Saturday Blitz
Fansided

Texas Football: Longhorns make emphatic Sugar Bowl statement

By John Mitchell

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 01: Sam Ehlinger #11 of the Texas Longhorns celebrates a touchdown during the first half of the Allstate Sugar Bowl against the Georgia Bulldogs at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 01, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 01: Sam Ehlinger #11 of the Texas Longhorns celebrates a touchdown during the first half of the Allstate Sugar Bowl against the Georgia Bulldogs at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 01, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
(Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

3. Georgia couldn’t get out of their own way

Georgia spent nearly a month after the SEC Championship Game opining about their lack of inclusion into the College Football Playoff. To be fair, the Bulldogs certainly looked like one of the four best teams in college football this season, particularly so when they nearly dethroned Alabama in Atlanta, coming up just short of a second consecutive SEC Championship.

The 20-point loss in Baton Rouge to LSU is the main reason Georgia finished just outside of the playoff, with that defeat serving as too much to overcome against teams with comparable resumes and less losses.

Georgia’s month-long frustration with being left out of the playoff culminated with numerous Bulldogs players tweeting out their displeasure on Saturday as Notre Dame and Oklahoma both looked overmatched in semifinal defeats to Clemson and Alabama, respectively.

With added motivation to come out and prove a point in the Sugar Bowl against Texas, Georgia instead came out flat and uninspired, getting repeatedly punched in the mouth by the Longhorns and failing to respond.

Early miscues by Georgia proved too much to overcome. Texas took their opening drive straight down the field and punched in a touchdown, discombobulating a stunned Bulldogs team.

Georgia was forced to punt, and punter Jake Camarda’s knee hit the ground as he went to corral an errant snap, giving Texas the ball at the Georgia 27. Texas would get a field goal off the miscue to go up 10-0.

Later in the first quarter, the steady sophomore running back D’Andre Swift fumbled at his own 12-yard-line, setting the Longhorns up in the redzone. They punched in a touchdown three plays later to go up 17-0 at the beginning of the second quarter.

The early mistakes proved to be costly, with Georgia, against a hungry and motivated Texas defense, unable to overcome an early three-score deficit.

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