Texas Football: 5 Improvements for the Longhorns' Second Bye Week

After beginning the season 4-0, the Texas Longhorns dropped two straight after facing both Oklahoma schools, each yielding similar results in different fashions.

Against the Sooners, the Longhorns were flat-out dominated in virtually every facet of the game en route to a 55-17 defeat. In the matchup versus the Cowboys, the Horns fared much better on offense, though defensively, a couple of big plays proved to be the difference.

With Texas' second bye week of the season, the Horns should welcome it, as it came at an ideal juncture. The coaches get to slow down going into the final weeks of the season and continue to work in true freshman David Ash at quarterback to maintain both his highs and his lows.

Texas is aching to avoid another debacle like last season, as it was this point in time, at 4-2, when the Longhorns began slipping downhill towards a 5-7 finish.

Here are five improvements Texas should look for going into the weekend against Kansas.

A Solidified Offensive Line

Against the Cowboys, we saw Texas shake things up along the offensive line, as true freshman Josh Cochran played a ton of minutes at left tackle in place of senior Tray Allen.

Reports from the practice field during the bye week said Cochran will continue to see consistent time, as well as true freshman Sedrick Flowers.

As much as the Longhorns have run the ball well so far in 2011, consistency from this group will only increase productivity in both the ground-and-pound and through the air, though the latter may prove more important.

Quarterback David Ash will need as much protection as he can if he is to improve his play at the position.

Consistency at Quarterback

Keeping everything in perspective, David Ash has had one official start at quarterback.

Though he struggled with decision-making at times, Texas is expecting to stick with the true freshman this year. That means riding his highs as well as his lows and battling through them.

The bye week will allow quarterbacks coach Bryan Harsin to work with Ash's understanding of the offense and keep him level-headed and improving each week.

Texas does not need him to win games now, rather put the Longhorns in position to win games. That means making smart plays, smart decisions, getting the ball into the hands of the playmakers and most importantly, taking care of the ball.

Special Teams Coverage

There are two sides to special teams.

On the one hand, Fozzy Whittaker is looking at consecutive games with a touchdown return. But on the other, the Longhorns field an atrocious kickoff cover team, one that has allowed opposing returners an average of 29 yards per take-back in Big 12 play.

That is a statistic that must get better to help out a defense that has had its hand forced too many times this season.

Production out of the Defensive Line

One of the most underperforming units on Texas' defense has to be the defensive line.

Between junior end Alex Okafor, sophomore end Jackson Jeffcoat and senior tackle Kheeston Randall, many expected these three to provide consistent production in the trenches.

Quite the contrary, though, as the Longhorns' cornerbacks have proven to be the most effective unit.

While the defensive line has not put up bloated statistics, they have improved drastically from the beginning of the season, though that hardly shows up in the books.

Stopping the Run

Stopping the run was supposed to be Texas' bread and butter on defense, and though the unit was somewhat stout against the run early in the season, against Oklahoma State, a couple of miscues led to long touchdown runs and partly was responsible for the Longhorns' loss against the Pokes.

Perhaps a switch-up at linebacker will serve as a simple cure. Senior Keenan Robinson has been playing out of his natural position at the Mike, and with the lingering injury issues to sophomore Jordan Hicks, we could see Robinson slide over to Will, allowing true freshman Steve Edmond to get snaps in the middle.

If Texas can stop the run, the Longhorns have proven more than capable of defending the pass with a flurry of young and talented corners. It would go a long way towards giving Texas a defensive boost as they enter the final weeks of the season.