back of Texas' Mike Dowdle and raced 24 yards for a touchdown to put OU up 14-8 with 12:52 to play. Texas, which had not registered a first down in the second half, took over on its own 26 with 6:50 left in the game. Substitute QB Vince Matthews drove the Longhorns to the OU 7-yard-line. On third down, Royal replaced Matthews with Lackey, and on his first play back, Lackey hit Bobby Bryant with a jump pass to tie the game. With 3:10 to go, Lackey added the extra point for the one-point Texas lead. Lackey then completed a trifecta by intercepting an Oklahoma pass in the waning moments to seal the win.