How about Matthew Caldwell? The Longhorns' Closer
How about Matthew Caldwell?
Should there be closers in football like there are in baseball? Hey, I’m just asking questions.
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It’s not easy to come off the bench cold in overtime. But that’s why Steve Sarkisian brought the fifth year veteran to Austin. When Arch Manning was injured after a scramble, Sarkisian called upon the former Troy quarterback to finish the Longhorns’ improbable comeback against the Bulldogs.
The former Troy quarterback threw one pass, but it was the one which counted most. A 10 yard touchdown to Emmett Mosley V in the back of the endzone proved to be the game winner as Texas escaped with a 45-38 win. Though it was originally called incomplete, the referees overturned the play after a lengthy review showed Mosley’s toe drag and incredible catch.
When asked if he was nervous, Caldwell said “not too bad. I just try to think about it like football is football. 100-yard field. I think it’s 53 1/3 wide. Everywhere you go, football is going to be hard no matter what. You can’t make it bigger than what it is.”
That maturity is what drew Sarkisian to Caldwell. “He’s got this” (mindset of) “’I’ve been at Gardner-Webb. I’ve been at Troy. Now I’m at Texas? I’m going to advantage of my opportunity that I get.’ If it’s one play, if it’s four plays, whatever it is, he’s going to go play and he’s going to relish the opportunity,” Sarkisian said.
“What a moment for that guy to step in, make that throw. Emmett Mosley with a tremendous catch. I don’t know if I’ve seen a better one, quite frankly.”
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In likelihood, the win in Starkville won’t be the last time Texas fans see Caldwell. As Inside Texas’ own Justin Wells reported last night, Arch Manning is being evaluated for a concussion. Meaning Caldwell “is expected to take the first-team reps this week. We’ll continue to monitor this situation.”
But Caldwell was quick to highlight the strength of he and Manning’s relationship. “Me and Arch are super close. He played his freaking tail off tonight. Y’all saw it. All the adversity he goes through, he’s getting banged up and he comes to work every day. Then, he goes out there and leads us into it and overtime. I told him downstairs, he goes ‘what were you thinking when you went out there?'”
“I said ‘man I wish you could have finished it after the way you played.’ I told him I had his back. We have an awesome relationship. All the Qs in the Q-room have a super fun room. We push each other every day.”
Stay tuned for Inside Texas for more intel and insight before the Longhorns take on Vanderbilt in Austin on Saturday.
