Before the cannon fires: Quick thoughts on Texas vs. UGA before the SEC Championship

I meant to write yesterday around lunch, but the Longhorns landing the commitment of super five-star DT Justus Terry from Georgia and securing the number one overall recruiting class occupied the time I’d allocated to write. So it goes. Better late than never—here are my rapid thoughts on the SEC Championship before the cannon goes boom.

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—Georgia has reminded me this year of what I call a “lightswitch team.” Many of LeBron James’s and Steph Curry’s teams have earned that label. A team can only be a lightswitch team for so long before their constant playing with fire catches up to it and burns it to death. I apply the term only to veteran teams that have gotten over the hump and tend to sleepwalk through the regular season, flipping the proverbial switch when it really matters to them. Lightswitch teams play with their food too often, losing games they shouldn’t or finding themselves in “dogfights” against inferior opponents. Against Clemson in the second half, in Athens hosting Tennessee, and in the comeback versus Georgia Tech, the Bulldogs flipped the switch. Oh, and they electrocuted themselves in the nipples and sent shockwaves throughout their body when they played the Longhorns the first time. They were undoubtedly revved up for that game in Austin. Outside of that? Kirby Smart’s squad has played sloppy, disinterested, and ugly football this season.

Lightswitch teams always need a carrot dangled in front of them. And in the first matchup, Smart played the “nobody believes in us” card surrounding the enormous weekend in Austin to perfection, saying Georgia wasn’t there to “take pictures or do superstar stuff.” It turned the light on for Georgia that night, but today, the Longhorns are the ones who should be angry after the 30-15 defeat in October. Can Smart keep flipping the switch and get his team to respond? Or will he find out the lightbulb has finally burned out?

—I rewatched the first game the other night—it was the first time I’d seen the whole thing in its entirety since witnessing it live. I’d seen highlights, but I hadn’t forced myself to sit through it again. Pressing play felt like grabbing the “oh sh-t handle” in a car about to crash into a massive pileup. But, you know what? It wasn’t as bad as I expected. That might sound absurd, but it truly felt like one of those games that just got away from Texas, Steve Sarkisian, and Quinn Ewers—like carrying too many grocery bags into the house. Once one thing falls, everything does.

First, Ewers showed what he’s made of last week in College Station, and I believe he’s earned the benefit of the doubt. The October loss came down to poor execution, awful down-and-distance scenarios, and terrible field position,thanks to so many third-and-longs. The field was never flipped, except when Texas’ defense forced a turnover, because they had to play their walk-on punter instead of starter Michael Kern. Obviously, saying “surely special teams will be better” is a risky proposition for this Texas team, but surely. Right?

Additionally, there were flashes of the offensive line getting downhill and Tre Wisner showing potential in the run game that the 29 yards rushing stat doesn’t reflect. But the game situation never allowed any real momentum behind the running game to develop. Of course, stalwart left tackle Kelvin Banks being a game-time decision looms incredibly large over this rematch, but Trevor Goosby was phenomenal in his absence against Texas A&M. The Longhorns dismantled Arkansas, Kentucky, and Texas A&M behind a strong offensive line and a punishing ground attack. If today doesn’t slip away too quickly, they’ll have a shot to do it again.

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—After winning the Big 12 in their swan song, Texas is now playing for the SEC championship in their first season. Yep, Sarkisian is coaching his second conference title game in four seasons in Austin. For context, Mack Brown coached the Longhorns for 16 seasons and appeared in three Big 12 championship games. Just saying.