Texas happy with OU rout, but Georgia on its mind
-
Dave Wilson, ESPN Staff Writer
DALLAS — A year after a crushing last-second loss in the Red River Rivalry, No. 1 Texas dominated No. 18 Oklahoma 34-3 on Saturday, but there wasn’t a lot of celebrating going on afterward. Other than coach Steve Sarkisian enjoying a State Fair of Texas favorite during his postgame interview.
“Got my corn dog, y’all,” Sarkisian said of the traditional fair fare as he walked into the postgame news conference and subtly tried to sneak bites during his interview after the Longhorns improved to 6-0 for the first time since 2009.
But with Texas facing Georgia next weekend, that was about the extent of the celebration, Sarkisian said, a departure from its 49-0 win over OU in 2022, its first in the series since 2018.
“Two years ago when we won the Golden Hat, you might have thought we won the Super Bowl,” Sarkisian said. “This year, it was like, ‘OK, we’ve got the Golden Hat back. All right, let’s put it in the trophy case and let’s keep grinding, let’s keep going.'”
The Longhorns got off to a slow start Saturday with more penalty yards (15) than offensive yards (13) in the first quarter. Quinn Ewers, who returned from injury to make his first start since Sept. 14, was sacked on the game’s first play, then intercepted two plays later on his first pass attempt.
Oklahoma’s only points, a 42-yard field goal from Tyler Keltner, came with 10 seconds left in the opening quarter, the first time Texas has trailed in a game this season. But the Longhorns’ defense never let Oklahoma get in a rhythm, and Texas eventually started to wear out the Sooners.
OU freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. was pressured on 17 of his 38 dropbacks (45%), going 19 of 30 for 148 yards, and the Longhorns held the Sooners under seven points for just the second time since 1998 (Texas’ 49-0 blowout in Brent Venables’ first year in 2022 was the other).
Ewers finished 20 of 29 for 199 yards and a touchdown but was 3 of 9 for 8 yards and that interception when under pressure.
“Overall, I think I need to play better, but I think we did a good job overcoming some adversity,” Ewers said, adding he was thrilled to be 2-1 against the Sooners. “The overall experience and atmosphere, it’s unbeatable, so it’s not hard to get up for this game.”
The Longhorns got a breakout game from sophomore running back Quintrevion Wisner, who had his first 100-yard game with 118, including a 43-yard touchdown run in the second quarter when Texas took control. The Longhorns averaged 5.9 yards per rush, while holding Oklahoma to just 2.3 yards.
It was another disappointing offensive performance for Oklahoma. Venables already has made a change at quarterback this season, switching from Jackson Arnold to Hawkins. The Sooners have not had a quarterback top 200 passing yards in a game this season.
“Obviously, we haven’t been very good this season [on offense],” Venables said. “We have to get better everywhere. I like the leadership, I like the will of this team. The hunger … we’ve got to help them. We’ve got some guys who are inexperienced, and we’ve got to continue to help them.”
But with another big game looming for Texas next weekend, senior defensive back Jahdae Barron said he was excited about getting a win over the Sooners in his final season, then immediately moved along.
“I’m ready for Georgia,” Barron said. “Let’s talk about Georgia. … I’m ready to go watch film already.”
Senior offensive lineman Jake Majors echoed his teammates’ thoughts.
“The good teams enjoy the win more than the great teams because the great teams move on, and that’s what we want to be,” Majors said. “We want to be great, so we’re going to enjoy it for 24 hours and then we’re going to get ready for next week.”
Sarkisian said he wants to give the rivalry game at the Cotton Bowl the respect it deserves, corn dogs and all.
“This is a big game at the University of Texas,” he said. “This game matters to us and I know it matters in Oklahoma obviously. … In my opinion, this is the greatest atmosphere in college football.”
But, he said, he sees a focus on what this team can accomplish now that it has a win over the Sooners under its belt.
“We enjoyed the win, don’t get me wrong,” Sarkisian said. “The locker room was fun and all that, but it is almost like our team knows there’s more work to do.”
Knight’s Choice has won the 2024 Melbourne Cup, defeating Warp Speed and Okita Soushi in a thrilling finish at Flemington on Tuesday afternoon.
The massive outsider saluted for Irish-born jockey Robbie Dolan, who claimed victory in what was his first ever ride in the “race that stops a nation”.
In what was a gripping 164th staging of Australia’s most-watched thoroughbred race, Knight’s Choice proved too strong in a sprint to the finish, pulling over the top of Okita Soushi and holding off Warp Speed by the barest of margins.
Trained by John Symons and Sheila Laxon on the Sunshine Coast, Knight’s Choice was well down the betting across all markets. It was Laxon’s second Melbourne Cup triumph after she trained Ethereal to victory 23 years ago.
“This is the pinnacle of all pinnacles, this is the Melbourne Cup,” Symons said.
Zardozi rounded out the first four.
As the field approached the final few hundred metres it appeared as though Jamie Kah, aboard Okita Soushi, would become just the second woman to ride the winner in the Melbourne Cup. But Okita Soushi was swallowed up as the winning post neared, with Knight’s Choice beating Warp Speed to the line after a peach of a ride from Dolan.
“We’ll be singing tonight after a few beers,” Dolan, who was a contestant on the 2022 edition of “The Voice”, told Channel 9.
“It is amazing and a lot of people doubted this little horse. Doubt me now.”
Laxon was more than happy with the ride, with Dolan threading his way through the field from near last on the bend.
“He started the race, and he knew how to ride him. We didn’t give him instructions, he knew what to do,” she said.
“I love it being down for the Australians. The Australian horse has done it, and Robbie is Australian now as well, so I’m thrilled to win the Cup, and it is the people’s Cup, and that’s what it is all about.”
Knight’s Choice is just the sixth Australian-bred horse to win since 1993, and the first since Vow and Declare back in 2019.
The five-year-old gelding carried only 51kg to victory and was making its first start over the 3200m trip. It had most recently come off a fifth-placed finish in the Bendigo Cup, but had showed sparing little form this preparation otherwise.
“I watched every Melbourne Cup for the last 40 years. I thought my best chance was to get him to stay the trip and, hopefully, he can run home and do the quick sectionals he can on a good track and he proved everybody wrong,” Dolan said.
MILWAUKEE — The Brewers‘ starting rotation could have a new look next season with right-handers Frankie Montas and Colin Rea heading into free agency.
The Brewers announced Monday that Montas had declined his part of a $20 million mutual option for 2025. The Brewers turned down the $5.5 million club option on Rea’s contract.
Montas receives a $2 million buyout and Rea gets a $1 million buyout.
In other moves Monday, right-hander Kevin Herget was claimed off waivers by the New York Mets, and left-hander Rob Zastryzny was claimed off waivers by the Chicago Cubs. First baseman Jake Bauers and right-hander Bryse Wilson cleared waivers and were sent outright to Triple-A Nashville.
Montas, 31, had a combined 7-11 record with a 4.84 ERA and 148 strikeouts over 150⅔ innings in 30 starts for the Cincinnati Reds and Brewers this season. He was 3-3 with a 4.55 ERA in 11 starts for the Brewers, who acquired him just before the trade deadline.
Rea, 34, was 12-6 with a 4.28 ERA this season in 32 appearances, including 27 starts. He struck out 135 in 167⅔ innings. Rea had an 8.31 ERA in September and was left off the Brewers’ NL Wild Card Series roster.
Herget, 33, had no record with one save and a 1.59 ERA in seven appearances with Milwaukee this year. He was 5-1 with four saves and a 2.27 ERA in 38 relief outings with Triple-A Nashville.
Zastryzny, 32, was 1-0 with a 1.17 ERA in nine appearances with Milwaukee. He pitched in 30 games with Nashville and went 4-0 with a 3.03 ERA.
The 29-year-old Bauers batted .199 with a .301 on-base percentage, 12 homers and 43 RBIs in 116 games this season. He also hit a seventh-inning homer that broke a scoreless tie in the decisive Game 3 of the Wild Card Series with the Mets, who rallied in the ninth to win 4-2.
Wilson, who turns 27 on Dec. 20, went 5-4 with a 4.04 ERA in 34 appearances, including nine starts.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports7 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Environment1 year agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business2 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway