Early in the third quarter against Missouri, senior returner Ryan Niblett returned a punt for 28 yards before he fumbled and allowed the Tigers to recover the ball.
What most people didn’t see on their TV screens, however, was how his teammates responded to the turnover. When the defensive unit took the field and Niblett walked off, he was immediately greeted by senior defensive back Jelani McDonald, who picked him up and encouraged him to shake it off.
Niblett’s mistake was the reason the defense had to immediately return to the field and play without a break. It would have been understandable for his teammates to be annoyed or frustrated, but McDonald wanted to reassure his teammate before taking the field.
“A lot of teams, you give up a field goal, a touchdown, you fumble the opening kickoff. They’re bitching, moaning, complaining,” head coach Steve Sarkisian said. “Our guys popped right up, and the leader of the defense went right to the guy who fumbled to pick him up, knowing we needed Ryan Niblett in the second half of that game.”
It’s that kind of connectivity that helped the Longhorns secure the gritty road win against Missouri, and they’ll need even more of it this weekend against LSU.
In road games, teams can’t bring as many players and staff members, aren’t in the comfort of their own homes and usually have much smaller locker rooms. It’s trips like those that make bonds between teammates grow even stronger, as Sarkisian noted. Being in a smaller group in uncomfortable or confined environments, whether in the locker room, on the bus or on the field, forces the players to lean on one another.
That connectivity and level of trust are especially important when playing in an environment like Death Valley. The Longhorns aren’t going to play perfectly in a hostile atmosphere on the road. There might be frustrating penalties, plays won’t always go their way and there could even be a turnover or two. It’s about willing themselves to victory, and more importantly, how they respond to adversity, because it’ll come.
That response is predicated on how united a team is.
“Us being connected really is just like a family, a brotherhood,” junior defensive lineman Maarad Watson said. “You know, practicing hard, talking to each other before the game, making sure everybody is good.”
That brotherhood also pours into the player’s satisfaction when they silence an opposing team’s crowd. There is something empowering about that, and the Longhorns use that as fuel.
Sarkisian said he believes in improving as the season goes on, and feels like his team has done so. The Longhorns aren’t the same team in Week 11 as they were the first week of September. There’s belief and confidence within the group that it can win big games, and Sarkisian said that energy is palpable.
However, Texas can’t rely solely on that spirit and energy.
The Longhorns need to remain cool, calm and collected in high-pressure moments. They need to play with emotion, but not be emotional, which is sometimes hard in road environments. The performance needs to be a complementary, team effort where everybody executes their individual job, rather than chasing plays.
In these types of games, momentum can shift instantly. Texas won’t be able to control every moment in the game, but it can control how it responds. That starts with the togetherness and trust that must travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
