Longhorns Defense Shows Final Act of 'Resiliency' vs. Baylor to Keeps Big 12 Title Hopes Alive
The Texas Longhorns still have a glimmer of hope for a shot at the Big 12 title game after Friday's 38-27 win over the Baylor Bears.
The win brought Texas up to an 8-4 record. And while the team has clearly taken significant strides after last season's abysmal 5-7 finish, it’s been the defense - a unit seen as Texas’ weakness in recent years - that gave the team one last fighting chance against Baylor.
Despite Baylor winning the possession battle 33:24-26:36, Texas’ defense held the Bears to a season-low 280 yards in a performance that was a season in the making. The Longhorns defense has risen up to the challenge this season and - even on a team with an offense-minded coach like Steve Sarkisian - has oftentimes outplayed the offense.
Sarkisian has recognized this, and admitted after Friday's win that the defense took it personally headed into the season that they were seen as the "weak link."
"It’s not easy when you have to sit around all offseason and hear about how poor you are, how not good you are, or you're the weak link, or whatever people want to say," Sarkisian said. "I think that that shows a really good sign of maturity. I think it shows a lot of resiliency."
From the start of the season, the Texas defense has played with a purpose. The Longhorns held the then-No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide to just 20 points in the 20-19 loss to coach Nick Saban and company on Sept. 10. This should hold as the Tide's season-low scoring mark unless the 5-6 Auburn Tigers holds Bama to less on Saturday.
The Horns also shut out the Oklahoma Sooners 49-0 on Oct. 8 in a defensive performance that doesn't get more perfect.
And even when the Texas offense couldn't get things going, the defense gave the team a fighting chance. In the 17-10 loss to the No. 4 TCU Horned Frogs on Nov. 19, the Longhorns' offense was nonexistent, but the defense held one of the country's best offenses in check to give Texas a chance.
Even in the losses, it's become clear that there's been a significant improvement in production and confidence on the defensive side of the ball.
"I think we got a lot of players that believe in what we're doing and have gained that confidence," Sarkisian said. "A year ago, this game might have went a different direction if we hadn't been playing with the style and defense that we're starting to play now. And ultimately, we got that critical turnover that we were looking for."
That turnover was in the form of the fourth interception of the season for Texas linebacker Jaylan Ford, who picked off Baylor quarterback Blake Shapen midway through the fourth that allowed the Longhorns to score and all but seal the win.
Ford could be running away with the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, an award that hasn't been associated with the Texas defense since 2013 when Jackson Jeffcoat won it.
The Longhorns have held the Horned Frogs in check before. They'll hope to get another shot at them in the Big 12 title game pending a potential win for Kansas over Kansas State in Manhattan Saturday night.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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