Texas Longhorns Defeat the Kentucky Wildcats In An OT Thriller

Let’s be honest, nobody’s submitting that Texas vs. Kentucky game to the Football Hall of Fame. If you had to sit through that 16-13 snooze fest, you deserve a medal. It was the kind of game that makes you question your life choices. But hey, a win is a win, even if it’s the ugliest one you’ll see all season.

The Longhorns, fresh off a glorious high from dismantling their rival Oklahoma, came crashing back down to Earth so hard it probably registered on the Richter scale. They entered the game as heavy favorites and played like they’d never seen a football before. Lucky for them, Kentucky seemed determined to match their level of sheer offensive incompetence.

What Happened To Arch Manning?

After looking like the second coming of, well, a Manning, against Oklahoma, Arch took a massive step backward. The sophomore quarterback looked completely out of sorts, completing just 12 of 27 passes for a measly 132 yards. He was missing wide-open receivers all night, posting a career-worst 44.4% completion rate. It was painful to watch. At one point, he went 1-for-9 on his pass attempts. Yikes.

But credit where it’s due. When it mattered most, Manning managed to pull a rabbit out of his hat. On a crucial third-and-7 late in the game, he connected with DeAndre Moore Jr. for a nine-yard gain that set up the go-ahead field goal. It was a rare flash of competence in a sea of mediocrity. The Manning family is now 8-1 against Kentucky. I guess some things are just destined to be.

Did the Texas Offense Even Show Up?

Simply put, no. The Texas offense was a dumpster fire. They scraped together a pathetic 179 total yards. The running game was even worse, averaging a horrific 1.7 yards per carry. It was a performance so bad, it was almost impressive. If it weren’t for the defense and special teams, the Longhorns would have been laughed out of Lexington.

The defense did everything it could to keep Texas in the game. Their shining moment was a goal-line stand in overtime that felt like something out of a movie. Then, Mason Shipley, the hero we didn’t know we needed, kicked the game-winning field goal. Special teams also came up huge, with Ryan Niblett’s 43-yard punt return setting up a key score.

So, where does Texas go from here? They somehow managed to escape with a 5-2 record, but this kind of performance won’t fly against tougher SEC opponents. The offense has a lot of soul-searching to do before they face Mississippi State. It can only go up from here… right? Please tell me it can only go up from here.