Notre Dame wide receiver Torii Hunter Jr. left the game
against Texas after taking a hard shot to the head in the end zone from
defensive back DeShon Elliott late in the third quarter.
This was Texas football with two complementary answers at
quarterback, where for years there had been none. Notre Dame not only has up
280 yards through the air, but the Irish surrendered 237 yards on the ground. This
was Texas football, so adept at finding ways to lose big games in recent years,
now finding ways to win an utterly wild affair that teetered back and forth
across four frantic hours.
Michigan State and Stanford loom for the Irish, and if the
defense doesn't improve, those could be very rough games for the Fighting
Irish. They were a 5-7 mess, another chapter of a program that has been in
turmoil ever since quarterback Colt McCoy's arm went numb in the BCS National
Championship Game seven seasons, one coach, two athletic directors and 35
losses ago.
This official should also inspect every angle of an on-field
targeting call to ensure that the foul was properly enforced. This was Texas
football as it had never been under Strong, playing at a breathless pace and
lighting the scoreboard and filling the stat sheet.
The Longhorns beat Oklahoma and got shut out by Iowa State. According
to this new rule, instant replay officials have more responsibility for player
safety, including the ability to stop play and call a targeting penalty that
the referee on the field may have missed.
A year ago, Texas lost 38-3 at Notre Dame, and lost at Cal
on a missed extra point attempt in the final two minutes, and lost to Oklahoma
State because of a fumbled punt snap in the final minute.
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