As many have pointed out, it’s a rite of passage for fans and media members alike to sweat out a game against Kentucky as a member of the Southeastern Conference.
When I woke up on Sunday morning, I walked over to my bathroom mirror and swore I saw a couple of gray hairs on the side of my head.
Nonetheless, the Texas Longhorns found a way to win their second conference road game of the season, even though they should not have.
It was the special teams that willed the team to victory, with a couple of huge returns by sophomore wide receiver Ryan Niblett and clutch field goals by senior kicker Mason Shipley. The defense deserved as much credit as the special team unit.
It felt as if the Texas defense was out there the entire game, because they basically were. The Wildcats’ offense processed the ball for almost 40 minutes and were only able to muster 13 points.
The goal-line stand in overtime was one of the greatest efforts I’ve ever seen displayed on a football field.
If it’s not apparent enough, the SEC is a terribly tough place to play on a given weekend — even the worst teams in the conference put up competitive performances. That notion has been beaten to death by everyone here at the Texan sports desk.
We know the conference is hard and it’s not easy, but that simple fact should not be a crutch to avoid criticism for poor play on the field. Tossing it up to the strength of teams as an explanation for the lack of execution is a cheap excuse.
“It’s fricking hard to win in the SEC,” senior defensive back Michael Taaffe said. “Go ask Georgia when they won the (SEC) championship, what they did against Kentucky last year.”
Taaffe, a hard-nosed and talented player, is one of the vocal leaders of this team and deservedly so. It’s just alarming that one of the most dedicated members of this team is trying to calm fears by using a result from another team, from one year ago.
Now that I have you, let’s dive into the game Taaffe was referring to. When Kentucky and Georgia faced each other in that narrow 13-12 decision, it was week three of the season in early September. At that point in the season, a team is still finding its identity, so we give them that grace.
Texas’ Kentucky nailbiter occurred deep into the season, with already ugly games under its belt. So it’s not out of the ordinary for folks with rooting interests to have a stiff reaction despite the team winning the game.
I would like to believe senior edge Ethan Burke’s comments on Monday about how the Kentucky game was a “real culture win” for the team. Then what was the Red River performance following the Florida loss? That game was not a culture win?
This team has proven to be too hot and cold for me to believe that last week was the game in which everything clicked for this team. If we see the Texas team that played Oklahoma, they will clear Mississippi State easily on Saturday, but if it’s the Kentucky version, who knows if they will escape.
