Steve Sarkisian summed it up perfectly after Texas escaped Kroger Field with a 16-13 overtime victory against Kentucky: sometimes, you just find a way.
“I always feel like once a year you have a culture win where a game is not pretty, but because the team is so close, they find a way to win,” Sarkisian said. “Tonight, these guys found a way to win when the game was sliding in the wrong direction.”
Defense and special teams save the day
Statistically, Texas was thoroughly outplayed. Kentucky held the ball for nearly 40 minutes, gained over twice as many yards (395-179), and racked up 26 first downs compared to just 8 for the Longhorns, but still found a heartbreaking way to lose. But the scoreboard told a different story, thanks largely to clutch plays from the defense and special teams.
“Absolute credit to our defense—what a tremendous goal line stand in overtime,” Sarkisian praised. Facing 4th-and-goal from the 2-yard line, the Texas front stuffed Kentucky running back Dante Dowdell to preserve the tie and set up the game-winning field goal.
Special teams were equally heroic. Ryan Niblett’s two electric punt returns (45 and 43 yards) directly led to 10 of Texas’ 13 regulation points. Kicker Mason Shipley was perfect, hitting from 53 yards, 36 yards, and the 45-yard game-winner in overtime. Punter Jack Bouwmeester pinned Kentucky deep multiple times, including a crucial punt late in the game.
“It’s been huge,” Sarkisian said of his special teams. “It is truly good to know, when you can play good defense and play a good special teams, you’re always going to have a chance.”
Offense struggles, but makes enough plays
The offense, led by Arch Manning (12-of-27, 132 yards), sputtered for much of the night. Kentucky’s defense kept Manning uncomfortable, and the Longhorns failed to establish a consistent rhythm.
“We need to play better upfront to protect him,” Sarkisian admitted. “It’s not fun when you’re a quarterback and you’re getting hit… there are some layups that we’ve got to hit too.”
Despite the struggles, Manning delivered a few critical throws, including a key third-down conversion to DeAndre Moore Jr. Running back Quintrevion Wisner scored the team’s only touchdown.
Grinding out an SEC road win
In the end, it was a gritty, ugly victory – the kind teams often need to steal on the road in the SEC.
“I told the team half the SEC lost today, and we were on the other half that won,” Sarkisian said. “You go on the road at night in the SEC; this league is tough, it’s hard, and for us to find a way to win this game tonight, I’m very happy about that.” Texas leaves Lexington with its flaws exposed but its resilience affirmed.
For Kentucky it is just another failure in long line of home losses that now stands at 9. Funny how that number keeps coming up.
Drew Holbrook is an avid Kentucky fan who has been covering the Cats for over 10 years. In his free time he enjoys downtime with his family and Premier League soccer. You can find him on X here. Micah 7:7. #UptheAlbion