Notebook: Texas Longhorns Survive in Fourth Quarter 31-24 Win Over Houston Cougars

After a third-quarter scare, the Texas Longhorns found a way to win on the road versus the Houston Cougars.

The Texas Longhorns survived their first trip to Houston since 2001 as they pulled out the 31-24 victory against the Cougars. 

The final score was much closer than many had originally anticipated. Despite expectations of a blowout win following the Longhorns' loss in the Red River Rivalry to the Oklahoma Sooners two weeks ago, and the game looking like it would come to fruition early after Texas took to a 21-0 lead, the Cougars battled back.

However, even after the Cougars scored 21 unanswered to tie the game in the third quarter, Texas was able to pull out the victory with a fourth-quarter touchdown and fourth-down stop.  

So, with the Longhorns advancing to 6-1 on the season, we empty the notebook from the win. 

All Breaks, No Gas 

The Longhorns came out of the gate firing in the first half, scoring touchdowns on three of their first four drives. Quarterback Quinn Ewers and the passing game looked hot off the press as he completed 12 of his 13 passes with two touchdowns. 

All signs pointed toward a blowout win for Texas just two weeks after losing to the Sooners. However, after the Savion Red touchdown run courtesy of the "WildRed" formation, the Longhorns looked like they did the opposite of Steve Sarkisian's motto and slammed the brakes. 

Texas was held scoreless for the rest of the second quarter following the Red touchdown and didn't put points back on the board until 12 minutes into the second half. 

Struggling Secondary 

The Longhorns' secondary was banged up against the Cougars, as they were without safety Jalen Catalon, who was ruled out before the game while starting nickel Jahdae Barron didn't play much to start despite taking parts in warmups. Combine injuries with a Houston receiver group that featured speed; it was the recipe that saw the Longhorns give up over 300 yards passing. 

Coverage bust and penalties got the Longhorns two weeks ago in the loss to the Sooners, and they showed up again against Houston. The Cougars totaled 11 passing plays that went for 15 yards or more as they found luck over the top of the Texas defense and even across the middle, as they utilized crossing routes frequently. 

"Styles Win Fights"

Oct 21, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns running back CJ Baxter (4) runs with the ball and scores a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Houston Cougars at TDECU Stadium.  / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

That is a common saying, especially in mixed martial arts, and it can even be applied to many other sports, especially football. Texas has shown this season that they can throw the football at a high level while also running the ball effectively. But the question was, can they do one or both of those things when the chips were down? 

Some would say they failed that test against the Sooners. However, they provided a different answer on the road versus Houston. Following the injury to Ewers, Sarkisian turned to Maalik Murphy to lead the Texas offense, and after a  three-and-out from the Longhorns and a game-tying field goal from the Cougars, they needed points. So, how did Texas get it done?

The Longhorns turned to their ground game that had produced early, then seemingly fizzled out in the third quarter. Yet, with the game on the line, Jonathan Brooks and C.J. Baxter produced, leading Texas's six-play, 53-yard drive that only featured one pass. 

After Brooks had four carries for 30 yards to help get the Longhorns in the redzone, Baxter, the former five-star true freshman, delivered with a 16-yard touchdown run to give Texas the 31-24 lead and eventually the game after a defensive stop.