The Texas Longhorns have had a strong first half start to the season. The Longhorns are 5-1 and ranked in the Top 10 for the fifth straight week.
While the team dropped a game against an opponent it should have beat in Oklahoma, it secured a dominant upset win over Alabama and beat everybody else. The Oklahoma game, though, showed plenty of areas in which Texas can grow.
Those who follow the program are well aware of the Longhorns’ red zone inefficiency. For a team averaging just under 7 yards per play, Texas is putting up far less points than it should.
The Longhorns have eclipsed 30 points in every game. It seems as if that will continue to be the case the rest of the regular season. That said, the team has yet to eclipse 40 points in a single game. At some point, you would like to see that change.
If there was any upset indicator we undervalued in Oklahoma’s favor over Texas, it was the Sooners putting up 66 and 73 point performances early in the season. That’s an example of maximizing opportunities. It’s what Oklahoma did against Texas and what the Longhorns have not done all year.
How can Texas inspire confidence in that regard? It can maximize opportunities. The team doesn’t necessarily need to score 50 points in any game to finish undefeated. That said, it would be an encouraging sign.
Defensively, it’s not hard to see past the lack of consistent tackling, coverage and pass rush. The Longhorns had some good coverage against the Sooners, but the lack of consistency was apparent. Certainly, tackling issues reared their ugly head. Texas’ pass rush was near non-existent which likely revolved around not adjusting to tempo.
Building a defensive attack capable of beating Oklahoma, who Texas would likely face in a Big 12 title, could be much simpler than the Longhorns made it seem. To stop any offense, simply disrupt and tackle. Texas did neither effectively on Saturday. The team will need to fix that with improvement from both players and scheme.
If the Longhorns can improve in all of the above areas against lesser teams, it should translate to success in its more difficult games. Texas’ next opportunity to show an improved product will come against Houston on Oct. 21.