Before I write this article, let me just say that like Lil’ Wayne, I am “Sorry 4 the Wait.” I’ve had nearly 20 job interviews in the last week and in the coming week, so I had to, you know, not be a homeless guy and actually start taking a career seriously.
The season is about to kickoff, and everybody is starting to get amped. Hopefully my writing can be a little pre-game for the proverbial trip to Sixth Street that is Big 12 football. So let’s start off with a little recap of the 2018 season by listing what were in my opinion the best games of last year.
5. TEXAS VS. GEORGIA (SUGAR BOWL)
You know I had to sneak this game in here somehow because despite my best efforts, it’s very difficult to be objective. I just love my ‘Horns. It might not have been the most competitive game, but it was noteworthy enough to include in this piece. It may or may not be related to the fact that I put down $100 and made $350 back.
Texas had its best season in 10 years in 2018, capped off with a 28-21 win over the Georgia Bulldogs in New Orleans. A game that seemed like a blowout in the beginning ended up being a closer game towards the end than many had anticipated.
Texas jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the first and second quarters, dominating the field on both sides of the ball. Sam Ehlinger had the two touchdowns for Texas, both of which he scored on the ground, “a la Tim Tebow,” as Sean McDonough exclaimed during gameplay. I’m sure the Georgia fans were thrilled to hear Tebow’s name mentioned again.
“Tebow hasn’t been at Florida for 10 years, why are we still talking about him?!?” – UGA fans, probably.
The Bulldogs managed to bounce back into the game, scoring a touchdown to make it 17-7 in the second quarter. Texas answered with a field goal, and took an unexpected 20-7 halftime lead. After another Ehlinger touchdown on the ground, Texas was up 28-7 in the fourth. And that’s when the comeback started.
The score was a 28-21 final because the Longhorns had miserable fourth quarters all season long in 2018, and this contest was no different. Though the ‘Dogs really did not stand a chance to win, they made the game competitive. They simply ran out of time.
This will be the biggest hurdle for Texas this year: closing out games. Though they were able to win here, that may not be the case next season.
4. WEST VIRGINIA @ TEXAS
I remember watching this game off of an iPhone at a wedding I was attending, and during the ceremony, literally peering over to my friend’s screen which was strategically located on his lap just so I could see it. That’s what fraternity brothers are for, really.
In retrospect, maybe I shouldn’t have watched the game in the first place, as no amount of booze and braised beef shoulder could make up for the pain I felt after choking away yet another conference game.
West Virginia had one of the highest-flying offenses in college football in 2018, with huge talent all across the field, including quarterback Will Grier and wide receiver David Sills. I’ve mentioned in other articles that the Mountaineers had a top-10 offense in the country and averaged more than 500 yards per game.
This game did nothing to challenge that notion. I mean, it was 28-27 at the half. These two offenses just absolutely lit it up for 60 full minutes, with a final score of WVU 42, Texas 41. A Will Grier two-point conversion on the ground sealed the game with just a few seconds left. It also sealed the fact that the wedding bartender was about to get slammed with requests so people could forget about another blown lead.
3. OKLAHOMA STATE @ OKLAHOMA
One of the more exciting rivalries in the Big 12 is the Bedlam Game between in-state rivals Oklahoma in Norman and Oklahoma State in Stillwater.
Though Oklahoma has a serious edge in the series all-time, the last 10 or so years have had some pretty talented Oklahoma State teams which have made the game a ton of fun to watch. This is partially because the two head coaches, Lincoln Riley (OU) and Mike Gundy (OSU) are offensive geniuses. And I don’t say that figuratively.
The 2018 matchup fit the narrative perfectly, if not also showing that there is not a whole lot of defense to be played in high-scoring Big 12 games like this 48-47 contest. Oklahoma came out on top, but the Cowboys nearly stole one on the road, which they haven’t done since 2014 (when they had Tyreek Hill, who along with Pooka Williams is a member of the “great football player, awful human being” club).
Though they lost, quarterback Taylor Cornelius and wide receiver Tylan Wallace, who I’ve written about extensively, both showed out. Wallace had 220 receiving yards. Much like every other game in this list, offense was the key to the game.
The game essentially ended with a minute left on a failed two-point conversion in which Cornelius under-threw a wide-open Tylan Wallace, which, had it gone through, would have been a 49-48 lead for the Cowboys with only 1:06 left in the fourth.
This year, the game moves to Stillwater, OK, and while the Cowboys will be starting a fresh quarterback, the Sooners will still have to deal with that fierce wideout Wallace.
2. OKLAHOMA @ WEST VIRGINIA
Talk about high-scoring Big 12 games. The 59-56 Oklahoma victory over the West Virginia Mountaineers will cement itself as one of the highest-scoring games in the history of the Big 12.
It felt like every other play in this game was a touchdown. Grier throwing bombs to Sills, Kyler Murray running wild after reaching the second level of the defense, outrunning corners as a quarterback. There was so much talent on the field in this matchup on the offensive side of the ball. As my dad would say, both teams were running the “PlayStation offense.” It felt like a game of NCAA 14 where the guy playing defense took an Ambien.
Neither team, until the end of the game, seemed like they were in control. Whoever bet the over was rolling in dough. It was 7-0 Mountaineers, then 7-7, then 14-7 Mountaineers, then 14-14. Nobody could exert any kind of dominance over the other team defensively; honestly, it was such an offensive clinic that it was almost embarrassing for the defensive coordinators.
Was it a lack of talent on the defensive side? I’ve written about this before, how the Big 12 as a whole doesn’t recruit well on the defensive side of the ball, yet recruits better than the rest of the country on the offensive side. There’s a reason that four out of the last five Biletnikoff winners were from the Big 12. There’s a reason the Big 12 has had two straight Heisman winners at quarterback. There is an inherent difference in talent levels between offense and defense in this conference.
Murray put up 364 yards passing and 3 touchdowns along with rushing for 114 yards and a rushing score. Grier threw for 539 yards and four touchdowns in the loss. Once the basketball game we witnessed finally ended, the Sooners clinched a berth in the Big 12 Championship game against hated rival Texas, which they won 39-27.
1. TEXAS @ OKLAHOMA
Though the Big 12 Championship game rendered this game meaningless, with Oklahoma winning the conference at the game in Dallas, the most exciting matchup of 2018 in the Big 12 was the Red River Shootout in Dallas, TX between Texas and Oklahoma.
This was another back-and-forth contest. Texas clung to a 24-17 lead going into the half, but then had a dominant third quarter, expanding the lead to 45-21. Oklahoma had a dominant fourth quarter, storming back to tie the game at 45 with just a couple of minutes left.
Then came the biggest moment of Texas freshman kicker Cameron Dicker’s sporting life: a 40-yard attempt to beat Texas’ hated rival.
How did he do? You can watch below.
Not sure what you call that, but I’ll call it “clutch.” 40 yards is not an extra point. Especially for a true freshman kicker. But the kid nailed it.
This is one of the best games in a series full of great ones. Texas/OU is a rivalry that will live on as long as college football is a sport. And while my allegiance is firmly connected to the 40 Acres in Austin, even I can admit the amount of respect I have for the Oklahoma football program.
Thank GOD Oklahoma doesn’t have Kyler Murray anymore.
Or Baker Mayfield. ________________________________________________________________
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