Aaron Carrara
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- Mar 31, 2014
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Keeping this fairly short, but Texas lost a game they should have won.... depending on your school of thought. The Ingram fumble is the easy scapegoat, but as the players mentioned in postgame, there were plenty of mistakes in the game that cost Texas a win. Texas IS the better football team on paper, but the game variables that aren’t literally at work on the football field are on the sidelines. Those are worth further investigation....
There are a lot of stats floating around about Texas vs the spread in Big 12 games they are favored to win and Herman’s record with ranked teams vs unranked opponents..... which are all true. Gary Patterson recruits players that fit his style of play. He scours the corners of the state and offers scholarships to 2 and 3 star players that get passed up by the larger programs in and around the state - and they thrive in his system. Today, Herman and his staff got out-coached again by Gary Patterson and out-played by a collective inferior group of talent.
I posted this on Twitter, but how does Texas not run the ball down TCU’s throat all day, given their depth and talent at the position? The refs were deplorable and game rhythm was shaken upside down because of it, but the Longhorns have Keaontay Ingram, Roschon Johnson and Bijan Robinson - a trifecta of horses. Texas never established the running game and it hurt them today, like it has for many, many games over several seasons now. I can’t remember the last time Texas had a rusher break the century mark, can you? And from a game-planning perspective, the run-game should have been a huge component given the strength of the TCU secondary.
In comparison to Texas Tech last weekend, the tackling was much improved. Texas still missed some tackles, but it was nowhere near as bad as what last weekend looked like. Credit to Chris Ash for the adjustments. The defense played better as a whole, particularly in the second half and Texas actually made several big stops when they needed them.
The offensive line played well today. It was a breath of fresh air, but it was an effort that was not taken advantage of, particularly since the running game didn’t have the opportunity to produce. Ehlinger didn’t seem to be his consistent self, yet managed to still throw for 4 touchdowns. He’s a gamer in every sense of the word.
It was great to see the Texas tight ends produce. Jared Wiley led the Longhorns in receiving yards and Malcolm Epps hauled in a TD. Need to see more of that in the offense.
I hate to sound trite, but Herman’s teams have typically played to the level of the competition they face. It’s great when you play a Georgia in the Sugar Bowl or an LSU at home, but it’s risky as hell when you play opponents you should beat handily as a ranked team. A coaching staff’s responsibility is to make their players believe they can beat anyone, regardless of the opponent, and motivate them to do so.
Tom Herman’s players have bought into his philosophy, but the philosophy has yet to yield consistent results early into year 4.
The loss today was a huge blow to the team’s hopes of playing in the College Football Playoff, but the Big 12 is still up for grabs. Texas has 2/3 of a season left to prove they belong in those discussions.
Keeping this fairly short, but Texas lost a game they should have won.... depending on your school of thought. The Ingram fumble is the easy scapegoat, but as the players mentioned in postgame, there were plenty of mistakes in the game that cost Texas a win. Texas IS the better football team on paper, but the game variables that aren’t literally at work on the football field are on the sidelines. Those are worth further investigation....
There are a lot of stats floating around about Texas vs the spread in Big 12 games they are favored to win and Herman’s record with ranked teams vs unranked opponents..... which are all true. Gary Patterson recruits players that fit his style of play. He scours the corners of the state and offers scholarships to 2 and 3 star players that get passed up by the larger programs in and around the state - and they thrive in his system. Today, Herman and his staff got out-coached again by Gary Patterson and out-played by a collective inferior group of talent.
I posted this on Twitter, but how does Texas not run the ball down TCU’s throat all day, given their depth and talent at the position? The refs were deplorable and game rhythm was shaken upside down because of it, but the Longhorns have Keaontay Ingram, Roschon Johnson and Bijan Robinson - a trifecta of horses. Texas never established the running game and it hurt them today, like it has for many, many games over several seasons now. I can’t remember the last time Texas had a rusher break the century mark, can you? And from a game-planning perspective, the run-game should have been a huge component given the strength of the TCU secondary.
In comparison to Texas Tech last weekend, the tackling was much improved. Texas still missed some tackles, but it was nowhere near as bad as what last weekend looked like. Credit to Chris Ash for the adjustments. The defense played better as a whole, particularly in the second half and Texas actually made several big stops when they needed them.
The offensive line played well today. It was a breath of fresh air, but it was an effort that was not taken advantage of, particularly since the running game didn’t have the opportunity to produce. Ehlinger didn’t seem to be his consistent self, yet managed to still throw for 4 touchdowns. He’s a gamer in every sense of the word.
It was great to see the Texas tight ends produce. Jared Wiley led the Longhorns in receiving yards and Malcolm Epps hauled in a TD. Need to see more of that in the offense.
I hate to sound trite, but Herman’s teams have typically played to the level of the competition they face. It’s great when you play a Georgia in the Sugar Bowl or an LSU at home, but it’s risky as hell when you play opponents you should beat handily as a ranked team. A coaching staff’s responsibility is to make their players believe they can beat anyone, regardless of the opponent, and motivate them to do so.
Tom Herman’s players have bought into his philosophy, but the philosophy has yet to yield consistent results early into year 4.
The loss today was a huge blow to the team’s hopes of playing in the College Football Playoff, but the Big 12 is still up for grabs. Texas has 2/3 of a season left to prove they belong in those discussions.
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