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 Collecting all the post-game analysis articles, including those behind paywalls, regarding the Louisiana Tech game here:

Jeff Howe: Texas takes care of Louisiana Tech in season opener, 45-14

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AUSTIN, Texas — A strong first half featuring three touchdown passes by junior quarterback Sam Ehlinger paced 10th-ranked Texas to a season-opening win over Louisiana Tech, 45-14, on Saturday night. The victory over the Bulldogs where the Longhorns jumped out to a 24-0 halftime lead marks the first time under head coach Tom Herman where the program has started a season in the win column.

The win not only gets the Longhorns started off on the right foot with something to build off of heading into next weekend’s home showdown with No. 6-ranked LSU, but it’s also only the second time in the last five seasons for Texas to open a season with a 1-0 record. Ehlinger’s fourth and final touchdown pass of the night (29 for 39, 276 yards) effectively put the game away for the Longhorns in the early stages of the third quarter.

Louisiana Tech drove inside the Texas 30-yard line to open the second half, but Chris Brown made a tremendous one-on-one tackle in the open field to stop Bobby Holly short of the line to gain on fourth-and-1 from the 26. Ehlinger turned the sudden change into points, leading Texas on a 10-play, 74-yard drive (a march that featured him scrambling for nine yards on a third-and-10 to set up a 2-yard run by Devin Duvernay to move the chains on fourth-and-1) before he found Brennan Eagles streaking down the sideline for a 25-yard touchdown.

Leading 31-0 with 9:06 remaining in the third quarter, the Longhorns kept the foot on the gas en route to a resounding victory over a Louisiana Tech squad that went 8-5 in 2018 and won the Hawai’i Bowl. The offense got things cooking right out of the gate with Ehlinger leading a 7-play, 57-yard drive that ended with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Duvernay. After a Louisiana Tech missed a field goal on the first possession of the game for the Bulldogs and the second series for the Longhorns ending with Collin Johnson fumbling at the end of a 15-yard catch to convert a fourth-and-3 at the Louisiana Tech 40-yard line, the Texas defense forced a punt and gave the ball back to the offense at their own 26.

That’s when Ehlinger went to work, engineering an 11-play, 74-yard drive that included an 18-yard catch and run by Jake Smith and a 14-yard scoot after the catch by Jordan Whittington. The drive ended when Ehlinger rolled to his right and hit Johnson in the back of the end zone for a 6-yard touchdown to put the Longhorns ahead, 14-0, with 13:20 remaining in the first half. The lead went to 21-0 when Jacoby Jones forced a fumble Brandon Jones recovered on the fifth and final play of Louisiana Tech’s ensuing drive. Two plays later, Ehlinger connected with Eagles for a 28-yard touchdown, the third scoring toss of the half for Ehlinger and the first score in the career of Eagles.

As good as the offense was through the first two quarters of play, the defense under Todd Orlando was on fire. In addition to the forced fumble and recovery, Jalen Green tipped a pass by Louisiana Tech’s J'Mar Smith coming off of the edge in the second quarter that landed in the hands of Joseph Ossai. Ossai’s interception led to a 43-yard Cameron Dicker with 2:56 to play in the quarter that closed out the first scoring in the first half.

Along with the two turnovers, Texas held Louisiana Tech to only 26 rushing yards (1.6 yards per attempt) in the first half. The Bulldogs also had a 3-for-8 half trying to move the sticks on third down.

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(Jeff Howe) Instant Reactions: Texas rolls past Louisiana Tech, 45-14

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AUSTIN, Texas — Well, Texas no longer has to hear jokes about how nice it would be if the program actually started a season 1-0. The mantra Tom Herman has used perhaps more than any other while establishing a championship culture on the Forty Acres applies to the record the Longhorns sport after the season opener for the first time in Herman’s tenure following a convincing 38-14 win over Louisiana Tech.

Texas, ranked No. 10 in the Associated Press Top 25, scored on their first possessions of both halves and the defense forced three turnovers (not to mention a fourth-down stop and two missed field goals) en route to building a 38-0 lead through three quarters. A Louisiana Tech squad that hung around nearly the entire way in a loss to LSU in Baton Rouge last season was never in the game as the Longhorns smothered the Bulldogs from the start.

The burnt orange faithful can now move beyond the psychological impact from the last two season-opening losses to Maryland thanks to Herman’s charges looking fast, physical and focus right out of the gate. Before the fans and the Longhorns themselves turn the page and begin thinking about next week’s blockbuster tilt with No. 6-ranked LSU, Horns247 has everything to know about what went down on Saturday night at Royal-Memorial Stadium.

It was over when …

Chris Brown stopped Louisiana Tech’s Bobby Holly short of the line to gain on fourth-and-1 from the Texas 26-yard line early in the third quarter. Initially, it looked like Holly’s pass from J’Mar Smith was going to move the sticks, but the replay showed Brown’s hit was just of the 25-yard line and his driving Holly back gave the Longhorns the ball back. An ensuing 10-play, 74-yard scoring drive that ended with a 25-yard touchdown pass from Sam Ehlinger to Brennan Eagles effectively put the game on ice for Texas.

Top Offensive Performer

As good as Devin Duvernay was and as much as guys like Brennan Eagles, Keaontay Ingram, and Collin Johnson flashed at various times, it’s hard not to go with Sam Ehlinger. Saddled with monstrous expectations following a brilliant 2018 campaign, Ehlinger had a tremendous performance in the opener, enjoying a 29-for-39 night through the air for 276 yards and four touchdowns. He was only sacked once, rushed for 34 yards on eight carries (including a 9-yard scramble on a third-and-10 to set up a short fourth-down conversion on a second-half scoring drive) and didn’t turn the ball over.

Top Defensive Performer

Jalen Green had two big-time pass breakups down the field that could’ve been big plays for Louisiana Tech. Smith looked for Adrian Hardy on both occasions and Green played coverage about as well as one can against one of the top receivers in the country. Hardy caught 10 passes for 181 yards and two touchdowns in a respectable loss to LSU last season, but Green held him to just two catches for 25 yards on seven targets through three quarters (when the game mattered). Green also had a tipped pass that Joseph Ossai intercepted in the second quarter.

Reason to Feel Optimistic

The way the Longhorns owned the line of scrimmage, even though the rushing numbers for Texas might not reveal a dominating effort. Louisiana Tech never got a running game going and Texas averaged 5.5 yards per rushing attempt through the first three quarters of the game. Led by the effort against the run, the defense forcing three turnovers when the game was still within reach for the Bulldogs, coming up with a fourth-down stop and forcing two first-half field goal attempts (both of which failed) is the kind of effort Todd Orlando can be proud of in an opener.

Reason to be Pessimistic

Sam Ehlinger still missed a few deep shots that could’ve gone for big yardage. The longest pass completion of the game with Ehlinger in was a 28-yard touchdown pass to Brennan Eagles. The running game was good, but it’s not like the Longhorns mauled the Bulldogs (most of that was due to play selection). As good as the defense was, the cornerback spot opposite of Jalen Green should still be considered up for grabs and the Longhorns bent a little too much for comfort at times in the middle of the field.

Modest Proposal

Use the debuting eight defensive back package in more than just third-and-long situations. Yes, the Longhorns do give up a lot of mass when they roll with a front featuring Malcolm Roach playing over the ball with Jeffrey McCulloch and Joseph Ossai flanking him, but there’s a hellacious amount of speed on the field and while DeMarvion Overshown recorded a sack when he was on the field with that particular personnel package, there were several times where he rushed a throw or otherwise impacted the quarterback.

Drive of the Game

The opening drive of the game where the offense drove 57 yards in seven plays before Sam Ehlinger hit Devin Duvernay for a 4-yard touchdown to take a 7-0 lead. Duvernay got things started off the right way with an explosive 36-yard kickoff return to set the offense up with good field position. A 19-yard run by Keaontay Ingram highlighted the drive (along with an 8-yard catch on a screen pass to convert third-and-7 at the Louisiana Tech 18) and Duvernay caught four passes for 13 yards (quick perimeter throws that appeared to be an extension of the running game) on the march. While the series wasn’t overly flashy, it sent a statement that the Longhorns mean business from the jump.

Best Offensive Play

A 14-yard screen pass from Sam Ehlinger to Keaontay Ingram on the final scoring drive of the game with Ehlinger in at quarterback (Texas took a 38-0 lead two plays later on a 1-yard run by Ingram with 2:44 left in the third quarter). The play showed how the Longhorns used their athleticism and physicality edge on the perimeter throughout the night to make yards and Ingram got an exception block from Samuel Cosmi, who pulled toward the boundary, latched onto his man and drove him about five yards deep into his own bench area.

Best Defensive Play

Three worthy candidates have already been mentioned in this article: Chris Brown’s fourth-down stop, the tipped pass by Jalen Green that turned into a Joseph Ossai interception and the sack by DeMarvion Overshown out of the eight defensive back package. We’ll give some love to the one that hasn’t been mentioned yet, a textbook forced fumble by Jacoby Jones that Brandon Jones recovered to set up the third touchdown pass of the first half for Sam Ehlinger (a 28-yard strike to Brennan Eagles). Overshown also had an interception late in the fourth quarter.

Biggest question heading into next week’s game

The Longhorns can finally start talking about LSU. Even though the defense was stout against the run, are they ready to play with the kind of mass and physicality they’re going to need in order to mash with the Bayou Bengals for four quarters? The offense was efficient, but the deep shots Sam Ehlinger missed have to be there next week. There won’t be many opportunities to make up for missed chances against one of the best and most talented defenses in the country next weekend.

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Edited by satyanash
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(Bobby Burton) Snap Judgments: A decisive opening win. Finally.

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After scoring TDs on three of its first four possessions (and the other was a Collin Johnson turnover deep in La Tech territory), the Texas offense went into a shell of sorts. It felt a little too much like last year. After the quick start and with a 21-0 lead, the Horns’ offense went three-and-out twice in a row before a last-minute drive before half resulted in a missed field goal.

**

Derek Kerstetter played himself into a starting role and it was at right tackle over Denzel Okafor. That means Parker Braun started at left guard. Hard to see him getting a redshirt this year. Braun had a mailing block late in the first half downfield on a drag route to Devin Duvernay.

**

Texas often played eight DBs on third and long. Eight. Amazing.

**

La Tech’s QB was as good or better than expected. He got the ball out quick and had a very good command of the offense. Tech moved the ball well. They just couldn’t capitalize In key spots early enough in the game.

**

Jake Smith and Duvernay in the slot will be good for the Horns this year. The entire first drive essentially showcased Duvernay from start to finish.

**

Keaontay Ingram and Jordan Whittington were healthy enough to go. But it’s clear Texas is slow-playing the amount of playing time for Whittington because of lingering groin issues. Or was he injured? The Horns had luxury of doing so after building a three TD lead and inserting Roschon Johnson midway through the second quarter.

**

Jalen Green will get beat this year. Every cornerback does. But Green is legit. Kobe Boyce, on the other hand, has some issues he must work through, or the Horns need to find a replacement. In the first half, when the game was still in doubt, Boyce was beat over the middle and celebrated a pass break up that wasn’t broken up. Later, he had an obvious pass interference penalty. Tech picked on Boyce as much as they could.

**

Joe Ossai is a big-time player waiting to happen. He still has some work ahead of him, but every good thing we saw in the Sugar Bowl showed itself again against La Tech. And he drops better into coverage than most LBs.

**

Ehlinger’s final numbers look good. The two deep balls for TDs to Brennan Eagles is something we didn’t see near enough last season. But he still missed some wide open receivers at times, especially deep down the middle. One of those misses came on the first drive of the second half. Ehlinger missed a wide open Duvernay up the seam. But that same drive may have been Ehlinger’s best of the night. First he connected with Collin Johnson on a dig route on third and long. Next he hit Duvernay on a flag route. Then he threw his second TD to Brennan Eagles, this one down the right sideline.

**

Ehlinger also threw the ball away more frequently and lives to fight another day. Three times, Ehlinger felt pressure and instead of forcing a ball decided to throw it away instead. He’s still not perfect. But he’s getting better and smarter.

**

Perhaps the most impressive skill player on the night was Keaontay Ingram. The sophomore running back repeatedly made extra yardage and ran through tackles. He is clearly a weapon. And Texas seems dead set on using its RBs more as receivers in 2019.

**

Outside of going with eight DBs so often, perhaps the biggest surprise was the max usage of Chris Brown. Brown almost never came off the field. and he played well. Todd Orlando may have found himself the quarterback of the secondary. Brown’s intelligent player and tackles well in space, even if he’s not the fastest safety. His fourth-down stop in the third quarter was textbook.

**

The roughing penalty against Brandon Jones that negated the Joe Ossai INT return for a TD came because Jones went low for the QB. I’m not saying I necessarily agree with the call but it’s important to note that two refs both threw the flag on the play.

**

Casey Thompson is a serviceable back-up. There will be a time when Texas needs him this season. Roschon Johnson looked good in limited duty.

**

Other true freshman that I saw:

Tyler Owens
T’Vondre Sweat
Jake Smith
Chris Adimora
Kenyatta Watson
Marcus Tillman
Marcus Washington
Jared Wiley
Jordan Whittington

There may have been more. But that’s who I saw at first glance.

**

DeMarvion Overshown’s interception was ultra-athletic. Ordinary players don’t make that play.

**

LSU awaits. Texas has the personnel to make it happen. But I don’t see eight DBs being a rotation very often against the Tigers. Perhaps that’s good. Todd Orlando gave LSU virtually no film to see how they will defend a power attack.

**

As with Whittington and without knowing the official injury report, the move of Kerstetter to center in the second half was either precautionary or the result of injury.

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Posted

(Ian Boyd) 5 quick thoughts: Texas is finally actually 1-0

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Posted
  On 9/1/2019 at 5:08 AM, Machinator said:

Malcolm Epps was the only WR to disappoint and and allowed the feisty, 5-9 Bulldog corner to jam him up at the line on a big slant where Ehlinger was looking for him that almost became an INT. Epps has yet to show, in live action, that he knows how to use use size to bully defenders out wide.

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I don't care about the camp reports. Epps plays like a pussy. We saw it in the Spring Game. Small DB's physically bully and push him around.  He's that anti-LJH. 

Posted
  On 9/1/2019 at 5:51 AM, RabidM said:

I don't care about the camp reports. Epps plays like a pussy. We saw it in the Spring Game. Small DB's physically bully and push him around.  He's that anti-LJH. 

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And watching Epps move out of hia cuts ia like watching am 18 wheeler take a tight turn...he is just too slow/lacks quickness

Posted
  On 9/1/2019 at 6:33 AM, pacman said:

And watching Epps move out of hia cuts ia like watching am 18 wheeler take a tight turn...he is just too slow/lacks quickness

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He's not a receiver who will need to make high speed cuts to be effective. He really just needs to get more physical so he can run 10 yards, then body up for the rebound.

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(Kaelan Jones) Start the clock: Texas finally wins season opener under Tom Herman, but LSU awaits

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AUSTIN, Texas — The Longhorns spent hardly any time celebrating Saturday night. For the first time in third-year head coach Tom Herman’s tenure, Texas started a season 1-0 following a comfortable 45-14 victory over Louisiana Tech at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. But the No. 10 Longhorns are already mentally preparing themselves for what’s coming next week: a highly anticipated bout against No. 6 LSU. “These night games you don’t have a whole lot of time to celebrate,” Herman said. “We’re going to celebrate for an hour and — now just one hour, 60 minutes — and then we’re moving on to Sunday’s preparation for next week’s ballgame.”

Much has been said about each of the Longhorns’ past two season openers, both losses coming against the Big Ten’s Maryland Terrapins. But UT coaches and players insisted the same result wouldn’t occur against Louisiana Tech, out of Conference USA. And there was never any question Saturday. UT dominated from the get-go. On its opening possession, junior quarterback Sam Ehlinger directed a seven-play, 57-yard drive and connected with senior receiver Devin Duvernay for the opening score. Ehlinger later threw two additional touchdowns to senior Collin Johnson and sophomore Brennan Eagles to help catapult the Longhorns to a commanding 24-0 halftime lead. That advantage increased to 38-0 entering the fourth quarter.

sam-la-tech1.jpg

It wasn’t all entirely smooth sailing. Herman asserted his team at times looked a bit “rusty,” pointing out some missed throws and the Longhorns’ six penalties. Johnson, who fumbled early in the game, suffered a “mild” hamstring injury that hobbled him in the second half, while freshman running back Jordan Whittington reaggravated a groin ailment he’d been nursing, preventing him from contributing in the second half.

Nonetheless, Texas’ opener went overwhelmingly well. “You could just tell everybody was out there having fun and doing what we’re coached,” senior safety Brandon Jones said. “We train for chaos in this program. And there just really, really, really wasn’t anything in the game that just like shook us. We’re very prepared and just trust our training, and we’re just ready to go.”

Ehlinger looked strong in his junior debut, which UT will need more of against LSU. He completed 28 of 38 passes for 276 yards and tied his career-high with four touchdown passes. Duvernay impressed out of his slot role, finishing with 95 all-purpose yards and a touchdown. Eagles scored twice. Defensively, the Longhorns forced three turnovers (nearly a fourth, too). Their speed wreaked havoc in the backfield, even if it only statistically amounted to five tackles for loss and one sack. The linebackers, a position group in question entering the season, looked good. The safety unit played just as well.

After an offseason of growing hype, there’s a legitimate, tangible reason for the Longhorns to be pleased with Saturday’s result. “It’s a testament to the maturity of our team and the confidence, I think,” Ehlinger said. “The confidence that we have to just let loose in the opener after the last two years. We had confidence from last season, knowing that if we play our best we’re going to win.”

Now, the Longhorns must exude their confidence into their next week of preparation. LSU opened its season with an emphatic 55-3 win over Georgia Southern. The Tigers boast a talented squad, featuring arguably the most talented safety in the nation in Grant Delpit, and quarterback Joe Burrow is running their revamped offense.

Longhorns fans couldn’t help but begin to turn their attention to the matchup when it was announced that ESPN’s “College GameDay” would visit UT in Austin for the first time since Sept. 19, 2009, as it coasted to a season-opening win. Yet, the players kept reiterating the 1-0 mantra Herman has ingrained into the program’s culture. Herman said there’s been “zero” mention of the upcoming matchup. Despite entering as 20-point favorites against Louisiana Tech, UT players didn’t overlook the Bulldogs.

Herman said he personally did “zero” offseason homework on the Tigers. He left that to the team’s analysts and graduate assistants to break LSU down. By Sunday morning, he’ll have a detailed scouting report of the Tigers, but as of Saturday night, he hadn’t watched a snap. “Maybe it’s coaching, maybe it’s unique,” Herman said. “I don’t know, but the letters LSU never came out of anybody’s mouth these entire nine months since we left (the Sugar Bowl in) New Orleans, so I don’t know. Probably a testament to a lot of things. The position coaches harping on it, our strength staff who was around them all offseason making sure that we didn’t look to that game, and then the leaders in the locker room. I mean, most of those guys — all of those guys we consider leaders were here the last couple years and know how the openers turned out the last couple years.”

Herman’s doctrines are spelled out. Hanging near where he conducted his postgame news conference hangs the goal: “Finish.” It’s followed by more priorities. The first line is “1-0.” The record resets each week, if not each day. “We’re excited for the game (against LSU),” sophomore linebacker Joseph Ossai said. “But we’re going to prepare just like we prepared for La Tech. The same exact way. Follow the same formula, work just as hard, put in the same amount of work and then come up with the same result. At the end of the day, we still gotta play football, you know?” senior defensive lineman Malcolm Roach added. “The media is hyping this game up (because) it’s two good schools playing against each other. But at the end of the day, we’re still playing football, the same way we played when we was young. So we’re gonna prepare like we prepare every week.”

It goes without saying the matchup against LSU has much more hanging on it. A win can further reinforce the notion that Texas has climbed back into the national conversation under Herman. A loss will make navigating the rest of the schedule much more difficult, with little-to-no room for error. Perhaps the Longhorns understand that, but when players spoke of the LSU game with media Saturday night, they held the same focused, unfazed presence they had held when discussing Saturday’s contest. There’s excitement, but it’s contained.

“I mean, coming to Texas, you come to play in games like this,” left tackle Samuel Cosmi said. “So, we are very excited to play LSU, and I know the guys are really, really happy to play (them, too).”

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(Chip Brown) My Take: Highs, lows from season-opening win over La Tech

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AUSTIN, Texas — Sam Ehlinger put up impressive numbers, throwing touchdown passes to Devin Duvernay, Collin Johnson and two to Brennan Eagles. Sophomore running back Keaontay Ingram put on a show in the third quarter, accounting for 61, twisting-and-turning yards on a 61-yard touchdown drive. The Texas defense forced three turnovers stuffed the run and unveiled its Freak (Eight) DB Package with success - keeping Louisiana Tech out of the end zone until the fourth quarter, when UT already had a 38-0 lead.

Most importantly, the Longhorns opened a season 1-0 for the first time in three years under Tom Herman, whose everyday mantra is going 1-0. (His LLC is even called “1-0 Culture.”) Texas undoubtedly walked out of Saturday night’s 38-14 victory over Louisiana Tech with confidence, which almost becomes a requirement when you consider the next Cajun Invasion to hit Austin — LSU — pounded Georgia Southern 55-3 as Tigers’ quarterback Joe Burrow completed 23 of 27 passes for 278 yards and five touchdowns.

The big negatives for Texas came late in the game, when Brandon Jones was called for roughing the passer, negating an 82-yard interception return for touchdown by linebacker Joseph Ossai with 8:04 left to play. The play left Texas safety Caden Sterns limping off the field after he fell to the ground while rushing the quarterback and Jones tripped over Sterns, causing Jones to slide into Smith below the knee, drawing a flag.

Now, we wait for an injury update on Sterns, who tied linebacker Jeffrey McCulloch with a team-leading eight tackles (six solo) despite limited action Saturday. Chris Brown started in place of Sterns, who is still recovering from a high ankle sprain suffered Aug. 11. In the meantime, let’s look at what went right and what went wrong for the Longhorns in their victory over Louisiana Tech.

WHAT WENT RIGHT FOR TEXAS:

Sam Ehlinger finished 28 of 38 passing for 276 yards and four touchdowns while running eight times for 34 yards (4.3 yards per carry), including a couple, key third-down conversions. Backup quarterback Casey Thompson got his first action as a Longhorn in the fourth quarter, completing 3-of-5 passes for 25 yards and running twice for 11 yards, including a 2-yard touchdown run that put Texas up 45-14 with 1:09 left to play.

On a night when freshman Jordan Whittington was clearly limited by coaches (complications from sports hernia), Keaontay Ingram was outstanding, rushing 11 times for 78 yards (7.1 ypc) and a touchdown while catching three passes for 43 yards. Devin Duvernay led Texas receivers with nine catches for 55 yards and a 4-yard TD reception. Collin Johnson had four catches for 59 yards and a 6-yard TD catch. Freshman Jake Smith had four catches for 31 yards, and Brennan Eagles had three catches for 59 yards and TD receptions of 28 and 25 yards.

Texas sophomore cornerback Jalen Green will undoubtedly receive a solid grade from coaches after helping limit star Tech receiver Adrian Hardy, who had 1,000 yards receiving last season, to three catches for 38 yards. Todd Orlando’s defense brought the heat and held Louisiana Tech to 73 yards rushing on 26 attempts (2.8 ypc) while holding the Bulldogs to 5-of-14 third-down conversions.

The three turnovers forced by UT came on interceptions by Joseph Ossai and DeMarvion Overshown as well as a forced fumble by Jacoby Jones, recovered by Brandon Jones. Louisiana Tech didn’t score until the fourth quarter, after Texas had a 38-0 lead. Through three quarters, a lone sack of Sam Ehlinger for a loss of 6 yards, was the only negative play by the Longhorns’ offense.

TURNOVER NO. 3 FORCED BY TEXAS: DeMarvion Overshown made a diving interception at the Louisiana Tech 27 with 2:52 left in the game that led to UT’s final touchdown of the night (a 2-yard scoring run by Casey Thompson).

THE KEAONTAY INGRAM SHOW PUTS UT UP 38-0: On a nine-play, 61-yard touchdown drive, sophomore running back Keaontay Ingram accounted for 61 yards with two catches for 35 yards and three runs for 26 yards, including a 1-yard TD run. Ingram showed great patience and followed some nice blocks from teammates, including a block by Ehlinger on a 13-yard run to the La Tech 14 and a pancake block by Sam Cosmi on a 14-yard screen pass to the La Tech 1. In desperation mode, down 31-0 with 6:19 left in the third quarter, La Tech went for it on fourth-and-5 from the Texas 39, and threw incomplete (after La Tech QB J’Mar Smith was nearly sacked by DeMarvion Overshown while throwing incomplete on third-and-5).

TEXAS GOES UP 31-0 EARLY IN THIRD QUARTER: After a great fourth-down stop by Chris Brown, Texas went 74 yards in 10 plays, taking 2:55 off the clock, capped by a 25-yard TD pass from Ehlinger to Brennan Eagles (his second TD catch of the night), giving UT a 31-0 lead with 9:06 left in the third quarter. Texas converted a third-and-5 with an 11-yard pass from Ehlinger to Collin Johnson and converted a fourth-and-1 on a 2-yard run by Devin Duvernay to keep the drive alive.

Sam Ehlinger ran for 9 yards on third-and-10 from the UT 42, and then handed the ball to Devin Duvernay for a 2-yard gain on fourth-and-1. 10 plays, 74 yards in 2:55 Chris Brown made a great open-field tackle on La Tech receiver Bobby Holly for no gain on fourth-and-1 at the Texas 26, killing an eight-play, 49-yard drive by the Bulldogs that took 2:59 off the clock at the start of the third quarter.

UT TURNS INTERCEPTION INTO DICKER FIELD GOAL: After Joseph Ossai’s interception (return) to the La. Tech 31, Texas picked up 6 yards on a 4-yard run by Roschon Johnson and a 2-yard run by Ehlinger before Cameron Dicker booted a 43-yard field goal, giving Texas a 24-0 lead with 2:56 left in the half.

TURNOVER NO. 2 FORCED BY TEXAS: Jalen Green stopped his rush, jumped in the air and tipped J’Mar Smith’s pass, and linebacker Joseph Ossai intercepted it and ran 16 yards to the La Tech 31 with 4:04 left in the halftime.

After Kobe Boyce was flagged for a pass interference, giving La. Tech a first down at the UT 21 with 7:08 left in the second quarter, Texas blitzed twice, forcing a short-arm incompletion when La Tech had a wide-open receiver in the end zone and causing a false start that brought up third-and-16. After a 3-yard screen on third down, La. Tech kicker Bailey Hale came up short on his second attempt from 43 yards.

TEXAS GOES UP 21-0 AFTER TURNOVER: After Jacoby Jones forced a fumble recovered by Brandon Jones at the La Tech 37, it took two plays for the Longhorns to score. Keaontay Ingram ran for 9 yards, and then Sam Ehlinger found Brennan Eagles on a 28-yard post route in the end zone for Eagles’ first TD as a Longhorn … and a 21-0 lead with 10:26 left in the first half.

TURNOVER NO. 1 FORCED BY TEXAS: Jacoby Jones knocked the ball loose, and Brandon Jones recovered at the La Tech 37.

TEXAS GOES UP 14-0 EARLY IN 2Q: Sam Ehlinger went 5-of-6 passing and ran for 7 yards on third-and-5 as Texas went on an 11-play, 74-yard drive to a 6-yard TD pass from Ehlinger to Collin Johnson with 13:20 left in the second quarter. Jake Smith caught his first three passes as a Longhorn on the drive (and also dropped a ball when he was wide open over the middle on a crossing route). Jordan Whittington caught a 14-yard pass on the drive as well.

FREAK DB (8-DB) PACKAGE: With La Tech facing third-and-12 from the La Tech 48, Texas unleashed its eight-DB package with Malcolm Roach at nose, Joseph Ossai and Jeffrey McCulloch at ends and Josh Thompson, Chris Brown, B.J. Foster and DeMarvion Oveshown at linebacker depth; Brandon Jones and Caden Sterns at safety; and Jalen Green and Kobe Boyce at corner. Brown and Foster blitzed, Ossai got penetration and chased La Tech QB J’Mar Smith into the arms of Overshown for a 6-yard sack, forcing a punt with 2:02 left in the first quarter.

La Tech senior K Bailey Hale missed a 43-yard field goal on the Bulldogs’ opening drive. The kick was a low, line-drive that fell short. Malcolm Roach got a hand up, but it was hard to see if he got a piece of the ball. Malcolm Roach had a 2-yard tackle for loss and Josh Thompson had a 3-yard TFL on La Tech’s opening drive.

TEXAS GOES UP 7-0 ON OPENING DRIVE: Sam Ehlinger went 5-of-5 passing for 21 yards, including an 8-yard pass to Keaontay Ingram on third-and-7 as well as a 4-yard TD pass to Devin Duvernay as the Longhorns went 57 yards in seven plays, taking 2:20 off the clock, in going up 7-0 with 12:40 left in the first quarter. La Tech safety L'Jarius Sneed, who said Texas receivers struggle with press coverage, was called for a personal foul facemask (against Devin Duvernay) on UT’s first play from scrimmage. Devin Duvernay returned the opening kickoff 36 yards to the Texas 43.

WHAT WENT WRONG:

La Tech’s J'Mar Smith completed his first five passes of the third quarter, taking the ball from the La Tech’s 25 to UT’s 26. (But Chris Brown made a great tackle on fourth-and-1 to kill the Bulldogs’ drive.) With La Tech facing third-and-1, Kobe Boyce was called for pass interference on La Tech star receiver Adrian Hardy on a deep ball near the goal line after Boyce palmed the top of Hardy’s helmet and pulled it back before the ball arrived. The 15-yard flag was UT’s first penalty of the game (with 7:08 left in the second quarter) and gave La Tech a first down at the UT 21. (Texas survived the flag as La Tech missed 43-yard field goal attempt.)

On third-and-11 from the La Tech 24, B.J. Foster blitzed and missed the sack before La Tech QB J'Mar Smith found Malik Stanley on a crossing route as Kobe Boyce, who was in coverage on the play, signaled an incomplete pass - even though it was complete. Stanley ran for another 10 yards for a 26-yard completion to the 50. The play helped La Tech overcome first-and-20 after a holding penalty.

TURNOVER BY TEXAS: Texas went for it on fourth-and-3 from the La Tech 40 with 5:02 left in the first quarter, and after Sam Ehlinger hit Collin Johnson on an inside route for 15 yards and the first down, La Tech linebacker Connor Taylor stripped the ball from Johnson and recovered it at the La Tech 25 with 4:53 left in the first. Sam Ehlinger’s first incompletion of the season after five straight completions, was a deep ball to Collin Johnson, and Johnson couldn’t reel in a one-handed catch against La Tech stud corner Amik Robertson.

OTHER NOTABLES:

True freshmen who played: Jordan Whittington, Jake Smith and Roschon Johnson played on offense. T’Vondre Sweat played on defense. Tyler Owens (kickoff), Chris Adimora (kickoff), Marcus Tillman (kickoff),, David Gbenda (kickoff) and Jared Wiley (field goal unit) also got on the field. The starting offensive line for Texas was: LT Sam Cosmi, LG Parker Braun, C Zach Shackelford, RG Junior Angilau, RT Derek Kerstetter. In the second half, Texas substituted on the O-line with Kerstetter replacing Shackelford at center and Denzel Okafor replacing Kerstetter at right tackle.

D’Shawn Jamison replaced Kobe Boyce at cornerback in the second quarter after Boyce was flagged for pass interference deep in UT’s end of the field. Boyce returned to the game later. After being suspended for the first half due to targeting in the second half of UT’s Sugar Bowl win over Georgia, Anthony Cook got playing time at the corner opposite Jalen Green in third quarter. Chris Brown got the start at safety over Caden Sterns, who is still recovering from a high ankle sprain suffered on Aug. 11. Sterns rotated with Brown throughout the game.

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Posted

you know, if I didnt already know Chip Brown was an idiot, that article confirmed it.  Hey Chip, I know you wrote the fucking thing during the end of the game, but you might want to get the final score right you idiot

 

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Texas undoubtedly walked out of Saturday night’s 38-14 victory over Louisiana Tech with confidence
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Posted

(Scipio Tex) Texas-Louisiana Tech Postmortem: Defense & Special Teams

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(Scipio Tex) Texas-Louisiana Tech Postmortem: Offense

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For you @Post Oak

(Ian Boyd) Texas run game report: Louisiana Tech

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  On 9/4/2019 at 11:53 PM, Yuk said:

It would help if Brewer could even get in the way on this one.

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Brewer's still a downgrade over Beck in the blocking department... but Beck was absolutely horrific as a blocker during his second year, so Brewer's at least ahead of the curve moving forward.

Posted
  Quote

3) Direct snap tight zone

"Oh Ehlinger is audibling again, better check the sideline to see what Coach...oh **** (POP!)"

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Really good sells here on the play-fake. Just a fun scheme to mix in that may be worth a third down conversion or two in the coming season. The Patriots have been running something like this for at least a decade. When your QB tends to make a ton of checks it's pretty easy to mix in.

More food for thought, what if Texas ran this play with converted QB Roschon Johnson in at QB? Lots of double "gotcha" tricks they could mix in off this, although they could risk outsmarting themselves with those sorts of shenanigans. Maybe this is just something to play with Dave Aranda's head.

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I suspect that Aranda is a secondary target.  This one looks to be aimed squarely at Alex Grinch and Lincoln Riley.  Grinch likes to stem his DL late in the play clock and shift them around pre-snap.  Let them get up out of the their stance then blow them off the ball.  It's much like a quick count in terms of forcing the DL to play vanilla base and punishing them for games up front.

Posted (edited)
  On 9/5/2019 at 3:45 AM, sushihorn said:

I suspect that Aranda is a secondary target.  This one looks to be aimed squarely at Alex Grinch and Lincoln Riley.  Grinch likes to stem his DL late in the play clock and shift them around pre-snap.  Let them get up out of the their stance then blow them off the ball.  It's much like a quick count in terms of forcing the DL to play vanilla base and punishing them for games up front.

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Grinch gives me second year Manny Diaz vibes. That OU DL had some serious gap integrity issues that King didn’t exploit until the second half and King not being able to complete a pass down field really covered up some mistakes by the OU secondary. When UH ran the simple slant/corner combo for a TD, the OU DBs failed to communicate just like they always do. I think there weee a lot of mistakes that were covered up by King’s poor passing and vision.

Edited by Burt Macklin
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  On 9/1/2019 at 5:44 PM, Machinator said:

(Scipio Tex) Texas-Louisiana Tech Postmortem: Defense & Special Teams

 

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Becoming a running theme with Orlando.

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