The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Great Games and Moments: 2010s
GREAT MOMENT
Texas 20, #5 Nebraska 13
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Memorial Stadium (Lincoln, Neb.)
In the two team's last meeting as members of the Big 12 Conference, Texas held No. 5/4 Nebraska's offense to 292 yards below its season average to upset the Cornhuskers 20-13. Nebraska entered the game as the nation's only team that hadn't trailed through the season's first five games, but the Longhorns changed that, leading from start to finish in front of a sellout crowd of 85,648 at Memorial Stadium. The Longhorns improved to 8-1 against Nebraska under Mack Brown. It marked the third time in the series that an unranked Texas squad beat a Cornhuskers' team ranked in the Top 10, including twice under Coach Brown.
The Texas' defense dominated throughout the game, holding the Cornhuskers offense, which entered the game averaging 494.4 yards per game, to 202 yards. Nebraska boasted the second-best rushing offense in the nation with 337.8 yards per game, including 7.7 yards per carry, but was limited to 125 yards on 44 carries (2.8 ypc). After trailing 17-3 at halftime, Nebraska cut the lead to 20-13 with 3:02 remaining in the fourth quarter after a 95-yard punt return by Eric Hagg. However, Texas recovered the ensuing onside kick and running back Cody Johnson converted a 24-yard run on second down to seal Texas' victory.
Texas' quarterback Garrett Gilbert led the Longhorns' offense, rushing 11 times for 71 yards and two TDs, all career-highs, while passing for 63 yards on four completions. It was the Longhorns' fewest passing yards in a win since Nov. 12, 1983 (53 yards in a 20-14 win over TCU). Texas rushed for 209 yards on 46 carries, led by Gilbert, Johnson (11 carries for 73 yards) and running back Tre' Newton (10 rushes for 41 yards). Texas' kicker Justin Tucker connected on 2-of-2 field goals, making attempts from 27 and 28 yards.
GREAT MOMENT
Texas 27, Texas A&M 25
Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011
Kyle Field (College Station, Texas)
In the two teams' last meeting as members of the Big 12 Conference, Texas held A&M to nearly 200 total yards under their season average of 512.4 total yards per game as the Longhorns pulled off a dramatic 27-25 victory over the Aggies in College Station. The win gave Texas a 5-1 lead in the annual State Farm Lone Star Showdown, a 10-4 lead over the Aggies during the Mack Brown era, and an overall record of 76-37-5 in the third-most played rivalry in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision.
The Texas defense proved stellar, forcing a then season-high four turnovers (three interceptions and one fumble) and holding A&M to over 100 yards below its season rushing average of 218.6 yards per game. Texas A&M took a 25-24 lead inside the game's final two minutes behind a 16-yard touchdown pass from Tannehill to A&M wide receiver Jeff Fuller. A failed two-point conversion meant Texas could win the game with a field goal.
The Longhorns, behind sophomore quarterback Case McCoy, needed to drive 71 yards with 1:48 left in the game to position themselves for the win. On third-and-one from the UT 48-yard-line, McCoy found freshman wide receiver Miles Onyegbule for four yards and a first down to the A&M 48. On the very next play, with only 44 seconds remaining, McCoy tucked the ball and ran for 25 yards to the Aggies' 23-yard line. Junior wide receiver Marquise Goodwin and Johnson each ran for no gain on successive plays, and Texas called for time with three seconds left in the game. Texas A&M burned its final timeout just prior to the field-goal attempt, but senior Justin Tucker booted a 40-yard field goal as time expired to give Texas the victory as the jubilant Longhorns spilled onto Kyle Field in celebration.
GREAT GAME
Texas 27, Texas A&M 25
Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011
Kyle Field (College Station, Texas)
In the two teams' last meeting as members of the Big 12 Conference, Texas senior Justin Tucker booted a 40-yard field goal as time expired to give Texas a 27-25 victory over Texas A&M Thanksgiving Night in the State Farm Lone Star Showdown at Kyle Field.
The Texas offense fought back from a 13-0 deficit in the second quarter with a 41-yard touchdown pass from true-freshman wide receiver Jaxon Shipley to senior tight end Blaine Irby, his third straight game with a touchdown reception, cutting the A&M lead to 13-7. In the third quarter, after an A&M field goal which put the Aggies up 16-7, UT sophomore cornerback Carrington Byndom picked off A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill and returned the ball 58 yards into the endzone, cutting the A&M lead to 16-14.
The Longhorns earned their first lead of the night later after an 81-yard punt return by freshman cornerback Quandre Diggs and a subsequent 23-yard field goal from Tucker. With 7:44 left in the third quarter and Texas holding a slim 17-16 lead, the Texas defense forced another turnover on the Aggies' next series, as junior safety Kenny Vaccaro picked off Tannehill at the A&M 24-yard line. A few plays later senior running back Cody Johnson plunged into the end zone from a yard out, and Texas took a 24-16 lead with 4:04 remaining in the third quarter.
Texas kept Texas A&M off of the scoreboard until 5:56 remained in the fourth quarter, when A&M's Randy Bullock knocked in a 32-yard field goal to cut the Horns' lead to 24-19. Texas A&M took a 25-24 lead inside the game's final two minutes behind a 16-yard touchdown pass from Tannehill to A&M wide receiver Jeff Fuller.
The Longhorns, behind sophomore quarterback Case McCoy, needed to drive 71 yards with 1:48 left in the game to position themselves for the win. On third-and-one from the UT 48-yard-line, McCoy found freshman wide receiver Miles Onyegbule for four yards and a first down to the A&M 48. On the very next play, with only 44 seconds remaining, McCoy tucked the ball and ran for 25 yards to the Aggies' 23-yard line. Junior wide receiver Marquise Goodwin and Johnson each ran for no gain on successive plays, and Texas called for time with three seconds left in the game. Texas A&M burned its final timeout just prior to the field-goal attempt, but Tucker converted moments later to give Texas the victory as the jubilant Longhorns spilled onto Kyle Field in celebration.
The Texas defense was stellar, forcing a then season-high four turnovers and holding A&M to over 100 yards below its season rushing average of 218.6 yards per game, and nearly 200 total yards under their season average of 512.4 total yards per game.
The dramatic win by Texas was witnessed by 88,645 spectators -- the second largest crowd in Kyle Field history -- on a crisp Thanksgiving night in what was a thrilling end to possibly the last meeting of the two teams in the 118 year-old rivalry.
GREAT MOMENT
Texas 33, Iowa State 7
Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012
DKR- Texas Memorial Stadium (Austin)
The Longhorn family lost a legend with the passing of former head coach Darrell K Royal. The Saturday after his death, the Longhorns honored Royal on their first play from scrimmage against Iowa State by lining up in the Wishbone formation, which Royal pioneered. The Horns went with a trick play and quarterback David Ash handed the ball off to Jaxon Shipley. Shipley threw the ball back to Ash who threw the ball to Greg Daniels for a 47-yard gain. In addition, the team honored Royal by wearing special “DKR” decals on its helmets on that game and until the end of the season. His initials also adorned the logo at midfield and a video tribute was shown at halftime.
GREAT GAME
Texas 31, #15 Oregon State 27
Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012
Alamo Bowl (San Antonio)
Though the Longhorns were in a 10-point deficit heading into the fourth quarter of the Valero Alamo Bowl, the offense surged and defense rallied and they emerged with a 31-27 comeback victory over No. 15 Oregon State.
Quarterback David Ash threw two touchdown passes in the final quarter and completed his final seven passes, including a 36-yard TD to Marquise Goodwin with 2:24 left to give Texas its first lead of the game. Before the game-winning touchdown, freshman Johnathan Gray carried the ball for 3 yards out of the Wild formation to convert on fourth-and-1 and keep the win within reach.
Gray scored the other fourth-quarter touchdown after Ash avoided a sack attempt, scrambled to his left and hit Gray for a 15-yard touchdown reception, his first touchdown catch of his career. That score with 8:12 left in the game, cut the deficit to 27-24.
In the first half, the Beavers outgained the Longhorns by more than 100 yards and had 16 first downs to Texas’ four. With the help of a 9-yard run from Terron Ward, Oregon State scored the final 10 points of the first half to earn a 20-10 advantage heading into the break. A 64-yard double-reverse TD run by Goodwin was Texas’ only production in the first half.
But the second half was a completely different story for the Longhorns. The defense came alive and only allowed 69 total yards, including minus-4 in the fourth quarter. In his last game as a Longhorn, senior Alex Okafor set an Alamo Bowl record with 4 1/2 of Texas’ 10 sacks. It was also tied for the third-highest sack total in bowl game history. Quandre Diggs and Peter Jinkens each had an interception.
The Longhorns forced three turnovers and Beavers quarterback Cody Vaz was held to 194 yards passing and two interceptions. Oregon State entered the game ranked 34th in the country in total offense, while Texas ranked 37th.
Ash hurdled over the goal line to begin the scoring in the second half but Beaver running back Storm Woods countered the score with a 2-yard touchdown run in the final seconds of the third quarter to regain a 10-point lead. That was the last time the Beavers found the end zone.
The Beavers got the ball back with 2:24 remaining with a four-point deficit, but couldn’t convert and Vaz was sacked by Okafor and then Kendall Thompson on the final two plays of the game.
Ash kneeled three times to end the game and give Texas its ninth bowl win in its last 11 appearances. Goodwin was named offensive MVP and Okafor was the defensive MVP.
GREAT GAME
Texas 36, #10 Oklahoma 20
Saturday, Oct. 12, 2013
Cottom Bowl (Dallas)
Four different Longhorns scored touchdowns as Texas improved to 4-2 with a 36-20 victory over No. 12/10 Oklahoma in the annual AT&T Red River Rivalry in the Cotton Bowl.
Case McCoy threw for 190 yards and two touchdowns, while Jonathan Gray and Malcolm Brown both topped 100 yards rushing in the game. The Longhrons never trailed as they led wire-to-wire to defeat the Sooners for the first time since 2009.
Texas also scored two non-offensive touchdowns in one game for the first time since 2009 - one on a 31-interception return from Chris Whaley and another on an 85-yard punt return from Daje Johnson.
Oklahoma finished 2-of-13 on third down while Texas was 13-of-20 in the win. Most importantly, the Longhorns were even in the turnover battle after being plagued by those miscues during their three-game losing streak to the Sooners.
GREAT GAME
Texas 33, #24 West Virginia 16
Saturday, Nov. 8, 2014
DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium (Austin)
Jonathan Gray and Malcolm Brown combined for 191 rushing yards and three touchdowns and the Texas defense held No. 24/25 West Virginia’s high-powered offense in check in a 33-16 win at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
Texas used a strong rushing attack for the second consecutive week, piling up 227 yards in the victory. Cedric Reed led a defesnsive effort that saw the Longhorns hold WVU to a season-low in points, well below its season average of 36.1. Reed was disruptive throughout, totaling 12 tackles, four for a loss and three sacks while forcing a fumble.
The Longhorns used a big second quarter and led 24-3, and held the Mountaineers scoreless in the third quarter to maintain the large lead.
GREAT GAME
Texas 24, #9 Oklahoma 17
Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015
Cottom Bowl (Dallas)
For the second time in three seasons, the Texas Longhorns defeated a top-10 Oklahoma team to come away victorious in the annual AT&T Red River Showdown, 24-17. The win, which marked UT’s highest over an AP-ranked team under Charlie Strong, was also the Longhorns’ sixth victory in the last 11 meetings, improving Texas’ all-time record against Oklahoma to 61-44-5.
The Longhorns rushed for a season-high 313 yards and its defense posted a season-best six sacks to go along with eight tackles for loss in the win. Two different Longhorns rushed for over 100 yards, as D’Onta Foreman and Jerrod Heard combined for 232 rushing yards. The 313 yards on the ground marked the most for Texas since rushing for 359 in a win over New Mexico State on Aug. 31, 2013.
GREAT GAME
Texas 23, #12 Baylor 17
Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015
McLane Stadium (Waco)
Heading into the regular season finale, the No. 12 Baylor Bears had scored on their first drive of every game during the 2015 season. The Texas Longhorns stuffed the Bears’ first drive and all of their other drives in the first half to grab a 23-17 road victory in Waco to finish the 2015 season on a high note and carry momentum into the offseason.
Texas was able to keep the nation’s top offense at bay for much of the contest as Baylor was held scoreless in the first half for the first time since Oct. 29, 2011.
The Longhorns quickly stole momentum, jumping out to a 20-0 halftime lead and holding on for an impressive road victory.
GREAT GAME
Texas 50, #10 Notre Dame 47 (2OT)
Sunday, September 4, 2016
DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium (Austin)
In front of a Darrell K Royal - Texas Memorial Stadium record crowd of 102, 315, Texas defeated No. 10 Notre Dame on Sunday night Sept. 4 during Opening Weekend of college football. A national TV audience on ABC witnessed the thrilling game as the Longhorns knocked off the Fighting Irish 50-47 in double-overtime.
Texas led 21-14 at halftime, and took the lead late in the fourth quarter on a D’Onta Foreman touchdown run. But, the ensuing extra point was blocked by Notre Dame and returned for two points, tying the score at 35 apiece to force overtime.
Tyrone Swoopes scored in the first overtime to give Texas the lead, but Notre Dame answered with a touchdown on the first play of their OT possession. After a Fighting Irish field goal, Swoopes once again found the end zone, diving across the goal line to give the Longhorns the victory.
GREAT MOMENT
#11 West Virginia 24, Texas 20
Saturday, November 12, 2016
DKR- Texas Memorial Stadium (Austin)
With Longhorn Legend Earl Campbell in attendance, running back D’Onta Foreman tied the school record with his 11th consecutive 100-yard rushing performance. With the record already tied by halftime, the 1977 Heisman Trophy winner congratulated Foreman on the field as he headed to the locker room for halftime.
Foreman would break the record the following week at Kansas and finished his Longhorn career with 13 consecutive 100-yard games.