The Reheat: Kentucky

Texas overcomes a weird second half curse and breaks Kentucky behind a dominant pass rush and run game.

Welcome to The Reheat. A weekly recap of the previous day’s game, just popped out of the microwave. Look for it every Sunday, rain or shine.

Fans crave electric offenses in football, and for good reason. A quick-scoring, high-octane offense is frenetic, heart-pounding, and exhilarating—like being inches away from the speakers at (insert your favorite band’s concert). It might feel good, but it isn’t always good for you. Those kinds of offenses have their issues—just ask Lincoln Riley or the Kliff Kingsbury Texas Tech teams. They often leave their defenses for dead and lack a holistic view of how to win football games. I’d argue there’s something even better than a chest-pumping offense, and it’s equally, if not more, face-melting: an elite pass rush.

Through 11 games and 10 wins, Texas has 33 sacks, led by two absolute thoroughbreds in Anthony Hill Jr. and Colin Simmons, with Trey Moore coming on faster than the playoff dreams of Alabama, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M shattered. 

The elite pass rush, combined with a shutdown secondary, is the ultimate floor-raiser, and Steve Sarkisian continues to show he’s aware of that fact. In yesterday’s 31-14 victory over the Kentucky Wildcats, so much had to go right for Big Blue to even get 14 points on the board. Their one offensive scoring drive included a drive-saving penalty on a defensive delay of game, a horrible missed holding call on Simmons, and a fourth-and-goal touchdown that was inches away from being a pass breakup. Their second touchdown came off a defensive pick and mid-air scoop-and-score during a rapid outbreak of fumble-itis in the third quarter.

I don’t know what kind of juju fell over Darrell K Royal Memorial Stadium in the second half, but it was the tensest crowd I can ever remember. It seemed impossible not to fumble the football. If Coach Boone of Remember the Titans fame is still around, he might be a good offseason hire. The fumble party felt like some sort of punishment for an animal sacrifice—or something dark and sinister—that occurred in the bathrooms during halftime. I don’t know; I thought we were going to see the earliest victory formation in football history for a second there. I was ready to cover my eyes and wait for it to be over.

But alas, the score ended up about where it should have been all along. When many fans might have felt like Texas was being punished, Sarkisian and his offensive line doled out the punishment with a 15-play drive that drained eight minutes off the clock, capped by a Quintrevion Wisner touchdown. Sark displayed again that he’ll manage the game in such a way that gets the comfortable win but doesn’t expose either side of the ball to unnecessary risk—especially with Quinn Ewers playing on a hurt ankle. Sark could do that because his defense and pass rush are the ultimate floor-raisers for a team. A dominant run game that eats clock and breaks the will of opponents is also like that. The Longhorns have been missing that element all season, but maybe that weird stretch of last night’s game allowed Sark and company to find it.

Fire The Cannon for: Tre Wisner and the offensive line, who literally put the team on their backs and bowled Kentucky over. What a way for several offensive linemen to go out at DKR—maybe all of them. Jake Majors and Hayden Conner were honored on Senior Day, but Kelvin Banks is a surefire first-round pick after three seasons, while juniors Cameron Williams and DJ Campbell are playing their best football of the season.

Horns Up on Offense for: Quinn Ewers’ first-half performance.

Horns Up on Defense for: The aforementioned pass rush behind Moore, Hill, and Simmons, plus Barryn Sorrell. I can’t feel my face.

Bevo’s Bucket for: Whatever fan did something terrible to bring on that second-half fumble party.

Schadenfreude of the Week:

https://x.com/AuburnFootball/status/1860552030408049055

This Piping Hot Take Burned the Roof of My Mouth: I will eat way less than I normally do on Thanksgiving. The reunion with the Aggies in College Station is for an SEC Championship rematch against Georgia. My stomach is twisted in a baker’s dozen worth of knots already.

Hype Train Level: Beat A&M.