AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Longhorns are now just one win away from clinching a spot in the SEC Championship, after securing a 31-14 win against Kentucky on Saturday at DKR Stadium.
Despite entering the game as large favorites, the Longhorns ran into a fair amount of resistance against a scrappy Kentucky team that was fighting for its postseason life, entering the game with a 4-6 record.
Offensively, the Longhorns were mostly led by their running game, garnering 250 yards on the ground. Quintrevion Wisner led the way with an astounding 158 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries. Jaydon Blue was also impressive, tallying 96 yards on 15 carries, despite losing a fumble in the third quarter.
Quarterback Quinn Ewers was efficient, tossing for 191 yards and two touchdowns on 20-of-31 passing, but did lose a fumble that was returned for a touchdown in the third quarter. Matthew Golden led the Longhorns in receiving, with 86 yards on seven catches. Tight end Gunnar Helm had 51 yards on five catches, including both of Ewers' touchdown passes.
As has been the case for much of the season, the Longhorn defense was stout all game, holding the Wildcats to just 232 total yards and allowing only one touchdown. Sophomore Anthony Hill Jr. led the team in tackles with 10 and added two sacks to his stat line, bringing his season total to 7.5. Fellow sophomore Jelani McDonald tallied his first collegiate interception, intercepting Wildcat quarterback Brock Vandagriff in the second quarter, which in turn led to Vandagriff's benching. Austin-native and former LBJ High School standout Andrew Mkububa also grabbed an interception of his own, picking off Cutter Boley in the game's final minute.
Next up for the Longhorns is arguably the season's most anticipated matchup against old rival Texas A&M. This will be the first time the archenemies have met on the gridiron since 2011, when the Longhorns beat the Aggies on a walk-off field goal by Justin Tucker. The Aggies departed the Big 12 for the SEC ahead of the 2012 season, which began a 13-year hiatus in the series.
The Aggies currently sit at 8-3 on the season, after losing a thrilling, four-overtime game against Auburn Saturday night.