Harrison Wier
Staff Writer
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2016
- Messages
- 1,581
What a disastrous game for the Longhorns. The funny thing is, Texas was never out of this game. The primary aspect that cost Texas this game was, you guessed it, coaching. Poor time management, poor play-calling, you name it. In the first half, everything that could have gone wrong for Charlie Strong and this Texas squad did. This team is really letting Shane Buechele and D’onta Foreman down. They are both playing lights out football. Buechele, the true freshman, only continues to get better. He makes questionable throws and decisions at time, but this kid is going to be special. Other than that, there were hardly any bright spots in this game. Buechele’s receivers had their worst game of the season. Devin Duvernay caught an 80-yard touchdown pass, and then failed to see the field again. The Texas offensive line did Foreman and Buechele no favors today. Foreman’s 124 yards on the ground were hard earned. Sure, he had some holes to run through. However, much of his success was on yards after contact.
As for the defensive unit, I have no words. No adjustments until the 4th quarter (!!!). John Bonney was continuously picked on by an inferior Jesse Ertz, but somehow managed to play the entire game. If Charlie Strong is a ‘defensive guru,’ I would sure like to see it at some point. When you have an inferior quarterback with a hurt shoulder, you attack it. Instead, the Texas corners played at least 7-8 yards off the receivers for the entire game. There was no press coverage involved until the 4th quarter. Kansas State was throwing bubble screens that hung in the air for 3+ seconds. The Texas defense also lacked discipline this game, which is not a change. On the first drive of the game, Texas immediately had 2 offside penalties and a defensive holding on a long pass play. However, the defense did force 3 turnovers. How many points were converted off of these turnovers? Zero. The defense played extremely suspect ball today, but did do enough to put Texas in a position to win.
Sterlin Gilbert might have had his worst game at Texas. The Longhorns had a total time of possession of 19:43, whereas the Wildcats brought in a whopping 38:27. That’s almost ¾ of the game. How does that happen? For starters, play-calling and time management. Before this game, Sterlin Gilbert said that his offense would rely on the run. He was right about that. At the start of the game, his game plan worked. D’onta Foreman was torching the #3 rushing defense in the nation. Unfortunately, that began to stall. Yet, Gilbert refused to pull away from the run. That is until Shane Buechele hit Devin Duvernay for an 80-yard touchdown. That is Duvernay’s third straight game with a touchdown reception. After that, Duvernay was not seen from again. John Burt saw the game only one time from my perspective. Late in the 4th quarter with little hope of victory, Shane Buechele looked deep for Burt, which resulted in a defensive pass interference call. However, it wasn’t just personnel decisions by Gilbert that were questionable throughout this game. Gilbert’s play-calling often costs Texas more than it helped. For example, see 9:27 left in the 4th quarter. On 1st down, a run to Foreman results in no gain. 2nd down, same thing for 4 yards. 3rd & 6, so what does Gilbert do? A play action pass where Buechele is looking deep. As a result, he is sacked and fumbles the ball, kicking Texas out of field goal range. Another example was the killer for this game. Texas is driving through the air and has 1st & goal. 1st down, Shane runs for a 2-yard loss. 2nd down, a draw play to Foreman for 3 yards (why). Remember, this is with 4:16 left in the game. Third and long, another run play that results in a loss of 9 yards. My goodness. To make things even better, Texas elects not to call a timeout. As a result, Texas kicker Trent Domingue is forced to rush into position to attempt a 35-yarder. As a direct illustration of the Charlie Strong era at Texas, he misses the field goal. It was easy to see which team was more prepared and better coached. Bill Snyder’s Wildcats were disciplined and executed a game plan exactly how they wanted to. Charlie Strong’s Longhorns were undisciplined, missed tackles, and uninspired. A quote that sums this game and quite frankly the Charlie Strong era at Texas can be seen below.
However, this game is not all on coaching. At some point, the players have to go out there and play. Dorian Leonard dropped a 4th and short pass that would have kept a Texas drive going. Armanti Foreman dropped a dime from Buechele and 4th & 16 that would have resulted in a touchdown. Trent Domingue missed a relatively easy field goal that would have resulted in Texas tying the game late in the 4th quarter. Sure he was rushed, but you still have to make that. This team is neither helping themselves nor their coaches. Unfortunately, this most likely cemented the end of Charlie Strong’s tenure in Austin.
So, where does Texas go from here? The answer may seem cliché, but they must continue to fight and move on. Yes, this was a rough game for the Longhorns on all ends of the field. Charlie Strong has to do something to get this team inspired. Although players like Breckyn Hager say they will do anything to keep their head coach, they do not perform that way. It seems that as soon as the Horns get down early, that confidence and swagger that is seen so often starts to fade into the mist. The simple fact of the matter is that Charlie Strong has never been able to win ‘must win’ games during his time in Austin. For whatever reason, he just cannot seem to put all phases of the game together for this team. Unfortunately for Strong, the matchups are not going to get any easier. Texas takes on Baylor in Austin next Saturday at 2:30 p.m. Will Strong be able to do something to turn the tides? With less and less time to work with in the 2016 season, it seems unlikely at this point. However, Strong has surprised Texas fans before. One thing is certain. The undefeated Bears will come into Austin remembering last year’s loss to Texas. It’s up to Strong to make his team forget the past, and live in the present. No matter how bad things may get.
As for the defensive unit, I have no words. No adjustments until the 4th quarter (!!!). John Bonney was continuously picked on by an inferior Jesse Ertz, but somehow managed to play the entire game. If Charlie Strong is a ‘defensive guru,’ I would sure like to see it at some point. When you have an inferior quarterback with a hurt shoulder, you attack it. Instead, the Texas corners played at least 7-8 yards off the receivers for the entire game. There was no press coverage involved until the 4th quarter. Kansas State was throwing bubble screens that hung in the air for 3+ seconds. The Texas defense also lacked discipline this game, which is not a change. On the first drive of the game, Texas immediately had 2 offside penalties and a defensive holding on a long pass play. However, the defense did force 3 turnovers. How many points were converted off of these turnovers? Zero. The defense played extremely suspect ball today, but did do enough to put Texas in a position to win.
Sterlin Gilbert might have had his worst game at Texas. The Longhorns had a total time of possession of 19:43, whereas the Wildcats brought in a whopping 38:27. That’s almost ¾ of the game. How does that happen? For starters, play-calling and time management. Before this game, Sterlin Gilbert said that his offense would rely on the run. He was right about that. At the start of the game, his game plan worked. D’onta Foreman was torching the #3 rushing defense in the nation. Unfortunately, that began to stall. Yet, Gilbert refused to pull away from the run. That is until Shane Buechele hit Devin Duvernay for an 80-yard touchdown. That is Duvernay’s third straight game with a touchdown reception. After that, Duvernay was not seen from again. John Burt saw the game only one time from my perspective. Late in the 4th quarter with little hope of victory, Shane Buechele looked deep for Burt, which resulted in a defensive pass interference call. However, it wasn’t just personnel decisions by Gilbert that were questionable throughout this game. Gilbert’s play-calling often costs Texas more than it helped. For example, see 9:27 left in the 4th quarter. On 1st down, a run to Foreman results in no gain. 2nd down, same thing for 4 yards. 3rd & 6, so what does Gilbert do? A play action pass where Buechele is looking deep. As a result, he is sacked and fumbles the ball, kicking Texas out of field goal range. Another example was the killer for this game. Texas is driving through the air and has 1st & goal. 1st down, Shane runs for a 2-yard loss. 2nd down, a draw play to Foreman for 3 yards (why). Remember, this is with 4:16 left in the game. Third and long, another run play that results in a loss of 9 yards. My goodness. To make things even better, Texas elects not to call a timeout. As a result, Texas kicker Trent Domingue is forced to rush into position to attempt a 35-yarder. As a direct illustration of the Charlie Strong era at Texas, he misses the field goal. It was easy to see which team was more prepared and better coached. Bill Snyder’s Wildcats were disciplined and executed a game plan exactly how they wanted to. Charlie Strong’s Longhorns were undisciplined, missed tackles, and uninspired. A quote that sums this game and quite frankly the Charlie Strong era at Texas can be seen below.
However, this game is not all on coaching. At some point, the players have to go out there and play. Dorian Leonard dropped a 4th and short pass that would have kept a Texas drive going. Armanti Foreman dropped a dime from Buechele and 4th & 16 that would have resulted in a touchdown. Trent Domingue missed a relatively easy field goal that would have resulted in Texas tying the game late in the 4th quarter. Sure he was rushed, but you still have to make that. This team is neither helping themselves nor their coaches. Unfortunately, this most likely cemented the end of Charlie Strong’s tenure in Austin.
So, where does Texas go from here? The answer may seem cliché, but they must continue to fight and move on. Yes, this was a rough game for the Longhorns on all ends of the field. Charlie Strong has to do something to get this team inspired. Although players like Breckyn Hager say they will do anything to keep their head coach, they do not perform that way. It seems that as soon as the Horns get down early, that confidence and swagger that is seen so often starts to fade into the mist. The simple fact of the matter is that Charlie Strong has never been able to win ‘must win’ games during his time in Austin. For whatever reason, he just cannot seem to put all phases of the game together for this team. Unfortunately for Strong, the matchups are not going to get any easier. Texas takes on Baylor in Austin next Saturday at 2:30 p.m. Will Strong be able to do something to turn the tides? With less and less time to work with in the 2016 season, it seems unlikely at this point. However, Strong has surprised Texas fans before. One thing is certain. The undefeated Bears will come into Austin remembering last year’s loss to Texas. It’s up to Strong to make his team forget the past, and live in the present. No matter how bad things may get.
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