Texas Longhorns: John Chiles Making Contributions Through the "WildHorn" Offense

When Texas head coach Mack Brown was presented with the question whether his Longhorns will follow the trend of performing the Wildcat offense, Brown’s reply was, “We want the ball in Colt’s [McCoy] hands.”

Brown gave in to the Wildcat offense faster than my parents joining the online Twitter sensation.

Dubbed “WildHorn,” it’s not the first time the Longhorns experimented with this offense.

Offensive coordinator Greg Davis installed the “Q package” last season. McCoy would line up as a wide out. It wasn’t anything to write home about.

However, Davis busted out WildHorn against Texas Tech and found some instant success with John Chiles in the shotgun.

“I like it because it puts two fast guys in the backfield,” said Davis. “John is comfortable with what we’re asking him to do.”

Sure, he dropped a snap that resulted in some lost yards, but when executed properly, it really throws the defense off.

Chiles kind of snuck into the game, replacing McCoy, and I didn’t notice he was under center until he broke away from the line of scrimmage for his long run.

It caught the Red Raiders off guard completely. It caught me off guard too.

Davis is salivating over the opportunity to put two speed demons in the backfield, giving Chiles an endless number of opportunities.

Maybe in the near future we’ll see some option play from Chiles, which will really get the fans up off of their seats if they already aren't.

Don’t get me wrong, what McCoy does on Saturdays is a thing of beauty.  However, I miss the trick plays and speed option which separates the student-athletes from the professionals.  I hope to see a little more of the WildHorn in the offense.

One thing the Longhorns did with their variation of the Wildcat offense was that they didn’t line McCoy up as a receiver.  I never got why offenses would line up their starting quarterback as a receiver, because he’s more vulnerable to injury. 

Also, it’s not like he’s going to make a spectacular grab and juke the entire secondary.  Essentially, the Longhorns had receivers and running backs on the offensive side, it just turns out that one of those receivers was an ex-quarterback.

And you think by now, especially within the conference, teams know what to expect from the Longhorns and McCoy.

It’s like when you are discussing the Sport’s Illustrated swimsuit models with your buddies.  They are all very attractive, but they all bring something a little different to the table.  They might have different curves, hair color and complexion, but no one doubts their beauty.

Like I said yesterday, I think it’s great that Chiles is finally getting the opportunity to make contributions to the team. 

I always thought he was an asset waiting to be utilized within the system, and now he’s getting his chance.  Instead of coming off the bench cold, Chiles is more in the flow of the game.

Look for the WildHorn offense in the games to come.