Don’t tell Texas a two-quarterback system can’t work.
The Longhorns gave true freshman Shane Buechele the start — and he played great — but Tyrone Swoopes was substituted in early and often as a change of pace runner. And it was the redshirt senior’s six-yard plunge in double-overtime that gave UT a dramatic 50-47 win over No. 10 Notre Dame.
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SWOOPES. TOUCHDOWN. TEXAS WINS.
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SWOOPES FOR THE WIN pic.twitter.com/deS5w7M7AQ
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The game was a wild one, that, at one point, did not look destined for overtime. Texas took a 37-35 lead with 3:29 to go, and were looking to increase that lead to 38-35 with a simple Trent Domingue extra point. However, the Irish made a big play with Jarron Jones blocking the kick and Shaun Crawford returning it the distance for two points to improbably tie the game at 37 apiece.
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NO. WAY.
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THE TEXAS EXTRA POINT WAS BLOCKED AND SHAUN CRAWFORD RETURNS IT ALL THE DAY. TWO POINTS FOR THE IRISH. TIE GAME. 37-37.
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Here's the blocked extra point (and return) from Notre Dame that forced overtime: pic.twitter.com/ebRVCJjxNY
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Both teams scored touchdowns in the first overtime, but the Longhorns managed to hold the Irish to field goal to open the second extra frame. Two plays into the Longhorns’ possession in double overtime, UT coach Charlie Strong put Swoopes back into the game for Buechele on a 3rd-and-one play. The senior delivered. He bowled over three Irish defenders down to the five-yard line to set up first-and-goal.
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SWOOPES
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Tyrone Swoopes just bowling dudes over to set up a first and goal for the Longhorns. pic.twitter.com/QTa8BzQu6V
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Two plays later, new UT offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert, whose new fast-paced system dazzled in its debut, dialed up another run for Swoopes, who made a few men miss and dove for the goal line for his third touchdown of the night. This one sealed an exciting season-opening win for the Longhorns.
And while Texas expertly managed its two quarterbacks, Notre Dame’s use of DeShone Kizer and Malik Zaire left a lot to be desired. Kizer, last year’s starter, led the Irish right down the field for a score — his first of two touchdown passes to Equanimeous St. Brown — but he was replaced with Zaire on Notre Dame’s next drive.
The Irish offense just did not look the same with Zaire, but head coach Brian Kelly insisted on inserting him for Kizer on three different drives — two in the first half, and one to open the second. Those three drives combined for just 40 yards. All the while, Kizer looked like one of the better quarterbacks in the country as he led the Irish offense up and down the field.
After going into halftime up 21-14 lead, Texas increased its lead to 28-14 on a beautiful long ball from Buechele to John Burt, the freshman’s third touchdown of the game (2 pass, 1 rush).
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SHANE. BUECHELE.
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Burt didn't drop this one. 73-yard TD. 28-14 Longhorns.
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How perfect was this pass from Shane Buechele? pic.twitter.com/H1OQZWszRN
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Despite the lack of cohesion in the first half, Kelly went to Zaire on Notre Dame’s first drive of the third quarter and the Irish promptly went three-and-out. Texas increased its lead to 31-14 on the ensuing drive.
At that point, Kizer went back to work.
It took just four plays for the Irish to cut the lead to 31-21. This time, Kizer kept on a read option and scampered 29 yards for a score. When the ball went back to Texas, Buechele, who looked great in his debut, made his only mistake of the night when he overthrew Jacorey Warrick, allowing Crawford to corral an interception and return the ball inside the UT 10-yard line.
Kizer found Torii Hunter Jr. in the end zone three plays later, and all of a sudden the Irish were down just a field goal, 31-28, with 5:06 left in the third. The momentum was with Notre Dame at this point, and it went ahead 35-31 early in the fourth on a beautiful toss from Kizer to running back Josh Adams on a wheel route.
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Holy crap DeShone Kizer. That throw was insane. TD Notre Dame
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This is just a perfect throw from DeShone Kizer to Josh Adams. You can't defend this. Notre Dame leads 35-31. pic.twitter.com/WMuKlXnaYZ
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The teams traded punts on the next two drives, and Texas reclaimed the lead with 3:29 behind a series of nice throws from Buechele and a bruising 19-yard TD run from D’Onta Foreman, who finished with 131 yards on the evening.
The theatrics of the blocked extra point and ensuing overtimes followed, giving us the best game of a wild opening weekend (try to top that, Florida State and Ole Miss!).
This win is a huge moment for Strong and the Longhorns. Strong has been scrutinized since the moment he arrived in Austin, and after going a combined 11-14 in his first two seasons, he needs to bring the Longhorns back to the upper tier of the Big 12 if he wants to keep his job. The 2016 Longhorns got off to a fantastic start by beating this stellar Notre Dame squad.
Strong has a future star in Buechele at his disposal. In his first collegiate game, the freshman completed 16-of-26 passes for 280 yards, two touchdowns and just the one interception. The luxury of interspersing a veteran like Swoopes, who rushed for 53 yards and three scores on 13 carries while throwing just one pass, gives Gilbert plenty of options to keep defenses off balance all season long.
It’s just one game, but Texas looks like a team that nobody is going to want to play.
For Notre Dame, this is a tough loss, but not one that instantly crushes its College Football Playoff hopes. Provided Kelly comes to his senses and sticks with Kizer (who threw for 215 yards and 5 TDs while rushing for 77 yards and another score) moving forward, this team can rebound and put itself back into the playoff picture. The schedule, with games against teams like Michigan State, Stanford Miami and USC, gives the Irish a chance to build quite the resume, but they can’t afford another loss.
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