Texas vs. Iowa State: Live Game Grades and Analysis for the Longhorns

Final: Texas 31, Iowa State 30 

The Texas Longhorns escaped with a closer-than-expected victory over Iowa State on Thursday. It was a game of flags and near-misses for the Cyclones. 

For the Longhorns, it appears head coach Mack Brown is safe for another week. 

Stay with us here at Bleacher Report for postgame grades as well as detailed postgame analysis. You can find the final box score at NCAA.com.

Final analysis for the Texas Longhorns

Pass Offense: Case McCoy was good in the third quarter, but struggled in the fourth. He did a good job of escaping pressure throughout the night. He missed an easy touchdown pass to Mike Davis in the fourth, but made the big plays when he needed to.

Run Offense: The running game could never develop a rhythm because Major Applewhite was too pass-happy. Substitutions were questionable, too. Johnathan Gray is the Longhorns' best back, but he almost cost them the game late. Texas needs to find a way to get Daje Johnson more involved in the offense.

Pass Defense: It wasn't until the third quarter that Texas got consistent pressure on Sam Richardson. They forced a quick punt on that series, but didn't get to Richardson enough throughout the game. Giving up a 97-yard touchdown pass is inexcusable under any circumstances.

Run Defense: Aaron Wimberly rushed for 113 yards and Richardson ran for 79 himself. It was another case of Texas struggling with assignments and missing tackles. The Longhorns continue to be baffled by athletic quarterbacks.

Special Teams: It was the Anthony Fera show in the third quarter for Texas. The senior punter nailed two punts inside the 15-yard line, including one at the two-yard line. Fera also made his only field-goal attempt of the night. 

Coaching: Greg Robinson's scheme may be simpler than Manny Diaz's, but not so sure it's better. Mack Brown continuing to allow Applewhite to keep throwing with the lead in the second half, is, well, Mack Brown for you.

First-half analysis for the Texas Longhorns

Pass Offense: Case McCoy has been skittish in the pocket without even being pressured. He changed it on the last drive, though, connecting with John Harris on a 44-yard touchdown as time ran out. 

Run Offense: The running game was essentially a 45-yard touchdown run by Johnathan Gray. Outside of that, the 'Horns have 14 yards on nine carries. They need more from Gray.

Pass Defense: Not only did the Longhorns fail to get enough pressure on Sam Richardson, there were wide-open receivers down the field on just about every throw. Jackson Jeffcoat needs to play better coverage. 

Run Defense: It started well for Texas when Malcolm Brown made a nice play in the backfield on Aaron Wimberly. That was about it for the Texas run defense. The Longhorns allowed 110 yards on 27 carries, with much of the damage being done by the quarterback.

Special Teams: The Longhorns connected on their only field-goal attempt in the first half. 

Coaching: Coach Greg Robinson needs to scheme to stop Richardson in the second half. Also, why was Gray off the field in the second quarter?