echeese
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View from the Cheap Seats-West Virginia
Slump buster
So maybe it was just a one game slump but the Longhorn Nation was suffering from battered fan syndrome after last weeks nightmare in Lubbock and TEXAS wasn’t even playing Halloween weekend. The BigXII has gone topsy turvy on us in 2022. Kansas is 5-0 and heading to Ft Worth to face the 5-0 Horny Frogs who just put up 668 yards of total offense and 55 points on OU. And the loser of tonight’s match up got to join ISU and OU (say what????) in the BigXII cellar at 0-2 in conference play. Baylor and OSU face off this weekend in a battle for top of the conference, for those who missed it, some outstanding football.
We hate to gloat, but it’s been sometime since TEXAS won while OU and ACES were both blown out on the same weekend. Worth noting. OK we lied, we like to gloat. Both losing badly to team projected not to do well in their conferences. So much for pre-season polls.
Let’s start with Coach Sark who may have called his best offensive game plan of the season. While TEXAS opened with a punt, they would then score TDs on their next 4 possessions of the 1st half. It was an impressive game and with some very creative play calling which kept WVU off balance. Our favorite play call was a backward pass to Xavier Worthy who then hit Ja’Tavion Sanders for a 33 yard TD. The game featured Sark taking advantage of all of his weapons, getting play makers the ball in space and Hudson Card’s best game under center of the young season. Despite clearly not being 100% and on a gimpy ankle, Card routinely climbed the pocket to evade the rush, buying time to find open receivers.
Quickly elevating fears of Sark going turtle with a 2nd half lead, Sark’s Horns scored on their 1st possession to push the lead to 35-7, then had to punt when penalties buried them in a DEEP hole followed by a FG drive. The Horns would then close out the game with a “run out the clock” this game is OVER drive. Sark would make sure BiJan got to 100 yards rushing on the final drive.
After an impressive most of the 1st half, the defense would give up a 13 play TD drive at the end of the 2nd quarter, then an 18 play 65 yard drive eating up 7 and a half minutes followed by a 13 play 75 yard drive of almost 6 minutes both ending in TDs. It was clear the D started playing bend but don’t break. We are concerned about the rest of the schedule as Daniels is not a real running threat but almost every team TEXAS will face from here is a threat to extend plays with his wheels while KSU’s Martinez is in the Tyronne Swoopes mode, more a run 1st type QB. And he is a very effective runner.
This might offend a few but what did Tim Brando do to some of you? Thought he called a good game. Not remotely close to some of the awful announcers on TV.
Stats that matter
1 From the Bama game forward, TEXAS only has 1 turnover, an INT v UTSA, in 4 games
3-3 Technically 3 of 4 on red zone chances but TEXAS was not trying to score on it’s last drive when it reached the 19. All TDs. Very good
4.2 Points per drive, 9 drives 2 FG and 5 TDs
4-5 Four of 5 games this year holding opponents under 20.
Offensive Player of the Game
Co votes this week
Hudson Card 21-27 303 yards and 3 TDs but most importantly, no turnovers and he played very smart. He frequently climbed the pocket or escaped the rush to extend plays and added a long rush to pick up a 1st down.
Xavier Worthy 7 receptions 119 yards and 2 TDs. The 2nd an incredible example of concentration on a ball tipped in the end zone
Defensive player of the game
Jaylan Ford Team leading 14 tackles (7/7) a tackle for a loss.
Special teams player of the game
Keilan Robinson for his onside kick recovery
Conclusions
Sark and TEXAS took care of an opponent the way they should have, got up early, kept the pressure on and outside of 2 late drives, they did not let an inferior opponent hang around. What does it tell us going forward? Honestly not much though we are impressed with a good win at home. We saw Sark call 2 halves of the game All Gas No Brakes and we like that. We saw Card have his best game in 2 years. We saw a balance from our play calling that kept WVU off balance.
On Deck
The Red River War Generally the biggest game of the year. While a heated rivalry it is likely not TEXAS’ biggest game though it is always huge. Can TEXAS enjoy TCU level offensive success? Can TEXAS be mentally tough as a loss likely takes TEXAS out of conference title contention. Can TEXAS play another complete game ala Alabama, UTSA or WVU? Is this team better than last year? Certainly, though that’s the lowest bar for a TEXAS head coach in his 2nd year in our history. Ewers or Card? We think it’s Ewers. Another question, who does OU go with at QB?
Fighting Mack Brown’s
Kicked the stuffing out of Virginia Tech to go 1-0 in conference play. The best ACC teams are in the Atlantic division so the UNC has a shot at playing for the conference but we think they are playing for the best bowl invite.
Ranking the BigXII after a wild and wacky week
#1 OSU 1-0 in conference Won the battle of the two best team in the conference
#2 Baylor 1-2 Lost a hard fought battle
#3 KSU 2-0 Coming off their win in Norman, they brought Texas Tech back to earth
#4 TCU 1-0 Would you have believed pre-season that 5-0 Kansas would be traveling to 4-0 TCU? Yeah we wouldn’t have believed it either.
#5 Kansas 2-0 Needed ISU to miss 3 FGs but a win is a win is a win.
#6 OU 0-2 and playing to stay out of the cellar next weekend
#7 TT 1-1
#8 TEXAS 1-1 Sorry, Tech won so they get ranked higher
#9 ISU 0-2 lost a snooze fest to KU And no, not a basketball typo
#10 WVU 0-2 With Baylor on deck and a trip to Lubbock following, their season might be over before Halloween.
If I had a vote that mattered
#1 Georgia, survived a scare
#2 tOSU Ryan Day has them cranking
#3 Bama 2nd best win of the weekend
#4 Oklahoma State Best win of the weekend.
Just a bit outside
#5 Michigan
#6 Utah Cam Rising with another great day
#7 Clemson
TEXAS/WVU highlights
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