Texas clinches Big 12 Championship berth with blowout win over Texas Tech

The Longhorns will face either Oklahoma State or Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship Game on Dec. 2 in Arlington.

AUSTIN, Texas — A dominant beatdown in the regular season finale has locked up a Big 12 Championship Game appearance for the Texas Longhorns.

Friday night saw the Longhorns put their longstanding rivalry with Texas Tech to bed (for now) with a 57-7 drubbing at DKR Memorial Stadium.

The Longhorns dominated in every facet of the game from kickoff, offensively outgaining the Red Raiders by nearly 300 yards, defensively forcing three turnovers and even dominating on special teams with a touchdown return to open up the second half.

Simply put, the Longhorns put an exclamation point on their 2023 regular season campaign, as Friday night’s win to push the squad to 11-1 on the season caps off the program’s best regular season since 2009, when the Colt McCoy-led squad finished with 12-0 record en route to a BCS National Championship Game appearance.

Statistically, no one had an especially eye popping game, but as aforementioned the team as a unit was efficient everywhere.

Quarterback Quinn Ewers finished 17 completions on 26 attempts for 196 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Ewers yielded to freshman quarterback Arch Manning late in the third quarter, who took the reigns of the offense for the first time in what is expected to be an exciting career.

Jaydon Blue, Savion Red, Quintrevion Wisner and C.J. Baxter led a four-headed rushing attack, as all four finished with over 40 yards on the ground. Blue led the way with 121 yards on 10 carries, including a 69-yard dash early in the second quarter that proved to provide a substantial momentum shift toward the Longhorns. Senior running back Keilan Robinson only had one carry, but he made it count as it was the 10-yard scamper in the first quarter that initiated the onslaught.

Xavier Worthy led all receivers with 49 yards and a touchdown on four catches. Worthy briefly left the contest just before halftime, but ultimately returned in the second half.

Defensively, the Longhorns were in the head of Red Raiders quarterback Behren Morton all night, holding him to under 100 yards passing and intercepting him three times. Manor native Tahj Brooks had 95 yards on 19 carries.

Friday’s win now means the Longhorns have guaranteed a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game in Arlington on Dec. 2. At the time of this publishing, their opponent has not yet been determined but it will be either No. 12 Oklahoma or No. 21 Oklahoma State.

If Oklahoma State defeats BYU on Saturday, they will be the Longhorns’ opponent in Arlington. A BYU win against Oklahoma State would mean that the Longhorns would get a chance to renew their rivalry and avenge their loss from earlier this season against the Sooners for a chance at a Big 12 Championship and, potentially, a spot in the College Football Playoff.

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