Offensive Report Card: USC (by Jameson McCausland)

[Harrison Wier]

Quarterback


Texas walked into the Coliseum with a true freshman QB making his 2nd career start. I never thought the moment seemed too big for Sam Ehlinger. Ehlinger finished the night with 21 completions on 40 attempts for 298 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also tossed 2 interceptions, with one pick coming after a no-call facemask penalty that by the rulebook, should have been called. Despite the offensive struggles and playing behind a suspect offensive line, the freshman still led the Longhorns on a 91-yard drive late in the 4th quarter that gave Texas the lead. There is no doubt that Ehlinger brings intangibles to the quarterback position that many Longhorn fans have not seen in a long time.

Unfortunately, Ehlinger also had the ball stripped inside the 5-yard line in double OT that ultimately led to USC kicking the game winning field goal. There were a couple deep balls that were overthrown, but overall Ehlinger gave Texas a chance to win the game, and that’s about all the fans and coaches could have asked for.

Jerrod Heard saw some action out of the wildcat package, but it is just too predictable that it is going to be an off tackle run when he enters the game. Tim Beck needs to add a counter play or something that can keep the defense honest.


Grade: B-



Running Back


The game plan seemed to play out similar to week 1 against Maryland. Tom Herman and Tim Beck chose to abandon the run game early. Chris Warren and Kyle Porter combined for 9 carries with 24 yards. It’s hard to blame the running backs for their performance with the offensive line play and play calling. After Connor Williams exited with a knee injury, Texas had zero success running the ball outside of reverses and jet sweeps. Kyle Porter continues to struggle to break tackles and get into the second level. A lot of fans voiced their displeasure for the lack of carries at RB, specifically for Warren, but Texas faced a lot of 7 and 8 man boxes. USC wanted to force Sam Ehlinger to beat them with his arm. Texas has to find a way to establish a running game between the tackles because outside of 60 minutes against San Jose State, the running game has been non-existent.

Both running backs did a solid job in pass protection. Once Connor Williams exited the game, the running backs were forced to help block edge rushers. Kyle Porter is the superior blocker and is not afraid to take on a dude 75 pounds heavier than him. He threw a huge block on Sam Ehlinger’s 4th and 1 run late in the 4th quarter. Chris Warren also contributed a few good blocks and had a key 11-yard reception.

One last note that I was thinking as I was reviewing the game. I would like to see Toneil Carter get meaningful snaps. I understand the reluctance from the coaching staff to throw him into the fire – especially in pass protection – but the running game needs to get going and I think Carter could provide a spark.


Grade: C-



Wide Receivers


Texas fans better enjoy Collin Johnson for the next 2 years because the sophomore has played like an NFL receiver the first 3 games of the season, including last night. Johnson hauled in 7 passes for 191 yards and was a focal point for the Texas offense in the second half. On Texas’ final drive of the 4th quarter Ehlinger targeted Johnson several times, including a huge catch down the Texas sideline that set up a touchdown pass to Armanti Foreman. Foreman also had a huge game. The senior hauled in a key 4th down pass to go along with his touchdown catch, finishing the day with 5 catches for 38 yards.

Out of the slot, Reggie Hemphill-Mapps had 2 catches for 13 yards, and also added 14 yards rushing. Lil’ Jordan Humphrey and Lorenzo Joe combined for 4 catches for 39 yards. The passing game was bogged down for most of the first half, but when Texas needed them the most the receiving group stepped up and delivered.


Grade: B+



Tight End


Texas played with a lot of 11 personnel packages again. Kendall Moore played the majority of the game and had an alright game blocking wise. When Texas brought in Cade Brewer, there was a noticeable drop off in blocking, but the freshman hauled in his first career touchdown in the first overtime on a beautifully designed play that Brewer sold perfectly. Tom Herman will continue to trot out a tight end regardless of the talent at the position, but they may be asked to block more than ever with how the offensive line is performing. Overall, the tight ends are what they are. There is nobody at the position opposing defenses will worry about, but Texas will continue to try to gain an advantage in the running game by using Kendall Moore and Cade Brewer as an extra blocker.


Grade: C+



Offensive Line


As soon as Connor Williams left the game, I knew the offense could be in big trouble. Tristan Nickelson was forced to slide over to left tackle and Denzel Okafor was inserted at right tackle. Tim Beck discovered quickly that running off tackle was not going to work. Running between the tackles was not much better. Jake McMillon and Patrick Vahe were slightly better than the tackles, but not by much. Zach Shackelford spent much of the first half trying to figure out how to hit the quarterback in the chest with the snap, and twice snapped the ball when Ehlinger was not ready.

Offensive line coach Derek Warehime has to be frustrated about the number of penalties from an experienced and veteran unit. The entire offensive line as a whole struggled mightily in pass protection, including a sequence late in the first half where sacks took Texas out of field goal range. In the second half there was some improvement in pass protection, but it is obvious that Ehlinger is having to scramble around more than he would like. It is a very real possibility that Texas will be without Connor Williams for the remainder of the season, and depth is already razor thin on the offensive line. The offensive coaching staff will need to start finding ways to cover up what is becoming a glaring weakness.


Run Blocking Grade: F
Pass Blocking Grade: D+

 

[The Tinman]

The kids played their ass off.There needs to be a report card for the OC...I give him an F - for abysmal play calling running when they should be passing ,passing when they should be running. The situation on the field is supposed relate to the plays being called on the field..Beck had no creativity or rhythm except for TD to Brewer great play..Sam had to make his own way...proud of the players effort..now time for the OC to get in gear or get out of the way!  Thanks for the write up

 

[prosfromdover]

Yes we are starting to understand why Ohio State wasn't all that sad to lose Beck. Truly any fool could see Warren needed to be running. And if he's playing, he's playing, enough with the eye-fake out theory.

 

[Jameson McCausland]

The kids played their ass off.There needs to be a report card for the OC...I give him an F - for abysmal play calling running when they should be passing ,passing when they should be running. The situation on the field is supposed relate to the plays being called on the field..Beck had no creativity or rhythm except for TD to Brewer great play..Sam had to make his own way...proud of the players effort..now time for the OC to get in gear or get out of the way!  Thanks for the write up

100% agree about Beck not getting in any sort of rhythm. I'm not making excuses for him, but with the way the offensive line was playing, the playbook was extremely limited. Freshman QB + shaky offensive line is not a good recipe for success.

 

[Jameson McCausland]

Yes we are starting to understand why Ohio State wasn't all that sad to lose Beck. Truly any fool could see Warren needed to be running. And if he's playing, he's playing, enough with the eye-fake out theory.

The amount of carries Warren received was puzzling, but even more puzzling to me was the absence of the screen game. 

 

[North Texas Golfer]

This is from a poster on another site. Other than the first sentence, I think he sums it up pretty well what we are dealing with offensively. 

I thought the offense actually played over its head Saturday. I never bought all the raves over the OL. And then with the injuries, it's pretty slim pickings. You have one tight end that can block but not catch and one that can catch but not block. Zero speed at running back. Then add a freshman QB with one game under his belt. I'd bet SC showed him a few looks and some speed that he didn't see against San Jose St. This offense isn't going to improve much with the exception of QB experience. But you cannot create an OL in September and October, nor can you turn Warren and Porter into game breaking, corner turning burners. And Jason Witten isn't coming to Austin on Saturdays. It is what it is.

 

[okiehorn]

This is from a poster on another site. Other than the first sentence, I think he sums it up pretty well what we are dealing with offensively. 

I thought the offense actually played over its head Saturday. I never bought all the raves over the OL. And then with the injuries, it's pretty slim pickings. You have one tight end that can block but not catch and one that can catch but not block. Zero speed at running back. Then add a freshman QB with one game under his belt. I'd bet SC showed him a few looks and some speed that he didn't see against San Jose St. This offense isn't going to improve much with the exception of QB experience. But you cannot create an OL in September and October, nor can you turn Warren and Porter into game breaking, corner turning burners. And Jason Witten isn't coming to Austin on Saturdays. It is what it is.

This is all true but even without all that UT can win a lot of ball games playing exactly like they did Saturday evening. Be great for the first stage of rebuilding the brand for Herman and company 

 

[RickyFlair]

RB "C-" and we never ran the ball?

QB "B-" 2 picks, 2 fumbles, 52% comp., missed on every deep ball. Sam played well for a freshman but lets not sugar coat it. What would Shane get with those stats?

 

[Jameson McCausland]

RB "C-" and we never ran the ball?

QB "B-" 2 picks, 2 fumbles, 52% comp., missed on every deep ball. Sam played well for a freshman but lets not sugar coat it. What would Shane get with those stats?

On the RB's- it's not the running backs fault they were given 9 total carries. Have to grade off of those carries, how they caught the ball out of the backfield and how they pass protected.

On the QB's- If Shane was playing behind the same offensive line we saw on saturday, he would have had the same stats. Sam hit Johnson on multiple deep balls, threw interceptions on a 50/50 deep ball and a face mask that wasn't called, and led Texas on a 91 yard drive to take the lead that included 2 4th down conversations. For a true freshman starting against the 4th ranked team in the country, Ehlinger performed about as well as anyone could have expected.

 

[RickyFlair]

On the RB's- it's not the running backs fault they were given 9 total carries. Have to grade off of those carries, how they caught the ball out of the backfield and how they pass protected.

On the QB's- If Shane was playing behind the same offensive line we saw on saturday, he would have had the same stats. Sam hit Johnson on multiple deep balls, threw interceptions on a 50/50 deep ball and a face mask that wasn't called, and led Texas on a 91 yard drive to take the lead that included 2 4th down conversations. For a true freshman starting against the 4th ranked team in the country, Ehlinger performed about as well as anyone could have expected.

The RB grade was too low for exactly the reasons you listed. Maybe they should have gotten an "I" (incomplete)

You are right on two points Sam led a hell of a drive at the end of the game and he performed as well as could be expected in that situation. I'm just asking for the grading system not to be on a bell curve, "for a true freshman ..." that's a qualifying statement. Grade the position not the player. If Shane had played and you gave him a B- for that game I would be saying the exact same thing.

 

[okiehorn]

The RB grade was too low for exactly the reasons you listed. Maybe they should have gotten an "I" (incomplete)

You are right on two points Sam led a hell of a drive at the end of the game and he performed as well as could be expected in that situation. I'm just asking for the grading system not to be on a bell curve, "for a true freshman ..." that's a qualifying statement. Grade the position not the player. If Shane had played and you gave him a B- for that game I would be saying the exact same thing.

Everyone on sports talk radio here says Sam HAS to be our QB. Fits Hermans offense etc etc. hearing that a lot on here also 

 

[oldhorn2]

after watching some clips, I can see why Warren was not in the game much. If the call is not to Warren, he is a total liability. He cannot/will not block. He singlehandedly almost got Sam killed on a 3rd and 4 which was a waltzover for a first down had Warren simply blocked his man. Instead of Sam having mucho room to run for the first he got instead a full force hit in the backfield that Warren stopped and stepped aside ( of his man) so as not to impede.Is Warren too good to block, too bad to block or too indifferent to block?

If the only plays we can use him on are runs , we may as well have Heard in the pistol. Everyone knows he is going to run it.

 

[Jameson McCausland]

after watching some clips, I can see why Warren was not in the game much. If the call is not to Warren, he is a total liability. He cannot/will not block. He singlehandedly almost got Sam killed on a 3rd and 4 which was a waltzover for a first down had Warren simply blocked his man. Instead of Sam having mucho room to run for the first he got instead a full force hit in the backfield that Warren stopped and stepped aside ( of his man) so as not to impede.Is Warren too good to block, too bad to block or too indifferent to block?

If the only plays we can use him on are runs , we may as well have Heard in the pistol. Everyone knows he is going to run it.

I believe you are referring to the 4th down play on Texas' first drive. Chris Warren completely whiffed on his block. Ehlinger would have had an easy first down if Warren simply just engages his man.

 

[RickyFlair]

Everyone on sports talk radio here says Sam HAS to be our QB. Fits Hermans offense etc etc. hearing that a lot on here also 

Everyone on sports talk radio also said we had no chance to beat USC. If they got paid for being right instead of getting paid for talking I might put more credibility in their statements. Those guys deal in volume not value. We all have our opinions on this board in regards to the QB and none of us really know much we just have a preference. I completely agree that Sam has the skill set that fits Herman's offense but his skill set is not substantially better than Shane's to overcome his deficiencies in experience. Sam is one tough son of a gun and I love his passion and competiveness. If we didn't have a returning QB who was equally competitive, had been through the fire, and played pretty stinking good thus far I would be all for throwing Sam to the wolves and letting him learn on the fly. I just believe at this point it is senseless and possibly detrimental to Sam's growth not to allow him to develop like any other freshman should be allowed. I still don't know what Shane did over the past year that convinced people he isn't a good QB or at the very least good enough to prevent us from having to start another true freshman. Shane stunk against Kansas and TCU last year no doubt about it but the whole team stunk in those games. Prior to that and with the exception of OK State we were within 7 pts in every game and our defense was absolutely abysmal. I would like to see what Shane could do with a year under his belt and what seems to be a much improved defense. He was the runner up in the Nike Elite 11 and he beat Lamar Jackson, Sam Darnold, and Jalen Hurts to win the Manning Academy QB competition this summer. The kid can freaking play. Then there is giant elephant in the room people seem to ignore. Shane beat Sam out for the starting job. The QB coaching genius that knows his system better than anyone, including talk radio host, named Buechele the starter and said again after the USC game when Shane is healthy he is the starter. My theory on this "QB competition" is that some people believe, since we were not good last year and lost to Maryland this year, we need to change everything. Buechele went 5 and 7 last year as the starter so he's obviously not "the guy" at QB. We only have one other QB on the roster and he has the makings of "the guy" at QB so he should be the starter. He hasn't done anything to prove he is the answer except being the QB when we shut out San Jose State and lead a 91 yard drive to take the lead against USC. Those are two good things and that series against USC was special but that is an extremely small sample size to warrant a starting QB change. I appreciate Jameson's hard work and insight covering the team but to say "if Shane was playing behind the same offensive line we saw on Saturday, he would have had the same stats" is ignorant. Shane's stats may have been worse, they may have been better, or possibly the same. No one knows what would have happened and the unknown is the root of this whole controversy and I include myself in that statement. I think but I don't know that Shane will have a very good season this year and be one of the top QB's in the Big 12 or possibly nation. I think that because I saw a lot of positives in him as a true freshman last year and normally players get better with experience. I cant say that about Sam because I have no idea what he will do over the course of a season. He might come out and break every record in the book or he might be a complete disaster. I really would prefer not to roll the dice on the unknown until the known actual proves he cant do it and I don't think he has proven that in any way at this time. I'm fine if everyone disagrees with me because it seems Tom Herman does agree with me and he's a Mensa member so the rest of y'all can suck it.

 

[oldhorn2]

Damn Ricky....If I ever dreamed I could have said that so well I would have to wake up and apologize..

 

[DMAC]

after watching some clips, I can see why Warren was not in the game much. If the call is not to Warren, he is a total liability. He cannot/will not block. He singlehandedly almost got Sam killed on a 3rd and 4 which was a waltzover for a first down had Warren simply blocked his man. Instead of Sam having mucho room to run for the first he got instead a full force hit in the backfield that Warren stopped and stepped aside ( of his man) so as not to impede.Is Warren too good to block, too bad to block or too indifferent to block?

If the only plays we can use him on are runs , we may as well have Heard in the pistol. Everyone knows he is going to run it.

So what we are saying is

1.  Use porter cause he blocks decently but averages 3.8 ypc.  

2.  Use Warren cause he averages 8.2 ypc but whiffs on blocks.

Screwed either way.  

Maybe give Carter and Daniel a shot.

 

[Jameson McCausland]

So what we are saying is

1.  Use porter cause he blocks decently but averages 3.8 ypc.  

2.  Use Warren cause he averages anywhere 8.2 ypc but whiffs on blocks.

Screwed either way.  

Maybe give Carter and Daniel a shot.

Especially now that both have burned their redshirts, it would be smart to see what both can do and if they can provide a spark.

 

[okiehorn]

Everyone on sports talk radio also said we had no chance to beat USC. If they got paid for being right instead of getting paid for talking I might put more credibility in their statements. Those guys deal in volume not value. We all have our opinions on this board in regards to the QB and none of us really know much we just have a preference. I completely agree that Sam has the skill set that fits Herman's offense but his skill set is not substantially better than Shane's to overcome his deficiencies in experience. Sam is one tough son of a gun and I love his passion and competiveness. If we didn't have a returning QB who was equally competitive, had been through the fire, and played pretty stinking good thus far I would be all for throwing Sam to the wolves and letting him learn on the fly. I just believe at this point it is senseless and possibly detrimental to Sam's growth not to allow him to develop like any other freshman should be allowed. I still don't know what Shane did over the past year that convinced people he isn't a good QB or at the very least good enough to prevent us from having to start another true freshman. Shane stunk against Kansas and TCU last year no doubt about it but the whole team stunk in those games. Prior to that and with the exception of OK State we were within 7 pts in every game and our defense was absolutely abysmal. I would like to see what Shane could do with a year under his belt and what seems to be a much improved defense. He was the runner up in the Nike Elite 11 and he beat Lamar Jackson, Sam Darnold, and Jalen Hurts to win the Manning Academy QB competition this summer. The kid can freaking play. Then there is giant elephant in the room people seem to ignore. Shane beat Sam out for the starting job. The QB coaching genius that knows his system better than anyone, including talk radio host, named Buechele the starter and said again after the USC game when Shane is healthy he is the starter. My theory on this "QB competition" is that some people believe, since we were not good last year and lost to Maryland this year, we need to change everything. Buechele went 5 and 7 last year as the starter so he's obviously not "the guy" at QB. We only have one other QB on the roster and he has the makings of "the guy" at QB so he should be the starter. He hasn't done anything to prove he is the answer except being the QB when we shut out San Jose State and lead a 91 yard drive to take the lead against USC. Those are two good things and that series against USC was special but that is an extremely small sample size to warrant a starting QB change. I appreciate Jameson's hard work and insight covering the team but to say "if Shane was playing behind the same offensive line we saw on Saturday, he would have had the same stats" is ignorant. Shane's stats may have been worse, they may have been better, or possibly the same. No one knows what would have happened and the unknown is the root of this whole controversy and I include myself in that statement. I think but I don't know that Shane will have a very good season this year and be one of the top QB's in the Big 12 or possibly nation. I think that because I saw a lot of positives in him as a true freshman last year and normally players get better with experience. I cant say that about Sam because I have no idea what he will do over the course of a season. He might come out and break every record in the book or he might be a complete disaster. I really would prefer not to roll the dice on the unknown until the known actual proves he cant do it and I don't think he has proven that in any way at this time. I'm fine if everyone disagrees with me because it seems Tom Herman does agree with me and he's a Mensa member so the rest of y'all can suck it.

I didn't read quite all your post there but I never said I believe same should start. Just telling ya what they are saying. Yes I believe with Shane we win that ball game but I also believe he would have got thrown to the dirt quite a few more times then Sam because foot work. But you don't have to prove to me Shane isn't good. This is actually a awesome position UT is in right now 

 

[RickyFlair]

I didn't read quite all your post there but I never said I believe same should start. Just telling ya what they are saying. Yes I believe with Shane we win that ball game but I also believe he would have got thrown to the dirt quite a few more times then Sam because foot work. But you don't have to prove to me Shane isn't good. This is actually a awesome position UT is in right now 

I didn't take your comment as an endorsement of either QB. I've been hearing those same pundits stirring up a QB controversy and felt your post provided me the opportunity to give my 1.6 cents. I agree, we are in a good spot at QB  exponentially better than the past few years or currently at left tackle. I know our O lineman are trying their best but they are going to get someone killed