Texas grabs Big 12 title game spot; Arch Manning gets first snaps

Texas isn’t done with the Big 12 just yet.

Keilan Robinson scored twice — including a 95-yard kickoff return — and Bert Auburn had a historic night with five field goals as No. 7 Texas rolled to a 57-7 win over Texas Tech at Royal-Memorial Stadium on Friday night. With the blowout victory, the Longhorns punched their ticket to next Saturday’s Big 12 championship game in Arlington for the first time since 2018.

Texas (11-1, 8-1) must wait until Saturday to find out if it will face Oklahoma, Oklahoma State or Kansas State in the title game. Texas last won a conference championship in 2009.

HOLIDAY FEAST: The best games to watch in Week 13

Since Jonathon Brooks is out for the rest of the season with a knee injury, the sold-out crowd was unable to see a battle between two of the Big 12’s top running backs. Tahj Brooks ended up running 19 times for 95 yards for Texas Tech, and Texas also didn’t shy away from its rushing attack as it built an early lead.

Robinson scored the game’s first touchdown on a 10-yard run, and Jaydon Blue’s 69-yard touchdown run in the second session was Texas’ longest rushing play of the season. Over the first 11 games of the season, Robinson and Blue had combined for one touchdown on their 43 combined carries.

Texas also got four field goals from junior Bert Auburn in the first half as it built a 26-7 lead. The second of those field goals was a 37-yard kick that also made some history. That field goal was Auburn’s 25th of the season and 16th consecutive make. Both of those accomplishments established school records.

Texas Tech (6-6, 5-4) never got closer than 19 points in the second half.

Among the second half’s highlights were a 95-yard touchdown scored by Robinson on the opening kickoff and an interception that Jett Bush returned 43 yards for a score. Auburn made a career-long 54-yard kick to become the fifth Texas kicker to make five field goals in a single game.

Texas QB Arch Manning makes collegiate debut

Freshman quarterback Arch Manning made his much-anticipated collegiate debut in the Texas Longhorns’ football game against Texas Tech on Friday.

Manning had not appeared in a game during the first 11 weeks. He entered with 2:03 left in the third quarter. Texas led 50-7 at the time.

Manning entered the game to a lot of applause from a sold-out crowd at Royal-Memorial Stadium. He handed the football off on his first two snaps but then picked up a first down when he took off on a 5-yard scramble. Manning drove the Longhorns down to the Texas Tech 6 on his first possession, but he misfired on a fourth-down pass into the end zone.

On his first possession, Manning threw incomplete on both of his pass attempts. He mishandled a snap but also had 5- and 12-yard rushing gains.

Manning was a five-star prize in the 2023 recruiting cycle. He is listed as the third-string quarterback on UT’s depth chart, and Texas opted to start redshirt freshman Maalik Murphy instead earlier this season when Quinn Ewers was sidelined by a shoulder injury.