Media/$9.95-er postgame analysis articles (Week 5)

[satyanash 14281]

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

(Joe Cook) Recap: Texas Longhorns 32, TCU Horned Frogs 27

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Texas finally topped the Horned Frogs in Fort Worth thanks to 216 yards and two scores on 35 carries from Bijan Robinson. TCU began with the football and had a very short field to work with after JD Spielman took Cameron Dicker’s opening kickoff 87 yards to the Texas 13. After a one-yard run by Max Duggan, star tailback Zach Evans took a handoff, broke several tackles, and rumbled 12 yards into the end zone to open the game’s scoring.

Texas responded with a 10-play, 36 yard drive that began on the 44-yard line after D’Shawn Jamison returned the ensuing kick 38 yards. Texas faced a 3rd-and-short, but Dylan Horton whipped Christian Jones on the play to sack Casey Thompson. Dicker hit a 38-yard field goal to make it 7-3. TCU took over following the kickoff and faced 3rd down. Duggan had two receivers open after the Horned Frogs caught the Longhorn defense off guard, but flubbed the throw and recorded a three and out. The Jordy Sandy punt traveled 62 yards to the Texas one.

The Longhorns appeared to go three-and-out, but a targeting call on TJ Carter kept the Texas drive going. The play after the foul, Thompson rushed 41 yards to get into TCU territory. Texas faced 3rd-and-12, and Thompson found Joshua Moore for 11 yards. Roschon Johnson motioned under center, took the snap, and gained the yard needed for the first down. The next play, Bijan Robinson rushed 27 yards for Texas’ first touchdown to take a 10-7 lead. Denzel Okafor was injured on the play and did not return.

The line after his departure (L-R) was Christian Jones – Derek Kerstetter – Jake Majors – Junior Angilau – Andrej Karic. TCU gained one first down on the following drive, but a rush by Derius Davis ended in a fumble that Jamison recovered and took to the TCU 23. The Longhorns couldn’t even gain a first down on the drive and called upon Dicker once again. He converted to make it 13-7 Texas. The Horned Frogs moved down the field on their drive with a six-point deficit. Duggan hit a long pass to Taye Barber, then converted on a 3rd-and-6 when Duggan found Spielman for an 11-yard score.

As the first quarter ended and the second quarter began, Texas’ drive stalled and Dicker came onto the field to punt. It was muffed by Davis, and Texas recovered on the TCU nine. TCU head coach Gary Patterson’s defense held once again, forcing a three-and-out inside the 10. Xavier Worthy added to his drop total during the series. Dicker hit a field goal to give Texas a 16-14 lead. Evans and long passes moved TCU into the red zone, where Duggan picked up a fourth-down conversion using his legs. A few plays later, he could not convert on third down and the Horned Frog field goal unit was sent on. The try was successful, and TCU took a 17-16 lead.

On the ensuing drive, Texas took advantage of good field position again. TCU decided to kick short, and the ball was fielded successfully by Luke Brockermeyer. He brought it to the Texas 45 to make it another short field. Texas eventually drove down inside the TCU five with a steady dose of Robinson and Johnson. Robinson eventually took the ball into the end zone on a four-yard run, his second of the half. He finished the first thirty minutes with 17 carries for 103 yards and two scores.

TCU failed to do anything with their drive despite a very questionable late hit flag on DeMarvion Overshown. Texas also couldn’t do much with their two-minute chance when Thompson threw into triple coverage and was intercepted by Nook Bradford. Texas’ defense held, and the half ended with the score 23-17. Mistakes defined the first half for both teams, as did horrific officiating that often interrupted the course of play. Texas committed five penalties, while TCU had a fumble and a muffed punt.

To open the second half, Texas went three-and-out after a short run by Robinson and another pass intended for Worthy that fell incomplete. The drive was ended with TCU bringing down Thompson for a sack. The Horned Frogs took over on their own 44. TCU took over and moved forward some into Texas territory, even picking up a first down via a Duggan run. But on the play following the conversion, Anthony Cook blitzed from Duggan’s blind side, forced the fumble, and recovered it.

After being backed up 15 yards due to an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty following the play, Texas moved deep into TCU territory with a 37-yard pass from Thompson to Jordan Whittington. Texas made it 3rd-and-3, but Thompson could not scramble for the first. Dicker hit another field goal, this time from 28 yards, to make it 26-17.

TCU took possession and moved down the field after a personal foul penalty was called on Cook for tackling a sliding Duggan. The call was questionable, but the 15 yards moved TCU closer to Texas territory. They burst into the plus side of the field with a 33-yard rush by Evans, and looked in position to shrink the margin. But a holding penalty and good defense in response from the Longhorns limited TCU to a 36-yard field goal by Griffin Kell to make it 26-20 with 3:45 left to play.

Starting on its 25-yard line, Texas faced a 3rd-and-3. Thompson picked up four with his legs for the first. Facing a 3rd-and-1 on the 45, Thompson picked up the first down on a sneak. Facing 3rd-and-9 on the TCU 41, Robinson picked up nine for the first down. The next play, Thompson hit Whittington on an RPO, and Whittington rumbled to the end zone for a 32-yard score. Texas went for two and failed, making it 32-20 with 13:46.

Needing a score, TCU went three-and-out and punted, giving the ball to Texas on its own 41. A heavy dose of Robinson put Texas inside the TCU 10. First a run of 17 yards, then a run of 14 yards, then one more 17-yard run put Texas in a goal-to-go situation. Facing 3rd-and-goal from the TCU 2, Robinson was held short of the goal line. On 4th-and-goal, Robinson was stopped short yet again.

Starting on its own one-yard line, TCU gained one first down on the legs of Evans, reaching the 11-yard line. They grabbed another on the legs of Duggan as the halfway mark of the fourth quarter passed. TCU moved into Texas territory with a long pass to Spielman, then gained another with a pass to Taye Barber. Another pass led to another first down on the Texas 11, and Kendre Miller rushed two yards to make it 32-27 with 4:23 left.

On the drive of the game, Robinson picked up eight on first down, then a few more to move the chains on second despite TCU loading the box with defenders. The first down was on his 31st carry of the game. A stuff led Patterson to call his second timeout. A short gain was followed by the final timeout. On 3rd-and-6, Robinson made the line to gain fighting for yardage. Texas knelt it out to end it and end their struggles in Amon G. Carter Stadium. 32-27 Texas.

Cody Daniel: Initial thoughts from Texas’ 32-27 win over TCU

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Entering the weekend, the Texas Longhorns hadn’t won a game in Fort Worth since 2013. That’s no longer the case. Texas dealt with its fair share of woes, but it a game that was probably more about getting over the mental hurdle that’s been the TCU Horned Frogs, Texas did just that. Here’s a few initial thoughts from Texas’ 32-27 win over TCU to improve to 4-1 and 2-0 in Big 12 play.

Sometimes, a win is a win. TCU has absolutely dominated Texas since joining the Big 12, so even though the Horns have blown out their opponents in all three wins, it was expected that Texas was going to be in for a battle in Fort Worth because Gary Patterson and the Horned Frogs live for this game. It was by no means a pretty outcome, but Steve Sarkisian took smart points when Texas needed them, took a calculated risk when it was available and when it was time to go and win the game, Texas did exactly that. 4-1 is 4-1, and Texas now Texas some momentum and a three-game winning streak into the Cotton Bowl to meet the No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners.

Texas will go as far as Bijan Robinson takes them. Ahead of the season, Sark noted that Robinson would get as many touches as Texas needed him to have. On Saturday, that meant a career-high 35 carries for a career-best 216 yards and two touchdowns, as well as another two receptions for 22 yards, and Texas needed every bit of those 238 total yards to come away with the win. It’s quite clear Sark will absolutely lean upon Robinson to win Texas a game, so whatever success Texas enjoys this season, it will be, in large part, due to their star running back.

Cameron Dicker was consistent when it counted. Dicker the Kicker hadn’t been the most consistent in his limited opportunities to begin the year, making just one of his three attempts. On Saturday, though, Dicker was a perfect 4-of-4, converting from 26 yards, 28 yards, and twice from 38 yards. In a five-point game, much like Robinson, Texas doesn’t win without Dicker.

(Taylor Estes) Instant Analysis: Texas grinds out win over TCU, 32-27

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FORT WORTH, Texas — Facing a third-and-9 at the TCU 41-yard line in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s 32-27 win over the Horned Frog was a critical point in the game for Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian, to say the least. Showing an empty formation, it felt like the best option for the Longhorns would be to run the ball to not only put the game in the hands of Bijan Robinson, but to make for a more manageable fourth down.

Leading the game by six points, 26-20, Robinson motioned into the backfield and got his number called on a zone run to the right side of the line. Robinson didn’t get some of the yardage needed to convert — he picked up all nine yards on a stretch play where guard Junior Angilau, tackle Andrej Karic and tight end Cade Brewer opened things up for the talented sophomore. One play later, Casey Thompson pulled the ball back to him at the mesh point of a play-action pass, finding Jordan Whittington over the middle of the field.

Whittington dodged a failed tackle attempt by TCU safety Da’Veawn Armstead, racing 32 yards to the end zone for a score that helped lock up the first win for Texas (4-1, 2-0 Big 12) at Amon G. Carter Stadium since 2013. After losing seven of the last nine meetings to TCU (2-2, 0-1), the Longhorns exercised some demons on Saturday. The Longhorns took down Gary Patterson’s Horned Frogs in a workmanlike manner, staying the course on a day chock-full of penalties, red-zone misfires and an inability to maximize opportunities to pull away and bury in TCU in convincing fashion.

Regardless, Sarkisian’s charges cleared a major hurdle and are traveling back to the Metroplex next weekend to face No. 6 Oklahoma with an unbeaten record in conference play. With the Horned Frogs dispatched, Texas is halfway through arguably the toughest four-game stretch of the season and can become a bonafide factor in the Big 12 title hunt with a win at the Cotton Bowl over the Sooners.

— I didn’t mind Sarkisian’s two decisions that left points on the field that the Longhorns could’ve used at the end of the game. Going for a two-point conversion up 12 points with 4:59 to go (after the Whittington touchdown) to try and make it a two-touchdown lead was the right call, but the play-call left something to be desired (a fade route to Joshua Moore is a low-percentage throw and that’s no knock on Moore, it just felt like there were better options for Sarkisian to try given how the Texas wideouts struggle to get a good release off of the snap).

Putting the ball in Robinson’s belly on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line inside of three minutes to play wins the game if the Longhorns are able to punch the ball across the goal line. TCU had 252 yards of total offense at that point (4.5 yards per play) and the defense came up with two massive third-quarter stops — a forced fumble and recovery by Anthony Cook after he drilled Max Duggan on a nickel blitz and a combined tackle by Jett Bush and Ray Thornton on Duggan at the end of a 7-play, 56-yard drive to force the Horned Frogs to settle for a field goal. In the end, the Longhorns won the game and Sarkisian would’ve been criticized had things gone south, but even if they had I wouldn’t argue against either decision.

— Robinson needed every one of the 37 touches he received on Saturday for Texas to come out of Fort Worth with a win. He turned a career-high 35 carries into a career-high 216 yards on the ground and two touchdowns and got the ball in closing time, carrying it six times on the offense’s final drive, including a 13-yard run to move the ball to the TCU 35-yard line in the closing seconds to put the nail in the coffin.

I know it’s a lofty comparison, but the more I watch Robinson tote the rock the more I see Emmitt Smith. Yes, it’s not fair to compare a college sophomore to the NFL’s all-time rushing leader, but Robinson is like Smith in that he’s got an uncanny ability to keep his feet pumping on contact, use contact to his advantage by being able to spin off it thanks to his incredible balance and how underrated he is as a pass-catching back.

— Going 12-for-22 through the air for 146 yards with a touchdown and an interception made for the worst day Casey Thompson has had throwing the football since he took over for Hudson Card as the team’s starting quarterback. Nevertheless, the 12-play, 75-yard drive that ended with Whittington’s back-breaking touchdown was kept alive by two critical Thompson scrambles, including one on third-and-3 from the TCU 32-yard line when Christian Jones was beaten badly off the edge and Thompson was able to spin out of the pressure and pick up the first down by diving to the marker. Thompson wasn’t great on Saturday, but he made enough critical plays when the Longhorns needed him to do so to help the offense get the job done.

 

Edited October 2, 2021 by satyanash

[satyanash 14281]

(Ian Boyd) Five quick thoughts: Bijan storms the fort

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This was Bijan Robinson’s greatest game yet as a Longhorn. TCU knew they needed to stop Bijan Robinson to win this game. Play-action was there for Texas, as were some RPOs such as the game-winner to Jordan Whittington, but Casey Thompson finished just 12-22 for 144 yards at 6.5 ypa with a touchdown and an interception. On a 3rd-and-8 before the touchdown pass to Whittington, Texas called outside zone for Bijan and converted. Later with a chance to run out the clock and keep the ball from the Frogs, they called a counter run on 3rd-and-6 and Bijan delivered again.

35 carries, 216 yards at 6.2 ypc with two touchdowns. This wasn’t the SMU gameplan, Gary Patterson packed Frog defenders around the box and they couldn’t stop him. TCU has to be questioning now whether Gary is long for the job after surrendering 200+ rushing yards in back to back games against hated, in-state rivals. Meanwhile, Texas hands TCU a stinging loss in what may have been the last time they’ll play the Frogs on the road in a long time.

Quick thought no. 1: Great game for the Texas offensive front

At least in the run game. The Frogs got two sacks from right end Dylan Horton going up against Christian Jones. Texas blasted the Frogs all day with split zone runs, often from 12 personnel with Cade Brewer sliding back to pick off Frog ends while the tackle blocked down. Interestingly enough, the tackle blocking down was often Andrej Karic. Denzel Okafor went down with a nasty looking injury after getting sideswiped and Kyle Flood’s adjustment was to slide Derek Kerstetter inside to left guard and insert fan favorite Karic in at right tackle. Results were positive for Texas.

There were issues on the goal line. Texas tried a two point play with three receivers lined up to block for a flexed out Bijan Robinson on an obvious bubble screen option, Casey Thompson had a draw option in the box, and Joshua Moore was isolated up top on a cornerback. Naturally the Frogs loaded up for the bubble and the draw and forced the fade, which was stuffed. Then Texas’ jumbo package was stopped at the one-yard line on back to back snaps, breathing life into Amon Carter Stadium and TCU’s chances. Nevertheless, aside from those issues Texas dominated the game on the ground running the ball repeatedly with Bijan Robinson.

Quick thought no. 2: Conservative gameplan on defense

Once again, Pete Kwiatkowski brought a conservative gameplan in, content to play a lot of quarters (two-high) and allow the Frogs to spread them out underneath against the run. The reasoning was clearly a belief TCU wouldn’t be able to sustain drives and finish in the red zone. It worked out pretty well. Zach Evans gave them fits with 15 carries for 113 yards but TCU had to rely on the quarterback run game when Max Duggan couldn’t find anywhere to throw. Duggan ended up with 16 carries himself for 33 yards and on the day TCU had 169 on 41 for 4.1 ypc and two touchdowns. Bijan Robinson outproduced their entire run game.

There’s a lot of upside for the defense within this conservative, “make em beat us consistently” approach as the season progresses. The Texas D-line should improve, especially as the weather cools down, and as DeMarvion Overshown continues to learn where the ball is going they’ll really pick it up. He had 10 tackles in this game, eight solo tackles, but unfortunately also ripped an interception from Luke Brockermeyer’s hands. Brockermeyer had nine tackles and was quietly pretty good despite being singled out by the announcer for being blocked by Zach Evans on quarterback lead runs. Also within this approach on defense…

Quick thought no. 3: Anthony Cook

Cook has not yet received enough love in this column for his play at nickel but the day has come. He had eight tackles, six solo, and two tackles for loss which included a sack-strip when he was blitzed off the edge and found Max Duggan unawares. He’s excellent working the flat in the quarters schemes with Jerrin Thompson over the top. Opponents have struggled to establish the screen game, he gets to arrives as a slightly late but still valuable defender in the run fit from the far hash, and he can blitz. In a close win wherein Texas defended the spread run pretty effectively from two-high coverage and he forced a turnover, there’s a lot of ways you can credit Cook for the victory.

Quick thought no. 4: Texas fared better in a grind it out game

I expected this game might be a defensive struggle and it would favor Texas due to their better offensive line play and more versatile overall unit. Special teams were also a big factor. TCU had the huge initial return and a few good punts but then muffed a punt return. Cameron Dicker had a clean game going 4-4 on field goals and kicking a pair of good punts. The identity of the team is set up to lure teams into slogs in which they have to sustain drives against the conservative defense while holding up themselves against Bijan and company running behind multi-tight end sets.

It’s a similar formula as Iowa State employs. You can win a lot of games in the Big 12 in this fashion if you take care of the ball and consistently win in the red zone. Today was mixed in both regards, but this team has a higher ceiling if they could add another dimension.

Quick thought no. 5: Texas needs the play-action game next week…

Xavier Worthy had six targets and only one catch, on a sweep across the formation which was a forward pitch. He had a few drops going up against a good TCU cornerback crew and was definitely held on Casey Thompson’s interception (not that he was catching that anyways) but the bigger issue is Texas’ problems finding the range of their receivers down the field. Steve Sarkisian opened up the game throwing dig-post on the TCU strong safety, a play-call which came against a coverage I’ve repeatedly identified as a weak spot for the Horned Frogs. The Longhorns got Josh Moore open on the post route and missed.

Texas’ decision to run Bijan on multiple big third down plays all reflect the same reality, it was a bad game for Casey Thompson. In addition to missing multiple play-action opportunities, he was nearly picked by linebackers twice in one drive before Sark dialed it back for the rest of the game and put it on Bijan’s shoulders. The interception and many other deep throws hung in the air and allowed TCU defenders to recover.

Thompson has done many things well this season and made a few key plays in this game, including a strong 3rd-and-3 conversion on a scramble, but his struggles throwing the deep ball set a ceiling on a power running team with a lot of unrealized potential to burn teams over the top. Texas will face another huge game next week and teams will move to load the box on Bijan Robinson, they’ll need to do a lot more damage on RPOs and play-action than they did against the Horned Frogs to keep winning.

(HornSports)  Game Recap: Texas downs Patterson, TCU 32-27 in Fort Worth

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FORT WORTH, TX --  Bijan Robinson rushed for 216 yards and two touchdowns, and Cameron Dicker's four field goals powered the Longhorns (4-1, 2-0) to a 32-27 victory over TCU (2-2, 0-1) at Amon G. Carter Stadium.  The win was the first against the Horned Frogs in three seasons, and the first in Fort Worth since 2013.   Texas tallied 414 total yards of offense in a hard-fought victory, with 239 of those yards coming courtesy of Robinson.  Texas quarterback Casey Thompson threw for 142 yards and a touchdown and one interception.

TCU turned the ball over three times and the Longhorns managed just nine points off of those turnovers.  TCU tried to give the game away, but Texas couldn't close the door, allowing Gary Patterson's team to hang around until late in the game. When the game clock expired however, Texas had done enough to improve its overall record to 4-1 and 2-0 in Big 12 play. Offensive lineman Denzel Okafor was carter off the field early on after suffering an injury and being replaced by Andrej Karic.

The Longhorns will face Oklahoma at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas next Saturday at 11:00 am.

SCORING RECAP

TCU's JD Spielman took the opening kickoff 87 yards setting up Zach Evans' 12-yard touchdown run to account for the first points of the game and a 7-0 lead for the Horned Frogs.

On their first offensive possession, the Longhorns drove the ball to the TCU 5-yard line but tight end Jared Wiley was flagged for a false start.  Dylan Horton then sacked Casey Thompson for a 10-yard loss, allowing Cameron Dicker to make good on a 38-yard field goal.  

After a stop and a solid TCU punt, the Longhorns began the next drive at their own 1-yard line.  Texas went three-and-out but after review, TJ Carter was flagged for targeting on Jordan Whittington.  The penalty gave Texas a fresh set of downs.  Casey Thompson had a 41-yard rush on the 99-yard drive, which was capped with Bijan Robinson's 4-yard touchdown run to give the Longhorns a 10-7 lead.

Derius Davis' fumble at the Texas 40-yard line on TCU's ensuing possession was recovered by D'Shawn Jamison.  Texas was forced to settle for another Cameron Dicker field goal after failing to convert on third down.  

JD Spielman gave the Horned Frogs a 14-13 lead on an 11-yard touchdown reception as the first quarter came to a close. The Longhorns punted for the first time in 10 quarters on the opening possession of the second quarter, but the punt was muffed by Derius Davis, and the Longhorns recovered at the TCU 9-yard line.  

Texas once again was forced to settle for a Dicker field goal, giving the Longhorns a 16-14 advantage with 13:22 remaining in the second quarter. TCU answered with a field goal of their own, a 25-yarder from Griffin Kell to regain the lead at 17-16.

Good field position and a couple of defensive penalties helped Texas on the next possession, which ended with Bijan Robinson's second touchdown run of the game (4-yards).   Texas took a 23-17 lead into the locker room at halftime.

After a Longhorn punt to open the second half, TCU quarterback Max Duggan fumbled after being sacked by Texas DB Anthony Cook.  Cook recovered the fumble at the Texas 49-yard line but Texas was penalized for an unsportsmanlike conduct.  Three plays later Casey Thompson hit Jordan Whittington for a 31-yard strike.  The Longhorns had to settle for Cameron Dicker's fourth field goal of the day, this time from 28 yards, to extend the Texas lead to 26-17.

Griffin Kell's 36-yard field goal capped a 7 play, 56-yard ensuing TCU drive leaving Texas clinging to a 26-20 lead.

The scoring continued for Texas to start the fourth quarter, with Jordan Whittington hauling in a Casey Thompson pass for 32 yards and a touchdown.  The Longhorns attempted a two point conversion but weren't successful and held on to a 32-20 lead.

Texas was stopped on a 4th & goal at the TCU 1-yard line on their next possession.  Max Duggan then engineered a 99-yard TCU drive that was capped by Kendre Miller's 3-yard touchdown run.  The Horned Frogs cut the Texas lead to 32-27. Bijan Robinson's two first downs on the final drive of the game were enough to run the clock out after TCU used its remaining timeouts.

 

[satyanash 14281]

(Bobby Burton) Snap Judgements: Ode to Bijan

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On third-and-six with the clock winding down and Texas needing a first down to run out the clock, Bijan Robinson made two defenders missed four yards short of the first down, found some running room into the teeth of the TCU defense and then powered into another defender approximately one yard shy of the first, and then Robinson was finally pushed forward enough to get the first down. The run iced the game. And Robinson should be in the thick of any Heisman talk going forward. Robinson rushed for 216 yards on 35 carries and two TDs. He also caught two passes for another 22 yards.

**

The run by Robinson was terrific. It reminded me somewhat of a run – albeit a different type – by a former Texas Heisman Winner, Ricky Williams in 1998. In Mack Brown’s first year, Texas went to Nebraska and Williams iced the game with a third-down conversion. There are other similarities with that carry. That run for Williams cemented him as one of the major Heisman hopefuls. This one for Robinson should do the same.

**

Steve Sarkisian did not have his best game as a play-caller nor did Casey Thompson as a QB. Thompson often looked confused and indecisive in the pocket, and he connected on just one deep ball (a brilliant catch by Jordan Whittington) and floated an ill-advised easy interception late in the second quarter. But Thompson came up big in the second half. His scramble for a first down on third-and-four in third quarter helped spark a scoring drive that put the Horns up by two scores. Then Thompson hit Whittington on an RPO for a touchdown in the fourth.

Sarkisian should have decided to kick the field goal to up by 15 points, instead of going for it on the goal-line on fourth-and-one. However, Sark also made several excellent play calls, including getting Keilan Robinson involved for a key first down, as well as the decision to run an outside-zone play to Robinson in the third quarter on third-and-eight. Those two play calls moved the chains at key moments and resulted in points for the Horns.

Another positive for Sark? Sark effectively rode his best player to victory. When you have a great player like Bijan, a coach has to put that player in position to truly effect the final outcome of the game. Sark did that, and he did it when it counted most. TCU didn’t. I was extremely impressed with Zach Evans for TCU. But don’t you think TCU fans are wondering right now, why Evans didn’t get more carries?

**

The Texas D played bend but don’t break. Unfortunately some poor tackling and some poor awareness almost cost the Horns the game. The Horns broke too much, especially in the red zone.

**

The sack-and-fumble recovery by Anthony Cook was the defensive play of the game. Defensive Pete Kwiatkowski chose not to blitz TCU QB Max Duggan very often. Cook got home on one of just a handful of blitzes all game. Texas got the ball, went down and scored.

**

The Texas red zone offense clearly needs some work.

**

When Denzel Okafor went down in the first quarter, we saw what Kyle Flood has decided to do with his offensive line when pushed. Flood inserted right tackle Andrej Karic at right tackle and kicked Derek Kerstetter to left guard to replace Okafor. The Horns OL, after being much maligned following the Arkansas contest, played solid most of the day and leaned on the Horned Frogs’ D late in the contest. Perhaps the biggest problem came early in pass protection for left tackle Christian Jones, who gave up a sack and looked confused in the process.

**

Enjoy Bijan Robinson Longhorns fans, because there’s only a slight difference between good and great. Bijan is special.

 

[satyanash 14281]

Chip Brown's Quick Takes: Bijan Robinson leads Texas to a win over TCU in the kind of game UT has lost in recent years

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Bijan Robinson came to the Metroplex and did his best Emmitt Smith impression, side-stepping one TCU defender after another and becoming the first Texas running back to run for 200 yards since D’Onta Foreman in 2016. Robinson finished with 35 carries for 216 yards (6.2 yards per carry) and touchdown runs of 27 and 4 yards as Texas exorcised some demons in a 32-27 win over the Horned Frogs at Amon G. Carter Stadium.

Robinson’s biggest run of the game wasn’t either of his TD runs - but rather a tough, inside run for 6 yards on third-and-6 with just under three minutes left to play and Texas clinging to a five-point lead. It proved to be the deciding play of the game, because TCU had no more timeouts and couldn’t stop the clock after that. Robinson also came up huge on third-and-9 from the TCU 41 early in the fourth quarter, picking up a first-down with a 9-yard run that extended a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, capped by a 32-yard TD pass from Casey Thompson to Jordan Whittington that put Texas up 32-20.

On a day in which Texas certainly didn't play its best and needed its best player to help carry the team - Bijan Robinson did exactly that, even catching two passes for 22 yards. This was a WOW performance from Robinson against a very fired up/determined TCU defense.

***

This is the kind of make-or-break game in Texas’ schedule the Longhorns have lost in recent years. See last year’s home game against Iowa State for a berth in the Big 12 title game, when Texas had a 10-point lead in the third quarter, couldn’t finish and lost. Heck, see the 2019 game against the Horned Frogs in Fort Worth, when Texas led by seven in the third quarter, couldn’t finish and lost by 10.

Make no mistake, the Longhorns have a laundry list of things to clean up: too many penalties, giving up an 87-yard kick return to open the game, some offensive line issues in pass protection showed up again, and the defense gave up a 13-play, 99-yard drive to a touchdown when UT could least afford it - late in the fourth quarter.

But Texas has a truly special running back in Bijan Robinson, who makes people miss at point-blank range (a la Emmitt Smith), a quarterback who can lead and deliver in big moments, and an opportunistic defense that collected three turnovers and limited TCU to field goals on two drives that crossed Texas’ 20-yard-line. All of those things helped give the Longhorns a win that is bigger to the team than it is to the college football public - and keeps alive the chance to do something special in 2021.

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Casey Thompson is changing the narrative about the 2021 Longhorns and next gets a chance to show everyone just how far he’s come in the Red River Shootout against Oklahoma, where his father, Charles, played quarterback under Barry Switzer. Thompson’s numbers against TCU weren’t eye-popping - 12 of 22 passing for 142 yards and a touchdown with an interception just before halftime (on a play TCU should’ve been flagged for holding intended receiver Xavier Worthy).

Thompson was just 1-of-5 passing on third down and was sacked twice on third down. But when Texas needed Thompson to deliver he did, converting three third downs with his legs, including a third-and-3 and a third-and-1 on a 12-play, 75-yard drive capped by a 32-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Whittington that put Texas up 32-20 early in the fourth quarter. Thompson also hit Texas’ first, legitimate deep-ball shot of the season - for 37 yards to Jordan Whittington in the third quarter - that helped extend a drive to a field goal. More on that in a minute.

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Massive attaboy to Texas tight end Cade Brewer, who delivered the clearing block for Bijan Robinson’s 6-yard run on third-and-6 from the Texas 46 with 2:53 left and Texas clinging to a 32-27 lead. Huge block from Brewer on a tough, inside run that Texas had to have.

***

The Texas defense definitely struggled to corral TCU running back Zach Evans, who averaged 8.4 yards on his first 12 carries (for 101 yards), including a 33-yard gain on a drive to a field goal in the third quarter. But the Longhorns’ D came up with three turnovers and nearly had a fourth. TCU gave Texas some help on the first two turnovers - fumbling a flip on a reverse (recovered by D’Shawn Jamison) and a muffed punt return (recovered by DeMarvion Overshown at the TCU 9).

Anthony Cook did all the work in forcing a turnover for Texas on a beautiful, strip sack on a blitz off the edge from Max Duggan’s blindside. Duggan never saw the hit coming, and Cook recovered the fumble at Texas’ 49 in the third quarter. Texas converted the turnover into a Cameron Dicker field goal. Texas nearly had a fourth turnover, but linebackers Luke Brockermeyer and DeMarvion Overshown both had their hands on a deflected pass by Max Duggan, but neither could hang onto the ball with 13:38 left in the fourth quarter.

***

Kudos to redshirt freshman Andrej Karic who came into the game at right tackle in the first quarter when Derek Kerstetter moved from right tackle to left guard when Denzel Okafor left the game with an injury. Texas would only say it was a right leg injury, but Okafor was clearly rolled up on the play in which he was injured and was ruled out to return to the game at halftime. The offensive line had their hands full with an inspired/determined TCU defense, and Karic fared better at right tackle than Christian Jones fared at left tackle.

***

Christian Jones really struggled with the quickness of TCU defensive end Dylan Horton (6-4, 244), who made a nice inside move and blew by Jones to sack Casey Thompson for a 10-yard loss on third-and-6 from the TCU 10, forcing a successful 38-yard field goal attempt by Cameron Dicker on UT’s first possession of the game. On the play before, Texas had third-and-1 from the TCU 5 and had Roschon Johnson lined up in the wildcat with Casey Thompson out wide right, but tight end Jared Wiley was called for a false start, creating a third-and-6 from the TCU 10. Steve Sarkisian changed the play because of the penalty, and Horton blew by Jones for the 10-yard sack.

***

From the ever-popular second-guess category: Why go for two, when you’re up 12 with 13:46 left? Kick the extra point. And why go for it on fourth-and-goal from the 1 with a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter if you’re not going to run Bijan Robinson on some form of an outside zone running play?

Texas went with two straight runs up the middle on third-and-goal from the 2 and on fourth-and-goal from the 1 against a bunched-up TCU defense (and even used linebacker Devin Richardson as the lead blocker on the fourth-and-goal run - what?!?!), when the Longhorns struggled to run between the tackles all game - but feasted on outside zone running plays. On that very possession, Bijan Robinson had outside zone running plays of 17, 14 and 17 yards to start the drive. Just sayin.

***

Texas came into the TCU game as the least-penalized team in the Big 12, giving up an average of 31.8 penalty yards. But penalties, including five personal fouls, were a BIG problem for the Longhorns on Saturday - both in terms of the ones called and not called. Anthony Cook was called for Texas’ fifth personal foul of the game with 7:01 left in the third quarter for hitting a sliding quarterback - and it was questionable call. The flag extended a TCU drive to a field goal that cut UT’s lead to 26-20.

After a strip-sack and fumble recovery by Anthony Cook in the third quarter, four Texas players were called for unsportsmanlike conduct - excessive celebration. Texas was about to get off the field on third-and-9 in the second quarter after Luke Brockermeyer made a tackle for no gain on a screen pass. But DeMarvion Overshown was flagged for a late hit on the play (again, another questionable call), extending TCU’s drive. That drive, however, ended in no points.

Meanwhile, TCU defensive end Ochaun Mathis clearly had a late hit on Casey Thompson in the third quarter that wasn’t called. And the officials missed a clear hold by TCU cornerback Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, who grabbed Xavier Worthy’s jersey and held him up from getting to the ball on a play that ended up as a TCU interception just before the end of the first half. Texas finished the game with nine penalties for 97 yards.

***

Texas was flagged five times in the first quarter alone. Jerrin Thompson was called for pass interference. Jared Wiley was called for a false start on third-and-1 from the TCU 5 that helped turn a possible touchdown into a (successful) 38-yard field goal attempt. A 38-yard kick return by D’Shawn Jamison was negated by a late hit out of bounds by Ovie Oghoufo. On the very next play, Andrej Karic was called for a false start, causing Texas to start the possession with first-and-15 from the Texas 21.

Karic came in at right tackle when Derek Kerstetter moved from right tackle to left guard in place of injured starter Denzel Okafor, who had his right leg rolled up with 4:57 left in the first quarter. TCU was flagged only once in the first quarter - but it was a big one as safety T.J. Carter was ejected for targeting after lowering the crown of his helmet into Jordan Whittington on an attempted pass reception.

***

While Jordan Whittington came up with three, big catches for 79 yards, including a 37-yard deep ball and a 32-yard, catch-and-run touchdown in the fourth quarter, Texas had some uncharacteristic drops, including three by normally sure-handed freshman receiver Xavier Worthy. Worthy’s third drop of the game would’ve gone for a 20-plus-yard gain on second-and-7 on UT’s first possession of the second half. Instead, on the next play, Casey Thompson was sacked for an 11-yard loss, and UT was forced to punt.

In the first half, Bijan Robinson dropped a low-but-catchable pass on a screen on third-and-7, and Xavier Worthy dropped a high-but-catchable pass on third-and-7 from the Texas 41 that would’ve gone for a 20-yard gain. After Texas recovered a muffed punt at the TCU 9 in the second quarter, Worthy, who had been in motion to the left, dropped a flare pass from Thompson on second-and-goal from the 8 - with room to run.

Worthy, who finished with one catch for 7 yards, is experiencing the ups (last week's three-TD performance) and downs (this week) of being a freshman. Next week's game at the Cotton Bowl would be a great time to bounce back.

***

Casey Thompson had tight end Cade Brewer wide-open underneath when he went for a deep ball to Xavier Worthy, who ended up with three TCU defenders around him - one of whom - safety Nook Bradford - came down with the ball at the TCU 24 with 1:01 left in the first half. (In fairness, the officiating crew completely missed TCU cornerback Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson pulling on Worthy’s jersey, slowing Worthy down from getting to where the ball came down.)

Still, it was a first-down play for Texas from the Longhorns’ 31, and UT had two timeouts. No need to go for the throat right there. Keep nickel-and-diming down the field in your two-minute offense for a chance to put some more points on the board. Texas took a 23-17 lead into halftime.

***

Texas finally connected on a deep ball!! Casey Thompson hit Jordan Whittington for a 37-yard gain to the TCU 19 midway through the third quarter. Unfortunately, it didn't lead to a touchdown. Three straight running plays - by Bijan Robinson for 3 yards; Roschon Johnson for 4 yards; and Casey Thompson for 2 yards - left Texas with fourth-and-1 from the TCU 10. With only a six-point lead, Steve Sarkisian opted to do the right thing and have Cameron Dicker kick a 28-yard field goal to extend UT’s lead to nine - 26-17 with 7:19 left in the third quarter.

***

The good news is Texas got two turnovers deep in TCU territory in the first half. The bad news is Texas got only six points out of those two TCU turnovers deep in Frogs’ territory in the first half. TCU fumbled a flip on reverse that was recovered by D’Shawn Jamison and returned to the TCU 23. Texas could muster only a 38-yard field goal off the turnover. TCU’s Derius Davis muffed a punt return, recovered by DeMarvion Overshown at TCU’s 9 early in the second quarter, and, again Texas could only produce a 26-yard field goal that put Texas up 16-14 with 13:22 left in the second quarter.

***

You sort of knew it was going to be one of those days when TCU's JD Spielman returned the opening kickoff 87 yards to the Texas 13, easily blowing by Texas' first-man-downfield - safety Tyler Owens - on the play and setting up the Horned Frogs' first touchdown. Cameron Dicker was 21 of 26 on kickoff touchbacks coming into the TCU game, but his opening kickoff landed at the goal line, and Spielman found a lane to the right side of the field. Dicker's next four kickoffs were touchbacks.

Then, you really knew it could be one of those days, when on TCU’s first touchdown - a 12-yard run by Zach Evans, Texas nickel corner Anthony Cook missed a tackle near the line of scrimmage, and middle linebacker Luke Brockermeyer had his arms around Evans about 3 yards past the line - but Evans got away for the final 9 yards on his scoring run. Fortunately, Texas made enough plays so that even though the game started off as one of those days, it didn't END as one of those days.

***

Cameron Dicker was 4-of-4 on field goal attempts from 38, 38, 26 and 28 yards, and Texas needed every one of them. Dicker also had to punt for the first time in three games. He boomed two punts for an average of 46.5 yards, including a long of 52 early in the second quarter that was muffed by TCU's Derius Davis and was recovered at the TCU 9 by DeMarvion Overshown, leading to a 26-yard field goal by Dicker.

 

[satyanash 14281]

(Joe Cook) Runnin' Robinson: Star tailback's performance boosts Texas to win over TCU

Quote

FORT WORTH — On a third-and-goal from the TCU two-yard line midway through the fourth quarter, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian sent in goal line personnel and handed the ball off to Bijan Robinson, who gained one yard. He did it again on fourth down, and Robinson was stuffed at the one.

The Horned Frogs drove 99 yards on 13 plays in response to make it 32-27 with 4:23 to go. When faced with a third-and-six and needing a first down to seal Texas’ first win in Fort Worth since 2013, even though everyone in Amon G. Carter Stadium knew Robinson was getting the ball, Sarkisian once again placed his trust in Robinson. On his 35th carry of the game, Robinson gained 13 yards to reach the line to gain, capping a 216-yard, two-score outing. Texas knelt out the remainder of the clock to seal the five-point win.

“It was just awesome to see how Coach Sark trusts me to get the first down and get that big run so we could end the game,” Robinson said. Sarkisian’s trust was not rewarded on the first two go-rounds with Robinson when he tried to make it a 39-20 game near the goal line. But those two plays didn’t cause him to lose faith in his star back. “I think No. 5 epitomized our football team,” Sarkisian said. “The grit, he was exhausted. Thirty-five carries later, the last one was the most important one to get one more first down to seal the win.” Said quarterback Casey Thompson: “Third-and-nine, third-and-seven, it doesn’t matter. I think we’re pretty safe running behind Bijan.”

Sarkisian has repeated since his hire that he operates a run-first football team. Even on third-and-medium with the game in its deciding moments, he held true to that mantra. “A couple thoughts crossed my mind, but ultimately I felt like the best option was to get him the ball and see if we have a chance to go get a first down,” Sarkisian said. The goal line tries, Sarkisian said, were subtle attempts to send a message to his team.

He believed they could get two yards. He trusted Robinson would find the end zone. He believed, if stopped, Texas’ defense would hold.

Though he went unrewarded, Sarkisian consistently tried to go with his best option, especially when it became apparent his passing game was not going to offer much help. He did so for nearly the entirety of the Big 12 contest, and especially so with the game on the line. Robinson averaged 6.2 yards per carry behind an offensive line that lost starting left guard Denzel Okafor on Robinson’s 27-yard score in the first quarter to make it 10-7 Texas. He added a score in the second quarter to complete a seven-play, 55-yard drive to give Texas a lead it would not relinquish.

And play after play, Robinson was a problem for a TCU defense playing at less than full strength. He was responsible for almost 80 percent of Texas’ 272-yard performance on the ground, finding creases and avoiding tackles. The best move in his repertoire? A spin move Horned Frog defenders could rarely handle. “That spin move is pretty dangerous in space,” Robinson said. “Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t work. I’ve just got to keep timing it up. I think that setting up defenders and then making that spin move, they’re just not looking for that. They’re looking for a head up tackle. When you spin, they just get shocked and then we’ve got to come out of it some way.”

It’s one Texas defenders were very familiar with. Texas linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, who finished with a game-high 10 tackles and a fumble recovery, said he and his teammates are familiar with the challenge of trying to wrangle Robinson. After seeing his performance against an opposing defense, and when asked postgame, Overshown said what a lot of people are currently thinking. “Best running back in the country, and I stand on it,” he said.

Robinson said he had never toted the rock as many times as he did in Fort Worth. The more opportunities with the ball, the more chances a defender could break the ball loose, something could go awry in the blocking, or, worst of all, something could happen to Robinson. It’s a risk Sarkisian has to balance. But the star runner is willing to take on whatever his head coach puts on his shoulders.

“I can handle as many as the team needs,” Robinson said. “It doesn’t matter what it is. I earned the carries that I did get. It’s just a blessing that I just came out healthy with all those kind of carries, but whatever helps the team win that’s what I want to do.”

Though Robinson’s excellence was the top story, other Longhorns turned in performances that contributed to the win. In addition to Overshown, Anthony Cook recorded eight tackles, two TFL, a sack that forced TCU’s Max Duggan to lose the football, and a recovery on that same play. Jordan Whittington had three receptions for 79 yards and a fourth-quarter score. Cameron Dicker was 4-for-4 on field goals. One of his punts was downed inside the 20. The other traveled 52 yards.

There were issues for Texas, too. Thompson has given better performances through the air. Texas surrendered a 99-yard drive. The Longhorns committed nine penalties and amassed nine points off three Horned Frog turnovers. “I’d much rather win ugly than lose pretty,” Sarkisian said. It may have been an ugly win, but it wouldn’t have ended up that way were it not for Robinson’s running. Put simply by Sarkisian: “We leaned on No. 5 and found a way to get a win on the road, which is tough to do against good teams.”

 

[LTtxfan 48977]

Glad HORNS won -- but there were a ton of mistakes in this Toad Game.

Bijan was unbelievable...

 

[gmr548 16513]

That third down run to ice the game by Bijan was so insane. The counter was pretty well blocked, though you’d like to see Brewer make more room on the kick out, but TCU sold out expecting Bijan to get the ball. It’s hard to recall many runs that showcase that kind of vision, elusiveness, and power in one play. That should’ve been like a two yard gain just because of how many bodies TCU committed. But Bijan simply ran around and through them.

This word is overused but that is l was an amazing feat.

[Bill Lumbergh 7170]

That third down run to ice the game by Bijan was so insane. The counter was pretty well blocked, though you’d like to see Brewer make more room on the kick out, but TCU sold out expecting Bijan to get the ball. It’s hard to recall many runs that showcase that kind of vision, elusiveness, and power in one play. That should’ve been like a two yard gain just because of how many bodies TCU committed. But Bijan simply ran around and through them.

This word is overused but that is l was an amazing feat.

On third and six with the game on the line, you hope you might catch them off guard by running instead of passing. Nope. To your point, everyone in the stadium knew where the ball was going.

They sold out to stop him, got to him a full 4 yards from the first, and just couldn't stop him. It was as impressive an individual effort as I've seen in a long time.

[satyanash 14281]

Bobby Burton: What a Difference

Quote

A year ago, Texas played TCU and lost the game on the goal line. This year, Bijan Robinson is stopped cold at the 1-yard line in the fourth quarter, and TCU came roaring back. Yet the end results of the two games were quite different. What made the difference? First of all, the Texas offense moved the ball with more regularity yesterday. Texas suffered through just two three-and-outs (one on an interception) all day. By comparison, a year ago though, the Horns had six three-and-outs (a number that includes one turnover).

In fact, the Horns first two possessions a year ago were three-and-outs, not exactly a great tone-setter for the rest of the game. What’s more, Texas was able to move the ball more consistently yesterday with a QB who was making just his third career start and who clearly was struggling at times, compared to a QB the previous year who was starting for his fourth year. The facts are, this is a significantly better, more resilient and consistent Texas offense than that of a year ago. But it’s not just the offense that is “better”.

**

When TCU came roaring back yesterday - with their 99-yard fourth-quarter drive to make it a one-score game - at no point did it appear Texas was woefully out-coached on defense to me. A couple of players didn’t make the plays they needed to. But there was no planned QB run that went for 20+ yards. There was no called play, like the jet sweep a year ago, that repeatedly beat the Horns into submission on a final drive or for an entire game.

The defense yesterday, by and large, played much smarter than that of a year ago. No, it wasn’t perfect nor was it dominating. But it was better, definitively more sound, than a year ago. Again, that’s coaching.

**

I’m not here to anoint Steve Sarkisian as the savior for Texas football this morning (though that might be coming if the Horns keep winning). Nor do I think Pete Kwiatkowski is the best defensive coordinator to ever call plays for the Horns. Yet what we saw yesterday was a significantly better, more consistent and reliable team than the one the Horns put on the field a year ago. Credit goes to the coaches and players for making that happen.

**

If there was such a thing as a mid-year portal, Texas would no doubt be tapping into that right now for an edge player on defense that can disrupt games. The Horns just aren’t getting much of a pass rush from the outside. In fact, one of the better, most effective rushes yesterday came from Jett Bush. Bush chased Max Duggan from the pocket on a key third down to force the Horned Frogs to kick a field goal. Paul’s post mortem on the defense describes the overall issue well.

The lack of a pass rush from the outside will come back to haunt the Horns at some point this season, I’m just not sure when.

**

The Horns will need a bounce back game from Xavier Worthy against the Sooners. OU, as Ian Boyd pointed out in our post-game videocast, is going to load the box against Bijan and force Texas receivers to beat their outside guys one on one. Worthy absolutely has to come to play next week.

 

[Vito Andolini 9109]

Taylor Estes: “exercised some demons.”

Wow.

[satyanash 14281]

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

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Who Forted? Texas notched its first win in Ft Worth since 2013. It didn't look pretty and TCU isn't a particularly good football team, but when a Texas game starts like this on the road against an opponent who has been a bugbear in the Longhorn psyche...

...and the team takes the blow, shrugs it off, and grinds out the W, I will take it, thank you very much. Better to learn through an ugly win than a loss that grants Patterson another year of prima nocta and the right to lodge an irritating ear worm in the brain of every recruit that he can get on the telephone. I've seen Texas fold too many times against the Frogs like the cheap laundry that the referees were throwing all over the field Saturday to not value the win.

That written, this defense has much to improve on, particularly when facing more competent offenses.

After the Tech balls deep debacle, PK was determined to play the Longhorn safeties in Burleson and Denton to keep TCU's Max Duggan from hitting opportunistic deep balls. That passive strategy, while at times frustrating, limited the Frog passing game to a longest completion of 25 yards and held Duggan to less than 10 yards per completion (20 of 28 for 182 yards, 1 touchdown pass) and 6.5 yards per attempt. There were plenty of wide-open TCU receivers in the soft Texas zone, but PK counted on Duggan's inability to execute intermediate throws and on OC Doug Meacham's limited play book.

At times, it felt like Zach Evans' pitch count was the best Horn run defense. Evans: 15 carries, 113 yards, 1 td, no negative runs, but Texas was largely solid against the QB run game as Duggan never ran for more than 10 yards on a single play and the QB draw game was snuffed (contrast this with the brutal Longhorn effort in 2020 on critical downs). In aggregate, the Texas defensive effort doesn't look bad (351 yards surrendered, 5.1 yards per play). But qualitatively, it kinda felt bad at times, didn't it? Especially on that 99-yard touchdown drive. TCU also cost itself opportunities with three turnovers, two of them basically unforced.

Special Teams

The 87 yard TCU kick return is posted above. Watch it, then never look upon it again. Gia's Dad isn't going to be happy with either the lack of aggression or the lane indiscipline on that coverage. Props to Keilan Robinson for finishing the play and tackling the Frog kick returner on the UT 15. Dicker was 4 for 4 on field goals, but one of them was just a little too close for comfort.

Texas did a solid job returning kickoffs, averaging 26.2 per, but D'shawn Jamison's failure to field a pair of punts cost Texas about 30 yards in field position and the Horns also had a personal foul that subtracted 15 yards from a return. Overall, not the dominance we've seen over the prior two weeks. Texas will need this unit firing against the Sooners in Dallas to create some momentum shifts.

Defense

DB

They need to be evaluated within the scheme that PK wanted them to play and that plan put an emphasis on not letting Purple jerseys run past 'em, tackling, and anticipation. Tackling and anticipation are works in progress, but not letting the ball over their heads was a win. At least they executed the thing that that alignment was built to do.

A fantastic game-changing play from Anthony Cook and a good play call from PK. Cook delivered a smart blow, forced the fumble, and rather than stand and flex admiring his work, he went and made the recovery. Cook had another beastly play attacking a TCU WR screen where he blew past a blocker and inflicted a two yard loss. He finished with 8 tackles, 2 tfl, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery. There's another play on a Duggan keeper where he lit up Evans as the lead blocker and it seemed to take a little spring out of Zach's step. The penalty on him for the Duggan hit was also utter nonsense. Anthony Cook is my current Longhorn Defensive MVP.

Josh Thompson missed the game and that may have also played a role in the game plan. Darion Dunn got the starting nod and I think Crawford got some run as well, but couldn't always see where he was subbing. BJ Foster had a few mystifying snaps where he seemed to lose sight of the ball. Lacks closing speed in pass coverage. 5 tackles. Jerrin Thompson had a bad missed tackle in the open field, but was otherwise solid. 5 tackles. Visibly frustrated at times by gaps in Longhorn zone coverage.

LB

Tough outing at times for this unit. Brockermeyer gutted through multiple injuries to record 9 tackles, but playing him at 70% is testament to how the staff feels about the alternatives. Overshown had 10 tackles and made a terrific play scraping inside across a blocker on a 3rd down Zach Evans run near the goal line to save a touchdown, but Demarvion spends a little too much time in confusion. He was bailed out on a poor Duggan throw on an early 3rd down when he turned his back to the line of scrimmage and lost his assignment. TCU also made Texas pay for letting #0 get isolated against a slot on the Duggan TD throw. Jaylan Ford got some run and finished with 3 tackles.

Too many missed tackles from this unit overall. Pursuit angles need to improve.

DL

For the second straight week, you won't find Keondre Coburn in the box score even though he was on the field and got the start. T'vondre Sweat is playing much better ball now and has supplanted Coburn as the significantly more useful interior body. Sweat finished with 4 tackles and had a key tipped ball on a Frog 3rd down. Ojomo was very quiet and had limited snaps. A little hobbled?

Jacoby Jones had an active game and even a little dominant stretch late in the 1st half with a pair of pressures and drew a personal foul penalty from a frustrated Frog tackle. Jumping offsides on a 4th and 1 was naughty, but he was bailed out by Doug Meacham's perm. PK likes to pair Alfred Collins and Ovie Oghoufo in a rotation I like to call Feast or Famine. Both are good at creating some havoc with their quickness or getting completely washed out with an ill-advised guess.

He also likes to pair Vernon Broughton and Byron Murphy - High and Low. Pads, that is. Spotlight on Byron Murphy. He had one series in the late second half where he jacked up a TCU guard and drove him into the runner to create a loss and then had a big tackle for loss on Duggan on a 3rd and 2. He's really coming along and weak OL with poor leverage struggle against him. Good pad level, motor.

No Barryn Sorrell, which brought Jett Bush back into the rotation. Bush had a nice hustle play on a 3 man rush, but he also drew a personal foul and loses the battle of physics at the point of attack. He can't create his own pressure, but can at times be an active chaser/hustle guy when someone else disrupts. Texas needs someone, anyone, to bring it from the edge with some consistency.

Final

 

[satyanash 14281]

(Scipio Tex) 2021 Texas-TCU Postmortem: Offense

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Bijan Robinson hammered the Frogs for 216 yards on 35 carries and caught another 2 passes for 22 yards while notching two touchdowns. As Sark has demonstrated at prior stops, he's not going to shy away from milking his bell cow. Bijan broke 15 tackles in the game and the last six plays run by the Longhorn offense were handoffs to #5. Other than a 27-yard touchdown run that was a Rembrandt, Robinson primarily did his work a few hard yards at a time: making a man miss, refusing first-contact tackles, demonstrating terrific vision, moving the pile, and singlehandedly willing a struggling Texas offense to victory. Here's his longest run:

A terrific job at the point of attack here by Kerstetter and Angilau sealing inside, a less than impressive job by Wiley securing the edge, and a whole lot of Bijan. The two cuts he makes in rapid succession between the 3-5 second marks on that clip are remarkable. A 215 guy should not be able to do that. Watch the two running plays at the end of the game that Texas must absolutely have:

That's heart right there. Sark lacked confidence in the Texas passing offense and the Horns had to adjust to a game plan meant to protect Casey Thompson. That was evident fairly early with Thompson misdialing on open Longhorn receivers, twice trying to throw interceptions to TCU linebackers, and reaffirmed when he threw up a punt into triple coverage before the half.

Given the passing game struggles, it is not coincidence that Bijan got the ball on 3rd and 4 with goal to go (TD), a 3rd and 9 in the 4th quarter (9 yard run, first down), and a pair of 4th quarter goal line carries that screamed play action situation against a sold out TCU run defense (Texas failed to convert). The coup de grace was a 3rd and 6 handoff late in the 4th quarter that Bijan converted to effectively seal the Longhorn win. Texas ran the ball in those situations not just because Bijan is awesome, but because Sark couldn't trust his passing game execution.

The Texas passing offense was bad. That's an aggregate statement that encompasses the QB, one WR, and one OT. It does not encompass Sark, who realized pretty quickly that he was going to be calling the passing game with his laminate tied behind his back. This despite the fact that TCU was starting a terrible cornerback opposite Hodges-Tomlinson and has a couple of safeties that were begging to be exploited down field after the Carter targeting ejection.

Warning: I will break down each unit and evaluate their actual level of play. That means when Casey throws the ball, the receiver catching it is irrelevant to the quality of his throw and decision making. I'm evaluating the throw. If your response is "Yeah, but still" or "But winners win and look at this drive data against Rice!" or "receiver drops drain the psychic energy of the QB and make his arm weak" then we watch a different game and that's cool and have fun and be a fan. Conversely, it also means it's not Thompson's fault when Christian Jones surrenders a free run sack - even if you feel he "should do something and be a winner" - or that Xavier Worthy's drops happened because Thompson coats the ball in Crisco.

QB

Casey Thompson played poorly. As I've written for several weeks running, he has a weak arm and his inability to throw the ball with any velocity, variety, and rhythm down the field is costing the Longhorns easy points and creating turnover opportunities. "It's fine because we won" isn't sound thinking. Sark is scheming up touchdowns in the passing game that are turning into wasted downs. See the Longhorns' first play from scrimmage in the contest. Should've been a Joshua Moore TD. That inability to counter punch will be exploited by better opponents.

Thompson finished the first half 6 of 14 for 47 yards and an interception. He was 2 of 7 for 11 yards in the 2nd quarter. Beyond the stats - which are influenced by factors outside of his control like drops - grading his actual throws and decision-making yields a D grade. He played better in the second half, but Sark limiting him to 8 passing attempts despite a TCU secondary begging to be exploited was not due to Sark's negligence. It was appropriate caution. The wide-open RPO touchdown to Jordan Whittington was a key play and it certainly punished Patterson for crowding the box. Tip your hat to Casey for delivering there. The other long completion to Whittington was a poor throw made right by an exceptional effort from the receiver. Those two throws effectively comprised his statistical second half rally. Again, I'm not relying on inference. I'm watching the plays and grading them.

Thompson did run the ball opportunistically and his best play was a 41 yard scramble on a roll out where he eluded one Frog defender and then took advantage of green grass to take the ball out past midfield.

WR/TE

Xavier Worthy looked like a freshman, dropping three balls and blocking terribly at some key moments. He and Josh Moore combined for absolute whiffs on the play side of a Casey Thompson called run near the goal line in the 3rd quarter (go to 1:21 in the Youtube full game to see it). The coaches on the sideline were not pleased. Whittington was fantastic and an absolute bright spot in an otherwise poor performance by the receivers. 3 catches for 79 yards and a beastly effort on his downfield catch to bail out Thompson's throw and a nifty touchdown with YAC burning a loaded Frog box. Washington is a game blocker. Brewer played well as a blocker, Wiley often did not.

OL

A very bad effort from Christian Jones in the first half. He gave up a free run sack to his inside on Thompson where he never contacted the DE (maybe he thought he had help, but definitely did not) and then gave up a free run tackle for loss to the same player on the same inside stunt. Again, he didn't touch him. Jones stabilized and got it cleaned up for a while, but struggled again when TCU inserted 220 pound Khari Coleman to sprint off of the edge and disrupt. Coleman is a one-trick pony who can't bull rush Jones. So get light on your feet, let him come to you, and push the sprinter past the QB and let the QB step up into the window. Or ride him out in the run game and punish the Frogs for going small.

Denzel Okafor went out for the game on Bijan's 27 yard touchdown run. Texas reconfigured, putting Karic at right tackle with Kerstetter going to left guard. This is why I like Andrej Karic. Skip to 37:40:

Watch #69 on the top right finish the play. Karic surrendered a pressure batted ball from Ochuan Mathis early and had a false startpenalty. After that, I really liked his play. Angilau continues to get good displacement in the interior running game.

RB

Belaboring Bijan's greatness isn't necessary, so I'll talk Roschon and Keilan. I'm a RoJo fan and love everything he brings, but he didn't run through contact well in this game. 7 carries for 22 yards. He did make up for it with a nice block for Bijan out of 20 personnel where he lit up a TCU linebacker. Keilan moves at a different speed out there and the staff involved him with 2 catches for 13 yards.

Final

Gary Patterson was justifiably terrified of exposing his shaky secondary and was reluctant to crowd the box other than on some key downs and late in the game when the Frogs trailed. Alex Grinch will expose his secondary and dare Casey Thompson to make big throws.

 

 

 

 

[Codaxx 5602]

38 minutes ago, satyanash said:

(Scipio Tex) 2021 Texas-TCU Postmortem: Offense

 

 

 

 

This is what gives me hope that things are changing. TCU crowds the box and Casey is struggling, Sark says “fuck it, Got Bijan”. How many times have we seen Herman smash his head against a brick wall? Nice to see a coach adjust and actually call plays that are counter to his beliefs, because he feels that is the best way to win.  It wasn’t pretty, but I have seen so many play callers that can’t do that. (Remember Charlie having 5 in box vs Kingsbury?) 

[jinx 2635]

1 hour ago, satyanash said:

(Scipio Tex) 2021 Texas-TCU Postmortem: Offense

 

 

 

 

Casey showed why he finished second to Card to start the season. I’m still in favor of him starting, but yesterday was really bad. Sure, X didn’t help, and our WRs are hit or miss at best, but Fat Pat figured out how to make him uncomfortable.

Credit to Sark and crew for taking our best player and riding him to the win. We still have a long way to go, but that was a good win. 

[TwiceHorn 31276]

1 hour ago, jinx said:

Casey showed why he finished second to Card to start the season. I’m still in favor of him starting, but yesterday was really bad. Sure, X didn’t help, and our WRs are hit or miss at best, but Fat Pat figured out how to make him uncomfortable.

Credit to Sark and crew for taking our best player and riding him to the win. We still have a long way to go, but that was a good win. 

Yeah, I think that's right.  He's not been too great with the long ball that I can ever recall, but his short and intermediate passing have been pretty decent, but that may be dependent on receivers getting "excessively" open.

Interesting, though, that Sark never made the switch for a series or two.  The protection seemed mostly good enough that Card could have "survived" and maybe even flourished.

[Dahobbs 17447]

11 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

Yeah, I think that's right.  He's not been too great with the long ball that I can ever recall, but his short and intermediate passing have been pretty decent, but that may be dependent on receivers getting "excessively" open.

Interesting, though, that Sark never made the switch for a series or two.  The protection seemed mostly good enough that Card could have "survived" and maybe even flourished.

Despite some questionable throws, Casey appeared to remain calm, even when our left tackle decided to allow free runners to the QB. And the offense kept moving the ball and even scoring (granted, FGs). While Card may have been able to hit better on some of those deep passes, I think putting him in would have added some unnecessary volatility given how well Bijan was playing.  I'm hoping game film helps Casey see what wrong for him, and this proves to be a great learning experience. I don't know what to do about the deep ball. A few of those shots missed by like a foot. 

[Eskimohorn 5615]

Despite some questionable throws, Casey appeared to remain calm, even when our left tackle decided to allow free runners to the QB. And the offense kept moving the ball and even scoring (granted, FGs). While Card may have been able to hit better on some of those deep passes, I think putting him in would have added some unnecessary volatility given how well Bijan was playing.  I'm hoping game film helps Casey see what wrong for him, and this proves to be a great learning experience. I don't know what to do about the deep ball. A few of those shots missed by like a foot. 

Card is about 1 for 10 on deep balls in his limited action. Like one poster put it, “he reminds me of Richard Walton.”

[texifornia 56520]

40 minutes ago, Dahobbs said:

Despite some questionable throws, Casey appeared to remain calm, even when our left tackle decided to allow free runners to the QB. And the offense kept moving the ball and even scoring (granted, FGs). While Card may have been able to hit better on some of those deep passes, I think putting him in would have added some unnecessary volatility given how well Bijan was playing.  I'm hoping game film helps Casey see what wrong for him, and this proves to be a great learning experience. I don't know what to do about the deep ball. A few of those shots missed by like a foot. 

Yup. Casey was bad, but he didn't turn into a puddle either. Card has the arm, but hasn't shown much ability to actually do anything with it in a tough game.

[Starfleet Command 441]

45 minutes ago, Dahobbs said:

Despite some questionable throws, Casey appeared to remain calm, even when our left tackle decided to allow free runners to the QB. And the offense kept moving the ball and even scoring (granted, FGs). While Card may have been able to hit better on some of those deep passes, I think putting him in would have added some unnecessary volatility given how well Bijan was playing.  I'm hoping game film helps Casey see what wrong for him, and this proves to be a great learning experience. I don't know what to do about the deep ball. A few of those shots missed by like a foot. 

Yeah, as much as they struggled with the passing game we still only had three three and outs I believe and could have easily scored 40+ if they had taken better advantage of their scoring opportunities. 

[Longhorn94 2427]

I liked Sark's decision to stick with Casey. If you switch him out, you destroy his confidence. Let him play through. 

[Codaxx 5602]

4 minutes ago, texifornia said:

Yup. Casey was bad, but he didn't turn into a puddle either. Card has the arm, but hasn't shown much ability to actually do anything with it in a tough game.

too be fair neither QB has shown the ability to play at a high level in a tough game. Hell, Casey almost threw 3 picks in a game with a 200 yard rusher, I am not sure I have ever seen that. Hopefully it was a learning lesson, but  I just dont think Texas has a high level option at QB. I still think Texas can win 9

[satyanash 14281]

7 minutes ago, Codaxx said:

too be fair neither QB has shown the ability to play at a high level in a tough game. Hell, Casey almost threw 3 picks in a game with a 200 yard rusher, I am not sure I have ever seen that. Hopefully it was a learning lesson, but  I just dont think Texas has a high level option at QB. I still think Texas can win 9

Buechele threw three INTs against Kansas in 2016... same game where D'Onta Foreman rushed for 250 yards and 2 TDs.

[texifornia 56520]

2 minutes ago, satyanash said:

Buechele threw three INTs against Kansas in 2016... same game where D'Onta Foreman rushed for 250 yards and 2 TDs.

You remembering the Kansas game with crystal clarity is just so on brand.

[formermav43 4599]

12 minutes ago, Longhorn94 said:

I liked Sark's decision to stick with Casey. If you switch him out, you destroy his confidence. Let him play through. 

I’m not disagreeing with you about making a switch. But you do remember how he ended up starting in the first place, right?

[elguapo 4583]

Sark is repeatedly scheming guys wide ass open deep and we just can't execute, whether it be because of the OL or QB. It's severely hampering the offense and we still put up 32 points against a Patterson D. If Sark can get a QB in place that can distribute the ball accurately to all areas of the field and an OL that can protect him then watch out.

[Longhorn94 2427]

7 minutes ago, formermav43 said:

I’m not disagreeing with you about making a switch. But you do remember how he ended up starting in the first place, right?

yeah i do, but the game was over when he brought in Casey and we had two easy games coming up on the schedule to get Casey ready. Switching now would be really hard on both QBs. 

[Jiggy-Z 3432]

5 minutes ago, elguapo said:

Sark is repeatedly scheming guys wide ass open deep and we just can't execute, whether it be because of the OL or QB. It's severely hampering the offense and we still put up 32 points against a Patterson D. If Sark can get a QB in place that can distribute the ball accurately to all areas of the field and an OL that can protect him then watch out.

Texas also shot themselves in the foot with motion penalties around the goal line on three occasions I think.  Probably cost ourselves at least 4 points on those with the last one costing 3 points on the 4th and one goal line stand.

Add those back into scoring and kicking the XP instead of going for 2, puts you comfortably ahead by 3 scores all of which need to be TDs for TCU.

Really just a build up of small compounding errors making this game closer than it needed to be given TCU's turn over issues and Bijan's running.

Then throw in hitting those open deep passes and get rid of the dropsies and the situation is even better, as you said, but certainly not required for a comfortable win.

Against better teams, this will costs Texas.

I hate to say it but minus the feeding of Bejan, this was a very Tom Hermanesqe type of game that looked a lot like last years game flow.  Reminded me of the end of the WV game.

[jinx 2635]

I am still in favor of starting Casey, and I don't like pulling one for the other, especially after Card's deer in headlights performance against Arky. Casey has shown the ability to pilot the ship with competence, he just lacks arm talent to make this offense as explosive as it should be. Hopefully he comes out focused and ready for OU.

[elguapo 4583]

Just now, jinx said:

I am still in favor of starting Casey, and I don't like pulling one for the other, especially after Card's deer in headlights performance against Arky. Casey has shown the ability to pilot the ship with competence, he just lacks arm talent to make this offense as explosive as it should be. Hopefully he comes out focused and ready for OU.

I agree that Casey is our best option right now. He never appeared to be rattled on Saturday even with his struggles and the drops. I think we'll see a much better performance from Casey against OU.

[SomeoneYouKnow 72]

Something I noticed....Sark said in one of his press events last week that he (rightfully) thought Casey was putting too much air under the ball on the deep throws against Tech. I noticed early on in this game that some of the down field throws from Casey were way too flat with a higher velocity. Seems like they probably explicitly worked on that in practice and Casey was trying to execute, just seemed to be an overcorrection.

That said, his deep ball issues are a bit odd coming off of the bowl game last year. Many of us were exuberant because he hit multiple down field throws against CU that Sam had a lot of trouble with all year. 

[Dahobbs 17447]

3 minutes ago, SomeoneYouKnow said:

Something I noticed....Sark said in one of his press events last week that he (rightfully) thought Casey was putting too much air under the ball on the deep throws against Tech. I noticed early on in this game that some of the down field throws from Casey were way too flat with a higher velocity. Seems like they probably explicitly worked on that in practice and Casey was trying to execute, just seemed to be an overcorrection.

That said, his deep ball issues are a bit odd coming off of the bowl game last year. Many of us were exuberant because he hit multiple down field throws against CU that Sam had a lot of trouble with all year. 

He was just barely missing against TCU. A step or two on a few of those would have been the difference between an incomplete and TD. How was the wind at the game?  

[Jiggy-Z 3432]

13 minutes ago, SomeoneYouKnow said:

Something I noticed....Sark said in one of his press events last week that he (rightfully) thought Casey was putting too much air under the ball on the deep throws against Tech. I noticed early on in this game that some of the down field throws from Casey were way too flat with a higher velocity. Seems like they probably explicitly worked on that in practice and Casey was trying to execute, just seemed to be an overcorrection.

That said, his deep ball issues are a bit odd coming off of the bowl game last year. Many of us were exuberant because he hit multiple down field throws against CU that Sam had a lot of trouble with all year. 

In the bowl game he had just a little more time to throw and his receivers were just a bit more open and perhaps his throws were 1/4 step better.  Game of inches and all that.

[jinx 2635]

28 minutes ago, Dahobbs said:

He was just barely missing against TCU. A step or two on a few of those would have been the difference between an incomplete and TD. How was the wind at the game?  

But it was on everything. I wanted to see more of Keilan in general, but the one flare pass where he led him too much looked like it could have been a really good play if Keilan wouldn't have fallen down trying to make the catch. Casey was just off, I can't say why, but knowing the sweaty one, I am sure he gave a number of looks that had Casey thinking more than Tech or Rice or late game Arkansas.

[Dahobbs 17447]

1 minute ago, jinx said:

But it was on everything. I wanted to see more of Keilan in general, but the one flare pass where he led him too much looked like it could have been a really good play if Keilan wouldn't have fallen down trying to make the catch. Casey was just off, I can't say why, but knowing the sweaty one, I am sure he gave a number of looks that had Casey thinking more than Tech or Rice or late game Arkansas.

That pass was good. Keilan just dropped it. 

[Jiggy-Z 3432]

4 minutes ago, Dahobbs said:

That pass was good. Keilan just dropped it. 

You are thinking of an earlier pass.  TCU had that one read pretty well, but it did have a 20-30% chance of converting if he catches it.

[BurntOrange&White 39655]

 

Here is some analysis....Thompson performed worse vs TCU than Card did vs Arkansas.

[Bill Lumbergh 7170]

Hell, Casey almost threw 3 picks in a game with a 200 yard rusher, I am not sure I have ever seen that.

That's a bit chicken and egg, no?

We likely had a 200 yard rusher bc Casey wasn't reading their defense well.

That would mean the nearly 3 picks is directly responsible for the rushing total, rather than being a stat you'd be surprised to find paired with the total.

I'm sure Sark is extremely happy with Bijan's output, but no way in hell did he want to wear him down that much the week before OU. He did what he had to do to win given how Casey was performing against good schemes by Patterson.

[jinx 2635]

9 minutes ago, Dahobbs said:

That pass was good. Keilan just dropped it. 

 

4 minutes ago, Jiggy-Z said:

You are thinking of an earlier pass.  TCU had that one read pretty well, but it did have a 20-30% chance of converting if he catches it.

This is the play I'm talking about. He caught it and immediately fell down. It looked to be just a touch out front, and maybe it was Keilan's fault instead of Casey, but when I saw this view I was thinking TD.

[Codaxx 5602]

6 minutes ago, Bill Lumbergh said:

 

 

That's a bit chicken and egg, no?

We likely had a 200 yard rusher bc Casey wasn't reading their defense well.

That would mean the nearly 3 picks is directly responsible for the rushing total, rather than being a stat you'd be surprised to find paired with the total.

I'm sure Sark is extremely happy with Bijan's output, but no way in hell did he want to wear him down that much the week before OU. He did what he had to do to win given how Casey was performing against good schemes by Patterson.
 

 

The point was Texas was running the ball well and TCU was loading the box and the passing game still struggled. I get the picks if the offense was on Casey, but that was not the case here. That is not a good performance.

[Nivek 16859]

That line… jesus…..

[NoName 16300]

19 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

 

Here is some analysis....Thompson performed worse vs TCU than Card did vs Arkansas.

those guys should try a little harder to not hide their VERY CLEAR (financially-related) feelings on QB

Card was 8/15 for 61 yards vs Arky - a 18.4 QBR and 4.1 YPA

Thompson was 12/22 for 142 yards vs TCU - a 54.7 QBR and 6.5 YPA

i know people don't love QBR and it is far from perfect but no one in their right mind can look at those two games and say "yeah, the Texas QBs played better vs Arkansas than TCU"

[dcar00 14035]

2 hours ago, texifornia said:

Yup. Casey was bad, but he didn't turn into a puddle either. Card has the arm, but hasn't shown much ability to actually do anything with it in a tough game.

Casey got some stuff done with his feet to get 1st downs and move the chains against TCU.  that(and just general leadership due to time in the program) was the main reason they needed to go to Casey IMO.

I'm now understanding why Sark picked Card.  from a clean pocket/practice scenario I'm guessing Card looked better.  exhibit A as to why practice doesn't come close to simulating game situations.

I know Sark doesn't want his QB to run but all these guys grow up now taking off when necessary.  he needs to release the reins a bit. I'm sure even Sark would admit that a QB run threat(not QB power) opens up his playbook even more.

[texifornia 56520]

36 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

 

Here is some analysis....Thompson performed worse vs TCU than Card did vs Arkansas.

Oh that is CLASSIC Nahlin.

[dcar00 14035]

1 hour ago, Jiggy-Z said:

Texas also shot themselves in the foot with motion penalties around the goal line on three occasions I think.  Probably cost ourselves at least 4 points on those with the last one costing 3 points on the 4th and one goal line stand.

Add those back into scoring and kicking the XP instead of going for 2, puts you comfortably ahead by 3 scores all of which need to be TDs for TCU.

Really just a build up of small compounding errors making this game closer than it needed to be given TCU's turn over issues and Bijan's running.

Then throw in hitting those open deep passes and get rid of the dropsies and the situation is even better, as you said, but certainly not required for a comfortable win.

Against better teams, this will costs Texas.

I hate to say it but minus the feeding of Bejan, this was a very Tom Hermanesqe type of game that looked a lot like last years game flow.  Reminded me of the end of the WV game.

the difference being our D was pretty salty(sans a few busts on Evans) until the 99 yard drive.  I know the O will come along under Sark.  I want to see PK do work because that will separate us and Sark needs PK to make that happen.

[Texasrocks 2124]

39 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

 

Here is some analysis....Thompson performed worse vs TCU than Card did vs Arkansas.

It's hard for a man to understand something when his livelihood depends on him not understanding it.

[chase25 2048]

2 hours ago, Codaxx said:

too be fair neither QB has shown the ability to play at a high level in a tough game. Hell, Casey almost threw 3 picks in a game with a 200 yard rusher, I am not sure I have ever seen that. Hopefully it was a learning lesson, but  I just dont think Texas has a high level option at QB. I still think Texas can win 9

2007 Nebraska in Austin. 

Colt was 12-28, 181 yards and an INT

Jamaal ran for 290 yards on 33 carries and 3 TDs

That Nebraska team went on to finish 5-7 and Texas needed a heroic effort from Jamaal Charles at home to win 28-25. Bad games happen to the best of them, even Colt but people forget them because of how many good ones he went on to have.

[bejezuz 329]

18 minutes ago, dcar00 said:

the difference being our D was pretty salty(sans a few busts on Evans) until the 99 yard drive.  I know the O will come along under Sark.  I want to see PK do work because that will separate us and Sark needs PK to make that happen.

Fanatic Perspective gave a good explanation for the 99 yard drive.  Our defense was gassed after the first few plays of that drive.  TCU went hurry-up and made no substitutions, and Sark bet on his team to keep the ball in-bounds and play the clock rather than burn a time out and make substitutions.  In the end, we were able to make some first downs after the touchdown and the gamble of living with a time-consuming 99 yard drive worked.  Winning ugly beats a close loss any day.      

Edited October 4, 2021 by bejezuz

[Codaxx 5602]

26 minutes ago, NoName said:

those guys should try a little harder to not hide their VERY CLEAR (financially-related) feelings on QB

Card was 8/15 for 61 yards vs Arky - a 18.4 QBR and 4.1 YPA

Thompson was 12/22 for 142 yards vs TCU - a 54.7 QBR and 6.5 YPA

i know people don't love QBR and it is far from perfect but no one in their right mind can look at those two games and say "yeah, the Texas QBs played better vs Arkansas than TCU"

I hate QBR in this situation, because it misses a lot of factors. Card in Fayettenam with no running attack is a horrific situation for a young QB, especially with Ark moving the ball up and down the field. Casey had the lead and Bijan was carrying the offense. The level of difficulty is not close. That said Card spit the bit and panicked, that is the one thing you cant do. You really cant say Casey was worse, even if TCU LBs didnt drop those passes. Another thing that QBR doesnt include, poor decisions that luckily end up with the ball rolling on the ground. 

[satyanash 14281]

(Justin Wells) Bijan Robinson, Cameron Dicker add Big 12 honors

Quote

AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Football sophomore RB Bijan Robinson and senior K Cameron Dicker both earned Big 12 weekly honors the league announced on Monday, with Robinson being named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week and Dicker earning Big 12 Co-Special Teams Player of the Week honors. It was Robinson’s second Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honor this season, having also garnered the distinction following the opening weekend of the season, and fourth of his career, while Dicker earned the fourth weekly Big 12 honor of his career and first since 2019.

Robinson established career highs with 35 carries and 216 rushing yards (6.2 ypc), scoring two touchdowns and catching two passes for 22 yards to lead the Longhorns to a 32-27 victory at TCU, Texas’ first win in Fort Worth since 2013. It was the first 200-yard rushing game of his career and the first for a Longhorn since D’Onta Foreman accomplished the feat against Texas Tech in 2016.

Over his last nine games, Robinson has totaled 1,174 yards on 152 carries (7.72 ypc) with 11 touchdowns, while hauling in 18 receptions for 296 yards (16.44 ypc) and scoring four touchdowns. His season totals include 1,470 yards on 170 plays for 8.64 yards per play and 15 touchdowns. The Tucson, Ariz. native has scored a touchdown in each of the last seven games, totaling 15 in all during the stretch (11 rushing and four receiving) with multiple touchdowns in five of those games.

Dicker, an Austin, Texas native, scored 14 of the Longhorns’ 32 points in the victory at TCU. The senior went 4-of-4 on field goal attempts to establish a single-game career-high in makes, just one shy of the UT single-game record. He was also 2-for-2 on PATs and is now third all-time in career scoring by a kicker at Texas with 338 points, only one point behind Phil Dawson (1994-97) for second and just 20 shy of the all-time record of 358 held by Dusty Mangum (2001-04). In addition, Dicker punted twice for a 46.5-yard average, including a 52-yarder with one downed inside the 20.

Texas’ 2021 Big 12 Weekly Honors

Week 1 vs. Louisiana – Bijan Robinson (Offensive)

Week 4 vs. Texas Tech – Casey Thompson (Offensive)

Week 4 vs. Texas Tech – Xavier Worthy (Newcomer)

Week 5 vs. TCU – Bijan Robinson (Offensive)

Week 5 vs. TCU – Cameron Dicker (Special Teams)

 

[Hookem2147 20932]

1 hour ago, BurntOrange&White said:

 

Here is some analysis....Thompson performed worse vs TCU than Card did vs Arkansas.

FWIW I believe the 'He' that is being referenced is Sarkisian, not Thompson. So he's saying Sark performed worse than Card in Fayetteville and then did well to regroup the team and he believes in Casey.