2020

Valero Alamo Bowl | December 29, 2020
#20 Texas 55 vs. Colorado 23

ESPN Viewership: 3,043,789
Attendance: 10,822
TV Coverage: ESPN HD

Offensive MVP: Bijan Robinson, Texas
Defensive MVP: Demarvian Overshown, Texas
Fred Jacoby Sportsmanship Award: Carson Wells, Colorado

Coaches: Texas – Tom Herman; Colorado – Karl Dorrell

Game Stats: ESPN

Recap: Record breaking night by Bijan Robinson, Casey Thompson paces #20 Texas’ 55-23 victory against Colorado in 2020 Valero Alamo Bowl

Highlights: Texas offense, led by running back Bijan Robinson aids Longhorn offense in 55-point outburst. Sophomore Quarterback Casey Thompson adds four TDs through the air.

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Game Notes

LONG TIME RUNNING

Texas running back Bijan Robinson broke a Valero Alamo Bowl record for yards per carry with 18.3 yards during his 183-yard rushing performance in the 2020 Valero Alamo Bowl, which earned him 2020 Offensive MVP honors. Robinson’s yard per carry average bested Nebraska back Dan Alexander, who had 12 yards per carry against Northwestern in the 2000 Alamo Bowl.

IT’S A LONG STORY

Texas kicker Cameron Dicker nailed the longest field goal in Valero Alamo Bowl history with a 53-yarder to put the Longhorns up 17-7 in the second quarter. Dicker added another field goal and seven extra points en route to a 55-23 Texas victory against the Colorado Buffaloes.

PERFECT HERMAN

Texas Coach Tom Herman continued his undefeated streak in bowls as a head coach with a 55-23 win in the 2020 Valero Alamo Bowl. Herman is now 5-0 in bowls (4-0 at Texas).

MAKING AN IMPACT

Texas QB Casey Thompson set a Valero Alamo Bowl record with four touchdown passes to help lead the Longhorns to a 55-23 victory against Colorado. Thompson equaled the four TD-passes thrown by Washington’s Keith Price against Baylor in the 2011 Valero Alamo Bowl.

NOT BUFF ENOUGH

With its win in the 2020 Valero Alamo Bowl against Colorado, Texas has now beaten the Buffaloes six consecutive times and outscored the Buffs 274-78 in that span. The last time Colorado recorded a win against Texas was in the 2001 Big 12 Championship, in a 39-37 nail biter.

VAB VETERANS

With its 55-23 win against Colorado in the 2020 Valero Alamo Bowl, Texas became the first program to win four Valero Alamo Bowl games. Texas was previously tied with Nebraska, which has recorded three wins in VAB history. Including this year’s win at the Valero Alamo Bowl, the Longhorns have gone 3-0 against Pac-12 opponents in the game.

I JUST FELT LIKE RUNNING

Despite Colorado’s 55-23 loss against Texas in the 2020 Valero Alamo Bowl, Colorado running back Jerek Broussard topped off an impressive 2020 resume with 82 yards and two TD’s to help pace the Buffs offense. Broussard was declared 2020 Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year after running for 813 yards during the season.

SAME TEAM, DIFFERENT CONFERENCE

Colorado is the only team to play in the Valero Alamo Bowl as a representative of both the Big 12 and Pac 12 Conferences. The Buffaloes represented the Pac-12 in the Valero Alamo Bowl in 2020 and in 2016 against Oklahoma State. The Buffs originally appeared as a Big 12 squad in 2002 against Wisconsin. Baylor is the only other team that has represented two conferences in the VAB, as a member of the Big 12 in 2011 and as a member of the Southwest Conference in 1994.

GIMME SOME MOORE

Texas receiver Joshua Moore was heavily featured in the Longhorns’ air attack as the sophomore tallied 86 yards and two touchdowns through the air. Moore’s two TD’s places him second in Valero Alamo Bowl history for receiving scores in a game. Both touchdowns Moore caught came in the third quarter from Longhorn QB Casey Thompson.

NOT A NICE REUNION

Colorado met a once familiar and difficult foe in its 55-23 defeat to the Texas Longhorns in the 2020 Valero Alamo Bowl. The Buffaloes, a previous member of the Big 12 Conference, experienced its second loss to a Big 12 opponent in the Alamo Bowl. The first coming at the hands of Oklahoma State in the 2016 Valero Alamo Bowl.

NO CASE OF SENIORITIS

With a win in the 2020 Valero Alamo Bowl, the seniors on the Texas Longhorns finished perfect in bowl games with a 4-0 record. During their time with Texas the seniors recorded wins in the Texas Bowl, Sugar Bowl and consecutive wins in 2019 and 2020 in the Valero Alamo Bowl.

BEATING THE BEST

Texas running back Bijan Robinson averaged 18.3 yards per carry to help the Longhorns to a 55-23 victory against the Colorado Buffaloes. Robinson’s yard per carry average was more than eight yards better than the NCAA leader Rachaard White of Arizona State, who averaged 10 yards per game in 2020. Robinson had runs of 69 yards and 50 yards during the game.

MR. EFFICIENCY

Texas quarterback Casey Thompson made the most of his time during Texas’ 55-23 win against Colorado in the 2020 Valero Alamo Bowl. The sophomore passer connected on eight of his 10 attempts for 170 yards and four touchdowns. The TD tally tied the Valero Alamo Bowl record for TD passes held by Keith Price of Washington.

GONE IN 50 SECONDS

Texas got off to a quick start in the 2020 Valero Alamo Bowl when the Longhorns drove the field in 50 seconds in their first drive of the game. Texas running back Bijou Robinson capped off the drive with an eight-yard TD run to put the Longhorns ahead 7-0.

SECOND TO NO ONE

The Texas Longhorns had a scoring explosion in the second half of the 2020 Valero Alamo Bowl, setting a bowl record of 48 points scored in a half. The previous high was set by Baylor in its second half showing against Washington in the 2011 Valero Alamo Bowl.

DOMINATING THE COMPETITION

After its 55-23 win against Colorado in the 2020 Valero Alamo Bowl the Longhorns improved their record to 12-7 all time against the Buffaloes. Texas quarterback Casey Thompson paced the Longhorns with four touchdowns passing.

NOT TO BE OUTSHOWN

Texas linebacker Demarvion Overshown picked up the 2020 Valero Alamo Defensive MVP award thanks in part to a first quarter pick off of Colorado quarterback Sam Noyer. The interception led to a Texas TD from Bijan Robinson, who won Offensive MVP honors after the game.

THAT’S OFFENSIVE

With a 638-yard offensive output in the 2020 Valero Alamo Bowl the Texas Longhorns climbed the VAB record book and had the second most yards in bowl history. Texas’ offensive showing ranked two yards ahead of Nebraska’s 636-yard performance in the 2000 Valero Alamo Bowl and trails only Baylor’s output of 777 in the 2011 bowl against Washington.

AN UNEXPECTED YEAR

Due to an unforeseen pandemic and a new normal, the Valero Alamo Bowl was without its traditional packed crowd of college football fans in 2020. A crowd of 10,822 turned out for the 2020 Valero Alamo Bowl to watch the #20 Texas Longhorns defeat the Colorado Buffaloes 55-23.

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

28. 10,822 – 2020 – #20 Texas 55, Colorado 23

SAN ANTONIO SAM

With his 14-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter of the 2020 Valero Alamo Bowl, Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger capped off a fruitful senior season. Despite being faced with a shortened season amid the pandemic, Ehlinger’s showing in the 2020 VAB gave him a total of 26 TD passes this season, only six shy of his best of 32 in 2019. Ehlinger also tied his lowest total for interceptions with only five this season.

FAST FINISHES, ELECTRIFYING RESULTS

Fans at the Alamodome for the 2020 Valero Alamo Bowl saw what has become an unfamiliar site at the annual bowl known for heart stopping finishes and offensive shootouts. The #20 Texas Longhorns used a solid performance by running back Bijou Robinson and four touchdowns by quarterback Casey Thompson to swarm the Colorado Buffaloes en route to a 55-23 victory.

This year’s Texas victory against the Buffaloes drew memories of last year’s Valero Alamo Bowl, which saw the Longhorns defeat the Utah Utes 38-10.

The Longhorns’ two-year dominating streak in 2019-2020 comes in stark contrast to the many of the contests in the past several years of Valero 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 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

• The Longhorns earned their fourth-straight bowl win behind a career day from RB Bijan Robinson.

• Valero Alamo Bowl Highlights: Texas Longhorns vs. Colorado Buffaloes | College Football on ESPN

• Postgame Ceremony 2020 Valero Alamo Bowl

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Photos