Texas Football: 5 Things the Longhorns Must Work to Fix During Bye Week

The Texas Longhorns finally got the big win they needed to move things in a positive direction. Now they get a bye to fix themselves up and prepare for the second half of the season.

It doesn't get more cathartic than the Horns' 24-17 victory over Oklahoma. The team spent the whole week mired in controversy due to another blowout loss and locker room issues. It turned out to be just what the doctor ordered, and the young Longhorns rallied to pull off a victory over a then-Top 10 team.

But one win means little if you can't build off it. It's a long road to even make a bowl game for this 2-4 team that needs to get healthy, work on its offense and continue to build toward the future.

D'Onta Foreman's Involvement

Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Foreman's blend of size, toughness and speed has allowed him to become the Longhorns' best running back.

Sophomore D'Onta Foreman has become Texas' best running back, and it's time to treat him as such.

Coming off his second straight 100-yard performance, Foreman has earned more work following the bye. His 112-yard showing was the only positive from the 50-7 loss to TCU, and he followed that up with another 117 yards in the Red River Rivalry.

"

NOTE CORRECTION: D'Onta Foreman is 1st UT player w/ back-to-back 100-yd games since Malcolm Brown had 3 straight in 2013. Sorry for error.

@Longhorn_FB, 10 Oct 2015

"

The numbers are impressive, but so is how Foreman's getting it done. The sophomore turned in six runs of 10-plus yards in the TCU loss, picking up chunk after chunk on his 18 carries. Then Foreman found the big play against Oklahoma, taking a sprint draw 81 yards to set up the deciding score.

Keep in mind that this is a 241-pounder we're talking about.

Overall, Foreman has a position-best 328 rushing yards on the year, averaging 6.2 yards a pop. Current starter Johnathan Gray has only 48 fewer yards, but he's done so with an unimpressive 3.7 yards-per-carry average.

Gray has value as a senior leader and pass-blocker, but his days of out-carrying Foreman should be over after the bye.

Foreman's the superior inside and outside runner, and he's proven that over these past two weeks.

Health

LM Otero/Associated Press

Even though he was dealing with a shoulder injury, Ford's performance against the Sooners showed how important he is to this defense.

Were Texas taking the field this Saturday, there's a chance it would be doing so without four key starters. The bye presents the perfect time to get them healthy.

On offense, the Horns have been without both right tackle Kent Perkins and Daje Johnson for the better part of two games.

As noted here, Perkins' absence has been felt from the moment he left the loss to Oklahoma State. As both the team's receptions and punt return leader, Johnson's injury robs the team of one of its most explosive players.

With a couple of weeks to get right, both players should return in time for the team's October 24 tilt with Kansas State, per the Austin American-Statesman's Kirk Bohls.

The same cannot be said for defensive tackles Hassan Ridgeway and Poona Ford. Texas' two best defensive linemen both injured their shoulders in the win over Oklahoma, with Ford able to return and make an impact. Both should be fine, but we'll have to see how much they're practicing next week.

"

Charlie Strong said DT Hassan Ridgeway "will be OK." Off week gives Ridgeway, Poona Ford "chance to rest up," he says.

@BDavisAAS, 12 Oct 2015

"

Texas' front line is coming off its best game of the season, and these two were a huge part of it. Getting them back will be imperative for the matchup with Bill Snyder's Wildcats.

The Limited Offensive Playbook

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Heard's been great running the ball, but he must do more as a passer for this offense to progress.

Since taking over in Week 2, Jay Norvell and Jeff Traylor have been implementing their offense on the fly. In this week off, let's see if these two can get things opened up for the second half of the season.

Moving forward, it's pretty obvious that the Horns offense will be based on the rushing attack. Jerrod Heard already has three games with 96 or more yards, while Foreman's emergence gives Texas' quarterback a powerful complement in the backfield.

Even quarterback Tyrone Swoopes has found himself a short-yardage role in the "18 Wheeler" package.

It's also become obvious that run blocking is this offensive line's bread and butter. The Horns ran it 58 times against Oklahoma for 313 yards, bashing the Sooners from start to finish. And that's without the 325-pound Perkins in the lineup.

However, throwing the ball only 12 times won't work every week. Heard's still raw as a passer, as noted by 247Sports' Jeff Howe, but his running ability also affords some one-on-one opportunities for his receivers.

Heard doesn't have to be prolific to be successful. He just needs to execute enough plays downfield to keep the defense honest.

The Pass Rush

Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Can Texas' newfound pass rush keep it up for the rest of the season?

Prior to its outburst in Dallas, Texas' pass rush was downright anemic. The Horns were averaging only 1.4 sacks per game, which would currently be tied with Auburn for 108th in the country, per cfbstats.com.

Six sacks against Oklahoma kicked that rate up to 2.17, and the Horns must continue to improve in this facet if they're going to make a run at a bowl game.

The defensive line has to set the table for the rest of this defense. It's the only position group that isn't starting a freshman, so it's going to be charged with protecting the youth on the back end.

That plan worked against the Sooners to the tune of six sacks. It took some help from freshman linebacker Malik Jefferson, but the constant heat in the backfield took pressure off the young secondary. Most of all, it set up the favorable down-and-distance situations that allowed the back seven to simply keep the play in front of it.

Against passing games like those of West Virginia, Texas Tech and Baylor, this has to be the norm for the Horns to stay afloat in Big 12 play.

The 2016 Recruiting Class

Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Strong and his staff have to use the Red River Rivalry victory to make up some ground on the recruiting trail.

There's no better time to hit the recruiting trail than after upsetting a then-Top 10 team. And the Horns need to make up some ground with the 2016 recruiting class.

It's been a while since Strong and his staff made a splash with their 2016 class. The most recent pledge, 3-star corner Obi Eboh, was the last commit over a month ago, and it's been over three months since stud receiver Tren'Davian Dickson jumped on board.

Even with Dickson, Shane Buechele and Collin Johnson, the Horns' class sits outside the top 50 nationally.

But Howe suggests the big win over Oklahoma could be enough to get some guys looking Texas' way again. These players already know there are going to be early opportunities for playing time, but the changes on offense, big blowouts and locker room turmoil have been red flags.

For now, the staff seems to have put those issues in the rear-view mirror, and the upside under Strong is becoming apparent.

Jean Delance, Jordan Elliott and Dontavious Jackson are the names to watch in the near future. If Texas keeps winning, guys like Jeffrey McCulloch and Eric Cuffee should start trending back toward the Horns.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats and information courtesy of TexasSports.com. Recruiting data and rankings per 247Sports.