Texas Longhorns WR Xavier Worthy Made Steve Sarkisian 'Really Proud' in Win vs. TCU
Texas Longhorns receiver Xavier Worthy said Monday that he and the team haven't forgotten about the frustrations of last year's disappointing loss to the TCU Horned Frogs.
He's now helped return the favor.
Though it was another far-from-pretty win, the No. 7 Longhorns (9-1) topped TCU 29-26 in Fort Worth on Saturday, as Worthy helped leave his mark on the Horned Frogs and Amon G. Carter in what could be the final meeting between Texas and TCU.
Worthy finished with 10 catches for 137 yards in the win, both of which were season-best marks. It was also the third-most receiving yards he's had in a single game during his collegiate career. He had not topped the century mark receiving since finishing with 108 yards in the loss to the Oklahoma Sooners on Oct. 7.
After the game, Worthy earned some big-time props from Texas coach Steve Sarkisian, who has continued to pour out the praise for his star receiver throughout the season.
"The efficiency that he's playing the game with right now, I'm really proud of him," Sarkisian said. "He's playing with an extreme amount of toughness, he’s playing physical, he’s winning one-on-one matchups and Quinn trusts him.”
Texas Longhorns wide receiver Xavier Worthy (1) runs the ball against Texas Christian University at Amon G. Carter Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023 in Fort Worth, Texas
© Aaron E. Martinez, Austin American-Statesman
Sarkisian also lauded the work Worthy has done behind the scenes to help grow from some of the drops he had last season.
“I think Xavier has put in a lot of extra work on the jugs, working on his hands and being a steady catcher. So much was made a year ago about the drops that he had and then we find out he had a broken hand.”
While it was Adonai Mitchell who had Texas' only receiving touchdown of the game and played the role of closer with his game-sealing 35-yard catch on 3rd and 12 with 2:06 to play, Worthy was a main reason the offense caught a rhythm during a 19-point second quarter for Texas. This proved to be a huge difference in the game, as TCU's comeback came up just short thanks to the points the Longhorns had put up earlier in the evening.
It's crazy to think that Worthy could've finished with an even gaudier stat line. He headed into halftime already with 120 receiving yards on eight catches, but added just two more grabs for 17 yards in the second half as the Texas offense started struggling while also leaning on the run game. Additionally, if he didn't step out on a 19-yard grab at the start of the second quarter that was a would-be 57-yard touchdown.
But even without the extra yardage, it was still by far a season-best receiving performance from the speedster.
He'll look to carry this momentum into Ames, Iowa when the Longhorns visit the Iowa State Cyclones next Saturday at 7 p.m. CT.
