It wasn’t the prettiest game of the year, but the No. 3 Texas Longhorns are in “win and you’re in” mode for the SEC Championship game and did just that on Saturday against the Arkansas Razorbacks in Fayetteville. After running off the field the last time they went out to take on the Hogs, an ugly win where they took it late is a result the players and coaches can live with.

The offense has what it takes to respond and finish games

Arkansas built momentum and it looked like Texas would snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, giving up 10 unanswered points in the second half and leading by just a field goal after the Razorbacks kicked a field goal with 12:48 remaining in the fourth quarter.

However, the offense came out and answered the call for what felt like the first time in the second half, putting together an eight-play, 75-yard drive that ate up 3:36 and extended the lead to 10 points on a one-play . yard touchdown reception by wide receiver Matthew Golden, giving Texas some breathing room and sapping Arkansas’ momentum.

The Longhorns defense responded by forcing a turnover thanks to the safety. Michael Taaffe recovered a fumble forced by defensive tackle Alfred Collins on a screen pass, putting the Texas offense back on the field. With 6:55 left on the clock, the Horns held the football for the rest of the game. That drive included a perfectly executed screen pass to beat a blitz on 3rd-and-13 and a fourth-down keeper from Quinn Ewers on a zone read to send the Arkansas fans into the parking lot.

The defense remains the engine of the team

Aside from one drive in the third quarter where they were visibly gassed due to a lack of complementary offense, the Longhorns defense had an answer for everything the Razorbacks did Saturday. The defense once again held the opponent to fewer than 300 yards, surrendering just 82 rushing yards on a 2.4 yards per carry clip to an offense that averaged 191 yards per play entering the contest.

Texas played most of the game in Arkansas’ backfield, committing nine losses and sacking quarterback Taylen Green six times in the game. Collins and cornerback Jahdae Barron showed they were among the elite players at their positions in the country, both having career games and forcing a pair of turnovers that set the pace for the game.

Quinn Ewers doesn’t have to be perfect for Texas to win

After a season-best performance against Florida a week ago, the Razorbacks managed to keep Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers off his game and force him into some mistakes. While the quarterback got lucky with a few passes that bounced out of the defenders’ hands, he did enough with the game on the line to give Texas a win.

On the dagger drive for Texas, Ewers was 3-of-3 for 29 yards and a touchdown, with all three throws converting into a first down or a score. He finished the game completing 63 percent of his passes for 176 yards and two scores, finding eight different receivers.

It wasn’t impressive, but it was enough.