Longhorns win because they play for one another
It wasn’t so much that Texas beat Notre Dame 50-47 in double overtime that excited fans, though that can’t be overlooked since it’s the biggest win in the Charlie Strong era.
This victory was about how the Longhorns, when things were going badly, didn’t quit.
It’s about how they kept encouraging one another, how they depended on each other to play their roles and come up big when it mattered most.
Strong said as much during his Monday press conference about 12 hours after the win.
“The first two years, we would have lost this game,” he said.
But not to Notre Dame in front of a record crowd at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium 365 days after suffering the first of several humbling losses in 2015.
Strong said he read an open letter from Colt McCoy to the players during their pregame meal before the game kicked off. Senior defensive tackle Paul Boyette said it was an emotional letter.
“I remember him when I was in high school,” Boyette said. “He poured his blood, sweat and tears into the program.”
Against the Fighting Irish, Boyette and his teammates did the same.
When Notre Dame scored on the game’s opening drive, the fear set in. Perhaps this Longhorns team is like all the others. Maybe it’s all sizzle with no flavor.
But when true freshman quarterback Shane Buechele led the Longhorns on a touchdown-answering drive — when he hit junior receiver Armanti Foreman in stride that caused him to drag a foot to haul in the pass — fans got their answer. Buechele is reminiscent of McCoy, from the way he attacks the opponent to the way he leads and encourages and instills confidence in his teammates.
This isn’t the same Texas team fans have seen the last couple of years.
And even when the Longhorns took a 17-point lead, got conservative and saw the Irish reclaim the lead, Texas didn’t falter.
Strong said the reason lies in what became the 2013 team’s motto.
This year’s version played “for the man on my left and the man on my right.” They didn’t want to let the other down.
Credit senior quarterback Tyrone Swoopes for being ready to contribute, for taking advantage of his opportunities, and for putting the betterment of the team before his own desires. There’s a lesson there so many can learn.
Is Texas back? That’s the million dollar question, isn’t it? The truth is we won’t know until the team overcomes other obstacles. And one of the biggest is getting hyped for a Texas-El Paso team that beat New Mexico State 38-22. After all, it’s easy to get motivated for Notre Dame, an opponent that brought the hammer to the Longhorns in 2015 by winning 38-3.
But getting motivated for the Miners might be more of a challenge. And make no mistake, UTEP will enter this contest with confidence thanks to a potent rushing attack led by Aaron Jones, who ran for 249 yards, a career high and third-most in program history.
Still, it’s hard to think Texas won’t be ready to play. It will be the Longhorns’ last home game for about a month. And these players will get each other motivated. They’ll continue to encourage one another and hold each other accountable.
Because they’ll continue to play for the man on the left and the man on the right.
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