After renewing a rivalry between two teams that haven’t crossed paths in 13 years, No. 3 Texas clinched a victory over No. 20 A&M 17-7, with the ground game coming through when the Longhorns needed it most.
Sophomore running back Quintrevion Wisner continued to prove himself as one of the most prominent and efficient parts of the rush game, accumulating 186 yards in 33 carries. This solidifies a new career high, with his last high obtained just last week against Kentucky. By the time the final whistle blew, Texas had out-rushed Texas A&M 240 to 98.
Head coach Steve Sarkisian said that while Wisner didn’t come to Texas as a highly coveted player, he has gained the trust of the staff and team due to his hard work.
“He earned a lot of trust from us a year ago,” Sarkisian said. “As much as everyone talks about our five star recruits and four star recruits, (Wisner) was not one of those guys. He was a really good high school football player, and the makeup of him, his mentality and from the day he showed up, all he’s done is work his tail off and be a great teammate, and last year on special teams he earned our trust.”
An unexpected runner also made a substantial impact for Texas. After a couple of unsuccessful first drives, the Longhorns found themselves on fourth down with two yards to go on the Aggie 15-yard line.
Texas decided to go for it, and redshirt freshman Arch Manning made his way onto the field. Manning, who is known for his speed and scramble abilities, replaced junior quarterback Quinn Ewers and not only got the first down for Texas, but after a stumble past a defender, made his way to the endzone. This was the first touchdown of the night, which ultimately allowed Texas to gain the momentum that led the Longhorns to shut out the Aggies in the first half, 17-0.
“This week with Quinn (Ewers) being limited, Arch (Manning) got some more reps, and we just wanted to keep him engaged in the game, and find some opportunities for him,” Sarkisian said. “And it’s a heck of a touchdown run by him to stay in bounds and get in the end zone. And that really kind of sparked us there to get everything started.”
Ewers, who sprained his ankle last week against Kentucky and up until game time was listed on the Southeastern Conference injury report as “probable,” was also able to use his legs effectively. When necessary, Ewers was able to scramble out of the pocket, complete a couple first downs and accumulate 29 rushing yards, on top of his impressive 218 throwing yards, and did it with both of his ankles taped up. Not known for being mobile outside of the pocket, Ewers proved himself efficient when necessary.
Senior tight end Gunnar Helm, who also had an impressive game with 56 receiving yards, revealed what it’s like to play for a teammate like Ewers and is proud of his run-game success.
“He’s a warrior and super easy to play for,” Helm said. “That long run, I think that fired all of us up and we’re all obviously super proud of him and super happy that he played the way he did.”
While there are still inconsistencies, mostly offensively, with back-to-back fumbles in the red zone and an interception which created A&M’s only scoring play, Texas will look to correct these mistakes as they get ready for the SEC Championship next week against Georgia.
Luckily for the Longhorns, Sarkisian’s philosophy this season has been to treat every game as if it is the Championship.
“Every week, Coach (Sarkisian) says ‘SEC Championship game,’” senior defensive lineman Alfred Collins said. “The way we prepare throughout the week, we prepare so good, I feel like on Saturdays, we’re ready, I feel like we showed that today.”