The No. 7 Texas Longhorns cruised to their first Big 12 championship since 2009 on Saturday with a dominant 49-21 win over No. 18 Oklahoma State and a convincing argument for one of the four College Football Playoff spots.
Thanks to a high-scoring first half, the game was pretty much over before it started with the Longhorns having a 35-14 lead at the break, and a major game highlight was the Dr Pepper Tuition Challenge at the half.
But something special happened in the second half: Injured Texas running back Jonathon Brooks was on the field for the last snap, technically playing in the conference championship game.
Brooks tore his ACL during the Longhorns’ win over TCU on Nov. 11 and was deemed out for the season. A major factor for Texas’ offense, he was sixth in FBS rushing yards and seventh in yards per game at the time of his injury, per ESPN. And as The Athletic‘s Chris Vannini noted, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian planned to get Brooks on the field for one snap so he would technically end up playing in the game.
Sarkisian says he told the Texas team on Thursday that when they won the Big 12, they would put Brooks out there for a snap so he was registered as playing in the game. https://t.co/Jb69q8usD8
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) December 2, 2023
A classy move by Sark, who said at the time of Brooks’ injury, via ESPN:
“We’re heartbroken for Jonathon,” coach Steve Sarkisian said in a statement. “He was having a fantastic season and leaves a void that needs to be filled. But we know he will continue to be an invaluable leader on our team, helping us prepare as we move forward in our mission this season.”
