The Texas Longhorns beat the Wyoming Cowboys 31-10 after three sluggish quarters of football.
Watching the first three quarters felt like the Longhorns in the Charlie Strong/Tom Herman era, from bad play calling to poor offense and just simply playing down to the opponent.
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If Texas wants to start off Big 12 conference play hot, they will need to sharpen some things up because they cannot afford to be tied going into the fourth quarter with an inferior opponent.
Even though Texas eventually won by three scores, there will always be someone to praise and something to pick on. Here are a few studs and duds from Texas’ victory that lead them to 3-0 on the season.
Stud: Jonathon Brooks
Texas running back Jonathon Brooks (24) leaps over the Wyoming defense to get a first down in the first quarter of the Longhorns’ game against the Wyoming Cowboys, Saturday, Sept. 16 at Darrell K RoyalÐTexas Memorial Stadium in Austin.
Jonathon Brooks filled in for CJ Baxter extremely well, rushing for 164 yards on 21 carries, averaging 7.1 yards per attempt. He was easily the best player on the team and proved that he can carry the load if needed.
Stud: Jerrin Thompson
Texas Longhorns defensive back Jerrin Thompson (28) intercepts the ball from Wyoming Cowboys wide receiver Ayir Asante (5) during the Texas Longhorns’ game against the Wyoming Cowboys, Saturday, Sept. 16 at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin. Thompson went on to score a touchdown.
Jerrin Thompson is one of the most solid players on this star-studded Texas defense. Thompson recorded his second interception of the season when he picked off Wyoming quarterback Evan Svobada and returned it for a touchdown. He is playing well in his senior season and hopes to continue that when Big 12 conference play starts.
Dud: Steve Sarkisian
Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian watches a play during the Texas Longhorns’ game against the Wyoming Cowboys, Saturday, Sept. 16 at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin.
Steve Sarkisian didn’t call his best game. Whether it comes down to confidence in his team, or not wanting to show off his creativity, Sark had an off night. It seemed like there was at least three screen passes on each offensive possession and he was just waiting on one to go the distance. It finally happened in the fourth quarter when Quinn Ewers pitched it to Xavier Worthy for a 44-yard touchdown. Sark also said that Wyoming brought out a different defense than what was on film, though he will still have to prepare for anything when conference play starts. I still trust Sarkisian and I believe that his creativity is still there, and he will put it on the field when Texas plays tougher opponents.
Dud: Quinn Ewers
Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) runs the ball against Alabama during the game at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday, Sep. 9, 2023 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Quinn Ewers was mediocre and didn’t play well enough to call him a stud for his performance vs Wyoming. Ewers had the worst pass grade of the year and only completed 52.4% of his passes for 131 yards. 44 of those yards came on a screen play from Xavier Worthy for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, in which they scored 21 straight points to ice the game. Ewers was off target on most of his passes and will need to be sharper with conference games starting this week.