Texas Longhorns Football: End of Season Report Cards

With the Texas Longhorns' 2011 season firmly in the books, the Longhorns have successfully survived their first year in the rebuilding process.

A 5-7 mark in 2010 followed by a massive overhaul of the program, which included six new assistant coaches, resulted in an 8-5 record a year later.

But it is not all sunshine and roses.

The Longhorns had their fair share of inconsistencies, shortcomings and miscues that hampered their production. Quarterback issues and offensive blunders became the most glaring of concerns for a team that ranked in the bottom half of the Big 12 in five categories.

Although the future is bright, the Longhorns demonstrated that there is still much work to be done.

Here is the full season report card for Texas in 2011.

Quarterback

Grade: D

Let's not beat around the bush here. All things considered, the Texas quarterback position has been nothing short of below average.

The season began with Garrett Gilbert at the helm. But after about five quarters of play—for better or for worse—the Longhorns made a switch and never looked back.

David Ash was next in line, but when things went south, Case McCoy got the nod. The saying goes, "if you have two quarterbacks, you have no quarterbacks," and Texas made it a point to prove otherwise.

But when push came to shove, neither signal-caller proved to be the right answer over the course of the season.

Combined, the two quarterbacks threw for 2113 yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions—hardly the numbers one would hope for a program in full rebuilding mode.

Texas ranked eighth in the Big 12 in passing offense and ninth in passing efficiency. These are two telling statistics that should have Bryan Harsin sparing no tactic to generate some improvement.

Running Back

Grade: B+

The running back position was a bit of an enigma coming into the season for the Longhorns.

A central figure was Fozzy Whittaker, a senior who had battled injuries year-in and year-out over the course of his career at Texas. Then there was Cody Johnson, a 250-pound rumbler who would convert to fullback, but play a critical role in short-yardage situations.

True freshman Malcolm Brown arrived with some of the biggest hype in recent years, and quickly became the starter. Joe Bergeron, another true freshman, lurked in the shadows for his opportunity to shine.

Then there was the explosive D.J. Monroe, a scatback who could never get enough touches.

Brown, the Horns' leading rusher, got at least 100 more carries than any other back on the roster as Whittaker, Bergeron and Monroe combined to average 6.3 yards per carry.

Together, the backs became part of a running game that showcased glimpses of a power rushing attack that Mack Brown wanted to establish a season ago when Greg Davis was still running the offense.

With the Longhorns ending the season ranked third in the Big 12 with just over 200 yards per game, Texas seems to be on the right page moving forward.

Receivers

Grade: D+

For the first time since 2006, the Longhorns featured a receivers corps that had no one record more than 50 balls.

Coming into the season, Texas lacked what most would call a legitimate No. 1 receiver, a playmaker who could stretch the field, move the chains and rack up the yards after the catch.

Mike Davis came in with the most experience of the group: one season. But his production and work ethic became concerns while the quarterback position delivered a product that left way too much to be had in the passing game.

Jaxon Shipley, who has the look of a top quality pass catcher, battled some injuries throughout the year, but proved to be as dynamic a threat as his older brother.

Davis caught 45 balls while Shipley hauled in 44. But after Marquise Goodwin's 33 receptions, D.J. Grant—the next in line—brought in just 16 on the season.

The receivers' production became a byproduct of the lack of a consistent and capable arm under center. So any growth by the pass catchers inevitably will be linked with the development of the pass throwers.

Offensive Line

Grade: C

The offensive line should probably get a little more credit than it deserves, given the circumstances with which it had to work: a quarterback position that was in a constant state of flux and a running game that became mired with injuries.

All things considered, the big boys did more good than bad. They had to live with the growing pains of a couple of youngsters in Josh Cochran and Dom Espinosa—two players who will become fixtures in the trenches in the seasons to come.

There were games where the Longhorns looked absolutely lost up front and simply could not establish the run to save themselves. But there were also instances where one would assume some comfort with what may lay ahead for the Texas offensive front.

Given the youth of the line, with Cochran and Espinosa as freshmen and Mason Walters and Trey Hopkins as sophomores, the Longhorns should have expected to struggle at times, but let that not detract from the several flashes of brilliance that have generated some optimism moving forward.

Defensive Line

Grade: B+

The performance out of the defensive line was very much a tale of two halves.

From the outset, many expected ends Alex Okafor and Jackson Jeffcoat to be the featured playmakers up front. Instead, the two struggled out of the gates to record the more telling statistics.

At defensive tackle, outside of Kheeston Randall, nobody knew where the production would come from.

Fast forward to the end of the year, and Okafor and Jeffcoat have turned slow starts into fantastic finishes. Chris Whaley, Ashton Dorsey, Calvin Howell and Desmond Jackson all have had turns to showcase their talent. Instead of a wealth of inexperience, the Longhorns have had a variety of big plays from each.

Together, the defensive line has anchored a unit that ranked first in the Big 12 in rushing defense and total defense—allowing 96 yards and 306 yards respectively.

Linebackers

Grade: A-

For the vast majority of the season, it was a two-man show for the Longhorns at linebacker.

With the pass-heavy offenses in the Big 12, Texas played a ton of nickel and dime sets on defense, leaving the linebacker position to be manned by a couple of seniors in Emmanuel Acho and Keenan Robinson.

Overall, the duo lived up to their expectations as senior leaders with no-nonsense defending. So while neither of them were overly flashy, they demonstrated the work ethic and determination to provide a lead-by-example attitude.

Acho led the way with 122 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, three sacks and a forced fumble in what was easily his most productive season to date. Robinson recorded 96 tackles, eight tackles for loss, one sack and two forced fumbles.

With the defensive line taking a few games to establish itself, Acho and Robinson provided some much needed consistency and really anchored a unit that slowly developed into one of the best in the Big 12.

Secondary

Grade: A

Coming into the season—after losing the likes of Aaron Williams, Curtis Brown and Chykie Brown to the NFL—there were numerous question marks surrounding Texas' defensive backfield, especially at cornerback.

Between Carrington Byndom and Quandre Diggs, there was not a whole lot of experience. But we quickly learned that the Longhorns had in their pocket a couple of all-conference type players who never backed down from a challenge.

Byndom received all-conference honors while Diggs, a true freshman, took home all-conference honorable mention—recognition that surely will precede itself in 2012.

At safety, four-year starter Blake Gideon and enforcer Kenny Vaccaro shaped up a secondary that was tops in the Big 12 in pass defense and second in pass efficiency defense. Adrian Phillips, who has the look of yet another budding star under the tutelage of Duane Akina, shined in nickel sets with Vaccaro dropping into the slot.

Overall, these five defensive backs hauled in 11 interceptions, one for a touchdown and 45 pass breakups.

The icing on the cake is that all but one will return for 2012.

Special Teams

Grade: C+

For the better part of a decade, the Longhorns consistently showcased one of the country's top special teams units. But in 2011, Texas was simply average.

Although Justin Tucker forever will be lauded as the guy who buried Texas A&M 27-25 in the final Lonestar Showdown with a 40-yard field goal as time expired, his efforts this season were completely standard and nothing more. Tucker averaged 39.2 yards per punt, while his opposition was up to 43.5 yards per punt.

Texas' kickoff coverage was pretty much abysmal: It gave up almost 24 yards per kickoff. Conversely, the Longhorns' 24.1 yards per return is quite misleading: The number is bloated by a couple of 100-yard Fozzy Whittaker touchdown returns. 

One can say that the overall performance of special teams got better as the season progressed, but nothing came close to the standards of old.

Coaching

Grade: B-

In what were the first years at Texas for many assistant coaches, there were plenty of twists and turns to deal with for the likes of Manny Diaz, Bryan Harsin and Bo Davis, among others.

Offensively, the coaches had to cope with a great deal of inconsistency and inexperience at the quarterback position—an area that obviously can make or break a team's season. But the Longhorns stuck to their guns and kept to a ground game that carried their offense for much of the season.

And with the help of some gimmicky plays courtesy of Harsin and Major Applewhite, Texas managed to survive without suffering too much damage under center.

Luckily for the offense, the Texas defense became a top notch unit as the season progressed under Diaz. What started out as a slow season quickly turned into a fierce and aggressive year with a slew of big-time plays from big-time players. One look at the defensive adjustments made during Texas' bowl game against Cal tells the entire story.

Duane Akina.

Intangibles

Grade: C+

For a team that really lacked those "it" players on the offensive side of the ball, the Longhorns put together a successful season that was tailored to what they knew they could accomplish. As in, no one was asked to do anything drastic. Everything was done essentially by the book.

Defensively, however, there were flashes of brilliance that simply cannot be taught. Kenny Vaccaro, Jackson Jeffcoat and Carrington Byndom are just a few names that can develop into stars at the next level for something that cannot be coached.

All things considered, it was year No. 1 in total rebuilding mode. For that to be a success, many things have to be done with trust and an understanding of the road taken and the vehicle used—exploits that should deviate much more in the coming seasons.