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What Isaiah Bond’s big game vs UTSA means for Texas football in SEC play

Texas football cornerback Jahdae Barron isn’t about to list the ingredients to Isaiah Bond’s secret sauce, lest they find the eyes of an opposing defensive back.

You’re just going to have to trust him; Bond has the tools to terrorize even the best cover corners.

“That’s a heck of a player,” Barron said after the Longhorns pulverized UTSA 56-7 on Saturday night at Royal-Memorial Stadium.

The Roadrunners (1-2) certainly learned as much. Contrary to what the name implies, UTSA’s defensive backs were the ones Bond left in a cloud of dust, cartoon style.

The Alabama transfer hauled in all five of his targets, accumulating 103 yards and two touchdowns, including a 51-yarder early in the third quarter from backup quarterback Arch Manning.

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The stat line could have been more substantial if the Longhorns (3-0) had needed it to be. Averaging a 40-point margin of victory through three games, Texas has earned the luxury of getting Bond off his feet late in games, with younger players benefitting from valuable reps in his place.

Still, Bond set a new career-high in receiving yards against the Roadrunners, surpassing his previous mark of 96 yards set against Texas A&M last season.

“I thought Isaiah kind of set the tone for us early in the game,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said.

The question, now, becomes whether Bond can produce similarly explosive games against opponents with better defensive backs.

With Barron, he’s spent months preparing for those moments.

“Me and Bond, we try to get five reps in, 10 reps in every day after practice and things like that,” Barron said. “That’s just the kind of mindset we both have to get each other better.”

Texas receiver Isaiah Bond runs down the sideline during the Longhorns’ blowout win over UTSA. Bond had a…


Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/isaiah-bonds-big-game-vs-101108280.html

Author : Austin American-Statesman

Publish date : 2024-09-15 10:11:08

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

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