HornSports Staff
HornSports.com
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2013
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Quarterback: Over the last two games, Tyrone Swoopes’ play had improved drastically as he passed for over 300 yards in each game and rushed for 80+ in both contests. Unfortunately for Texas, that type of production was nowhere to be seen on Saturday. Just like we saw when Swoopes played against Baylor, passes were often thrown behind or short of the receivers where no play could be made. The biggest problem, however, with Swoopes’ game is the fact that the Longhorns didn’t capitalize on his success with his feet. Before Texas trailed 23-0 with about 9 and a half minutes to go in the game, Swoopes had four rushes (not including sacks) for 46 yards on gains of 12, 8, 14, and 12. The most shocking part of that stat is that the first three of those gains occurred in the 2nd quarter and the last occurred on the last play of the 3rd. Whether it was the offensive playcalling or poor reads by Swoopes, Texas failed to utilize the one area that consistently worked on offense.
It may not be fair to put all of the weight on Swoopes’ shoulders for him not running the ball more, but he’s got to use this game as a learning tool that his legs are just as much of a weapon as his arm. He has the ability to tuck the ball and run when the pocket is breaking down like it did so often on Saturday. There were a lot of yards and points left on the field on Saturday and after what we’ve seen from Swoopes prior to the game against KSU, the performance on Saturday was unacceptable.
Grade: F
Running back: When a true freshman who has played only one other game this season is, statistically, your best RB, you know there are problems. The RB position was a mess against the Wildcats. Jonathon Gray had the most carries, but averaged the least amount of yards per carry while Texas’ hottest RB, Malcolm Brown only had 6 carries (including just 1 in the second half). On top of that, when the game was on the line and Texas needed a yard, Gray was in over Brown (who seems to be the better short yardage back). Then you had D’Onta Foreman, freshman RB, who’s only game action so far this season was against North Texas when the game was in hand, running the ball and contributing to a game-changing play.
The confusion in regards to RB grouping was awful. The coaching staff HAS to get on the same page and have the right players in at the right times. Regardless of the grouping, whichever RB is in the game has to perform better than the total of 65 yards on 19 carries for a 3.4 ypc avg.
Grade: F
Wide Receivers/TE’s: While it was nice to see the TE position getting a look in the passing game, the fact that Texas failed to move the ball consistently on the 89th ranked passing defense is an embarrassment. The receivers had a rough outing. While passes were often thrown behind receivers, they were still catchable. The fumble on the reverse to Shipley seemed to fall more on the shoulders of Shipley as Watson stated after the game that the exchange was supposed to be a pitch and not a handoff as Shipley was expecting.
The fight was not noticeable from the WR’s/TE’s on Saturday. While the offensive gameplan may not have been the best, there were catchable passes that weren’t caught and plays that weren’t made that cost the Longhorns throughout the game.
Grade: F
Offensive Line: The numbers tell the story. Texas ran the ball 27 times for 90 yards for an average of 3.3 yards per carry. The Longhorns also gave up two sacks for 18 yards on top of Swoopes consistently being rushed and pressured on nearly every play. It’s easy to say that this group is young and is still working through injuries, but the fact remains that Kansas State is a very poor pass rush defense, but they found a way to consistently force Swoopes into moving out of the pocket and make quicker decisions than he needed to.
It was a rough game for the offense and the line gets no pass.
Grade: F
Defensive Line: There were really good plays from the D-Line on Saturday. The Line recorded two sacks and constantly pressured K-State QB Jake Waters. On top of that, Cedric Reed was so disruptive that he forced the tackle covering him to hold nearly every play (even though only 2 were called) and still found a way to record 6 tackles and 2 pass deflections.
The only negative in regards to the D-Line play is the fact that when it was 3rd and long, the pressure didn’t make it to the QB. The Longhorns played well on 1st and 2nd down throughout the day, but the Wildcats were over 50% on 3rd down conversions (9/17) and the lack of a strong rush on those plays contributed to that statistic.
Grade: B
Linebackers: Edmond and Hicks both played well in many areas of the game. Hicks had 7 tackles on the day and Edmond came on strong with 4 tackles including 2 for a loss. This group contributed to holding KSU to 143 yards on 43 carries for a 3.3 ypc average.
The problem, as mentioned before, is that the Horns just couldn’t get off of the field when they needed to. Third down defense was poor which led to KSU holding a nearly 2 to 1 advantage on time of possession (39 minutes to 20 minutes).
The linebackers were solid through the first 3 quarters, but still allowed KSU to stay on the field and get first downs when they needed to.
Grade: B
Defensive Backs: The return of Jason Hall was a welcome sight. The Wildcats’ offense didn’t pour it on like the Cyclones did last week and the pass defense was able to keep almost everything in front of them.
That said, there were still some performances that led to Kansas State keeping drives alive and moving the ball down the field on 3rd downs. There were too many penalties and players (specifically Lockett) found wide open on key plays which put points on the board for the Wildcats.
While the Longhorns didn’t surrender any passing TDs, they allowed receivers to get open on key downs all game.
Grade: C
Special Teams: The one area on special teams that had consistently been a strength for Texas was the punting unit. Against Kansas State, that area cost them 3 points after a 12 yard punt. There were also penalties that pinned Texas back and an overall lack of production on all phases of this unit that led to it being, again, less than average.
The special teams unit, again, led to points for the other team, which is a consistent problem.
Grade: F
