In the chaotic lifestyle of college football, nothing is allowed to be expected, and Texas in the year of 2025 is always surprising.
A 14-7 week one loss in one of the most hyped-up season openers in college football history? An SEC opening loss to an unranked and bruised Florida squad with a mobile quarterback playing with a hurt leg? Overtime miracles and game-saving punt returns in the low-class arenas in Lexington, Kentucky and Starkville, Mississippi? A surprise onside kick by Georgia to start a whooping?
It’s all so confusing. So unexpected. So “I can’t take this anymore.”
Welp, as the sun set early on the stadium that holds the Texas Longhorns, the football team finally dominated. It wasn’t very confusing. No, not at all — it made sense.
The offense was thriving, and the points were firing. The defense was rumpling and thudding and even scored in the fourth quarter to open the lead to 52-23. Everything clicked, finally, and it felt so exhilarating in the moment. I guess that’s what happens when you score 52 points!
But was it all for nothing? What’s a bowl game when it’s not the College Football Playoffs? Call me spoiled, for I have lived through two semi-final appearances in my four years at the University, but this was the game the Texas fans wanted all year long.
From preseason No. 1 to an outside look at the playoffs, the line of questions no coach wants to hear is inevitable, and they all go something like “how do you feel your team is playing under expectations?” To which head coach Steve Sarkisian will do his due diligence, in perhaps his own unique way, in defending his roster and his team’s capabilities.
That’s what happened on Monday, and the capabilities of what his team can do followed suit.
It was a Philly Special touchdown catch by redshirt sophomore quarterback Arch Manning, thrown by the arm of his redshirt freshman receiver and roommate, Parker Livingstone, to show off the play-calling ability. It was Manning making history by adding one rushing and four passing touchdowns on 389 passing yards. It was a strip sack by sophomore linebacker Colin Simmons that led to a defensive touchdown to open the lead wide.
It all just came together too late.
Now, this argument can be trite. This momentum can carry over to next Friday’s post-Thanksgiving night against No. 3 Texas A&M University, and just maybe a miracle can happen and Texas squeaks into the College Football Playoff. The 52-37 win over the Razorbacks was everything Texas fans have been waiting to watch all season.
However, as said earlier, this is Texas football, circa 2025, and to expect any of that would be crazy. Keep the expectations low, or you just might end up surprising yourself. It doesn’t make sense — it’s almost not allowed to make sense.
But that’s just college football, and Texas is no anomaly to that.
