Halloween View from the Cheap Seats-Okie Lite

[echeese]

View from the Cheap Seats-Okie Lite

For Halloween, TEXAS fans got a treat instead of a trick

Halloween is a very good day for the Cheap Seats.  Not only my birthday which EVERYBODY celebrates but TEXAS has been berry berry good to me on Halloween.    Travel back with us to 1998.    Ricky was in the midst of his Heisman race and Mack Brown was taking his new Longhorns up to Lincoln where Nebraska was riding a 56 game home winning streak.   For my birthday, Mack delivered a stunning upset and Ricky pretty much locked up the Heisman that day.    Mack would finish 14-2 on the date closest to my birthday each year including going 4-0 vs Neb.   Yet another reason I loved Mack.    Now over all since Mack arrived, TEXAS has had 4 games on Halloween, starting with Ricky running over Neb in 1998.   TEXAS is 3-1 since Mack on Halloween, the loss the ugly CFS (redundant I know) shut out on the road in Ames with one bye week.    CTH produced what might be a season salvaging win in Stillwater in TEXAS’ 3rd overtime game of the year.   We’re going to end up playing an extra game with all the OTs.   This game featured the best performance by the TEXAS front 6 since the Alamo Bowl/Utah game.   It might have been one of the worst performances by the back 5 and offense in the past 2 years.

Halloween has been very good to TEXAS the past 2 decades.

Now with 4 games to go, the path to the BigXII title game is still in play and the schedule takes a turn in TEXAS’ favor  . . .sorta.   The teams seem to get easier but remember, this is a team that lost to TCU and needed OT to beat TT, 2 of the conference mutts.   TEXAS needs to win out.  That turns Bedlam into the "who gets to replay TEXAS this year for the conference title".     Convoluted for sure.    And with all of that, CTH’s job is secure for now, so did TEXAS win the battle and lose the war?    We don’t know but the can has been kicked down the road for at least another week.

Win the conference and the season is a success despite all the bumps in the road.  What we said pre-season.   Win the conference and odds are high that CTH is the HC for 2021.    This is reality.  Does winning the conference fix the problems with recruiting?   Likely not.   A topic for another time.  For now, fun game to watch as a fan, love Sam and Ossai’s complete lack of quit.  

Pros

• Joseph Ossai BEAST MODE.   3 Sacks, 6 tackles for loss (-30 yards), 1 forced fumble and the biggest sack closed out the win
  
• Bijion in the 1st half showed some flashes of his potential
  
• D’Shawn Jamison with a 100 yard KO return which could not have come at a better time
  
• 4-0 in the turnover dept
  
• Sam the Man in the 4th quarter/OT
  
• Jake Smith with his best day 7 for 70 and a TD
  
• Shut down the best RB in the nation to his worst day
  
• Ryan Bujcevski with a very good day punting
  

Cons

• Lack of production by the offense
  
• Sam was the #2 QB on the field again.
  
• Secondary gave up 400 yards and 4 TDs, though they did come up with a pick
  
• Yet another team that tackles and plays defense better than we do
  
• 5 sacks allowed
  
•  
  

Stats that matter

17 to 32   1st downs TEXAS v OSU.   Pretty ugly

2 of 15   3rd down conversion rate, putrid

21     Points off 4 short field turnovers.   Otherwise, we get the trick

13-142    Penalties and yards lost.   This is simply not a well coached team though the 2 OPI penalties were bogus.   National ranking #88.   

400/4/1    Yards, TDs and INTs.    Spenser with a career day.   While our DL/front shut down the run, out secondary gave up the pass

6 TFL/3 sacks/forced fumble/7 tackles   Joseph Ossai, BEAST MODE

Conclusion

It's Halloween and TEXAS delivered a TREAT.   Realized that as much as the Cheap Seats knows CTH isn’t the long term answer, we were thrilled with TEXAS 3rd OT game and 2nd win in OT.   Win out, win the conference.   At this point nothing else matters.  We are not going to be plus 4 in turnovers every week so the offense had better get back on track cuz it wasn’t pretty.    DL, this was what we expected to see all year, they were dominate.

On Deck

West Virginia which is coming off a strong home win vs KSU.   Another team that turned turnovers into success.   Glad this one at home.   Better team than many thought earlier in the year.  Game on Fox at 11AM

Fighting Mack Browns

Another furious comeback but the Tarheels could not over come being outscored by UVa in each of the 1st 3 quarters.   

Ranking the Big XII

1 loss teams

ISU-win out and they play for the conference title, tie breaker vs OU, loss to OSU

OSU-playoff dreams shot.  Tie breaker vs ISU and WVU, win out and they play for the conference

KSU-another team on the wrong end of the turnover battle this week, tie breaker vs OU

2 loss teams

OU   Tie breaker vs TEXAS, needs to win out and needs KSU or ISU to lose twice

TEXAS   Tie breaker vs OSU, needs to win out then they likely face the winner of Bedlam in the BigXII title game but still plenty of moving parts.

WVU   Tie Breaker vs KSU, win out and they play for the conference title

3 loss teams-all need to win out and get lots of help

Baylor

TCU

Mutts

TT

Kansas

Too early playoff projections

• Clemson
  
• Bama
  
• tOSU
  
• ND
  

In the running

• Unbeaten Pac 12
  
• BYU
  
• Cincy
  
• Winner of Florida/Georgia Cocktail party
  

 

[J.B. TexasEx]

We're arguably the best two-loss team in the country! #winning

 

[Eastexhorn]

OU says hi.

 

[Sirhornsalot]

We're probably going to overlook WV with Kansas looming in two weeks.

 

[J.B. TexasEx]

We're probably going to overlook WV with Kansas looming in two weeks.

I expect 2 more losses this season, unfortunately. 6-4 shouldn't be good enough for TFH to keep his job IF we can get Urban.