Texas looks like Big 12 contender after impressive win over No. 17 TCU

Texas looks like it’s going to have a say in the Big 12 race.

The jokes about Texas being “back” have been incessant in recent years. After Saturday’s 31-16 win over No. 17 TCU, that’s inching closer to reality.

The Longhorns and Horned Frogs played a mostly even first half, with TCU going into the break holding a 13-10 advantage thanks to a Jalen Reagor touchdown catch six seconds before the teams retreated to the locker rooms.

TCU extended its lead to 16-10 with a field goal midway through the third. But then Texas flipped the game on its head.

The game turned in a 17-second span

While the Texas offense scuffled throughout the third, the defense kept things close. A Brandon Jones interception of TCU QB Shawn Robinson halted a drive earlier in the third, and a Robinson fumble, forced by Marqez Bimage and recovered by Jones, later in the quarter put Texas in position to reclaim a lead it would never give back.

Seven plays after the fumble, Sam Ehlinger found Collin Johnson for a 31-yard touchdown. It was an awesome catch by Johnson, who led the way with seven receptions for 124 yards.

On the first play of TCU’s ensuing drive, Robinson threw another pick, this time right into the arms of Caden Sterns. Sterns, who also picked off TCU wideout KaVontae Turpin on a trick play in the first half, returned the ball all the way to the 2-yard line. That set up another score, a two-yard run by Ehlinger, for Texas’ second touchdown in a 17-second span.

Just like that, TCU’s 16-10 advantage flipped to a 24-16 deficit.

On TCU’s next drive, Jonathan Song missed from 41 yards (the first miss of his career), giving the ball back to the Longhorns. Ten plays later, Ehlinger delivered the dagger, a 38-yard strike to Lil’Jordan Humphrey to put the Horned Frogs away for good.

What does this mean for Texas?

Texas (3-1, 1-0 Big 12) is going to have a say in the Big 12 race. The opening loss to Maryland could have been demoralizing, but Tom Herman kept his team moving forward. The Longhorns got back on track in Week 2 by beating Tulsa, and finally showed flashes of their potential with last week’s home win over No. 22 USC.

TCU showed how talented it is against Ohio State last week. Texas proved it is just as talented, if not more so. The defense was especially impressive, forcing four turnovers. While TCU, which entered Saturday with a four-game winning streak over UT, was consistently getting pressure on Ehlinger and keeping the UT offense in check, the defense kept things tight.

The running game did not have much success, but Ehlinger and the Texas wideouts showed out when it mattered. Johnson and Humphrey, who are listed at 6-foot-6 and 6-foot-4 respectively, combined for 11 catches for 204 yards and two scores. They were lethal on third down, too, running through arm tackles from the TCU secondary.

Texas has a chance to make some noise. Oklahoma is clearly the class of the conference, but if the defense continues to play at this level and the offense keeps progressing, Texas has a chance to make some noise.

What does this mean for TCU?

It’s a tough setback to start Big 12 play for the Horned Frogs (2-2, 0-1), especially on the heels of last week’s wacky Ohio State game — a game that TCU led 21-13 midway through the third before losing 40-28. Turnovers clearly doomed the Horned Frogs, and Robinson, who was banged up late in the game, had his worst performance of the year.

With a bye week coming up, TCU has a chance to regroup before winnable games against Iowa State and Texas Tech, both at home. Oklahoma visits Fort Worth after that, so Gary Patterson’s group will have plenty of chances to right the ship.

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