It was a cloudy and wet day at Darrel K. Royal Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas. The Longhorns came into this game 6-5, hoping to secure a win to finish the season after a month of football that certainly failed to meet the standards of this Texas Longhorns program. Texas had to finish the season on the strong note and they were able to thanks to their air and ground attack. The ‘Horns avoided an upset and defeated the Red Raiders by a score of 49-24.

Here are some of the highs and lows from yesterday’s game:

Slow Start

The Red Raiders offense came out scorching hot, jumping out to a quick 14-0 lead in the first quarter. It appeared as if Texas Longhorns defense would not be able stop this Texas Tech offense led by quarterback Jett Duffey, but the Longhorn offense kept them in the game in the first half. The ‘Horns were able to escape the first half up 28-21 and their defense held Texas Tech to only 10 second-half points. Despite the scary start that might have sent the entire city of Austin into oblivion, the Longhorns were able to come away with a 49-24 win in their regular season finale.

Player of the Game

Sam Ehlinger has been the key to the success of this team in 2019. Despite the defensive miscues throughout the year, the Longhorns have lived and died by the play of their quarterback. Today, Sam showed the country why he should still be considered one of the best quarterbacks in college football. In his last regular season game of the year, the junior finished with 348 yards in the air, 83 on the ground, and 3 total touchdowns in a victory over Texas Tech.

X-Factor: Roschon Johnson

The quarterback-turned-running back showed again why he was such an important acquisition for the team last offseason. Yes, when the depth chart was thin he stepped up, but he has continued to dominate defenses to the point where the Longhorns could possibly use him as a running back again in 2020. He has starter potential and he was a big factor today and will be an even bigger one next season. He finished the game with 105 yards and a career-best 3 touchdowns.

Best Offensive Touchdown

There was a very small hole that Ehlinger had to get this ball through in order to get the completion…and he did it like a pro. Ehlinger showed his superstar potential with this toss between two defenders for a touchdown to freshman Jake Smith, who also made a phenomenal grab on the play. Take a look at the sequence below:

One Concern

The Texas defense, specifically the secondary, has held this talented squad back all year. I’m sure this will be addressed in the off-season, as Herman made comments last week that referenced post-season coaching staff changes. The defense struggled mightily in the first half and although they only gave up 24 points, the defense allowed 470 total yards and made this game much closer than it should’ve been.

It didn’t look promising at first, but Texas was able to grab their 7th win of the year in Saturday’s regular season finale. As bowl season approaches, Texas certainly strengthened their resume with this dominant home win.