Eric Homosexual/Associated Press
Texas is the relief-to-relief Alamo Bowl champion, knocking off Colorado 55-23 at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
The defend gave the No. 20 Longhorns (7-3) seven wins for the fourth consecutive year below head coach Tom Herman and dropped the Buffaloes to (4-2) after a shortened Pac-12 season. CU hasn’t received a bowl game in four attempts since 2004’s Houston Bowl victory over UTEP.
Accumulated, Tuesday marked the principle postseason game for the program because it dropped the 2016 Alamo Bowl and offers a foundation for first-year head coach Karl Dorrell after Mel Tucker with out warning left to take the same job at Michigan Enlighten in February.
Tuesday’s contest used to be also the principle assembly between the 2 dilapidated Huge 12 rivals since 2009, when the Longhorns defeated the Buffs, 38-14.
Texas now leads the all-time series 12-7.
Indispensable Performers
Casey Thompson, QB, Texas Longhorns: 8-of-10, 170 yards, 4 touchdowns
Sam Ehlinger, QB, Texas Longhorns: 10-of-16, 160 yards, 1 touchdown
Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas Longhorns: 10 carries, 183 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 catches, 37 yards, 2 touchdowns
Sam Noyer, QB, Colorado Buffaloes: 8-of-23, 101 yards, 2 interceptions
Jarek Broussard, RB, Colorado Buffaloes: 27 carries, 82 yards, 2 touchdowns
Thompson, Robinson Lead UT To Victory
Instruct hello to Texas’ fresh savior at quarterback: Casey Thompson. Don’t ignore his working relief, Bijan Robinson, both.
The 2 are poised to become the face of the Longhorns program—and by advantage, two of the faces of school football in normal—after discover about-opening performances within the Alamo Bowl.
Thompson used to be pressured to step in after starting quarterback Sam Ehlinger suffered a shoulder hurt slack within the principle half of that knocked him out of the game. That introduced out Thompson, who had previously attempted apt 19 poke attempts over his first two years in Austin.
The cease consequence used to be electrical because the Oklahoma Metropolis native quickly started racking up yards and aspects.
5 of Thompson’s first 10 passes went for greater than 10 yards with three touchdowns of 23 yards or longer punctuated by a 73-yard missile to Kelvontay Dixon in the initiating of the fourth quarter. That introduced out third-stringer Hudson Card to enact out the game and retain some distance from risking any extra injuries to the Longhorns’ most up-to-date massive title QB.
Nonetheless Thompson used to be easiest half of of what made Texas’ offense so unhealthy.
Robinson used to be the opposite facet. Why he wasn’t getting the ball more used to be among the finest question price asking.
The freshman from Arizona completed the principle quarter with 104 all-motive yards and two touchdowns on apt seven touches. His first carry within the 2d half of went for 66 yards and situation up a Longhorns touchdown on the following play.
There used to be no greater trace of Robinson’s talents than what he mustered on that two-take care of-breaking tear within the third quarter.
With the 2 underclassmen stars in a position to dominate at Texas, Herman’s membership could gain itself within the nationwide spotlight for the whole apt reasons.
Buffs Ogle Future At QB
This potentially used to be not how Brendon Lewis imagined his college occupation would birth. The apt freshman from Melissa, Texas, hadn’t taken a snap all year. The closing game of the year had other plans.
With his team’s offense sputtering by the principle third of the game, Coach Dorrell turned to his backup to build up the ball shifting downfield. Temporarily, at the very least, it perceived to work. Lewis threw a 26-yard crawl to Dimitri Stanley on third-and-lengthy for his first poke are attempting and took the Buffaloes all the model down to Texas’ 2-yard line.
It took four tries once CU got to the cease zone, nonetheless it used to be at closing in a build to inappropriate the plane for its first accumulate of the day.
Lewis went on to split time with senior starter Sam Noyer the the relaxation of the model, finishing 6-of-10 with 95 yards.
It’s at the very least one thing Dorrell can originate on.
After Tucker determined to poke away Colorado, Dorrell has handled voice after voice since taking the job in February. Getting four wins—in particular over the likes of UCLA, Stanford, San Diego Enlighten and Arizona—is a feat in itself.
Now his program has its first time out to a bowl game since 2016, a dual-threat quarterback with at the very least three years of eligibility left and the inspiration for a profitable tradition in Boulder.
The Buffaloes can should always aloof be shopping for their first postseason victory since the 2004 Houston Bowl, but they got hundreds out of Tuesday evening’s efficiency.
What’s Next?
The Longhorns enter the offseason with the No. 17 overall recruiting class within the nation for 2021, constant with 247Sports actions, with one 5-massive title and eight 3-massive title recruits. It’s miles the No. 2 class within the Huge 12 at the relief of easiest Oklahoma, which ranks No. 9 overall. Colorado, within the intervening time, ranks No. 9 within the Pac 12 and No. 54 overall.
