Pac-12 Image Takes a Hit with Colorado's Lopsided Alamo Bowl Loss

Texas' second-string quarterback throws four second-half TD passes to send the Buffaloes to defeat; now it's up to Oregon to defend the Pac-12 honor

Pac-12 supporters have their battle cry for the postseason: Don't remember the Alamo.

They would rather you forget that you saw Texas' 55-23 victory over Colorado in the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio Tuesday night.  They might want you to forget that the game was played at all.

The Pac-12 did nothing to improve its sagging image as the Buffaloes (4-2) were overwhelmed in the second half by the Longhorns' second-string quarterback. 

Texas finished fourth in the Big 12 and its presumed star is quarterback Sam Ehlinger, but he did not play at all the second half as a result of a shoulder injury.  But his replacement, Casey Thompson, who had completed just four passes during the regular season, threw four second-half touchdwn passes, allowing the Longhorns to stretch its 17-10 halftime lead to an insurmountable margin.

Texas running back Bijan Robinson, a freshman from Tucson, Ariz., ran for 183 yards on just 10 carries, and the Longhorns (7-3) so dominated the game that they had their third- and fourth-string quarterbacks in the game before it was over.

The Pac-12 got little respect throughout the 2020 regular season, with no team from the conference in the top 15 of the final College Football Playoff rankings. Colorado and Oregon are the only two Pac-12 teams playing in bowls this season, and the conference's hope was that one or both could perform well enough in the postseason to show that the Pac-12 is better than the national perception of the conference.

Colorado couldn't do it, so now it is up to the Ducks to defend the Pac-12's reputation in Saturday's Fiesta Bowl game against Iowa State.  If Oregon gets blown out . . . . well, let's not go there yet.

Colorado running back Jerek Broussard, the Pac-12 offensive player of the year, averaged just 3.0 yards per carry while gaining 82 yards, although they were 82 impressive yards, especially his 2-yard, fourth-down touchdown run in the second quarter when he muscled through four potential tacklers.

But Colorado's Sam Noyer did not look like a second-team all-Pac-12 quarterback, which is what he was.  Noyer finished 8-for-23 for 101 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. And Texas was playing without five defensive starters for various reasons.

In fact, the Buffaloes' offense only got going when freshman quarterback Brendon Lewis replaced Noyer.  Lewis had not been on the field for a single play during the regular season, but Colorado coach Karl Dorrell had said he was going to put Lewis in Tuesday's game for a series or two in the first half of the Alamo Bowl. On his first drive, Lewis led the Buffaloes to their first touchdown, and he directed all three of Colorado's touchdown drives.

Lewis finished 6-for-10 for 95 yards and also ran nine times for 73 yards, including a 44-yard scamper.

That gives the Buffaloes some hope at the quarterback position for next season, but Lewis' effort could not compare with what his second-string counterpart at Texas did.

Thompson replaced Ehlinger to start the second half, and Thompson went 8-for-10 for 170 yards, four touchdown passes and no interceptions for a passer rating of 354.8. By the time he threw his fourth scoring pass with 11:01 left in the game, the Longhorns had a 48-23 lead, ending his short but productive night.

Then came third-string quarterback Hudson Card, followed soon thereafter by fourth-stringer Ben Ballard.

Cover photo of Texas' celebratory ice-bucket dump is by Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports

 Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53

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