Ranking the top 10 moments of the 2022 Texas football season

Jordan Mitchell and Hunter Dworaczyk

With only one week left in the regular season, football beat reporters Jordan Mitchell and Hunter Dworaczyk rank and relive their top ten favorite moments from the season.

 

10) Bijan Robinson’s career-long touchdown against UTSA

Tied 17-17 in the third quarter against UTSA, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian decided to utilize the wildcat formation. Senior running back Roschon Johnson handed the ball off to junior running back Bijan Robinson, who would weave his way to a career-long 78-yard touchdown rush. With UTSA getting off to an early 17-7 lead, Robinson’s touchdown was the most emphatic part of Texas’ 34-3 scoring run to end the game.


 

9) The punt block vs UL-Monroe

After Louisiana-Monroe went three and out on its opening drive, redshirt senior cornerback D’Shawn Jamison blocked the punt, sending a sea of defenders to recover the football. Junior running back Keilan Robinson came up with it, prancing into the endzone and celebrating by dancing with sophomore safety Michael Taaffe.

 

8) Christian Jones talking about Top Gun

After the UTSA game, redshirt senior right tackle Christian Jones attributed the offensive line’s success to them watching “Top Gun: Maverick” and coming up with callsigns together. Freshman Kelvin Banks is “Bank Roll,” sophomore Hayden Connor is “Cornbread,” sophomore Jeff Majors is “Shortstack,” freshman Cole Hutson is “Sprinkles” and Jones is “Hitman.”

 

7) Fumble recovery touchdown against TCU

Trailing 17-3 late against No. 4 TCU, junior defensive back Jahdae Barron scooped up a fumble and took it to the house for a 48-yard score. While ultimately the Longhorns did not get the final stop they needed to give the offense a chance to tie the game, the play gave what was a silent, defeated crowd energy and hope.

 

6) Texas picks up its first win on the road against Kansas State

Led by junior running back Bijan Robinson’s 209 rushing yards, Texas beat then-No. 13 Kansas State 34-27. The team was winless on the road at this point, making victory a huge relief for the Longhorns. This game was especially significant because the win made Texas bowl-eligible for the first time in the Steve Sarkisian era.

 

5) Jaylan Ford’s fumble recovery against Iowa State

Trailing by a field goal, Iowa State had the ball in Texas territory with 4:43 left in the game. To seal the game, redshirt senior safety Anthony Cook charged Cyclone quarterback Hunter Dekkers to force the fumble. After freshman cornerback Jaylon Guilbeau failed to make the fumble recovery, junior linebacker Jaylan Ford jumped on top of the ball for the win.

 

4) Ewers’ first quarter against Alabama

In one of the most anticipated regular season games Texas has ever played in, redshirt freshman quarterback Quinn Ewers looked the part of a five-star quarterback against No. 1 Alabama before exiting with a shoulder injury. Although the Longhorns ultimately lost 20-19 to the Crimson Tide, Ewers threw for an impressive 134 yards in his single quarter of play.

 

3) Jordan Whittington hanging out with Bevo

After catching his first touchdown of the season against Iowa State, redshirt junior wide receiver Jordan Whittington rushed over to Bevo’s enclosure to celebrate after high-fiving fans. When asked about Bevo’s viral encounter with Georgia’s bulldog mascot Uga during the 2019 Sugar Bowl, Whittington claimed that he and Bevo are friends and that Bevo wouldn’t do that to him.

 

2) Xavier Worthy’s touchdown pass against West Virginia

In the first quarter against West Virginia, Texas executed the double pass, with sophomore wide receiver Xavier Worthy connecting for a 33-yard touchdown pass to sophomore tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders. After the game, Sanders told the media that he could have thrown a better spiral than Worthy.

 

1) OU shutout

Arguably the most memorable stop in this season’s “Revenge Tour,” Texas rolled Oklahoma 49-0 and earned the Golden Hat for the first time since 2018. The Longhorns stifled the Sooners defensively, only allowing backup quarterback Davis Beville to throw for 38 passing yards in the shutout.