Texas Football: Report Card Grades for the Longhorns' Loss to Oklahoma

It was one of the most lopsided games in the history of The Red River Rivalry and unfortunately for Texas fans, they happen to be on the bad end.

There was hope after the first quarter when Oklahoma held only a 6-3 lead, but thereafter the Sooners outscored the Longhorns 49-14 en route to a 55-17 win.

The loss proves that Texas is vastly inferior at the moment, and arguably pretty overrated as well.

Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see how coach Mack Brown and his team responds in the coming weeks.

To that end, however, here are grades for the Longhorns from their loss on Saturday afternoon.

Offense

Five turnovers (two picks, three fumbles), only 36 total rushing yards and 259 total yards, the Longhorns' offense was completely blanked until 2:31 seconds were left in the contest.

There, Texas finally managed an offensive score when WR Jaxon Shipley caught a TD pass from QB David Ash.

What's even more disturbing about this was the fact that Texas beat Oklahoma in the time of possession battle, 37:54 to 22:06.

You would think the team that controlled the clock won, but twas not the case, especially when you allow three defensive TDs.

This is clearly the Longhorns' biggest weakness, and if it doesn't get fixed fast, it's going to be a rough time keeping up with high-flying offenses like Oklahoma State and Texas A&M.

Grade: F

Defense

When the game was in its early stages the Oklahoma offense was moving the ball all over the Texas defense.

But the longhorns would stiffen up and dig their cleats into the grass a little better once the Sooners would reach the red zone.

After the first quarter Texas was only down 6-3, and much thanks for the defense that halted Oklahoma early.

They even forced a fumble, but the only reason why they held the Sooners to only 86 rushing yards was because the pass defense got burned.

Oklahoma QB Landry Jones had a lot of time to throw, and in turn, he smoked the Longhorns for 367 yards on 31 completions.

In addition, four different receiving targets caught four or more passes, and it was evident that Texas' inexperience was exploited.

Grade: C

Special Teams

If there was an area where the Longhorns can tip their cap, it was special teams.

And if it weren't for a holding call they would have returned two kickoffs back for a TD, but even taking one back to the house is still impressive.

Plus you can't go wrong on special teams when nine of your 16 possessions begin outside of your own red zone.

As for the kicking game, Justin Tucker pulled double duty and did both punting and kicking.

On five punts he averaged 44.6 yards, landed one inside the 20-yard line and had a long of 54 yards.

He also proved to have great confidence kicking the football as he hit a key 46-yard field goal towards the end of the first quarter that kept Texas alive.

Maybe Mack Brown can be an external consultant for the San Diego Chargers as they vehemently struggled with special teams in 2010.

Grade: A

Coaching

It happened on both sides of the ball for Texas on Saturday, but that also leads back to the play calling.

Quick screens and reverses only work so much against a team like Oklahoma before they adjust, and the same goes for plays that you haven't shown yet.

Defenses adjust, therefore you must adjust.

And adjust doesn't mean change your QBs just because your starter was 9-of-16 for only 116 yards.

As for the Longhorns dark side, they simply didn't apply enough pressure to Landry Jones, which cost them in the long run.

When you're playing a QB who thrives on sitting in the pocket, like most pro-style QBs should, blitzing and confusion is key.

Needless to say, that didn't happen.

Grade: D

Overall

Prior to the Oklahoma game, the Longhorns' first four opponents were Rice, BYU, UCLA and Iowa State.

None of which can prepare you for the Sooners.

Even if you put together an All-Star team between Rice, BYU, UCLA and Iowa State you still wouldn't be prepared for Oklahoma.

And if the Longhorns want to get back to Big 12 prominence, having a more difficult early season schedule is needed for the young and inexperienced players.

Because you'll never develop and learn how to overcome adversity playing vastly inferior opponents and then expect to compete with the country's No. 1 team.

Grade: D

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