Texas LB David Gbenda has moved on from last year’s heartbreaking Oklahoma finish and now leads Longhorns
You win and lose with all 11 players on defense. But Texas linebacker David Gbenda shouldered all the blame himself for losing last year’s rivalry game against Oklahoma. A miscommunication in the pass coverage allowed OU’s Nic Anderson to slip free into the back corner of the end zone and catch a 3-yard touchdown pass […]
You win and lose with all 11 players on defense. But Texas linebacker David Gbenda shouldered all the blame himself for losing last year’s rivalry game against Oklahoma.
A miscommunication in the pass coverage allowed OU’s Nic Anderson to slip free into the back corner of the end zone and catch a 3-yard touchdown pass from Dillon Gabriel with 15 seconds left.
Never mind that Texas, as a team, gave up a 75-yard scoring drive in 62 seconds to lose 34-30. All Gbenda remembers is releasing Anderson free. Corner Jerrin Thompson let him go, too. Anderson was wide open to create some Texas-OU history and heartbreak.
Saturday is a chance for Gbenda to clear his conscious as No. 1 Texas (5-0, 1-0 SEC) gets another crack at No. 18 Oklahoma (4-1, 0-1) in the Cotton Bowl.
“Honestly, last year, I took all the blame on it because I’m older,” Gbenda said Monday. “Those are mistakes that older guys shouldn’t make.”
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Other Longhorns were quick to point out that it wasn’t all Gbenda’s fault.
“First off, it wasn’t on David. That play was not on David. Yeah, all I’ll say is it was not on David,” safety Michael Taaffe said.
Defensive back Jahdae Barron said, “Me knowing the play and knowing the defense, I mean, the play just wasn’t on him. It had a lot to do with everybody, because at the end of the day, we have to communicate. And it was a certain call where my side’s supposed to communicate with other sides. So it was on the whole defense.”
That particular Texas-OU game may have been a temporary setback, but it didn’t stop the Longhorns from reaching their goals. Texas still won the Big 12 title and reached the College Football Playoffs.
Sure, it was just one game. But how players perform in these big rivalry games are memories they’ll hold — or be haunted by — forever.
“I would just say it took me a couple days and just a week, honestly, because we got to go in the film room understand what it was and where we messed up,” Gbenda said. “Obviously it hurt to lose but that didn’t really affect our season in the whole long run. So it didn't really take me long, but it's just one of those mental things. I was like, all right, that's a mistake that I'm not gonna have happen again.”
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It wasn’t all on Gbenda. That drive had all sorts of problems. Gabriel found Drake Stoops for gains of 11 and 28 yards. Then, Texas was called for defensive pass interference that moved OU down to the UT 6-yard line. Gabriel got three yards on a run up the middle, setting the stage for the final, dramatic score.
Barron said defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski “called some things, and we just didn't execute. So we can't allow that, and that's on the players and not the coaches.”
The smile on Gbenda’s face these days illustrates why he chose to utilize his extra pandemic year instead of going pro. “I wanted to have an experience like this year,” he said.
Gbenda is second on the team with 28 tackles and has 3 1/2 tackles for loss. His team is the only unbeaten team left standing in the SEC after five games. A deep playoff run this postseason would be icing on cake.
But first comes another crack at the crimson and cream.
“You know, he's a very confident guy in himself. I don't think he needs a lot of guys to build him up,” Taaffe said. “He knows what he’s capable of doing, and he’s so good right now. He’s playing at a high level.”
