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

[satyanash 14281]

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

Cody Daniel: Initial thoughts from No. 21 Texas’ 41-20 win over UTSA

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Well this certainly wasn’t the prettiest game the Texas Longhorns have ever played, especially early on, but when it was all said and done, the outcome was more or less what was expected. Texas enjoyed a double-digit win over a stout UTSA Roadrunners squad and was in control throughout the fourth quarter. Here are a few initial thoughts from the Horns’ 38-20 win over the Roadrunners.

Texas needed Bijan Robinson to be Bijan Robinson, and he was. With Quinn Ewers out and Hudson Card hobbled, Texas certainly could have used a big night from Robinson, and he delivered, turning 20 carries into 183 yards and three touchdowns, including a career-long 78-yard sprint to give Texas a 24-17 edge and a 41-yard touchdown burst to effectively end the game with Texas leading 38-20 in the fourth. In key moments, he was vintage Bijan, and the Longhorns may very well be 2-1 and not 1-2 because of that. He finished with 202 total yards.

Roschon Johnson continues to prove why he’s such a valuable member of this team. Not that anything he does at this point comes as a surprise, but in a night headlined by Robinson, Johnson kept the offensive wheels churning multiple times, mostly through sheer toughness and will. The best backup running back in the country, Johnson finished with 14 total touches for 104 yards and one receiving touchdown.

The Texas defense responded to an especially rough start. To be sure, Pete Kwiatkoski’s defense is going to catch some heat during film reviews for their first-half performance, allowing a 20-play scoring drive, a 65-yard touchdown drive, and a quick touchdown strike on a trick play en route to a 17-7 deficit. But after that point midway through the second quarter, they were a much-improved group. UTSA’s next three drives ended with a punt, and though the defense sacrificed another lengthy field goal drive, they responded at a key point the next time with a Jahdae Barron pick-six when UTSA was trailing just 24-20. The next time out, they overcame an atrocious targeting call on a DeMarvion Overshown sack on third down, ultimately getting off the field on fourth and inches to keep UTSA scoreless in the second half. There’s clearly going to be much to improve upon, primarily missed tackles and some coverage lapses, but Steve Sarkisian and PK will certainly be pleased with the defense responding notably after the slow start.

Texas is going to need Quinn Ewers back sooner than later. First, to be clear, a hobbled Hudson Card more than held his own, helping engineer a handful of scoring drives with the offense heavily leaning on short passes and the ground game. He ended his night going 15-of-23 for 161 yards and one touchdown, and added another 35 yards on two carries, but the offense is a clearly a bit handicapped and one-dimensional without Ewers quite simply because Card doesn’t have some of the natural gifts Ewers does — downfield accuracy, anticipation, arm strength, etc. Given those limitations, teams are going to pin their ears back and force Texas to beat them through the air, just as Alabama and UTSA did, and as we’ve seen, it’s just not going to be a recipe for too much success without the added stress.

Jeff Traylor is building one hell of a program down in San Antonio. UTSA is clearly a team with talent, but more so, to throw some early haymakers with a Texas team that just naturally has more talent, you’ve got to be confident, disciplined, tough, and play like you believe you’re going to win. The Roadrunners were all of that on Saturday night. And while Texas’ typically gets team’s best shot, this wasn’t a case of a UTSA team way outperforming expectations — they’re legitimately good yet again and continue to prove to be a program on the rise in a hurry.

(Ian Boyd) Five quick thoughts: Sark catches the Roadrunner

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Steve Sarkisian’s Longhorns appeared for a moment to be unprepared for the sort of upset special Jeff Traylor and the UTSA Roadrunners had cooked up in this game. The crowd sounded very quiet for a moment there when UTSA was up 17-7 after dropping two touchdowns in only a few minutes of game action. From then on out the Horns outscored their guests from down south 34-3 and pulled away with a spread-covering win.

Pete Kwiatkowski’s defense bottled up the Roadrunners after the 17-7 margin was established there and made a few big plays and Texas started to get the ground game rolling with a blend of Wildcat (Ro-cat with Roschon Johnson), unbalanced formations, and pure hard running from Bijan Robinson and Roschon.

Quick thought no. 1: Nightmare start for Texas

UTSA was hitting all the upset notes early. First a 21-play, 74-yard drive which ate 8:27 of game clock and put them up early 3-0 when it ended in a field goal. Playing keep away from a strong offense on the road is a great way to avoid allowing a crowd to affect a game. Then they had a successful scoring drive with some Frank Harris magic which made it 10-7.  Jeff Traylor followed this up with a surprise onside kick converted successfully and a double pass touchdown. 17-7 Roadrunners. Holding possession to play keep away from the Longhorns and landing the classic, two-pronged special teams big play and trick play touchdown were both typical upset maneuvers.

The one final piece to their formula was to turn over the Texas offense. But it didn’t happen, and then Jahdae Barron erased a promising UTSA drive when the Roadrunners were down 24-20 with a pick-6 on an overthrown screen by Harris. Now it was 31-20 Texas and it all slipped away.

Quick thought no. 2: Great adjustments after the early surge

Texas struggled to ever fully corral Frank Harris, even if they didn’t let him deal any back-breaking damage. He finished with 35 passes for 222 yards at 6.3 ypa with zero touchdowns and the aforementioned pick-6, then 10 carries for 38 yards. Nothing explosive but they struggled to get him off the field.

The Longhorns tightened up their coverage some in the second half to eliminate some of the easy throws underneath, mixing in man coverage and also bringing the safeties in tighter. They also spied some and started involving DeMarvion Overshown in the blitz package more until he was (unjustly) removed from the game for targeting. Overshown’s speed was invaluable in handling Harris’ quicks.

Offensively, Sark solved the UTSA gameplan by the second quarter. UTSA was crashing against the run early as Texas used a lot of bigger sets with Andrej Karic on the field as a jumbo tight end paired with Ja’Tavion Sanders. The Longhorns mixed in more spread sets and opened up the game with a few bubble screens for easy first downs and sustained a few scoring drives before ultimately wearing out the Roadrunners.

Quick thought no. 3: Texas won the game on the ground

Texas continues to play the zone-read by having their Edges contain the quarterback and making teams earn it the hard way downhill with zone running against the defensive tackles and linebackers. UTSA ran the ball 44 times for 139 yards at 3.2 ypc for the night. They were able to pick up some steady gains with their power run game to avoid getting in bad spots against the Texas defense, yet they were inefficient running the ball.

Texas was more sporadic but the big plays made all the difference. 36 carries yielded 298 rushing yards at 8.3 ypc with a pair of long scoring runs by Bijan Robinson which gave him 183 yards on the day. Even Hudson Card got in on the action with a 32-yard scramble to convert a 2nd-and-22 on the last touchdown drive by the Horns. They ran some unbalanced sets, Wildcat, unbalanced Wildcat, and even a fair amount of Texas’ passing game production on the day was in the RPO game, on bubble screens or flat routes underneath to Roschon and Sanders.

Quick thought no.4: Good game management by Hudson Card

Hudson Card wasn’t stealing the starting job with his performance today but he did a terrific job of keeping Texas on schedule, avoiding bad plays, and making the throws (or runs) they needed to secure the win.

Texas tested some shots deep and the Card to Xavier Worthy connection came up a little short with a few incompletions, then they ultimately settled on just methodically working the ball down the field with quick throws and runs. They’ll need to land shots to make the most of this season but the “spread em out and torch them on the perimeter with quick throws or inside with Bijan/Roschon” formula really works quite well with this roster. Worthy is dangerous with the ball in his hands, Whittington is terrific both as a blocker or breaking tackles out wide, and obviously Texas’ running backs are lethal.

Card executes this strategy well. He finished 15-23 for 161 yards at seven ypa with a touchdown and zero picks and two carries for 35 rushing yards. Nothing remarkable but reliable play of the sort you want from a back-up for the second straight week.

If Card were healthy enough to mix in more zone-option, he could be a very effective spread quarterback as he continues to develop. Texas has a great fallback plan behind Quinn Ewers.

Quick thought no. 5: Defensive pressure won the day

Texas had a lot of trouble corralling Frank Harris and it’s the main reason this game was ever in question, aside from the success of Traylor’s onside kick/trick play gambit.

UTSA was 9-16 on 3rd down as Harris made play after play with his legs and throwing on quick shots or scramble drill throws to his talented group of receivers. The Longhorns had trouble figuring it out. They tried to contain him with a 4-man rush but lost him a few times, tried some cover 1 man on 3rd downs with Jaylan Ford spying but Harris was too quick. They tried spying with their Buck Edges with mixed results as well. Ultimately what did the trick was pressure and landing some good hits.

This was the boundary corner blitz with Ryan Watts which has already been so good (or nearly so good) for the defense this season and Harris got a little rushed. Notice also how hard the Star (nickel) and free safety are driving on this as well. They knew by this point in the game UTSA was going to throw it underneath all night and were playing faster against the Roadrunner gameplan.

Great hands by Jahdae Barron here and the game was flipped as “defensive score” went to the wrong participant in the incomplete upset attempt. Overall this was a strong team win by Texas despite the bad start. Whereas UTSA missed a few boxes on their “upset special” bingo card, the Longhorns connected with “big plays on defense,” “overpowering run game,” and “efficient game management by the back-up quarterback.”

(Taylor Estes) FINAL: Texas gets the job done in 41-20 win against UTSA

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AUSTIN, Texas — The Longhorns will wrap up the regular-season non-conference slate Saturday night at home when No. 21 ranked Texas hosts UTSA at 7 p.m. CT. Caesars Sportsbook has the Longhorns as a 12.5-point favorite over the Roadrunners as of Saturday afternoon, though they have a number of injuries at key positions that may lead to some backups seeing extended playing time against UTSA.

Horns247 is live at Darrell K Royal - Texas Memorial Stadium and will provide in-game updates from Saturday's home game between Texas and UTSA.

FIRST QUARTER UPDATES

3:28 left in Q1: UTSA was first to put points on the board in Saturday's game. The Roadrunners had a lengthy first series on offense and slowly but surely drove down the field into Texas territory. But the Longhorns' defense stood their ground in the red zone and forced UTSA to settle for a field goal.

UTSA 3, Texas 0 (Roadrunners' scoring summary: 20 plays, 74 yards, 24-yard field goal, 8:27 used)

END OF 1ST QUARTER: UTSA 3, Texas o

SECOND QUARTER UPDATES

14:03 left in Q2: The Longhorns answered in a big way to start off the second quarter. After UTSA took a 3-0 lead in the first quarter, the Texas offense put together a scoring drive of its own when starting QB Hudson Card led the offense down the field and into UTSA territory when he connected with RB Roschon Johnson for a 19-yard gain and followed it up with another Card-to-Johnson connection, which went 11 yards for a touchdown.

Texas 7, UTSA 3 (Longhorns' scoring summary: 10 plays, 75 yards, 11-yard touchdown, 4:25 used)

10:07 left in Q2: The Roadrunners are back on top inside Royal - Memorial Stadium. After Texas scored the first touchdown of the ball game, UTSA answered the call when QB Frank Harris led the offense down into Texas territory and capped it off with RB Brenden Brady ran in a 2-yard score.

UTSA 10, Texas 7 (Roadrunners' scoring summary: 10 plays, 65 yards, 2-yard touchdown, 3:56 used)

9:36 left in Q2: UTSA has extended the lead over the Longhorns. After answering Texas' touchdown with a score of their own to regain the lead, the Roadrunners successfully recovered their on-side kick to give the offense the ball once again. UTSA answered with a deep touchdown pass from Brady to Zakhari Franklin to go up by 10 on the Longhorns.

UTSA 17, Texas 7 (Roadrunners scoring summary: 2 plays, 52 yards, 35-yard touchdown, 31 seconds used)

5:20 left in Q2: The Longhorns have cut the Roadrunners lead midway through the second quarter. Steve Sarkisian went to some wildcat action on offense with Johnson taking the snap and got things rolling when he took it himself for a 16-yard game and then followed it up two plays later by handing it off to RB Bijan Robinson, who ran in a 3-yard touchdown to make it a 3-point game with UTSA.

UTSA 17, Texas 14 (Longhorns' scoring summary: 11 plays, 67 yards, 3-yard touchdown, 4:08 used)

00:12 left in Q2: Texas has tied it up with UTSA. After cutting the Roadrunners' lead to 3 points, the Longhorns' defense came up with a huge stop to give the ball back to the Texas offense. The offense put together an 11-play drive, but was forced to settle for 44-yard field goal by Bert Auburn.

UTSA 17, Texas 17 (Longhorns' scoring summary: 11 plays, 62 yards, 44-yard field goal, 2:03 used)

HALFTIME: Texas 17, UTSA 17

THIRD QUARTER UPDATES

11:56 left in Q3: Texas is back on top of UTSA early in the third quarter. The Longhorns once again turned to the wildcat with Roschon Johnson calling the snap and it paid off handsomely when Johnson handed it off to Bijan Robinson, who took it 78 yards for a touchdown.

Texas 24, UTSA 17 (Longhorns' scoring summary: 2 plays, 80 yards, 78-yard touchdown, 40 seconds used)

3:21 left in Q3: UTSA has cut Texas' lead late in the third quarter. The Roadrunners drove down the field on another lengthy possession though the Texas defense held strong late in the drive, which led to UTSA having to settle for a field goal.

Texas 24, UTSA 20 (Roadrunners' scoring summary: 13 plays, 74 yards, 30-yard field goal, 5:38 used)

00:18 left in Q3: The Texas defense came up with a huge play late in the third quarter. After the Longhorns' offense couldn't get things moving and had to punt it away, the defense answered in a big way when Jahdae Barron intercepted UTSA QB Frank Harris and returned it for a touchdown.

Texas 31, UTSA 20 (Longhorns' scoring summary: Pick-six)

END OF 3RD QUARTER: Texas 31, UTSA 20

FOURTH QUARTER UPDATES

9:36 left in Q4: The Longhorns have come to life in the second half of Saturday's home game against the Roadrunners. Texas RB Bijan Robinson surpassed the 100-yard rushing mark against UTSA and has continued to run all over the Roadrunners' defense, including a 41-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to extend the Longhorns' lead.

Texas 38, UTSA 20 (Longhorns' scoring summary: 4 plays, 71 yards, 41-yard touchdown, 2:10 used)

4:59 left in Q4: Texas has further extended the lead over UTSA late in Saturday's ballgame. The Longhorns' offense ate up 3:21 off the game clock on a 7-play drive, but were stopped in the Roadrunners' territory and settled for a field goal.

Texas 41, UTSA 20 (Longhorns' scoring summary: 7 plays, 48 yards, 26-yard field goal, 3:21 used)

FINAL: Texas 41, UTSA 20

 

[satyanash 14281]

Bobby Burton: Waking thoughts

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I literally dreamed last night about pathetic calls by referees. If DeMarvion Overshown’s targeting of a defenseless player is not overturned by the league office, I’m not really sure I know what targeting even is anymore. Then there’s the catch that almost was, the one that was both incomplete upon review and made after the UTSA receiver went out of the back of the end zone. And on top of that, the replay booth was even late getting the call on the field for a review. The fact that the ref got one of them wrong might be ok. The fact that he got them both wrong is another. I said I had “dreams”. Well, in retrospect, it would have been more fair to call them nightmares.

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Some initial thoughts before a full re-watch of the game: Prior to kickoff, we talked about Texas needing to play a clean, disciplined game. Well, the Horns didn’t. There were missed assignments on UTSA’s first drive as well as an offsides penalty. There was a procedure penalty by the Texas offense on its first possession. The team came out somewhat undisciplined and what felt like uninspired. In short, it felt and looked like the letdown we were all on the lookout for post-Alabama.

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But credit goes to Steve Sarkisian and Roschon Johnson. Inserting Johnson into the game in a two-back set with Robinson changed the game. The move gave the Texas offense a much-needed lift because Johnson played like a man possessed, which seems to be the only way he knows how to play the game. Johnson’s energy came at an opportune time.

Before his insertion, Texas was struggling to move the ball consistently, especially on the ground. But the one-two punch of Johnson and Bijan Robinson gave the Horns the edge they needed.

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Overshown made back-to-back plays in the fourth quarter that should have all but cemented the game. His pass break-up along the sideline, followed by a would-be sack would have given Texas the ball back plus a two-score lead with approximately 10 minutes left in the game. Overshown is “flashing” more this year than last, that’s for sure. The Horns still need more out of him because the pass rush of Ovie Oghufo and Barryn Sorrell did not get home all night.

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We saw the first extended action of Prince Dorbah as a Longhorn. Dorbah was used to keep contain on the quarterback and did a decent job of keeping Frank Harris hemmed in.

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One other thing I want to mention: the importance of stopping a team like UTSA on first down is imperative. You have to put them behind the chains or they are going to move the ball downfield even when going against better athletes. Putting teams like UTSA behind the chains is a must. And to do that, Texas needs to get more disruption out of its defensive front. Byron Murphy did the best job of that on Saturday night, particularly in the second half.

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More later today. My first re-watch of the game starts now.

Joe Cook: Powered by the rush, No. 21 Texas surges past UTSA

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Despite being favored by nearly two touchdowns, No. 21 Texas knew the challenge the UTSA Roadrunners presented on Saturday night, and were able to run right through it. UTSA lived up to their tough-minded billing typical of any team coached by Jeff Traylor. The Roadrunners even pulled out several items from their bag of tricks, including a surprise onside kick and a double pass for a touchdown. It garnered them a 17-7 lead with 9:36 left in the second quarter.

“You know, they went up 17-7 after the double pass and I didn’t think our team blinked for a second,” Sarkisian said. “From that moment on, we outscored them 34-3. I thought we controlled the line of scrimmage after that. We were able to run the football. We were able to stop the run. We were able to get off the field on defense.”

As Sarkisian said, the Longhorns leaned on a strong running game and limited UTSA quarterback Frank Harris to ignite their run. Bijan Robinson rushed 20 times for 183 yards and three scores, Roschon Johnson tallied 11 carries for 81 yards plus a receiving touchdown, and quarterback Hudson Card added 35 yards on the ground as part of the near-300 yard effort that fueled Texas’ 40-21 win over the Roadrunners.

The Longhorn rushing attack was mostly absent last week versus Alabama, but it needed to arrive and perform in front of the 102,520 at Darrell K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday to stave off the UTSA upset attempt. Not only was typical starting quarterback Quinn Ewers unable to play, but Card was limited in his own right due to an ankle issue.

Robinson and Johnson picked up most of the slack. Texas accumulated 91 yards on the ground in the first half, then kept pounding the rock in the second half to the tune of 207 yards on 15 carries. “I’m just blessed,” Robinson said. “Just want to thank God, first of all, for getting out of the game healthy. You know, they just started popping and opened it up in the O-Line. I found the hole and I just hit them.”

The Texas offense arrived a little late, not putting any points on the board in the first quarter. That put the Longhorns at a three-point deficit following UTSA’s 20-play, 74-yard drive with a field goal. Johnson started the Longhorn scoring efforts in the second quarter, hauling in an 11-yard pass from Card for a score.

UTSA fought back and retook the lead, then recovered an onside kick, then kept the trickery up with a lateral from Harris to running back Brenden Brady, who found Zakhari Franklin in the end zone to take a 17-7 lead.

At this point, the Longhorns were put in a position that would test their mettle. They were down 10. Harris, the 2021 C-USA player of the year, was slicing through the Longhorn defense with quick passing and well timed scrambles. “Our big thing was it was way too early in the game to start to panic,” Sarkisian said. “Let’s just get back to playing sound football, good football.”

Unlike last year, when the Longhorns wilted time after time after time after time after time after time, this Texas team responded. After entering halftime tied thanks to a Robinson touchdown and a Bert Auburn field goal, Texas stopped the Roadrunners to open the second half. Robinson and Johnson entered the backfield, and Robinson exited the field moments later after a 78-yard touchdown rush.

With only a one touchdown lead, the defense did their part to help the Longhorn winning effort. Called by Pete Kwiatkowski, who made the move from the box down to the field this season, the Longhorn defense outscored the Roadrunner offense 7-3 in the second half thanks to a timely pick-six with 18 seconds left in the third by Jahdae Barron. That turnover made the margin 31-20.

“It was crazy when I caught it,” Barron said. “I looked back, and it was a tight end, and I’m like, ‘It’s over, it’s a touchdown.’ I didn’t even know what celebration to do, that’s how happy I was.”

Robinson added another score early in the fourth, and Auburn tacked on one more field goal late just for good measure. The Texas defense either turned UTSA over on downs or forced a punt in the drives following UTSA’s last score with 3:21 left in the third.

Not everything was rosy on both side of the ball. The pass game was limited as Card couldn’t push the ball downfield, and linebacker DeMarvion Overshown was ejected when he was ruled to have committed targeting in the second half. Sarkisian said they would send the call to the Big 12 office for review to attempt to have Overshown for the entirety of the Big 12 opener versus Texas Tech.

But the response from Texas, led by a potent rushing attack, was what powered the Longhorns to a relatively easy win over the Roadrunners that saw second and third-stringers enter late for both teams. It showed that against a tough yet overmatched opponent, Texas could take their best blow and respond better than last year’s squd. It also showed who really runs this Texas team’s offense in light of the current quarterback situation: those who run the football.

Chip Brown: Bijan Robinson's breakout game helps Texas shake UTSA

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AUSTIN, Texas — Texas’ best defense for the magic show being put on by UTSA quarterback Frank Harris was the Longhorns’ offense keeping the ball on the ground — specifically giving the ball to Bijan Robinson. Robinson had a breakout game when the Longhorns needed it most — helping Texas erase a 17-7 deficit to pull away for a 41-20 victory over a feisty UTSA team Saturday night. The Longhorns (2-1) will begin Big 12 play next week at Texas Tech (2-1), which lost at No. 16 N.C. State 27-14 on Saturday.

Robinson broke 100 yards rushing for the first time this season in a big way - finishing with 20 carries for 183 yards and touchdown runs of 3, 78 and 41 yards.

The Longhorns’ defense, which finished the game without star linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, who was ejected with 13:49 left for targeting (and will miss the first half of Texas’ Big 12 opener next week at Texas Tech unless UT wins an appeal with the league), provided a key touchdown on a 41-yard interception return by Jahdae Barron. Barron’s pick-six broke open a tight game and gave Texas a 31-20 lead with 28 seconds left in the third quarter.

UTSA coach Jeff Traylor had an aggressive game plan that his Roadrunners — especially Frank Harris — executed perfectly in building a 17-7 lead, including an onside kick that led to a double-pass touchdown two plays later. The Longhorns had to figure out a way to stop Harris, who finished the first half 12-of-15 passing for 115 yards while converting 5-of-7 third downs. The answer was running the ball.

After rushing 10 times for a meager 27 yards (2.7 ypc) in the first quarter, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian kept pounding away, running the ball 11 times for 64 yards in the second quarter (5.8 ypc), including six carries for 37 yards and a 3-yard touchdown run by Robinson.

Roschon Johnson had five carries for 27 yards (5.4 ypc) in the second quarter as the Longhorns erased a 17-7 deficit and tied the game 17-17 at halftime. Johnson finished with 11 carries for 81 yards (7.4 ypc) and three receptions for 23 yards and a touchdown.

Robinson finally broke the kind of run the college football world had been waiting for when he broke the tackle of UTSA linebacker Pig Cage at the line of scrimmage and trucked it 77 yards for a touchdown, picking up an escort block from Xavier Worthy at the 5-yard-line as Texas took a 24-17 lead with 11:56 left in the third quarter. That run gave Robinson his second touchdown of the game and put him over 100 yards (16 carries for 133 yards) for the first time in the 2022 season.

Just when Texas appeared to be on the verge of putting UTSA away on a third-and-8 sack of Roadrunners’ quarterback Frank Harris by UT’s DeMarvion Overshown early in the fourth quarter, Overshown was called for targeting and ejected (and will miss the first half of next week’s Big 12 opener at Texas Tech). Instead of UTSA punting from their own 26, the Roadrunners had first down at midfield and kept driving.

But Harris was stopped for no gain by Texas’ Diamonte Tucker-Dorsey and Ryan Watts on third-and-1 from UT 29, and then on fourth-and-1, Keondre Coburn did a great job of collapsing the pocket and Frank Harris’ throw was dropped by Zakhari Franklin, who might’ve seen Tucker-Dorsey bearing down on him. Texas took control of the ball at its own 29 with 11:46 left and had a holding penalty called on Roschon Johnson, setting up first-and-20 from the Horns’ 19.

Robinson was then dropped for a 2-yard loss. But Card, who struggled most of the week with a sprained ankle suffered against Alabama, made his play of the game - scrambling 32 yards for a first down. Robinson then hammered out a 10-yard run before breaking off a 41-yard touchdown run, giving Texas a 38-20 lead with 9:36 to play.

That run gave Robinson 20 carries for 183 yards (9.2 ypc), including TD runs of 3, 78 and 41 yards. And Robinson’s score also caused UTSA coach Jeff Traylor to sit down his star quarterback — Frank Harris — for the rest of the game, replacing him with backup Eddie Lee Marburger.

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The Texas defense will find a lot to fix when looking back at this game after giving up 408 yards and 9-of-16 third-down conversions. But Jahdae Barron's pick-six, a pass breakup in the end zone by D'Shawn Jamison and some other gutsy plays late in the game, such as the combined tackle on Frank Harris on third-and-1 by Diamonte Tucker-Dorsey and Ryan Watts as well as a fourth-and-1 incomplete pass as Keondre Coburn collapsed the pocket were huge. And middle linebacker Jaylan Ford keeps getting better, finishing the UTSA game with a team-leading 15 tackles, half of a tackle for loss and a forced fumble.

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Texas was flagged nine times for 88 yards.

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Texas punter Daniel Trejo continues to be a strength, averaging 45.3 yards on three punts. Kicker Bert Auburn hit both of his field goal attempts - from 44 and 26 yards.

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Texas’ offense stalled on back-to-back drives in the third quarter as the Longhorns got away from the run and suffered a four-and-out and then a three-and-out. But Texas nickel back Jahdae Barron bailed out the offense by catching an overthrown pass by Frank Harris that tipped off the hand of UTSA receiver Zakhari Franklin and right into the hands of Barron, who darted alone down the field for the 41-yard pick-six and a 31-20 lead for the Longhorns heading into the fourth quarter.

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UTSA appeared to score a touchdown that could’ve tied the game 24-24 on a 12-yard pass from Frank Harris to Zakhari Franklin, who was initially ruled to have been pushed out of the back of the end zone by D’Shawn Jamison before coming back into the end zone and catching the TD pass. But upon further review, Franklin didn’t have possession of the ball, and UTSA settled for a 29-yard field goal that cut Texas’ lead to 24-20 with 3:21 left in the third quarter.

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After four straight scoring drives, Texas finally punted after the Longhorns had a second-and-8 pass from Card to Roschon Johnson go for minus-7 yards and UT couldn’t convert.

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On special teams, Keilan Robinson got his hand on a UTSA punt, but the ball traveled 35 yards to the Texas 36 with 11:05 left in the third quarter.

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On second-and-15 from the UTSA 34 with :35 left in the half, Hudson Card had tons of time to throw and ended up rolling right and throwing to Xavier Worthy on a comeback for 8 yards. But Card had tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders wide open in the middle of the end zone for what would’ve been an easy touchdown and apparently never saw Sanders. Texas ended up settling for a 44-yard Bert Auburn field goal with :12 left, tying the game 17-17 at intermission.

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After taking a 10-7 lead, UTSA coach Jeff Traylor opted for an onside kick, and the Roadrunners recovered it 13 yards down the field at their own 48. Frank Harris hit Joshua Cephus for a 17-yard gain, and then UTSA executed a perfect double pass - from Frank Harris to running back Brenden Brady, who then found Zachari Franklin behind Ryan Watts and Jerrin Thompson for a 35-yard touchdown reception and a 17-7 lead with 9:36 left in the second quarter.

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UTSA was able to start its second possession of the game from the 35 after Texas freshman Will Stone’s kickoff went out of bounds. The Roadrunners turned that possession into a 10-play, 65-yard touchdown drive that took 3:56 off the clock, including third-and-2 and third-and-9 conversions. On the third-and-2 conversion from the Texas 19, UT nickel Jahdae Barron came on a blitz and had a chance to make the tackle on UTSA running back Brenden Brady behind the line, but Barron missed, and Brady got loose for an 8-yard gain to the Texas 11.

On third-and-9 from the Texas 10, Ryan Watts was called for pass interference against UTSA’s Zachari Franklin in the end zone, setting up a first-and-goal from the 2 for the Roadrunners, who scored on the next play (a 2-yard TD run by Brenden Brady), putting UTSA up 10-7 with 10:07 left in the second quarter.

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Out of a two-back set, Texas ran the same play on back-to-back snaps with Hudson Card using a play-action fake to Bijan Robinson while Roschon Johnson released into the left flat for a nice, one-handed grab for a 19-yard catch-and-run on first-and-20 to the UTSA 11.

On the next play, Steve Sarkisian used the same two-back set with a play-action fake to Bijan Robinson as Roschon Johnson released into the right flat, catching a pass from Card and juking UTSA safety Clifford Chattman before tight-roping the right sideline into the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown catch-and-run, giving Texas a 7-3 lead with 14:03 left in the second quarter.

***

Costly penalties on UTSA helped keep the Roadrunners out of the end zone following a 20-play, 74-yard drive that took 8:27 off the clock on UTSA’s opening possession of the game. An illegal shift on UTSA (two players in motion without getting set before the snap) negated a 45-yard touchdown pass from Frank Harris to Joshua Cephus, who got behind D'Shawn Jamison on the play with 9:40 left in the first quarter.

Jamison, who was nursing a left ankle injury from last week and didn’t start Saturday night, would break up a pass in the end zone on third-and-goal from the 1. And then on fourth-and-goal from the 1, UTSA was flagged for a false start, resulting in a 24-yard field goal by Jared Sackett, giving UTSA a 3-0 lead with 3:32 left in the first quarter.

***

The star of UTSA’s 20-play, 74-yard drive to a field goal that took 8:27 off the clock was bowling ball-shaped tight end Oscar Cardenas (6-4, 285). Cardenas came into the game with only four receptions, but he caught an 11-yard pass on second-and-10 and a 7-yard pass on third-and-4 Cardenas’ third touch of the game saw him motion behind the center and take a direct snap and run for 2 yards on third-and-2, giving UTSA a first down at Texas’ 18.

***

Texas came out pounding the ball on the ground with four straight carries by Bijan Robinson, including a 3-yard gain on fourth-and-1 from UT’s 34 with 13:50 left in the first quarter. Keilan Robinson then ran for 10 yards and a first down before Hayden Conner was called for a false start, bringing up first-and-15 and a couple failed deep-ball attempts from Card to Worthy that led to a punt.

Card had Worthy open on a deep post but didn’t lead him enough, allowing UTSA corner Corey Mayfield to catch up to Worthy and break up the pass. On third-and-15, Card overthrew Worthy down the right sideline, leading to a 58-yard punt by Daniel Trejo.

***

Quinn Ewers was fully dressed out for Saturday night’s game and even threw lightly early in warmups before Hudson Card and Charles Wright took over in throwing to receivers as pre-game intensified.

 

[KeysPhoneWallet 807]

Texas Insider PhoneWallet’s 5 KEYS to the game:

(1) UtsA used some fuckery to get an onside kick then more fuckery to throw a Hail Mary td pass, but after all that fuckery Texas dominated the roadrunners on defense.

(2) Jeff traylor didn’t look as cool walking around on the sidelines as Steve sarkesian. Traylor looked more like an east Texas box face Baptist preacher and this gave Texas an decided advantage.

(3) texas d made another qb look all worldly, this happened a lot last year. Soft coverages, no pressure, and we looked like we were playing Michael Vick + Tom Brady back there. What the Fuck?

(4) Texas run blocking should have dominated more than they did, especially early in the game.

(5) card sucks and struggles to move the football. We need ewers back in a hurry. Thanks but no thanks to more card.

[satyanash 14281]

 

[Junior Bonner 6233]

PFF scores from UTSA game
 

https://longhornswire.usatoday.com/lists/texas-football-longhorns-utsa-roadrunners-pff-grades-win-postgame-bijan-robinson-roschon-johnson/

[Mdhorn 5911]

https://www.on3.com/teams/texas-longhorns/news/with-the-longhorns-and-roadrunners-sometimes-chickens-and-sometimes-feathers/

With the Longhorns and Roadrunners, sometimes chickens and sometimes feathers

By Coach Venable: Missed tackles and missed blocks are generally the main reasons why a team comes up on the short end of a football game. Sometimes it’s hard to tell the exact reason for the number of missed opportunities. Sometimes it’s a lack of focus. Sometimes it’s overzealous want-to. When one watches the UTSA game again it’s extremely difficult to determine the difference between the two. I found very few instances where the blame should be laid on the lack of hustle. I found too many plays where we were stuck between too cautious and poor execution of assignments. Our dependable players carried us to victory—our not so fast players were once again not very dependable. Another great crowd for sure.

It’s tough to give too much credit to an opponent because that usually serves up our guys but in the case of Frank Harris (QB) it evidently rang true. We had him dead to rites several times and barely laid a glove on him. He seldom missed a target. He threw strikes with us hot on his trail. He made plays when there was none to be made. He overthrew one and it cost them seven points—we didn’t force that bad throw. We had our chances to disturb drives—we just couldn’t finish for three quarters of the game. Lack of preparedness? Taking plays off? I think not on either case.

It only takes one missed block to blow up an otherwise well schemed play. Sometimes the back will make the unblocked defender miss his opportunity for a big play. Sometimes that’s just enough to get the ball back to the LOS or for a short gain. Our two RB’s (5 and 2) seem to do this for a living. If we could just get a hat on a hat till the ball passes that contact our guys could double their production. But them dirty critters across the LOS move around enough that we sometimes hit air instead of contact and force our backs to dodge the world getting us back to reasonable.

The best thing the defense did was score a TD. Thank you Barron (23). The DT’s made a habit of pushing the pocket backward. They played much better (and more effective) on the move (looping/slanting). The DE’s/OLB’s had chances to make plays but just never quite got there. The ILB’s had mixed reviews on pass coverage but finding the football/gap was not a reliable trait. The corners were very average against the short passing game of UTSA and poor when covering deep. The safeties were once again decent tacklers but still need better reactions against the pass.

The best thing the offense did was to keep giving the ball to Bijan Robinson (5) and Roschon Johnson (2). Card (QB-1) drove the bus and had a terrific scramble to set up a score. The WR’s had a very mixed game blocking for each other. They either whiffed or blocked their butts off. The TE’s were a mixed brand also. JT Sanders (0) had a great night as a counter puller and a space lead. Karic (92) had a mixed effectiveness. The OLine went 3 for 5. Both OT’s and our OC had very good games. Both OG’s had too many problems with decision making. I think both RB’s did enough to keep their jobs.

Here are a few here or there’s about individuals:

JT Sanders (0) had his best game to date with very few opportunities to help in the passing game.

Hayden Connor (76) and Cole Hutson (54) had their worst games from a correct assignment standpoint. UTSA played games very well.

Worthy (8) was a one foot away from two TD grabs but still was our biggest threat not named Bijan.

Jake Majors (65) had a very solid game—several very good swap blocks.

Hudson Card (1) delivered a terrific sprint up the gut and had a decent night throwing the ball. If he ever finds the range on the deep ball still believe his confidence will soar off the charts. Shouda/Coulda/Woulda had two TD’s with just an ounce of fade to Worthy (8).

Coburn (99) is a disruptor this season. Finishing plays needs to follow suit.

Broughton (45) is one weight room camp away from being a monster at a three technique.

Collins (95) was terrific last night. Just makes one wonder what might have been if he applied himself year round.

Sweat (93) is having his best year.

Murphy (90). Can’t belief I’m mentioning him fifth. Wow–just wow.

Ojomo (98) gives us quality at DT and DE. He’s starting to make plays in addition to winning battles. Really like this guy.

The following still need work on the art of tackling. They seem to forget that any open field tackle is a good tackle—wrapping up is your best friend next to the sideline boundary, defensive play 101, of course.

Ford (41) shows a few signs but is a long way from being a bang-up good ILB. Gets lost at times.

DTD (3) had a lost in space and the trenches night. He couldn’t find the ball too often and was very late when he did.

Dorbah (32) had a chance to impress but found a way to stay home way too long.

Bush (43) is always active but lacks tracking talent. He does make a few plays though.

Blackwell (37) or Tapp (17) made a good kickoff tackle.

Cook (11) played well.

Jamison (5) had an ouch on a deep ball.

Watts (6) had two deep misses.

Thompson (28) had a nice game but still needs work on tackling.

Johnson (31) had two nice plays in relief.

Lubbock—you’re up sport. Crazy things occur in Buddy Holly country. It should interesting to see who is QB1. Will we suffer a hangover? If we could just cut the vital mistakes in half we might scare some people into believing we ain’t half bad. Nothing happened against UTSA that can’t be fixed but it’s up to us to focus better. We could start with the on-side kicks. Can’t believe two of our guys on the front line started backwards. That’s just Waylon Jennings “Wrong”.

Have a good week.

[Hermanator 6944]

7 hours ago, Mdhorn said:

https://www.on3.com/teams/texas-longhorns/news/with-the-longhorns-and-roadrunners-sometimes-chickens-and-sometimes-feathers/

With the Longhorns and Roadrunners, sometimes chickens and sometimes feathers

By Coach Venable: Missed tackles and missed blocks are generally the main reasons why a team comes up on the short end of a football game. Sometimes it’s hard to tell the exact reason for the number of missed opportunities. Sometimes it’s a lack of focus. Sometimes it’s overzealous want-to. When one watches the UTSA game again it’s extremely difficult to determine the difference between the two. I found very few instances where the blame should be laid on the lack of hustle. I found too many plays where we were stuck between too cautious and poor execution of assignments. Our dependable players carried us to victory—our not so fast players were once again not very dependable. Another great crowd for sure.

It’s tough to give too much credit to an opponent because that usually serves up our guys but in the case of Frank Harris (QB) it evidently rang true. We had him dead to rites several times and barely laid a glove on him. He seldom missed a target. He threw strikes with us hot on his trail. He made plays when there was none to be made. He overthrew one and it cost them seven points—we didn’t force that bad throw. We had our chances to disturb drives—we just couldn’t finish for three quarters of the game. Lack of preparedness? Taking plays off? I think not on either case.

It only takes one missed block to blow up an otherwise well schemed play. Sometimes the back will make the unblocked defender miss his opportunity for a big play. Sometimes that’s just enough to get the ball back to the LOS or for a short gain. Our two RB’s (5 and 2) seem to do this for a living. If we could just get a hat on a hat till the ball passes that contact our guys could double their production. But them dirty critters across the LOS move around enough that we sometimes hit air instead of contact and force our backs to dodge the world getting us back to reasonable.

The best thing the defense did was score a TD. Thank you Barron (23). The DT’s made a habit of pushing the pocket backward. They played much better (and more effective) on the move (looping/slanting). The DE’s/OLB’s had chances to make plays but just never quite got there. The ILB’s had mixed reviews on pass coverage but finding the football/gap was not a reliable trait. The corners were very average against the short passing game of UTSA and poor when covering deep. The safeties were once again decent tacklers but still need better reactions against the pass.

The best thing the offense did was to keep giving the ball to Bijan Robinson (5) and Roschon Johnson (2). Card (QB-1) drove the bus and had a terrific scramble to set up a score. The WR’s had a very mixed game blocking for each other. They either whiffed or blocked their butts off. The TE’s were a mixed brand also. JT Sanders (0) had a great night as a counter puller and a space lead. Karic (92) had a mixed effectiveness. The OLine went 3 for 5. Both OT’s and our OC had very good games. Both OG’s had too many problems with decision making. I think both RB’s did enough to keep their jobs.

Here are a few here or there’s about individuals:

JT Sanders (0) had his best game to date with very few opportunities to help in the passing game.

Hayden Connor (76) and Cole Hutson (54) had their worst games from a correct assignment standpoint. UTSA played games very well.

Worthy (8) was a one foot away from two TD grabs but still was our biggest threat not named Bijan.

Jake Majors (65) had a very solid game—several very good swap blocks.

Hudson Card (1) delivered a terrific sprint up the gut and had a decent night throwing the ball. If he ever finds the range on the deep ball still believe his confidence will soar off the charts. Shouda/Coulda/Woulda had two TD’s with just an ounce of fade to Worthy (8).

Coburn (99) is a disruptor this season. Finishing plays needs to follow suit.

Broughton (45) is one weight room camp away from being a monster at a three technique.

Collins (95) was terrific last night. Just makes one wonder what might have been if he applied himself year round.

Sweat (93) is having his best year.

Murphy (90). Can’t belief I’m mentioning him fifth. Wow–just wow.

Ojomo (98) gives us quality at DT and DE. He’s starting to make plays in addition to winning battles. Really like this guy.

The following still need work on the art of tackling. They seem to forget that any open field tackle is a good tackle—wrapping up is your best friend next to the sideline boundary, defensive play 101, of course.

Ford (41) shows a few signs but is a long way from being a bang-up good ILB. Gets lost at times.

DTD (3) had a lost in space and the trenches night. He couldn’t find the ball too often and was very late when he did.

Dorbah (32) had a chance to impress but found a way to stay home way too long.

Bush (43) is always active but lacks tracking talent. He does make a few plays though.

Blackwell (37) or Tapp (17) made a good kickoff tackle.

Cook (11) played well.

Jamison (5) had an ouch on a deep ball.

Watts (6) had two deep misses.

Thompson (28) had a nice game but still needs work on tackling.

Johnson (31) had two nice plays in relief.

Lubbock—you’re up sport. Crazy things occur in Buddy Holly country. It should interesting to see who is QB1. Will we suffer a hangover? If we could just cut the vital mistakes in half we might scare some people into believing we ain’t half bad. Nothing happened against UTSA that can’t be fixed but it’s up to us to focus better. We could start with the on-side kicks. Can’t believe two of our guys on the front line started backwards. That’s just Waylon Jennings “Wrong”.

Have a good week.

What jabroni slap dick jerk off wrote this garbage?

[Viper 12030]

24 minutes ago, Hermanator said:

What jabroni slap dick jerk off wrote this garbage?

It says Joe Cook but it looks like it was mostly from their HS Coach they have on staff to review the game film.

[Burt Macklin 18998]

19 hours ago, Junior Bonner said:

PFF scores from UTSA game
 

https://longhornswire.usatoday.com/lists/texas-football-longhorns-utsa-roadrunners-pff-grades-win-postgame-bijan-robinson-roschon-johnson/

Our OL continues to be above average pass blocking and very below average run blocking. Still seems strange to me. 
 

Unfortunately, we can’t take advantage of the pass blocking until Ewers comes back. 

[Yesh 904]

4 minutes ago, Burt Macklin said:

Our OL continues to be above average pass blocking and very below average run blocking. Still seems strange to me. 
 

Unfortunately, we can’t take advantage of the pass blocking until Ewers comes back. 

Specifically for the UTSA game were the DL doing a lot of stunts or lateral movement at the snap, so the guys either missed assignments or didn't have the angle they were expecting?

[satyanash 14281]

 

[Post Oak 20184]

Any post-mortems yet?

[sith_horn 2370]

6 hours ago, Burt Macklin said:

Our OL continues to be above average pass blocking and very below average run blocking. Still seems strange to me.

Shades of 2008.

[Starfleet Command 441]

At least Sark understood the problem and instead of beating his head against the wall in the second half he (and Bijan obviously) found a way to run the ball well enough to win the game handedly.  

 

I am surprised Card graded out that well but perhaps that's a matter of the receivers being responsible for some issues and Card understandably not being asked to do a whole lot.

[Monahorns 34]

Anymore analysis for week 3?

[satyanash 14281]

(Scipio Tex) 2022 UTSA Roadrunners Post Mortem: Offense

Quote

The UTSA offense ball-controlled the Longhorn defense, stole an extra possession with an onside kick, and with the addition of Jahdae Barron’s Pick 6, the Longhorn offense managed only 9 meaningful offensive possessions. Only four of those possessions were in the first half, yielding 17 points.

Don’t blame the Texas offensive staff for being overly conservative. It’s probably already been forgotten that Texas went for it on 4th and 1 on their own 35 yard line on the first drive of the game. Or that the staff tried a number of deep shots before realizing that the page needed to be turned to something else. Texas eventually scored on 6 of their 9 possessions, generating 34 offensive points and 459 yards on only 59 plays for 7.8 yards per play average. Rushing for 298 yards at 8.3 yards per clip will boost a team’s chances of victory. The game in a nutshell? The Longhorn rushing attack getting on track while Hudson Card avoided turnovers. Bijan Robinson finished with 202 yards from scrimmage and 3 scores, but Roschon Johnson was integral in establishing physicality, bringing some much needed juice, and almost single handedly carrying the Texas offense through an early rough patch.

Longhorns fans were perhaps a bit taken aback to see that Texas can’t just impose their will physically on a G5 opponent (Bijan Robinson averaged less than 4 yards per carry at halftime), but credit UTSA’s early scheme and the fact that the Texas OL isn’t going to get a ton of displacement missing blocks. Once Texas cleaned up some things and found a winning run play, they wore down the Roadrunners and began popping big runs.

The best example of the Roadrunners wearing down as Texas blockers found their stride is on this leisurely 41 yard Bijan Robinson touchdown run to put the game out of reach, 38-20.

No defender touches him on the entire run. This play scores in two hand touch. Look at the displacement across the line of scrimmage by Texas blockers on a simple inside run. Gunnar Helm is the only exception because he did the old “Oh, you want to penetrate outside? I’ll just escort you there” block. Please note the exceptional job JT Sanders does on the linebacker/safety and Jordan Whittington’s knockdown effort on the perimeter to seal the edge like a vault.

QB

Hudson Card couldn’t connect on any shots downfield, but a different variety of shot to his ankle might have allowed him to break a decisive 32 yard run on 2nd and 22 in the early 4th quarter. The play proved integral in creating Longhorn separation as the Horns went up by 18 one play later with Bijan’s touchdown run. Card played within himself, finishing 15 of 23 for 161 yards with no turnovers. His best work was flipping it out to Roschon, Whittington and Worthy in the short passing game and then letting them do the lifting. His longest completion of the night went for 26 yards. Card absolutely did his job. Seeing the field and pulling the trigger decisively in an open-ended scenario is not a current strength.

RB

The Texas running game exploded in the second half, with Bijan Robinson finishing with 183 yards on 20 carries and 3 touchdowns, including a 78 yard scamper out of the RoCat. His career longest. Robinson had tough sledding early as the Texas OL struggled to get their hats on the right guy or move UTSA’s squatty interior, but Robinson may have also been too enamored of his own elite cutting ability, attempting to make 2nd, 3rd, and 4th level cuts instead of just making his initial cut and then running through arms and hands. Once those issues were ironed out, Bijan exploded for 135 yards rushing in the second half on only 6 carries against an increasingly beaten down Roadrunner defense. 119 of those yards came on two touchdown runs.

Roschon Johnson finished with an excellent 11-carry, 81-yard rushing performance complemented by another 23 yards and a touchdown on 3 catches, but the manner in which it was achieved was most notable. One handed grabs, hurdling defenders, running through and over tacklers. RoJo brought enthusiasm, violence and energy from the opening kickoff for four quarters and it was exactly what the Longhorns needed to rally around. Great example of leading by pure effort and aggression.

OL

Christian Jones has always been a capable run blocker, but has too often been the subject of negative attention for his pass protection. His pass pro appears to have improved, but Texas fans need to really love on him for doing things like this:

Jones absolutely collapses his man on the block down and turns his shoulders completely, effectively sealing off the entire backside of the UTSA pursuit. Total and absolute dominance. Hutson and Sanders do a fine job with their kick out leads, but the guy who made that play go for 78 yards was wearing #70, not #5. And by #5, I mean Bijan…umm….Johnson?

Hayden Conner had some early struggles on the other side identifying what hat to hit, but the entire OL got it together in the second half and Texas looked much better. Texas pass protected very well overall and run blocking improved substantially as the game wore on. UTSA doesn’t have a good defense, but they play hard.

WR/TE

Sanders had his best game as a blocker. Proof that he played 3.5 very good quarters tracking down linebackers and safeties because in the early game he blew a block and then had a hold. Whittington graded out as my best receiver again and a big part of that was his consistently outstanding blocking, reliability and overall physicality. Xavier Worthy turned some easy little flips into chain moving gains, but seeing routes through remains a building point. One interesting thing I noted is that on a few run plays or screens out wide where Whittington and/or Cain are blocking, Worthy just releases like it’s a go route and his man inevitably turns and runs with him. That’s one way for a 160 pound guy to neutralize a defender. I had it in my notes to praise Casey Cain for some exceptional blocks on screens, but as I underlined it he gave up a free pass to a hard charging corner who blew up Roschon Johnson.

Final

I encouraged everyone to avoid worrying about style points on offense until Texas gets back its passing game upside. Even with some constraints on a risk averse passing game and a slow-starting rushing attack, the Texas offense kept hammering at the rock until it cracked and then eventually exploded. They’ll need to bring the same approach to Lubbock. Conference play is here.

(Scipio Tex) UTSA Roadrunners Post Mortem: Defense/Special Teams

Quote

The Texas defense and special teams were frustrating at times on Saturday, particularly in the first half. The presumed game plan against QB Frank Harris, his receivers and a depleted Roadrunner offensive line seemed fairly straightforward. Contest balls underneath, make Harris hold the ball, back man under coverage with two safeties to obviate downfield timing routes, crowd the middle of the field, assign a spy, and allow the Longhorn defensive line to use their athleticism on UTSA’s slow footed, vulnerable OL.

The Texas defensive staff went a different direction. Early on, UTSA exploited a Longhorn game plan that generally conceded what UTSA is best at (sound familiar?). UTSA’s first three offensive possessions went as follows:

20-74, Field Goal

10-65, Touchdown

2-52, Touchdown

In those three possessions, UTSA scored 17 points, dominated time of possession, and converted 6 of 7 on 3rd down. They were 4 of 5 on 3rd down on the first 20 play drive. They also hit a HB option pass for a touchdown and almost burned Jahdae Barron for another touchdown that was called back for an illegal shift. If you want the air out of a stadium and fanbase, that early Longhorn defensive game plan was as effective as Lowell Galindo’s play-by-play. Fortunately, it got better. Not the LHN broadcast, the defense. A few general observations:

Harris needed the ball out quickly and he’s a highly accurate passer and decision maker against uncontested throws attacking space and while on the move. A short set up has consequences if he can’t get the ball out right away. Early on, Texas played off coverage, allowed easy completions, and did not give the rush a chance to get home.

When Texas brought blitzers in the form of an extra man off of the corner, the edge opposite the blitz never compensated by overplaying containment to remove Harris’ escape route. The result was Harris fleeing a free backside rusher without having to give ground and a completion on the move. If a QB breaks containment, you can’t let him do it running laterally. Off coverage on 3rd and intermediate is a bad habit unless you think your opponent passing game is totally incompetent.

Frustrated by their inability to affect Harris, the Texas staff started blitzing DBs and linebackers in the QB’s line of sight. Harris threw short gimme balls to the vacated space. The idea is to have Harris hold the ball longer and attack him with your front, not present him a more immediate passing window by removing pieces from coverage. Eventually, Texas adjusted by blitzing corners or bringing an extra LB from the edge.

UTSA’s interior OL are refrigerators with bad feet. Texas didn’t allow the defensive line to game them and negated a significant athletic advantage. Collapsing the pocket meant pushing back 6-2, 340 every down. Sometimes it’s better to run past 6-2, 340. See Overshown clown the Roadrunner center on the "targeting" blitz. When Harris went out for a play after the nonsensical Overshown targeting call, UTSA brought in their green backup QB. Everyone in the stadium knew Traylor was going to hand the ball off and get Harris back in. Texas ran an honest box. 10 yard UTSA run. A game defining moment? No. Something I notice? Yes.

Off coverage demands great tackling. Texas tackled poorly in the first half. Texas tackling improved when they played tighter coverage. Slippery offensive players like space. Adjustments came and Texas wore down the Roadrunners, though UTSA still had drives of 9-51 and 13-74 in the second half that yielded only 3 points. Box score analysts can point to UTSA having to run 84 plays to get 408 yards at a feeble 4.9 yards per play clip and only 20 points on the scoreboard, but 9 of 16 conversions on third down (they were 3 of 9 on their last 12) and 29 first downs are concerning when paired with a 12 minute time of possession advantage.

DL

The interior DL played well, but weren’t freed to get after Harris with stunts and games. The edges did not play well. Oghoufo didn’t set containment and lacks the strength or desire to see it through. Sorrell had his worst game as a starter, but he’ll come along. Finley and Burke had decent snaps late, but I’m not sure how much of that was attributable to beaten down Roadrunners.

T’Vondre Sweat had his flash play with a great interior pressure in the second half and he led the interior DL in tackles. Broughton just isn’t strong. He has a first step and swim move. If that gets halted, he gets blown out. Murphy, Coburn, Ojomo all played well. Collins looked good in limited snaps. Texas needs to look seriously at playing 3 interior DL and an edge against a number of future opponents. Getting Collins more snaps is imperative.

LB

Overshown had two poor missed tackles in the 1st half and doesn’t seem to quite understand what area he’s defending or what routes he should be interfering with in zone. Much stronger second half with an outstanding PBU on the UTSA tight end in the red zone, another good break up later, and then the nonsensical targeting hit on Harris. Jaylan Ford had a big work rate (15 tackles) but he showed that he’s not a good choice for spying future mobile QBs and he’s not triggering fast enough on straight forward run reads. DTD had some nice plays in the second half that helped make up for some “where’s the ball?” moments.

DB

 

Ryan Watts really struggled finding the ball, earning an end zone pass interference and surrendering a HB option touchdown where he was in position but didn’t attempt a play. He got bailed out on another double move that should have gone for 6. Jamison had a poor effort on a QB blitz, but made up for with a nice PBU in the end zone. Barron got worked early and blew a tackle on a short yardage situation, but he played better ball when Texas tightened up coverage. Barron’s Gift Six touchdown was a turning point and while that was mostly about a bad ball, Barron completed the play. The safeties were OK.

Special Teams

Bert Auburn should have had a field goal waived off due to false starting but he did drill a 44-yarder, Stone put one out of bounds on a kickoff, and the front line of the Longhorn return team all turned their backs on the UTSA kickoff at contact, allowing UTSA a gimme onside kick that increased 1st half Longhorn fan pucker factor by 135%. Trejo is punting well for distance, but they are line drives.

Final

You may have gathered that I wasn’t necessarily blown away by the initial defensive game plan, but playing pretty hard can make up for a lot of sins. The Longhorn defense conceded 3 second half points and improved depth meant that waves of Longhorn defenders wore down the Roadrunners over time. No one lost composure and that was instrumental in the unit tightening up and the Longhorns pulling away late.