Jordan Whittington's forced fumble crucial in Texas' winning effort
Late in the first quarter versus TCU, Quinn Ewers threw a pass intended for Xavier Worthy that was picked off by Millard Bradford. Bradford began to run it up field, avoiding an attempted tackle by Jordan Whittington in the process.
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Bradford eluded a few more Texas players as he crossed midfield. But moments after diving on the turf and coming up short, Whittington sprinted to where Bradford was and knocked the ball loose from the Horned Frog defender. Xavier Worthy jumped on the football, and a few plays later the Longhorns would add a pivotal three points to the scoreboard.
“I actually walked over and told him ‘dog, that was the game-changing play right there.'” Adonai Mitchell said postgame. “To contribute when the ball isn’t in your hands like that, that really shows how complete of a player you are and just how much he wanted it and just how much heart he has. To chase that ball down, that was a big time play.”
That’s the only place Whittington appeared in the stat sheet for Texas’ 29-26 win over TCU at Amon G. Carter Stadium. He didn’t record a reception, and he isn’t a mainstay on the field at this point in his career. When Texas goes with two tight ends, Whittington leaves the field.
Though his offensive production has not been as consistent this year as in years past, his effort has shone over and over and over. His work to force a fumble to erase a Ewers mistake was just more evidence.
“I just think that’s what exactly he provides,” Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said. “There’s so much that he does that a lot of times doesn’t show on the stat sheet: what he does for us blocking, how smart he is in getting people lined up and recognition of what people are doing, the information he provides us.”
Sarkisian mentioned that Whittington is not currently 100 percent and hasn’t been on as many special teams units as he has been in recent seasons. However, he praised the senior for everything he’s done for the Longhorns, including that key play that helped put points on the board for Texas.
“I’m grateful he was able to make that play, because that was a critical play at that juncture,” Sarkisian said.
