Three-count: Inside Anthony Cook's forced fumble, Jaylan Ford's importance, revenge tour hits the road
What Anthony Cook and Jaylan Ford saw on the final defensive play on Saturday in Texas’ 24-21 win, how important Ford has been this season, and taking the 2022 “revenge tour” away from Austin and into unfriendly territory for the first time.
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How Anthony Cook and Jaylan Ford helped Texas seal the win
Late in the fourth quarter of Texas’ contest with Iowa State, the Cyclones were driving down the field looking to either tie or take the lead. ISU converted a fourth down earlier in the drive, and had just converted their ninth third-down opportunity of the game.
Cyclone quarterback Hunter Dekkers took the first-down snap, faked a handoff, then took off.
“I was reading the running back,” Ford said Saturday. “He was hitting my gap, and the quarterback pulled it. So my instinct was just get to the ball, run to the QB, and just get him on the ground.”
Cook played a few yards behind Ford and let things play out before making his move.
“I see the lead blocker, and I see the quarterback keep it,” Cook said. “I kind of let the blocks play out, then I just went to go fill in where I can.”
Filled in he did. Cook’s hit knocked the ball loose milliseconds before Dekkers’ knee hit the ground. A mad scramble for the football by players from both teams ensued.
“(Jaylon) Guilbeau tried to recover it,” Ford said. “I saw the ball moving around, and my instincts were just to jump on it and get it. I was able to come up with it. It was a great feeling, especially when that sealed it for us.”
Even after an up-and-down defensive day, the final play call was emblematic of the trust built among Longhorn defenders throughout the offseason and the first seven weeks of the season.
“I talked to (Jerrin Thompson) right before the first play,” Ford said. “I was like, ‘do you trust me? Because I trust you.’ I told him we’re going to go get this one.”
Thanks to Cook knocking the ball loose, and Ford emerging from the bottom of the pile with the loose ball, they carried out their pre-play guarantee.
Jaylan Ford’s importance in the middle of the defense
Ford’s work against Iowa State earned him defensive player of the week honors from the Big 12, but ever since stepping into a starting role late last year he has been a consistent performer for the Longhorn defense.
In those last two games of 2021, Ford recorded 11 total tackles with 3.0 for loss. He maintained his status as the starting middle linebacker for Texas, and has become a force this year among Longhorn defenders.
How did he become the linebacker he is in his third season?
“For me, I think it was just trusting myself and trusting my abilities, my coaches, my strength staff, coach (Torre) Becton, all those guys,” Ford said Saturday. “Coach Sark, all of them are in my corner. They told me I’m a really good player and they told me to believe in myself, go out there and play, not think too much. I worked on a lot of things in the offseason and I think it really paid off. Now I’m just able to play and make plays.”
During his Monday press conference, Sarkisian spoke about what makes Ford a good middle linebacker.
“He’s versatile, he plays well against the run,” Sarkisian said. “He’s athletic. He can defend the pass. He’s smart. What he does best is he’s a versatile player at the Mike position for us.”
This year Ford has a team-high 66 tackles with 5.5 for loss plus 1.0 sack, two forced fumbles, and the recovery and interception from this past weekend.
Middle linebacker was a position opposing offenses tried to attack often last season considering they viewed it as a weak point in the Longhorn defense. That hasn’t been the case this year.
The revenge tour hits the road
The next stop of the “revenge tour” is the first of the year that is a true road game. Texas heads to Stillwater, Okla. to face the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
While at Boone Pickens Stadium on Saturday, the Longhorns will look to win a true road game for the second time in the Sarkisian era.
This season, Texas is 0-for-1 in true road games after the loss in September to Texas Tech. Last year, the only time the Longhorns won on the road was in Fort Worth against TCU, who was nearing the end of the Gary Patterson era. Texas traveled to Fayetteville, Ark., Waco, Texas, Ames, Iowa, and Morgantown, W.Va., dropping games to Arkansas, Baylor, Iowa State, and West Virginia.
Sarkisian was asked what he believed the key to road success is. He pointed toward a lot of intangible qualities like maturity, poise, and composure, among other things before diving into on-field matters.
“I think complimentary football is really important on the road, and that’s something we’ve been really pushing for and advocating for,” Sarkisian said. “I think our guys have done that.”
They’ll have a chance on Saturday to showcase those characteristics in Stillwater in what should be Quinn Ewers‘ first road start. If Sarkisian wants to notch his second road win while head coach of the Longhorns, it’ll take a strong performance from his quarterback, plus utilization of the characteristics he mentioned as being important away from Darrell K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium.
