Media/$9.95-er postgame analysis articles (Week 3)

[satyanash 14281]

Collecting post-game analysis articles regarding the Rice game here:

(Chip Brown) The Good, Bad & Ugly from Texas' 58-0 rout of Rice as Longhorns find their starting quarterback

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There will be those who dismiss what Texas redshirt junior quarterback Casey Thompson did Saturday night in a 58-0 blowout of Rice as beating up on an overmatched opponent. And to some degree they’d be right.

But in the grander scheme of things, Thompson proved he's the Longhorns' starting quarterback because of the efficiency in which he operated the Texas offense - leading the Longhorns to seven touchdowns on their first eight possessions before handing the ball to Hudson Card, who started the first two games for UT, with 7:14 left in the third quarter and Texas up 51-0. "There's something about him when he gets into the game that the ball goes down the field," Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said of Thompson. "I'd imagine Casey will take the lead (at quarterback) heading into our game against Texas Tech, and that Hudson (Card) will get an opportunity to play as well."

Thompson completed 15 of 18 passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns and scrambled twice for 7 yards (including a 4-yard run on third-and-3 that kept alive a drive to a 20-yard TD pass to tight end Jared Wiley in the second quarter). Along the way, Thompson converted a fourth-and-3 with a 31-yard, catch-and-run completion to Xavier Worthy on UT’s first possession; converted a third-and-14 from the UT 7 by hitting Kelvontay Dixon with a 22-yard completion on a skinny post; and even served as a lead blocker on a 27-yard, cutback run by Roschon Johnson in the second quarter.

"Coach Sark obviously has to make that decision (about the starting quarterback going forward)," Thompson said. "I can only control what I can control. But obviously I'm a competitor, and I want to be the guy going forward."

Thompson completed nine of his first 10 passes as Texas built a 30-0 lead. The only incompletion was an interception on the opening play of UT’s second possession when Thompson’s arm was hit as he delivered the ball. Rice, however, failed to make Texas pay for the miscue, missing a 29-yard field goal after having first down at the Texas 12. Texas safety Jerrin Thompson forced a fumble that was recovered by cornerback Josh Thompson at the Rice 44 with 1:30 left in the first half - just enough time for Thompson to find freshman receiver Xavier Worthy for a 13-yard touchdown pass with 14 seconds left on the clock, putting Texas up 44-0 at halftime.

It was a coming out party for both Thompson and Worthy, who had seven catches for 88 yards and a touchdown - all in the first half. Sarkisian sounded determined on Monday to the get the ball to the speedy Worthy more, and so this week’s wrinkle was using Worthy as the recipient of pop-passes on jet sweeps. Worthy also had early-play-of-the-game honors after grabbing a pass from Thompson on fourth-and-3 from the Rice 41 on UT’s opening possession of the game and turning it into a 31-yard catch-and-run to the Rice 10.

After nothing seemed to work offensively a week ago in a 40-21 loss at Arkansas in which Texas suffered five three-and-outs on their first seven possessions. EVERYTHING seemed to work against Rice, which has 10 starters back from a defense that gave up just 18.8 points per game last season, including a 20-0 shutout of then-No. 15 Marshall. Bijan Robinson became the fastest Longhorn to reach 1,000 career rushing yards since Jamaal Charles, finishing with xx carries for xx yards and touchdown runs of 6, 7 and 62 yards.

Heck, Roschon Johnson had three carries for 112 yards in the first half, including a direct snap, zone read play in which the former quarterback faked a handoff to Bijan Robinson and ran 72 yards up the right sideline for a touchdown. Keilan Robinson, who blocked a punt in the first half that rolled through the end zone for a safety, kicked off the second half by showing just how fast he is on a 65-yard touchdown run that put Texas up 51-0 with 9:57 left in the third quarter.

That TD by Keilan Robinson gave Thompson seven touchdown drives in eight possessions and wrapped up Thompson’s night after completing 15 of 18 passes for 164 yards (with the TD passes to Wiley and Worthy and the first interception of his Texas career).

The Longhorns have found their starting quarterback - just in time for Big 12 play, which starts next week at home against Texas Tech. The Red Raiders have opened 3-0 after a 38-21 win over Houston; a 28-22 win over Stephen F. Austin; and a 54-21 victory over Florida International. Last year in Lubbock, Texas needed minor miracles to overcome a 15-point deficit in the final 3:13 of regulation (including an onside kick recovery by now-USC-Trojan Malcolm Epps) to force overtime before pulling off a 63-56 win. Let’s get to the GOOD, BAD and UGLY from Saturday night’s romp over Rice …

THE GOOD

— The Texas defense earned its first shutout since a 56-0 victory over San Jose State in 2017, led by Luke Brockermeyer's team-leading six tackles and three sacks (Ovie Oghoufo, Byron Murphy and D.J. Harris). Harris' sack helped end the game by killing a 14-play, 87-yard drive by Rice that took 5:58 off the clock and stalled at the Texas 7 as time expired.

— In addition to true freshmen Byron Murphy and D.J. Harris  on defense, a bunch of young players and backups saw action in the third and fourth quarters, including some impressive running by freshman Jonathon Brooks, who had 63 yards rushing, including a 17-yard touchdown in the third quarter, on his first nine carries (7.0 ypc).

— Texas had 29 carries for 358 yards (12.3 ypc) - at the end of the third quarter.

— Tight end Jared Wiley, who returned this week from a shoulder injury, had three catches for 26 yards, including a 20-yard TD catch in the second quarter.

— Jerrin Thompson lowered his shoulder into spinning Rice running back Khalan Griffin, popping the ball loose, and Josh Thompson recovered the ball at the Rice 44 with 1:30 left in the second quarter, setting up one final touchdown drive by the Longhorns in the first half.

— After having a third-and-7 completion for a first down wiped out by a holding call on Christian Jones, Casey Thompson connected with Kelvontay Dixon on a skinny post for 22 yards to convert third-and-14 from the Texas 7. Two plays later, Bijan Robinson broke through the Rice defense for a 62-yard touchdown run (with a wicked cut-back at the 30), putting Texas up 30-0 with 3:45 left in the first half.

— Texas redshirt freshman center Jake Majors delivered two blocks and fifth-year senior right tackle Derek Kerstetter wiped out two defenders on a third-and-6 outside zone run by Roschon Johnson for 13 yards to the Rice 33, helping keep alive a touchdown drive capped by a Bijan Robinson 7-yard scoring run that put Texas up 23-0 with 12:04 left in the second quarter.

— Texas special teams coordinator Jeff Banks recruits speed onto his special teams units and deploys that speed where it can hurt opponents. See speedster Keilan Robinson racing off the left edge (the shortest distance to the right foot of Rice punter Charlie Mendes) and blocking the punt, causing the ball to roll backward through the end zone for a safety that put Texas up 16-0 at the end of the first quarter.

— Despite giving up a nine-play, 56-yard drive following Casey Thompson interception in the first quarter, the Texas defense gets credit once again for locking down an opponent in the red zone. Rice had first-down at the Texas 12 and ended up with zero points after missing a 29-yard field goal attempt wide right.

— Former quarterback Roschon Johnson took a direct snap and faked a handoff to Bijan Robinson on a zone read, ran through the arms of a couple defenders and darted 72 yards up the right sideline for a touchdown, putting Texas up 14-0 with 1:33 left in the first quarter.

— Texas redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Alfred Collins made his first play of the season - blocking a Rice 24-yard field goal attempt in the first quarter. Unfortunately, it didn’t count, because the Owls were guilty of delay of game on the play. But Rice missed the field goal attempt - wide right - from 29 yards, meaning Rice was unable to convert Casey Thompson’s interception into points despite having first down at the Texas 12.

— Steve Sarkisian went for it on fourth-and-3 from the Rice 41 on UT’s opening possession, and Casey Thompson delivered a perfect strike over the middle to Xavier Worthy, who turned the play into a 31-yard, catch-and-run to the Rice 10.

THE BAD

— A third-and-7 completion from Casey Thompson to Jordan Whittington that would’ve gone for a first down was wiped out by a holding call on left tackle Christian Jones. (Fortunately for UT, Thompson connected with Kelvontay Dixon for 22 yards on a skinny post on the the next play to convert third-and-14.)

— Casey Thompson’s arm got hit as he threw a pass intended for Xavier Worthy to open UT’s second possession, and the ball fluttered in the air, right into the arms of Rice safety Gabe Taylor at the Rice 32 with 8:05 left in the first quarter. It was Thompson’s first career interception.

— Texas went on a 12-play, 69-yard drive that took 8:14 off the clock in the fourth quarter that included nothing but runs by Jonathon Brooks and Gabe Watson. But the drive stalled at the Rice 7 with a 1-yard run by Watson on fourth-and-4 with 5:58 left to play, because Sarkisian clearly didn't want to run up the score on the Owls (considering Texas already had a 58-0 lead).

THE UGLY ...

— Seeing defensive lineman T'Vondre Sweat signal to the trainer with a right ankle injury with 4:03 left in the first quarter. Fortunately, Sweat returned to the game.

(Ian Boyd) Five quick thoughts: Texas cooks Rice

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Texas was aiming to get back on track against a bad Rice team after the debacle in Fayetteville, and they certainly did so. 58-0. There was so much that went wrong for the Longhorns on the road in Arkansas, but everything quickly corrected in Austin where they enjoyed home-cooked Rice. The Owls were down to their third-string quarterback before the half due to injuries and had zero firepower to match what Steve Sarkisian and his staff drew up for this game. Casey Thompson got the start and deftly managed the offense to an explosive first half with only a few, albeit costly, hiccups by the line. With the win Texas finished non-conference play 2-1 and will stay home to host Texas Tech next Saturday as Big 12 play begins.

Quick thought no. 1: Casey Thompson had a great debut

There was a moment in this game which caught my eye. Casey Thompson had already taken a few shots while trying to hang in the pocket to hit some downfield throws and he was scrambling for a first down. He got to the line to gain, looked to the sideline and saw he was there, and went ahead and took a slide with more potential yardage (and hard-charging Owl defenders) still on the field. It was a wise calculation, smart management from a player who hasn’t had to worry about protecting himself for a full season at Texas while backing up Sam Ehlinger.

Smart management was the name of the game today. Early on, Texas tried to dial up some deep shots but they were done in by Owl pressure, a remarkably uncalled defensive pass interference, and also some nice play by the Rice defensive backs. They did land several throws underneath with a lot of efficiency.

Thompson left the game after an early drive in the third quarter having completed 15 of 18 pass attempts for 164 yards at 9.1 ypa with two touchdowns and a pick. Thompson needed a better timer on a few of the play-action shot attempts where he ended up taking the shot, but he’s clearly comfortable and dangerous in the spread passing concepts. His back shoulder fade to Xavier Worthy for a touchdown was a highlight with great timing and placement. He’ll be hard for Hudson Card to unseat so long as he continues to guide scoring drives and is able to find playmakers like Xavier Worthy.

Quick thought no. 2: Texas got the run game going again

Texas returned to outside zone this week and in a related story, they ran the ball very effectively on the day. Some of their best runs came on the more straight ahead inside zone/duo schemes but outside zone was a mainstay, including a quarterback keeper option. Texas was able to get the ball rolling on the ground early and didn’t stop when the third and fourth string entered the game at running back. For the day Texas ran the ball 41 times for 427 yards at 10.4 ypc with six rushing touchdowns.

They had a decent amount of variety in the outside zone run game. A few times they lined up in the 4×0 set college football loves right now and ran outside zone to the strong side, often seeing the ball cut back to the weak side for massive gains as the Owls’ defense was overextended by the unbalanced formation. Bijan Robinson’s nice early stiff-arm came on this play, as did the long Keilan Robinson score later in the contest.

Then there was the wild RoJo play me and Joe will break down later. The Roschon Johnson long scoring run came on a “duo” scheme from 13 personnel. Jared Wiley and Gunnar Helm double-teamed an Owl defensive end into oblivion while Cade Brewer, initially lined up in the slot, motioned back and picked off a cornerback on the edge. Rice actually still got a safety unblocked to the point of attack but the hole was too big and Roschon too tough, he shook him off and went 72 yards for a score.

Texas imposed its will in the trenches in this game, which wasn’t necessarily terribly difficult but still important to accomplish. Given the depth of talent they have at running back (check out Jonathan Brooks!) this is essential for this season.

Quick thought no. 3: Texas established the tight ends

Everyone was getting some action in this game, especially on the aforementioned 13 personnel set which included all three of Texas’ “starters” at tight end. Jared Wiley was able to get back in the action and worked to shed the “but can he block?” questions about his play as an inline tight end. Wiley mauled the Owls for as long as he was given snaps in this game, then was rewarded with a touchdown target on a fake bubble screen play in the red zone.

Cade Brewer continues to be very sound executing split zone blocks and also got some work in the passing game. Later in the game Juan Davis threw some great blocks and Jatavion Sanders received some snaps. Texas clearly wants to head into Big 12 play with a healthy Jared Wiley and the capacity to attack nickel defenses with big bodies across the line of scrimmage. If you can overextend fronts, the defense may have to sub in linebackers who don’t normally play or else you can get some smaller, less “about it” defensive backs into positions where they have to take on blocks or tackle backs in the hole.

Quick thought no. 4: Pete Kwiatkowski tested the base defense

Texas continued to rotate through tons of bodies across the defense at every position. I expect this will slow down once conference play arrives, although having the ability to sub multiple defenders is definitely an advantage in up-tempo games, especially while it remains hot.

The gameplan included heavy doses of base defense with Ovie Oghoufo playing at Sam linebacker in lieu of a nickel, while getting spelled by Ben Davis. The Sam linebackers were aggressive on the edges, regardless of the coverage behind them, and Texas dared Rice to either try and work their run game with edge defenders chasing backs from behind the line or to find their way down the field throwing to the flats.

The interesting quirk to this approach is the extent to which it could be valuable in Big 12 play. There are teams like Iowa State and Kansas State who will try to play with multiple tight ends against whom it makes a lot of sense to use base defense. There may also be teams against whom Pete Kwiatkowski would like to test the quarterback and receivers’ ability to work in space against Texas’ defensive backs throwing underneath the sticks. It could also be a tool for forcing throws to protect the clock if Texas gets into a situation where they need to stop an opponent from running clock and sitting on a lead.

Quick thought no. 5: Some of these young players…

Xavier Worthy is the best big play receiver on the roster despite being just a true freshman (at least pending Troy Omeire playing). Jordan Whittington is a favorite for picking up third downs but Worthy is your deep threat receiver and Sark made it a point to get him the ball early and often in this game. Andrej Karic came in with a second line of himself, Hayden Conner, Logan Parr, Tope Imade, and Isaiah Hookfin, and made some statement blocks.

The first team line had a great day but the second unit came out looking to maul people. Kyle Flood needs to think long and hard about why Karic isn’t somewhere in the starting lineup. Finally Jonathan Brooks was a revelation in his late game snaps. He has some lateral agility and natural ease for finding space only one other back on the roster can match. Keilan Robinson is the fastest running back on the team, Roschon Johnson might be the toughest, but Jonathan Brooks is smooth and should be something special with time as he adds strength and learns from Stan Drayton.

Cody Daniel: Initial thoughts from Texas’ 58-0 shutout win over Rice

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After being embarrassed on the road a week ago, the Texas Longhorns needed to get back into the win column and build some confidence along the way. Steve Sarkisian’s team did just that, have few issues dismantling the Rice Owls, 58-0. Given that Rice was tremendously overmatched as a near four touchdown underdog, it’s foolish to put too much stock into the win, but here’s a few, all-offensive thoughts...

Casey Thompson took care of business. In his first start since his senior season of high school, Thompson picked up right where he left off in his reserve role — leading scoring drives. Of his eight drives, all but seven ended with a touchdown, though he certainly got plenty of help from an explosive backfield. But beyond that, Thompson was calm and confident in the pocket and accurate with his passes, completing 15-of-18 attempts for 164 yards with two touchdowns and one pick. This was likely the easier start Thompson will ever see in Austin, but at the very least, he looked accurate and in command, and will be making his second start next Saturday. In Thompson’s former place as QB2, Hudson Card saw action for two drives, completing 2-of-3 attempts for 29 yards.

Xavier Worthy became a weapon. Sark mentioned the need to get the dynamic true freshman more involved, and it’s safe to say he checked that box. Worthy received the first touch of the game on a jet sweep, and added several more, including a 31-yard catch and run on fourth down to put Texas at Rice’s 10-yard line, and later hauling in a back-shoulder touchdown pitch from Thompson to cap the first half. Worthy finished with seven catches for 88 yards and a score, so expect to see Sark continue to work him into the offensive game plan entering Big 12 play.

The Texas’ running back room is good. That was already known, but Texas’ display against Rice served as a reminder of how loaded that room is. Bijan Robinson finished with 127 yards and three touchdowns on just 13 carries (9.8 YPC), and Roschon Johnson also eclipsed 100 yards with 112 and a touchdown on just three attempts (37.3 YPC). Keilan Robinson turned his five touches into 83 yards (16.6 YPC) and a touchdown. All three performances were headlined by touchdown runs of at least 62 yards. Even rue freshman Jonathan Brooks saw action, showing flashes with his nine carries going for 63 yards and one touchdown. All told, Texas rushed for 427 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 10.4 yards per carry.

Texas responded. Yes, it was Rice, so the dominant showing doesn’t mean Texas has everything figured out and is set to be that top-15 team it was ranked as a week ago. But after being embarrassed last weekend, it was truly All Gas No Brakes en route to the program’s first shutout since 2017. Save for a few early hickups, the offense was incredibly efficient and the defense was largely dominant. After what happened in Fayetteville, a 58-0 shutout is exactly the kind of performance you wanted to see from Texas heading into Big 12 play.

(Joe Cook) Recap: Texas Longhorns 58, Rice Owls 0

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The Texas Longhorns ran all over the Rice Owls on Saturday after four different rushers reached the end zone against the former Southwest Conference rival, including three scores from Bijan Robinson. After struggling out of the gate against the Arkansas Razorbacks last week, the Longhorns were hot out of the gate with Casey Thompson under center. Texas started with the ball and Thompson led a 10-play, 69-yard drive that included a fourth-down completion to Xavier Worthy that put Texas on the 10-yard line. On 3rd-and-goal, Thompson handed off to Robinson for a six-yard score.

Rice went three-and-out on its first possession, and Texas received the ball starting on its own 39. However, Rice was able to cause problems for the Longhorn offensive line, and hit Thompson as he was attempting a throw. He was intercepted by Gabe Taylor to give the Owls a chance to equal the score. The Owls moved down the field and even moved deep into the red zone thanks to a toss dive to Khalan Griffin for 31 yards. The Longhorn defense held, and Collin Riccitelli missed a 29-yard field goal that would have made it 7-3.

The Longhorns faced a 3rd-and-3 on the ensuing drive and lined up in the wildcat with Roschon Johnson behind the center. He took the snap, Cade Brewer cleared a path, and Johnson rumbled 72 yards for the score. Rice went three-and-out on the next drive and lined up to punt. Keilan Robinson screamed off the edge to block the kick, and the ball rolled out of the end zone for two points to make it, 16-0 Texas, as the first quarter ended.

Even with the score trending the Longhorns’ way, there were some instances of poor run and pass blocking from the Texas offensive line. Bad plays were often followed by good plays, and vice versa. Still, Texas moved down the field and scored on a seven-yard rush from Robinson, capping a six-play, 65-yard march. Rice tallied one first down in response before facing a 3rd-and-long. The Longhorn defense, which rotated often at all positions in the first half, sent the Owl offense back to the sideline thanks to a sack from Ovie Oghoufo. Texas added another explosive run on the following drive when Robinson rushed 62 yards to the end zone to make it 30-0.

When Rice re-took the field, its third-string quarterback took control of the offense. He was unable to do much better than his two counterparts, and Texas received the ball with just under three minutes remaining. Thompson moved Texas to the Owl 20, and found Jared Wiley wide open for a touchdown to make it 37-0. Texas’ tight ends Wiley and Cade Brewer amassed four catches for 32 yards in the first half.

Trying to run into halftime, Rice handed the ball off to Griffin who burst through the hole for 14 yards. However, Jerrin Thompson knocked the ball three and Josh Thompson recovered the ball to give Texas one more opportunity to score before halftime. The used that opportunity to go on a four-play, 44-yard drive ending with a back-shoulder touchdown pass from Thompson to Worthy to make it 44-0. The game was so far out of hand that backup kicker Bert Auburn took over PAT duties.

HALFTIME STATS: Texas 44, Rice 0

On its first drive of the second half, Rice took the ball and moved into Texas territory with several pass completions. Texas would hold when the Owls passed midfield, forcing a punt. D’Shawn Jamison dropped the punt, but it went straight out of bounds. Texas gained 19 yards with Bijan Robinson before bringing Keilan Robinson into the game. Just as he did on special teams, Keilan Robinson shot out of a cannon on a handoff on offense and zoomed 65 yards to help Texas pass the half-century mark and make it 51-0 with 9:57 left in the third quarter.

Rice gained one first down by way of an offensive lineman falling on a fumble before punting the ball away again. When the Longhorn offense re-took the field, it was composed of all second-stringers including quarterback Hudson Card. Card led a drive down field that was bolstered by several Keilan Robinson and Jonathon Brooks runs. He even converted a 4th-and-1 in the red zone to continue the Longhorn drive. With a 1st-and-10 on the Owl 17, Brooks took a handoff around the left side and found the end zone for his first career score. The drive lasted 13 plays, traveled 76 yards, and took 6:06 off the clock.

To begin the fourth quarter, Rice went three-and-out. On the legs of Jonathon Brooks and Gabe Watson, Texas moved down the field and kept the clock moving. Brooks had runs of 25, 6, and 5 during the drive with Watson adding rushes of 11 and 4. During this drive, Texas rotated in plenty of walk-ons at the skill positions.

A steady rushing attack put Texas into a 4th-and-4 inside the Rice 10, but rather than kick Texas elected to rush with Watson and was stopped short. With the game completely out of reach, Rice drove to try and avoid the shutout. They could not, and Texas held the Owls out of the end zone even though they were less than 10 yards away. Texas improved to 2-1 on the season, with Texas Tech heading to Austin next week.

 

Edited September 19, 2021 by satyanash

[satyanash 14281]

(Bobby Burton) Snap judgments: Texas runs all over the Rice Owls

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What did I learn tonight? The Steve Sarkisian offense looks awesome and explosive when his team has superior talent. Kind of like Alabama when they played everyone else last year. Yet we must remember that Rice is the least talented opponent on the Texas schedule this year. Still, the number of explosive plays on the ground tonight was eye-opening. And the first four RBs all looked good. Texas rushed for more than 400 yards on the night. And the Horns lined up in the wishbone not once.

If you’re looking for a couple of pieces of constructive criticism, I’d point to below average run defense early, especially up the middle, and the Texas offensive line yet again giving up multiple hits on the QB in the first quarter alone. At defensive tackle, Keondre Coburn continues to play too high, as does Vernon Broughton. They are getting washed out of plays too frequently. At linebacker, David Gbenda continues to overpursue.

The A gaps on the OL continue to allow pressure up the middle. Whether it’s a communication, awareness or execution issue, I can’t tell. I just know that Casey Thompson didn’t have enough time early in the contest and one hit caused an interception. Speaking of Thompson, he played a clean game. Nothing fancy. Just clean. He converted a key fourth down early. After that, the offense seemed to get on a roll.

Keilan Robinson’s punt block also seemed to spark the Horns. I know the Horns were already up by two scores at the time. But Robinson’s all-out effort on the play really seemed to energize the team as a whole. Of course, Robinson also looked like he was shot out of a canon on his second quarter TD run.

During recruiting, people asked me who Jonathan Brooks reminded me of. I always said Jamaal Charles. Not because of Charles’ elite speed, but because of how slippery and smart Charles could be in traffic in the alleys and on the outside. Brooks will never have Charles’ speed. But he showed some real make-you-miss ability tonight.

I couldn’t help but be impressed with the second team Texas OL. I don’t know how Andrej Karic doesn’t see the field as a first-teamer at one position or another. He is the nastiest OL Texas has on the roster. Whoever he was blocking ate turf at least half the time. I noticed a couple of communication issues on defense among the linebackers. DeMarvion Overshown and Luke Brockermeyer need to clean that up.

Thompson made two really nice throws. The back shoulder to Xavier Worthy for a TD and the dart to Kelvontay Dixon on third-and-17. Really nice to see so many young players get significant snaps. I liked what I saw briefly of JD Coffey in particular. Next week, Tech will be significantly more talented than the Owls. Texas needs to keep executing on offense and try to get better on defense.

 

[satyanash 14281]

 

[satyanash 14281]

(Jeff Howe) Instant Analysis: Texas buries Rice, 58-0

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AUSTIN, Texas — If Texas had stopped treating Rice like a herd of defenseless baby seals two quarters before Saturday’s 58-0 win at Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium was in the books, it would’ve been considered a resounding rebound from the failure the Longhorns experienced last weekend in Fayetteville.

One week after Arkansas ran around, over and through the Longhorns en route to handing head coach Steve Sarkisian his first loss on the Forty Acres, 40-21, Texas (2-1) pitched a 44-0 first-half shutout, had a 257-yard edge over the Owls (391-134), averaged 11.5 yards per play on offense, scored on six of its first seven possessions and put two points on the board thanks to Keilan Robinson blocking a Rice (0-3) punt out of the back of the end zone for a safety.

The first half was the antithesis of what the Longhorns showed in a humbling loss to the Razorbacks. Texas looked like a well-coached, well-prepared team that did what it needed to do by crushing whatever hopes an inferior opponent had of potentially pulling an upset or even hanging around for a prolonged period of time before the game got to halftime.

— I loved the first series of the night for the offense because the 9-play, 69-yard march to a game-opening touchdown was everything the Longhorns didn’t do in the loss to Arkansas. After opening the drive with a jet motion flip pass from Casey Thompson to Xavier Worthy, the second play of the drive saw the offensive line get a good enough flow and create enough of a wall on a zone run that Bijan Robinson was able to cut it back for 17 yards into Rice territory.

— Sarkisian said throughout the week leading up to a night where the Longhorns posted their largest margin of victory since the 2005 team beat Colorado by 67 points (70-3) in the Big 12 title game and had their first 400-yard rushing performance (427) since 2017 (406 in a 56-0 win over San Jose State) that they needed to come up with more ways to get Worthy involved. The Longhorns went to the true freshman early and often. Thompson connected with him for a first down on fourth-and-3 from the Rice 41-yard line on the opening drive with Worthy breaking two tackles on his way to the 10-yard line. The play set up the first of Bijan Robinson’s three first-half rushing touchdowns.

— The motions and shifts in Sarkisian’s offense didn’t fool Arkansas last week, but he made them count on Saturday. The flip pass to Worthy, for example, helped set up Robinson’s 6-yard touchdown run with Thompson faking a jet sweep handoff to Worthy before handing the ball to Robinson, who worked over the Rice defense on his way into the end zone. If a coach utilizes jet or orbit motion but never gets the motion man the ball, the tactic becomes nothing more than window dressing. The defense never has to account for the motion man in that instance, but emphasizing motions and shifts with a purpose can help out a Texas offense whose offensive line remains a work in progress, to say the least.

— Sarkisian used more than pre-snap movement to help out the offensive line, which had some bright spots on a night where there were some noticeable issues that the group has to continue to work to fix. On a 72-yard touchdown run by Roschon Johnson out of the Wildcat formation, for instance, Texas went to 13 personnel (one running back, three tight ends) with Gunnar Helm and Jared Wiley helping spring Johnson free over the right side of the line.

— Texas tried to dial up a few deep shots, including on Thompson’s interception when he had Worthy open, but a free Rice rusher drilling him as he was releasing the ball resulted in an interception (the only drive of the first half where the Longhorns failed to put points on the board). The aforementioned 31-yard completion to Worthy was the longest completion of the night for Thompson, but he fired a bullet to Kelvontay Dixon for 22 yards on third-and-17 from his own 7-yard line in the second quarter. Thompson's best throw might have been a 13-yard touchdown pass to Worthy on a back-shoulder ball for the final points of the first half. Overall, Thompson looked in his first career start like he has any time he's entered a game in his career. That's to say he was poised, patient and moved the offense up and down the field while getting points at the end of drives.

— One other thing Sarkisian deserves credit for is mixing up his formations and scheming guys open as opposed to relying on his wideouts and tight ends to consistently beat the opponent's coverage on their own. The best example of this was Thompson’s 20-yard touchdown pass to Wiley in the second quarter to make it 37-0 where a bunch formation into the boundary and a designed late release got the junior tight end wide open down the sideline for an easy score.
(Photo: Tim Warner, Getty)

— Worthy and Keilan Robinson showed in this game that they bring a different level of functional speed and explosiveness that, outside of Bijan Robinson, the offense lacked last season. Keilan Robinson looked like he was shot out of a cannon on his 65-yard touchdown run in the third quarter where he swung around the right end and split the Rice secondary without ever getting touched, while Worthy racked up 117 all-purpose yards, 20 of which came on a punt return in the second half.

— The best thing that happened for the offensive line is the game got to a point where Hayden Conner and Andrej Karic were able to play most of the second half. Through the first two games, Conner was the only backup linemen who logged any snaps (eight in the win over Louisiana), so getting the No. 2 group some much-needed experience is the first step in any potential lineup changes Kyle Flood might entertain down the road.

— Overall, it felt like a mixed bag for the O-line when summing up their performance. Thompson was under pressure early in the first half and Rice was able to get some free rushers into the backfield and in the face of the quarterback. Running behind the left side of the line was problematic and downright not happening at times, but it felt like running wide zone to the right side (behind or off of Derek Kerstetter) is something Texas is doing well in the running game right now. Thompson wasn’t sacked when he was playing behind the No. 1 line, but his 22-yard dart to Dixon came after Christian Jones had to tackle a Rice defender in pass protection to keep his quarterback clean. The holding penalty putting the offense behind the chains and it was one of only two fouls charged to the Longhorns over four quarters of play.

— Credit the defense for doing two things well: holding their ground on Rice's lone trip into the red zone (the Owls missed a 30-yard field goal on their only chance to score when the outcome hadn't yet been decided) and making an effort to get hats and hands on the football. The final touchdown of the first half was set up by Jerrin Thompson (got the start at safety over Brenden Schooler) knocking a ball loose, one Josh Thompson pounced on to set the offense up on a short field. Barryn Sorrell had a fumble recovery overturned on a review, but the true freshman showed the kind of hustle and awareness Pete Kwiatkowski’s group played with throughout the night, which was things they lacked in spades in Fayetteville.

— The 9-play, 56-yard Rice drive that ended with a missed field goal was highlighted by a 31-yard run. The Texas defense had played with questionable pad level to that point and things came to a head when Khalan Griffin gashed the Longhorns right up the gut for the Owls’ longest play from scrimmage on the night. The defense buckled down, however, and DeMarvion Overshown forced the Owls to settle for a field goal try when he recovered from charging into the backfield on a blitz, making it back out to the ball to clean up a missed tackle by B.J. Foster on a swing pass to force the field goal attempt.

— D.J. Harris Jr. preserved the shutout with a sack on the final play of the game. I’m interested to see the final participation sheet and look at who all got into the game because a lot of young Longhorns on defense, like Harris, got quality playing time in this one, which hasn’t always happened to the program’s benefit in non-conference play in recent years. It was nice to see guys like Harris, Byron Murphy and Prince Dorbah getting their names called for making plays.

— Kwiatkowski inherited a defense missing a huge piece after Joseph Ossai declared for the NFL draft before the 2020 season was in the books, which was a presence he was never going to replace with what’s currently on the roster (even after loading up on edge candidates in the transfer portal). Texas doesn’t have an All-American candidate on the edge in 2021, but one of those guys needs to be more than a warm body on a given day. For the second time in three games, Ovie Oghoufo stepped up and delivered a noteworthy performance with one sack, 1.5 tackles for loss and a pass breakup.

— Yes, it was a win over an overmatched opponent. Yes, it was Rice (who, for the record, had a double-digit halftime lead over Arkansas two weeks ago and made the Razorbacks sweat to put them away) and one can't assume everything that was an issue one week ago is suddenly fixed. But the Longhorns played like a team that choked down their hefty slice of humble pie, went back to work and hit the field on Saturday determined to put forth a much better effort. The confidence this squad needed to take with them into Big 12 play had to come from somewhere and while there’s no need for overconfidence after blanking the Owls, the bad taste is out of the Longhorns’ mouths. The slate is wiped clean moving into the conference opener and with Texas Tech coming to town next Saturday (11 a.m., ABC), Texas can turn the page with a positive feeling regarding how the non-conference portion of the 2021 schedule wrapped up.

(Bobby Burton) Sunday: Yeah, but…

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I know it was only Rice. Every writer or reporter worth their salt seems to preface everything written about last night’s game with that caveat (because it is, in fact, so relevant to the outcome and what we witnessed). However, I think it’s just as important to clearly state the following: Texas hasn’t had an offense produce as many big plays in a single game in so long I can’t remember, and that includes many games through the years against the Rice’s of the world. In my memory bank, I’d have to go back to the VY days where Texas showed that much explosiveness across multiple players.

Yet by absolutely no means am I attempting to compare this Texas squad to those of VY. No chance. This Texas team doesn’t have those kind of pieces across the board (especially on the OL). It’s just that I feel like it’s now clear that Steve Sarkisian’s style of football - if he can get the right players - will produce the type of dominating performances Texas fans long to see on a consistent basis.

He didn’t suddenly forget offensive football in Fayetteville. He may had had a dud game in the Ozarks but the idea of the offense is to score points, to put players in position to make big plays. Texas did that all night long. And they made it look easy. So whether it was Rice or not, I’m interested and intrigued by what the Sarkisian blueprint looks like if he can lasso superior talent across the board. And I mean that no matter the opponent or conference.

**

With Rice in the rearview mirror, the Horns will turn their attention to Texas Tech beginning today. Unlike the first three games of this season for Texas, where the Horns played run-first offenses, the Red Raiders pose a different problem for the Texas defense. Against Tech, the attack will certainly be more air oriented. Is Texas ready? Can the Horns slow the Tech attack? Tech is 3-0, with two good offensive performances against Houston in week one and Florida International last night along with a poor performance versus SFA sandwiched in between.

One key note: Tech RB Sir’Rodrick Thompson returned to action last night for the first time this season after undergoing off-season shoulder surgery. Thompson gave Texas fits in Lubbock last year.

**

Is it just me or are the Texas wide receivers seemingly more vested in becoming total players? The Horns receivers are giving legitimate effort as blockers. Marcus Washington has not received many targets but he’s absolutely had some key blocks early in the season. Sometines for receivers, all it takes is for them to be willing blockers, to occupy a defender only momentarily. The Texas WR corps is absolutely doing a better job overall of occupying defenders than they have in quite some time. The effort is absolutely there.

 

[satyanash 14281]

Jeff Cook: Texas' perimeter emphasis boosts entire offense versus Rice

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Try as they might versus Arkansas, and the Longhorns tried a lot versus Arkansas, Texas’ offense could not make consistent gains lining up behind the offensive line and running between the tackles. The effects of the failure to run the football seeped into other aspects of the offense and led to a dismal performance that only put 21 points on the scoreboard. Rather than make changes to the starting five linemen immediately following the disappointing performance, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian and offensive coordinator Kyle Flood emphasized an approach where even small lapses received ridicule.

The work done throughout the week, and a solid performance in Texas’ perimeter emphasis, showed up in the offensive line Saturday, when Texas ran for 427 yards in a 58-0 win over Rice. “(Flood) was on them this week,” Sarkisian said following the game. “We weren’t just going to let the little things slide, and we challenged them on, never mind the result of the play or whatever it was. It was about, did you do your job exactly how it was supposed to be done and then beyond? That’s how the week was, that’s how we coached it in game, and we saw the results.”

There were still plays where Texas offensive linemen were beaten by Owl defenders, most notably on Casey Thompson’s first quarter interception. For the most part, the O-line played a better game compared to its outing against the Razorbacks. Part of what helped them find more success were play calls that didn’t show up in Fayetteville. Last week, Texas ran outside zone only four times for 15 yards. Compare that to the 15 times the Longhorns ran it against Louisiana for 115 yards.

Sarkisian recognized getting the ball on the perimeter was beneficial for not just his offensive line, but for his team. That emphasis helped the offensive line help the running backs. Whatever the number of outside running plays was, it dwarfed the total run at Arkansas. All the Texas running backs made plays running outside, and a few scored on plant-and-go runs. Keilan Robinson rushed 65 yards on an outside zone give, and Jonathon Brooks scored his first career touchdown running toward the perimeter behind the second offensive line.

The emphasis on the perimeter was also evident in how receiver Xavier Worthy received touches. Texas tried to put the ball in the freshman from Fresno’s hands via slants, deep shots, and back shoulder throws. They also put him in motion and got him moving laterally and completed several two-foot pop passes to Worthy. He finished with seven catches for 88 yards and one score.

“I do believe in both aspects, whether it was the passing game or the running, we did try to get the ball a little bit more in space and not play as much internal football and get the guys the ball in space,” Sarkisian said. “I think we had success there.”

Sarkisian added he thought Texas succeeded running internally, but there was far more variety in Texas’ play calling displayed versus the Owls than versus the Razorbacks in both the run and pass game. The scoreboard at Darrell K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium was lit up several times as a result. “The ball on the perimeter is good, and I thought the runners ran it well,” Sarkisian said. “But again, getting the ball in space to the wide outs I think was effective, too.”

(Eric Nahlin) In the rear view mirror: Texas vs Rice

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When you barely have 20 passing attempts but still score 58 points you’re playing a truly poor opponent. That’s not to rain on parades or minimize the performance, it’s just a little perspective. However, even in an unbalanced fight you can still find things that will translate in more fair contests. I think we saw some things on the field, and more importantly on the headsets, that offer hope this team will improve throughout the schedule and more often than not play well. Let’s revisit my pre-game post from Saturday.

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    1. OL unit cohesion: The good thing about the Rice defense is they change up fronts and looks quite a bit so Kyle Flood’s unit will have to show the ability to adjust on the fly and block the kitchen sink. They’ll bring pressure from different angles. What Rice lacks in talent they attempt to make up for by creating mistakes. Despite the amount of career starts going into the Arkansas game last week, confusion was a very big issue on the UT offensive line.

I feel they played much better as a unit this week, though we saw too many individual breakdowns. A case could be made Andrej Karic would upgrade each position across the o-line, save center, and that’s only due to lack of reps. The coaches telling me he’s not one of the five best is nearing gas-lighting levels. I did like a number of combo blocks and the running backs often took advantage of numbers being in their favor. The tight ends (Brewer) had a number of good kick outs as well.

One thing the line has going for it collectively is the running backs. That quartet tends to overcome mistakes and elevate average line play, especially against poor competition. I can’t help but compare the line to the Houston Astros bullpen. The Stros have a stellar lineup complemented by good defense, but they’re only going to go as far as the bullpen takes them. Stros fans are headed for heartbreak in predictable fashion and it feels Texas will be similarly undone by it’s o-line as it meets more resistance.

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    2. Conduct the orchestra from the pocket: This ties into the o-line playing decently well. We know Casey Thompson can make throws and we know he can find daylight with his legs. For him to truly impress in this game, he’s going to need to make conventional quarterback plays from inside the tackle box. He can do it, but we need to see it become a consistent component of his game. This is a great opportunity for live reps. The same will go for Hudson Card when he gets in.

I suspected it coming in but given a pocket Thompson can make the necessary throws to facilitate the offense. If he finds the equilibrium between facilitator with his arm and creator with his legs he’ll become downright dangerous. He made a number of accurate throws, and not accurate by completion percentage, but accurate even if given a tight window. His worst play is partly attributed to poor o-line play, but he has to either let it rip when he sees the receiver break open or eat the down.

He double pumped and didn’t have enough time to get the ball out cleanly. This is key because how he plays under the duress the o-line guarantees will define his 2021 season. I loved the ball to Dixon and the back shoulder to Worthy was perfect. Beyond a good indication of accuracy, that displayed good timing with the receiver. We’ll learn a lot more about Thompson as the defenses improve but all he can do is play the opponent in front of him. He played about how I expected.

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    3. Staying out of 3rd and long: This ties into #1, team execution, and play calling. In each of the first two games Texas found itself in far too many 3rd and longs, even after quality 1st down plays. Third and short is how you either convert consistently or take shots.

I haven’t seen post game stats regarding conversions but they had six hundred and whatever yards so I don’t think 3rd down came into play too often.

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4. Wide running game: This is also attached to OL play (noticing a theme?) but also game planning and play calling.

Against ULL it was 15 carries for 110 yards.

You can easily attach a QB run and RPO game to OZ, but most importantly it’s the run scheme that best fits both the offensive line and Bijan Robinson. Robinson is great regardless, but with his patience and ability to find a crease, not to mention his plant and go, he should be devastating running outside. Besides all his other qualities, he is incredibly strong running through contact. His best trait is probably how he barely loses speed running through off-balance tackle attempts. Contact on the outside is easier to break for big gains because Bijan is far too powerful for players his size and smaller plus defenders usually aren’t square when they try to tackle him like they are on inside zone.

To me this is the season defining scheme and I’d love to see the coaches lean into it.

A thorough critique of the run game will be kind to this section. The wide run game needs to become the offensive identity going forward. All four (hell, maybe five counting Watson) running backs took advantage of opportunities afforded by outside zone. Keilan Robinson showed his jets. Roschon took a direct snap to the house and also reversed field on another big gain. Bijan was allowed to be Bijan. Once the staff configures the best offensive line, the running backs will really benefit in this scheme, even when not playing Rice.

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5. DL and LB run game dominance: It’s pretty self-explanatory. The first team did much better than the second team (who played all too often in Fayetteville) but leverage still isn’t good up front. Frankly, the d-line should be living in the back field this game. If they don’t, it is officially time to recalibrate expectations for the d-line, if you haven’t done so already.

Playing too high stems from 1) being stiff 2) being tired 3) poor technique. Spoiler alert: It’s #3 in regards to Texas’ interior defensive linemen. Bo Davis will get them right but it’s frustrating to see your 6-foot-1 bowling ball giving up his low-man advantage. Before the season I rated this the second best position group behind the running backs but the d-line hasn’t rewarded that confidence yet. I need a re-watch but it seems like the EDGE players were solid agains the run. Need more pressure from them, however. The good news is there’s a lot of room for improvement. The bad news is, a lot needs to be improved.

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    6. The X-factor: Let’s get a breakout game from Xavier Worthy. It matters not that he’s a freshman, he needs to become a big part of the offense, ideally working in tandem with an effective run game. Not to remove any blame for errant throws last week, but he’s the receiver quarterbacks will want on the field going after the ball in the air down field. Jordan Whittington, while quite talented, is an on-the-ground playmaker. This team needs Worthy, but as you know with receivers, their productivity is heavily affected by scheme, game plan, play calling, offensive line, quarterback, and run game. They love to eat but they’re often reliant on the rest of the food pyramid being healthy.

Hopefully this was a confidence game. Not for X, mind you, he’s always confident, but for the staff realizing they need to get the ball to him by any means necessary. I think they already knew that, but now they definitely do. One only needs a partially functioning brain to see the early motion/sweeps to Worthy and wonder where that was last week when Arkansas was teeing off downhill.

We have yet to truly see him in the open field but you can already tell how special he is. His initial movement skills are five-star elite+. Three-year player, let’s get the most out of him. Wait until both he and the running game are stressing safeties. Like Bijan, he can’t have too many touches.

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    7. Clean play from the youths: This is a game to get the youngsters in and ducking bullets, even if they are rubber. There’s a ton of time for younger players to emerge as viable depth if not outright starters at positions that are underperforming. I’m looking forward to seeing second teamers on o-line individually assimilated within the first team.

Da yoots played pretty well. Hayden Conner acquitted himself nicely and is going to be hard to keep off the field as the season progresses. He’s not only a good player but also fits the size queen specs. Gunnar Helm had some good snaps. DJ Harris, who has the potential to be a key piece next season, had a sack. Barryn Sorrell, another player who will be needed next season, got in on the action early in the game.

Blowouts are great for developing the bench and it looked like a number of guys took advantage of their opportunity. All in all, even given context of opponent, that was a nice bounce back ahead of conference play.

 

[dcar00 14036]

OK so am I reading this right from Cook on what Sark said about the OL?  What the fuck were they doing for the last 8 months?  Not chewing on guys for fucking up in practice?  wasnt the whole point of getting a Saban guy was to oh I don't know maybe NOT LET THE LITTLE THINGS SLIDE!  what the fuck Steve...

Rather than make changes to the starting five linemen immediately following the disappointing performance, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian and offensive coordinator Kyle Flood emphasized an approach where even small lapses received ridicule.

The work done throughout the week, and a solid performance in Texas’ perimeter emphasis, showed up in the offensive line Saturday, when Texas ran for 427 yards in a 58-0 win over Rice. “(Flood) was on them this week,” Sarkisian said following the game. “We weren’t just going to let the little things slide, and we challenged them on, never mind the result of the play or whatever it was. It was about, did you do your job exactly how it was supposed to be done and then beyond? That’s how the week was, that’s how we coached it in game, and we saw the results.”

Edited September 20, 2021 by dcar00

[satyanash 14281]

(Scipio Tex) 2021 Texas-Rice Postmortem: Offense

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Rice was a chance to get right and the Texas offense did just that, scoring 58 points, amassing 620 yards at 10 yards per play, while rushing for a combined 427 yards with five different Longhorn running backs getting extensive work. Yes, it's Rice and the Owls were as bad as I promised, but how would you feel right now if Texas had sputtered around and won 34-17? Not great. So maybe this didn't prove much beyond the fact that the Texas experienced the same game in Fayetteville we did and decided to coach and play better.

While the players certainly demonstrated effort and some athletic pride after last week's loss, the Texas coaches also showed a bit of introspection with a game plan that featured outside zone in the running game and Xavier Worthy in the passing game. The Slippery Splinter Sprinter from Fresno caught 7 balls for 88 yards and a touchdown in the first half and demonstrated some of the edge and heart that Texas needs. I saw you put that shoulder into a dude on the punt return, Xavier.

Texas also made a point of attacking the Owl size deficiencies in the back 7. Early and often.

That was mean. That play is truncated, but it's actually outsize zone going the other way. Bijan sees the overplay and offers a vicious cutback to punish the over pursuit. This is one of 100 reasons that OZ is awesome with a running back like Bijan and a fairly athletic Texas OL that benefits from certainty, but at this point, how much I sell you on outside zone doesn't matter, does it?

OL

They struggled a little early in protection (it's almost always on play action or when we are pulling linemen in pass protection - OL with unclear assignments often block air - especially ours) and passing off defenders in the run game, but when they were good, they were great. Rice's front is the strength of their entire program and they have a couple of legitimate dudes, so don't totally dismiss the improvement in the running game with "It's Rice." Just partially dismiss it. The Horn offensive line overcame some early rocky moments to eventually find their legs, get hat and hat, and then pile drive Rice defenders into the dirt. The holes were cavernous at times.

While much is made of the rhythms of the passing game, running games have a rhythm and timing element as well. Sometimes uncorking on a bad defense can help to get it down and clarify for a staff what the team is good at.

Christian Jones had a hold and gave up a free rusher once. He's also very inconsistent in his pass sets. At this stage, every one of them should look the same. They're not. He needs some individual attention and to get out of his own head. He is athletic though and really thrives when he can use it in the running game. I need him meaner. When Okafor was good, he crushed people. Had a mental hiccup or two. Majors was very solid against a legit dude at NT. Kerstetter was effective and had a crushing drive block on a 3rd and 6 running play with Roschon where he sprang him for 14 yards over right tackle. This was Angilau's best run blocking game since Utah- on Bijan's long touchdown run, he caved an entire side of the Rice defensive line, effectively sealing the entire backside of the defense singlehandedly.

Bijan gets the praise there, but let's be clear about who wore the cape on that highlight.

Observation: our 2nd team OL has a nastier disposition than our 1st team. A lot of of that is because of Andrej Karic. He had six pancakes and Karic repeatedly made a point of punishing Rice defenders with finishing blocks at a juncture in the game where most guys are striking deals to let up. Karic is very chippy. I have to accept that I simply have a different view of football than Flood. I want edge, motor, and cruelty in my starting lineup. Even at a tiny 6-4, 290.

I dig Logan Parr in limited viewing and Hookfin is an easy mover at 300+. I can't believe how wide and thick Hayden Conner is. His natural base is so strong that if he develops even decent feet and technique, it's going to very difficult for any college pass rusher that isn't a high NFL draft pick to do much with him.

QB

Casey did a good job (15 of 18 for 164 will work), but little was asked of him as the Horns correctly chose to pound the running game. My two favorite throws were a very nice location ball to Dixon through traffic to convert a 3rd and 17 (22 yard gain) and then the back shoulder touchdown to Xavier Worthy. Good balls. The interception isn't remotely on him - that was a free Rice DL who felt his way through the protection when we pulled a backside OL to seal the edge. I don't like that concept and Rice punished Casey for it. Clean game and he'll be our starter against Tech. At one point during the broadcast, Lowell Galindo had a single run-on sentence describing Casey where he threw out the descriptives JUICE, FIRE, VIBE & DEMEANOR like he was reading a Mad Lib. Hudson Card was inserted in the lineup in the 3rd quarter and immediately sparked the offense!

RB

Three different Longhorn runners broke 60+ yard runs and four different Texas runners scored. It's hard not to be excited about this running back room.

Bijan: 13-128-3
RoJo: 3-112-1
Robinson: 5-83-1
Brooks: 9-63-1
Watson: 8-33-0

I don't need to extoll the virtues of Bijan, but on review he made some Rice linebackers and safeties whiff in tight quarters that I simply didn't see watching live. Incredible agility and vision. Obviously, his power and contact balance remain his most underappreciated attributes. I freaking love the RoCat.

Out of 13 personnel, no less (3 tight ends, somewhere Joe Gibbs is smiling). If anyone ever asks you what football speed looks like, this is a decent clip to share:

Robinson understands the best way to get vertical quickly is to crease it and not bounce. Jonathon Brooks doesn't test well. He's not that big. But he's good at football. Great eval.

He runs like Marcus Allen. Just smooth, slippery, and seems to paralyze tacklers with his long strides. Gabe Watson ran hard and tough and is as elusive as a Galapagos tortoise with lumbago.

WR/TE

The coaches clearly made a point of involving Xavier Worthy in the game plan to get him loose, build confidence, and weaponize the young freshman. Some DeSean Jackson in that young man. A big part of this offense's upside is going to be found in developing Worthy. Moore had a long catch and Whittington was quiet with one catch.

It was good to see Jared Wiley feeling better. He had some good lead blocks on Rice little guys and he caught an easy touchdown among his three receptions. Obviously, he's feeling better and we need him. Cade Brewer had a nice catch where he decided that running into his blocker's back was a good idea. He'll watch that on film and laugh.

Final

Given the choice between blowing out a bad team 58-0 or not blowing the bad team out 58-0, I choose blowing out a bad team 58-0. How about y'all?

(Scipio Tex) 2021 Texas-Rice Postmortem: Defense/Special Teams

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A shutout is always welcome. Rice playing their 3rd string QB for most of the game may have contributed slightly to that fact. Not to mention an Owl offense that wanted to run the ball with power sets trailing 44-0 at halftime. That will throw a wrench into any run-based ball control offensive game plan. While the Owls exhibited absolutely zero ability to throw the ball down the field (19-24-128 yards), they did actually run it effectively (the top 3 Owl runners were 19-117 at 6.2 ypc with two 23+ yards runs), only abandoning the running game due to game script.

Texas wasn't light in the box either. That's moderately concerning and I'll talk about why below at the positional level. Overall, I thought Texas played pretty hard. Getting tons of reps for the entire roster is always a positive. It was interesting to see some of the new faces that the coaches brought in early (Barryn Sorrell) in order to get a sense of how they'd perform in game action. Great job by the Longhorn special teams on Saturday and they're getting the lead in this write up.

Special Teams

Jeff Banks must have identified that Rice's right-footed kicker was drifting a little too much and that their outside offset protector weren't very physical. Solution? Line up a very physical dude like Ray Thornton on the edge with Keilan on his outside hip and have Ray mesmerize and destroy the Rice outside protector (notice that the Rice guy flanking him inside has no one to block) while Robinson sprints in on the soft corner and takes the ball off of the punter's foot. That's how you draw it up. Safety.

Dicker had 5 touchbacks on 5 kickoffs and Texas punt returners averaged 11.3 yards per return. Texas never punted.

Defense

DL

Moro Ojomo played good ball. Great effort. Particularly against the run. I thought this was Sweat's best game this year so far. More active, lower pads, better hand placement. Injured the 2nd Rice QB with a hard tackle. Jacoby Jones had a nice tackle for loss and mixed it up in the running game. Ovie had a sack on a T/E stunt when the QB flushed into his hands and got a tipped ball later, and he was better against the run after a F level performance against Arkansas. Ovie wasn't in favor of the Cold War. Hates containment strategies. Barryn Sorrell looks the part and I'd like to know more. Alfred Collins got more run. We'll see on Alfred. Byron Murphy had a nice sack in the late 3rd quarter when he walked back a Rice OL right into the QB. Textbook by #90.

I'll just say it: Keondre Coburn has not been a useful player inside. I don't like watching him, but it's hard not to see the guy standing straight up hand fighting and getting driven off of the ball or stalemating with an OL and watching. I don't know what happened but his pad level is terrible, he has no technique, and he's much weaker. I would limit him to 15 snaps a game and play a lot more Sweat-Ojomo pairings. Vernon Broughton is still too high and doesn't bring his feet.

LB

Rice attacked our linebacker's desire to drift and vacate with the little pitch power wrinkle that screams outside toss but is actually designed as an inside power run. That's good coaching identification by Rice and it led to multiple big gains. This was their longest:

The two interior DTs get blocked. Luke is coming on a run stunt. Overshown blocks himself by drifting and never reads his blocking keys. BJ drifts to a bad spot, loses depth and sight of the ball, and doesn't really see what's happening. I don't know what Jamison is doing. Dude's backpedaling at a power run. This play really messed with our keys and I'm curious as to why. We'll see multiple forms of it again.

DB

Rice had three completions >10 yards and averaged 6.7 yards per completion. Not a lot to evaluate here in the passing game. Jerrin Thompson forced a fumble putting his shoulder pad right on the ball and Josh Thompson was there with a hustle fumble recovery. Up 37-0, Josh was selling out like it was a 0-0. I appreciate that. Anthony Cook is good.

Final

I'm not trying to overplay the run shakiness, but this defense has a ways to go in its fundamentals and needs to look at rewarding the most productive DL with more snaps, even if it means shortening up the rotation. I'm very curious to see this secondary tested against Tyler Shough and a capable Tech receiver corps.