Texas football’s defense powers road victory over Arkansas in Week 12
The Longhorns have long dominated their rivalry with Arkansas, holding a 56-23 all-time lead. However, the last time Texas played at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in 2021, they were soundly defeated 40-21. Eleven players from that Texas team, including nine starters, are part of the 2024 roster.
Saturday’s 20-10 victory over Arkansas wasn’t flawless, but the Longhorns did what was necessary to secure a tough road win over an SEC opponent.
The Texas defense was outstanding for most of the game, limiting Arkansas to just 231 total yards and 3.9 yards per play. The Razorbacks’ ten points were more than 18 points below their average heading into the game.
Jahdae Barron was a standout, finishing with seven tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack, and an interception. His performance only added to his growing reputation as a top contender for the Jim Thorpe Award.
Offensively, Texas had trouble finding a consistent rhythm. The Longhorns struggled to establish the run game but averaged 5.8 yards per carry on 13 attempts when it mattered most.
With the win, Texas improves to 9-1 for the second consecutive season. They will host the Kentucky Wildcats next Saturday for Senior Day before heading to Texas A&M for rivalry week.
Here’s what Texas players had to say after their 20-10 victory over Arkansas:
Quinn Ewers
On the challenge of winning on the road in the SEC: “In this conference, it’s hard to go on the road and win games, especially in a tough environment like this with the history of these two programs.”
On struggles with passing downfield: “You’re gonna have games like this, but at the end of the day, I think we did a good job of staying poised and composed.”
On Arkansas’ three-high safety look: “It’s definitely tough to play against, but luckily we’ve seen it enough to understand it more than we did last year. It’s always frustrating when you want to push the ball downfield.”
On his touchdown pass to Matthew Golden: “Every Friday night, I tell coach Sark which plays I like in certain situations. I was fired up when he called it. Every time he calls it, I’m thinking touchdown.”
On his fourth-down run: “I read the end, he crashed, and I was like, ‘It’s time to go.'”
Jahdae Barron
On Quinn Ewers’ game-sealing fourth-down run: “He has a lot of haters, he has a lot of love, but I love that dude all the way. That’s a warrior move.”
On defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski: “Coach PK is a smart guy. Every play I made, I went over there and told him thank you for calling it. He’s a genius—he just keeps putting me in the right position to succeed for myself and the team.”
Barron also noted he kept saying “2021” to Barryn Sorrell in the pregame tunnel as a reminder of their last trip to Fayetteville.
Alfred Collins
On his late forced fumble: “Man, I just wanted to get the ball back to the offense. Do what I gotta do.”
Tre Wisner
“Every game is the SEC Championship. We said that coming into the season.”
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