Media/$9.95-er postgame analysis articles (Week 13)

[satyanash 14281]

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

Cody Daniel: Initial thoughts from No. 23 Texas’ 38-27 win over Baylor

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In a game Texas absolutely had to win to keep their Big 12 title hopes alive, the Longhorns dominated down the stretch and left no doubt in the final minutes. Here are a few initial thoughts from Texas’ 38-27 win over Baylor.

That’s how you put a stamp on a season that signified progress for Steve Sarkisian’s program. This game wasn’t perfect, and the season certainly wasn’t — it was quite frustrating at times, to be sure. But in a massive game for the Longhorns, they were largely the aggressor and that was especially true in the fourth with Texas bullying Baylor on both sides of the ball en route to a 14-0 stretch to close the game. And now, Texas finishes the regular season right about where we could have expected entering the season — at 8-4 in firmly in the Big 12 title picture. And now, with a little luck from the Jayhawks, Texas might find themselves in Arlington next weekend. Three wins in the final four games to be in that position is a pretty solid foundation for Texas to build upon with yet another top 10 class coming in.

Bijan Robinson. Doak Walker him. In what may prove to be his final game at DKR — or as a Longhorn — we saw vintage Bijan as he diced through the Baylor defense en route to 179 yards and two more touchdowns, surpassing Jamaal Charles for fourth all-time on the Texas’ rushing yards leaderboard. His latest display was just another example of why Robinson is objectively the best running back in college football, so it’s only right for him to become the latest in a lineage of Longhorns to hoist the Doak Walker award.

Jaylan Ford, Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. The junior’s breakout campaign continued in style on Friday, with Ford tallying another 13 tackles, two big tackles for loss, and a game-changing interception. It’s hard to argue that he's not been the best player on a much-improved Longhorns defense this season, and he finished the regular season with a damn good case to earn honors as the Big 12’s best defensive player with 109 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, two sacks, four interceptions and three forced fumbles.

(Chip Brown) Instant Analysis: Sarkisian kept putting game on arm of Ewers, but Robinson's legs carried Texas to Baylor win

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AUSTIN, Texas — Steve Sarkisian kept putting the game on the arm of Quinn Ewers instead of the legs of Bijan Robinson - until it was almost too late - but Robinson dominated the fourth quarter, drawing chants from the Texas crowd of "Bijan! Bijan! Bijan!" in the final minute of a 38-27 victory over Baylor on Friday.

After Texas’ offense flopped around like a fish on a boat deck for much of the afternoon, including a strip-sack of Ewers that resulted in a 16-yard scoop-and-score by Baylor that gave the Bears a 27-24 lead with 13:30 left to play, Robinson ran the ball 17 times in the fourth quarter for 115 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown run with 8:25 left that put Texas up for good, 31-27.

Robinson, a junior most likely playing his final game as a Longhorn, finished the game with 29 carries for 179 yards (6.2 ypc) and two touchdowns and was finally allowed to remind everyone watching why he’s a Heisman Trophy talent who may or may not get a trip to New York as a finalist because his coach failed to establish Robinson as his closer late in losses at Texas Tech and Oklahoma State earlier this season.

After a comedy of errors on offense, including an intentional grounding call on Ewers in the end zone in the first quarter, resulting in a safety as well as the strip-sack and Baylor scoop-and-score, Texas ran 26 plays in the fourth quarter with 25 of them runs: 17 carries by Robinson for 115 yards and seven carries by Roschon Johnson for 33 yards and a spectacular, 11-yard TD run in which Johnson hurdled a Baylor defender at the 3 before getting into the end zone for UT's final score of the game.

Johnson was a game-time decision with an injury suffered last week at Kansas and finished with 13 carries for 77 yards (5.9) and two touchdowns.

***

The Texas defense suffered some busted coverages in the first half of the game, including a 47-yard touchdown pass that gave Baylor a 9-0 lead in the first quarter. But the Texas defense completely shut down Baylor's offense in the second half. Longhorns' star junior linebacker Jaylan Ford grabbed his team-leading fourth interception of the season and returned it 18 yards to the Baylor 42 with 6:28 left. That just gave Robinson and Johnson more opportunity to help put the game away. The Texas offense was able to convert that interception into Johnson's 11-yard touchdown run that put Texas up 38-27 with 3:48 left.

Texas held Baylor to 56 yards in the second half, led by DeMarvion Overshown, who had 14 tackles, two tackles for loss and two pass breakups as well as Jaylan Ford, who had 13 tackles, two tackles for loss, one pass breakup and one quarterback hurry in addition to his huge interception (fourth of the season). Texas had three sacks by Overshown, Jahdae Barron and Alfred Collins.

For some inexplicable reason, Steve Sarkisian kept putting the game on the arm of Quinn Ewers instead of the legs of Bijan Robinson. And it almost cost Texas the game. It seemed like Sarkisian learned his lesson after going up-tempo and running the ball seven times on a 10-play touchdown drive that put the Longhorns up 24-19 with 2:21 left in the third quarter.

But after runs by Robinson of 7 and 9 yards on UT’s first possession of the fourth quarter, Ewers dropped back to pass on first down and fumbled on a hit by Baylor’s Al Walcott. The fumble was picked up by Baylor defensive end Gabe Hall and returned 16 yards for a touchdown that gave Baylor a 27-24 lead.

***

Midway through the third quarter, Baylor had more rushing plays (33) than Texas had total plays (29).

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The Longhorns finally got out of their own way - after a comedy of errors on offense - by running the football on a drive late in the third quarter. Texas went up-tempo and ran the ball five straight times from the Texas 30 to the Baylor 33 as Bijan Robinson had carries of 13, 12 and 6 yards followed by Roschon Johnson with carries of 6 and 5 yards.

Jordan Whittington then took a screen pass and zig-zagged through the Baylor defense for 19 yards to set up first-and-goal from the 6. Johnson had a 5-yard run to the 1 and then finished the drive with a 1-yard TD run, putting Texas up 24-19 with 2:21 left in the third quarter.

***

This was the same crew that officiated the Texas-Oklahoma State game in which the Longhorns were flagged 14 times and the Cowboys weren’t flagged once. Going into the fourth quarter, Texas had been flagged five times while Baylor didn’t have a single flag. UT’s five flags were obvious - four false starts and an intentional grounding call on Quinn Ewers that resulted in a safety. But you’re telling me Baylor didn’t commit a single penalty? I saw a block in the back against Moro Ojomo in the first half that wasn’t called. Baylor finished with one penalty flag.

***

Texas, which got the ball to start the second half, clearly needed to establish the run to start the third quarter. But after Bijan Robinson got two carries, Texas was facing fourth-and-1 from Baylor’s 48, and tight end JT Sanders was called for a false start. That caused Texas to punt instead of going for it. Two more false start penalties were called on Hayden Conner to open UT’s next possession.

The Longhorns appeared to overcome the miscues on a 29-yard completion to Jordan Whittington on first-and-20, but Baylor nickel/star Al Walcott forced a fumble by Whittington that was recovered by the Bears at the BU 44. Despite Baylor converting Whittington’s fumble into a 13-play drive that took 5:33 off the clock, BU kicker John Mayers missed a 40-yard field goal wide left, so the Bears’ lead remained 19-17.

***

Baylor kept hammering away with the run - no greater example than the 13 running plays on an 18-play drive to a field goal that took 8:41 off the clock. The Bears’ only two pass completions on the drive came on two fourth-down conversions as Shapen hit Josh Cameron for 15 yards on fourth-and-2 from the BU 44 and then hit Monaray Baldwin for 16 yards on fourth-and-6 from the Texas 37.

After having first-and-10 from the Texas 11, the drive stalled on an unforced error - a fumbled handoff exchange between Shapen and Richard Reese (recovered by Reese for a 5-yard loss) on third-and-6 from the Texas 7, forcing a 30-yard field goal that cut Texas’ lead to 14-12. Even though Baylor was still trailing, the Bears had taken a massive advantage in time of possession (21:01 to 8:59 in the first half), gradually wearing down the Texas defense.

***

Texas had some uncharacteristic coverage busts early in the game, including a 47-yard touchdown pass from Blake Shapen to Jaylen Ellis that gave Baylor a 9-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

***

Texas helped Baylor take control of the game 9-0 in the first quarter, thanks to a safety called on UT quarterback Quinn Ewers for intentionally grounding the ball from the end zone. Then, Baylor helped Texas regain control of the game thanks to an 11-yard shanked punt out of bounds (to the BU 29) that led to a three-play touchdown drive putting UT up 14-9 with 1:35 left in the first quarter.

***

Texas freshman right guard Cole Hutson was carted off the field with 1:23 left in the second quarter after Texas teammate Andre Karic fell into the outside of Hutson’s right knee, causing it to bend awkwardly. Freshman DJ Campbell came in to replace Hutson at right guard on third-and-12 from the Texas 18, and Baylor’s TJ Franklin blasted, untouched through the gap between Campbell and right tackle Christian Jones to sack Ewers for a 9-yard loss. After the play, Jones gestured to Campbell as if to say that was Campbell’s man to pick up.

***

Quinn Ewers had JT Sanders wide-open on third-and-4 from the Baylor 20, but had a little too much heat on the ball, which went high through Sanders’ hands, forcing Texas to settle for a 38-yard Bert Auburn field goal, giving the Longhorns a 17-12 lead with 5:50 left in the first half. After the play, Ewers put his hands on his head, knowing if he could’ve connected on the pass Sanders probably scores a touchdown, because Baylor had a miscommunication in coverage on the play.

***

Roschon Johnson started off a series in the second quarter that resulted in a 38-yard Bert Auburn field goal with a 21-yard run to the left that included two broken tackles.

***

Baylor had first-down at the Texas 11, but the Longhorns’ defense stopped a Blake Shapen run for no gain and held Richard Reese to a 4-yard gain before Shapen and Reese misconnected on a handoff and fumbled the ball. Reese jumped on it for a 5-yard loss, resulting in a 30-yard field goal, cutting Texas’ lead to 14-12 with 7:54 left in the first half. So an 18-play drive by Baylor that took 8:41 off the clock resulted in just three points. At that point in the game - Baylor had a time of possession advantage of 16:46 to 5:20.

***

Texas took its first lead of the game after Baylor punter Isaac Power gifted UT incredible field position with an 11-yard shank out of bounds that set the Longhorns up at the BU 29. Texas picked up 19 yards on first down as Keilan Robinson, lined up to the left of Quinn Ewers in a diamond formation and then ran to the left sideline where he was wide-open for a 19-yard completion to the Baylor 10.

Bijan Robinson seemed to drag the entire Baylor defense for an 8-yard gain to the 2, and then Robinson finished off the drive on the next play by taking a handoff from Ewers and outracing BU defenders to the right pylon for the touchdown, giving Texas a 14-9 lead with 1:35 left in the first quarter.

***

Roschon Johnson took his first snap of he game with 2:33 left in the first quarter, lining up in a diamond formation on a play that resulted in a 19-yard completion to Keilan Robinson.

***

The Texas offense finally responded with a seven-play, 75-yard touchdown drive in which Quinn Ewers completed 3-of-4 passes - an 18-yarder on a jet sweep flip to Xavier Worthy, a 37-yarder to JT Sanders and a 9-yarder to Worthy, setting up a brilliant zone read run by Ewers for a 3-yard touchdown run after the Baylor defense all collapsed on Bijan Robinson. Ewers’ TD run cut Baylor’s lead to 9-7 with 3:54 left in the first quarter.

***

Baylor took advantage of getting the ball following the safety called on Quinn Ewers by converting a third-and-4 and then connecting on a 47-yard touchdown pass from Blake Shapen to Jaylen Ellis as no one underneath picked up Ellis and left him wide open over the top, giving Baylor a 9-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

***

After Baylor pinned Texas deep on a punt following its opening drive of the game, Texas struggled to move the ball, and Quinn Ewers was called for intentional grounding in the end zone on third-and-11, which resulted in a safety, giving Baylor a 2-0 lead with 9:44 left in the first quarter. Steve Sarkisian gave Ewers an earful on the sideline after the play.

***

Baylor had the ball first, and converted a third-and-2 before Mo Blackwell destroyed the edge and cleared the way for Jaylan Ford to drop Baylor running back Craig Williams for a 4-yard loss.

***

Texas won the toss and deferred its option until the second half. The Longhorns’ captains on Friday were DeMarvion Overshown, Jordan Whittington, Roschon Johnson, Keondre Coburn, Moro Ojomo and Junior Angilau

(Ian Boyd) Five quick thoughts: Mauling the Bears

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Looks like the “seven-win Sark” moniker can be tossed in the trash where it belongs as a take about a head coach who’s main resume as top man was spent rebuilding Washington. Texas finishes the regular season 8-4 with a terrific team win over Baylor in which the foundations of run game, defense, and special teams all came through to give Texas the edge.

There were some tough moments. Iffy decision-making under pressure by Quinn Ewers directly put nine points on the board for the Bears, but he made enough throws for Texas to stay alive for a chance to dominate the rest of the game and pull out a win with a grinding second half effort. There were moments early in the third quarter where it looked like Texas might wear out and get run down over the course of the game to give away a pretty good margin. Instead they turned to improved depth and better fundamentals than they had a year ago and Bijan Robinson was the one who knocked on the door in the fourth quarter.

Bijan will likely wrap up his Texas career with season totals of 258 carries for 1,580 yards and 18 rushing touchdowns. An all-time great season from a running back who never had a brilliant, senior-heavy offensive line or a top notch, play-action passer at quarterback to help him out.

Quick thought no. 1: Texas ran the dang ball

This game was a great coaching battle between Steve Sarkisian’s staff and Dave Aranda’s on the Baylor sideline. As Robert Griffin the III summed up the battle early on in the broadcast…

…yes indeed. Btw, while I have no idea what this meant, consider me to be on “Team RG3,” his efforts make the games more fun in my estimation and he understands what makes the game entertaining. The obvious defining feature of this game was Texas’ second half adjustment to run the dang ball. In the first half, Baylor held massive advantages in…

•     Total plays run (45 to 22)
•     Total yards (224 to 136)
•     Time of possession (21:01 to 8:59)

If you were a Texas fan worried about the Longhorns wearing down in the second half, you had every reason to be afraid. Bijan and Roschon Johnson had combined in the first half for nine carries for 56 yards at 6.2 ypc with one rushing touchdown. Here’s how those numbers turned out after a second half of play:

•     Baylor ran 75 total plays to 64 for Texas
•     Texas out-gained Baylor 402 yards to 280
•     Baylor held the ball 33:24 to 26:36

These numbers evened out in a major way because Bijan and Roschon combined in the second half for 33 carries which yielded 200 yards at 6.1 ypc with three rushing touchdowns. It was a reversal of how this game went a year ago when the Bears wore Texas down. Truly it was a reversal of most every game Texas has blown or even played in the Big 12 under Sark.

Bijan finished with 29 carries for 179 yards at 6.2 ypc with two scores and Roschon added 13 carries for 77 yards at 5.9 ypc with two more rushing touchdowns. What a relief for the Texas fans to see the Longhorns give their two running backs a chance to go win the game for them. The main key was the drive after Ewers’ sack-strip, scoop’n’score for Baylor. Texas went back out there and ran the ball 11 times in a row for 74 yards and a score. Then, for good measure, they picked off Blake Shapen and ran the ball six more times in a row for another one. Game over.

Quick thought no. 2: Second half solutions

Everyone, Sark included, assumed Ewers would have to throw the ball effectively to beat Baylor. Multiple teams had given Texas fits by loading the box and taking the game out of Bijan and Roschon’s hands and Baylor had one of the more imposing defensive fronts of any team in the league. What’s more, Baylor has had a weak secondary vulnerable to being attacked.

Early on Texas threw the ball quite a bit and had mixed results. Ewers actually finished 12-16 for 194 yards at 12.1 ypa with no touchdowns or picks. He was finding the over/corner routes he throws so well (although Jordan Whittington fumbled after catching one) and also nabbing some free yards when Baylor would play 10 yards off Xavier Worthy. He was also sacked four times in the first half alone and had the bad intentional grounding penalty which caused a safety, the fumble when he didn’t feel pressure well, and another self-sack.

Then Sark realized there was another way to attack Baylor. All season long the Bears have mimicked Texas’ 2021 defense, playing their secondary back and trusting the defensive front to stop the run with honest boxes and late arriving run support. Consequently, their young and relatively small secondary had relatively zero experience in playing up to stop the run.

Once Texas sniffed that out, this game was over. They lined up in 12 personnel and would motion Whittington in tight to run the ball, mostly on Duo, over and over again. Baylor couldn’t fit all the gaps up front, were totally unused to being bullied in this fashion, and just got run off the field.

There were too many gaps for the D-line and linebackers to fill, even by two-gapping, and Texas wore their secondary out with this simple scheme. I’ll chart the stats during the week but it was a dominating feature. That’s how you run the ball every snap on multiple successful touchdown drives. “What if Baylor loads the box?” Went from being a chief concern to a opportunity for a blowout.

Quick thought no. 3: Dominant defensive game

Baylor really tried to impose their own will with the run game. Their own two main backs Richard Reese and Qualan Jones combined on 29 carries for 99 yards at 3.4 ypc. They were pretty consistently picking up 3-4 yards every run, just as Texas was consistently picking up 6-7 on all of their own calls, and that eventually played out on the scoreboard in this game.

Blake Shapen, forced into positions to have to win the game for Baylor, was not up to the job. Texas got inconsistent pressure on him but despite two bad coverage busts, held him to 18-36 for 179 yards at 4.9 ypa with two touchdowns (two busts) and a pick. Him getting railroaded by DeMarvion Overshown when he came unblocked on a blitz was a fitting capstone to the game.

Texas’ overhangs really killed Baylor in this game. One of the key adjustments in this game was when Texas turned to DMO as the Sam linebacker in the 3-4 sets after using Morice Blackwell (also some good snaps) earlier. DMO’s explosiveness off the edge gave Baylor major issues and he finished the day with a remarkable 14 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, two break-ups, and one murder…

His presence to the wide edge (when he wasn’t inside at Will linebacker) was detrimental to Baylor’s bootleg, play-action game and he caused problems backside in pursuit. When it was Jahdae Barron, he was also a problem at the field “Star” position (best nickel in the league) with two tackles for loss, a sack, a break-up, and nearly a pick-6 on a snap where he played cornerback.

Credit again to Jaylan Ford as well who made an exceptional drop on 3rd down to pick off Shapen when he was trying to go back to his favorite throw for a dagger route over the middle. That’s four picks on the year for the Mike linebacker and he also added a pair of tackles for loss.

Baylor has a pretty good offense this season but without the ability to pound teams over the game with their senior O-line and run game, they don’t have what it takes this year in the passing game to find wins late. For Texas to out-pound the defending Big 12 Champions was a statement. Credit improved linebacker play, improved schemes, and tremendous depth on the D-line for Texas having multiple games this season where they got stronger down the stretch against opposing rushing attacks.

Quick thought no. 4: Roschon’s touchdown

I mean the second one in particular. You know, this one:

What a terrific play to cement his tenure at Texas in DKR. Ironically, this was a Wildcat play and specifically it was quarterback stretch. Texas used to run this for Sam Ehlinger all the time, although typically with a lead blocker to the edge rather than backside eye candy (Texas had a fake running back read opposite the flow and a sweep opposite). Roschon was literally recruited to Texas to play quarterback and run the ball on this concept, that was the plan for his career.

Instead he had some mechanical issues in his freshman camp and found himself on a team with only one healthy, scholarship running back entering the season. So he volunteered to move positions. He’s always had to play second fiddle behind Keaontay Ingram or Bijan, but he’s always been worthy of more and he’s always been there to offer exceptional, hard running for Texas when they needed it. As a team leader and Captain, he’ll go down as a Longhorn legend, and Sark will forever be grateful to him for the culture win to finish 2021 against K-State and the subsequent leadership he’s offered.

Had Roschon played running back for Baylor (was never a possibility, for the record) the outcome today could even have been different. I still think he could have been a great Mike linebacker as well, although Texas didn’t end up needing one this season. He’ll finish his Texas career with a lot left in the tank for the NFL and a universal approval rating. Texas wishes the best for him and for Bijan.

Quick thought no. 5: What’s the story in 2022?

Texas isn’t out of the Big 12 race, having done what they needed to do in order to give themselves a chance. Kansas will go into Kansas State’s Castle Snyder tomorrow with Jalon Daniels having already gotten his bad first game back out of the way against the Longhorns. If Daniels can make magic happen, Texas will be in the Big 12 Championship Game for a rematch against TCU. It’ll have to be magic though, K-State is favored by 11.5.

If not, Texas will be the 3rd place team in the Big 12 with an 8-4 record and three wins better than a season ago. They’ll have played Alabama within a last minute field goal, beaten rival Oklahoma 49-0, beaten 2nd place team Kansas State on the road, and avenged losses to Baylor, Kansas, and Iowa State. Not bad. Then perhaps back to the Alamo Bowl with a likely matchup against Washington, which would certainly be interesting for Sark and Pete Kwiatkowski.

Texas hasn’t quite got the Sark machine running just yet, but they are playing defense and running the ball better than they ever did for Charlie Strong or Tom Herman. If this is it for the 2022 Big 12 season then Texas will have major momentum heading into NSD1, portal season, and bowl practices.

 

[satyanash 14281]

Joe Cook: Dedication to the run helps Texas top Baylor 38-27 in regular season finale

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Through three quarters of Texas’ regular season finale versus the Baylor Bears, the Longhorns had rushed 23 times for 77 yards. The discrepancy resulted in the Longhorn defense being on the field for almost 30 minutes with another quarter to play. Texas needed to flip the script. Thanks to stellar performances on the ground from Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson, both most likely playing their final game at Darrell K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium, Steve Sarkisian’s crew was able to do just that.

Of Texas’ 26 fourth quarter plays, 25 were rushes. The Longhorns gained 131 yards and two scores, with Robinson and Johnson both finding the end zone. Robinson’s 1-yard rush helped the Longhorns retake the lead, while Johnson’s 11-yard scamper that included a hurdle of a BU defender put the game at its final 38-27 tally.

The UT offense took some time to get going, and was often its own worst enemy. Texas’ first offensive series resulted in Quinn Ewers committing intentional grounding in his own end zone, giving the Bears two points. He’d make up for it on the next drive with a short rushing touchdown, the first of his career. But the Longhorn offense couldn’t stay on the field. Ewers struggled, Robinson was not getting many touches, and normally reliable players were anything but.

When Sarkisian elected to make the run game the priority after BU retook the lead via a scoop-and-score of a Ewers fumble in the fourth quarter, it didn’t matter what defense the Bears were in. Texas just lined up and ran over whoever was in their way. Doing so helped a defense that was arguably overworked in the first half stay rested for the second half.

It was just what Pete Kwiatkowski’s unit needed. The Longhorn defense didn’t allow the Bear offense to score in the second half. Jaylan Ford recorded his fourth interception of the season, and BU quarterback Blake Shapen took blow after blow from Longhorn defenders as the game was nearing its end.

The performance from Longhorn rushers did not go unappreciated. As the seconds were ticking off, most of the 94706 in attendance chanted “Bijan, Bijan, Bijan.” Sarkisian tried to give him a chance at one more touchdown, but the Baylor defense stood strong.

It was too late for it to make a difference. Thanks to Robinson, who completes a 1500+ yard regular season and moved past Jamaal Charles for fourth in school history in rushing yardage, and Johnson, whose unselfish team-first mentality has garnered him praise from Sarkisian at every turn, Texas closed the season with its eighth win.

First Quarter

Top moment: Quinn Ewers three-yard rushing touchdown.  

Featured performer: Quinn Ewers

Stats: Quinn Ewers was 4-of-5 for 83 yards, also rushed for a touchdown after a grounding penalty resulted in a safety on the Longhorns’ first possession. Jaylan Ford had 5 tackles. Jahdae Barron had a TFL and a PBU, and almost a pick six. Robinson had six carries for 21 yards.

Notes: Ewers rushing touchdown was the first of his career. An 11-yard punt by Baylor gave Texas a short field that set up Robinson’s first touchdown. Texas ran its signature wheel-route play to get Keilan Robinson the ball early in the quarter.

Second Quarter

Top moment: Two mishandled snaps for Baylor that led to an 18-play drive ending in just 3 points.

Featured performer: Jaylan Ford

Stats: Baylor had 127 total yards and 25 total plays in the second quarter to Texas’ 9. It accounted for an 11:21 to 3:39 time of possession for Baylor. Shapen was 8-for-11 for 83 yards and a touchdown, including four straight completions including his scoring toss, to end the half.

Notes: Baylor had an 8:41 drive that only resulted in three points after Texas stood strong in the red zone after two mishaps in the run game by Baylor. Two late sacks surrendered by the Texas OL near the end of the half gave Baylor a scoring opportunity they converted via a 14-yard pass from Shapen to Ben Sims. Ewers attempted just three passes. Texas averaged four yards per play.

Third Quarter

Top moment: John Mayers’ missed 40-yard field goal after a 13-play, 34-yard drive that took 5:33 off the clock

Featured performer: Bijan Robinson

Stats: Texas tallied 134 total yards in the quarter to Baylor’s 52. Ewers was 6-of-7 for 82 yards. The Longhorns committed three penalties. Baylor was 1-for-5 on third downs, but 2-for-2 on fourth downs. Baylor was limited to 2.6 yards per play.

Notes: Texas began the half on offense and committed two false start penalties. Texas made up the yardage via a long pass to Jordan Whittington, but the fourth-year player who was honored in senior day fumbled the ball. After the third quarter, Baylor had 276 total yards. They would finish with 280.

Fourth Quarter

Top moment: Jaylan Ford’s interception

Featured performer: Bijan Robinson

Stats: Texas had 25 carries for 131 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, and converted 3-of-4 third down opportunities. Baylor ran 10 plays and gained 4 yards. Ford’s interception was his fourth this season. Texas had one passing yard in the quarter.

Notes: Texas surrendered the lead early in the quarter after Baylor’s Gabe Hall scooped-and-scored off a sack of Ewers near the shadow of the Longhorn goalpost. Texas ran the ball every play after Ewers’ fumble.

 

[Sejjr 3246]

Fuck Chip Brown. 

[BurgleBro 772]

I need this week's sciopio hooked into my veins

[LTtxfan 48970]

9 hours ago, Sejjr said:

Fuck Chip Brown. 

[Zeus 5950]

9 hours ago, Sejjr said:

Fuck Chip Brown. 

He kind of mentioned the rigging

[TexasRenegade 2391]

4 hours ago, Zeus said:

He kind of mentioned the rigging

He also used the phrase "comedy of errors" like 3 times in that article.....

[satyanash 14281]

(Scipio Tex) 2022 Baylor Post Mortem: Offense

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The Texas offense couldn’t stop scoring on Saturday. They scored 38 on the Baylor defense, another 9 on Texas, and still managed to close up the regular season with a double digit win over a physical Bear team that the Longhorn running game ground into 4th quarter rubble. By the end of the game, Texas had become a service academy offense without the option elements and Baylor couldn’t do a damn thing about it.

It didn’t start that way. Texas had early success throwing the ball — when they could get the ball out — as Quinn Ewers started the game 5 of 8 for 111 yards, but Bijan Robinson finished the first stanza with only 7 carries for 29 yards. Texas gave up 3 sacks in its last five drop backs of the half and surrendered a safety early when Quinn Ewers’ protection fell apart and he grounded the ball to an area where Texas had no eligible receivers. That helped stake the Bears to an early 9-0 lead.

While halftime commentators and Texas fans naturally called for the Horns to just hand the ball to Bijan, actual events suggests that this was more feeling and talking points than game script reality. After Texas surrendered a safety on its first drive (and lost a possession), they scored two touchdowns and a field goal on the following three possessions running a fairly balanced offense. The offense was working just fine when it had the chance to possess the ball, but with only 9 minutes of first half possession (as Baylor’s offense converted 6 of 10 first half money downs), it’s impossible to work in 15-20 carries for #5.

Real frustration came in the last two sequences of the first half when Texas got the ball with 2 minutes left on the Texas 20 yard line and couldn’t execute a two minute drill due to repeated pass blocking recognition failures. The Horns finished with only 23 first half plays. Had Texas handed the ball off to Bijan and run out the clock at the two minute mark, I’m not sure either Longhorn fans or commentators would have been particularly delighted, but it would have been preferable to that closing sequence.

When Texas decided to stop shooting itself in the foot and get simple and fast, the game turned. But it took a while to figure it out because the plays available in the passing game were so tantalizing. In some ways, the story of the season. A second half Whittington fumble in Baylor territory was followed by an effective 78 yard touchdown drive that featured Texas using tempo for the first time in the game. That’s also when the run game really started to turn. Tempo kept Texas simple, put an end to extended snaps counts and heavy motion that was triggering repeated offsides penalties and jumpy feet (Sanders forced a punt on 4th and 2 from midfield with an offsides on the first drive of the 2nd half and Hayden Conner managed a three offsides penalty hat trick), and most crucially it disallowed Aranda and the Baylor defensive staff from getting in last second brain transplants to their defenders.

The game became about the players and Texas had better, fresher ones coming in waves. Despite arriving at a winning formula the drive previous and Bijan starting the next drive with two runs for 16 yards, Sark still wanted to sneak in a deep shot…because he can’t help himself. After this happened he had seen enough of trying to protect the passing game:

So with Baylor leading 27-24 at the beginning of the 4th quarter, Texas decided to get medieval. On the first Texas possession of the 4th quarter, Texas ran the ball 11 consecutive times for 75 yards. After the Jaylan Ford interception and holding a 31-27 lead, Texas ran the ball 6 consecutive times for 42 yards and another touchdown. 17 consecutive runs. None went for negative yardage. Two touchdowns. Leading 38-27, Texas got the ball back with about 3 minutes on the clock and ran the ball five consecutive times to close out the game with authority on the Baylor 4 yard line.

QB

When Ewers didn’t make three massive errors, he was really good, going 12 of 16 for 194 yards. That’s a funny thing to write, but accurate. While he bears no blame for several horrific pass protection moments or a Whittington fumble after he throws a strike, an important part of his maturation and development will be playing bad cards correctly. Fold the hand and play again. You don’t have go all-in and try to bluff your way out. Ewers probably also needs a better estimation of his speed and athleticism vis a vis a college defenders with a free path.

OL

OL is the only unit in football where an entire group gets maligned when one guy messes up or a non-OL blows their assignment. Three members of the unit played their best football of the season. Jake Majors drew Siaki Ika and had zero problems with the massive nose tackle. He was also terrific on the pull. Christian Jones and Kelvin Banks pass protected well, dominated in run blocking and I think Jones may have killed some guys in the final quarter. The primary issues in protection came at right guard – whether that spot was manned by Cole Hutson or Devon Campbell after Hutson went out with a leg injury. Both struggled badly with stunts from the tite front and were the culprits in 3 sacks. Jumbo TE Andrej Karic also gave up the Ewers strip-sack-touchdown, failing to give Al Walcott much resistance at all.

When Texas decided they wanted to get simple and pound Baylor’s front, the OL was terrific. Watch what Christian Jones does here on the RoJo hurdle TD.

Jones pancakes the Baylor edge 10 yards down the field and cuts off four different defenders in pursuit. By the way, that defender is #13 Al Walcott (he of the strip sack on Ewers and the Whittington forced fumble) and Jones is demonstrating what you do when a team decides they want to guard the edge with a 220 pound guy. For a more subtle display of excellence on a RoJo run, check out Jake Majors as a puller from the center position:

Roschon does a nice job running the ball, but look at how long Banks and Conner hold their blocks play side to allow the puller to get around. Majors has a good pull and gets a good piece of a fast-mover in space. On the back side of the OL, Hutson cuts off pursuit while Christian Jones does a wonderful job getting downfield to cut off the backside linebacker. Awesome hustle, big man. RoJo maximized the run, but you’re looking at 5 OL wins.

WR/TE

Xavier Worthy caught seven balls simply off of Baylor being scared of him and he brought good energy and physicality for four quarters. I always enjoy a 165 pound guy dropping shoulders on people. Sanders had some great moments as an edge blocker and pass catcher. He keeps killing the offense with offsides penalties on crucial downs though. Whittington had a fumble on a nice punch out from the defender, but he blocked well and looked good with the ball in his hands. Helm was fine as well.

RB

Saving the best for last. The two Longhorn bell cows combined for 256 yards rushing on 42 carries and 4 touchdowns. Their physicality and effort set the tone and their longest run of 23 yards demonstrated that this wasn’t about popping a couple of big runs. It was a consistent pummeling. Bijan had a slow start, trying to press A gap runs to the C, but once he got the feel for Baylor’s help defenders and got his pads upfield, he gouged them repeatedly and put on a masterful performance. RoJo ran hard as hell and looked generally pissed off for four quarters. His hurdle touchdown was a chef’s kiss topper to the game and their careers.

Two of my favorite players in Texas history. They’ll be missed.

Final

That was a satisfying win with just the right amount of doubt culminating in a dominant 4th quarter showcase of physicality and effort. The game went from nip and tuck to Texas domination in a single quarter. As he did against Kansas, Sark demonstrated an understanding that the offense he wants to run isn’t the offense Texas can run. On to the Alamo…

(Scipio Tex) 2022 Baylor Bears Post Mortem: Defense

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While the Texas run game delivered a thorough Bear beating in the 4th quarter to seal a double digit win, the Texas defense turned in an equally impressive second half performance laying bare the Baylor run game and play action identity that had carried Jeff Grimes’ offense throughout the year and a pretty successful first half of offense in Austin. Most encouragingly, the second half shutdown of the Baylor offense came with halftime tweaks that stopped Baylor cold and gave the Texas offensive brain trust the time and space to figure out that they probably just needed to throw their play sheets in the trash and hand the ball to #5 and #2. Without the Texas defense dominating the second half, does the Texas offense have the patience to Run The Damn Ball?

That the Texas defense achieved with an officiating crew that has assessed a total of one penalty for 1.5 yards against Longhorn opponents in the last eight quarters they’ve officiated Texas games is…special. Aside from the statistical improbability of it all, one thing I know from watching decades of football is that outside zone heavy teams who rely on play action never ever commit holding infractions.

For the game, Texas held Baylor to their offensive season low of 101 yards rushing, with 30 rushing yards on 14 carries in the second stanza. Texas was even more impressive late against the Bear passing game despite busting a first half coverage that allowed a 47 yard touchdown pass and another free shot to Ben Sims in the end zone. Blake Shapen found too much time and too many open receivers early on, going 12 of 20 for 153 yards and 2 touchdowns, but in the second half the Baylor play action game disintegrated in the face of better recognition, more active hands with batted balls and pass break ups and a better understanding of the limitations of the Baylor passing game. Shapen’s 2nd half stat line was a woeful 6 of 16 for 26 yards and an interception.

Texas also started getting off of the field. When the other team is determined to make every drive 4 down territory, a defense has to save its own life and Texas eventually did just that. Baylor’s early offensive success came on protracted drives (they converted 4/5 on 4th down overall) but Texas only allowed Baylor to convert 1 of their last 10 3rd down attempts after they started at 4 of 8. If you can’t get 4th down stops, make the 3rd down stop so convincing that 4th and 6+ doesn’t have quite the same appeal.

If it felt like Baylor was having success running the ball, that was more a function of early success in the passing game and their ability to keep converting 3rd and 4th downs. No individual Baylor runner or run hurt Texas. The proof? Baylor had 32 standard runs from their running backs. They totaled 101 yards at 3.2 yards per carry. When their passing game dried up, their running game disappeared as well. And the Texas defense dominated.

When you contrast how this game script went with lesser Texas defensive efforts against Texas Tech and Oklahoma State on key downs and stopping repetitive trips to the well, there was a clear adjustment to what Baylor was doing on the field as the Horns systematically denied Blake Shapen his comfort throws. Overall, Texas held Baylor to 56 yards on 30 plays in the final half of play and zero offensive points. There were 29 points scored in the second half and the Texas O was responsible for all of ’em. TLDR? The Texas coaches won halftime.

DL

A great group effort from all of the interior guys, but the insertions of Collins and Ojomo on the edge with DMO on the opposite edge firing in at SAM linebacker changed the complexion of the defense. Oghoufo was having trouble holding up to the volume of outside runs and this was also degrading his pass rush. Substitution and a scheme tweak solved the problem. Alfred Collins had 4 tackles, a sack (he pushed his OL into a scrambling Shapen) and two big pressures. Moro Ojomo was also extremely active, notching 7 overall tackles including an early hustle tackle for no gain on a 3rd and 8 midfield run that had Baylor gotten a few positive yards, would have led to a 4th down conversion attempt and quite possibly a scoring drive. A fresh Oghoufo was reinserted late and pass rushed well in the late 4th quarter. Coburn played well, despite being visibly frustrated by holds as he tried to pursue on outside zone. On the running play after Baylor converted their 4th and 3 with the sideline pass to Qualan Jones, you can see a held Coburn turn to the official in disgust with his hands held out as if to say,”Seriously?”

Overall pass rush was lacking, particularly in the first half, but it was also clear that they had a directive to play run first. Eventually, they started to get the feel of Baylor’s rhythm and did a better job of getting Shapen off of his spot and disrupting throws with hands up or forcing an off balance throw.

LB

 

RGIII’s color analysis did a good job of breaking down how Ford made this play, but that was his 7th forced turnover of the season (4 ints, 3 forced fumbles). That’s elite.

I picked the Texas linebackers as the most crucial defensive players for this game in the IT preview and they turned in their best collective linebacking performance of the season. Ford and DMO were fantastic. It certainly showed up in the box score as the two combined for 27 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, an interception and 3 pass break ups. Ford is the Texas Defensive MVP but DMO’s last two games have me wishing he had one more year of stability and instruction. Tucker-Dorsey was solid with 4 tackles and a pass break up. You won’t find Blackwell in the box score, but he stuck his nose in there and re-routed some Baylor runs.

DB

 

The second half was terrific after a shaky first half. Terrance Brooks seemed to largely supplant D’shawn Jamison for most of the game, but Jamison saw some snaps late. Jahdae Barron turned in another strong game (2 tackles for loss, 1 sack, a pass break up) but he dropped another potential Pick 6 for the second straight week. I’m pretty sure he wasn’t responsible for the busted coverage, but I’m not 100% on that one. Jerrin Thompson did a nice job cleaning up in the run game and drew a tough recognition job as single high safety. Ryan Watts gave up a couple of throws underneath, but was very solid in run defense. The first half wasn’t too hot, but the second was as good as any this season.

Final

Texas held Baylor to 3.7 yards per play (75-280 overall), a season low in their running output and dominated the Baylor passing game over the last 30 minutes of play despite the Texas offense digging them holes at the beginning of each half. They rallied, adjusted and took over. That was a satisfying win.

 

[RabidM 2664]

3 hours ago, satyanash said:

That the Texas defense achieved this with an officiating crew that has assessed a total of one penalty for 1.5 yards against Longhorn opponents in the last eight quarters they’ve officiated Texas games is…special. Aside from the statistical improbability of it all, one thing I know from watching decades of football is that outside zone heavy teams who rely on play action never ever commit holding infractions.