The No. 10 Texas Longhorns went into Saturday’s game at No. 5 Georgia in desperate need of a win to keep their College Football Playoff hopes going for another week. They not only did not get the win, they were severely out-played, and perhaps even more concerning, severely out-coached in a 35-10 defeat.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart not only called a brilliant game and pushed all of the right buttons for the Bulldogs, but he also dominated the game from the sidelines.
Texas’ Steve Sarkisian had no answer for Kirby Smart
The most glaring takeaway from this game was simply how unprepared Texas looked for the moment.
Even though the season has been disappointing, given the preseason hype, a College Football Playoff spot was still within reach and the Longhorns had a great opportunity to prove themselves on Saturday.
Instead, they completely self-destructed with the game — and season, in a national championship sense — on the line.
This went beyond quarterback Arch Manning and any narratives about him or his play.
It went beyond the talent level on either side of the ball.
All of that may have played a role and been a part of the final result, but the overwhelming aspect was just how flat Texas looked and how badly it crumbled in the second half.
Overall, the Longhorns averaged just 1.4 yards per rush and were out-gained 128-23 on the ground.
They committed nine penalties.
But where the game really got away from Texas and Sarkisian was late in the third quarter.
The Longhorns had Georgia backed up inside its own territory, facing a fourth-and-one in what was at the time a 14-10 game. Texas had just scored and seemed to be crawling back into the game. It was at that point that Smart really started to coach circles around Sarkisian.
Georgia went for the fourth down and absolutely befuddled the Texas defense with a formation and motion that produced an easy conversion. The Bulldogs then marched right down the field to take a 21-10 lead.
Then Smart really delivered the knockout punch.
On the ensuing kickoff, Georgia went with a surprise onside kick that Texas was clearly not expecting.
