I’ve said this on several podcasts and articles, but every article is someone’s first: I am a Washington Huskies fan. So I HATED the Sugar Bowl. That was too nerve-wracking. Texas played like a champion and, yeah, I’ll say it: Texas is back. It is hard to win a title, so to get to this point with a lot of production expected back next year, the Longhorns are charging into the SEC. 

But back to the game, here’s the three takeaways for each team. 

Texas Longhorns

– Xavier Worthy did not look like himself

Xavier Worthy has all-world speed and when running in a straight line, he was still fast. But an ankle injury clearly hampered him as he did not have much wiggle. 

– Texas Should Have Ran More

First there is this:

Second is that this isn’t the first time Steve Sarkisian has done this. When he took over as interim offensive coordinator for Alabama in the 2016-2017 season for the national championship game, he called 24 offensive plays before Alabama’s final offensive drive. Throwing out that final drive where Alabama had to drive down, he called only nine rushing plays, and only five for Bo Scarbrough (who rushed for 180 yards and two touchdowns against Washington In the semifinal). 

To be fair, I did not have time to go back and look at all the plays since there are some quarterback runs in there that I do not know if they were designed or scrambles. But I do know that Texas was effective running the ball against Washignton while the passing game (due to injuries and otherwise) was up and down. There may be some soul searching this offseason in the play calls for Texas’ offense. 

– Texas is Back

I said it in the introduction paragraph, but Texas is back. This team made the four-team College Football Playoff and is loaded for next year (and the years to come). Yes, the Longhorns are joining the more difficult SEC. But to make a 12-team playoff, a 10-win SEC team is almost a lock. Can Texas do that on a fairly regular basis? I think so. 

Texas has only finished with at least 10 wins (or even just nine?) in a season twice during the College Football Playoff era, but that was during a time of poor coaching. Now, the Longhorns’ staff looks competent, the roster is stacked and they’re not scared of the SEC (they beat Alabama, remember?). I’m not afraid of a jinx: Texas. Is. Back. 

Washington Huskies

– Wahsington is LSU 2019 Part 2  

Michael Penix Jr. is not Joe Burrow. Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson and Terrace Marshall Jr. are ahead of Rome Odunze, Ja’Lynn Polk and Jalen McMillan. But the sequel is rarely equal to the first movie. That doesn’t mean this Washington Huskies offense cannot be compared to LSU’s offense. Now defensively, LSU did have several NFL players. Washington’s defense does have some players (especially on the defensive line), but Derek Stingley Jr. is miles ahead of any Huskies defensive back. 

But overall, Washington is the closest thing we’ve seen since that legendary LSU team. We can equally appreciate both.

– Washington’s Coaching Won (and nearly lost) the Game

Washington was its typical aggressive self with mixed results. In the second quarter, the Huskies went for it on fourth-and-1 after getting deep in Texas territory and ran right into a wall and got stopped. But later, they went for it on fourth-and-1 deep in their own territory (after trying to draw Texas offside and burning a timeout) and got it, leading to a touchdown. So those decisions cancel out. On its second to last offensive drive, Washington could have run on third-and-goal to make Texas burn its second timeout before kicking a field goal to go up nine. Instead, the Huskies called a pass which was incomplete before successfully making the kick. That decision reared its head later. 

Washington had a third-and-5. A kneel down would’ve run the clock down to around 15 seconds before the Huskies would’ve had to call a timeout to most likely punt to pin Texas deep. Instead, they ran, running back Dillon Johnson got injured, and that meant the clock stopped at 50 seconds. I completely understand the blowback for the run, though kneeling would have meant the game would not have been over completely. However, the incompletion earlier is the more egregious error. That saved Texas 40 seconds which — would you look at that? — would’ve meant that Washington would have had about 10 seconds left on fourth down. The aggressive play-calling has gotten Washington to this point. But maybe the Huskies need to tone it down just a hair.   

– Dillon Johnson’s Health is a Major Storyline

In Ohio State’s win over Clemson in the 2021 Sugar Bowl semifinal, Trey Sermon ran wild. But he suffered an injury and was ineffective in the Buckeyes’ loss to Alabama in the title game. Dillon Johnson didn’t have the same statistical impact as Sermon but he was more than enough to supply some balance and keep Texas from teeing off on Penix. He was carted off the field after the game. He has been a massive changeup ever since he began receiving more carries midway through the season. If he is less than 100%, that could be the difference between a Washington national title or a loss heading into the Big Ten.