Media/$9.95-er postgame analysis articles (Week 12)

[satyanash 14281]

 Collecting post-game analysis articles regarding the West Virginia game here:

(Joe Cook) Recap: West Virginia Mountaineers 31, Texas Longhorns 23

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The Texas Longhorns have lost six straight games, their 31-23 loss to the West Virginia Mountaineers the latest. For the first time since 2016, Texas clinches a losing record.

FIRST QUARTER

Starting linebacker DeMarvion Overshown was declared out for Saturday’s game, but Texas updated his status to available just after kickoff. WVU picked up two first downs via the pass game on its opening drive to move into Longhorn territory. Facing 3rd-and-5 on the Texas 34, Jarret Doege found Sam James for a quick first down. Once the Mountaineers made it inside the Texas 25, Doege found James again for a 20-yard score to make it 7-0.

Texas’ first drive ended in a punt after Xavier Worthy dropped a third down pass from Casey Thompson. WVU picked up a first down quickly after Cameron Dicker’s punt and moved into Texas territory, but an attempted trick play resulted in a 16-yard loss for the Mountaineers.

Texas took over on its own 20 after a punt, but again went three-and-out again after Roschon Johnson gained the only yard of the drive. WVU started its drive inside its own 20, and that’s where ended after Brenden Schooler broke up a Doege pass. The Longhorn offense recorded a third-straight three-and-out after Thompson was sacked on third down, and Dicker punted the ball back to WVU.

West Virginia faced a third down, and Doege found Bryce Ford-Wheaton for a 31-yard conversion to move into UT territory. Neil Brown’s team picked up another first down on a short run and faced a 2nd-and-10 as the first quarter came to an end.

SECOND QUARTER

A long pass completion over the middle moved WVU into the red zone, and Doege found Winston Wright in the back of the end zone. Texas sent pressure, but the Mountaineer O-line picked it up and gave the WVU quarterback time to make the touchdown throw to make it 14-0 Mountaineers. The Longhorns could not do anything in response and went three-and-out again, but luckily for Texas the Mountaineer offense could not capitalize.

Texas gained its first first down of the gain via a Roschon Johnson rush almost five minutes into the second quarter. Johnson picked up another as the Longhorns approached midfield, and Keilan Robinson then took a 49-yard rush to the end zone to make it 14-7.

WVU picked a first down via a Leddie Brown rush, then another via a pass from Doege to Wright, then another on a screen to Ford-Wheaton, then another to Kaden Prather on a drag route. With goal to go, Brown scored on a carry from two yards out to make it 21-7 with 2:34 left in the half.

Texas started at the 35 after a kick out of bounds and picked up a first down on the ground. Johnson moved inside the WVU 30 with a 19-yard rush, but a holding penalty on Cade Brewer moved things back. The drive stalled, but Dicker nailed a 50-yard field goal to make it 21-10 WVU with over a minute left in the half. Brown picked up a first down as the clock moved under one minute. WVU moved into field goal territory, and Casey Legg trotted on the field with eight seconds left in the half. He missed a 48-yarder though, keeping the game at 21-10 WVU.

THIRD QUARTER

Hudson Card began the second half at quarterback, and his first drive gained one first down before Dicker had to punt it away. West Virginia gained one first down on a pass from Doege to Wright. They picked up another on the ground as they approached midfield, but facing 3rd-and-5 they could not convert as David Gbenda broke up a Doege pass intended for a receiver at the sticks.

Facing a third down, Texas moved the sticks on its first third down conversion of the game when Card’s pass intended for Worthy bounced off a WVU defender and into Marcus Washington’s hands. Texas converted again when Card found Worthy on a short pass. The Longhorns moved within one score via a 52-yard touchdown pass from Card to Worthy. The freshman made a double move to move past the WVU defender, then hauled in a pass right in the bucket from Card to make it 21-17 WVU.

West Virginia’s ensuing drive began with back-to-back sacks, but the Mountaineers converted a 3rd-and-18 with a pass from Doege to Wright. They then allowed a long run to Brown, who eclipsed the 100 yard mark, as WVU moved into Texas territory.

Brown kept it going into the Texas red zone with another long run, then Darion Dunn was assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty to make things worse for the Longhorns. With goal-to-go, Brown received two touches but couldn’t advance. But Doege made sure to end the drive with a touchdown via a seven-yard pass to Sean Ryan to make it 28-17 with 0:29 left in the third. Texas picked up a first down via a swing pass to Worthy as the quarter ended.

FOURTH QUARTER

The Longhorns picked up another first with a pass from Card to Brewer, then another with a big Robinson run to move into the red zone. Card found Brewer again to move to the 11, then Robinson gained a first to make it goal-to-go. Johnson scored from six yards out to make it 28-23, but could not convert the two-point try.

The Mountaineers faced 3rd-and-15, but Doege converted with a long pass over the middle of the field to gain another first down on a third and long. Brown gained a first down on the ground as he moved across midfield, then WVU picked up another on the ground moving inside the 40. Facing 4th-and-5 on the 32, West Virginia, Doege found Ryan right at the line to gain for a first down. Texas forced 3rd-and-12, and finally forced a third down and a Legg field goal attempt. Legg converted the 45-yarder to make it 31-23 WVU with 7:03 left in the game.

Texas picked up a first down via a pass to Robinson, but he was slow to get up on the play. Johnson picked up another via a check down, then Card crossed midfield with a scramble to gain another first. Card, Robinson, and Junior Angilau all went down due to injury on Texas’ second down play, setting up 3rd-and-6. Johnson took a handoff, and was stopped in the backfield. On a critical 4th-and-8, Thompson threw an interception to Sean Mahone that was returned to the 34.

West Virginia faced a 3rd-and-2 after crossing midfield, and Brown made the line to gain as the clock went under two minutes. The Longhorns forced a stop and took over possession after WVU decided to go for it on the Texas 36. First down resulted in an incompletion and Thompson leaving the game due to aggravating his thumb injury. Second down found the same result with an incompletion from Card. Third down was a check down to Brewer that found a few yards, setting up a 4th-and-6. Card was pressured and his pass fell incomplete. WVU knelt to end the game.

(Bobby Burton) Snap Judgements: No Answers

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The game kicked off at 11am. I looked at my watch when Texas made its first first down of the game. And it was a couple of minutes past noon. So it took the offense a whole hour to make a first down. Not exactly a strong start. So what does that mean? It means, as expected, the offensive outburst against Kansas came because the opponent was Kansas, not because the Texas O had suddenly regained its footing. Texas looked lost most of the first half on offense.

**

The defense looked better until it counted, until they were needed, until they had their opponents backed up on third-and-18 and then third-and-12 on consecutive drives in the second half. The results of those two drives? West Virginia added 10 points to the scoreboard. That sums up the mediocrity of Texas football in 2021. Texas is a bad football team.

They are inconsistent on offense and defense. They drop passes. They airmail passes. They miss blocks. They miss tackles. They can’t get off the field on third down. They can’t line up correctly on defense on a crucial fourth down plays. It’s so bad, it’s almost a joke.

**

On defense, Texas needs either a new play-caller or a new defensive system, and better players. I’m convinced it’s not one or the other. It’s both. Every offensive coordinator in the Big 12, with the possible exception of TCU’s, has gashed the Texas defense to varying degrees. Every single one of them. The Texas D has never controlled any section of a conference game, at least not for more than 2-3 drives.

Texas lacks personnel. That is clear. But it’s also clear just how disjointed the defensive front and secondary are on crucial downs. I don’t have all the answers, but watching Texas give up a first down on a third-and-18 when the completion is four yards short of the first down, tells me all I need to know. This defense is a mess, all of it.

**

Hudson Card played reasonably well until injured. His toss to Xavier Worthy was the day’s highlight. Keilan Robinson played well, and Roschon Johnson ran hard. The OL was able to pass protect for most of the day. But when the game was on the line, they reverted to losing against three-man rushes.

**

I don’t have all the answers to what ails Texas, just that the Horns are a bad football team.

(Taylor Estes) FINAL: Texas' bowl hopes end in Morgantown in 31-23 loss to West Virginia

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The Longhorns are back in action in Morgantown, W. Va. as Texas and West Virginia continue the fight for bowl eligibility. Texas enters Saturday's road game as a 2.5-point underdog to West Virginia and will need to leave with a win in order to keep the Longhorns' bowl hopes alive. Horns247 is live from Milan Puskar Stadium and will bring in-game updates as Texas takes on West Virginia.

FIRST QUARTER UPDATES

11:02 left in Q1: The Mountaineers are on the board first in Morgantown, W. Va. The Longhorns took the field on defense to start the game and gave up a 9-play, 75-yard touchdown drive by West Virginia, which was capped off when QB Jarret Doege connected with Sam James for a 20-yard touchdown strike.

West Virginia 7, Texas 0 (Mountaineers' scoring summary: 9 plays, 75 yards, 20-yard TD pass, 3:58 used)

END OF 1ST QUARTER: West Virginia 7, Texas 0

SECOND QUARTER UPDATES

13:44 left in Q2: West Virginia has extended the lead on Texas. The Mountaineers are up 14-0 on the Longhorns after Doege led the offense on an 11-play scoring drive that ended with the QB connecting with Winston Wright for a 14-yard TD.

West Virginia 14, Texas 0 (Mountaineers' scoring summary: 11 plays, 80 yards, 14-yard TD pass, 5:05 used)

8:34 left in Q2: Texas is finally on the board. The Longhorns found the end zone for the first time of the game when RB Keilan Robinson took it 49 yards for a touchdown on West Virginia.

West Virginia 14, Texas 7 (Longhorns' scoring summary: 6 plays, 79 yards, 49-yard TD run, 2:39 used)

2:34 left in Q2: West Virginia has gone up by two touchdowns again. The Mountaineers answered the Longhorns' scoring drive with a touchdown of their own that came on a 12-play drive that went 82 yards and was capped off with a 2-yard touchdown run by WVU RB Leddie Brown.

West Virginia 21, Texas 7 (Mountaineers' scoring summary: 12 plays, 82 yards, 2-yard TD run, 5:55 used)

1:13 left in Q2: The Longhorns barely made their way into Mountaineers' territory before they were forced to settle for a 50-yard field goal by Cameron Dicker.

West Virginia 21, Texas 10 (Longhorns' scoring summary: 7 plays, 33 yards, 50-yard FG, 1:21 used)

HALFTIME: West Virginia 21, Texas 10

THIRD QUARTER UPDATES

5:40 left in Q3: Texas has thrown the first touchdown of the game. Steve Sarkisian benched Casey Thompson (4 of 12 passing for 29 yards) for Hudson Card to start the third quarter and it paid off for the Longhorns. Card connected with Xavier Worthy for a 52-yard touchdown pass, marking the first touchdown pass of the game.

West Virginia 21, Texas 17 (Longhorns' scoring summary: 7 plays, 79 yards, 52-yard TD pass, 3:12 used)

00:29 left in Q3: West Virginia has extended the lead over Texas. The Mountaineers went on a 9-play scoring drive that ended with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Sean Ryan.

West Virginia 28, Texas 17 (Mountaineers' scoring summary: 9 plays, 75 yards, 7-yard TD pass, 5:11 used)

END OF 3RD QUARTER: West Virginia 28, Texas 17

FOURTH QUARTER UPDATES

12:42 left in Q4: The Longhorns have cut the lead. Texas got rolling on offense when Card led the Longhorns down into West Virginia territory on a scoring drive that ended with Roschon Johnson running in a 6-yard touchdown. A failed two-point conversion makes it a 5-point game in Milan Puskar Stadium.

West Virginia 28, Texas 23 (Longhorns' scoring summary: 8-plays, 72 yards, 6-yard TD run, 3:04 used)

6:45 left in Q4: The Mountaineers have extended their lead over the Longhorns. West Virginia drove into Texas territory was settled for a field goal to go up by 8 points with less than 7 minutes left in the game.

West Virginia 31, Texas 23 (Mountaineers' scoring summary: 14 plays, 47 yards, 45-yard field goal, 5:22 used)

FINAL: West Virginia 31, Texas 23

Wescott Eberts: Texas falls to West Virginia, 31-23, as losing streak reaches six games

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The Texas Longhorns couldn’t overcome a horrid start offensively and the defense’s inability to force turnovers or get off the field, losing to the West Virginia Mountaineers 31-23 on Saturday in Morgantown as a late comeback fell short. Sitting at 4-7 and 2-6 in Big 12 play, Texas is ensured a losing season and will miss a bowl game for the first time since 2016 thanks to a six-game losing streak unseen on the Forty Acres since 1956.

West Virginia took a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter after holding Texas to 11 total yards in the first quarter as the Longhorns went three and out on its three possessions in that quarter before going three and out for a fourth straight time. An impotent passing game was the primary culprit, as junior quarterback Casey Thompson started 2-for-6 passing in echoes of the Iowa State game, but wasn’t helped by three early drops.

The running game eventually got on track first thanks to a 49-yard touchdown run by junior running back Keilan Robinson, who finished with nine carries for 111 yards. In a recurring theme, however, the defense couldn’t help consolidate the momentum, allowing an 11-play, 80-yard drive to the Mountaineers as the pass defense struggled in man and zone coverage and the pass rush couldn’t take advantage of a weak West Virginia offensive line in pass protection.

A 50-yard field goal by senior kicker Cameron Dicker narrowed the margin to 21-13 at halftime as the Longhorns were out-gained 301-135 in the first half thanks to 249 passing yards by Mountaineers quarterback Jarrett Doege. After Thompson went 4-for-12 passing for 29 yards in the opening 30 minutes, head coach Steve Sarkisian turned to redshirt freshman Hudson Card in the second half.

“It’s unfortunate Casey was not 100 percent coming into the game,” said Sarkisian. “I think that was evident — he just couldn’t throw the way I know he’s capable of throwing and that’s frustrating for him, it’s frustrating for us because I think we had some opportunities for some plays and then we didn’t catch the ball great early in the game either to help him out.”

Card came through with a 52-yard touchdown pass to freshman wide receiver Xavier Worthy on Card’s second possession. The perfectly thrown pass from Card was his best of the season and seemed to afford him the confidence he’s been missing since the performance against Arkansas that resulted in his benching.

Initially, the defense seemed to respond to the big play, sacking Doege on first and second down on the ensuing possession. But the pass defense couldn’t hold up on the back end, allowing West Virginia to convert on 3rd and 18 — a game-changing play followed by runs of 19 yards and 26 yards by Leddie Brown to set up a seven-yard touchdown pass following an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the red zone on Texas super senior cornerback Darion Dunn. The Mountaineers finished the game scoring four touchdowns on four red-zone trips.

The running game helped key another touchdown drive led by Card before another big third-down play by West Virginia sunk the Texas defense. On 3rd and 15, Texas defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski decided not to blitz, allowing Doege to stand in the pocket and deliver a 20-yard completion. After converting on 4th and 5, the Mountaineers were able to kick a 45-yard field goal to go up by eight points — Sarkisian had gone for two after the last Longhorns touchdown and failed.

Attempting to tie the game, Card was hit late and suffered an injured ankle as Texas faced a critical 3rd and 6. West Virginia stopped junior running back Roschon Johnson for a two-yard loss on third down and Thompson threw an interception on fourth down, so instead of a first down for roughing the passer, Texas needed a defensive stop to have a final chance to tie the game. The Longhorns had a break when Neal Brown went for a game-ending touchdown on 4th and 5 from the Texas 36-yard line, but Thompson re-injured the thumb on his throwing hand under pressure on the ensuing drive’s first play.

Hobbled by the ankle injury, Card wasn’t able to find Johnson on fourth down and the West Virginia was able to end the game with a single kneel down. Ultimately, the poor start in the passing game and the inability to get off the field on third down — Texas allowed West Virginia to convert 12-of-20 third downs in the game — ended any hopes of bowl eligibility. Sarkisian blamed a pass rush that couldn’t force Doege to move in the pocket and the inability of the secondary to react to routes run to the first-down marker.

“We’ve got to continue to work on as our awareness, one, in the back end and, two, we’ve got to find a way to generate a pass rush on these obvious passing downs,” said Sarkisian. Texas will have one final opportunity to improve in those areas as it honors the team’s seniors next Friday against Kansas State in Austin.

[satyanash 14281]

(Scipio Tex) 2021 Texas-West Virginia Postmortem: Offense

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The Texas offense started horribly with four consecutive three and outs to begin the game. The Texas passing game was sub-remedial, with Texas receivers dropping three balls in the first quarter while Casey Thompson threw with minimal touch or feel. Thompson finished with 29 yards passing in the 1st half. That's how Texas finished the 1st quarter with 11 yards of offense.

On the 5th Longhorn drive, down 14-0, Texas decided to run the ball with Keilan Robinson and Roschon Johnson against a light West Virginia box (and hit jackpot on some Mountaineer overloads) and skewered the Mountaineers for 72 yards on 5 carries, including a 49 yard Robinson touchdown scamper.

Casey Thompson faltered on the next possession despite more effective running from Roschon Johnson and Steve Sarkisian had seen enough, down 21-10. He pulled Thompson for Hudson Card. Card was badly inaccurate early in the 3rd quarter, found his stride, and began to make very good decisions while playing with composure and smart movement in the pocket. He even hit his first deep ball of the season! The Texas offense sparked and...Card was injured by a late hit that took Texas out of any hope of winning.

Beyond the offensive fits and starts, Sarkisian evidenced questionable clock management late in the game down 31-23. With three timeouts and 7:03 on the clock on their own 25 yard line, Texas should have played for as many possessions as possible. And as much time in each subsequent possession as possible. Instead, Texas lacked urgency, looked frequently to the sideline for adjustments, didn't call multiple plays at a time, and the clock continued to run.

By the time the drive fizzled on the WVU 30 yard line with Casey Thompson's interception, there was only 2:51 on the clock. Down eight, you should be playing for as many possessions as possible. I'm discussing process here - so any response that this was all rendered moot by Card getting injured isn't relevant to the discussion. If Texas isn't going to win, I want to at least see us lose correctly with the hopes that the proper game management decisions can yield a win on a better day. Why play for more possessions?

1. Down 8, with 7:03 on the clock, the Horns needed a touchdown and a two point conversion to tie. The probability of a touchdown, a successful two point play, and enough clock run off to prevent West Virginia from driving back down the field to score is not good. Particularly when 8 points yield overtime. Where victory is probably less than 50/50 likelihood. Add all of those if-than statements up and the math isn't great.

2. The simply game theory is that Texas should try to score as quickly as possible - a touchdown (and go for 2) or kick a field goal - and then try to create as many substantive possessions if WVU can be held after that. This is the highest aggregate possibility of winning the game. Whether TD+2, or TD no conversion, FG+TD, or TD+2 for tie with OT win. Head coaches struggle with this. Head coaches who are also having to play call the offense with an inexperienced QB struggle even more.

QB

Casey Thompson didn't get a lot of help early, but if you look at the balls he threw (including Washington's drop, Wiley's drop) they're bad balls. Doesn't mean they shouldn't be caught, but the sheer limitation of what he can reasonably throw made the Texas passing game irrelevant for a half of football. Casey finished 4 of 14 for 29 yards and a pick.

Card came in, looked pretty poor in terms of accuracy early, but once he nailed the 52 yard double move to Worthy, he relaxed, started seeing the field a lot better, showed judicious movement in the pocket, and threw some good balls. Texas was cooking with gas with back to back touchdown drives of 79 and 72 yards, but the drive starting at 7:03 in the 4th and Card's injury foiled a possible comeback win.

Card was injured on a late hit (no flag) and though he returned, he was clearly unable to step into his throws. Card finished 10 of 16 for 123 yards and a touchdown and scampered twice for 18 yards while avoiding sacks. He showed good awareness and poise until he was hurt. Certainly the best we'd seen since his play in the opener. I have no idea how or on what basis Sark will make his starter pick against Kansas State since neither player seems capable of building on success.

RB

Robinson and Johnson combined for 191 yards on only 24 carries and two touchdowns. That's 8 yards per carry and they had only one negative run. Remove Keilan's long run and they still averaged over 6 yards per tote. Robinson definitively answered why he's not a future slot receiver. Would have liked to have seen them combine for 35 carries, but game script and WVU keep away prevented it.

WR/TE

Jordan Whittington was a decoy. Zero catches, one target. Xavier Worthy had a drop, but was otherwise terrific despite constant double teaming and some errant throws from the QBs. Card was a boon to his play - his first 8 targets yielded 3 catches for 22 yards. His last four targets yielded 4 catches for 63 yards and a touchdown. The rest of the WR corps came up small and Marcus Washington's play suggested that his Kansas performance had more to do with Kansas than anything else. Cade Brewer caught 4 balls for 37 yards. He's not really the guy I'm looking to set up on screens to take advantage of his after-the-catch ability, but OK.

OL

They actually run blocked quite well. Jake Majors did some great things. A lot of the success in the running game had to do with not relying on WR and TE blocks to spring someone. Note Jake Majors pulling here on this well blocked TD run.

On Keilan's run, Jake Majors handles the NT by himself - he really sticks with this block - and this allows Texas blockers to get bodies on everyone else. Imade does a solid job moving out the playside DE. Keilan runs it inside to break it outside, which is how so many big runs are created.

With a better 1st half passing game to extend some drives, I believe Texas would have had a 300+ rushing day with both backs over 100 yards. Junior Angilau must be playing hurt as he allowed multiple free inside pass rushers late in the game, twice causing QB limp offs. As with last week, they played well enough to win overall. Not really the problem on the slow start.

Final

The Texas offense was only 2 of 10 on 3rd down and only ran 58 plays. Blame the offense's horrendous 1st quarter, a Longhorn defense that gave up 12 3rd down conversions and couldn't exit the field, and the offense's own inability to extend drives on money downs, but I'm left with the belief that there was a lot of meat left on the bone in Morgantown. West Virginia proved the old adage that the best way to play good defense with an average defense is to play less defense overall. The Longhorn running game was very effective, if underutilized, and once Sark pulled Casey Thompson, Texas had enough credibility in the passing game to cap drives with touchdowns. Once Card went out, the game was effectively over.

(Scipio Tex) 2021 Texas-West Virginia: Defense/Special Teams

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Texas managed to make Jarett Doege look like a dominant Big 12 QB in the first half of play, as Doege went 20 of 28 for 238 yards and 2 touchdowns with no interceptions. Doege isn't even an average Big 12 QB, but Neal Brown's confidence in riding him early was rewarded with 21 first half points and a double digit lead at halftime. Doege came down to earth in the second half (7 of 15 for 52 yards), but by that time West Virginia had decided to run Leddie Brown and the Mountaineer RB dominated a forgiving Texas defense despite running behind one of the weakest offensive line groups in the league. Brown finished with 158 yards rushing, despite a very slow start (his first 11 carries went for 39 yards, his next 22 went for 119).

It's pretty difficult to win a football game when the defense allows the opposing offense to convert 12 of 20 on 3rd down (at one point, WVU was 8 of 12) but seeing West Virginia convert a 3rd and 10 for a touchdown, a 3rd and 18, a 3rd and 12, and then a 4th and 5 (with 8:31 left in the game on the Longhorn 32 yard line) when Texas couldn't line up right was a bitter pill to swallow. Most Texas fans have learned to have low expectations for Pete Kwiatkowski's coordination of this defense, but still Texas manages to underperform those marginal hopes. It's also worth mentioning that the Mountaineers have the worst pass-protecting OL in the Big 12.

If anyone on the Texas coaching staff would like to walk me through what Texas is doing on 3rd and long or against the red zone passing game, I'd love to learn. It's extraordinary to watch the defense earn multiple 3rd and longs with good individual play from parts of the defense and then see it frittered away with a terrible zone defense that doesn't even obey zone's most basic principles. Namely, that on 3rd and long, the defender concedes yardage underneath the line to gain - but anything near it gets jumped by multiple defenders like a gravy boat at Cracker Barrel. Watching a Longhorn DB already in off coverage retreating past the 1st down marker against a limited QB, a poor pass blocking OL, and a mediocre receiving corps is maddening to say the least.

DL

The interior DL played very well for long stretches. Particularly early against the run. Sweat had a batted ball, a pressure, and a sack. Moro Ojomo finished with five tackles, notched a tackle for loss, and had some terrific solo efforts. Coburn was adequate. Murphy didn't register in the box score, but effort and pile-ups were there. APB on Alfred Collins. He had two assisted tackles and I don't think he got more than 20 snaps.

The edge players were mostly useless in pass rush. Ovie, Thornton, Bush, Davis. Ben Davis was the best and most active against the run, earned the most snaps he's had this year, and finished with 7 tackles and a sack on a poorly conceived WVU trick play. Usually, Thornton acquits himself decently against the run, but he was awful on Saturday. That's two weeks in a row where's he's been very poor holding the edge. Bush made a couple of hustle plays early, but disappeared when WVU decided to run the ball doggedly in the second half. Really poor edge play.

LB

Brockermeyer can't finish tackles and is sliding off of runners. Ford had a rough second half. Gbenda was very active, but the entire run defense more or less fell apart at the LB and S level in the second half. Real lack of physicality, but that's a good portion of the defense now. Linebacker blitzers don't fight through blocks or even use their quickness to out-athlete big men in the gaps. It's jog sprint into a surface, grab on, slow dance and watch. I kept waiting for a chaperone to put a ruler's length between our blitzer and the blocker like an 8th grade dance.

DB

 

Miserable awareness in zone defense. The safeties have no idea who has what on 3rd and long or in red zone passing situations.

D'shawn Jamison had a rough outing early, conceding a 31 yard ball on 3rd and 8 on the only route that he was responsible for covering, then was beaten again on a 3rd and 10. Later, he gave up a touchdown in the red zone, but on rewatch, it looks like he expected safety help in the middle of the field and was settling into a short zone? Honestly, it's difficult to tell what we're doing sometimes. The end result is that same: a wide open receiver in the end zone.

Jahdae Barron had two PBUs and 4 tackles and may even possess some instincts not yet coached out of him. Anthony Cook gave up a touchdown, but was good against the run, leading the defense in tackles. BJ Foster played and avoided a targeting penalty. Victory! His coverage help to the corners is...intriguing. Darion Dunn had a foolish personal foul.

Special Teams

Dicker drilled a 50 yard field goal. He's now 10 of 12 on the year. He's also averaged a terrific 47.3 yards per punt on the season. He's done a fine job pulling double duty and has been a bright spot for the Horns. Dixon did a nice job in punt coverage. An obligatory penalty on a kickoff return, but Robinson managed to avoid a roughing penalty on a WVU punt.

Final

There's little to discuss at this point. This unit hasn't progressed. Poorly coordinated coverages and 60%+ conversion rates on 3rd down are now a given, but this defense got physically pushed around (again) once Doege regressed to his mean. An entire opening quarter of pointless offensive football did little to help the defensive cause, but when a defensive unit surrenders 60% conversions on 20 individual 3rd downs to one of the most limited offenses in the Big 12, there's not much else to be said.

 

[Monahorns 34]

At the least PK should get to choose all new assisstants for next year.  I don't think that will be enough.

[Codaxx 5602]

18 minutes ago, Monahorns said:

At the least PK should get to choose all new assisstants for next year.  I don't think that will be enough.

Ball is in Sark’s court. He either fires most the defensive staff or allows PK to change out some of staff he stuffed him with. Either way something has to change 

[ClubWhatever 12087]

It’s so piss poor that the excuse for the shitty coverages is that the DC needs different guys to teach his concepts.  Give me a fucking break.  How do you get to be a DC at a P5 school if you can’t teach coverages and correct shitty zone play 10 games in?

[TwiceHorn 31283]

18 minutes ago, Codaxx said:

Ball is in Sark’s court. He either fires most the defensive staff or allows PK to change out some of staff he stuffed him with. Either way something has to change 

Frankly, I think not shitcanning Kwiatkowski would put him firmly in the realm of Strong and Herman.  Yeah, it's another do-over and no continuity, but because they aren't buddies somehow, I think the tale of the tape demands it.

[dcar00 14035]

33 minutes ago, ClubWhatever said:

It’s so piss poor that the excuse for the shitty coverages is that the DC needs different guys to teach his concepts.  Give me a fucking break.  How do you get to be a DC at a P5 school if you can’t teach coverages and correct shitty zone play 10 games in?

well yeah but have you seen PK's adjusted stats!!!

[Monahorns 34]

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Posted 4 hours ago

It’s so piss poor that the excuse for the shitty coverages is that the DC needs different guys to teach his concepts.  Give me a fucking break.  How do you get to be a DC at a P5 school if you can’t teach coverages and correct shitty zone play 10 games in?

I agree.  PK scored an F this year.  He didn't teach the players and he didn't hold his assistants accountable.  He had months to make corrections.  He failed gameplanning opponents.  So much was wrong that PK should be fired immediately after the Kansas St game.  But logically if you want to peel off all the onion's layers you start with defensive positional coaches.  Then go to D Coordinator the next year.  Underneath all that the S&C program has to be functional and recruiting has to have a high hit rate.

[satyanash 14281]

(Ian Boyd) Five quick thoughts: ...teardrop in my eye

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In the end, Texas surrendered their chances of bowl eligibility and a winning season with a whimper. They had their chances. The offense came alive in the second half after inserting Hudson Card and pairing a run game which came with a winning purpose with a functioning passing attack. The Longhorn defense couldn’t find a stop when they needed it after the offense gave them chances and then Hudson Card was injured.

Casey Thompson returned to throw an interception and the season was effectively over, although Texas would get another possession late which went out with an even quieter whimper. They couldn’t manage the comeback for a second straight week and lost their sixth straight game to make them 4-7 on the year and ineligible for a bowl game.

No lower tier bowl game for Texas to try and use to lay a whooping on a team to build confidence and excitement for 2022. No bowl practices to use in developing the younger players on the roster who will be asked to reverse the trends for this team next season. Texas will now start to pivot to the offseason, although they still have a home game next week against Kansas State on senior day where a team with any character would show some fight.

Quick thought no. 1: This team lacks fight

The Longhorn defense had a bad start, several miscues, and generally couldn’t seem to put things together when it mattered. They started slow, came alive when paired with an offense that fought for a win (just like against Kansas) and folded late by surrendering key drives. The Mountaineers had second half drives which went:

• Nine plays, 30 yards, 4:24 off the clock, punt to the Texas 21.
• Nine plays, 75 yards, 5:11 off the clock, touchdown.
• 14 plays, 47 yards, 5:22 off the clock, field goal.
• Seven plays, 15 yards, 2:15 off the clock, turnover on downs.
•  One play, -2 yards, 00:10 off the clock, victory formation.

The Longhorns could NOT get off the field, surrendering a 12-20 day on third down conversions by West Virginia including some doozies, like a 3rd-and-18, a 3rd-and-15, and a 4th-and-5 that was achieved when Texas couldn’t line up in time after a simple motion. You have to wonder if offense mightn’t have achieved a big victory had the defense managed even one quick stop in the second half. The coordination was bad, the execution of base defensive concepts was bad, many of the blitzes had little apparent urgency to get to the backfield…it was an ugly day overall.

Jarrett Doege started to miss some throws and make questionable decisions when Texas brought a little pressure but on the day was allowed to throw for 290 yards at 6.7 ypa with three touchdowns (often to receivers left open) and zero interceptions. Once again, Texas’ opponent’s weaknesses were hidden by the play of the Texas defense.

Quick thought no. 2: The what-if game is reversed

Last week the question was, “what if Sark hadn’t given Hudson Card those first half snaps which resulted in a sack-strip and a pick-6 on consecutive plays?” Those two turnovers gave Kansas a 35-14 lead going into the half, punts on those occasions probably allow Texas to keep the game close enough to win outright rather than going to overtime. What if Steve Sarkisian had simply allowed Casey Thompson to play the full game rather than rotating with Hudson Card who blew the game?

Well, this week the questions where different. What if Hudson Card had started the game? What if he hadn’t been injured on a rather late tackle to the ground allowed by the officials? What if Texas had picked up a penalty there to at least move them into position to try and pound the ball in on the ground? The contrast in this game was remarkable.

Casey Thompson was 4-14 on the day for 29 yards at 2.1 ypa with zero touchdowns and a bad interception thrown in relief of Card after the injury. Hudson Card was 10-16 for 123 yards at 7.7 ypa with one touchdown and zero picks.

The touchdown was his first deep ball connection on the year, a bomb to Xavier Worthy on a double move off play-action and a moved pocket. Card seemed to be exultant and relieved by the score and played with rhythm and confidence for the duration of the contest before getting knocked out with injury and limping back in late to make some ineffective attempts in relief of an injured Casey Thompson.

What might have happened this season if Texas could have gotten Hudson Card in rhythm before the 11th game? Had he been able to play through the struggles against Arkansas the following weeks against Rice and Arkansas before the fateful Big 12 slate where Texas fell apart? Why has Casey Thompson struggled so badly on the road against Iowa State and West Virginia? There are a lot of questions for Sark to ponder heading into this final 2021 game and second offseason in Austin.

Quick thought no. 3: The Texas offensive front showed up

Texas was missing Bijan Robinson in this game, their best offensive player, yet played one of their better games yet up front.

• Keilan Robinson: Nine carries, 111 yards, 12.3 ypc, one touchdown.
• Roschon Johnson: 15 carries, 77 yards, 5.1 ypc, one touchdown.

The Longhorns out-rushed West Virginia 203-160, which most would have taken as a major indicator of a victory. They also only gave up a single sack. Overall the Texas offensive line played winning football and gave the team every chance to control, and certainly to win, this game. It was a strong game from the tight ends as well. Cade Brewer caught four balls for 37 yards and they were running over West Virginia all day with outside zone and power run schemes which routinely sprung the running backs to the second level.

Both Keilan and Roschon were the best versions of themselves. Roschon ran through contact and fought for the chains like his life depended on it, Keilan showed explosive burst. The personnel will change some next season but it was interesting to see the pro-style run game start to be realized against a legitimately solid defensive front, however late in the year it occurred. All for naught, of course, but an interesting moral victory all the same.

Quick thought no. 4: Horrendous day for the secondary

Texas’ 3rd down conversion defense was horrendous in this game and much of it fell on the secondary. They yielded cutback lanes to West Virginia’s condensed/bunch duo runs on 3rd-and-short and allowed receivers to get open on 3rd-and-long.

In the red zone they brought a zero blitz early in the game which didn’t come close to getting home and was beat for a flag route by Winston Wright 1-on-1 vs Anthony Cook. Later they gave up a 3rd-and-goal from the eight when they left a receiver wide open on a post route. This team struggles to execute team concepts in coverage, routinely trade off receivers to no one, and don’t seem to fully understand what they’re running and where help can and can’t be found.

The defensive line had the Mountaineer run game dead to rights for much of this game, until West Virginia worked in some outside zone runs of the sort Texas struggled to defend against Kansas, but the secondary was beat all day long. This defense is in bad need of a rethought approach. The constant rotations and changing calls and alignments on the back end helped the defense secure back to back sacks early in the second half before yielding a 3rd-and-18 which put West Virginia back in charge of the game. It’ll be very interesting to see what Sark deems to be the solution.

Quick thought no. 5: Season 1 for Sark has been a failure

Finishing with a losing record at Texas is a bad look in year one. Rebuilding the roster and remaking the team’s culture and approach are laudable goals, but the extent to which this is happening is unclear pending this big, upcoming offseason. A slip for Texas was never unlikely. Losing Sam Ehlinger and four other NFL draft picks, including at left tackle and Edge where they have felt the talent drain, was always liable to be a problem.

The hope was in Sark shifting the approach to a run game/defense/special teams formula where the Longhorns beat teams down with complementary football. Instead, they essentially hung in games largely because freshman wideout Xavier Worthy has caught 57 balls for 918 yards and 12 touchdowns (seven catches for 80 yards and a score today). He’s on track for 1,000 yards on the year and is a true bright spot from a horrible year.

They also got winning football from Card for the first time since the Louisiana game, giving them a little more hope of getting consistently good quarterback play from someone (Casey, Card, or a new addition) in 2022. So at times they got overpowering offense, but rarely did they enjoy ball control from the offense which could protect the other units with consistent gains and field position victories. The special teams were solid but defense was horrible all year.

Texas’ plan to bend don’t break defense and a diverse run game with 12 personnel packages to lure Big 12 opponents into back and forth “who can run the ball and execute special teams well enough to win?” contests backfired spectacularly. Nearly everyone in the league was better in that format than Texas.

Next year, the Longhorns need to be ready to blow teams out with an overpowering offense and a defense which is known for getting off the field on 3rd down. Texas certainly didn’t have the most experienced or precise team in this league and they rarely will, but they could have the most talented and explosive team. In 2022, they need to play like it.

 

[LTtxfan 48980]

Thanks for these articles @satyanash.

Now after perusing all that...

[TwiceHorn 31283]

6 hours ago, satyanash said:

but they could have the most talented and explosive team. In 2022, they need to play like it.

Wut?

I guess this is premised on having a functional OL, which might render Card pretty functional, plus Bijan, Worthy, and a couple of others that step up.

Edited November 22, 2021 by TwiceHorn

[closetohumping 17401]

Ian Boyd loves him

 some Card