The Texas Longhorn defense won the weekend

For a moment, ignore the disasters at the end of each half. Yeah, they weren’t great, but consider how this was supposed to go. USC was a 17-point favorite, and most agreed that if Texas could keep it close, that would be considered progress after the debacle against Maryland to open the season. Remember the hype the ‘Horns were up against with USC’s offense. Sam Darnold, the anointed one, the latest great QB in the USC lineage. Behind him, a lightning quick running back in Ronald Jones II. On his flanks, a receiver corps with ability rivaling any program in the nation. And in front of him, an offensive line that USC offensive coordinator told FOX was comprised entirely of future NFL players. Finally, remember that this defense gave up 51 to Maryland and Tom Herman and Todd Orlando were slated for producing a defense as bad as their predecessors' worst groups. The Texas defense, maligned for their inability to stop the run, held USC to 71 rushing yards. The secondary, torched by the Terrapins, forced Darnold to be great, and often neutralized him. Oh, and they picked him off twice, with DeShon Elliott taking yet another pick to the house. Malik Jefferson, who looked like he might have been a flash in the pan at the end of last season, was all over the field making plays and delivering hits. Mesquite Poteet’s finest racked up 11 tackles and 2 solo tackles for loss. As Dave Campbell’s Texas Football managing editor Greg Tepper said on Twitter, if you’ve held Jefferson stock over these years, payday has come. He looked like a force, and Longhorns fans will take more of that going forward. Anthony Wheeler was the only Longhorn to do better, collecting 12 tackles and 3 tackles for loss of his own, to go with 1.5 sacks. The hits went on and on. It wasn’t perfect, and it needed to be. But it didn’t need to be perfect to get the program on the trajectory many expect with Herman at the helm. Texas lost a game it could — if not should — have won, but the Longhorns played a thriller led by their defense. Things are looking up. It’s a loss in the record books, but it unquestionably won the weekend.