Media/$9.95-er postgame analysis articles (Week 6)

[satyanash 15610]

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

Wescott Eberts: Longhorns beat the Sooners 49-0, the largest margin in school history

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Pre-game

As reported earlier in the week by ESPN and other outlets, redshirt freshman quarterback Quinn Ewers will start on Saturday after missing the last three-plus games with the clavicle injury he sustained against Alabama, Sarkisian told Longhorn Network. The status of Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel is less clear after the UCF transfer was in concussion protocol this week after leaving the loss to TCU — Gabriel dressed for the game and is going through pre-game warmups.

On defense, safety Bill Bowman will not play for the Sooners.

First quarter

With Oklahoma winning the toss and deferring to the second half, the beleaguered Sooners defense was able to get a three and out against the Longhorns to start the game when Ewers missed tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders on a crossing route and settled for a check down to running back Roschon Johnson, who was tackled behind the line of scrimmage. Oklahoma was able to pick up a first down, by tight end Brayden Willis on a 3rd and 4 slant, but the Texas defense held after that as quarterback Davis Beville threw two incompletions sandwiched around a push pass to wide receiver Drake Stoops that the Horns stopped for no gain.

Following a first-down catch by wide receiver Jordan Whittington, Sanders took a short pass down the sideline for the game’s first explosive play. Initially ruled as a 29-yard gain, review overturned the play, bringing it back 13 yards. As Texas went tempo, running back Bijan Robinson ran for a first down, Ewers found Whittington for 22 yards, and Johnson moved the chains again by trucking an Oklahoma defender to move into the red zone. After a screen pass to Worthy picked up a first down near the goal line, Robinson scored on a two-yard run to cap the 12-play, 90-yard drive.

With Gabriel out, Oklahoma debuted a Wildcat formation with tight end Brayden Willis as the triggerman, gaining 35 yards on the first two plays. As the Longhorns defense adjusted, the Sooners had to convert a 4th and 2 to pick up the next first down before Beville returned to the game. A tackle for loss by Texas nose tackle Keondre Coburn forced a 3rd and 9 for Oklahoma. When Stoops caught a pass for a six-yard gain, the Sooners lined up to go for it on fourth down, but had to call a timeout as the play clock ticked down. Coming out of the timeout, Oklahoma called a fake field goal and picked up the first down on a throw from the holder to the kicker that narrowly made the yard to gain. On 4th and 1 from the Texas eight-yard line, the Horns were able to stop Gray as T’Vondre Sweat got penetration to hit Gray in the backfield and turn Oklahoma over on downs.

Second quarter

Facing a critical 3rd and 1 to start the second quarter, Johnson turned in another physical run for a seven-yard gain and Ewers hit Whittington for 13 yards. Then a misdirection run fake screen to Johnson hit up the right sideline for 38 yards. After a throw to running back Keilan Robinson for 13 yards, Ewers threw a 10-yard touchdown to wide receiver Xavier Worthy on a run-pass option glance route.

Another Wildcat formation used Gray behind center to get into Texas territory before Marcus Majors took over and the Longhorns inflicted a negative play on a push pass. On 3rd and 10, Beville threw an incomplete pass to force a punt in an area where the Sooners wanted to gain enough yards for a potential fourth-down conversion.

Able to stand clean in the pocket, Ewers completed a 22-yard pass to Whittington to open the drive, extended on a beautiful throw and catch from Ewers to Robinson as the Texas quarterback had to roll left to find his running back, who made a sensational catch. Three runs by Robinson picked up another first down as the Longhorns offense remained in rhythm and at tempo. Behind a physical block by Whittington, Keilan Robinson maintained the momentum with a 15-yard touchdown catch to make it 21-0.

A quick three and out by Oklahoma put Texas in position to bury the Sooners, but three incomplete passes resulted in a three and out for the Longhorns, too. Back in the Wildcat formation, Oklahoma found some rhythm offensively, moving the ball into the Texas red zone on the ground, but when Gray tried a jump pass, Longhorns junior nickel back Jahdae Barron came up with the interception on a poor throw by the Sooners running back.

Suddenly, the Texas offense lost its rhythm as Robinson was stopped in the backfield for a loss and center Jake Majors committed a false start penalty to put the Longhorns in a 3rd and 11 situation. After a timeout by Oklahoma, Ewers was forced to climb the pocket and scrambled for the first down. The Longhorns quarterback converted another third down with a pass to tight end Gunnar Helm, then drew a pass interference penalty when Worthy was cynically knocked down in the end zone to save a potential touchdown. Suddenly back in rhythm, Ewers dropped a beautiful throw to Sanders down the seam for a 24-yard touchdown and a 28-0 lead.

Trying to pick up some points before halftime, Beville was intercepted by Texas cornerback D;Shawn Jamison to gives the Longhorns a little bit more momentum heading into the break.

Third quarter

Desperate to score some points, Oklahoma went for it on 4th and 2 from their own 44-yard line, but Texas defended the play well, taking away any passing lanes for Beville, who was forced to scramble and was tackled for a yard loss. First downs from Robinson and Johnson moved the Longhorns to the edge of the red zone before Ewers put a ball a little bit too high for Whittington, who was wide open on a fake screen. On 3rd and 9, Ewers tried to throw the ball away under pressure, but it was intercepted when he wasn’t able to get it out of bounds.

The turnover didn’t hurt the Longhorns as the Sooners remained conservative in the Wildcat and the Texas defense shut it down on three straight runs, a surprising decision even with the struggles of Beville. Another touch pass from Ewers, this time to Whittington, gained 32 yards before a 15-yard gain by Worthy moved the Longhorns back into the red zone, where Robinson converted with an 11-yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 35-0.

Intent to lean on Oklahoma, Texas was able to continue gaining positive yards following another three and out by the Sooners, highlighted by a physical 17-yard run by Johnson.

Ewers finished the drive for a 42-0 lead with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Sanders as the Oklahoma defense doubled Worthy. And the defense continued to play at a high level, closing out the third quarter with a sack of Beville by defensive tackle Byron Murphy to force the fourth three and out of the game by the Sooners offense.

Fourth quarter

A five-play, 54-yard drive by Texas was all on the ground with backups, including running back Jonathon Brooks, who picked up a 3rd and 9 on the ground, then scored on an 18-yard run. The defense kept up its intensity, sacking Beville twice on the ensuing drive — one by Sweat and one shared by edge Justice Finkley and nose tackle Keondre Coburn.

With the second-team offensive line in the game, Brooks moved the chains on three runs, allowing third-string quarterback Charles Wright to get some playing time, leading to a missed field goal attempt by Bert Auburn. Following extended garbage time, Texas defeated Oklahoma 49-0, the largest margin in school history, the first time the Sooners have been shut out by the Longhorns since 1965, and the worst ever shutout loss for Oklahoma.

Cody Daniel: Initial thoughts from Texas’ 49-0 Red River Showdown win over Oklahoma

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Well, that was fun. Much like last year, the Texas Longhorns jumped all over the Oklahoma Sooner early, but this time around, they never let up. Here’s a few initial thoughts from Texas’ 49-0 Red River Showdown win over Oklahoma.

Texas was truly all gas, no brakes today. Maybe for the first time in the Steve Sarkisian era, the Longhorns completely buried an opponent, and did so on a big stage in the Red River Showdown. Texas struck first, then again, and again, and again, and next thing you know, the Horns were in complete command at the half, owning a 28-0 lead. But, of course, the collapse last season lingered in your mind a bit, but only for a short bit. Texas added another 14 points to their lead in the third quarter before deploying the backups, which continued to produce, scoring again in the fourth to put Texas on top, 49-0. The result? The first Red River shutout for the Longhorns since beating the Sooners 19-0 in 1965.

Maybe Texas, with Quinn Ewers, is really good. The last time we saw Ewers, he and the Longhorns were making easy work of Alabama’s defense, and there’s a pretty convincing case to be made that Texas entered the RRS undefeated if he remained healthy. And now, in his first action back from the clavicle sprain, Ewers picked up right where he left off, making things look effortless, completing 21-of-31 attempts for 289 yards and four scores with one pick. By the time his day was done. By the time his day was done, Texas was feasting on the Sooners to the tune of a 49-0 lead in the fourth quarter.

Ja’Tavion Sanders is quickly becoming one of the better tight ends in college football. And not to mention, one of Ewers’ favorite targets. Sanders has now enjoyed three straight gamed with five receptions, and four overall for the season if you include his six-catch, 85-yard showing against Louisiana Monroe. Now having snagged two touchdowns in back to back games, Sanders is up to a team-high five touchdowns on the year, in addition to 25 catches for 283 yards. In his first year as a starter, he’s become a major factor, and his impact will likely only increase as he continues to develop.

OU sucks. Not just in the joking, rivalry way, but this team is legitimately bad. There was next to no creativity offensively — the only semblances were the early wildcat packages and those felt like desperation more than anything — which is mind bongling given recent years under Lincoln Riley. On the other side, Brent Venables defense was absolutely bullied and completely out-schemed. Top to bottom, it just looked like a terrible team. But hey, you know the saying — OU sucks.

Edited October 8, 2022 by satyanash

[satyanash 15610]

(Ian Boyd) Five quick thoughts: Red River Shutout

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There were a lot of murmurs in the final day and moment before this game about what was coming. Oklahoma tweeted Dillon Gabriel in his “drip” for the bus ride to Dallas on Friday and dressed him out in full uniform to take first team reps in warm-ups.

It was a lot of visible steps to go through in order to try and convince someone (Texas) their starting quarterback would actually be playing a week after being knocked unconscious on live television. The Sooners had some other subterfuge planned as well, including a fake field goal and a lot of different Wildcat formations and looks with multiple trigger-men.

All of their attempts yielded one of the most lopsided Red River Shootouts I can ever remember…and I’ve seen a lot of lopsided games in this contest. Texas played a complete game and didn’t fall for it. Steve Sarkisian dialed up a million ways to carve up Brent Venables’ defense putting up 585 yards and the Longhorn defense wasn’t fazed by any of the desperate attempts from the Sooner offensive staff (195 yards for the Sooners).

And here we are, at a likely inflection point in this series.

Quick thought no. 1: A complete performance

When you get your fourth and fifth string running back reps in a rivalry game it’s a sign of a game gone really well or horribly wrong. In this case it was one of the biggest beatdowns this series has ever seen. For all the vicious beatdowns Bob Stoops administered to Mack Brown teams over the years, they never managed to land the combination “big offensive score/shutout” double whammy.

Some standout stats:

    Oklahoma managed a single first down in the second half.
    Texas out-rushed the Sooners 296 to 156.
    This was only the second shutout in the series this century.
    Oklahoma averaged 3.7 yards per play to Texas’ 7.2.
    Texas had 36 first downs to 11 for Oklahoma.
    Oklahoma is now 0-3 in Big 12 play.
    It was the biggest margin of victory since the 2003 game.

Bijan Robinson had a nice game despite getting iced early in the contest. He turned 22 carries into 130 yards at 5.9 ypc with two rushing touchdowns and caught two balls (one spectacular) for 15 yards. Oklahoma did a pretty good job of keeping Xavier Worthy under wraps but at the predictable expense of yielding a combined 10 catches for 168 yards and two (shoulda been three) touchdowns to Ja’Tavion Sanders and Jordan Whittington.

Quick thought no. 2: Oklahoma played not to lose big, and yet…

Despite their struggles in the package each of the last two weeks, Oklahoma stuck with their flyover defense for this game. Three deep safeties before the snap and three down linemen (two ends and a tackle) thus inviting a heavy dose of runs from the Longhorns. This package helped them keep the Longhorns in front of them and made the game a question of whether Texas could run the ball and hit routes underneath with enough consistency to score.

Well, Quinn Ewers was 21-31 for 289 yards at 9.3 ypa with three touchdowns and a single interception. Texas ran the ball 50 times for 296 yards at 5.9 ypc with three more touchdowns and they were 10-15 on 3rd down.

The interception was indicative of the game. Quinn Ewers missed a wide open Jordan Whittington for what would have been a walk-in touchdown then committed what Sark joked afterwards was “the worst interception of all time” when the ball slipped from his hand while Ewers was trying to throw it away. It was the only time they foiled a red zone opportunity, going 6-7 otherwise. In other words, it was a bad mistake which took points off the board for the Longhorns and had zero impact whatsoever on the outcome.

The Sooner gambit Texas wouldn’t be able to consistently execute their way down the field, or at least not well enough to inflict an embarrassing loss, blew up in spectacular fashion. Instead Texas controlled the game from start to finish.

Quick thought no. 3: The Sooner offense is broken

What happens when you run an uptempo spread offense designed to use the pass to set up the run but then don’t have a functioning quarterback depth chart in a big rivalry game? You get 9-17 passing for 39 yards at 2.3 ypa with zero touchdowns and two interceptions.

One interception came at the end of an otherwise solid drive by Oklahoma with the Wildcat where running back Eric Gray tried to throw it up for tight end Breyden Willis only for Jahdae Barron to find it. The other came on the only occasion where quarterback David Beville tried to push the ball down the field and was picked by D’Shawn Jamison on a post route where the throw was late and behind the receiver.

Texas’ safeties sat on the run game all day and limited the damage from the Wildcat until the Horns were able to adjust and completely shut down the package in the second half. The Sooners could or would not do anything to resolve the issue. They never tried General Booty at quarterback despite Beville looking completely overwhelmed and turned to freshman Nick Evers only at the very end of the game with the outcome no longer in question.

The losing drive for Oklahoma was probably the second drive of the game. Venables, knowing they’d need points and that their Wildcat gimmick would eventually be solved, called in a fake field goal (success) and went for it on 4th-and-2 from the Texas nine (stuffed). To have a 14-play, 67-yard drive and score zero points was brutal. To then surrender an eight-play, 92-yard drive touchdown drive from Texas to erase the field position edge was basically it.

Quick thought no. 4: Rivalry game moments

Jordan Whittington came to make the most of his last chance in this game, throwing some spectacular blocks including one on the early score by Keilan Robinson on a swing screen which ended with a Sooner pancaked.

This 3rd-and-6 catch by Bijan Robinson is when I knew there was no way the Longhorns were going to lose this game. They weren’t leaving the door open for another miraculous turnaround.

A possible Heisman highlight for Bijan and simply a “oh man, these boys have it today” moment for the offense in general. Ewers’ willingness and ability to push the ball down the field into tough windows, exemplified on this JT Sanders touchdown…

…made the Sooner defensive gameplan a DOA strategy.

The Texas offensive line played a really clean game overall to clear the pocket. There were repeated plays where I noted down “Ewers has forever” as the Sooner pass rush completely failed to pressure him. It wasn’t long into the contest before they were getting real push in the run game as well.

It wasn’t a particularly hard game for Texas, honestly. That’s in part because they were undoubtedly super prepared and also because the Sooners were so decrepit on offense this week without Dillon Gabriel, but this was their easiest win of the year after the ULM contest. That said, it will surely help them build confidence heading into the meat of the conference schedule in a wide open league.

Quick thought no. 5: Onward to Arlington!

The Longhorns are playing good defense this season, the offensive line is starting to gel with young players, they have a ton of NFL talent at the offensive skill positions, and now they have their starting quarterback back with a confidence-building win over the rival under his belt.

It should be well within the realm of possibility for Texas to run the table from here on out. They can afford to lose a game and still probably make the Big 12 Championship Game, which is good given their inexperience at quarterback and on the offensive line, but they will probably be favored in every remaining game.

The Longhorns get Iowa State in DKR next week, a tough road game to Stillwater against Oklahoma State, a bye week, and then the final four of at K-State, TCU, at Kansas, and Baylor. Texas has a chance to flip the power dynamics in this conference on their way out, finally toppling the Sooners and taking their place as the perennial league champion just in time to retire with the belt and depart for the SEC. It’d be a terrific “revenge tour” style narrative to write, now to go act it out.

 

Edited October 8, 2022 by satyanash

[satyanash 15610]

(Chip Brown) Instant Analysis: Texas exorcises some Red River demons in 49-0 rout of Oklahoma

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DALLAS — Quinn Ewers picked up where he left off against Alabama, the Texas defense came up with two turnovers and the Longhorns appeared to exorcise some Red River demons on Saturday in a 49-0 victory over Oklahoma. Texas led 28-0 at halftime, but there would be no question about squandering a double-digit lead on Saturday.

The only question in the fourth quarter was if Texas would score enough points to replace OU’s 65-13 victory in 2003 as the largest margin of victory by either side in the Red River Shootout. But Texas receiver Jordan Whittington and senior defensive tackle Keondre Coburn took great satisfaction in planting a massive Longhorn flag at the 50-yard-line as UT began its first Golden Hat celebration since 2018.

Some OU fans were easing out of the Cotton Bowl after Bijan Robinson’s 11-yard touchdown with 5:01 left in the third quarter, giving Texas a 35-0 lead. But Sooners’ fans were flooding out of the Cotton Bowl after Ewers hit Ja'Tavion Sanders with an 18-yard touchdown strike, putting the Longhorns’ up 42-0 with 1:57 left in the third quarter.

In addition to shutting out the Sooners on Saturday, Texas’ defense collected two turnovers and posted 11 tackles for loss, including three sacks by Byron Murphy, a combined sack by Anthony Cook and Diamonte Tucker-Dorsey and a combined sack by Keondre Coburn and Justice Finkley. Nickel corner Jahdae Barron and cornerback D'Shawn Jamison each came up with an interception, and linebacker Jaylan Ford and safety Jerrin Thompson led Texas in tackles with seven each.

Texas ran the ball down Oklahoma’s throat, finishing with 50 carries for 296 yards (5.9 yards per carry) and three TDs on the ground, led by Bijan Robinson (22 for 130 yards, 5.9 ypc, 2 TDs); Roschon Johnson (nine carries for 57 yards, 6.3 ypc); and Jonathon Brooks (seven carries for 39 yards, including an 18-yard TD run with 12:11 left to play).

How good was Ewers in the first half on Saturday? After Texas had taken a 21-0 lead midway through the second quarter, following a 15-yard touchdown pass from Ewers to Keilan Robinson, Ewers was 14-of-16 passing for 178 yards and two TDs with a QB rating of 222.2. Ewers showed laser accuracy and good decision-making throughout the first half, opting for check-down passes and even throwing the ball away when deeper routes weren’t there.

Ewers showed magical touch on two passes in particular in the first half: A beautifully lofted 12-yard pass to Bijan Robinson on third-and-6 — just over the hands of an OU defender — to keep a second-quarter TD drive alive; and then Ewers put an early dagger in the Sooners with another perfectly thrown 24-yard touchdown pass to tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders down the seam against tight coverage with 18 seconds left in the first half, putting Texas up 28-0.

Ewers finished the game 21-of-31 passing for 289 yards and four touchdowns with one interception and even ran 16 yards to pick up a first down and sustain a touchdown drive.

Ewers finally showed he was human in the third quarter, barely missing a wide-open Jordan Whittington on a 19-yard TD throw before making his first bad decision of the day: Under pressure from OU’s Marcus Stripling on third-and-9 from the OU 19, Ewers fluttered a pass well over the head of Casey Cain that was easily picked off by Sooners’ cornerback C.J. Coldon.

But Texas’ defense held the Sooners to a three-and-out, and the Longhorns’ rout resumed. Bijan Robinson went over 100 yards rushing on his first carry of the second half and finished with 130 yards on 22 carries (5.9 ypc) with touchdown runs of 2 and 11 yards. Robinson also caught two passes for 15 yards. Oklahoma had three trips inside Texas territory in the first half, including two into the red zone, and the Longhorns held the Sooners to zero points.

T'Vondre Sweat and Moro Ojomo stuffed a fourth-and-2 run by the Sooners inside UT’s 10 in the first quarter, and Jahdae Barron intercepted an ill-advised jump pass by OU running back Eric Gray after the Sooners had put together an impressive drive to Texas’ 20 late in the second quarter.

Playing without Dillon Gabriel (head injury) at quarterback, Oklahoma unloaded one new wrinkle and gadget play after another and moved the ball successfully at times while averaging 5.8 yards per carry (24 carries for 139 yards) in the first half. On the Sooners’ second drive of the game as receiver Jalil Farooq ran the ball twice on jet sweeps for gains of 23 and 12 yards to start the drive.

OU had tight end Brayden Willis take direct snaps, including a 5-yard run on fourth-and-2 from the Texas 32. Then, OU unfurled a perfectly executed fake field goal on fourth-and-3 from the Texas 20 as kicker Zach Schmit flared to his left and caught a pass from holder/punter Michael Turk for 3 yards.

But Brent Venables, trailing only 7-0, opted to go for it on fourth-and-2 from the Texas 9, and Sweat and Moro Ojomo engulfed OU running back Eric Gray short of the line, giving Texas the ball and critical momentum the Longhorns would never relinquish.

***

Oklahoma started showing visible frustration late in the third quarter. After a three-and-out forced by the Texas defense, OU’s Trey Morrison was flagged for a personal foul (unsportsmanlike conduct) well after Michael Turk’s punt had been fair caught by Xavier Worthy. The 15-yard flag gave Texas starting field position at the OU 47, and the Longhorns needed just six plays to take a 42-0 lead after Ewers found Sanders for an 18-yard touchdown strike with 1:57 left in the third quarter.

***

Texas tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders finished the game with five catches for 71 yards, including touchdown grabs of 24 and 18 yards. Sanders now has five TD receptions for the year, which leads the Longhorns, just ahead of Xavier Worthy, who has four TD catches for the season.

***

Hudson Card entered the game for Texas with 10:15 left to play to a rousing ovation from the Longhorn end of the Cotton Bowl. The offensive line that entered the game with Hudson Card consisted of four true freshman and sophomore Logan Parr. Freshman Neto Umeozulu was at left tackle, Parr was at left guard, freshman Connor Robertson was at center, freshman DJ Campbell was at right guard and freshman Cameron Williams of Duncanville was at right tackle.

Card handed off to Jonathon Brooks three times and picked up a first down before Charles Wright entered the game at quarterback as running back Jaydon Blue replaced Brooks.

***

With OU threatening in Texas territory in the second quarter, Texas’ defense forced its first turnover of the game (and third of the season), when OU running back Eric Gray served up a gift interception on a jump pass that fluttered right into the hands of Jahdae Barron, who returned it to the Texas 21. D'Shawn Jamison came up with Texas’ second forced turnover of the game on a perfectly played interception of a deep ball by Oklahoma just before halftime.

***

On OU’s second possession of the game, the Sooners gambled one too many times. After converting fourth-and-2 and perfectly executing a fake field goal on fourth-and-3 from the Texas 20, OU went for it again on fourth down (fourth-and-2) from the Texas 9, and T’Vondre Sweat engulfed OU’s Eric Gray short of the line, giving Texas the ball with 42 seconds left in the first quarter at the Longhorns’ 8. Texas then took the ball 92 yards in eight plays, capped by a 10-yard TD pass from Ewers to Xavier Worthy, giving the Longhorns a 14-0 lead with 12:40 left in the second quarter.

***

Texas started its second possession of the game from its own 10 after a 55-yard punt by OU’s Michael Turk but went up-tempo and covered 90 yards in 12 plays, taking 4:31 off the clock, capped by a 2-yard touchdown by Bijan Robinson. Texas was credited with eight runs on the drive, including a pass from Ewers to Worthy behind the line of scrimmage that went for 7 yards to Oklahoma 2, setting up first-and-goal and Robinson’s TD run on the next play, giving Texas a 7-0 lead with 6:48 left in the first quarter.

***

Texas went three-and-out on its first drive of the game, following a 4-yard run by Robinson, a 3-yard pass from Ewers to Robinson and a 2-yard loss on a pass from Ewers to Roschon Johnson. Daniel Trejo’s first punt went 45 yards.

***

After taking all the first-team reps in pre-game warm-ups, Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel emerged from the tunnel in his jersey and shorts, and Davis Beville walked out on the field as the starter.

 

[satyanash 15610]

Reactions from former players

 

[satyanash 15610]

Justin Wells: What Texas football players had to say after dominating OU

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The Texas Longhorns absolutely handled the Oklahoma Sooners, 49-0, at the Red River Shootout from the Cotton Bowl on Saturday. Here’s the latest notes and quotes following the Red River Shutout.

DeMarvion Overshown: “All offseason, all spring, we had to watch film from last year. You could tell where we were a couple of inches or a couple of feet from making a play and changing the whole game.” Overshown was asked if he saw Oklahoma fans leaving the game in the third: “I noticed. You still had a couple behind us still chirping.”

Anthony Cook: “We’re playing our brand of football.”

Quinn Ewers: “When coach (Sarkisian) told me, what was going through my mind was ‘it’s time to go.'”

Roschon Johnson: “It feels good to go out with a bang like that for this game, but we kind of knew what we planned to do. And I’m just glad we came out nice. We got the win. So it feels great.” Johnson, on not being surprised by Ewers: “Really just his preparation. I mean, when you see him practice, you know the talent that he has, so we know that it’d be protected. We knew if we let him throw the ball, it’d be something special. So that’s what that confidence is.”
five-quick-thoughts-red-river-shutout

Jahdae Barron: “I was just just keep my eyes on my key. That was my man. But I’m still fiddling around. So it was just just being smart and being aware. We had we had a game plan for this, this defense right now. We have this confidence, but is more about trust, we all trust one another. And just flying to the ball, as we keep doing. Once everybody gets to the ball, we’ll get down to this.”

Ja’Tavion Sanders: “It’s great, it’s a great feeling honestly just knowing what happened last year. Coming back, just coming out here executing the game plan honestly, it’s a great feeling.”

 

[IDIOTsavant 8688]

47 minutes ago, satyanash said:

(Ian Boyd) Five quick thoughts: Red River Shutout

 

Ian Boyd 5 quick thoughts….clicks spoiler - 8 pages.

Edited October 8, 2022 by IDIOTsavant

[satyanash 15610]

Justin Cook: Everything Steve Sarkisian said after Texas' 49-0 win over Oklahoma

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Texas was riding high after a historic 49-0 win over the Oklahoma Sooners. Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian called one of his best games in burnt orange, accumulating 585 total yards and seven touchdowns on offense. It wasn’t just the offense who had a strong day. The Longhorn defense made life miserable for an obviously depleted Sooner offense without regular starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel. OU only managed 195 total yards, with only 39 yards passing. A celebratory Sarkisian spoke to the media after the game. Here’s everything he had to say.

Steve Sarkisian postgame press conference

Opening statement: ”First of all, I’m really happy for these guys. I’m happy for our team. I hate to dwell on last year, but we felt like we let on get away last year. I thought these guys, their teammates, put forth a really good week of preparation. I thought our mental focus, our mental intensity — they were not caught up in all of the fanfare and hoopla of the game. They focused on what they needed to do, and in the end we played a really complete football game. I felt like all three phases, guys executed at a high level. The result was the result. It’s what these guys did. I’m proud of them and their focus. I’m proud of their leadership, and getting themselves prepared to play and play at a high level.”

On if the result was better than he could have imagined, and if this is how he believes his program takes off: “You never know the path exactly that you’re going to go on. You’re always looking for positive trajectory. You’re always looking for your program taking the necessary steps. The hard part is the outside world looks at wins and losses for growth in your program. We look at it every day. I see these guys every day. I see the way they work in the weight room, I see the way the work they put in in the offseason conditioning program. I see the attention to detail at practice. I see the competitiveness and the physicality in practice. That’s the hard part for them because they hear a lot of the outside noise sometimes when we don’t get a win, that we’re not making the necessary progress of the trajectory is not right. Within, I think we felt that it was just continuing to reiterate to them that we’re taking the right, necessary steps. We’re on the right path. Good things are going to continue to happen if we just keep doing it the right way. Again, I credit them for trusting us. It takes time to develop trust. Trust takes time plus consistency. I think we’ve gotten to a point where we’ve got a great deal of trust in our program, in what we do, and how we do, and why we do what we do. Inevitably, moments like this and moments like today just only enhance that. For me, it feels great because I know how hard these guys work. I know it’s been a minute since we’ve gotten that Golden Hat. For a lot of our senior players and veteran players to be able to enjoy today the way that they were able to, I’m super excited for them because it’s been years of hard work and some tough games. In the end, they had a really cool moment today.”

On the Wildcat and adjustments to it: ”I think a couple things came out of that one. Okay, here’s the Wildcat and now you’ve got to start fitting it. They had a couple of different Wildcat versions going that I thought the defensive staff did a good job of just settling the defenders down, of getting it right. We kept reminding them that at some point, they’re going to throw a pass out of this deal, right? They’re not just going to keep running it. Sure enough, the pass they threw we get the interception on in the red area, which I thought was a really big play. In the end, it was just playing disciplined football of knowing what to do, how to do, trusting it, then making your plays when it came your way.”

On Quinn Ewers’ start, the run game, and the shutout: ”I thought we found good rhythm after the first drive. I look back now, so much for my openers. That didn’t start so hot for us right off the bat. You know, we didn’t get the conversion on third down in the first drive, but from that moment on I thought we had good rhythm offensively. I thought the run game set up a lot of the things we were doing in the pass game, then we were able to win on first down. We kept saying it all week, we’ve got to win first down because that’s going to give us manageable third downs when we got to them. I thought we did that, and it started with the run game. It was really effective. I thought Bijan and Roschon both played really well running the football today. Quinn was spot on. The ball was going where it was supposed to go on time, and the playmakers made their plays whether it’s Xavier, or Jordan, or JT, those guys all showed up. I think defensively, first shutout in this game since 1965 or something like that. It’s a tribute to these guys, I’m super pumped for them. What a moment, something they can carry with them. These guys, they’ve been playing really good defense all year. They really have. I hate that one half of a game all of a sudden defines who we were a couple of weeks ago. We’ve been playing good defense and will continue to play good defense. Up front is where it starts, then being really disciplined in the back end. We haven’t given up explosive plays, and when you make people earn it and make them drive the football, then ultimately today create a couple turnovers, those are huge moving forward.”

On Ewers, rust, and seeing him play well: ”It’s been a rough month here. As much as Quinn has been out and trying to get himself back, Hudson hasn’t been healthy either. Every week was kind of a juggling act of what this was going to look like going into every game. I could kind of feel it on Monday that both guys were actually feeling better. The hardest part about not playing quarterback is not the physical part, it’s the mental part. It’s the nuances in our system. Our system, we change tempos quite a bit. We huddle. We shift. We motion. We go fast, we do a lot of different things that don’t seem like much outside, but in our world are big deals. Sometimes, those are the hardest things to get mastered when you’re coming back off. I thought as the week went on, Quinn was much more dialed into it and it showed. I know everyone thinks this was the plan all along of something. I didn’t notify Quinn or Hud of what was going to happen this week literally until Thursday afternoon. That’s how long I took it. I credit both of them for their work of dialing into it, being there for one another, and pushing one another, staying connected. In the end, he was ready. That’s why we did what we did.”

On the offense: ”I talked to the team last night. I referenced it. I said nobody else in college football is doing what you guys are doing right now. The amount we’re putting on these guys pre-snap, the way we go about our business, they allow us to do that stuff because of their preparation. They owned it, and they’ve been owning it, and they’ve been doing it at a high level. In the end, it doesn’t feel like we’re doing something so grand. It just feels like normal. That’s just what we do, and I think it’s been helpful. The other thing I think was really helpful today was our ability to run the ball downhill. We weren’t very lateral today, I mean we had some lateral runs but a lot of the stuff we did running the ball was down hill. It was physical. I thought Bijan and Ro both ran real physical, downhill football. That helped the pass game, got them to step up, and find some intermediate throws there in behind them.”

 

[Dewey 3332]

Let's play back the pay sites QB battle in the off-season. Lol

[KeysPhoneWallet 807]

Let's play back the pay sites QB battle in the off-season. Lol

It was crazy because nobody could tell which player was better. Ewers must be one hell of a gamer….

[satyanash 15610]

 

[satyanash 15610]

Eric Nahlin: Texas in strong position to make run at conference crown

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Saturday was a great day for the program and fans a like. With each touchdown scored you could feel anxiety turn to relief turn to elation. I’m not sure how much of that game is useful when projecting the season forward, at least for Texas.

Oklahoma’s season is effectively over. At 0-3 in Big 12 play Brent Venables finds himself in worse position than Steve Sarkisian was last year. We saw how that played out for Texas and also what it took to get Texas turned around so quickly. If Venables doesn’t receive institutional support, including the boosters, it’s going to be extremely difficult to get OU back to its accustomed level of play before entering the SEC. Texas may have to drag them in like a lifeless gladiator chained to a fellow combatant in the Coliseum. If so, yesterday was good practice.

Assuming you watched college football beyond the Red River Shutout on Saturday you saw how many teams struggled with their backup quarterback. Without Will Levis, Kentucky fell to woeful South Carolina. Heisman winner Bryce Young was out so Alabama went with Jalen Milroe and he struggled mightily. Texas A&M has nothing but backups at the position so they were used to playing QB2 and Haynes King almost helped the Aggies pull off the upset in Tuscaloosa.

Backups so prominently on display highlighted two things: just how bad OU had it (tight end Brayden Willis was their most effective QB); and just how good UT has it at quarterback. After Quinn Ewers‘ performance yesterday and Hudson Card‘s while Ewers was on the mend, Texas might have the most enviable quarterback situation in the country. I wouldn’t trade Ewers for any player in the nation, and Card would start at countless universities. Let’s enjoy that for 8 more games.

To play 8 more games Texas will have to earn its way to the Big 12 championship game. Currently at 2-1 in Big 12 play, the program is in good position to do so. If the revenge tour continues apace, the only other loss would be to Kansas State, but they very well could win that one too.

Watching league play so far, my opinion remains the same — there are a number of quality teams, but no really great ones. Certainly Texas has the highest ceiling and to beat the Horns you will need a very good offense. Either that, or you’ll need to deploy Texas Tech’s kamikaze style that had them in position to upset Ok. State in Stillwater yesterday. That game had similar notes to Tech’s upset over Texas in Lubbock.

Up next for UT is Iowa State. When it comes to offense, the Cyclones represent their state as well as the Hawkeyes. That’s not the recipe to upset Texas in DKR.

After that, one of the league’s marquee games: Texas vs Oklahoma State. Cowboys quarterback Spencer Sanders is taking much better care of the ball this year and Mike Gundy is the best coach in the conference. That should be a good one. After that game Texas will be on its bye week while Ok. St. will have to go to Manhattan to play a relatively dangerous and physical K-State. The Horns will follow suit the following week.

While fans are justifiably concerned about Oklahoma State, the most difficult game remaining might be the Gary Patterson bowl against TCU. The Horned Frogs will spread the defense out and also run the quarterback. Kansas won’t be a pushover, though they’re not as good as their record indicates, and then UT finishes at home against scrappy Baylor.

Yesterday’s drubbing of OU kept Texas in control of its own destiny, but there is plenty of meat left on the bone. Fortunately this is a very hungry program and there are a lot of mouths to feed on the revenge tour.

Bobby Burton: Takeaways from Texas' win over Oklahoma

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Finished my second watch of Texas’ win over Oklahoma yesterday afternoon. Some thoughts…

OU had nothing on offense. Zilch. They genuinely thought they could run the wildcat and beat Texas? Brent Venables not only has problems on defense, which is what most of Soonerland has decried the past couple of weeks, but his offense was abysmal and dysfunctional. Imagine the vitriol that would be directed towards Steve Sarkisian if his back-up QB produced zero points in a rivalry game.

In fact, think about that in general for any game. Sark went with his back-up for 3+ games and still averaged more than 30 points a game. The Sooners had no response with their back-up. Absolutely none.

**

Quinn Ewers’ ability to layer an intermediate ball is just a thing of beauty. I mean, it’s not supposed to look that easy. It’s just not. It is fundamentally a difficult thing to do with bodies flying around you, receivers running 20+ MPH more than 20 yards downfield and a hundred-thousand screaming fans encircling you. At best, it’s controlled chaos. Yet he makes it look effortless. Maybe OU’s defense is just that bad. Or maybe Quinn’s just that talented.

**

The Texas defensive line is the proverbial rising tide that lifts all ships. Keondre Coburn playing better helps T’Vondre Sweat. A solid Moro Ojomo helps Alfred Collins. Bryon Murphy aids the development of Vernon Broughton.

**

Interestingly, when the Sooners went almost fully to the wildcat, Texas substituted true freshman Justice Finkley in for Barryn Sorrell. Finkley must grade better against the power run than Sorrell, or Sorrell sustained an injury that went unnoticed and unreported.

**

The Horns are running right with more effectiveness than running left. Christian Jones and Cole Hutson are a good run-blocking duo. However, one of the more noticeable blocks in this game – at least for me – came on the first play of the second quarter, and it was delivered by Kelvin Banks. It was a third-and-one inside zone play that Roschon Johnson gained eight yards on. Banks engaged a Sooners’ linebacker and literally snapped the LBs head back on impact. Banks hit him so square that it stunned the LB… and me.

**

At one point in the fourth quarter, the entire Texas offensive line was comprised of true freshman. From left to right: Neto Umeozulu, Malik Agbo, Connor Robertson, DJ Campbell and Cam Williams. They moved OU off the ball without the threat of a passing game. Of that group, the one who looked the best to my eyes was Neto. He clearly has taken a step forward since fall camp.

**

Sticking with some of the guys blocking, two unsung heroes of Saturday’s butt whipping were Andrej Karic and Gunnar Helm. Karic moved people routinely. Helm was key in several of the longer runs.

**

All off-season, we talked about just how good the skill position talent on Texas could be. Well, that is starting to come to fruition. Not only is there Bijan Robinson, Roschon Johnson and Xavier Worthy. Now there’s Quinn, Ja’Tavion Sanders and a healthy Jordan Whittington. Texas is so much more difficult to defend than anything we’ve seen in years. Pick your poison, literally.

**

Texas hosts Iowa State next Saturday. The Cyclones may just have the league’s best defense. We will see just what this Texas offense can do because it’s going to be a different look than what Quinn Ewers has seen before. Hopefully, the fans will be out in full force. Matt Campbell’s five-star culture quote still stings, and it’s part of why Tom Herman was fired. Texas needs to bring it on Saturday and show Campbell the culture most certainly has changed.

 

[satyanash 15610]

UTexasFootball: Shutout and 49 ain't no bad deal

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We were privileged to witness most of our active roster play the game in front of a full house plus a couple of million watching on the boob tube. And play we did. Need I mention that our fans also kicked their fans butts from the get-go. As my old coach used to say "it was a old fashion GAW" for sure. For you strangers I will spot you the Good ___ Whipping and leave you to cipher the middle. Damn that was fun.

Since the majority of the roster got at least one punch in let's visit the position rooms instead of recapping the highlights. I like to find a few hidden gems along with the dazzling moments to kind of balance the review. I wouldn't do myself justice if I didn't point out a couple of negatives. They were a little harder to find.

RB room---we are about as close to a royal flush as one can draw in this game. 1A and 1B are as good as it gets. Bijan's best highlight would be the catch where he twist and shouted the way a body isn't supposed to bend. Roschon's would be running thru three potential blockers to make the big hit tackle on Quinn's interception---well, trucking several defenders came a close second. Keilan's so fast he decided to slip and fall on motion to time Quinn's pass better---hope you didn't blink on a couple of his runs because they were cannon shots. Brooks (24) and Blue (23) proved they belong and ready once their number is dialed up. We have help on the way. Florida is sending a Ricky clone and Desoto has a do-it-all guy coming.

QB room---those of us that watched Southlake Carroll during Quinn's years basically knew this was going to happen so there's no big surprise that he's having a bunch of success. The throw to Bijan barely nosed out the whirly bird oskie for Quinn's best play. Hudson has proven to be the best backup QB pushed into action (anybody see several others yesterday?) and a true teammate. I guess we might be getting a little help next year when nation's number one (Arch) begins his college career. Stronger than rent is all that will be.

WR room---okay, Xavier is the top of the totem pole for good reason. I hope you saw his springing block on Keilan's td because it finished tied with Whitt's block on the same play. Those two also had a few sparkling catches mixed in---sad X didn't have another yard of room and Whitt had a little longer reach on the wide open overthrow. Casey didn't get any targets but always is effort strong. Pleasure seeing Troy O getting a few plays---still remember the prospect he was before the knees. Wow is all he was.

TE room---the fastest rising room on the team. JT is rapidly becoming the five star weapon he brought to Austin. He found out blocking was part of the job responsibility and has improved with age. Andrej and Gunnar are probably the two most under appreciated assets in our offense. They are playing very well and have major roles in our offense---can't wait till they target Karic because Helm already has bragging rights. Juan Davis sighting. Jahleel arrives this week and I'm sure Sark will have a plan for him.

Oline room---Christian Jones is a rock star---from scrap heap to the positive leader. Banks is rapidly climbing the ladder with fewer mistakes and more domination. Hutson is a steady performer and is probably our best puller. Conner has improved his footwork and stunt recognition to become a force. Majors had two false snaps ands a tough assignment in his worst game this year. The group looked like a major weapon in their pass protection and drilled every blitz/stunt those sorry rascals threw at them. We still need to change the LOS on our reach runs and continue to come off strong on our combos. They also need to tell Quinn to NOT try escaping around the OT by giving ground. It's a sure loser. Watched the second group get several plays and found Neto (73) and Williams (56) equally the most aggressive. DJ (52) had one terrific block also. This spring will be a blood-let with this group of young guys fighting for one of the five spots. Would bet my whip out cash we have at least eight working in the starting rotation by spring's end. We may have a couple of newbies attracting attention before it's all said and done.

DT room---I love this group. Keondre is playing at his highest level and producing without taking plays off. Sweat made the play of the game on the GL when he penetrated across the guard's face to stop a 4th and 1. Murphy has only gotten better as time goes bye---sacks are mounting up. Broughton has the quickest penetrating first step and is playing stronger. Collins made the second best defensive play when he sprinted past several others to big hit tackle a 30 yard gain out of wildcat (Great play).

DE room---Ojomo is the king of the mountain here. I really like him here against the heavier run teams on our schedule. He made three nice plays and provided pressure and edge stability that makes us a better defense. Sorrell had a terrific play on the GL and several pressures. Ovie had several good plays and stayed mostly fundamentally sound but the first play of the second half saw 21 players going left while Ovie was headed right with the fake. Finkley is the best technician of the bunch and in my opinion needs to play more snaps. Had a good sack and a couple of pressures. Burke just needs strength. One play he was in excellent position but couldn't finish getting off the block. Room has it's moments but needs talent injection.

LB room---Ford is the leader and by far the best player. DTD makes a few plays but often finds himself out of the action. Misdirection kills every backer but Ford and Bush. Bush does most everything technically sound but just doesn't quite get there too often. Richardson had a nice tackle on a good read. Didn't see Gbenda. Overshown plays a variety of alignments and definitely flies to the ball if/or once he sees it. He still has trouble getting off blocks but he gives every ounce to playing hard. This room is past needing talent---we have too many swings and misses in LB recruitment year after year.

DB room---Cook and Thompson are outstanding without question. They do so much for this defense and they play all-frigging out down after down. Crawford is so talented it ain't even funny. He must have trouble with assignments because he will hunt you up with the ball. Had a Coffey sighting on a alley tackle. Watts and Jamison are money doing what they are asked to do. Jamison had an oskie and Watts had a kickoff tackle. Jordan and Johnson have had good runs at corner. Barron made plays---one tackle lasted five yards because his mates stood around watching instead of drilling (bad effort here). Barron had nice oskie---thanks Murphy for chipping the receiver. Guilbeau played steady and is getting better.

It just doesn't get any better than a shutout. We lacked one point hanging a half a hundred on their butts and missed a dang field goal. All in all it was a terrific afternoon. Tomorrow offers a different villain so let's get ready---it's just another pig to slop for us.

 

[satyanash 15610]

(Scipio Tex) 2022 Texas vs. Oklahoma Postmortem: Offense

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As against West Virginia, Sark’s opening drive script for Texas vs. Oklahoma was a sputter followed by a series of easy laps around the track. After an initial three and out, Texas had four touchdowns in the next five drives that went 90, 92, 80 and 79 yards, respectively. Tempo was a big factor in that early success as the Horns short circuited OU sideline adjustments.

That move against type (Texas usually plays slow) is exactly the kind of big game adjustment you want to see from a staff. They’re not getting enough credit for aggressively attacking OU with pace when they had every reason to shy away from it due to offensive youth, Quinn’s return, “don’t lose it doing something different” impulses, and a big game environment. Trusting the offense to execute pace grew that unit and it will pay dividends down the road. At any level of football, if you have four touchdown drives averaging 85.3 yards per drive with equal success running and throwing to every receiver on the field, that game is a wrap. Particularly when the defense has the opponent stuck on 0.

Oklahoma largely attempted to run a flyover defense with a three man front, layered coverages, and fourth man pressure from a variety of linebacker and defensive back blitzes. The idea was to prevent single shot big plays, take away Xavier Worthy, and force a young signal caller to march Texas methodically down the field while throwing to second and third options. That was the theory. The Longhorns shrugged and decided to take a bunch of 5-25 yard gains behind tough-minded and assignment sound offensive line play, outstanding misdirection, tough running, and a seemingly bored freshman QB calmly surveying the field and throwing the ball where they ain’t.

49-0 is a thorough woodshedding, but it could have been worse. The Longhorns last attempted forward pass was a 18 yard Ewers to Sanders touchdown at the 2:03 mark of the 3rd quarter. After that play, the Horns ran the ball 15 consecutive times with a cleared out bench (Keilan, Brooks, Blue) and still managed to add another touchdown and a field goal attempt.

Steve Sarkisian ended the game as Sark The Merciful, but for the first three quarters, he was Sark the Merciless, effectively putting on an offensive clinic which demonstrated every facet of the Longhorn offense. We didn’t see the single play long scores that characterized the OU defeat at TCU. Instead, it was chunk gains and endless third down conversions (Texas was 10 of 15 on 3rd down) that ground the Sooner defense into dust. Texas finished with 585 yards on 81 plays at 7.2 yards per play with only two offensive penalties. The Horns boasted a balanced attack: 296 yards rushing, 289 yards passing but that’s deceiving in that the Horns just attacked what they saw and went pass heavy or run heavy in spurts. When it didn’t work, it was either bad luck (Worthy ran out of end zone on a vertical touchdown play) or human error (Ewers threw a bad fadeaway interception trying to throw a ball away). When your fifth string running back gets 5 carries in a football game, things are going exceedingly well or exceedingly poorly.

Before the season, I predicted that this would be the most formation-diverse team in Longhorn history. Well, here it is. Texas is as comfortable in 21 as in 5 wide. That’s enabled by high IQ players at tight end, receiver, and in the running back room, but having a natural thrower at QB whose blood pressure doesn’t break 120/80 in front of 100,000 fans helps to unlock it all. With Ewers at the helm, Texas has exploitable diversity. Steve Sarkisian remarked that no offense in the country is asking its players to learn what Texas requires and I think that’s probably true. That Texas is able to make it palatable for an offense starting three freshmen and eight total underclassmen is impressive teaching. There are plenty of educators on campus who might benefit from auditing a Longhorn offensive meeting.

QB

A young quarterback with a shaggy mullet and a line beard suggests some “It don’t make a shit” to his personality and that can play really well or really poorly at his position. Quinn has the good kind. #3’s calm detachment while playing football is amusing to me, but I don’t think the Sooners found him funny and I think his teammates actually find it incredibly comforting in the middle of the storm. It’s also clear that he can see the game while others are experiencing it. On Quinn’s first two drives, he went 9 of 10 for 121 yards and a touchdown. I wrote in my notes: Dunks at the rim. Sark scripting easy throws. As the game progressed, Quinn expanded his game. He started facing up 25 feet out and drilling step back 3s and mid range pull ups off of the drive.

That’s a really good throw in the seam. Now watch it again, but watch #3 the whole time. He throws a dime for a touchdown and shuffles off the field, completely unimpressed. The only thing missing is an ashy Marlboro dangling from his lip. Quinn effortlessly layered the ball all game and made it look easy. While his ability to throw accurately at weird angles is notable, the rewatch demonstrated how efficient his footwork is in helping his blockers create a pocket. He tried to bail around the end twice while surrendering yardage and he’ll learn that’s not doable soon enough. Sark also set him up beautifully with some outstanding calls in the screen and play action game. He finished 21 of 31 for 289 yards, 4 touchdowns and with one interception.

WR/TE

Jordan Whittington was nails, making terrific catches all day and led the Longhorns with 97 yards on 5 catches. He also continues to be a beastly blocker on the edge.

Whittington pancakes his man and then tells him about it as Robinson sprints in for the easy 6. He had several other plays that were equally effective blocking on the perimeter.

Oklahoma was rightfully concerned about Xavier Worthy and that showed up in their drop heavy coverages. Worthy dropped a ball on the sideline, but was otherwise good giving high effort on double teams, allowing others to eat. JT Sanders went 5-71 for 2 touchdowns, proving to be an outstanding finisher in the plus red zone area. He is the best tight end in the conference and the layered threat of Sanders/Whittington/Worthy/Texas RBs is going to be a bear for Big 12 defensive coordinators. Aside from his game impact as a receiver, Sanders also pass blocked extremely well when Texas went max protect. What a pleasure to watch his growth. Gunnar Helm (2 catches, 13 yards) got involved and Andrej Karic was very physical as a blocker.

OL

Terrific performance overall, though the Texas running backs had to run their blocking better early. Ewers had very little pressure and the running game opened up as they kept pounding away. I pointed out last week, with some pushback, that Texas ran the ball much better in critical down and distance situations against West Virginia than is perceived by per carry averages or raw totals and that was something to note going forward. Once again, Texas ran the ball for first downs on 3rd and short with great success, going 3 for 3 on short yardage conversions in the 1st half and then converting a 3rd and 4 with a 5 yard run on the opening touchdown drive of the second half and then converting a 3rd and 6 with a 8 yard run on the next possession. An offensive line going 5/5 on 3rd down runs and then jamming it in inside the 10 is winning.

Eventually leading to jog ins like this:

The interior OL held up well and Christian Jones crushed as a run blocker while young Kelvin Banks remains our best pass protector. The Texas offensive line was chippy early – Banks drove safety Justin Broiles #25 ten yards to the echo of the whistle early in the 1st quarter on a play where plenty of young OL would’ve been content to screen and lean. Mr Banks understood that this game is a fight. The Sooner defense, whatever their faults, had shown the ability to inflict negative plays on an offense, but had only 4 tackles for loss, 0 sacks, single digit pressures. Hat tip to the big boys up front. It’s only going to get better as they develop physically and learn their craft.

RB

The most talented running back room in the country pummeled OU for nearly 300 yards rushing while adding a collective 6 catches for 79 yards and a touchdown. Bijan was the bell cow with 22 carries for 130 yards and two touchdowns. A game long run of 18 yards proved that his gains didn’t come cheap. Roschon chipped in with 9-57 (with three 3rd down conversions and a 38 yard screen run) while Keilan showed his burst with a 26 yard run before Brooks and Blue came in to finish the Sooners off. Brooks and Blue are good players and I liked what I saw from both.

Final

The Texas offense dominated physically, schematically and in every game context that matters and their upside has still not yet been realized.

 

[texifornia 59017]

(Parker Thune - OU247) Playing the Blame Game: Where the fault truly lies for Oklahoma's struggles

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Two weeks ago, it didn’t look like things could get a whole heck of a lot worse for Oklahoma after a porous defensive effort led to a 41-34 home loss to Kansas State.

One week ago, it was tough to imagine things getting any worse after TCU boat-raced the Sooners 55-24.

Rock bottom may finally have come yesterday in the Cotton Bowl, as Brent Venables’ team looked nothing short of inept in all facets of the game. The Sooners’ historic 49-0 loss at the hands of rival Texas marked the first time since 1998 that they’d been shut out. It’s become one enormous, wholesale funk for Oklahoma, and the season is in danger of entering an irreversible downward spiral if solutions aren’t found quickly.

So where should the fingers be pointing? Here’s an answer for six primary areas in which the Sooners are floundering right now. For a more complete breakdown of this team's many quandaries, I would recommend to you the OUInsider Under the Visor Postgame Podcast.


(Photo: Parker Thune, 247Sports)


OFFENSE
Don’t blame: Jeff Lebby. The one guy that Lebby hand-picked to run his scheme was watching from the sideline in shorts yesterday. The Sooners’ offense is thoroughly dysfunctional without a trigger man who knows the ins and outs of Lebby’s system. Is it fair to question the bizarre gameplan yesterday? Absolutely. In fact, I would argue that you should. But it isn’t cause to throw Lebby under the bus and hold him responsible for the last three games’ outcomes. Oklahoma’s defense has allowed 41, 55 and 49 points, respectively, in those losses. Moreover, Lebby can’t make Dillon Gabriel hit a receiver between the numbers, and he can’t stand behind Davis Beville and guide him to throw a spiral like a parent teaching their four-year-old how to swing a baseball bat. By no means has Lebby been above reproach, but he is among the least of Oklahoma’s issues right now. If your first recourse is to complain about playcalling, I would posit that there are at least 5-6 other glaring issues that need to be resolved before the most immaculate of offensive gameplans will win the Sooners a football game.

Blame: Dillon Gabriel’s absence. I don’t know if there is a signal-caller in the universe that could have won the game for Oklahoma yesterday (or the week before that) given the performance by the Sooner defense. However, I think most can reasonably agree that with 8 under center, the Sooners wouldn’t have been shut out, and half the offensive gameplan wouldn’t have revolved around a Wildcat package that never even pretended to operate with the intention of throwing the ball. Gabriel is far from a perfect quarterback, and he has his shortcomings and limitations. But he owns the only arm on the roster with the capacity to lift Oklahoma to victory. Hell, he evidently owns the only arm that the coaching staff even vaguely trusts. This offense will take several steps up once he returns, but the picture is pretty bleak if he's forced to miss more time.


(Photo: Parker Thune, 247Sports)


DEFENSIVE FRONT
Don’t blame: Lack of talent. It’s undeniable that Jalen Redmond is a future NFL player, and the same can be said for Ethan Downs and Danny Stutsman. All signs point toward R Mason Thomas and Jaren Kanak eventually joining that elite fraternity as well, while Reggie Grimes and Isaiah Coe have had some very encouraging flashes at times. The Sooners’ issues up front are not indicative of a talent void. It's not the reason why they don't have a sack over their last three games. They're too good on paper to be playing this way.

Blame: Fatigue and poor execution. The Sooners’ front seven is ravaged, especially at linebacker. It remains an utter conundrum why Kanak typically doesn’t see the field before the fourth quarter, especially with Oklahoma down to three healthy scholarship upperclassmen at linebacker. There may not be three players on the entire roster as physically spent as Stutsman, David Ugwoegbu and Dashaun White right now. The only remotely proven commodity that could spell any of the three is Kanak, and yet the staff’s reticence to deploy him persists. Marcus Stripling and Thomas have both missed time, as has Downs. Shane Whitter is done for the year. There's an alarming dearth of depth in the front seven. Does fatigue play into poor execution? Absolutely, even if it doesn't completely justify it. The Sooners have been a colander against the run, and they've once again become generally terrible at tackling. They're getting no pressure on the quarterback. What's maddening is that we've seen these exact same players play substantially better, sometimes dominantly. They have it in them. It's just not happening right now. And despite everyone's best diagnostic efforts (including my own), there's not a singular answer as to why that is.


(Photo: Parker Thune, 247Sports)


SECONDARY
Don’t blame: Poor technique and coaching. It’s easy to point to coverage lapses like Woodi Washington’s pair of ugly pass interference penalties against TCU and say that this group isn’t being coached well. But even flawless technique can’t account for low football IQ, which seems to be endemic across this roster. Poor technique doesn’t lead to coverage bust after coverage bust. Knowing the assignment and executing it is on the player, not the coach — as the age-old adage goes, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink. Right now, Jay Valai and Brandon Hall have about a dozen horses that simply won’t drink.

Blame: Personnel disadvantages. It’s just not a talented secondary right now for Oklahoma, and it’s been bitten by the injury bug as well. Billy Bowman and Damond Harmon are on the shelf. Kani Walker and Joshua Eaton are banged up. Beyond that, Jaden Davis has a ceiling and he’s pretty much hit it. Justin Broiles is what he is. Meanwhile, Key Lawrence’s enigmatic fall from grace only makes the safety situation all the more murky. Woodi Washington hadn’t played safety in two years before Saturday, which tells you just how little faith Venables and the staff have in Lawrence. DJ Graham, Trey Morrison and Kendall Dennis are simply average football players. The one guy that had a nice outing on Saturday was CJ Coldon, who turned in plenty of quality coverage reps and had an interception. Until Bowman returns to stabilize the back end, this secondary is going to take its lumps. And until the Sooners have the chance to bring in high-impact defensive backs like Makari Vickers and Jacobe Johnson, you’re just not going to see elite play in the defensive backfield. It might be nice — it might be real nice — to start giving some more snaps to Gentry Williams and Robert Spears-Jennings, because it’s not going to get much worse regardless.


(Photo: Parker Thune, 247Sports)


MOMENTUM
Don’t blame: Lack of effort. In general, this team isn’t loafing. They’re not checked out between the hashes. Effort is one of the easiest dartboards to target after a couple of bad losses, but the Sooners’ struggles aren’t because they’re not trying. Much in line with the earlier point about fatigue, this group is leaving it all on the field. They’re exhausted. But they keep taking body blow after body blow, and they’re too battered to shake back at this point without a reprieve. That Oct. 22 open date cannot come soon enough for this football team. But beyond physical weariness, look at a couple of other key factors here…

Blame: Lack of mental fortitude — and some bad luck. This is a football team that gets down on itself way too easily. We’ve seen it time and time again: one bad play turns into two and then three, and before long, it’s a full-blown nosedive. That said, if Stutsman draws a holding call on the third-and-16 scramble by Adrian Martinez, maybe things go down differently. If Dashaun White keeps his eyes on that Max Duggan pass for a split second longer, maybe he waltzes into the end zone and the complexity of that TCU game shifts. If the ground doesn’t jolt an interception out of Washington’s hands yesterday, maybe the Sooners get on the board first and start to take some air out of Texas’ sails. Plays like those can represent the razor’s edge at times — but they shouldn’t represent the razor’s edge for a team that’s capable of maintaining focus and confidence in the face of retrograde momentum. The Sooners don’t have that capability, and that’s one of the major challenges of the culture shift right now.


(Photo: Parker Thune, 247Sports)


DEPTH
Don’t blame: The staff’s “apathy” in the transfer portal. This has become a popularly circulated narrative, especially as it pertains to the quarterback situation. But as I mentioned in several threads over the weekend, it’s not as if the OU staffers sat on their respective haunches for four months and then said “screw it… Davis Beville.” The Sooners pursued Jaxson Dart, Chubba Purdy, Casey Thompson and Gerry Bohanon, among others. However, in an increasingly me-first era of college football, it’s not at all an easy thing to convince an experienced quarterback to accept a backup role. Beville was the one available QB that jumped at the opportunity. Regardless of position, it is all too easy for fans to point at impactful portal additions elsewhere and say, “Why didn’t Oklahoma just get that guy?” As a general rule, that’s far easier said than done. The staff did what they could with the hand they were dealt.

Blame: Recruiting whiffs and portal casualties. There are 36 scholarship players left on the roster who signed with Oklahoma under Lincoln Riley. That exclusive group includes such decorated luminaries as Brey Walker, Kori Roberson, Aaryn Parks and Marcus Alexander. I am by no means going to hold the former staff accountable for all of the Sooners’ woes right now, because that simply isn’t fair despite what many fans would prefer to believe. But one thing that’s undeniable is that they were questionable evaluators of talent. For every Delarrin Turner-Yell and Brian Asamoah, there are four or five of the likes of Jalin Conyers, Michael Thompson and Joseph Wete. If a team doesn't establish stability and camaraderie year after year, it's tough to sustain any sort of success, and it's astronomically difficult to establish stability and camaraderie when it's a constantly revolving door of personnel. That issue started with Lincoln Riley; it can't continue with Brent Venables. If we're having this same conversation a year from now, that's a red flag. This problem is one that most should be willing to write off for the moment, as long as it doesn't become a pattern in the post-Riley era.


(Photo: Parker Thune, 247Sports)


MORALE
Don’t blame: Losing. Losing is never an excuse. It can’t be an excuse. The very phenomenon and experience of losing is not the reason this team looks thoroughly defeated, no pun intended. It’s not the reason why the sideline is utterly devoid of emotion. These guys don’t enjoy losing. They’re pissed, and it’s evident on their countenances. They’re bewildered and they’re embarrassed. But losing will do that to any football team. In and of itself, it shouldn’t be enough to shoot down morale. But it can contribute significantly to a lack of morale if you don’t have one very important cog…

Blame: Lack of an alpha dog. There are players on this roster who have been through adversity before. But there isn’t a Kenneth Murray on this roster. There isn’t a Baker Mayfield. There isn’t even a Ronnie Perkins. There isn’t a player who has earned the respect of the entire locker room for his leadership qualities and his play on the field. Just to pick one example, Justin Broiles is sure as hell trying to lead, but he’s simply a mediocre football player. The rest of the unit naturally isn’t going to respond to his exhortations like they would for someone like K9. At what point will somebody with those leadership traits start playing well enough to command respect? Or conversely, at what point will anybody start playing well enough to put himself in position to be an effective emotional leader? Until somebody seizes the bull by the horns and shocks some life into this team, the tailspin will continue

 

[Sal 1108]

1 hour ago, texifornia said:

(Parker Thune - OU247) Playing the Blame Game: Where the fault truly lies for Oklahoma's struggles

 

These are the sorriest excuses for a blowout loss I’ve ever seen. They’re completely delusional over there.

[WBT 20980]

Khan: Quinn Ewers’ play doesn’t mean Texas is back, but he gives reason to believe (The Athletic)

Quote

DALLAS — As soon as Quinn Ewers stepped off the team bus at the State Fair of Texas on Saturday morning, a few fans shouted his name.

“QUINN!”

Hundreds of them, clad in burnt orange and white, leaned over the steel gate keeping them just steps away, holding up their “Hook ’em” signs and craning their necks to catch a glimpse of Texas’ golden-armed quarterback. Others thrust their smartphones skyward in hopes of catching a photo of Ewers and other Longhorns before the Red River rivalry.

Ewers, sporting a tan coat, AirPods, Wrangler jeans, a black Texas backpack and a duffel bag in each hand, looked toward the crowd and almost cracked a smile, giving the supporters a friendly nod before following his teammates into the Cotton Bowl.

“Growing up a fan,” Ewers said Saturday, “I’ve always wanted to play in this one.”

Five hours after his arrival, Ewers was all smiles. He flashed his horns and put on the Golden Hat for the first time after a brilliant performance in a 49-0 thrashing of Oklahoma, a win that not only snapped Texas’ four-game losing streak in the series but gives the program reason for optimism.

The Mullet 🤝 The golden hat@QuinnEwers | #HookEm pic.twitter.com/N1bFLWDD9f

— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) October 8, 2022

 

Let’s get the obvious out of the way: Yes, this is a severely weakened Oklahoma team. The defense is a mess, allowing 1,762 yards in its last three games. The Sooners were without starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel and resigned to using the wildcat formation for extended stretches Saturday to help backup quarterback Davis Beville. The loss dropped OU to 0-3 in conference play for only the fourth time in program history.

Because of those circumstances, Texas needed to win this one. But Longhorns fans have been tortured so much over the past 12 years that coming into this game as the favorite, a first for Texas since 2009, sparked anxiety. If the Longhorns found themselves in a nail-biter in the fourth quarter, it would have shocked no one. Such is the nature of the Red River rivalry.

But dominating Oklahoma as the Horns did and showing the killer instinct fans have yearned for from a team that habitually flashed offensive brilliance but coughed up double-digit leads in the Steve Sarkisian era is a significant step.

“It just shows you what level we can play at,” center Jake Majors said. “When adversity struck last year, we were known to fold. But this year, when adversity strikes, we’ve been able to respond.”

The Longhorns (4-2) have grown up this season. The offensive line is better. The defense is vastly improved. Watching them weekly, it’s evident that they’re playing sound, physical, disciplined football.

But the key missing piece that could take Texas from a team displaying marginal improvement to a team that’s playing for something in November is quarterback play. The Longhorns haven’t had an All-American at the position since Colt McCoy. The 2010s included constant turnover at the position until Sam Ehlinger arrived in 2017.

Ehlinger gave the program four solid years before heading to the NFL, even if he lacked the physical gifts of a five-star recruit. Ewers, who attained that status, gives this offense — and the program — a chance to achieve more.

Ewers, from nearby Southlake Carroll High, made NFL-caliber throws Saturday. Midway through the second quarter, he scrambled to his left, looking for an open receiver on a third-and-6 when running back Bijan Robinson took off toward the sideline. Robinson didn’t think for a second that Ewers would risk throwing it to him with Oklahoma linebacker DaShaun White roaming in the area.

“(Ewers) was looking at me like, ‘Bro, get open,’” Robinson said with a laugh.

When Robinson passed the first-down marker, Ewers flicked the ball with enough velocity to give White a buzz cut. The high throw was beyond White’s jumping reach but attainable for a leaping Robinson, who showed off his own pro potential by twisting 180 degrees in midair to haul it in for a first down.

“Credit to him and his ability to get the ball out to anywhere on the field,” Robinson said. “That was a play that you just don’t draw up, you’ve got to make it happen.”

Ewers made an array of other quality throws. He dutifully went through his progressions to find open receivers, of which there were plenty against a porous Oklahoma secondary. He hit seven receivers before giving way to backup Hudson Card in the fourth quarter.

Ewers’ grasp of Sarkisian’s offense, which showcased a variety of motions, shifts and heavy use of two-tight end sets Saturday, is admirable for a redshirt freshman who is just 19.

“I love the way coach Sark calls plays,” Ewers said. “Once you get it down, it’s a really fun offense to be in.”

The moment wasn’t too big for Ewers, but that wasn’t a surprise. Sarkisian has consistently alluded to the quarterback’s even-keeled nature, and that was on clear display in his short-lived Week 2 performance against Alabama. Ewers threw for 134 yards in the first quarter and looked up to the task against the country’s No. 1 team before Dallas Turner’s tackle knocked him out of the game.

“His poise in any situation is unmatched,” Texas receiver Jordan Whittington said. “He just looks calm, relaxed the whole time.”

Ewers’ final line Saturday marked an impressive Red River debut: 21-of-31 passing, 289 yards and four touchdowns. He wasn’t perfect. He nearly threw an interception on Texas’ second drive and later threw one that he intended to get out of bounds. He missed a wide-open Whittington on what would have been a touchdown.

But he doesn’t have to be perfect. There is plenty of talent around him.

Robinson, Whittington and tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders are also former five-star recruits. Receiver Xavier Worthy was a freshman All-American last year. Robinson, one of the best running backs in the country, ran for 130 yards and two scores. Whittington led the team with 97 receiving yards, and Sanders and Worthy combined for three touchdown catches.

What Ewers’ talent does, combined with his supporting cast and Sarkisian’s offense, is make opposing teams defend every part of the field. As he grows, that will make Texas’ offense only more explosive.

And the defensive effort shouldn’t be overlooked. The Sooners caught Texas off guard at times with the wildcat but never capitalized on it when reaching Longhorns territory. Oklahoma finished with just 195 yards. Through six games, Texas is allowing 4.52 yards per play, a massive improvement from the 6 per play the Longhorns allowed last season.

Aside from a second-half breakdown in a Week 4 overtime loss at Texas Tech, Sarkisian is thrilled with the progress.

“They’ve been playing really good defense all year,” Sarkisian said. “I hate it that one half of a game all of a sudden defines who we were a couple weeks ago. … We’ll continue to play good defense.”

It’s premature for Texas fans to begin booking trips to the Big 12 championship in December, but at the halfway point, the Longhorns look like they can at least have a say if they keep playing this way. TCU and Oklahoma State have the early look of contenders, and Kansas State can’t be ruled out, either. But none look as if they’ll run away from the stacked conference, and Texas will face all three in a four-week stretch starting Oct. 22.

Ewers’ path won’t be without its challenges. Saturday’s win marked only the second full game he has played. He has only nine quarters of college football experience. But his teammates trust him.

“He’s a really good quarterback, his arm talent is crazy,” Whittington said. “Being the leader he is, you want to play hard for him.”

Texas may not yet be “back,” but Ewers gives the Longhorns reason to believe.

Good "is Texas back?" theme, very original.

[Sal 1108]

7 minutes ago, WBT said:

Khan: Quinn Ewers’ play doesn’t mean Texas is back, but he gives reason to believe (The Athletic)

Good "is Texas back?" theme, very original.

Khan has always been a clown with no football knowledge or writing ability

[LTtxfan 50006]

5 minutes ago, Sal said:

Khan has always been a clown with no football knowledge or writing ability

Doesn't Khan have some ties or bias towards aggy???  

[WBT 20980]

went to cougar high I believe

[gmr548 16702]

Ian Boyd using "Quick Thoughts" in the headline is grounds for a lawsuit.

[satyanash 15610]

Bobby Burton: This 4-2 record looks different on the Texas Longhorns

Quote

As one Inside Texas community member wrote in a thread yesterday, Texas has the same 4-2 record coming out of the OU game it did a year ago. The record may say they’re the same, but these two teams are quite different. Texas hasn’t been blown out this year, like what happened in Arkansas in ‘22. Yes, Texas Tech produced a comeback loss, but even that was not as demoralizing as what happened in the Cotton Bowl last year. Against Tech, Texas didn’t implode. They just lost.

So instead, I feel this year – as we look toward the second half of the season – is filled with the idea that Texas is on the precipice of being a very good football team, not only on offense but on defense as well. Let’s talk about that defense. Take away Texas Tech’s inordinate success and reliance on fourth downs, and the Horns’ defense has kept every other opponent to 20 points or less in its six games. By this time last year, Texas had already allowed four of their six opponents to score more than 20.

And it didn’t get any better for the defense the rest of the year. The Horns only held one other team below 20, and that was the season’s final game, a 22-17 win over Kansas State. In all, nine of 12 opponents scored more than 20 points against Texas in ‘21. The Horns have already improved on that total mark and we’re just six games into the season.

As for offense, we’ve really seen much of the same. The Horns are scoring points in bunches. Yet now they are proving more consistent. The second half of games no longer feel like an offensive dead zone. Mix that all together and this 4-2 record feels very different than a year ago. Texas may still drop a few games this season. But nothing I’ve seen tells me we’re in for the collapse we all witnessed a year ago. The team has even more firepower on offense and the defense is playing together. That’s the difference a year makes.

(Scipio Tex) 2022 Texas vs. Oklahoma Postmortem: Defense

Quote

Total dOUmination. There is no substitute. Texas blanked the Oklahoma Sooners 49-0 in the Red River Shutout for the first time since 1965. As once-in-every-57-year occurrences go, it was pretty enjoyable. There are many levels to this win to consider, but seeing Texas play four complete quarters on defense in dominating fashion with no mental let up while the Sooners opened up a giant can of quit tells you a lot about the current trajectories of both programs. Last year, this Texas defense would’ve leaked 17 points to this Sooner team on utter nonsense. This defense dialed in like they wanted to crush a hated rival and leave absolutely no doubt. In a game dominated by emotional swings and adrenaline, it’s not easy to leave a game unmarked. That’s what the Longhorn defense did.

A shutout doesn’t happen without everyone doing their jobs, but the Texas interior defensive line rotation was completely dominant while the Longhorn secondary got increasingly comfortable running downhill in their run fits and populating the ball. Gang tackling was abundant. The Texas defense dominated the run-focused Sooners up front, holding them to 195 total yards on 59 plays while allowing only 3 of 15 conversions on 3rd down. Brent Venables did his non-competitive best to try to minimize a terrific Longhorn performance by running clock down 28-0 (“It’s not a real shutout if we don’t try to run an offense!”) seemingly content to keep the score on one side of the scoreboard the same while hoping somehow that the Texas digits would stop growing, but that worked out about as well as Oklahoma’s game week preparation for their 2nd team QB.

The Sooners did get early traction running different varieties of Wildcat and some direct snap looks, those plays comprising their only two meaningful, though ultimately fruitless, drives of the contest. Their second series of the game went 14 plays for 67 yards, extended by a fake field goal conversion and an earlier 4th down conversion, but Texas rocked up in the red zone. The next successful wildcat series was in the 2nd quarter, that drive ending with the head’s up Barron pick on an Eric Gray pop pass. After that, Texas fully adjusted, perhaps not yet totally believing that this was going to be Oklahoma’s best effort game plan. Texas won the war and nearly every skirmish, but OU won the Keep-Texas-Under-50 points battle. Tip of the golden hat to you, Sooners.

Oklahoma’s last 8 possessions of the game after the Barron pick?

1-0 INT Jamison
5-18 DOWNS
3-3 PUNT
3-(-18) PUNT
3-(-9) PUNT
3- (-11) PUNT
3-6
3-14

Oklahoma earned two first downs over those eight possessions. That’s 24 plays for 3 total yards. Exactly 8 of those plays were passing attempts. Leave it all out on the field, Sooners. Would Texas have feasted with an interception and sack festival if Oklahoma had tried a more ambitious offense? Probably. But what message is Venables sending his football team? Just the right one if you’re a Texas fan.

DL

 

The best game from the Longhorn interior all season. A- to A+ level performances across the board. This was Keondre Coburn’s best football game at Texas. The huge senior was powerful, frisky and disruptive with two tackles for loss. He played like the hype. Sweat was his equal with two tackles for loss, but my favorite defensive highlight of the game was his 4th and 1 jacking up of Sooner guard Chris Murray at the point of attack to stonewall an early Sooner drive. Murray felt that shock from Sweat in his central nervous system. Byron Murphy had a sack and was extremely energetic. Speaking of energy, Ojomo led all of the defensive line with 5 tackles, playing like a senior with his last shot at OU. Collins had some strong snaps as well.

The exterior edge players were physical and disciplined after some early confusion caused by the Sooner wildcat. Ovie Oghoufo even violently stuffed a counter by refusing to be lured up field. The Longhorns finished the game with 11 tackles for loss and 3 sacks. The bulk of that came from the Big Nasties, whether they actually got the box score credit or not. They have now set a standard of play. If they meet it each week, look out.

LB

Overshown had a terrific play on a key Sooner 4th and 2 in the second half where he stayed disciplined in coverage and allowed pursuit to take down Beville on the roll instead of chasing the ball. Maverick didn’t leave his wingman! Those are the plays that make me proud of Overshown, when the cat ignores the yarn. Also, can’t exactly fault DMO for plays like this. A Sooner tradition…

Tucker-Dorsey and Ford certainly had good moments, but after correcting some poor angles on the Wildcat, they cleaned up the DL’s dirty work repeatedly. Nice to see both Ford and Overshown with pass break ups as OU attempted some ultra conservative screens and passes underneath. Jett Bush got a lot of snaps and had one poor missed diving tackle on first half Wildcat possession, but notched 4 tackles total. A productive game from this bunch, particularly in the second half.

DB

 

When the other team can’t throw the ball, punish them. When the running game is telegraphed, fly up with abandon. The Texas defensive backs chose violence. Oklahoma was a miserable 9 of 17 for 39 yards passing with two picks. Barron’s heady interception stopped a likely Sooner scoring drive. Jamison’s ended the half with a pick and disabused the Sooner staff of any notion of flinging it up and hoping for a PI or misplayed ball for a TD. Ryan Watts was avoided all game like a hunting dog who rolled in bear scat. They wouldn’t even run at him.

This unit was absolutely locked in and they supported the run with passion for most of the game. Cook and Thompson repeatedly closed well on Sooner skill players with clean hard tackling and kept the Sooners bottled up for four quarters. Nothing went by them, nothing went over them.

Final

That was a terrific team effort, as demonstrative of discipline as physicality. While OU’s QB woes certainly limited their offense massively, Texas fans won’t cry anyone a river about losing a starting QB. Texas was the more physical, prepared and violent football team. That team leaves Dallas with the headware. Maybe they’ll circle back in December for some hardware.

 

 

[Tex48 852]

14 hours ago, LTtxfan said:

Doesn't Khan have some ties or bias towards aggy???  

I believe he was ESPN's main reporter for aggy during the Sumlin years.

[Red Five 41739]

He was genetically engineered on Earth in the late 20th century, if I remember my history correctly. 

[Zeus 6864]

Media starting to think Quinn may be starting to get the edge on Card?

[Zeus 6864]

17 hours ago, texifornia said:

(Parker Thune - OU247) Playing the Blame Game: Where the fault truly lies for Oklahoma's struggles

 

Holy fuck lmao

[Viper 12221]

24 minutes ago, Red Five said:

He was genetically engineered on Earth in the late 20th century, if I remember my history correctly.