2019

Valero Alamo Bowl | Tuesday, December 31, 2019
Texas 38 vs. #11 Utah 10

ESPN Viewership: 6,241,244
Attendance: 60,147
TV Coverage: ESPN

Offensive MVP: Sam Ehlinger, Texas
Defensive MVP: Joseph Ossai, Texas
Fred Jacoby Sportsmanship Award: Zack Moss, Utah

Coaches: Utah – Kyle Whittingham, Texas – Tom Herman

Game Stats: ESPN

Recap: Strong performances by Ossai, Ehlinger spur Texas’ 38-10 victory against #11 Utah in 2019 Valero Alamo Bowl

Highlights: Texas defense, led by linebacker Joseph Ossai thwarts #11 Utah’s attack while Longhorn quarterback Sam Ehlinger throws three TD’s and adds another on the ground

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Game Notes

HORNS UP, BABY!

Texas improves to 2-0 against Utah all time after its 38-10 victory in the 2019 Valero Alamo Bowl. The only other meeting between the schools was a 21-12 season-opening win for the Longhorns in Austin in 1982.

RANKINGS AREN’T EVERYTHING

Texas’ 38-10 victory over No. 11 Utah in the 2019 Valero Alamo Bowl is only the fourth time an unranked team has beaten a ranked team in Bowl history. And it’s the most lopsided in terms of margin of victory. The previous three games were decided by a combined 10 points.

SCORING IS FOR THE BIRDS

A shootout never developed in the first half of the 2019 Valero Alamo Bowl. The 10-point outburst tied the Alamo Bowl record for fewest first-half points. The last time the Bowl got off to such a slow start was 1994, when Washington State led Baylor 10-0 at the half. Tonight marked the seventh time in Alamo Bowl history one team has failed to score in the opening half.

KEEPING IT 200

After throwing for 201 yards in the 2019 Valero Alamo Bowl Sam Ehlinger now finds himself amongst elite company near the top of Texas’ passing records. Ehlinger, whose performance earned him bowl Offensive MVP honors tied Major Applewhite for second most consecutive games with 200 yards passing (29), now only trailing Colt McCoy’s record of 38.

The 201 yards also pushed Ehlinger to 3,663 yards on the season, surpassing McCoy’s 2009 mark and putting Ehlinger second behind McCoy’s 2008 season in most yards.

19 OR BELOW IS THEIR GOAL

Texas improved to 3-0 in 2019 and 14-1 under Tom Herman when allowing their opponent 19 points or less. The Longhorn defense led by 2019 Valero Alamo Bowl Defensive MVP Joseph Ossai kept Utah’s offense in check throughout the night as the linebacker’s six tackles for a loss and three sacks paced a Texas defensive effort that saw them rack up seven tackles for a loss and hold Utah to 254 yards of total offense and 10 points.

FINISH WHAT YOU START

Texas improved to 4-1 in 2019 and 16-4 under Tom Herman in games in which the Longhorns score first with their 38-10 victory against the Utah Utes in 2019 Valero Alamo Bowl. Texas took an initial 3-0 lead in the first quarter on a Cameron Dicker field goal and never looked back with two TD passes and a TD run by Sam Ehlinger. Herman is now also 33-5 overall as a head coach when his team scores first.

STILL KEEPING IT 200

Also passing the 200-yard mark were the Longhorns as a team on the ground. Texas rushed for 231 yards against the Utes. Keaontay Ingram paced Texas with 108-yards rushing, including a 49-yard TD run in the fourth quarter. Texas is now 6-0 this season with a 100-yard rusher and 9-1 under Tom Herman. The coach also holds an undefeated record of 21-0 when his team rushed for 200+ yards, including 8-0 at Texas.

SAM NOT SCARED TO SCURRY

Sam Ehlinger complimented his 201-yard passing effort with 73 yards on the ground and a third quarter touchdown. The junior quarterback also is now tied with Colt McCoy for most games in Texas history with both a rushing and passing touchdown with 14.

Ehlinger also moved solely into third place for most career touchdown runs by a quarterback in Longhorn history with 25, breaking his tie with Tyrone Swoopes.

The Texas passer has now rushed for at least one TD in ten of Texas’ 12 games against ranked opponents since 2018. His 274 yards of total offense pushed him ahead of Vince Young into second place in most total offense in a season for a Texas QB and his four total TD’s in the game moved him ahead of Young into third place in most TD’s responsible for as a Texas quarterback.

BACKING ‘EM DOWN

Texas linebacker Joseph Ossai paced a bend but doesn’t break defensive style that saw the Longhorns shut down Utah drives and keep the Utes off the scoreboard for much of the 2019 Valero Alamo Bowl. The sophomore had nine total tackles, six for a loss and sacked Utah quarterback Tyler Huntley three times.

Ossai’s performance moved him into a tie for second place for the most games with 8+ tackles for the Longhorns since 2000. During the regular season Ossai amassed 81 tackles, including 56 solo stops and led the Longhorns with nine quarterback hurries.

NOT HALF BAD

The Texas Longhorns continued their recent history of holding onto first half leads en route to a 38-10 victory against the Utah Utes in the 2019 Valero Alamo Bowl. Texas is now 23-3 under Tom Herman when leading at halftime, including a 7-1 record in 2019. Herman is now also now 39-3 overall as a head coach when his team leads at halftime.

Texas used a strong defensive effort to hold Utah scoreless. Paired with an early field goal and touchdown pass from Sam Ehlinger to Collin Johnson the Longhorns were able to gain a 10-0 halftime lead.

THE NIGHT TIME IS THE RIGHT TIME

The Longhorns improved to 5-1 in 2019 and 13-1 under Tom Herman in night games with their 38-10 victory against the Utah Utes in 2019 Valero Alamo Bowl.

PASSING EM UP

Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger’s three touchdown passes in 2019 Valero Alamo Bowl push his total this season to 32, putting him solely in second place in TD passes for a season behind Colt McCoy’s 34 in 2008. The junior passer had seven games this season 3+ TD passes, the most for any Texas quarterback in a single season.

JUST RETURNING SOME GIFTS

Texas defensive back D’Shawn Jamison added to his impressive 2019 return totals with a 71-yard punt return to begin the second quarter in the Valero Alamo Bowl. The return was the third longest punt return in Valero Alamo Bowl history and the sophomore also became the fifth Longhorn to return a punt and a kickoff for a touchdown in his career earlier this season.

COLLIN THE SHOTS

Texas receiver Collin Johnson continued his climb up the Texas receiving ranks in the Valero Alamo Bowl with a five-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter to give him 15 for his career. Johnson is now tied for eighth in career receiving touchdowns with David Thomas, Lovell Pinkney and teammate Devin Duvernay. The TD catch also propelled Johnson to fifth in all-time receiving yards for the Longhorns, passing Quan Cosby.

CLOSING OUT THE HALVES

After only scoring a field goal in the first quarter of the Valero Alamo Bowl, the Texas Longhorns righted the ship and Longhorn QB Sam Ehlinger connected with receiver Collin Johnson for a five-yard TD pass to go up 10-0 in the second quarter.

This continues an interesting offensive trend for the Longhorns in 2019 as Texas has scored 304 of its 455 (66.8%) in the second and fourth quarters of games. Texas added 14 points in the fourth quarter to defeat Utah 38-10. The Longhorns scored 144 points in the fourth quarter during the regular season to lead all FBS teams in fourth quarter scoring.

BORN TO BOWL

Despite the loss in the 2019 Valero Alamo Bowl, Utah Head Coach Kyle Whittingham is 11-3 in bowl games. Whittingham’s bowl game winning percentage second best in NCAA history (78.57%).

TEXAS MISS-STEP

The Utes 38-10 loss in the 2019 Valero Alamo Bowl drops Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham’s record to 3-1 in bowl games in the state of Texas. Before its 28-point defeat to the Horns, Utah had outscored its opponents 85-54 in its three bowl games in the Lone Star State.

IF YOU’RE NOT FIRST…

After their 38-10 loss in the 2019 Valero Alamo Bowl, Utah fell to 3-3 on the season when letting its opponent score first. Going into the bowl game, Utah was previously 8-0 this season when the Utes were first on the scoreboard.

NOW TRENDING: FIRST QUARTERS TO FORGET

Utah’s 11-2 record coming into the 2019 Valero Alamo Bowl was not reflective of its early scoring success in the box scores. Tonight’s goose egg in the first quarter marked the sixth time this season Utah has failed to score in the opening stanza.

TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE

Utah’s field goal with just under five minutes to go in the 3rd quarter marked their longest scoring drought to open a game all season. The only other time Utah failed to score in the first half was in its last game, the Pac-12 Championship game loss to Oregon.

RACK ‘EM & SACK ‘EM

Utah defensive end Bradlee Anae has a knack for getting to the quarterback. The senior finished his career with a school-record 30 sacks after his first-quarter assist in corralling Texas QB Sam Ehlinger in the 2019 Valero Alamo Bowl. The play gave Anae 13 sacks on the season, good enough for the 5th best single-season total for any Ute defender.

ALL PURPOSE, ALL MOSS

Utah running back Zack Moss came up just 4 yards short of setting a school record for career all-purpose yards (4,752) in the 2019 Valero Alamo Bowl. The senior tailback finished the night with 71 all-purpose yards.

A CAREER TO REMEMBER

Utah running back Zack Moss capped a memorable four-year run for the Utes at the 2019 Valero Alamo Bowl. He finished his career with school records for rushing yards (4,067), rushing touchdowns (38), total touchdowns (41), 100-yard games (18), carries (712). Moss is one of only two players in school history to have two career 1,000-yard seasons.

FRED JACOBY SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD

Utah running back Zack Moss nabbed post-game honors despite the loss. The Utes all-purpose back finished the game with 57 yards on 16 carries. He also tallied 14 yards on two receptions.

EFFICIENT AS IT GETS

Utah quarterback Tyler Huntley completed 15 passes on 23 attempts in the 2019 Valero Alamo Bowl. He finished the season with 574 career pass completions, 4th in school history. Huntley finished his career second in school history behind only Alex Smith (164.42) in career passing efficiency.

MISSION COMPLETE

Utah’s Tyler Huntley put a bow on the most accurate season for a quarterback in school history in the 2019 Valero Alamo Bowl. He capped off a stellar senior campaign completing 220 out of 301 passes (73%) and finished his career completing 574 of 854 passes (67.2%), both school records.

LOADING UP THE DOME

A crowd of 60,147 turned out for the 2019 Valero Alamo Bowl to watch the Texas Longhorns defeat the #11 Utah Utes 38-10. The game ranks 16th in Valero Alamo Bowl history.

1. 66,166 – 2007 – Penn State 24, Texas A&M 17

2. 65,918 – 2013 – #10 Oregon 30, Texas 7

3. 65,875 – 2006 – #18 Texas 26, Iowa 24

4. 65,380 – 1999 – #13 Penn State 24, #18 Texas A&M

5. 65,277 – 2012 – #23 Texas 31, #13 Oregon State 27

6. 65,265 – 2004 – #22 Ohio State 33, Oklahoma State 7

7. 65,256 – 2011 – #12 Baylor 67, Washington 56

8. 65,232 – 2001 – Iowa 19, Texas Tech 16

9. 64,757 – 2010 – Texas Tech 41, Michigan State 31

10. 64,597 – 1995 – #19 Texas A&M 22, #14 Michigan 20

11. 64,569 – 2016 – #11 TCU 47, #15 Oregon 41 (3)T)

12. 62,016 – 2005 – Nebraska 32, #20 Michigan 28

13. 60,780 – 1998 – Purdue 37, #4 Kansas State 34

14. 60,675 – 2018 – #13 Washington State 28, #24 Iowa State

15. 60,517 – 2015 – #14 UCLA 40, #11 Kansas State 35

16. 60,147 – 2019 – Texas 38, #11 Utah 10

17. 60,028 – 2000 – #8 Nebraska 66, #19 Northwestern 17

18. 59,815 – 2016 – #12 Oklahoma State 38, #10 Colorado 8

19. 57,653 – 2017 – #15 TCU 39, #13 Stanford 37

20. 57,593 – 2010 – #14 Oklahoma State 36, Arizona 10

21. 56,229 – 2003 – #21 Nebraska 17, Michigan State 3

22. 55,986 – 2008 – #23 Missouri 30, #20 Northwestern 23

23. 55,677 – 1996 – #21 Iowa 27, Texas Tech 0

24. 55,552 – 1997 – #16 Purdue 33, #24 Oklahoma State 20

25. 50,690 – 2002 – #14 Wisconsin 31, Colorado 28

26. 45,716 – 1993 – California 37, Iowa 3

27. 44,106 – 1994 – #24 Washington State 10, Baylor 3

FAST FINISHES, ELECTRIFYING RESULTS

Fans at the Alamodome for the 2019 Valero Alamo Bowl saw what has become an unfamiliar site at the annual bowl known for heart stopping finishes and offensive shootouts. The Texas Longhorns used a stout defensive performance led by linebacker Joseph Ossai and three touchdowns by quarterback Sam Ehlinger to swarm #11 Utah en route to a 38-10 victory.

The 2019 game stood in stark contrast to the many of the contests in the past several years of Valero Alamo Bowl history.

Both the 2018 and 2017 Valero Alamo Bowls were decided by two points. The 2018 game saw #13 Washington State successfully hold off the #24 Iowa State Cyclones after surrendering an early 21-10 lead, earning a 28-26 victory. The Cyclones had an opportunity to tie the game but the Cougars thwarted a two-point conversion attempt in the final minutes of the game.

The 2017 game would also feature a large first half deficit but this time it would be the #15 TCU Horned Frogs scoring 29 points in the second half to storm ahead of the #13 Stanford Cardinal and held Stanford off with an interception with two minutes remaining in the game to seal a 39-37 win.

The comeback for the Horned Frogs was only their second largest in Valero Alamo Bowl history as in 2015, #11 TCU orchestrated a miraculous 31-point second half comeback to take the game into overtime. Three OT periods would be needed to put away the #15 Oregon Ducks by a score of 47-41.

Comeback performances always seem to play a factor in the Valero Alamo Bowl as they did in 2014 as #14 UCLA withstood an incredible second half comeback by the #11 Kansas State Wildcats to secure a 40-35 victory. The Wildcats trailed 31-6 at halftime but scored 15 unanswered points in the third quarter to give Valero Alamo Bowl fans the type of exciting finish to which they’ve become accustomed.

The Texas Longhorns didn’t find themselves in unfamiliar territory with a tight game in the 2019 Valero Alamo Bowl as the then #23 Longhorns overcame a 10-point deficit in the 2012 Valero Alamo Bowl to defeat #13 Oregon State. Two David Ash TD passes late in the game secured the win for Texas.

But perhaps the most well-known fantastic finish in Valero Alamo Bowl history came with in the 67-56 offensive shootout in the 2011 Valero Alamo Bowl between #12 Baylor and Washington. Baylor QB and Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III and running back Terrance Ganaway battled with Washington QB as the two teams combined to amass 1,400 offensively.

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Links

• Sam Ehlinger, Texas Cruise to Upset Win over No. 11 Utah in 2019 Alamo Bowl

• Texas vs. Utah, Alamo Bowl 2019 score: Longhorns dominate Utes to end season on high note

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Photos