Texas Football: What You Should and Shouldn't Be Concerned About After Week 2
Texas 41-7 loss to BYU was bad, as the Horns somehow figured out how to take a worse beating than last year's back-breaking beatdown.
Charlie Strong put it best in his postgame press conference: "It's an embarrassment. It's an embarrassment to this program. It's an embarrassment to this university, and I knew it, and I didn't do anything about it. And I take responsibility and all the blame for this loss."
After a promising first half that ended with just a six-point deficit for the Horns, the wheels completely came off in the second half. The Cougars scored on their first four possessions, threatening a shutout until late in the third quarter.
Since panic is never an option two games into a coaching career, the Longhorns simply have to move forward and fix whatever they can. That list includes developing a more advanced game plan for quarterback Tyrone Swoopes, who proved he can handle it, and building upon a defensive line that stood out amongst the wreckage.
Rather than Strong, Swoopes and that line, fans should be concerned about the offensive line and play-calling more so than anything else.
Should: The Offensive Line
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The Texas offensive line is the single biggest reason the Horns were stomped on Saturday. Unless this group comes together, it will continue to torpedo Texas' rushing attack.
Short three starters against the Cougars, the Horns were simply overwhelmed up front. Running backs Johnathan Gray and Malcolm Brown ran into a wall all night, averaging just 2.7 yards on their 28 carries. Quarterback Tyrone Swoopes was also sacked three times.
It was a rough night, and there's no real relief in sight from more talented players. Dom Espinosa is done for the year with a broken ankle, while suspended tackles Kennedy Estelle and Desmond Harrison may never be reinstated.
"Based on what I was told tonight, I'd be surprised to ever see #Texas OTs Desmond Harrison or Kennedy Estelle on the field again at #UT.
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Even in the event that those two find themselves back in the lineup, they're not going to save this group. Against North Texas, the Horns still struggled to create and protect David Ash with Espinosa and Estelle in the lineup. These guys have problems.
Joe Wickline needs to prove why he's considered one of the best in the business, because Texas will not win four games this season if it can't run.
Shouldn't: QB Tyrone Swoopes
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The offense certainly would have looked better had David Ash been in the game, but Tyrone Swoopes never looked overwhelmed as Texas' starting quarterback.
Considered a weakness that needed to be covered up by the game plan, Swoopes was anything but against a tough BYU defense. He started the game 7-for-7, delivering catchable balls for most of the night.
The sophomore's numbers dipped as the Cougars settled into coverage and dared him to pick them apart. Without a running game to support him, he never had a chance to succeed within the scaled-down approach he was running.
Accuracy was the biggest concern with Swoopes entering the game, and he passed that test. He brings a big arm to the table, and the coaches would do well to let him turn it loose so he can provide an explosive element to this offense.
Should: The Play-Calling
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Tyrone Swoopes played well, but he was the lone bright spot in an offense that featured zero imagination and never branched out beyond the bare minimum.
Texas' longest play of the day came on a 22-yard pass from Swoopes to Lorenzo Joe late in the fourth. That was the Longhorns' only play of over 20 yards and the only reception in which the receiver did not have to make a move to pick up extra yardage.
After the inside zone was shut down in the first, the Longhorns never made an attempt to manufacture offense. Swoopes threw deep no more than three times, Johnathan Gray was used sparingly for much of the first half and the Horns failed to involve any of their explosive play-makers.
In short, the passing offense was either a short pass to John Harris or Jaxon Shipley, who combined for 113 yards on 13 receptions, or a total bust. The running game was a similar exercise in futility, consisting mostly of ramming the ball-carriers into the backs of their blockers.
Until Daje Johnson returns from his suspension, the Longhorns have four offensive players who can score from anywhere on the field. Those players are Marcus Johnson, Johnathan Gray, Jacorey Warrick and Armanti Foreman. Johnson had two receptions, Gray had seven carries prior to the 34-point deficit and the latter two never saw the field.
A lot of this is the result of Swoopes' lack of first-team reps, but Watson seemed far too content to let this game become the defense's problem.
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Shouldn't: The Defensive Line
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The Texas defense was disappointing on Saturday in allowing 41 points. That doesn't change the fact that the defensive line was dominant throughout the night.
Malcom Brown has officially arrived as one of the best defensive tackles in the nation. The 320-pound tackle piled up 11 tackles (five for loss), three sacks and a forced fumble against the Cougars, leading the defense's six-sack effort against the Cougars.
While BYU focused on keeping Cedric Reed at bay, the Horns got also got solid efforts from Shiro Davis, Caleb Bluiett and Desmond Jackson, who each made plays in the backfield. Hassan Ridgeway was quiet a week after coming up with two sacks of his own in the opener.
Reed and Brown provide legitimate star power, and the rest of this group has proven to be above-average in both games. Each guy in the rotation has been winning one-on-one matchups, so the sacks should continue to pour in.
This group will hold its own every week, and the rest of this defense needs to figure out how to catch up.
Should: Special Teams
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With the exception of All-American Anthony Fera, the Longhorns were bad on special teams in 2013. Now that Fera's gone, this unit is a downright liability.
Wide right doesn't quite describe how far off Nick Rose was on his third-quarter field-goal attempt. If that's what Rose looks like after spending the summer as the top kicker, the Longhorns just need to use all four downs when they get near the 30-yard line.
Will Russ was serviceable as the punter, but the blocking is still holding the return game back. Marcus Johnson also fumbled a kick return, which should never be a problem from an upperclassman.
The offense needs as much help as it can get from the rest of this team, and it doesn't look like special teams will be able to answer the bell.
Shouldn't: Charlie Strong
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No matter how bad the team looked on Saturday, it's too early for Texas fans to start second-guessing Charlie Strong.
Texas' old problems are not the result of its new coach. The 34-point loss is the worst of Strong's head coaching career (according to 247Sports' Trey Scott), while the BYU loss marks the third time since 2011 that the Longhorns have lost by at least that many points.
Strong did not arrive and exacerbate all of the issues from the previous regime. Mack Brown's country club atmosphere is the only brand of college football his players have ever known, and the sheer volume of suspensions and dismissals is evidence to that fact.
Strong inherited a broken program that needed a massive overhaul. There were always going to be growing pains, and losing a good starting quarterback makes it all the more difficult to push through them.
But compare where Texas is after two games to the state of Louisville, Strong's previous charge. The 2-0 Cardinals, who have already knocked off Miami, are built almost exclusively by Strong's recruits. Bobby Petrino is a good coach, but his job is made easier by the that he inherited a disciplined bunch of players.
One bad game is no reason to give up on a coach that has won everywhere's he's been. This team can only get better with him running the show, but it's a process.
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