Texas Longhorns held a Big 12 Championship trophy

For the first time since 2009, the Texas Longhorns held a Big 12 Championship trophy over their heads at AT&T Stadium on Saturday.

The Longhorns came out with their eyes on the prize, and it paid off. No. 7 Texas began the game against the No. 18 Oklahoma State Cowboys with an early lead and never took their foot off the gas.

The Longhorns dominated the Cowboys with a 49-21 score, hoping for a shot in the College Football Playoffs. With their win on Saturday, the Longhorns hold a 12-1 season record, only losing to the Oklahoma Sooners a bit earlier in the season at the Red River Rivalry matchup in Dallas.

Here are some takeaways from the Longhorns’ dominant win over the Cowboys in the Big 12 Championship matchup.

Longhorns showed efficiency in the end zone. One of the biggest complaints about the Texas Longhorn offense this season has been its struggles with converting near the end zone. Entering the championship game, the Longhorns ranked at the second-worst slot in the Big 12 for touchdown percentage in the end zone.

However, Texas was quit to prove the doubters wrong against Oklahoma State by converting four touchdowns off of four possessions in the first half.

Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers was on fire. In just the first half, Ewers completed 23 of his attempted 31 passes for a total of 354 yards. On top of that, he recorded four passing touchdowns and only one interception.

After the matchup, Ewers had totaled 450 passing yards, four touchdowns, and only one interception. Ewers’ name is now in the record book for the most passing yards in a Big 12 Championship game.

The Longhorns’ future is out of their hands. Up until this point, the Longhorns and Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian have done everything they could to secure a slot in the College Football Playoffs.

Depending on how Saturday game turnouts conclude, the Longhorns will be patiently waiting for the committee to make their selection on Sunday.