Texas' blowout of Michigan was a program statement: The Longhorns are amongst college football's elite

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Midway through the second quarter of Texas’ 31-12 win over Michigan in the Big House on Saturday, Longhorns running back Jaydon Blue was on the sideline with a minor injury. 

That left Texas with two available scholarship running backs, both of whom aren’t very experienced. Remember, Texas lost CJ Baxter for the season during fall practice. So Texas, on the road in the Big House in its first major test of the 2024 season, was up against a nasty Michigan defense that boasts three of the best defensive linemen in the country. 

On that 12-play drive, Texas had five different running plays go for five or more yards. Jerrick Gibson and Quintrevion Wisner ran hard and confidently. The drive culminated in a seven-yard Wisner touchdown run, putting the Longhorns up 14-3 and effectively ending the game. 

Coming into this one, it was hard to envision Texas running the ball down Michigan’s throat as a possibility, especially not with Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant and Josaiah Stewart on the other side of the ball. But Texas did. 

If you want to know what “back” looks like, this is it. 

Texas didn’t just win this game on the ground. It wasn’t just the inexperienced running backs running hard during a moment of fear early in a big game on the road. It wasn’t just the offensive line, led by Kelvin Banks, winning the battle up front. 

It was everything. 

It was Quinn Ewers looking like a much better version of himself. Ewers, despite facing what we think should be one of the best defenses he’ll see all year, evaded pressure, extended plays, kept his eyes locked downfield and made plays. He ran for first downs. He threw for touchdowns. Final stat line: 24-for-36, 246 yards and three touchdowns.

It was Texas receivers getting open the entire game, even with the best cornerback in college football wearing Maize and Blue. It didn’t matter the Longhorns lost Xavier Worthy and A.D. Mitchell, both of whom are in the NFL right now. The Longhorns went out and got Alabama transfer Isaiah Bond. They signed five-star freshman Ryan Wingo, who had an explosive 55-yard run in the third quarter that slammed the door shut on any comeback. The same goes the departure of tight end J.T. Sanders. He’s gone to the NFL, but Gunnar Helm was waiting in the wings. He led Texas in receiving with 98 yards and scored against the Wolverines. 

It was the Texas defense. Though there is certainly some question as to whether Michigan’s offense is just going to be bad this year, the Longhorns held the Wolverines to 12 points. One touchdown in junk time. Michigan may have a quarterback problem, but Davis Warren never found a groove. Texas wouldn’t let him.

Oh, and it was Steve Sarkisian. The coach who people mocked incessantly before last season — the one who had never won 10 games in a year before guiding the Longhorns to the College Football Playoff — has officially arrived at elite status. He called a beautiful game and he built a roster that is made for sustained success, not one that would revert back to old ways after one better-than-expected season.

“Texas is back” used to be a funny statement people would make, usually in jest. The Longhorns had a multi-decade run of mediocrity, starting overhyped and then consistently underachieving. That stench was still all over the Texas football program when Sarkisian got there. And even into Sarkisian’s first year, Texas messed around in games in which it had no business sweating. 

Last year was the coming out party. Texas was a pass away at the end of the Washington loss in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals from facing this Michigan program in the national title game. Had Ewers completed the improbable comeback against the Huskies, who knows how things would have gone in Houston a week later. 

The Michigan team that won in Houston is mostly gone. Jim Harbaugh is off in the NFL with the Los Angeles Chargers and the bulk of the Wolverines team that helped them achieve greatness is with him. No more J.J. McCarthy, Kris Jenkins, Mike Sainristil, Junior Colson, Blake Corum, Roman Wilson, Zak Zinter, AJ Barner and many others. 

Michigan may very well turn out to be a really good football team this year. Who knows? But what is abundantly clear right now is that this program isn’t scaring anyone. Last year’s Michigan isn’t this year’s Michigan. When on the field with a Texas team that was in that category, Michigan couldn’t keep up. 

Michigan has stars on this team. Graham, Grant, Johnson and running back Donovan Edwards are all very good. Potential future NFL star, good. But a year removed from a national title, it looks a lot more like the Michigan teams from the beginning of Harbaugh’s tenure, not the last one he coached in Ann Arbor. 

Texas, on the other hand, was great last year. And it is great again. The Longhorns could have won it all a year ago and they are back, in 2024, with a real chance to, well, win it all.

The last time a Longhorns team played this way against an opponent that was supposedly this good, it won a national title. That was in 2006 when Vince Young was leading the way. It’s been a long time since the Texas program was the class of the sport. 

That’s not a prediction. I’m nowhere near ready to call my shot in that regard, especially because we have no concept of what this Michigan team actually is.

But when you look for the main pillars of college football program royalty, you have great high school recruiting, great use of the portal to supplement that recruiting, great coaching and great culture. From the looks of it, this Texas team has it all. 

Being “back” was never about one year of great success. Blips happen. It was always about building the foundation so the program expects much more than one year’s worth of success. Making the College Football Playoff isn’t good enough. Last year wasn’t good enough.

Now it’s about winning it all. Texas is there. Sarkisian brought that back. 

So yes, Texas is back. But we don’t have to say it anymore.

Now it’s about achieving the biggest goals, like the one Young achieved almost 20 years ago.