Barryn Sorrell’s effort plays near end of third quarter were a catalyst for Texas’ big finish
After taking a huge step forward from week 1’s win over Rice to the week 2’s scintillating victory on the road against then-No. 4 Alabama, the Texas football team plateaued a bit on Saturday when it outlasted gritty Wyoming 31-10 at home to begin a season 3-0 for the first time since 2012.
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The Longhorns struggled with execution, especially on offense for the first three quarters before righting their ship, scoring three touchdowns in a five and a half minute span, including one from the defense on Jerrin Thompson’s pick-six.
For that turnaround one can credit EDGE Barryn Sorrell, who had been a bit of a forgotten man in the Longhorns’ first two games, for a pair of effort plays at the end of a Wyoming scoring drive late in the fourth quarter.
That was when the Longhorns were teetering, up just 10-7 but in danger of losing the lead when Wyoming drove to the UT 8-yard line on an extended march. On first down Cowboys’ quarterback Evan Svoboda tried to get outside toward the end zone by Sorrell wouldn’t allow it, jousting with the Wyoming right tackle and pushing him into the backfield before tackling Svoboda for no gain.
After a run in the middle of the line cost Wyoming a two-yard loss, Svoboda again tested Sorrell, but Texas’ perimeter rusher was up to the task a second time, splitting the blocks of the right tackle and a tight end the Cowboys hoped would block and release. Sorrell sacked Svoboda for a 9-yard loss, forcing Wyoming to settle for a field goal that would tie the game.
From there it was all Texas – with Sorrell’s effort plays the catalyst for the Longhorns’ turnaround.
After the game, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian lauded his team’s effort and its ability to get impact plays from a number of different players.
“I’ve been proud of that group, you know, and Barryn,” Sarkisian said. “You know we’ve been talking about Ethan Burke, we’ve been talking about Anthony Hill, we’ve been talking about T’Vondre Sweat, we’ve been talking about Byron Murphy, and tonight it was Barryn Sorrell that made the impact play we needed.
“I think that’s a sign of a really good defense – that we have multiple players that can step up and make plays at critical moments. Tonight, it was Barryn’s turn and that really set the stage. There’s something electric about being that north end of the field where the students are and having that sack made right there you could feel the energy and the change of momentum.”
Sorrell racked up five tackles, four of them solo, against Wyoming, one more total stop than he produced the first two games combined.
Sarkisian admitted that the Longhorns’ performance in the first half of the win over Wyoming probably wasn’t to Texas’ standard. “You know, we just didn’t quite have the pop, the energy, the speed that I’m accustomed to seeing us playing with and there was too many solo tackles,” he said.
