Texas upsets WVU, 33-16

AUSTIN — First-year coach Charlie Strong stopped short of anointing Texas’ 33-16 upset of No. 25 West Virginia as a signature win, but Longhorn recruits filling the bleachers probably witnessed the future of this program.

An outstanding defensive effort — welcome back Cedric Reed – coupled with a power running game allowed Strong, for the first time in his tenure, to brand the final product as “a total team win.”

It marked the first time this season the Horns have posted back-to-back wins. It was also Texas’ first home victory against a ranked opponent since October, 2008. More important, Texas evened its record at 5-5 to preserve its post-season hopes.

Johnathan Gray is finally playing with the confidence that his torn Achilles (suffered a year ago at West Virginia) has finally healed, coaches said. That confidence was on display Saturday. The result was Gray’s first 100-yard game of the season (101 yards on 10 carries) and three TDs.

Senior Malcolm Brown has been running angry since the Oklahoma game. The senior did most of his damage in the first half, finishing with 94 yards on 20 carries. In fact, Texas averaged eight yards-per-carry in the 1st half.

“We’ve taken a philosophy of bringing the ball downhill to the tailbacks,” said co-offensive coordinator Shawn Watson. “I can’t say enough about what Johnathan is doing and what Malcolm is doing.”

Credit an improving, patchwork offensive line that paved the way for Longhorn RBs. Six weeks ago, Gray and Brown had to bite their tongue when reporters asked them to assess the big uglies up front.

“When we first started the season,” Strong said, “they just didn’t have confidence and faith in their offensive line. That offensive line starts gelling, and they start believing and trusting in them, and now they start making the runs.”

If there is a game ball, however, it should be awarded to Cedric Reed. Nobody has been harder on the senior DE than himself for what has been, by his standards, a subpar senior year. He made up for lost time with a monster game that included 12 tackles, three sacks, four tackles-for-loss, a forced fumble, and a safety that changed the complexion of the game down the stretch.

“Cedric came alive tonight”, Strong said.

The offense, however, went into hibernation and mustered just 85 yards after halftime. In addition, it was another feast-or-famine outing from Tyrone Swoopes (11-of-29 for 124 yards), one TD, and one bone-headed interception. WVU began dialing-up a steady diet of max blitzes after intermission, and Swoopes never fully recovered.

“He didn’t set his feet and make the kind of throws he was making in the 1st half,” said Watson. “He’s having to deal with a lot of pressure, and young quarterbacks that see a lot of pressure don’t set their feet. It’s part of the process. He’s got to gain confidence.”

Texas holds on and wins this game because the defense never rested. (In more ways than one: West Virginia ran 90 plays and generated 24 first downs). No defensive stat was more important than this one: West Virginia entered the game as the national leader in 3rd-down conversions but was just 3-of-17 against the Horns. The Mountaineers were averaging nearly 35 points-per-game in Big 12 play and scored its only touchdown in the 4th quarter.

Mountaineer WR Kevin White will be playing on Sundays soon, and his 132 yards on 16 catches is tops against Texas this year. The Longhorns apparently learned a lesson in damage-control when Kansas State’s Tyler Lockett went off on them last month. Texas kept White in front of them all day and did not allow him to become a difference-maker.

Brown quickly negotiated 33 yards of real estate on his first four totes. It setup a 29-yard play action pass to John Harris after Swoopes 16-yard strike to Jaxon Shipley moved the chains on 3rd-and-13. A pass interference call against Terrell Chestnut gave Texas 1st-and-goal from the 2. The Horns capped the 90-yard march with Geoff Swaim’s first career TD catch with 6:35 left in the opening frame.

Two Longhorn special teams’ snafus — a 48-yard KO return and William Russ’ 23-yard punt – allowed the visitors to begin consecutive series inside Longhorn territory. Each time, the defense stiffened.

The Mountaineers settled for a 22-yard Josh Lambert FG after Texas stiffened three times inside the 2-yard line. Next series, Lambert’s 53-yard FG attempt drifted wide left.

Russ’ afternoon was done. Backup Michael Davidson punted for just the second time this season when 29-yard pooch punt was downed at the WVU 1. Three runs netted 23 yards, but WVU could not overcome a chop-block infraction.

Texas forced three punts in the second quarter by holding WVU to 23 rushing yards and the explosive White to just one reception. Meanwhile, the Horns scored 17 unanswered with no play more electrifying than Gray’s 39-yard TD run on the zone-read. Gray juked Karl Joseph out of his jock and pushed the Longhorn lead to 14-3 with 8:56 remaining until halftime.

“The one run down the sideline where he dove and hit the pylon was just unbelievable,” Strong said.

Brown took a huge hit to the head following a 25-yard gain to the 47. Gray followed with a 40-yard scamper; it was his longest run since his 42-yarder in the season-opener. A pass interference call against Ishmael Banks gave Texas 1st-and-goal from the 2. Next play, Gray’s 1-yard plunge completed the quick-strike, 3-play drive to make it a 21-3 scoreboard with 6:19 left.

Nick Rose’s 46-yard FG attempt was an u-g-l-y line drive FG that hooked left. The junior got a second chance after Quandre Diggs jumped a route intended for White. His 13-yard INT return spotted the ball at WVU 22 to set up Rose’s 39-yard FG.

A harbinger of things to come, Reed lassoed QB Clint Trickett for a 10-yard loss during the final seconds of the second quarter

West Virginia reached the Texas 10-yard line on its opening series of the second half. That’s when Jordan Hicks came up big on 3rd- and- 4th down to keep the Mountaineers out of the end zone. An outstanding open-field tackle held Mario Alford to just two yards on a 3rd-and-9 crossing pattern. Next snap, Hicks corralled White for a 1-yard loss and the Horns took over on downs.

WVU converted a couple of 4th downs on its 14-play, 75-yard scoring drive to pull within 24-10 with 13:25 left in the game. The momentum had clearly shifted to the Mountaineer sideline when Texas punted for the sixth time. However, Davidson’s boot was 63-yard thing of beauty that carried just inside the WVU 2. Next play, Reed sacks Trickett for a safety to give Texas some breathing room at 26-10 with 10:36 remaining.

Freshman Lorenzo Joe deftly fielded an onside free-kick at the WVU 38. But the Mountaineers basically got the ball back at the same spot when Texas turned it over on downs at the 32. Reed came up big again, this time forcing a fumble on 3rd-and-9 that Paul Boyette recovered at the 26. Swoopes gave back the ball three snaps later when he hit Daryl Worley right in the numbers.

Dreamius Smith’s 62-yard run to the Texas 18 set-up Wendell Smallwood’s 3-yard scoring run. Safety Jason hall batted down the 2-point conversion attempt to keep it a 2-possession game at 26-16 with 6:38 left.

Jaxon Shipley recovered the onside kick at the West Virginia 49, but it was a quick 3-and-out for the offense. The Mountaineers faced 4th-and-9 from their own 15 with just under 3:30 left. That’s when Malcom Brown pressured Trickett into an errant toss, and the Horns took over on downs.

Gray put this one on ice with his 15-yard TD burst up the middle. Fittingly, the game ended when the defense stopped WVU on 1st-and-goal from the 1-yard line.

“It was a really big game against a ranked team,” said Strong. “I don’t know the stat, but I was told we haven’t beaten a ranked opponent here since 2008. It was just really big for us to go out and play well tonight. All apart of the process.”