Five Big Takeaways From Texas's Victory Over The Kentucky Wildcats

The Longhorns clinch their second consecutive 10+ win season with a 31-14 victory over Kentucky. Texas also moves to 6-1 in the SEC.

Texas Longhorns defensive back Jelani McDonald (25) celebrates after an interception in the second quarter of the Texas Longhorns' game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Nov. 23, 2024. / Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It was a little sloppy, but the Texas Longhorns got the job finished against Kentucky 31-14.

The win was backed by freshman running back Quintrevion Wisner who had a career night with a touchdown and 158 yards on the ground.

The Longhorns are now 10-1 and 6-1 in the SEC heading into their final week of the regular season.

And before we get into the Texas A&M game next week, let's review some important notes from this game against Kentucky.

1. Wisner should be running back no. 1.

Could you imagine saying this before the C.J. Baxter injury?

But quite frankly, he's deserved the spot. His 158 yards and touchdown mostly came in the second half. In the middle of a struggling Texas offense, Wisner maintained the lead with his running.

And while Jaydon Blue almost reached the 100 rushing yards mark himself, his fumble in the third quarter has reinforced the concerns about his ball security.

The way Wisner played made him look like the team's vet. He was patient and fought for a ton of extra yardage. I think it shouldn't be a big consideration on who should be the lead running back for this Texas offense. Wisner won it over tonight.

2. Feeding Matthew Golden = Points

It seems like Texas has only looked Golden's way in the red zone lately.

And who can blame them, he's been extremely efficient and has been the best endzone target for the team this season (Gunnar Helm is a close second).

But against Kentucky, head coach Steve Sarkisian got him going early. Golden accounted for 53 yards and three catches in the first drive alone which ended in a touchdown. Golden hasn't had more than three catches in a game since Mississippi State. He finished with seven catches and 86 yards, both season highs.

When Golden gets involved, the Texas offense is a different animal. Making sure he gets plays called for him whether in the red zone or not will be important for the Longhorns against Texas A&M and whoever they play after.

3. Second-half mistakes will cost Texas against Texas A&M

The second half started on a really bad note for the offense. After a three-and-out on the first drive, Texas turned the ball over two consecutive times including a fumble by Quinn Ewers which was returned for a Kentucky touchdown. The next drive ended in a missed field goal and then after the defense forced a punt after that, punt returner Silas Bolden dropped a fair catch resulting in almost another catastrophic turnover before he recovered it.

Luckily for the Longhorns, they had set themselves up well enough for the team to have a comfortable lead even with all the mistakes, and it also helped again that the defense held their own to prevent Kentucky from coming back.

But Texas A&M will be a tougher time and the momentum could shift drastically in Kyle Field in the Aggies' favor with some turnovers. We saw how that could happen against LSU. The Longhorns are better than LSU but you can't expect Texas to have the same outcome if they commit those mistakes in the second half against A&M.

4. Trey Moore is playing his best football at the right time.

After not getting a sack at all this season, Moore now has 2.5 sacks in the last two games.

The linebacker's presence in the pressure game has been huge for the Texas defense. His one solo sack caused a 13-yard loss at the start of a drive. His four tackles in the game also ties for a season-high.

His help in the pass rush just adds another weapon at a time when Texas desperately needs one to take that next step before playoffs start. Hopefully, he can be that for the Longhorns.

5. Texas should be a lock for the playoffs.

Even with a potential loss to Texas A&M, I think it would be a very hard decision to take Texas out of the playoffs.

Ole Miss losing to Florida helps, and with the SEC not having a single team under two losses, Texas looks like almost a lock. While the argument is that Texas hasn't played a tough schedule, the ability to take care of business should be accounted for when considering the other teams in the playoff race. Notre Dame lost to Northern Illinois, Tennessee lost to Arkansas, Alabama lost to Vanderbilt, and so on.

The point is that Texas could have easily lost any of the "easy" games on their schedule, but didn't when virtually every other team in the race has. With all the possibilities left, Texas should be in the playoffs in just about every one of them.

The final game of the regular season will be no other than Texas A&M in Kyle Field.

The winner of the game will make the SEC championship, while the loser will stay at home more than likely.

Kickoff will be at 6:30, on ABC.

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