The Texas Longhorns have once again raised the blood pressure of the Texas fans as the Longhorns survive another nail-biting ballgame.
It wasn’t a pretty four-quarter performance from the Longhorns; however, the number eight now sits in the win column as the Longhorns took down the LSU Tigers 22-21 in a messy and drama-filled battle under the lights in Tiger Stadium.
While the Texas offense and Arch Manning were able to piece together a final touchdown drive to steal the win away from the Tigers, the Longhorns wouldn’t have been in that position if it weren’t for defensive coordinator Will Muschamp and his defense.
The Longhorns’ defense didn’t have its normal full-game dominating performance, as it’s been accustomed to seeing out of that unit. The Tigers’ offense did find some success against Muschamp’s crew, totaling over 300 yards of offense, with several downfield passes and one big rushing touchdown.
While the Tigers’ offense did manage to move the ball, the Texas defense had its moments, especially from safety Jelani McDonald, who intercepted LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt three times.
And the Texas offense didn’t do its defense any favors, as the unit was unable to cash in on any of those turnovers. In fact, the turnovers did more damage to the Texas offense than help it as Manning threw two interceptions of his own after seeing his defense pick off Leavitt three times.
However, the Longhorns’ defense did not wilt or waver despite the offensive issues and what felt like a back-breaking 44-yard rushing touchdown from LSU running back Dilin Jones late in the third quarter.
Trailing 21-10, Muschamp’s unit hardened; after the big rushing touchdown, the LSU offense stalled and ultimately froze. In its final four possessions, LSU punted all four times, running just 15 plays for negative one yards.
And with the Longhorns’ defense keeping the Tigers off the scoreboard, it allowed a still-sputtering offense to slowly find its footing and inch closer to a comeback. Texas found six points from back-to-back field goals, but struggles still lingered.
Texas followed the two made field goals with Manning’s third interception of the night and a three-and-out; however, the Texas defense remained strong and gave the ball back to its offense with 2:19 minutes left to go in the game.
Manning would finally repay the defense for their performance, orchestrating a 12-play, 58-yard touchdown drive, finding running back Raleek Brown out of the backfield for the go-ahead score with three seconds left.
The Longhorns now firmly control their College Football Playoff destiny following the win over LSU, and the defense should get a good amount of the credit for it.
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