The Texas Longhorns lost to an inferior opponent on Saturday. The problem wasn’t effort, execution or dedication. The problem was the Longhorns’ mindset.
Sure, the Longhorns could have executed better, but that was less glaring than the way they attacked. The Texas defense played the Texas Tech offense as if they were their equal and to be feared. Caution allowed Tech to hang around, and eventually strike the Longhorns down.
Passing game coordinator Terry Joseph and defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski conceded short yardage with the goal of stopping explosive plays, waiting for the Red Raiders to make errors. Unfortunately, Texas Tech played sound football and took free yards all the way down the field.
More alarming than any of that was Texas Tech’s 75% conversion rate on fourth down. The Raiders went a staggering 6-for-8 on fourth down. Their success illustrated what happens when you give lesser teams ample opportunities to score.
The mindset needs to change. The Texas defense needs to approach every play as if it’s 4th-and-4. The offense needs to attack every drive as if they’re trailing by a touchdown.
Playing with urgency at all times could be what Texas needs to get out of this funk. If they bring focused effort against West Virginia, they can look more like the team that challenged Alabama.
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