Texas crushes Texas Tech to earn spot in Big 12 title game - ESPN

AUSTIN, Texas — All year long, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian has implored his players to lean into the target that the Longhorns had on their back in their final Big 12 season before they head to the SEC next year.

On Friday night, Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium turned into one big farewell party as the Longhorns (11-1, 8-1 in conference) clinched an appearance in next Saturday's Big 12 championship game with a 57-7 destruction of Texas Tech, a team that beat Texas a year ago in Lubbock. In doing so, the Longhorns marked their first 50-point win in a Big 12 game since 2007, and claimed their second-largest win over the Red Raiders in 73 meetings.

The No. 7 Longhorns put on a dominating defensive performance, holding Texas Tech to 198 total yards and scoring on defense and special teams. Every bounce went Texas' way, including a ball bouncing off Red Raiders running back Tahj Brooks' foot into the arms of linebacker Jett Bush, who returned it 43 yards for a touchdown.

According to ESPN Stats & Information research, Texas became the first Big 12 team with a blocked punt, a kick return touchdown and a defensive touchdown in the same game over the last 20 seasons.

«I don't know from a College Football Playoff perspective what that looks like,» Sarkisian said when asked what he thought Friday night's victory meant. «What I do know is we have one more game to try to go win a Big 12 Championship, and I know I've got a locker room full of guys that want to try to complete that aspect of the mission next week. And then what they decide to do, they decide to do.»

Sarkisian reiterated that the Longhorns made their most emphatic statement in Week 2, when they beat Alabama 34-24.

«I won't back off the fact that I think we have