To say we were expectant I think would be a bit of a stretch. The national media and analysts touted a whipping of Michigan in The Big House pre-game. However, I think Longhorn nation were a little more reserved. I think that’s a good thing — and off the back of that we were able to deliver dominant display of football.
Nothing is owed to us in life. Nothing. Everything is earned. A mentality that is becoming clear Steve Sarkisian has been able to drill into this Texas Longhorn football team. A mentality that delivered a 12-31 victory over the reigning Natty champs. A victory that cemented the intent and ferocity that this group of young men has to WIN.
What we saw in Ann Arbor wasn’t a masterclass. It just wasn’t. The full-throttle intensity of the first half wasn’t matched in the second. We were timid after the break. Or so I thought.
We lacked some killer instinct in the second where we could have turned a romp into an embarrassment. You could say we had a humanitarian approach in the second half, stopping shy of beheading the Wolverine and galloping back to Texas.
A lot of the post-game talk has talked of a whipping of Michigan. Is this a whipping? I’d like to think not. I would say it’s a convincing victory. Another solid performance from Quinn Ewers, and as I expected no air time for Arch. But “whipping”? No, sir. Maybe my disappointment in the lack of second-half scoring is naïve, maybe I don’t know the game of football well enough to recognize this victory for the dominance Texas displayed.
And Texas were dominant. Impressing in defense, taking away the run game, and forcing Michigan to squander their chances of advancing down the field with any authority. Quinn Ewers as I already mentioned with another stellar performance. A great showing from stay players Matthew Golden, Ryan Wingo, and Silas Bolden. But it was Gunnar Helm that really made a name for himself. The kid seemed to be absolutely everywhere. In Helm we trust.
I’m still getting used to analysing football games with any kind of cohesive clarity. But something that stood out to me on Saturday was the way that Sark made use of the Tight End more — and unexpectedly — so than the previous game.
Sark’s ability to confidently switch tactics, deploying routes, personnel, and blocking schemes in different ways is something that I see setting him and this Texas team apart for the rest of the season. The level of trust Sark has in his guys is huge. It makes us unpredictable. It makes us scary. Combine that with a defense that has NO problem turning the ball over, it’s a recipe for success. I think it’s time to coin the phrase “Sark’s Safe Hands”.
I’m excited to see what the future holds. And I’m also excited that our little gremlins got to experience this win with us. Here’s to more, and a hopefully easy trip home next week for UTSA.
Hook ’em.
Hooked: UT Football through a UK lens. 
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