Three Thoughts on Texas at Iowa State

Texas tries to navigate a tough road test in late November.

Three Thoughts is our signature way to summarize a noteworthy game we want to cover here at Sturmstack. Tonight certainly qualified as just one of those occasions.

Texas moved its record to 10-1 with a very businesslike win over Iowa State in Ames, Iowa, on Saturday Night by the final score of 26-16. They stay on course for the Big 12 Championship Game and a chance to earn an invitation to the College Football Playoff.

These are my Three Thoughts:

– This is a game that the 2023 Texas Longhorns win that previous versions of them have not been capable of getting in the bag. They are learning to win in real time and it is impressive to see.

I don’t know how many weeks in a row we have to continue to see this trend, but at least this one didn’t require Texas hanging on for dear life. Unlike the games against Houston, Kansas State, and TCU, Texas did not make this one nearly as difficult on themselves in the late going. But, whatever the case may be, we know that this program has had a difficult time closing down the plentiful one-score games and 60-minute battles they have played in most of the last decade. Nobody has seemed to play them more often and yet getting them into the win column has been such a struggle.

So, all week you look at this Texas team going to Iowa State – a place that has given them fits against a team that seems to have the ability to do this sort of thing – and shudder at the thought of playing without Jonathan Brooks. Brooks went down last week and it felt for a moment like the talisman of the offense would be missing when they needed to figure this battle out.

But, to the credit of that entire offense, they did. Even as players kept dropping due to the physical nature of this season, the next guy was able to make a play and move the chains or keep a drive alive. It is something to see when senior leadership and young pieces blend together to accomplish a common goal. This game was a very lose-able test and Texas did what good teams do. They wore down an opponent that was up for the occasion and by the end were able to savor the final minutes of victory on the road. Very impressive work by all involved in this one.