Missed extra point spoils Jerrod Heard’s big night for Texas (Video)
Saturday night was a mix of good news and bad news for Texas.
Starting with the bad news, the Longhorns lost at home to Cal, 45-44. But the good news to come out of that loss was the emergence of redshirt freshman quarterback Jerrod Heard.
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Heard ended the game with a whopping 527 total yards – 364 through the air and 163 on the ground. That total accounted for an astounding 81 percent of Texas’ total yardage (650 yards).
Heard also scored three times on the ground to bring the Longhorns back from a three-score fourth-quarter deficit.
The game was tied 24-24 at halftime, but Cal exploded for 21 points in the third quarter to take a 45-24 lead heading into the fourth. That’s when Heard showed some serious moxie.
In what was just his second career start, Heard managed to lead the Longhorns all the way back. He scored what should have been the game-tying 45-yard touchdown run with 1:11 to go, but this happened on the ensuing extra point:
Nick Rose made his first five extra point attempts on the night (along with a 27-yard field goal), but the senior inexplicably shanked it at a crucial time for the Longhorns.
The missed extra point allowed Cal to maintain a 45-44 lead and run out the clock, spoiling Heard’s coming out party.
The loss dropped the Longhorns to 1-2, but even after a tumultuous week in Austin, Heard’s performance gives the UT faithful a reason for optimism moving forward.
For more Texas news, visit Orangebloods.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
