On January 1, the Texas Longhorns and the Washington Huskies will square off in the College Football Playoff semifinals. As the days go by, take a look back at the top 20 moments.
Not 8 Without a player who won’t be playing in the College Football Playoffs, Texas would not be in the postseason. Jonathan Brooks’ 29-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter ties Oklahoma late.
Running back Jonathan Brooks was having a season that would have made him a strong contender for the Doak Walker Award as the best back in the country. During a 10-game stretch that included his injury-plagued TCU game, Brooks amassed 1,139 yards on 187 carries and 11 touchdowns overall.
Midway through the fourth quarter of the Red River Rivalry game against Oklahoma, one of those scores occurred. Texas, ranked third in the nation, was playing 5-0 for the first time since 2009. With little over six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Brooks’ crucial 29-yard touchdown run helped the Longhorns rally from a 10-point deficit to level the game, 27–27. The Sooners had taken an early lead in the third quarter.
After two completions to Jordan Whittington, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers passed the ball to Brooks, who completed the pass.
After a field goal by Bert Auburn gave Texas a 30-27 lead, Oklahoma rallied for a 34-30 victory with a touchdown with 15 seconds remaining.
Before tearing his right ACL and ending his season, Brooks ran for 104 yards and two scores on 21 carries against TCU one month later. Kind of.
“We are devastated to lose Jonathan for the season,” Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian remarked. “I believe that Jonathan Brooks, one of our teammates, is the one thing that hurts us as a team the most. Although he is an exceptional football player, he is a better man than a football player.
In order for the record to reflect that Brooks was present in the game, Sarkisian proved how much he valued Brooks by entering him into the game during the last play of the Big 12 Championship victory. Even with his three game absence, Brooks was chosen to the second team of the Big 12 team.
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