Media/$9.95-er postgame analysis articles (Week 14)

[satyanash 14281]

Collecting post-game analysis articles from the Baylor game here:

(Jeff Howe) Instant Reactions: Texas throttles Texas Tech, 49-24

Quote

AUSTIN, Texas — It wouldn’t be a Texas game in 2019 without drama. The Longhorns had plenty of it early on, falling behind Texas Tech 14-0 in the first quarter before waking up and bludgeoning the Red Raiders the rest of the way en route to a 49-24 victory on Black Friday to close out the regular season in style.

Texas (7-5, 5-4 Big 12) is ensured of a winning season in the third year of the Tom Herman era by beating Texas Tech (4-8, 2-7) for the ninth time in the last 11 meetings. The Longhorns finished their conference schedule with a winning record for the third year in a row and will head into bowl season looking for an eighth win, which would be only the fifth season in the current decade for the program to reach the eight-win threshold.

Even though the Longhorns fell behind early and had to dig out of the hole, the win over the Red Raiders was by far the most complete game Herman’s charges have put together against a Power Five opponent this season. Not counting a kneel-down just prior to halftime, the offense scored touchdowns on six of seven drives at one point and rolled to 610-yard (eight yards per play) day with the passing attack (348 yards) and ground game (262 yards) eating the Red Raiders up while the defense forced two turnovers, held Texas Tech to 17 points on five trips inside the red zone and allowed only one conversion on four fourth-down attempts.

Texas snapped a two-game losing streak with the program’s largest margin of victory in a Big 12 game since a 38-7 win over Baylor on Oct. 28, 2017, a sign that the Longhorns were able to put everything together for an extended stretch of play for one afternoon if nothing else.

IT WAS OVER WHEN …

Texas put together a sequence in the third quarter where the defense got a fourth-down stop and the offense followed the stand by driving 82 yards in seven plays, capping the march with a 26-yard touchdown pass from Sam Ehlinger to Jake Smith. The score gave the Longhorns a two-touchdown lead, 35-21, with 8:52 to go in the period.

The Red Raiders took the opening drive of the second half drove it all the way to the Texas 18-yard line where Jett Duffey and Co. eventually faced a fourth-and-4. A corner route intended for KeSean Carter was well-defended by Chris Brown in the end zone, resulting in an incompletion and a turnover on downs.

On the ensuing Texas drive, Ehlinger hit Duvernay for 35 yards on third-and-7 from the offense’s own 39-yard line. Two plays later, Ehlinger threw a fade ball to Smith, who made a tremendous, over-the-shoulder catch while falling to the ground to give the Longhorns a double-digit cushion and officially put the Red Raiders in chase mode for the remainder of the afternoon.

TOP OFFENSIVE PERFORMER

When he became the third Texas receiver to ever record 100 or more receptions in a season, Devin Duvernay did it in style. His 75-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter highlighted a day where the most consistent offensive performer in the program this season had a career-high 199 yards on six receptions (he’s caught at least six passes in each of the team’s 12 games). It’s scary to think where the offense would be without Duvernay. In a season that’s failed to live up to expectations, Duvernay’s performance has provided a silver lining.

TOP DEFENSIVE PERFORMER

There were a lot of worthy candidates, but the honor goes to Malcolm Roach for what did in his final home game with the Longhorns. The senior defensive lineman had a critical sack on the final play of the first quarter to force a Texas Tech punt, recorded two tackles for loss (four total tackles) and spearheaded a defensive effort where Texas was tremendous in the red zone after a forgettable start to the game. A player who hits the field with as much energy and passion as anyone to don the burnt orange in the current decade, Roach went out with a bang.

REASON TO FEEL OPTIMISTIC

Ehlinger got back on track for his most productive outing in a victory since the team’s 50-48 win over Kansas six weeks ago, throwing for 348 yards on a 19-of-27 passing day to go along with 83 rushing yards and three total touchdowns (two passing, one rushing). By the end of the third quarter, Ehlinger had already thrown for 323 yards and rushed for 83, both of which his highest single-game totals since the Kansas game).

Ehlinger accounted for four total touchdowns in his previous three games, so a performance like the one he put together Friday put a positive spin on an otherwise forgettable November. Folks have their opinions and what Ehlinger is or isn’t, but he’s the ride-or-die guy behind center for Herman and the Longhorns need him playing as well as he can heading into his senior season. From that standpoint, Ehlinger’s outing against the Red Raiders should be a nice springboard into bowl season.

REASON TO BE PESSIMISTIC

Outside of the kicking game continuing to leave a lot to be desired (a blocked extra point and a 15-yard kick-catch interference penalty that put the defense on an incredibly short field in the second quarter to set up a Texas Tech touchdown), the Longhorns have made an unsavory habit of getting themselves into holes to open games. Texas Tech joined Iowa State, Kansas State, Oklahoma, West Virginia and Oklahoma State as Big 12 foes to score on their opening drive when facing the Longhorns.

Furthermore, the Kansas game was the only conference game where Texas held a lead after the first quarter. Needing to overcome a 14-0 deficit like Texas did Friday is who the Longhorns have been this season, but credit them for coming back and getting the job done. Hopefully, this is a trend that stays in 2019 and doesn’t carry over to next year.

MODEST PROPOSAL

The number of plays made by underclassmen who will be counted on heavily next season was nice to see, especially at the end of a week where Herman said the staff was guilty of not doing their best to develop the talent in the program this season. The proposal is to see the youngsters who contributed to the win Friday get as much run as they can in the bowl game to start building toward what’s shaping up to be a win big or go home season for the current regime.

Offensively, Roschon Johnson (105 yards rushing, 4.6 yards per carry and three rushing touchdowns) was the primary running back, Marcus Washington had a huge 16-yard catch on the offense’s second scoring drive, Jared Wiley aided a third-quarter touchdown march with a 15-yard catch and Jake Smith (51 yards on three receptions) scored his first touchdown since Oct. 19. The defense got notable contributions from Marqez Bimage (one sack, one tackle for loss, one quarterback hurry, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery), DeMarvion Overshown (four tackles, one tackle for loss and a presence that makes him a true difference-maker based on the plays he’s made when healthy), Kenyatta Watson (three tackles and a pass breakup in the end zone on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line in the second quarter) and T'Vondre Sweat (a fumble recovery).

While several key seniors will be exiting the program following the season, the Longhorns are still oozing talent at critical, playmaking positions and should have one of the most talented rosters in the country in 2020.

DRIVE OF THE GAME

A 9-play, 74-yard drive in the third quarter that ended with a 1-yard Roschon Johnson touchdown run, giving Texas a 42-24 lead with 2:35 to go in the third quarter. Wiley’s 15-yard catch-and-run play on a crossing route started the drive, two Johnson runs for a total of 22 yards got it into Texas Tech territory, a 14-yard run on a read keeper by Ehlinger put the ball in the red zone and Johnson finished it off with his second of three touchdown runs to deliver the knockout blow to the Red Raiders.

BEST OFFENSIVE PLAY

The one that got the Longhorns going was a 36-yard connection from Ehlinger to Malcolm Epps in the first quarter. With Texas trailing by two scores, 14-0, looking lifeless and reeling after a holding penalty put the offense in a first-and-20 situation, Ehlinger got good protection from the offensive line and he lobbed a ball down the field for Epps on second-and-15.

The redshirt freshman went up and high-pointed the ball, utilizing his 6-foot-7-inch frame and wingspan to go up and finish a catch that woke the Longhorns from their early-game slumber. The 6-play, 75-yard drive ended when Ehlinger took the ball across the goal line from 10 yards out, getting Texas on the board and igniting a run where the Longhorns outscored the Red Raiders 28-7 for the rest of the half.

BEST DEFENSIVE PLAY

D'Shawn Jamison (three tackles, one tackle for loss, two pass breakups) kept a two-touchdown lead for Texas a double-digit margin in the third quarter. On third-and-goal from the Texas 5-yard line, Duffey tried to find Erik Ezukanma in the back of the end zone, but Jamison closed on the ball when it arrived at the receiver’s hands and got enough of the ball to break it up, forcing the Red Raiders to settle for a 23-yard Trey Wolff field goal, which made it a 35-24 game in favor of the Longhorns with 6:09 to go in the third quarter.

BIGGEST QUESTION HEADING INTO THE BOWL GAME

What changes to the program are coming? As the Horns247 staff has been reporting throughout the week, Herman is going to make changes to his coaching staff. Even though the changes are currently expected to be primarily (if not exclusively) on the offensive side of the ball, how Herman processes the body of work of a campaign where the Longhorns entered the final game of the regular season needing a victory to ensure a winning record in 2019 will determine how much of a staff shakeup there will be.

There’s a bowl game left to go, but the moment the Longhorns headed up the tunnel and to the locker room following Friday’s game started the clock on a duration of time before the offseason starts in earnest that’s going to make or break Herman’s tenure.

(Bobby Burton) Snap Judgments: Overdue Win

Quote

The butt whipping that Texas fans feared looked like it was going to happen in the first quarter. The Horns quickly went down 14-0 after two failed drives of their own and way too easy drives from Texas Tech to start the game. Then Sam Ehlinger led the team to TDs on six of their next eight full possessions and the Texas defense stiffened, including getting a fumble recovery to end the first half and emerge with two goal line stands when the game remained in doubt.

It resulted in a complete washout of the Red Raiders. The Texas offense established the run and pass in the same game for the first time in months. The lopsided victory is a sight that Texas fans expected more of this season. And that’s no small fact given the Horns finished the regular season 7-5.

**

Devin Duvernay enjoyed an incredible senior season, and his final home game put an exclamation point on his career. Duvernay made multiple plays while the game was still in doubt, including a contested catch down the sideline to set up a score while Texas was still trailing, and then he followed that up with a deep post route for a score. If I could give the award for senior of the year, Duvernay clearly gets my vote.

**

Three seniors on defense played relatively well after those nightmarish first two possessions. Brandon Jones was beat multiple times on those drives but ended up playing a solid game. Malcolm Roach played well from the second quarter on, and Jeff McCulloch made a great play on the goal line and also batted a pass away. But perhaps the player of the game on defense was lightly used Marqez Bimage. Bimage gave Tech fits as a pass rusher, pounced on one fumble and caused another.

**

Several freshmen saw their number of snaps increase, including T’Vondre Sweat, Jake Smith, Jared Wiley, Kenyatta Watson and Marcus Washington. Another true freshman Roschon Johnson battled through an early injury to rush for more than 100 yards. Johnson was forced into action because Keaontay Ingram reaggravated an ankle injury in the first quarter.

**

Zach Shackleford and Parker Braun also played their last game in DKR, and the Texas OL had its way with the Tech defensive front.

**

The game wasn’t always pretty though. The Horns overcame two penalties to score their first touchdown, including a hold against Junior Angilau and a Pass interference against Brennan Eagles. The Horns also came up short on a fourth and one play earlier in that quarter.

The slow start however didn’t continue the rest of the way as Ehlinger really unloaded despite the challenging weather. Texas did undergo another lull in offensive production in the second half with two straight three and outs after going up by three scores. Those sorts of lulls allow better teams to come back.

**

Brennan Eagles made a pair of nice first down catches. Malcolm Epps made a beautiful downfield catch but still looks out of place on some routes. Jake Smith joining Duvernay on the field at the same time was a welcome site. Smith’s over the shoulder catch gave the Horns a two-score lead.

**

Ayodele Adeoye had one of his best games against the pass. While far from perfect, Adeoye seemed to get into passing lanes and generally be in the right spot at the right time for most of the game.

**

D’Shawn Jamison was beat for a TD and a pair of other downfield passes, but had a solid game overall, including a huge pass breakup in the end zone. Kenyatta Watson’s twice successfully defended fade routes in the end zone against Tech’s go-to receiver TJ Vasher.

**

What was Sam Ehlinger’s best pass of the day? Probably the two-point conversion completion to Duvernay. Ehlinger had to get rid of it before Duvernay even made his break. He put the ball in a spot only his receiver could catch with plenty of air under it for him to adjust.

**

Word to the wise: don’t let this game be fool’s gold. The Texas O struggled most of the year. Play-calling was inconsistent, untimely and unreliable. The Texas defense played better as the season wore on and it got more starters back, but still was prone to poor performances, not unlike the one they put on in the first quarter of this game.

Texas returns 15 starters or so next year with plenty of talent and depth to compete for the Big 12 Championship. But Tom Herman must make some off-season changes. Over the next few days and weeks, exactly what those changes might be will be obvious to all.

(Chip Brown) My Take: This is how it was supposed to be in 2019

Quote

AUSTIN, Texas — The final three quarters of Friday’s 49-24 win over Texas Tech is the way it was supposed to be all season for Texas. Big plays on offense. Big hits on defense and finally … finally … a finish Texas fans didn’t have to chug Tums to survive!

Heck, Tom Herman, who is likely to make some big decisions regarding his coaching staff pretty quickly, was even able to get playing time for a bunch of freshmen and sophomores he’s going to need if he’s going to lead the Longhorns out of the underperforming mess that led to this 7-5 regular season.

Early on his one featured some of the common themes that helped lead to Texas’ disappointing season: costly penalties (nine for 100 yards) … a slow-starting offense, including a failed fourth-and-1 sneak by Ehlinger (instead of attempting a 42-yard field goal attempt in the first quarter while trailing 7-0) … big plays and third downs given up by the Texas defense … as well as a special teams blunder (kick-catch interference on Montrell Estell that helped set up a short-field touchdown for Tech, tying the game 21-21 in the second quarter).

But it also provided a glimpse into the future if Herman can hold the roster (and his current recruiting class) together. Play after play was made by freshmen and sophomores as Texas erased an early 14-0 deficit in front of a three-quarters-filled DKR in rainy conditions.

Sophomore nose tackle Keondre Coburn had a strip sack. Freshman defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat recovered a fumble that helped set up a fourth-quarter touchdown. Sophomores Moro Ojomo, Joseph Ossai, D’Shawn Jamison and freshman Kenyatta Watson ALL had key plays during a goal-line stand in the second quarter.

On offense, it was more of the same, led by freshman quarterback-turned running back Roschon Johnson, who finished with 23 carries for 105 yards (4.6 yards per carry) and three touchdowns.

During a nine-play, 74-yard touchdown drive in the third quarter, Ehlinger combined only with freshmen on the drive. Tight end Jared Wiley caught a 15-yard crossing route for his first catch as a Longhorn. Ehlinger hit Jake Smith for 14 yards and barely missed connecting with Marcus Washington before Roschon Johnson, who carried four times for 26 yards on the drive, plunged into the end zone from 1 yard out for his xx touchdown of the day.

Smith, who’s been rumored to be contemplating a transfer, finished with three catches for 51 yards, including a 26-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter. A 16-yard pass to Washington early in the second quarter helped fuel a touchdown drive that allowed Texas to tie the game 14-14 after trailing 14-0.

With sophomore Keaontay Ingram, who came into the game nursing an ankle injury, sidelined after just two carries, Ehlinger (10 carries for 83 yards and a TD) and Roschon Johnson went to work in the running game, repeatedly moving the sticks as Texas scored 22 points in the second quarter to take a 28-21 lead at halftime.

Johnson has proven to be the one of the best stories of the Texas season after moving from quarterback to running back when a rash of injuries hit the team’s running backs at the start of the season. After Tech converted its first three, third-down conversions in taking a 14-0 lead, the Texas defense held the Red Raiders to 1-of-4 the rest of the half. Texas held Tech to 1-of-4 fourth-down conversions.

The Texas defense gave up some big plays, including passes of 52 and 29 yards as well as a 24-yard touchdown strike - all in the first half. But the Texas defense also came up with a gutsy, goal-line stand in the second quarter after Tech had first-and-goal from the Texas 2 and failed to score when a fourth-and-goal pass was broken up in the end zone by freshman Kenyatta Watson.

Now, Texas waits to see if will head to the Camping World Bowl (in Olando) possibly against Notre Dame (depending on how Iowa State finishes against K-State Saturday) or perhaps the Liberty Bowl or Texas Bowl against either an SEC team or possibly SMU.

 

Edited November 29, 2019 by satyanash

[satyanash 14281]

(Ian Boyd) Five quick thoughts: Texas' seniors take it out on Tech

Early on it appeared as though Texas hadn't really come into this game with any heart or interest in finishing the year strong. Then Sam Ehlinger hit Malcolm Epps for a 36 yard gain and finished with a 10-yard TD run of his own to put Texas back in the game at 14-6 (they missed the XP). The Texas offense started to come alive and after they found the on switch they kept going and poured on 49 points.

The story around the Forty Acres these days relates largely to the offseason adjustments that will take place as a result of a 7-5 season when the expectation was to win a Big 12 title. Who will be the new offensive coordinator? What will happen to Todd Orlando? Will Tom Herman assign special teams different with the staff shakeup? So early on when Tech jumped out to a 14-0 lead while picking on all the typical weak spots in the Texas defense, it looked like a blowout may be in the brewing. Ultimately the game wasn't close, but it was when the Texas offense finally lived up to their potential that the game really rounded into its ultimate form.

Quick thought No. 1: An ode to Roschon Johnson

Texas' power-spread offense is geared around running the ball between the tackles on the tight zone run play, a scheme which depends on a physical blocking TE and a power back. The Longhorns have been missing the former ingredient but they could have also been missing the latter ingredient in spectacular fashion this season if not for Johnson's switch to RB late in fall camp. In this game, Ingram got the start but he didn't look as twitchy as he does when he's healthy. Roschon essentially took over by the third drive (which really kickstarted the offense) and finished with 23 carries, 105 yards, and three touchdowns. He's an excellent goal line runner who's a part of the reason for the decline in Ehlinger's rushing TD total from 16 in 2018 to six (thus far) in 2019.

Of course Roschon was the feature power back in the Port Neches-Groves offense for three years and that skill has translated pretty cleanly to Texas' run game despite a few different schemes. Johnson's top speed is probably in the 4.7 range, if that, so you wonder what his game might look like after another offseason of S&C work. He probably has additional upside from gaining some weight and improving his understanding of how to find creases in Texas' preferred run schemes. Since he's a load currently at 220, at 230 or more with increased understanding and perhaps a little more burst and confidence he might be a real problem for Big 12 defenses. Moving him back to QB seems like a waste of time at this point, he's the most dependable back on the roster before spending an offseason specializing in the role.

Here's how the rushing numbers finished in the regular season:

Keaontay Ingram: 131 carries, 745 yards, 5.7 ypc, six TDs.
Sam Ehlinger: 152 carries, 590 yards, 3.9 ypc, six TDs.
Roschon Johnson: 117 carries, 600 yards, 5.1 ypc, seven TDs.

Quick thought No. 2: Again, it's remarkable how Texas wasted this Ehlinger season

This was a pretty big season by Sam Ehlinger. He threw for 348 yards at 12.9 ypa in this game, despite a bad early sack in which he held the ball too long and then a misfire on the trick play in which Texas had open receivers streaking towards the end zone. He also added 83 rushing yards and a rushing score, doing a lot of his damage on QB draw RPOs. The QB draw RPO should have been a major feature to this offense for the last two years. Herman has one more year to get this right. The best QB draw RPOs spread the opponent out in a 3x1 set and give Ehlinger a read based on a single defender whether to get into a passing progression or keep the ball late behind a lead block by the RB. It's a downhill, between the tackles run scheme of the sort where Ehlinger is at his best but also involves options and misdirection.

Ehlinger had a particularly good run on a draw in which Tech was so thrown off that Texas had three lead blockers that got free ahead of their QB. Ehlinger was able to slow down, set up his blocks, and burst ahead just when defenders were close to catching him from behind for a nice gain. Other highlights included a nice flag route TD pass to Jake Smith that made up for missing Roschon Johnson on the trick play and another flag route thrown to Devin Duvernay on a play where Ehlinger was rolling to his left and dropped the ball perfectly over Duve's shoulder.

It was a nice game for Ehlinger, it's unbelievable that a player with this talent who ran for almost 600 yards including sack yardage and threw for almost 3500 yards was at the helm of a 7-5 team that couldn't make it to the Big 12 title game.

Quick thought No. 3: Jared Wiley flashed some promise, hence the stronger game on offense

Texas has definitely been a better team at home than on the road this year, they went 1-3 on the road in the Big 12 this season and lost at the "neutral" Cotton Bowl. A significant factor though in their success today was that the blocking TE was not overmatched by the physicality of the opposing front. Wiley had a very solid game and helped Texas get good connection on their zone plays, didn't allow DEs and OLBs to reset the line of scrimmage, and freed up Sam Cosmi and Derek Kerstetter to get down the field and open up creases for the run game. It surely helped that NFL-bound linebacker Jordyn Brooks wasn't around to highlight the matchup, but it was still a promising day for Wiley.

Assuming Texas doesn't completely abandon their current offensive program next season, Wiley's offseason is going to be immensely important. He's listed at 6-7, 255 right now and has room on his frame to get to 270 or 280 without it really harming his ability to move around. Wiley may even end up becoming a star left tackle at some point. We'll see where things go with his body and development, but short of adding a transfer he's probably Texas' best hope for fielding the kind of physical TE in 2020 that they need in this offense.

Quick thought No. 4: Marqez Bimage could be an asset as a true DE

Texas played with their DEs on the edge like proper DEs a lot more in this game, as opposed to playing in the 4i-technique which is really an alignment for a hybrid sort of player or a mobile DT. Using the 4i-technique is immensely useful in this league for getting more off ball defenders involved and getting more speed on the field and flexibility in the playbook. However, Bimage is clearly much more effective and at home when he's on the edge and can use his speed and power at an angle.

At 6-2 it's pretty tough battling with OL when you have one on either shoulder, that's something that requires either some length or a lot of burst off the ball. At any rate, Texas keeps experimenting with some 5-technique alignments and Bimage shined in that role today with a sack (pulled poor Jett Duffey down by his dreadlocks), a forced fumble, and a few other big plays. As a senior to be that's played a lot of football for this team, Bimage could end up playing a pretty big role next season. Like many other components to this Texas defense, he'd probably be at his best with either a tweaked defensive approach or a full-blown adaptation of some kind of four-down concept.

Quick thought No. 5: Salute to the seniors

You have to be glad that Texas was able to put together a winning effort on behalf of the seniors playing their final games in DKR. These guys were recruited by Charlie Strong only to quickly see the program change hands. They've seen a lot of things go down on the 40 Acres and really gave some pretty game efforts over the years. Here's the list:

Parker Braun: Some late penalties recently and a few spotty moments in pass protection have obscured a great season of run blocking from a fellow that had to adapt to this offense quickly after playing in the flexbone at Georgia Tech for three years.

John Burt: Great athlete with a few wow plays now and again over his four years.

Devin Duvernay: Finally made good on the promise that was apparent from as soon as he arrived on campus as a late defector from the Baylor mess after moving to slot. Fantastic season in the slot, he'll own a place in the Texas record books for some amount of time, honestly I hope his place doesn't last too long. It's about time that 1000-yard receivers became a constant in Austin.

Collin Johnson: Texas REALLY missed Johnson this season when he was out. No one else on the roster could command double teams at the X position, which Johnson did even when facing LSU with their NFL-bound press corners.

Kirk Johnson: Glad he was able to get healthy and finish his degree.

Zach Shackelford: A solid season from the four-year starter, Shack really maxed out by his junior year and this season was mostly more of the same. He was a good player that helped stabilize the Texas OL as an underclassman and pave the way for D'Onta Foreman's big season before making a leap and anchoring the 2018 unit that won 10 games.

Jamari Chisholm: Haven't seen him as much recently but he generally plays some snaps in most games spelling the starters to save their legs against tempo teams.

Brandon Jones: Texas didn't really do right by Brandon. He played a few different positions, starting his career and spending much of his time as a field safety not because he excelled patrolling the deep field but because no one else could. Had he been able to play closer to the action more often as a Longhorn, Jones would go down as a legend. Instead he served the team for three years either playing out of position as a deep safety or else moving all over the place to shore up holes in a beat up secondary.

Jeff McCulloch: A brilliant student that maximized his off field opportunities as a Texas football player but a guy that the Longhorn staff struggled to maximize on the field. He never had much of a knack for playing ILB and Texas' scheme and roster didn't leave much room for him to specialize at OLB. I wonder in another timeline if he might have been able to move and serve as the physical, versatile TE that the Longhorns desperately needed this season. I bet yes.

Gerald Wilbon: Really sturdy player that ended up in a role similar to Chisholm's, eating snaps while spelling more talented players that took his role. Texas got some good years out of Wilbon.

Malcolm Roach: Heart and soul of this team who managed a sack on senior day thanks to a gameplan that included more four-man rush while allowing him to play in a more natural position as a 5-technique. There's a very good chance that Roach goes on to have the kind of NFL career that makes Longhorns fans scratch their heads and wonder why they didn't see more from him in Austin.

On to silly season and the bowl game.

[satyanash 14281]

Scipio Tex: Texas Tech Defense Post-Mortem

 

The Longhorn defense was gashed in the first half by the Red Raiders, conceding touchdowns on Tech's first two offensive drives and 21 points in the first half overall. Fortunately, a Jett Duffey unforced wet ball fumble while Tech was driving for another score (Bimage recovered on the UT26) bailed out Orlando and the Longhorn defense from potential halftime crisis mode. Duffey also missed an open receiver in the end zone and didn't spy an uncovered Tech receiver before the snap later near the goal line. No Longhorn defender was within twenty yards. Fortunately, Texas got the time out before Duffey noticed. 

At halftime, Tech QB Jett Duffey was a blazing hot 16 of 24 for 231 yards and two touchdowns passing while workmanlike Sa'dorick Thompson (Tech's only available scholarship RB) had 10 carries for 62 yards, including a touchdown run against the sort of pathetic edge defense that has plagued Orlando's unit all year. He also reversed field on another long run that showed no backside edge containment. You guys may have absorbed my critique on this issue by now. 

The Red Raider passing game attacked open spaces near the sticks on money downs and repeatedly targeted the outside DB boundary defender (usually Jamison, once a rolled over Sterns) in man coverage as the Longhorn deep safety repeatedly bit inside. If the outside corner knew he had no help at all, his alignment and disposition didn't show it. Baylor made a lot of hay attacking the same look last week with Mims and it's clear that Orlando and Texas were targeted expecting the same Longhorn (non) adjustment. Tech wideout Kesean Carter had 125 yards receiving at halftime with a touchdown and Ezukanma had 63 and another trip to pay dirt.

Fortunately, the Texas offense quickly got the defense a commanding lead and Orlando was able to call second half defense that ignored any Red Raider running game threat (with the help of Thompson being hobbled), while mixing in much heavier doses of Drop 8 zone coverages that still saw Longhorn pass rushers get some pocket push. Tech was held to 3 second half points and Duffey's sizzling start regressed to the mean with a 20 of 34 for 168 yard second half passing effort. Texas got very basic on defense, put eyes on the QB, got really solid play from the DL, and blitzed as an effective change up. 

While Tech was still very effective driving the ball between the 20s in the 3rd quarter, the defense played lights out in the 4th quarter as the Texas offense went conservative. Tech's last four drives totaled 11 plays for 18 yards.

DL

Marqez Bimage filled up the box score like no other time in his Longhorn career. #42 deserves a victory lap for his hustle and effort. He had a forced fumble, a recovered fumble, a sack, two strong QB hits, and a tipped ball. Outstanding effort, often from a 3 man rush. Roach went out at DKR with some big plays of his own, showing excellent pursuit while procuring 2 tackles for loss and a sack. Ojomo, Coburn and Graham also all inflicted negative plays. Sweat recovered a fumble. Overall, a fine effort from the Texas DL against a pretty decent Tech front 5.

LB

Adeoye's best hit was a friendly fire strike on Caden Sterns' ribs. He had two PBUs and showed decently active hands and feet in his drops. When he wasn't run blitzed, he was ineffective. Joe Ossai had four tackles playing predominantly off the ball. He's essentially being penalized by our scheme for his versatility. 

The Texas LBs either 1) blitz or 2) drop. Tech certainly game planned that in the first half. 

First half edge containment when the play side LB had responsibility in our tite front was poor. That defender is supposed to be looking for the bounce out - it's how that defense works. That's the spill that characterizes the defense when the DL do their job. The DL did their job. Every time that outside defender seems utterly shocked to see that spill. As this happened consistently, I cannot fault the athletes. It's clearly not taught. 

DB

Overshown always passes my "Holy Moly That Guy Is Quick" eye test, even if it's not clear he know what's going on. To me, his attributes scream covered up Mike LB to let him attack from sideline to sideline when we see spread offenses. He had 4 tackles and a pass breakup sort of just running around. His quickness also drew a hold on a Tech 4th and 1 play. It's notable that when he tackles guys, they always get up hurting. He hurt three different Tech players. 

Brandon Jones played hard, racking up an incredible 11 solo tackles. Once again, he showed terrible tackling form on Tech's 4th string safety-playing-RB near the boundary. Head down, neck exposed, leaving feet before contact. Basically, a neck extended dive. Get that head up and run through contact or he's going to hurt something more serious than a shoulder.

Chris Brown got after it and his mistakes were all full speed. His intensity played a big role in getting the defense to play harder and more soundly after some ugly first half possessions. He had 9 solo tackles and some really good pops out there. Tech iso'd him on a key 4th and 4 and Brown was step for step the whole way blanketing the Tech WR.

Jamison struggled when exposed on the sideline by himself, but when Texas gave him a real cover over the top, he was effective earning two PBU's, including a fine play in the end zone. 

Boyce was OK, but it's not clear that he understands how his role changes in zone. I could probably levy that criticism across the board. 

Kenyatta Watson competed and had a strong end zone PBU in 1 on 1 coverage. He got beat on some plays that Duffey that didn't connect on, but it's nice to get him some seasoning.

Caden Sterns got hit hard in the ribs by Adeoye and didn't look great after. Tech targeted him on a 3rd and 2 9 route for a big gain. 

The staff had Foster playing deep quite a bit, which was interesting.

ST

Estell had a weird punt interference miscue that gave Tech the ball deep in Longhorn territory and Reese Leitao didn't get a hand on an outside Tech defender, resulting in a blocked XP. 

Final 

The Texas defense surrendered 470 yards and looked truly awful in the first half (and it could have been much worse), but they prevented Tech from scoring touchdowns on three third quarter drives (14-57, 12-70, 7-39) and then actually played real football in the 4th quarter to hold the Red Raiders to 24 points overall. This is a unit that certainly benefits from playing with a lead. 

Schematic simplicity seem to suit their current level of development. 

It'll be interesting to see what new faces and voices on the defensive coaching staff and some time off before the bowl game will yield here in terms of game planning and progress.

Edited November 29, 2019 by satyanash

[satyanash 14281]

(Chip Brown) Texas AD Del Conte says he and Herman 'very much aligned' after latest victory

Quote

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte said Friday the Longhorns’ 7-5 regular season was disappointing “because of expectations” but added he believes UT’s football program “has building blocks," is moving in the right direction and that he and football coach Tom Herman are "very much aligned." “We’re all disappointed because of expectations,” Del Conte said after Texas’ 49-24 victory over Texas Tech, snapping a two-game losing streak.

“We all had great expectations. At the beginning of the year, everyone thinks they are going to go undefeated and win the national championship. So, anything short of that falls short of expectations. There’s a lot of things that went right and went wrong this season. But I’m excited for the foundation that’s been laid. We went 7-6, 10-4, and we’re 7-5 right now. When was the last time we had three straight winning seasons?”

Texas last had three straight winning seasons in 2011, 2012 and 2013. "Obviously, at 7-5, we’re not exactly happy compared to what we thought we would be at the beginning of the year," Del Conte said. "But we played a lot of young guys. Replaced nine defensive starters." Del Conte said Herman will decide if any changes need to be made to Herman's coaching staff and had no timetable for when he and Herman would meet to talk about end-of-season evaluations. Del Conte was asked if he would make any staff decisions, and he replied, "That’s why you hire a head coach. He evaluates his staff."

Del Conte, who was hired in December 2017 as athletic director at Texas, didn't hire Herman, who just finished his third season. But Del Conte said he and Herman "are very much aligned." "He’s our football coach," Del Conte said. "If you take the totality approach, you’ll realize there are a lot of good things that’ve transpired, and we have building blocks." Asked if Herman is misunderstood by fans, Del Conte said, "I don’t think anything’s misunderstood. I’m focused on the process. We’re looking at little things like, ‘I don’t like how this guy says this or that.’ But the issue is how is our program progressing."

When asked about the perception that Herman is smug or arrogant, Del Conte said, "We all attack things differently. And that’s OK." Del Conte was asked about any advice he's given Herman. "The advice my father gave me, ‘Be honest, be humble and serve others,’" Del Conte said. "At the end of the day, Tom’s his own man. He’s the coach. He has a blueprint. I understand what he’s trying to do and get accomplished. When you’re in the swarm, you also have to step back and say, ‘Let’s look at it all.’ We were all disappointed from our expectations, but I’m not disappointed about where we are today."

Asked if Herman is learning on the job at Texas, Del Conte said, "We’re all growing on the job. I was green coming from Arizona to Rice. That was my first time being an AD, and I felt like I needed to have all the answers. I went to TCU (as athletic director) and learned. Every day, you better be learning. And I’ve been learning here (at Texas) every day. That’s why you come to the University of Texas. It’s a beast baby."

Del Conte said the progress of Texas football needs to be seen from a big-picture perspective. "We’re in a great position when I look at the totality of the program," Del Conte said. "This has been a tumultuous last six, seven years for this program: Three chancellors. Two presidents. Four ADs. Two football, basketball and baseball coaches. And yet this is the first time we’ve had three straight winning seasons in a while."

Wescott Eberts: Texas ends losing streak with blowout victory over Texas Tech

Quote

AUSTIN, Texas — After falling behind 14-0, the Texas Longhorns scored 49 of the next 59 points to route the Texas Tech Raiders on Friday at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium by a 49-24 margin, aided by two forced turnovers and three fourth-down stops.

With the win, Texas ensured a third consecutive winning season for the first time since 2011-13.

Against the nation’s No. 79 defense in SP+, which was playing without its best player, Jordyn Brooks, the Texas offense finally found its rhythm again after struggling in three of the last four games.

Junior quarterback Sam Ehlinger led the way with a turnover-free performance that featured 19-of-27 passing for 348 yards and two touchdowns through the air and 10 carries for 83 yards and a touchdown on the ground. The 431 yards of total offense put Ehlinger over 4,000 total yards this season, becoming only the third player in school history to reach that plateau, joining Vince Young and Colt McCoy. Ehlinger also passed Major Applewhite to move into second place in career passing yards at Texas.

“I was really proud of the way Sam played,” head coach Tom Herman said. “Really there towards I think it was the first drive of the fourth quarter when the rain started coming down pretty good, we had a three and out that wasn’t real good.

“Beyond that, I thought he played excellent. Quarterback draw was a big part of this game plan. Block well, ran it well, broke tackles. He was trusting his receivers. He was on time, decisive. Was really proud of that.”

With senior wide receiver Collin Johnson out, Ehlinger’s favorite target was fellow senior wide receiver Devin Duvernay, who had six catches for 199 yards and a 75-yard touchdown catch, the longest touchdown pass of Ehlinger’s career and the longest offensive touchdown by a Longhorns player since 2016. With that reception, Duvernay became the third player in school history to catch 100 passes in a single season.

Eight Texas players caught passes for the Longhorns, including freshman tight end Jared Wiley, who made his first career reception after taking over the starting tight end role from sophomore Reese Leitao. Two other freshmen contributed at wide receiver — Jake Smith had three catches for 51 yards and a touchdown and Marcus Washington had a 16-yard catch that featured numerous broken tackles.

On the ground, freshman running back Roschon Johnson led the way, recording the first multi-touchdown game of his career by finding the end zone three times. He had 23 carries, his career high, and went over 100 rushing yards for the second time. Sophomore running back Keaontay Ingram only carried the ball twice in the first quarter and then did not return after aggravating the ankle injury he suffered last week against Baylor.

The contributions from the young players sets Texas up well once the offseason arrives, Johnson believes. “Especially just rallying everybody together,” Johnson said. “For the freshmen who did play, the young guys, to get this experience as a whole is going to give us a lot of momentum and good leadership heading into the offseason.

From the late first quarter to early in the fourth quarter, Texas scored touchdowns on six of its seven possessions on the way to 610 yards of total offense on eight yards per play. The Longhorns scored five touchdowns on five trips to the red zone and possessed the ball for more than nine minutes longer than the visiting team. “Really goes to show what we can do when we don’t shoot ourselves in the foot,” Johnson said. “Just take it play by play and take advantage of opportunities that we get.”

Texas opened the game in 12 personnel and then hit a run-pass option to Duvernay that Herman credited for getting Texas Tech out of the dime look dropping players into coverage that frustrated the Longhorns in the two previous games. Once that happened, Texas was able to open up the offense to take more risks and create big plays. Sticking with the running game helped, too, as Texas 262 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns on 5.5 yards per carry.

One of the biggest differences in the game was the ability of the Longhorns defense to come up with stops, especially in and around the red zone — the Red Raiders only scored touchdowns on two of the five trips inside the Texas 20-yard line, turning the ball over on downs twice and settling for a field goal. Junior defensive end Marqez Bimage turned in his best performance in a Longhorns uniform, recovering a fumble in the first half when Texas Tech quarterback Jett Duffey fumbled a wet football, forced a fumble in the second half, and recorded his first sack of the season. In his final game on the Forty Acres, senior defensive end Malcolm Roach had a sack and another tackle for loss.

Four sacks tied the season high set against LSU as the defensive line turned in arguably its best performance of the season. “I thought they were really disruptive. They didn’t attempt very many run plays, but we held them to 71 yards rushing, which is indicative of the disruption that the D-line was having,” Herman said of the defensive line. “To leave a game with four sacks when that had not happened around here in a while, I felt like just from watching on the sideline that those guys made a big, big impact on the game.”

So even though the Longhorns gave up 399 passing yards, Todd Orlando’s defense made the Red Raiders one dimensional — Texas Tech averaged three yards per carry and attempted only 24 rushes compared to 58 passes — and made key plays when necessary, aided by a simple game plan that allowed the defense to play fast.

The most impressive defensive stand came in the first half when Texas Tech got to the Texas 2-yard line and failed to score despite four opportunities. Freshman cornerback Kenyatta Watson II, who received the most extensive playing time of his young career, helped break up the pass on fourth down after the run defense made three consecutive stops.

In a game where Texas Tech head coach Matt Wells felt that he needed to be aggressive and score touchdowns, the Texas defense was able to take away short passes like slants and speed outs to force Jett Duffey to throw the ball farther down the field after going deep into his progressions. In a recurring trend for Texas over recent weeks, head coach Tom Herman’s team found itself facing an early deficit.

For the eighth time in 12 games, the Longhorns gave up a score on the first drive, as the Red Raiders marched 80 yards on 11 plays to score a 13-yard touchdown from Jett Duffey to KeSean Carter. By the time Texas Tech scored on its second drive, the visiting team was averaging 8.6 yards per play. Over the game’s final 59 minutes, however, the Red Raiders only scored 10 more points as the Longhorns recovered on both sides of the ball.

“I think the biggest thing is we, as a whole, the defense trusted the offense and the offense trusted the defense,” senior safety Brandon Jones said. “It was early, but we got all of our mistakes out early and had fun. I think we play our best ball when we’re just trusting each other and having fun.” After a holding penalty to open the third drive, the Longhorns finally got moving offensively, as Ehlinger hit Malcolm Epps on a 36-yard jump ball down the sideline.

“That was huge,” Ehlinger said. “In the beginning they were doing a little bit of the same stuff [as previous opponents], dropping a lot of guys into coverage and that’s where you have to throw the ball in that cloud stuff. He did a great job of sitting in that whole and going up and getting the ball. He took a big hit, but he did a great job of keeping possession and coming down with it.”

A 13-yard scramble by Ehlinger and a 10-yard run by set up a 10-yard Ehlinger called run on third and short for a touchdown. Texas Tech blocked the point-after attempt, however. The defense finally responded, forcing a three and out thanks to the second sack of the season by senior defensive end Malcolm Roach. The Texas offense continued to find its rhythm, scoring on a three-yard touchdown run by junior Daniel Young after a 33-yard catch by Duvernay and tied the game when he caught the two-point conversion

Defensively, sophomore safety Caden Sterns had to leave the game for a second time after taking a helmet to his side by redshirt freshman linebacker Ayodele Adeoye that resulted in a rib injury. On the play, Sterns allowed a 52-yard completion down to the Texas 2-yard line that set up the goal-line stand.

When Texas couldn’t pick a first down, Texas Tech got the ball at the 24-yard line following a kick-catch interference penalty and capitalized two plays later when Duffey delivered a perfect strike to Carter for a 24-yard touchdown against excellent coverage from sophomore cornerback D’Shawn Jamison, who did everything but break up the pass. With more than 38 minutes remaining in the game, it was the final touchdown for the Red Raiders.

Once again, the Longhorns responded, as Ehlinger found Duvernay for a 75-yard touchdown catch on a perfectly-delivered pass. When the defense forced another three and out, the Longhorns offense made the Red Raiders pay with a grinding 13-play, 74-yard drive highlighted by an 18-yard run by Ehlinger that set up a one-yard touchdown run by Johnson. To start the second half, the Longhorns defense bent, allowing two third-down conversions and a fourth-down conversion before the Red Raiders made the odd decision of throwing to throw for the end zone on 4th and 4 from the 18-yard line. The ball fell incomplete against good coverage from junior safety Chris Brown.

Another long pass to Duvernay, this one for 35 yards on 3rd and 7, helped set up a trick play from the Wildcat formation that featured Ehlinger getting the ball on the reverse. He eventually threw it away after failing to hit Johnson running open down the field. The mistake didn’t ultimately matter, though, as Ehlinger put a perfectly-placed ball on the hands of Smith in the end zone from 26 yards out.

After Texas Tech was forced to settle for a field goal in the red zone, Texas went on an efficient nine-play, 74-yard drive heavy on contributions from freshmen. Tight end Jared Wiley made his first career catch, Smith had another catch, and Johnson gained 26 yards, including the final yard for his second touchdown of the game. The defense then got another fourth-down stop, the third of the game, but the stretch of high-level offensive play ended with a three and out — Texas had scored on six of its previous seven possessions. In response, the Longhorns got off the field quickly thanks to a sack by junior defensive end Ta’Quon Graham.

With the win, Texas has some momentum heading into the bowl game with a chance to generate more positive feelings. “I feel great,” Johnson said when asked about the program’s overall direction. “I know the culture that Coach Herman has instilled within this program and I know that with the young guys getting the experience that they have, we’re heading in the right direction because we have a lot of guys maturing on this team.” Herman echoed a similar sentiment when he was asked what message this game sends to Longhorn Nation following four losses in the previous five games.

“That we’re going to be okay,” Herman said. “Things are still headed in the right direction. Obviously, we’re not happy with the totality fo the season. The kids are fighting. We’ve got a lot of young, talented players that will be able to have another year, some of them their first year, under their belt to develop and fill some of these really big shoes that these seniors will leave. The future is very, very bright. But we’re not oblivious to the fact that we’ve got to evaluate what needs to be fixed and fix it. Again, now is not the time to dwell on that. Now is the time to celebrate these seniors going out on top on their Senior Day here at DKR.”

 

[mdmost 42869]

2 hours ago, satyanash said:

 

Nervous about Tom Herman remaining our head coach and getting new assistants? Yeah, me too. 

[satyanash 14281]

Joseph Cook: Texas surges past Texas Tech on senior day, 49-24

Quote

After each team’s first two drives, Texas Tech led Texas 14-0. It was the second time this season the Longhorns trailed by two scores in the opening quarter at home, and like the previous occasion versus Kansas State, Texas recovered and earned a victory to clinch its third consecutive winning season. The Texas defense allowed 10 points after the first quarter, and a 610-yard day on offense with notable performances from Sam Ehlinger, Devin Duvernay, and Roschon Johnson paced Texas to a 49-24 victory.

A regular season with ending 7-5 record wasn’t what Texas coach Tom Herman wanted in his third year. He admitted multiple times after the game 7-5 is not the standard at Texas, and he would evaluate the “whole program from the top down” after the season including looks at himself, his staff, the support staff, and anyone else involved in the program. “But now is not the time to do that,” Herman said. “Now is the time to celebrate these seniors.”

Most of the seniors honored Friday started their careers with a thrilling overtime victory against Notre Dame, saw the head coach they signed with fired after his third season, and stuck around for three more years in the program under Herman. They experienced the highs and lows of a college football program yearning to get back to heights it believes it should reside.

“Just something we can remember for the rest of our lives; going out there at DKR and winning our first game, and going out and winning our last game,” Malcolm Roach said. “It was going out and playing for the team. Not a lot was on the line, so we really had nothing to lose.” Ehlinger and Texas’ first opportunities with the ball ended with one punt and one failed quarterback sneak from under center. Meanwhile, the Red Raiders’ marched the ball at least 75 yards on their first two drives. Tech QB Jett Duffey found KeSean Carter for the first score, and SaRodorick Thompson scored from 10 yards out for the second touchdown.

The third Texas opportunity had its own inauspicious start until Ehlinger found Malcolm Epps for a 36-yard gain and a needed first down. “That was huge,” Ehlinger said. “At the beginning, they were doing a little bit of the same stuff dropping a lot of guys into coverage. That’s where you have to go with the ball in that cloud stuff. He did a great job of sitting in that hole and going up and getting the ball.”

From then on, essentially three quarters and three minutes, Texas accumulated 542 total yards. It scored on that third drive via an Ehlinger rush, but Cameron Dicker missed the extra point to make it 14-6 Red Raiders. Duvernay, who was one yard short of the first 200-yard game by a Texas receiver since 2009, showed up on the next drive. His 33-yard reception necessitated a good throw from Ehlinger, concentration on the catch, and proper footwork to stay in bounds.

All three events occurred, and one play later Daniel Young scored on a three-yard rush. Duvernay’s contributions to the drive weren’t completed yet, as he caught the two-point conversion attempt to tie the game at 14. Texas Tech would find the end zone one more time on a Duffey pass to Erik Ezukanma midway through the second, but the score brought about an immediate Texas response. Ehlinger found Duvernay deep for a 75-yard touchdown pass on the first play following the ensuing kickoff. The one-play drive tied the game at 21.

The Longhorn defense wouldn’t allow another touchdown. “Those guys came out and hit us in the mouth early,” Roach said. “We said we’ve got to buckle up and be more physical than they were being.” Johnson continued his remarkable freshman season following a position switch with the first of his three touchdowns from one yard out to complete a 13-play, 74-yard drive just before halftime.

Momentum Texas brought with it into the locker room returned to the field with the team in the second half. UT outscored the Red Raiders 21-3 in the final 30 minutes with Ehlinger finding Jake Smith midway through the third, and Johnson adding two more scores for a trio of one-yard touchdown runs on the day. Texas defensive coordinator Todd Orlando’s side of the ball made up for its first quarter troubles with a second half where they held the Red Raiders 100 yards under their first half total.

Texas held Texas Tech to 63 fewer second half passing yards on 10 more attempts. Texas Tech rushed for 54 yards in the first half and managed 17 yards on the ground in the second. “It was just us focusing up,” Joseph Ossai said. “We know what we can do. We know how we can play. We just had to get focused back up.” Though Texas didn’t intercept Duffey, Marqez Bimage and Keondre Coburn both forced Red Raider fumbles, with freshman T’Vondre Sweat putting his name in the stat book with a fumble recovery.

Texas now waits to find out where it will play its bowl game. Houston, Memphis, San Antonio, and Orlando are a handful of the potential destinations. Those options are short of where Texas expected, but Herman believes his program is still on the right path with him at the helm. “The future is very, very bright,” Herman said. “But we’re not oblivious to the fact that we’ve got to evaluate what needs to be fixed and fix it.”

 

[satyanash 14281]

(Jeff Howe) Message sent by Texas in win over Tech: 'We're going to be OK'

Quote

AUSTIN, Texas — As he concluded his third regular season as Texas head coach, Tom Herman was asked if there’s anything he’s realized about the job or that he wishes he’d known three years ago. Quick to answer after a 49-24 win over Texas Tech that sent the outgoing seniors off with a victory in their final home game for the Longhorns, Herman said there’s nothing he’s experienced that he didn’t see coming. “I've got a great administration in (athletic director) Chris Del Conte and (president) Greg Fenves and great fan support,” Herman said. “There really haven't been any surprises.”

If that’s truly the case, the biggest surprise for those on the outside looking in was Texas (7-5, 5-4 Big 12) needing to beat Texas Tech (4-8, 2-7) the day after Thanksgiving to secure a winning season. The Longhorns seem miles removed from where they were one season ago — earning a berth in the Big 12 championship game and beating Georgia in the Sugar Bowl to secure a 10th victory and a No. 9 final ranking in the Associated Press Top 25 (the first time either had happened for Texas since 2009) — in terms of trajectory.

Scoring a 25-point win over the Red Raiders won’t erase a season’s worth of disappointing moments for the Longhorns like a walk-off loss to Iowa State, one-possession setbacks handed to them by title contenders LSU and Oklahoma or double-digit road defeats in conference play suffered at the hands of Baylor and TCU. When asked what message the victory sends to the burnt orange faithful at the end of a trying regular season, Herman’s take was a hope that folks will see the Longhorns aren’t as far away from being the program they want to be as the struggles of 2019 have indicated at times.

“That we're going to be OK and things are still headed in the right direction,” Herman said. “Obviously, we're not happy with the totality of the season, but the kids are fighting. We've got a lot of young, talented players that will be able to have another year — and some of them their first year — under their belt to develop and fill some of these really big shoes that these seniors will leave.”

Some of the most notable playmakers on the field Friday are set to return for a 2020 campaign where Texas will need to be much better than two games above .500 at the end of the regular season for Herman to be able to claim the program is on an upward trend. Quarterback Sam Ehlinger threw for 348 yards and two touchdowns in a 19-for-27 passing performance (83 rushing yards on 10 carries and a touchdown) to lead the offense.

Running back Roschon Johnson had his second 100-yard rushing performance of the season (105 yards, 4.6 yards per attempt, three rushing touchdowns), Jake Smith caught his first touchdown pass since Oct. 19 with an over-the-shoulder grab from 26 yards out in the third quarter, and three starters on an offensive line that paved the way for a season-high 262 rushing yards and a 610-yard effort by the offense (eight yards per play) are due back next season (Junior Angilau, Samuel Cosmi and Derek Kerstetter).

Defensively, Marqez Bimage (one sack, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble, fumble recovery, one pass breakup, one quarterback hurry), T'Vondre Sweat (fumble recovery), Keondre Coburn (sack), Moro Ojomo (tackle for loss) and Ta’Quon Graham (one sack, one tackle for loss) return up front in the wake of the defensive line’s best outing of the season. Joseph Ossai (four tackles) and Ayodele Adeoye (three tackles, two pass breakups) are back at linebacker; D'Shawn Jamison (three tackles, one tackle for loss, two pass breakups) and Kenyatta Watson (three tackles, one pass breakup) are two members of a deep, talented stable of cornerbacks) and the same goes for Chris Brown (nine tackles) and DeMarvion Overshown (four tackles, one tackle for loss, one pass breakup) at safety.

Talent isn’t the issue for Herman and Texas. The question of whether or not the staff, as currently constructed, can get the most out of what should be one of the most talent-rich rosters in the country next season is why Herman is faced with needing to rework the group of 10 assistant coaches, eight of whom are in the final year of their contract. Herman declined to discuss potential staff changes following the win, but he knows change is in order if the Longhorns are to avoid a repeat performance of a season that’s failed to live up to anyone’s expectations.

“The future is very, very bright, but we're not oblivious to the fact that we've got to evaluate what needs to be fixed and fix it,” Herman said. “But, again, now's not the time to dwell on that. Now's the time to celebrate these seniors going out on top on their senior day here at DKR.”

 

[satyanash 14281]

"A program consistently proclaiming itself better than its record" 😥

 

[hornian 5205]

4 minutes ago, satyanash said:

"A program consistently proclaiming itself better than its record" 😥

 

Behind paywall; and I ain’t paying for that shit. 

[satyanash 14281]

2 minutes ago, hornian said:

Behind paywall; and I ain’t paying for that shit. 

Mike Finger: Texas is back, whether the Longhorns like it or not

Quote

AUSTIN — Some fans stayed home, but nobody blamed them. Those who showed up did so largely out of stubborn obligation, and they let the traditional morning dread wash over them with the rain, until it gave way to a reluctant, subdued celebration. When it was over, the head coach stoically repeated the most timeworn motto of the nation’s richest athletic program — “This is not our standard” — and vowed that this latest victory was a sign of improvements to come.

Outside the locker room, a smiling old donor hollered with glee and high-fived a staffer, and later the athletic director urged reporters not to dwell on any recent disappointments but to look instead at the big picture. Soak in all of this familiarity, and forget what Sam Ehlinger said after the Sugar Bowl last January. Now the real Texas is back. If you think that’s too harsh, you probably haven’t been paying attention for the past few generations. More often than not, this is who the Longhorns are — a program constantly proclaiming itself better than its record, constantly promising breakthroughs around the corner, and constantly having to walk back every bold pronouncement.

Sure, they salvaged a little something on Friday at Royal-Memorial Stadium, beating moribund Texas Tech 49-24 to conclude their regular season. But perhaps nothing summarized their year better than a few postgame words from Ehlinger, the fiery quarterback who 11 months earlier had climbed a stage in New Orleans and famously declared, “We’re baaaaack.”

“Rome wasn’t built in a day,” Ehlinger said Friday when asked about the state of UT’s program after a 7-5 season that began with a top-10 ranking. “If you had told Texas fans three years ago that we would have seven wins and (be) headed to a bowl game and had a chance to win eight, I think people would be pretty happy.” Even Ehlinger probably didn’t believe that, because he’s a smart kid who has been aware of UT fans’ outsized expectations since he could walk. But here’s the thing:

Based on almost four decades of history, should any fans in burnt orange really be disappointed? Tom Herman lost five games this season, and he says that’s unacceptable here. Before him, Charlie Strong and Mack Brown and John Mackovic and David McWilliams all said the same. Over the past 36 seasons, counting this one, do you know how many times UT has lost at least five games? Eighteen.

Over the past 36 seasons, counting this one, do you know how many times UT has been unranked at the end of a season? Eighteen. When Brown kept the Longhorns in the top 10 for a full decade and guided them to a pair of national title games, that was the outlier, not the standard. The truth is, for all of the hype that greeted the 2019 Longhorns heading into the fall, this wound up being a median UT team, with what might end up being a median UT coach.

 

[hornhorn 100]

21 minutes ago, satyanash said:

"A program consistently proclaiming itself better than its record" 😥

 

Holy shit! That was rough.

[Slacks 6792]

Saw it this morning. Don't like it, but it's truth.

We have 4 conference championships in the 30 years I've been a Longhorn.

Don't like it.

[Goodman 3273]

1 hour ago, satyanash said:

"A program consistently proclaiming itself better than its record" 😥

 

Fuck you Finger, you dickless hack. 

[Etexhorn13 3040]

Finger is and has always been a contrarian douche bag. 

[GreenspointTexas 9568]

If you accept mediocrity, you become aggy

 

 

I dont care how much we have to pay or how many coaches we have to turn over.... we aint accepting less than 10 wins at the University of Texas.... and we’ll keep trying until we get someone who shares that sentiment

[satyanash 14281]

 

[Rockethorn1978 6061]

We aren’t firing shit. Maybe a position coach or two. Be ready for huge a disappointment

[hornhorn 100]

58 minutes ago, Etexhorn13 said:

Finger is and has always been a contrarian douche bag. 

I mean douchebag yes, but contrarian? 

 

2 hours ago, satyanash said:

Over the past 36 seasons, counting this one, do you know how many times UT has lost at least five games? Eighteen.

Over the past 36 seasons, counting this one, do you know how many times UT has been unranked at the end of a season? Eighteen.

Doing it fifty percent of the times is the definition of The Standard.

[Etexhorn13 3040]

3 minutes ago, hornhorn said:

I mean douchebag yes, but contrarian? 

 

Doing it fifty percent of the times is the definition of The Standard.

Unless he’s sucking off Coach Pop, I’ve never seen that dude be anything but a negative whiner, especially about anything UT related. 

[Rudiger 1160]

2 hours ago, satyanash said:

Mike Finger: Texas is back, whether the Longhorns like it or not

 

Truth hurts. 

[hornhorn 100]

1 minute ago, Etexhorn13 said:

Unless he’s sucking off Coach Pop, I’ve never seen that dude be anything but a negative whiner, especially about anything UT related. 

Same could be said of fans on this board. But then you realize that UT hasn't given anyone much to celebrate or write good things about. 

0 conference titles in the last ten years.

70-57 in those ten years. 

3-8 vs. OU in those ten years.

3-8 vs. Okie lite in those ten years.

2-6 vs. TCU in those ten years.

How can you blame him?

[satyanash 14281]

(Scipio Tex) Texas Tech Postmortem: Offense

Quote

That had to feel good for the Texas offense and the unit's graduating seniors. Texas needed a get right game for the O and Texas Tech is good for what ails ya. While my preview's promise that Texas Tech has the worst pass defense and DL depth in the Big 12 proved true and Tech's loss of Butkus semifinalist Jordyn Brooks made Tech's paper thin defense soggy with DKR rain, it was up to Texas to exploit it. That they did. Texas rushed for 262, threw for 348, and totaled 610 yards at 8.0 yards per play on their way to 49 points despite a 4th quarter spent largely icing the ball. Texas dropped 36 points on Tech in the decisive 2nd and 3rd quarters (and outscored them 35-3 after being down 21-14) and it was nice to see Texas reserves playing their first real minutes since La Tech and Rice. While Tech was certainly without their best player on defense, it's worth noting that only one other Big 12 team has blown out Tech all year. That would be Oklahoma.

After two frustrating opening possessions that ended with a punt and a failed 4th down conversion, Sam Ehlinger's hands (and legs) and Devin Duvernay's dominance over the Tech secondary (Tech's cornerbacks are truly bad) made offensive production feel pretty much inevitable once Sam started throwing a wet ball around like he was playing 7 on 7 in a dome. Roschon Johnson chipped in with some physical between the tackles running and pretty soon the Texas offense looked like a horse without its reins.

QB

Tech's pass defense can't handle real passing games, but Sam was absolutely on point on several deep throws and was a slick 11 of 14 for 218 in the first half with another 64 yards rushing. The balls he put on Duvernay for the 75 yard touchdown and on Jake Smith's outside shoulder in the end zone were top notch, along with several other accurate strikes. Sam really punished Tech with his legs, totaling 83 yards on 10 carries. Factor in his sack and he was well over 9 yards per carry with a long of 18 yards. He did most of his ground damage as a run game constraint and running power lead tied to a RPO. That missing latter ingredient was key and I can only wonder why those sorts of defensive stress calls are periodically absent from the Texas game plan. In the passing game, Ehlinger was a hyper efficient 19 of 28 for 348 yards for two touchdowns and added another two scores on the ground. Aside from a bad sack and sweet reverse flea flicker pass call where he bypassed a wide open Roschon Johnson, he was Sam The Man for four quarters. Nearly 13 yards per attempt doesn't lose football games.

To the staff's credit, they changed Ehlinger's launch points a few times against Tech blitzes and the extra time worked to free Texas receivers. In 12 games, #11 has accounted for 4,052 total yards and 35 touchdowns with a 2.0% interception percentage....and Texas is 7-5. Wouldn't have guessed that if you threw those numbers at me in preseason. Casey Thompson is quick, isn't he? He adds some wiggle and quickness in the option game.

RB

It was the Roschon Johnson show once Ingram went out with a ding. #2 really did a nice job of maximizing runs through contact and powering through free defenders in short yardage and goal line situations. He brings some much needed emotional fire as well. Sometimes he gets a little caught in the chaff and garbage inside instead of using his eyes, high feet, and instincts to find a better crease. That written, 105 yards and 3 touchdowns is damn fine work and the nuances of the position will come to anyone with as much heart and work ethic as #2. His body language when Tech interfered with him right in front of the official on a Sam check down was amusing. The injustice!

Props to Daniel Young for serving as a late game finisher on a bone tired Tech defense. That's a role I had envisioned him in. Better late than never. Nice to see a team guy rewarded with 8 carries at just over 5 yards a pop.

WR/TE

Malcolm Epps had a nice long catch in traffic on a money Ehlinger throw against Drop 8 coverage, but he needs to play with aggression through PI instead of feeling the interference and lobbying. He's more likely to get the call if he finishes the play. And hell, he may make the play anyway.

Devin Duvernay had a fitting cap to a breakout season. 6-199-1 td and he did it while a little bit banged up. What a pleasant senior surprise after his yeoman's work last year. He now has 103 catches for 1294 yards and 8 touchdowns on the season. If anyone predicted that stat line for Duve, please take a bow. A rest before the bowl game will do him well.

Jake Smith shook off the freshman doldrums enough to nab 3 balls for 57 yards including a sweet pitch and catch from Ehlinger for a touchdown. Great confidence booster for #16 as that's a catch he has dropped a couple of times. He finishes the regular season with six touchdown catches. Eagles was quiet and solid. He got a ticky tack blocking penalty that erased a big Duvernay pass play. Duve probably gave him a little grief for keeping him under 200 yards receiving.

Texas was able to get Jared Wiley matched up on smalls in the running game and he did a respectable job in that tasking. Thanks Tech tite front and Texas passing game. When he drew a pass blocking assignment early, he gave up a free rusher who flushed and sacked Ehlinger. Clearly he and Sam Cosmi had a miscommunication on that play. Earned a 15 yard catch as a reward for his later game effort. Marcus Washington flashed a little and got more run than John Burt. Texas needs to continue that trend in the bowl game.

OL

A solid game after a very slow start. Pad level has gotten worse over the course of the season, most evident when Tech stuffed a Sam Ehlinger sneak on 4th and 1. I hope Hand will bring these guys back to the chute and remind them that low man wins in the running game. Too much initial contact followed by settling for a lock out tie at the point of attack. That written, Tech's DL did almost nothing as pass rushers once the Longhorn OL settled in and Keith Patterson's blitzes didn't get home at all. Clean pockets and easy throwing lanes. Angilau's holding call derailed a drive, but it's nice to see the big man back at guard.

Final

Texas will have new direction on offense soon. Those incoming coaches will be pretty pleased with the core material they get to work with and the position coaches that carry over will have a lot to prove if Texas is going to get out of its schematic and development ruts. Let's build on it with a bowl win.

 

Edited December 1, 2019 by satyanash

[Captain Ron 12813]

11 hours ago, satyanash said:

"A program consistently proclaiming itself better than its record" 😥

 

Brutal and right.

[Valmy77 13121]

You could write an identical article about many of our had been bretheren. But we all know this, we have been talking about it for years and he is neither the first nor the last to write it.

So sure. We aren't that great.