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

[satyanash 15610]

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

Joe Cook: Texas tops West Virginia 38-20

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The Texas Longhorns and the West Virginia Mountaineers faced off at 6:30 p.m. on FS1 in a battle of two 2-2 teams looking for their first conference win and trying to avoid going 0-2 in Big 12 play.

Pregame

 

Per Eric Nahlin, Texas DT Moro Ojomo is going through pregame drills and looks just fine. Hudson Card and Jake Majors are exchanging snaps as the first QB/C pairing. Quinn Ewers and Connor Robertson are exchanging snaps as the second QB/C pairing. Texas captains: Ovie Oghoufo, Jordan Whittington, Jahdae Barron, Roschon Johnson. WVU wins the toss and will receive.

First Quarter

WVU starts on the 17, then the 12 after a false start. A second-down pass gets WVU near midfield, but the drive fizzles out on third and long on the WVU 42. After the punt, Texas starts on the 13. Ja’Tavion Sanders hauls in a short pass for a first down. On third and long, Hudson Card is sacked and Texas has to punt. The Mountaineers begin on the Texas 48. Facing third and short on the Texas 40, West Virginia can’t convert and a Mountaineer is down on the ground. A fourth down attempt falls incomplete off of Bryce Ford-Wheaton’s hands and the Longhorns take over possession.

A first down pass from Card to Sanders picks up another first down and puts Texas in WVU territory. Another pass from Card to Roschon Johnson picks up a first. On second and five, Card finds Worthy in the end zone for a touchdown. 7-0 Texas 6:08 Texas gets the Mountaineers into a third and long situation but a long pass to Sam James nets the first down. Another third and long near midfield for WVU ends up in a sack from Moro Ojomo, and WVU punts. Texas starts on the 26.

On second down on the ensuing possession, Card finds Whittington on a swing pass to move into WVU territory. It gets to third down, but Johnson gets the first on the ground. A trick play results in a touchdown pass from Worthy to Sanders. 14-0 Texas 0:34 WVU ends the quarter facing a second and five.

Second quarter

Facing third down and three, WVU can’t haul in an easy pass and has to punt again. Card throws it deep to Whittington on second down and moves into WVU territory after a 22-yard pass. A quick pass to Robinson moves Texas to the precipice of the red zone, and another Robinson run gets Texas inside the 20. Pass interference on WVU makes it first and goal. Robinson runs it in behind Coburn and Byron Murphy for another score. 21-0 Texas 11:54

The Mountaineers take over on the 25 and complete a pass to gain nine yards. A rush gets the first down near the WVU 40. On third and short, CJ Donaldson gets the first down on the ground. JT Daniels is sacked by Barryn Sorrell on first down to make a second and long. On third and long, D’Shawn Jamison breaks up a pass to Ford-Wheaton to force a punt.

Starting from the 13, a bad snap backs Texas up. A facemask penalty on WVU gives the Longhorns a first down, but a holding penalty backs up the Longhorns again. A quick pass to Keilan Robinson gains yards but WVU commits a personal foul to help the Longhorns move forward. Card then finds Worthy downfield to move into the red zone. Card finds Sanders again for a 13-yard score. 28-0 Texas 4:22

WVU nets a first down through the air, then another on the ground as the clock moves under 4:00. A pass moves the Mountaineers into Texas territory and inside the 40. On third down, WVU runs the ball but loses several yards after a Murphy TFL. On fourth down, the Mountaineers complete a deep pass to get into the red zone.

Facing third and nine inside the Texas 20, Daniels finds Ford-Wheaton to make it first and goal. On second and goal, Daniels finds Kaden Prather for a score. 28-7 Texas 0:13 Texas recovers an onside kick attempt, and Card finds Johnson to move into WVU territory. With one second remaining, Card throws it deep but it fall incomplete. 28-7 Texas

Third quarter

Texas begins on the 30. Facing third and short, Bijan Robinson powers through the line for a first. He carries it again for another first in WVU territory. Card throws it downfield, it’s tipped by a WVU receiver, and hauled in by Worthy for the score. 35-7 Texas 13:03 Starting on the 25, WVU gains a few yards on a draw. The Mountaineers get a first down on the ground, then move into Texas territory with a long pass to Ford-Wheaton. Sorrell records another sack, and on third down the Mountaineers can’t convert. On fourth and 15 at the Texas 34, Daniels passes but it falls incomplete. Texas takes over.

The Longhorns gain a few yards and get into third and short. and Robinson picks up the first down on the ground. A holding backs up the Longhorns, and another penalty makes it first and 30. A sack of Card makes it second and 36. The Longhorns eventually punt.

WVU starts its drive with a short pass play, and eventually makes the line to gain for a first down. CJ Donaldson is carted off the field after taking a hit. Texas forces a third and short, but WVU runs for a first in Longhorn territory. WVU faces another third down, and Daniels completes a pass to Prather for another first. In the red zone, WVU has another third down with seven to go. WVU gains six, and on fourth down the Mountaineers sneak for a first.

With first and goal from the six, a pass falls incomplete. Second and goal results in a offsetting penalties, and the quarter ends with an outside rush and a penalty on Jamison to give the Mountaineers a new set of downs.

Fourth quarter

WVU runs it in from a yard out. 35-14 Texas 14:56 Texas gets put into a third and long situation, but Card picks up the first down with a scramble. Johnson carries the ball into WVU territory, and another carries nets a first down. Texas gets into a third and six, and Johnson is tackled short. On fourth down, Bert Auburn kicks a 45-yard field goal. 38-14 Texas 10:22

Starting on the 25, WVU picks up a few yards with a pass. They face a third down and a quick pass picks up the first with Sam James. Another penalty on Texas moves the ball into Longhorn territory. The Longhorn defense gets WVU into another third down, and James picks up the first over the middle. Yet again on third down, WVU picks up yardage to make a fourth and short. A pass out of the backfield gets another first, and WVU has had the ball for over five minutes.

A pass interference puts WVU near the goal line, and WVU runs it in for a score. 38-20 Texas 4:31 WVU kicks an onside but it is recovered by the Longhorns. Robinson runs for a chunk of eight yards on first down, and gets a handful to move the sticks. He then rushes and Texas puts the finishing touches on the game to close out a 38-20 win.

Cody Daniel: Initial thoughts from Texas’ 38-20 win over West Virginia

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In need of a bounce-back win, the Texas Longhorns got exactly that on Saturday afternoon, cruising past the West Virginia Mountaineers in convincing fashion, 38-20. Here are a few initial thoughts from Texas’ first conference win of the season.

Texas closed. Better yet, they didn’t relent, which in turn removed the need for the Longhorns to close in crunch time as they enjoyed a comfortable lead down the stretch. And that’s been the concerning theme for Steve Sarkisian’s program — building notable leads just to collapse them away. The flow of the game swayed a bit in the second half, which limited the number of scoring drives the offense had opportunities at, but save for the hesitancy given Texas’ recent woes with blowing leads, the outcome was never really in doubt given how quickly opened.

Hudson Card continues to grow each time out. In his third start of the season and in what felt like a must-win for 2-2 Texas, the junior put forth the best performance of his career, completing 21-of-27 passes for 303 yards and three touchdowns. There were a few throws he’d love to have back, but for the most part, he played his game, remained composed under pressure, and found his playmakers to continually move the chain and put points up, leading five straight touchdown drives (save for the incomplete heave to end the first half) to put Texas in control, 35-7 early in the third. Going forward, Texas may be set to welcome freshman Quinn Ewers back into his role as QB1, but in his absence, Card continues to hold his own and prove Texas can win games with him behind center.

Hello, Xavier Worthy. Texas’ star receiver has had a fairly slow start to the first third sophomore season, but he was nothing short of a game-changer on Saturday. He hauled in the first score of the game, then reversed his role and tossed a 33-yard touchdown to Ja’Tavion Sanders on the next drive. Later, Worthy grabbed a 44-yarder from Card to set Texas up to take a commanding 28-0 lead, and delivered another touchdown after the break, displaying incredible focus and body control to secure 45-yard tipped touchdown pass. All told, Worthy looked like himself and helped the Horns flash their explosive upside, grabbing seven catches for 119 yards and two touchdowns, along with his touchdown pass.

This is the kind of performance Texas needed heading into the Red River Showdown. After playing what was unquestionably their worst game of the season last week, the Longhorns arguably looked the best they have yet. To be sure, there will be a few opportunities they’ll want back on both sides of the ball and especially in the secondary, but by and large, the defense was flying around playing aggressive and disciplined, and the offense executed and produced points nearly every time out. In doing so, Texas looked like the confident bunch we saw against Alabama, and this time around, it resulted in a double-digit conference win. Now, build on it and go beat OU

 

[satyanash 15610]

(Ian Boyd) Five quick thoughts: Texas dominates West Virginia

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Texas had a big opportunity in this game to get back on track in the Big 12 conference standings, to beat an overmatched opponent, and to build momentum for a crucial stretch of football. They had to do so without Quinn Ewers once again, perhaps for the last time this season, but Hudson Card delivered with another solid performance.

Texas’ defense also had a nice time facing a team missing a top notch slot receiver or mobile quarterback and lit up the West Virginia passing game with pressure. They had three sacks on quarterback J.T. Daniels and broke up seven passes. West Virginia’s run game never really got going and Texas’ early scoring helped marginalize that dimension to the Mountaineer attack.

A few sloppy looking onside kick attempts aside, it was a complete game from Texas. “Sideshow” Bert Auburn even got in on the action with another 40+ yard field goal. Texas dominated their opponent from start to finish and now can have some confidence and momentum at a time when they will really need it.

Quick thought no. 1: Ja’Tavion Sanders, game MVP

You could quibble and choose Xavier Worthy. Texas’ deep threat was frequently targeted by Hudson Card and brought in seven catches for 119 yards and two touchdowns while also throwing for another score. He’s an essential piece of the pie.

Worthy’s passing touchdown was to Ja’Tavion Sanders, who caught five balls for 78 yards and two touchdowns of his own. The other Sanders touchdown catch came when Texas spread out the Mountaineers in the red zone with Sanders isolated up top like Travis Kelce and Card found him in the back of the end zone on a slant.

Obviously Hudson Card also played pretty well. He was 21-27 for 303 yards at 11.2 ypa with three touchdowns and zero interceptions (few near misses though). His ability to execute the early game scripts, pick up a few first downs with his legs every game, and avoid turnovers has been clutch. Card also made a terrific throw down the field to Xavier Worthy in which he stepped up in a congested pocket. He’s getting better every week, it’s possible Texas could finish the season in Arlington if they had to rely on him all year.

JT Sanders was doing his work in both facets of the game, tying the run game and pass game together. He flexed out for the touchdown, motioned out to block on perimeter screens, cut across the formation to block on the split zone runs Texas rode to victory late, and then feigned those blocks to release into the flat for other catches. When Sanders is blocked effectively and doing his thing in the passing game, he’s an NFL caliber tight end and it gives Texas an extra gear on offense.

Quick thought no. 2: Successful second half lead protection

Steve Sarkisian has had major issues in his time at Texas protecting the second half leads his team routinely builds while executing the early game script. Big 12 defenses don’t let you just run the ball on favorable numbers and run out the clock, nor do they let you throw easy passes underneath and chew clock in that fashion.

They’ll pressure the ball, load up to stop the run, and force you to either beat them for quick scores or resort to quick punts. Either way, they get the ball back faster with a chance to score and make the game a shootout rather than a blowout.

The solution in this game was to dial up a heavy dose of RPOs, many of them disguised bubble screens attached to split zone running plays. Texas blocks those screens well, they have multiple guys who are dangerous targets for what they can do after the catch, and it allows them to call runs with a lead and just take the free candy if opponents choose to load up against the run. Texas even used some tempo to guarantee they could run these plays successfully, opting to trade quicker drives which finding success and getting some points while keeping the defense off the field longer than a 3’n’out would.

Some teams will deny those quick throws more easily than West Virginia, who’s back to being a base zone team after losing their star cornerback. Nevertheless, Texas showed some creativity in getting the leverage they wanted and had a good plan this week for preventing another second half comeback. Credit also to Hudson Card for another scramble to pick up a first down and keep the chains and clock moving in the second half. Second week in a row he’s done so, he needs to use his legs to maximize as a player.

Quick thought no. 3: A good game for pass defense

Texas definitely has a soft spot for crossing patterns, particularly when they’re blitzing their linebackers in order to get pressure, but once again they had another strong day on the stat sheet in terms of efficiency. JT Daniels was 29-48 for 253 yards at 5.3 ypa with one touchdown and zero interceptions. Those are pretty weak numbers, you generally expect to win big completely denying passing game efficiency like Texas has done this season.

They paired this success with better but still not great “money down” defense. West Virginia went 9-18 on third down and 3-5 on fourth down. A lot of this came when they were fighting to make a comeback and already down bad, but they still had more success than Texas would like to see. Opponents will continue to attack Texas on fourth down so long as they can. It’s the trending strategy and an obvious maneuver if you’re playing from behind as Texas’ opponents regularly find themselves doing.

The Longhorns will need to continue to find answers here. Their blitzes will get better as the season progresses, both in terms of the coverage and also timing the blitzes and finding rush lanes. They may also get a boost from improving play up front. Sorrell has three sacks through five games and Justice Finkley got more action in this game and continues to show promise. They unquestionably benefited from having Moro Ojomo back after he missed the Tech game.

Overall they’re doing a good job of contesting throws outside, moving quarterbacks off their spots, and denying early reads. When they can clamp down better in the middle of the field on crossers they might be a really great defense. Run defense continues to be a forgotten problem of yesteryear.

Quick thought no. 4: Texas’ backfield actions have been lethal

Texas’ play where they have multiple skill players in the backfield and release two against the grain of a zone play has been murderous this season. Hudson Card was regrettably 1-2 throwing to Roschon Johnson releasing on a wheel route on this play, a better throw on either play is probably a touchdown (Johnson wishes he could have replayed the second as well).

They had success throwing it to JT Sanders as well and Keilan Robinson. It’s a misdirection sort of play but really a base concept at this point. It’s very difficult to defend because even if your flat defender covers the wheel, Texas has a second defender running into the vacated flat behind them. Look back at all of Texas’ big plays on this throw and you’ll often find the second man to the flat was also wide open.

West Virginia was vulnerable to confusing backfield actions coming in, this was apparent from their film against Kansas and Virginia Tech, and Texas definitely pounced on them. The double pass was also well executed, particularly by Jordan Whittington who sold a bubble screen block and Xavier Worthy who threw a great ball. I imagine they’ll have an awful lot more in the bag next week because…

Quick thought no. 5: Opportunity knocks…

So here’s the deal. It’s Red River Shootout week now. The Longhorns will play an Oklahoma team next week who’s 0-2 in conference play after a humiliating, 55-24 defeat against TCU where Robert Griffin III joked from the booth that TCU might beat Aaron Judge to 62. Elsewhere Oklahoma State beat Baylor today on the road in Waco and Kansas State smacked Texas Tech at home in Manhattan.

This league is wide open and a young Texas team with loads of weapons, getting better every week and playing defense, can definitely beat anyone else. First they need to beat Oklahoma.

This is looking shockingly easy. I haven’t seen Oklahoma down this bad heading into the game since 2005 when they were contesting Vince Young with Rhett Bomar and that team played waaaaaay better defense than this Sooner squad. You can be sure Brent Venables and the surrounding culture will urge them on to the best performance they’re capable of but I’m not sure how good that even is and it may lack quarterback Dillon Gabriel who was knocked out today against TCU.

A win is a win, but Texas should go in with intent to destroy and send a message for recruiting and the rest of the league. Make this a “we the captain now” sort of statement game heading into the deeper stretch of conference play. The Longhorns can absolutely win the Big 12 and need to continue to grow and show it in the biggest game of the season.

 

[Pig Bellmont 8887]

2 minutes ago, satyanash said:

a young Texas team with loads of weapons, getting better every week and playing defense

What Texas team is that?

[satyanash 15610]

 

[Deej 77839]

Plenty of Oxycontin to help with that headache in West Virginia.

[Monahorns 39]

Ian Boyd can be at once correct in some comments and at the same time completely out of touch with reality.

[TXRed 3585]

Sounds awfully familiar to what Sark has been doing the last three weeks. 

[Duane Moore 5756]

10 hours ago, Pig Bellmont said:

What Texas team is that?

A hypothetical one. 

[satyanash 15610]

Bobby Burton: A good day for the Texas Longhorns

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OU gets walloped. A&M looked lost on offense, again. And the Texas Longhorns dominated. That’s a good day. Or, as a friend of mine wrote, “Christmas came early.”

**

I re-watched the game this morning. A couple of key points I want to make.

1. The offense and defensive game plan. Sark utilized the short pass throughout the game to keep the chains moving. He has done that before but never to the extent he did it last night. The defense played tighter coverage earlier, blitzed more frequently and refused to allow anything terribly easy through the air.

2. The Texas defensive line and linebackers stopped the run. Period. Texas allowed just 61 rushing yards. The Horns forced the Mountaineers to be one dimensional. And that clearly wasn’t going to be enough.

**

The short passing game may not be Sark’s preferred route to success. But it certainly paid dividends last night. Ja’Tavion Sanders, Roschon Johnson, Jordan Whittington, Bijan Robinson and even Xavier Worthy were targeted to help move the chains at various times during the game. That’s not something Sark had been as committed to prior to last night, especially not in the second half. Yet the results are pretty clear.

The short passing game, heavy on RPOs, is what Hudson Card does best. It also keeps the defense honest on the outside and allows for more seams in the run game.

**

I really like how well the Texas offensive line responded after being thoroughly beaten a week ago. Outside of the sack on the game’s first possession, the Texas OL held up extremely well. They provided time for Card in the pocket and opened up some run lanes late.

**

Texas heads into OU with some much needed momentum. The Horns can’t take their foot off the gas.

Eric Nahlin: Just what the doctor ordered

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The Texas Longhorns defeated West Virginia 38-20 and it wasn’t that close. I don’t know what West Virginia’s final record will be but they’re not a bad team. They executed poorly and as the Texas Tech game demonstrated you have to execute at a very high level to beat this Texas team.

As much as I felt the coaches had a rough time in Lubbock I feel they excelled last night. That was the game for Hudson Card to manage. Card’s night was a little choppy but that overall performance is what he can give you. More importantly, that’s what Sark can give you. We saw creativity and an off-balance defense.

In some ways that game went as expected. This is not an easy team to run the ball on. That predetermines the volume of passing we’ve seen in recent weeks. I had some minor concerns about the corners going into the game. I felt there would be more give and take. While Bryce Ford-Wheaton and Kaden Prather combined for 16 receptions, they only went for 130 yards and one touchdown. It’s time to acknowledge the corners are pretty good.

It’s plainly obvious Texas is better than last year. The coaches and players deserve credit. A big question entering the season regarded how they would respond to adversity. Yesterday was a resounding, positive indicator. The season still sets up well. If you’ve watched fellow Big 12 teams it’s clear Oklahoma State is the best team but it’s wide open after that. Texas gets a mentally, and perhaps physically, broken OU. Then Iowa State at home. It gets tougher after that but this team with momentum will be tough for anyone to beat.

Texas *should* get Quinn Ewers back next week but credit to the oft-maligned Card. His growth from last year is clear and he is still improving. As his confidence grows he’s going to become a very good quarterback. I need a re-watch of the game to opine further. I had no intentions of going to the game but I ended up watching from the Bevo Club with a few of you guys. The viewing experience (as far as the game goes) isn’t great but it’s a total blast.

 

[satyanash 15610]

(Scipio Tex) 2022 Texas vs. West Virginia Post Mortem: Offense

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That’s the Texas offense Longhorn fans want to see each week. Creative, resourceful, attacking, opportunistic. Texas had a great read on the Mountaineers defense and built a game plan attacking West Virginia’s back end weaknesses rather than attempting to serve some artificial notion of run game equity by running into the teeth of a run-stopping focused defense. The gods of balance ignore feeble offerings and reward offenses with 3rd and 8. If you read my West Virginia preview denigrating the Mountaineers secondary, it’s pretty clear that Sark saw the same things and crafted a strong game plan that would see the Longhorns accumulate 250 yards passing and 28 points by halftime.

After a sputtering first series, the Longhorn offense dominated. Sark had faith in Hudson Card to hit open receivers and a healthy Xavier Worthy made all of the difference, particularly contrasted to the poor second half of offense last week against Tech in his absence. After an initial punt, Texas scored touchdowns on their next four possessions of the half with drives totaling 292 yards on 25 plays at an amazing 11.68 yards per play. There were so many open receivers running around that Card’s nearly perfect first half could have been even better. He overthrew a wide open Xavier Worthy for a long touchdown and then threw a bad ball to Roschon Johnson on the sideline that would have gone for another long six. It’s a testament to the execution and game plan (and #1’s play) that Card could finish the first half 13 of 17 for 223 yards passing and two touchdowns still having two missed throws that would have pushed him over 300.

Texas only had 10 possessions overall. They scored touchdowns on five consecutive possessions from the early first to early third and then added a field goal and a time consuming clock killing drive to end the game that demonstrated a good balance between short passing and tough running against a tired WVU front to seal the game. The win was much more convincing than the 18-point margin as Big 12 officials decided to grab some television time at the expense of Texas continuity.

Texas was outstanding running the ball in short yardage despite WVU’s reputation for run stopping and last week’s struggles in Lubbock. Texas eschewed the RoCat and added a couple of new wrinkles to short yardage football, including a little pitch toss to Bijan Robinson. Texas converted 3rd and short (3 yards or less) running the ball 4 of out 4 times attempted and Bijan had a pair of effective red zone carries that resulted in a 1 yard touchdown. Runs that lead to first downs and touchdowns are highly effective runs – even if the stat sheet says says those six runs totaled only 15 yards.

Sark spread the ball around and attacked every vertical and horizontal from 21 and 12 personnel. Texas running backs had 70 yards on 5 catches in the 1st half while Ja’Tavion Sanders added 4 catches for 68 yards and two touchdowns in the first two quarters. When non wideouts are are averaging 15 yards per catch and scoring frequently, the defense is in trouble.

QB

Hudson’s Card stat line was scintillating (21 of 27 for 303 yards, 3 touchdowns, zero turnovers) and he made a couple of terrific throws. The eyes downfield climb up the ladder to hit Worthy for 45 yards despite intense pressure was an outstanding throw (while the announcers nitpicked that it wasn’t perfect) and I loved his accuracy and zip in the wide receiver screen game. The accuracy of those balls is the difference between 2nd and 8 and 2nd and 2. He missed a few big throws detailed above, but that’s football. Card connected on 78% of his throws at over 11 yards per attempt. He also had an opportunistic scramble for a first down and he probably should have done that here as well…

Card gets bailed out by a little luck and Worthy’s concentration, but if you are coaching process over result, that should be a 35 yard Card scramble down the wide open sideline instead of a YOLO ball. Here’s an example of Card delivering:

Yes, Worthy is wide open but that’s strong quarterbacking because Card knows he’s getting leveled and still delivers the strike.

OL

The offensive line had some early tough moments in pass protection (Kelvin Banks even had a freshman wait I’ve got that guy moment), but as the passing game opened up the field and forced the Mountaineers to stop crowding the box, the line did an above average job in pass protection despite some leaks from time to time. Sark helped them with quick throws and play action. Though Texas did not fully assert itself in the running game until the 4th quarter, that’s when you want an offensive line to assert itself. Also, note the 3rd and short running success I noted above. That’s big time, even if it doesn’t fill up the stat sheet with numbers. The interior offensive line did a much better job of keeping on their block to create interior creases on short yardage. An area where Texas was extremely successful. Given the Mountaineer DL quality, Jake Majors had one of his best games.

WR/TE

A huge game from Xavier Worthy, who reminded us what he can offer the offense and how he creates for others. Apparently, he can also throw:

Great football from Worthy all game in terms of concentration, route running and hands. 7-119-2 touchdowns and the aforementioned touchdown pass. Jordan Whittington is used to getting volume over bang for his buck, but this game was the reverse as he grabbed 3 balls for 58 yards, including a 31 yard run after catch where he showed his best acceleration of the year. JT Sanders was terrific all game grabbing 5 balls for 78 yards and 2 touchdowns. Sark kept the wide receiver rotations tight in 2 or 3 man sets and it was largely the Worthy and Whittington show outside.

The WVU safety falls here, but he does so because he tries to squat on Sanders’ undeclared route and check a 245 pound guy and then turn and run with him. Nope. TD. Note how quick Sanders is on his release.

RB

Bijan had 10 carries for 30 yards in the first half (which was more effective than you perceive given that 60% of those were short yardage carries), but patience paid off in the 2nd half with 11 carries for 71 yards to put him over 100 for the game. He also added 2 catches for 34 yards. Roschon added another 41 yards on 8 touches. Keilan Robinson had his most active game as a receiver, nabbing 3 balls for 26 yards. Good game from the backs.

Final

Texas handled a team that will finish in the bottom half of the league in a more convincing way than the scoreboard expressed. The Longhorn offense was on point. If Texas plays up to its potential, a big W in Big D is right there for the taking.

(Scipio Tex) 2022 Texas vs. West Virginia Post Mortem: Defense & Special Teams

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In the postgame press conference, Steve Sarkisian once again reiterated a message he’d mentioned twice coming into Saturday’s contest. Specifically, the need for the Longhorn defense to better match coverage to its pressure packages, a problem that was identifiable against UTSA and proved deadly against Texas Tech. The defensive brain trust appeared very much on board with an early game plan that challenged West Virginia’s favorite spots and timing in the passing game.

Were some of West Virginia’s early drops the result of Texas defenders distorting timing or JT Daniels getting off a less than ideal ball due to pressure and different looks? More crucially, was the outstanding energy from the Texas defense attributable in any way to a game plan that fostered early success through aggression and disruption? Sometimes taking the fight to the enemy and not offering them an easy escape valve underneath has intangible benefits that filter through the entire defense. You could see it with the quality of hitting and gang tackling on Saturday. Defense is largely mindset. Some game plans nourish the right one.

It also helped that JT Daniels is a statue and Texas didn’t have to fret over opportunistic QB runs. Texas also played several different fronts, including more use of three interior defensive linemen at once, some true 3-3-5 looks and far fewer defensive back blitzes (where Daniels could just throw to vacated space) and many more interior and linebacker pressure combos. That’s the right direction. Nickel and corner blitzes should be high leverage surprises. Not staples.

The Mountaineers had only nine possessions on Saturday. The Texas defense dominated the first five of them, holding West Virginia to 75 yards on 26 plays with four punts and a crucial turnover on downs near midfield. Combined with a red hot Longhorn offense, that staked Texas to leads of 28-0 and 35-7 which West Virginia eventually chipped away at by scoring touchdowns on three of their last four drives. Some of that was attributable to solid Mountaineer adjustments and playmaking, but the officials helped bolster some West Virginia drives with a Jamison personal foul called on a Sam James soccer flop and an absurd T’Vondre Sweat roughing call where he was found guilty of playing football.

Overall, Texas held West Virginia to 20 points and only 314 yards on 78 plays. A less than robust 4 yards per play average (Texas averaged 7.4). West Virginia only averaged 8.7 yards per completion (Hudson Card averaged over 11 per attempt) and though they ended up doing well on money downs, it was largely back loaded to the final quarter of play. West Virginia was 0-3 on 3rd and 4th down on their first two drives.

DL

Outstanding game overall. Texas started Sweat and Coburn together which created different pairings and rotations throughout the game that I favored. Texas ran some different fronts and Neal Brown remarked in his postgame that some of the looks took West Virginia by surprise. While Texas only notched 3 sacks overall, pressure on Daniels was consistently good for long stretches and they frequently knocked him off of his spot. Sorrell had several good pass rushes (1.5 sacks, another QB hit, 2 pressures) and Oghoufo wasn’t found too far upfield even once. Prince Dorbah got a number of snaps and I was going to praise him for coming flat in backside pursuit to notch a tackle for loss like he was Joseph Ossai, but my praise was wiped out when he lined up in the neutral zone on the same possession on a 3rd and 8. Prince had 4 tackles overall.

West Virginia totaled only 61 rushing yards and they were resigned to the short passing game to move the ball. A big chunk of that is because of the Texas front winning. Byron Murphy’s box score says only 3 tackles and 1 tackle for loss, but he was consistently terrific and should have drawn two holding calls. Sweat had some impact plays, including a big run stuff that another Longhorn cleaned up, a big hit on Daniels (erroneously flagged) and a tipped ball, but the box score shows zero tackles. In a similar vein, Ojomo had some good motor plays that didn’t show up in the game tally beyond his sack.

LB

Jaylan Ford notched 14 tackles and did a nice job flowing to the ball throughout. The disposition of the Texas front and the overall defense allowed Overshown to play free agent all over the field and he notched 8 tackles and pursued well for four quarters. He’s not always sure what he’s doing in the passing game and it would be useful if Texas could do more than just delay blitz him. He has the ability to drop into a route break and get a pick. Tucker-Dorsey got some play in three linebacker packages, but Texas is starting to hone in on Ford and Overshown as our ride-or-die guys on the second level.

DB

 

The Longhorns had a season high 7 pass breaks ups, led by Jamison’s 2. Jamison had a good game, even as WVU sought to target him early with Bryce Ford-Wheaton. Eventually, they moved their attention elsewhere. Coming into West Virginia, Texas had totaled 12 PBU in four previous contests. Were the increased pass break ups and Daniels’ 56% halftime completion percentage (14 of 25 for 142 yards) a function of more challenged routes and better up front pressure? It sure looked like it.

Jerrin Thompson had ten tackles and a pass break up. Anthony Cook had only four tackles, but I heard and felt all four of them. Solid games from both and it was nice to see them doing a bit more than just play two deep. Ryan Watts continues to tackle and run support well. Jahdae Barron had a preventable pass interference and I’d like to see him jump a slant soon. This group played winning football overall. West Virginia’s longest pass play was a 32 yard back shoulder fade to Ford-Wheaton on a perfect throw and Daniels averaged a measly 5.3 yards per attempt. A more aggressive game plan in terms of attacking routes early rather than conceding “harmless throws” seemed to suit this bunch well. Overall cohesion was good.

Special Teams

Texas only punted twice, but Trejo’s first effort wasn’t good. Sideshow Bert Auburn drilled a 40+ yarder and is now a perfect 6 of 6 on field goals between 40-49 yards on the season and 10 of 12 overall. If you thought field goal kicker would be a season strength, raise your hand. West Virginia ran a great onside kick late that Texas was lucky to recover.

Final

Texas didn’t have a good game plan for a limited offense in Texas Tech last week. This week, Texas had a good game plan for a somewhat limited West Virginia offense. The difference was written all over the field and the scoreboard. And in the locker room…