Texas Longhorns Upset Highlights Saturday Action
The first college football Saturday of October left us with a memorable one in Dallas, Texas today as the Red River Rivalry took on yet another classic chapter in the long and storied history between the two programs.
Elsewhere we saw several upsets take place in the SEC that shift the balance of power in the Top 25.
Surely another fun-filled Saturday of college football, here is my recap of the biggest stories from Saturday’s games.
Longhorns Outlast Sooners In Upset Victory
The Texas Longhorns held off a furious 4th quarter rally by the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday to upset Oklahoma 48-45.
Sam Ehlinger would have arguably the best game of his college career as he finished the game with 315 passing yards and 5 TDs (3 rushing) in the Red River rivalry game.
Oklahoma’s defense would be gashed through the first three quarters as Texas scored 45 points and were in control 45-24 after three.
Freshman sensation Kyler Murray wouldn’t go down without a fight in the final period of the game as Oklahoma scored 21 unanswered points to tie the game at 45-45 with 2:38 remaining in the game.
That would be enough time for Sam Ehlinger to guide the Longhorns offense 52 yards down the field for freshman kicker Cameron Dicker to play the hero with a game-winning 40-yard field goal with nine seconds remaining.
Tom Herman and the Texas Longhorns got off to a shaky start to the 2018 season with a shocking 34-29 loss on the road to the Maryland Terps.
That loss is in the rear view mirror after three consecutive upset victories over ranked opponents, this being the most meaningful as Oklahoma coming in was the No. 7 ranked team in the country.
Texas (5-1) continued to expose the many holes that head coach Lincoln Riley’s team has on the defensive side of the ball on Saturday, totaling 501 yards (a season-high).
Now with a signature win over their rivals, #19 Texas has a legitimate opportunity to become a manager player as a top team team in the country.
LSU, Auburn & Kentucky Upset In Road Games
The SEC shakeup is underway after three teams ranked in the top 15 — two in the top 10 — were knocked off this week in conference road games.
LSU, the No. 5 ranked team in the country, were handed their first defeat of the 2018 season in Gainesville vs the Florida Gators 27-19. The Gators defense put a hurting on LSU quarterback Joe Burrow and the Tigers offense, forcing a pick-six late in the game to secure the victory.
Auburn would be limited to a season-low in points in a 23-9 loss to unranked Mississippi State. Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald would break Tim Tebow’s rushing yards record in a single game by rushing for 195 rushing yards to go along with two touchdowns in the win.
Kentucky, off to a surprising 5-0 start, would lose a heartbreaker in overtime vs the Texas A&M Aggies 20-14. Texas A&M running back Trayveon Williams (24 carries, 138 rushing yards, 1 TD) would score the game-winning TD in overtime after Kentucky would miss a field goal on their first possession of overtime.
Notre Dame Turns It On In Second Half To Down Virginia Tech
Brian Kelly’s Notre Dame Fighting Irish remained unbeaten with a 45-23 victory over the Virginia Tech Hokies on Saturday night at Lane Stadium.
Despite a wide final margin of victory, it would be anything but easy for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who entered the game as the No. 6 ranked team in the country.
The Hokies gave the Fighting Irish all they could handle in the first half in Blacksmith, but as they had done vs Stanford a week ago, Brian Kelly’s team would play their best football in the second half.
Behind quarterback Ian Book, Notre Dame would go on to outscore Virginia Tech 28-7 in the second half. The Fighting Irish got explosive plays from running back Dexter Williams (17 carries, 178 rushing yards, 3 TDs) and a steady one from Book, who finished the game with 271 passing yards and 2 TDs.
With two upsets taking place in the Top 10 his Saturday (LSU, Oklahoma), Notre Dame figures to crack the top 5 for the first time this season.
What are your thoughts on Saturday’s college football action? Leave your comments below!