Nothing about this weekend was ever going to be easy — going into Death Valley and attempting to beat the supremely talented No. 21 LSU Tigers at night in the sixth conference game in six weeks for the No. 6 Texas Longhorns, who have already secured wins against four other ranked opponents.
But Friday’s shocking FAA ground stop threw everything into chaos. Just as the Longhorns were set to depart Austin, the order forced Steve Sarkisian’s team to deplane and return to campus for a meal, walk-though,
and meetings before the plane was finally able to depart seven hours late. By the time Texas got to its team hotel in Baton Rouge, it was past midnight.
Now it’s up to a team that Sarkisian lauded for its undeniable toughness last week to turn that inconvenience into a historical footnote instead of an excuse.
Able to keep their Saturday schedule, the Horns expect to perform well at Tiger Stadium, according to ESPN’s Holly Rowe.
With a win, Texas has a 95-percent chance to return to the College Football Playoff. With a loss? Down to 60 percent. Those are the stakes on Saturday.
Pregame player availability report
Ninety minutes before kickoff, fifth-year offensive lineman Cole Hutson and fifth-year defensive tackle Hero Kanu were both removed from the SEC-mandated player availability report.
Kanu is attempting to play through a torn bicep with a brace on his arm.
LSU linebacker Whit Weeks is a game-time decision after missing almost two months with a fractured leg, but according to the broadcast, Weeks will not play.
First quarter
LSU won the toss and deferred to the second half, kicking it away to Texas to start the game, a touchback.
Opening with a screen to junior wide receiver Ryan Wingo, the St. Louis product navigated traffic at the line of scrimmage and picked up 12 yards. After a three-yard run by fifth-year running back Raleek Brown, senior quarterback Arch Manning sailed a pass over Wingo’s head. On 3rd and 7, Texas picked up some pressure and Manning delivered a strike to sophomore running back Michael Terry III, lined up as a wide receiver, to move the chains.
In four-down territory in another 3rd and 7, Manning showed some patience and good feet to pick up five yards. Needing only two yards to continue the drive, Manning took a shot to junior wide receiver Emmett Mosley V instead, and Mosley drew a pass-interference penalty.
An inside run by Brown gained six yards, but Manning’s feet died in the pocket from an empty formation and his throw to senior tight end Michael Masunas wasn’t accurate. Scrambling on 3rd and 4, Manning picked 13 yards as LSU was also called for defensive holding. After another pass-interference penalty, this time drawn by Wingo, Manning walked in for an easy one-yard touchdown on a bootleg and a 7-0 lead.
LSU responded, tying the game at 7-7 after quarterback Sam Leavitt converted a 3rd and 7 early in the drive before finding some real momentum through the air, hitting a pass over the middle for 18 yards and connecting with Jackson Harris for a 10-yard touchdown on another 3rd and 7.
Texas was able to pick up one first down on its subsequent drive when Manning recognized man coverage behind an overload blitz and scrambled for 15 yards, but LSU blew up the running back screen Sarkisian has brought back over the last two weeks, Brown couldn’t find much running room up the middle, and Manning had to scramble under pressure for no gain, forcing the Horns to punt the ball away.
The first turnover of the game, a tipped-ball interception by Texas senior safety Jelani McDonald, didn’t amount of anything more than an arm punt when Manning’s throw up the sideline to junior wide receiver Cam Coleman was broken up and a third-down target of Mosley missed badly.
A blitz by Longhorns senior linebacker Justin Cryer got home as Leavitt felt pressure and tried to spin out of it. The first quarter ended on a designed quarterback run that picked up six yards, setting up 3rd and 14 as the second quarter started.
Second quarter
LSU converted it, taking a free-access throw against senior cornerback Warren Roberson in off coverage that turned into a big gain when Roberson broke down in the open field and missed the tackle. When sophomore defensive tackle Myron Charles was called for a face-mask penalty playing run defense, LSU was out towards midfield, where McDonald had a second interception go through his hands. Leavitt secured a fresh set of downs when senior cornerback Bo Mascoe was beat on a slant route.
A big opening in the Texas defense allowed Harris to gain 26 yards and Leavitt ran for six yards into the low red zone. After an illegal shift formation by LSU, senior linebacker Rasheem Biles came on an interior blitz and Leavitt threw a bad interception to McDonald in the end zone.
Sarkisian started the drive conservatively with two interior runs by Brown. The first went for no gain and the second only picked up four yards, allowing a speed rush off the edge that badly beat senior left tackle Andre Cojoe. As Manning tried to escape, he was pulled down from his jersey collar, a clear penalty that went uncalled, and made a bad decision throwing into coverage, an interception that was returned to the 7-yard line.
Cryer took down Leavitt behind the line of scrimmage in a good sudden-change response. Less positive was Mascoe getting beat by Harris, holding the LSU wide receiver in desperation, and then celebrating the supposed pass break up even though Harris had the ball in the end zone for a nine-yard touchdown and a 14-7 lead.
Back to the air, the inaccurate throws by Manning continued on first down, but he was able to connect with Brown on second down for six yards, then completed a free-access throw to Mosley at the line to gain. A screen to freshman wide receiver Jermaine Bishop kept the Horns on schedule until a glance run-pass option throw was knocked down at the line of scrimmage. Facing 3rd and 4, Brown came up just short and the offense stayed on the field. With Manning lined up under center for a sneak, the ball was snapped directly to Brown, who took the edge for the first down.
In the shot zone, a play-action pass resulted in a long-developing comeback to Bishop, who picked up some yards after the catch on a 34-yard gain into the red zone.
Trying to target Brown in the end zone didn’t work against sticky coverage, fifth-year center Connor Roberson was called for holding on a quarterback draw, a screen to Brown was blown up for a loss, and Manning had to settle for a check down to sophomore tight end Emaree Winston to made it an easy field goal for senior Gianni Spetic, who was accurate from 42 yards to make it a 14-10 game.
Good rush-lane integrity forced Leavitt to go down in the backfield in first down trying to make an off-schedule play. A five-yard completion to tight end Tre’Dez Green set up 3rd and 5, a throwaway by Leavitt, who was hit high by senior edge Brad Spence, drawing a flag for a personal foul.
Before the two-minute timeout, a review overturned a completed pass on the field. In a less positive development for Will Muschamp’s defense, Green got open over the middle for a 21-yard gain to the Texas 34-yard line.
A good cut in the backfield by Dilin Jones produced an important nine-yard gain as the Tigers tried to add points before halftime. Another run by Jones initially appeared to move the chains, but was overturned on review, setting up 3rd and 1. In a jumbo formation, LSU was stuffed by Texas sophomore defensive end Lance Jackson, who blew up the blow. The Longhorns nearly stopped a screen pass to Harris into the boundary, but Harris was able to power through the tackle attempt.
Cryer walked off gingerly after the play, but returned to the field after a timeout called by LSU with 29 seconds remaining before the half. A check down only took five seconds, but also didn’t gain much yardage, setting up 3rd and 6 as the Texas defense tried to get off the field. Sophomore cornerback Graceson Littleton chased down a crossing route to force a 38-yard field-goal attempt that went wide right to send the game into halftime at 14-10.
Third quarter
Spying on Leavitt, Biles chased down the LSU quarterback to open the second half with a tackle for loss, but Harris created enough space against Mascoe for Leavitt to hit a small window. Extending the drive became more difficult for the Tigers after a false start. On 3rd and 11, the zone defense of the Horns left an opening over the middle for a first down.
Squeezed at the line of scrimmage, Jones broke through for a 35-yard run to the 21-yard line. Moving slowly off the field, Simmons was flagged as the 12th man, but for the third time, Leavitt threw a ball picked off by McDonald in the end zone once again.
McDonald is the ninth player in school history with three or more interceptions in a game and the first since Aaron Humphrey in 1997.
A good second-down run by Brown set up a manageable third down converted by Manning on a designed run for 13 yards. Running f0r five yards on first down, Brown slipped in the backfield on second down. Going empty on third down, Manning took a big hit in the pocket and missed his intended receiver well inside, allowing Benefield to come up with his second interception.
After a check down to Jones, Texas made a tackle for loss on a run by the Wisconsin transfer. On 3rd and 8, Green caught it short of the marker and nearly bullied his way for the first down, but came up one yard short. Facing 4th and 1 from the LSU 30-yard line, Lane Kiffin used his first timeout of the second half. Motioning Leavitt out with a tackle in the backfield, Jones followed his big blockers for a gutsy first down.
And the Texas got gashed in the running game with Jordan Seaton setting the edge against Simmons, Biles getting caught inside, and junior safety Kobe Black missing near the goal line before Littleton slipped down and Jones slipped in.
With LSU boosting its lead to 21-10, the win probability for the Tigers jumped to 86.3 percent.
On 3rd and 11, Coleman drew a pass-interference penalty to extend the drive, Mosley caught a check down and made a defender miss for a 22-yard gain up the sideline, and Terry made a good cut in the open field for 12 yards. Taking another shot to Coleman, Manning threw incomplete, but an offside penalty turned a 3rd and 7 into 3rd and 2. But the Longhorns didn’t even try to run it and Manning took a sack instead of making a big mistake, leading to a 41-yard field goal and a 21-13 deficit.
A wide receiver screen went for three yards to start the LSU drive, but the drive went backwards on a holding penalty drawn by Biles when Leavitt tried to scramble. After a short check down, the Tigers tried to convert another third and long to start the fourth quarter.
Fourth quarter
As Simmons roared off the edge on 3rd and 13, Masco took advantage inside with a corner blitz that brought down Leavitt and forced a punt that LSU angled so far to the sideline it gave Ryan Niblett no chance at all for a return.
Freshman running back Derrek Cooper made his first appearance with a nine-yard run across midfield, setting up a shot play that Manning completed to Wingo on a deep over for 14 yards. Trying to throw it again, Cooper missed his block in pass protection and Manning took a sack. With Terry into the game, he only picked up two yards on a run, forcing the Horns to convert 3rd and 12. It didn’t happen, as LSU got home on a blitz that knocked down Manning’s pass, but Spetic was accurate again, hitting form 51 yards to make it 21-16 with 11:37 remaining.
Stuffing a run on first down, Texas got a break when Harris stumbled out of his break on second down and Biles had good coverage on Green on third down, forcing a second straight three and out. Antoher conservative punt went out of bounds at the Texas 37-yard line.
Faking a screen to the field, the Longhorns targeted Bishop to the boundary and drew an extremely questionable pass-interference call. And then things went sideways — an ugly produced two flag on the offense before Manning tried to hit Mosley on a post route that was easily intercepted in double coverage as the Texas quarterback took a huge hit.
Trying to get the ball off the goal line, Leavitt missed Harris working deep on a scramble drill, but a run by Jones converted 3rd and 6. Facing 3rd and 11, a hobbled Leavitt hit Green, but it was short of the marker and the Tigers had to punt again.
LSU kicked it out of bounds again, a reasonable decision, especially after a run by Brown and a screen to Bishop only gained two combined yards. Under predictable pressure and spied, Manning tried to scramble and was sacked. The punt by senior Mac Chiumento was a poor effort, going for just 30 yards. A review looked at whether the ball hit an LSU player, but the ruling was justifiably upheld.
A holding call on Seaton put the Tigers behind the chains before Simmons delivered a big hit on a screen. Trying to make the third down more manageable, Jones picked up some positive yardage. Facing 3rd and 11, Leavitt scrambled for the first down, but only because of a blatant holding penalty in front of the play. Needing to gain 21 yards, the Tigers called a draw that went nowhere.
In a potentially key decision, Sarkisian didn’t call timeout, allowing LSU to bleed the clock on the punt and affording Texas only one play before the two-minute break, a two-yard gain by Brown.
Two short completions to Mosley and Wingo produced a first down, but a sack put the Horns behind the chains and required Sarkisian to use his first timeout of the second half. Ripping a throw to Wingo notched 13 yards and Manning scrambled for a first down upheld on review.
Under pressure, Manning delivered a strike to Wingo, who broke a tackle and gained 19 yards. Another throw to Wingo resulted in a catch and fumble on the field, but it appeared that Wingo was down before the ball came loose. On review, the call was overturned, giving the Longhorns 19 seconds to score a touchdown facing 2nd and 5 from the 11-yard line as Kifffin used his second timeout.
When Sarkisian called a quick hitter that didn’t work and Manning threw it away, a designed quarterback run secured a first down, but forced the final timeout with nine seconds left. Looking to Bishop quickly, the incompletion took three seconds off the clock. With the condensed formation creating space to the field, Manning hit Brown for a four-yard touchdown and the win as Brown motioned to the boundary and back to the field to create enough space.
On the kickoff, Texas ended it, maintaining its spot in the CFP race.
