5 takeaways from Texas’ win over Iowa State: Bijan Robinson saves the day after slow start

Here are five takeaways from Texas’ 24-21 win over Iowa State.

Slow start

Saturday’s game started out slow for the Longhorns.

Texas missed its first kick attempt and the defense failed to turn a blocked punt into a scoop and score. These missed early scoring opportunities allowed Iowa State to get on the board first.

Right from the beginning, it was clear that Saturday’s game was going to be nothing like last weekend’s dominant 49-0 win over Oklahoma.

Right on time

Texas responded well to a weak first quarter by taking the lead at halftime. Wide receiver Jordan Whittington nabbed his first touchdown of the season and his first since October 2021 to close out the first half of play.

Whittington’s touchdown gave Texas the lead right before halftime, allowing the Horns to go to halftime with a bit of a security blanket.

Bijan Robinson

Bijan Robinson has always been one of Texas’ best players since he’s been on the Forty Acres. He was especially important on a day where the pass game was not working early on.

Robinson ended the afternoon with 135 rushing yards and averaged 4.8 yards per carry. The Arizona native stepped up exactly when he was needed.

Critical defense

The Texas defense had a handful of critical plays that prevented Iowa State from leaving Austin with a win. A hit on Iowa State quarterback Hunter Dekkers by defensive back Anthony Cook forced a fumble. Texas linebacker Jaylan Ford came out of the dog pile with the ball, helping Texas run out the clock. With a little over two minutes of play left, this huge play by Texas’ defenders kept Iowa State from having a real chance to retake the lead.

A close one

While Texas finally won its first game against Iowa State since 2018, it was not the prettiest win.

There were many early missed opportunities to score and avoidable defensive penalties. The Longhorns will have plenty to focus on to prepare for their trip to Stillwater next Saturday. Oklahoma State is Texas’ first ranked opponent since the Alabama game back in early September.

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Christina Huang, Texas athletics blogger. Christina Huang covers the Texas Longhorns for The Dallas Morning News. She has contributed to The Lexington Herald-Leader, Dave Campbell’s Texas Football and The Daily Texan. Christina was born in Louisville, Kentucky, and is a junior at the University of Texas at Austin studying public health and sports media.

christinahuang@utexas.edu @stina_huang