Tag: Chris Ash

Texas Longhorns vs Oklahoma State: Halftime recap

The halftime recap of the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma State Cowboys matchup. The Cowboys were able to re-take the lead.

The Texas Longhorns opened the second quarter the same way they began the first with a Bijan Robinson run. On second down, Sam Ehlinger couldn’t find much room to run and that set up third and six. Ehlinger takes a shot deep as he finds Brennan Eagles who got behind the defense for the long touchdown pass. That play went for 41 yards giving Eagles his fourth touchdown reception on the year.

The Longhorns were able to answer back for the second time in this game. The punch, counter punch continues for two teams chasing the Big 12 Championship game berth. The Longhorns need this game desperately.

The Oklahoma State offense would hand deliver the ball right back to the Longhorns on a Spencer Sanders interception. Jalen Green picks him off to put the Longhorns in the red zone once again.

Facing a third and goal after they miss out on a touchdown pass to Tarik Black, the defense stops Cade Brewer short to force the Cameron Dicker field goal. With 10:56 to go in the second, the Longhorns led it 17-14. Oklahoma State would look to pull a Texas and respond after falling behind for the first time in the game.

After not being able to get to the quarterback, Spencer Sanders was able to rumble 36 yards down the field. He was able to get the Cowboys into the redzone. He finds Chuba Hubbard wide open for the Cowboys to retake the lead. 21-17. On the ensuing drive the Longhorns go three and out and give the ball back to OSU.

After getting called for a false start, Sanders finds Tylan Wallace down the field. They get back into Texas territory after a Chuba Hubbard run up the middle. The Longhorns defense forced a third and nine for Oklahoma State. Tylan Wallace forces a holding penalty on Josh Thompson to extend the drive.

The Longhorns defense started allowing the chunk plays in the run game that put the Oklahoma State offense inside the inside of the 25. With time winding down Texas started using their timeouts to hopefully get another possession for the Longhorns. The defense is able to make a stand as DeMarvion Overshown almost comes up with an interception. They get points with a field goal to extend their lead 24-17.

After an Ehlinger sack, an incompletion intended for Joshua Moore and Jake Smith stopped short they punted the ball back to OSU. A three and out definitely rears its ugly head again. The Cowboys get the ball back with just a minute left with one timeout.

Sanders finds Brendan Johnson for a 40-yard completion on the catch and run. Ta’Quon Graham gets to Sanders for the Longhorns third sack of the first half. Ossai gets after Sanders for the strip sack and Graham picks it up to get Texas inside the redzone. On the first play, Ehlinger takes a sack with no timeouts to attempt a Dicker field goal. Texas trails 24-20 going into the half.

Stats:

Ehlinger 8-15, 100 yards 1 TD

Robinson 7 carries, 47 yards

Eagles 2 receptions, 52 yards 1 TD

Texas Longhorns vs. Oklahoma State: Biggest storylines heading into Saturday

As kickoff approaches for Saturday’s Big 12 slugfest, we examine the main storylines for the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma State Cowboys.

Not sure you are aware, amid all of the turmoil surrounding the Texas Longhorns, but there is a game this Saturday. The Longhorns travel to Stillwater to take on the sixth-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys on Saturday afternoon. On Halloween will we see more trick or more treat?

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Texas has an opportunity to get back to two games above .500 if it can pull off the upset. Otherwise it will be right back to where it was after the Oklahoma game, taking a step forward and then a step back. This game will have it’s fair share of storylines. A lot will revolve around embattled head coach Tom Herman.

The Longhorns under Herman haven’t fared well against top 12 teams in the regular season. In fact the only win in the eight games came against the Oklahoma Sooners in the 2018 Red River Rivalry game. Can he get No. 2 on Saturday?

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Texas Longhorns vs Oklahoma State: Key defensive players

The Texas Longhorns defense is being tasked with stopping one of the best trios in college football. Who needs to step up for Texas?

When the Texas Longhorns decided to move on from Todd Orlando, many thought that this would make a massive improvement on the defensive front. Present company included on that thought. However, they are still waiting on the Chris Ash to make the level of impact that many expected.

It could be that some of the issues stem from the fractured football program that defines the state of the Texas Longhorns. Former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer has raved about him, he has improved the defense everywhere he has been a defensive coordinator. The Longhorns need more from that side of the ball and it all starts on Saturday.

Against the No. 6 ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys, this defense will be tested. They have an up and coming young quarterback in Spencer Sanders. Not to mention the backfield duo of Chuba Hubbard and LD Brown, plus the dynamic playmaker in Tylan Wallace. Safe to say this defense will be tested.

Here are the three defensive keys for the Longhorns to try and upset the Cowboys on Saturday afternoon in Stillwater.

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Report: Texas Longhorns pass rusher to enter the transfer portal

The Longhorns talented pass rusher Byron Vaughns has entered the transfer portal per a report. This is Texas’ fifth player to do so.

It has been a rough year for the Texas Longhorns. Sitting at 3-2, they are nowhere near where many thought they would be at this point in the season. They had opportunities to win all five games they have played so far, only the Baylor and UTEP games were decided well before the fourth quarter. Not only have they had issues with bonehead plays and poor decisions, but their roster has been an issue as well.

Prior to the season even getting underway Juwan Mitchell, Anthony Cook and Myron Warren each entered the transfer portal. In each case they decided to ultimately stay with the team. After the UTEP game it was reported that B.J. Foster quit the team over frustrations but again cooler heads prevailed. Most recently Kenyatta Watson II entered the portal but unlike the previous three he transferred to Georgia Tech.

It was reported by Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle that Vaughns would enter the transfer portal.

Vaughns was expected to be one of the contributors at the new ‘Jack’ position for Chris Ash’s defense. He played 18 snaps against the UTEP Miners in the opener but has been used sparingly since. Most of which on special teams. He played nine snaps on special teams in the Texas Tech game and just six against Texas Christian. He hasn’t seen the field since.

When Joseph Ossai went down with his injury against Baylor, Vaughns was one of the players who should have played some snaps against the Baylor front. It never happened, instead the team went with former walk on Jett Bush and Reese Leitao. It has likely become another issue where a talented player is getting overlooked.

Byron Vaughns was the 28th ranked outside linebacker in the country when he committed to Texas.

 

Three reasons why the Texas Longhorns defeated Baylor on Saturday

The Texas Longhorns were able to hold off the Baylor Bears for the 27-16 victory. Longhorns Wire breaks down three reasons why.

The game started out slowly for the Texas offense but they were able to rattle off 27 straight points before Baylor could answer. It was a much needed victory for the Longhorns and for head coach Tom Herman. His seat has become slightly hotter over the last few weeks. The whispers of potential replacements were getting louder.

However, in many cases that starts to die down a bit when your team is winning. Texas did just that. Let’s take a look at three reasons why the Texas Longhorns beat Baylor on Saturday afternoon.

Sam Ehlinger hit the deep throws

Against the Oklahoma Sooners the deep ball just wasn’t there for quarterback Sam Ehlinger. However, when they dialed it up against the Baylor Bears defense they were able to hit several that set up scoring plays. It all started when he found Tarik Black wide open down the middle of the field on a blown assignment.

This throw and catch went for 72 yards on Black’s only reception of the game and it set up another Cameron Dicker field goal to take their first lead of the game 6-3. Later in the half, Ehlinger dialed it up once more but this time it took a great effort by leading wide receiver Joshua Moore to come down with it.

Of his 15 completions, three were on big plays to Black, Moore and Jared Wiley. On those plays, Ehlinger accounted for 161 of his 270 yards passing. That set up three scoring plays for 17 of their 27 total points in this game. When Sam can hit the deep shots like he did against Texas Tech and UTEP, the Longhorns have a much better chance of winning the football game.

The defense rose to the occasion

Over the last several weeks the defense has allowed more points per game than any team in the conference. In fact it was 47 points per game, for the Longhorns to be success that can’t be the case. Chris Ash’s unit forced punts on six of Baylor’s first seven possessions. They missed a field goal on their eighth opportunity of the game.

The Bears were never able to get their run game going either. In fact Texas allowed just 64 yards total running the football. Middle linebacker Juwan Mitchell led the way with 12 total tackles on the afternoon. Two of which were tackles for loss.

The secondary played much better than they have here recently. They finished with a total of nine passes broken up. Three of which could have been interceptions if the defenders could hold on to the football. The game felt well in hand due to the 27-3 lead and the fact that the defense wasn’t giving anything up.

The Longhorns didn’t sabotage themselves with penalties

Coming into this game, the Longhorns have been one of the most penalized teams in the conference. Texas has averaged 83 yards per game this year and 92 in conference play. Against the Bears, they were able to limit it to 50 yards worth of penalties. One of those came on another bonehead decision by center Derek Kerstetter.

It was a step in the right direction to reduce those penalties by almost half. That kept the Longhorns out of less than favorable situations for their offense. When they aren’t shooting themselves in the foot and playing good defense, the Longhorns are a much harder team to beat.

Texas Longhorns vs Baylor Bears: First quarter recap

Early on in UT’s matchup against Baylor, it has been a defensive battle. Baylor has a 3-0 lead with a late field goal to get on the board.

Early on in Texas’ Big 12 matchup against Baylor, it has been a defensive showdown. The Bears have a 3-0 lead with a late field goal to get on the board first.

Despite leading the Big 12 in passing yards coming into the day, Sam Ehlinger has not been given the opportunity to throw the ball. He is 1-2 with -1 yards. On the ground, the quarterback has two carries for five yards.

After going three and out on their first drive, the Longhorns were able to pick up one first down before punting for the second time. As the quarter expired, Keaontay Ingram picked up the second first down of the night.

Defensively, missed opportunities have been the story. Starting strong safety Chris Brown dropped an interception on Baylor’s opening drive. Missed tackles continue to be an issue for defensive coordinator Chris Ash as well.

Mike Yurcich is going to have to trust Ehlinger if Texas wants to turn their offensive fortune around. The senior quarterback is the leader on and off the field and needs to be given the opportunity to throw the ball downfield.

First-quarter stats

Texas offense: 27 total yards

Keaontay Ingram: Six carries for 25 yards

Kelvontay Dixon: First career reception

Charlie Brewer: Nine of 12 with 71 yards

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Texas Longhorns vs Baylor: Three defensive key players

We highlighted three key defensive players for the Texas Longhorns. Each one needs to step up and help the team defeat the Baylor Bears.

There was a level of expectation that this defense would be a much improved unit in 2020. A truncated camp, no spring ball and a relatively new staff combined has hindered that a bit.

The defense hasn’t been a unit on the rise as they are currently 64th in scoring defense. With just 76 teams having played up to this point means that Texas has one of the worst defenses in the country. Texas Tech and Kansas are the only two Big 12 teams worse.

As conference play has started up, the defensive numbers have only gotten worse. They are surrendering 47 points per game in Big 12 play. Their defense as a whole is sitting 40th with 400.3 yards per game. In conference play that balloons to 456 yards per game.

For this game against the Baylor Bears, the Longhorns defense led by Chris Ash needs to start playing like a contending defense.

Next, three defensive key players

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Locked on Longhorns Podcast: ‘Jordan Whittington, Herb Hand and Baylor’

The latest Locked on Longhorns Podcast discusses yet another injury to wide receiver Jordan Whittington. Plus a look at Baylor.

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The Locked on Longhorns podcast kicks off the show discussing yet another injury to their wide receiver corp. Jordan Whittington is on the injury report once again after an abdominal injury surfaced following the Red River Showdown with Oklahoma last Saturday. With Whittington now down for the foreseeable future, what does the slot receiver position look like? Jake Smith reagravated his hamstring injury during warmups, so what could his status be for the  Baylor game?

On the topic of Baylor, we discussed the optics looking bad after the Bears hosted a homecoming event at their stadium. With the team under quarantine and football activities halted due to 42 positive COVID-19 cases, it doesn’t look good. If Baylor is able to field a team for Saturday, what are the roster requirements to play the game as scheduled?

The Longhorns have had their issues with the offensive line this year. Locked on Auburn’s Zac Blackerby joins the show to discuss the ‘familiar failures’ with the offensive line coach Herb Hand. Zac answers the question on if this is what the Tigers fanbase experienced during the two seasons in which Hand was in charge of the offensive line. Plus did Alabama use negative recruiting tactics to steal the Brockermeyer twins away from the Longhorns?

Plus we dive into five key stats in regards to the Longhorns through four games. What is the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to this football team? Check out Monday’s Locked on Longhorns podcast for all of those answers.

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Texas Football: What is the Longhorns Big 12 outlook?

The Texas Longhorns are sitting at 2-2 overall and 1-2 in conference play. So what is a realistic expectation for this team under Tom Herman

The Texas Longhorns are heading into week seven of the 2020 college football season. The second bye week of the season all wrapped up and the team will start focusing on their next game on Oct. 24 against Baylor. If the Bears are able to field a team then they will host their second conference home game of the year. In their last home game they fell to Texas Christian 33-31.

As of right now they are looking up at most of the conference at 1-2 and 2-2 overall. The goals and aspirations haven’t changed for this football team despite two consecutive conference losses. All three of the teams sitting atop the standings have yet to play Texas. Oklahoma State is up next after the Baylor game on Oct. 31. That will be a huge game in Stillwater, Oklahoma for both teams.

The Longhorns will face off against Iowa State on Nov. 27 and then Kansas State a week later to close out the season. The Wildcats just lost their starting quarterback Skylar Thompson for the season so that might put a damper in their plans. Backup Will Howard has looked like a bright spot in limited action.

It has looked bleak and gloomy at times but Texas still has an opportunity to do the unthinkable. It would likely need to be a 6-0 run by the Longhorns to have a shot at playing for the conference title. The jury is still out on Oklahoma State despite their perfect record. OSU has beaten Kansas and West Virginia. They will likely look like a much better team when Spencer Sanders finally returns.

Iowa State and Kansas State defeated Oklahoma on back-to-back Saturdays. They have combined to go 6-0 after dreadful opening game losses to teams in the Sun Belt Conference. Should Kansas State stumble after losing their quarterback, it could be that Iowa State is Texas biggest competition.

For the Longhorns this year they need to get in front of two of these teams. Iowa State and Oklahoma State will matchup on Oct. 24 so one of them will suffer their first conference loss. That would mean that Texas would need to beat them to secure the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Longhorns would need to beat Kansas State and need another team to beat them as well.

Likely the most realistic scenario involves Texas finishing 8-2 and earning a bid to play for the Big 12 Championship. Winning six in a row seems like a long shot but this team has done it before under Tom Herman. In 2018 after dropping the opener to Maryland, the Longhorns won six in a row. It started with Tulsa and ended on a loss to Oklahoma State.

Texas will need to get Heisman worthy play from their quarterback Sam Ehlinger. He has been off to a hot start but he needs to play better. He is currently the conference’s ninth-ranked quarterback in completion percentage. The running game will need to be more involved. Right now Ehlinger is the leading rusher on the team. He has 242 yards and five touchdowns. He rushed for seven in all of 2019.

Defensively they need to be more consistent with tackling. In the Big 12 Conference no player has missed more tackles than DeMarvion Overshown. He needs to be more consistent. The Longhorns also need more of a pass rush presence, it starts with Joseph Ossai and the front three. This is the best path for success on that side of the ball.

The Longhorns have everything in front of them. If they are as close as Tom Herman states each week, now is the perfect time to fix it. If they can execute to their standards, then there is no reason to believe they can’t make a run. The question now is have they given you any reason to believe that they can?

Longhorns Wire Roundtable: Should Tom Herman get another year at Texas?

It is the $15 million dollar question on everyone’s mind, should Tom Herman return as the Texas Longhorns head coach in 2021?

Usually following a loss the kneejerk reactions are at an all-time high, when you couple that with a second loss they grow. Make it against your rival and the fanbase loses their absolute minds. However, are the Texas Longhorns fanbase on the right track? After another loss to Lincoln Riley and the Oklahoma Sooners, people are ready to run head coach Tom Herman right out of Austin.

There has been plenty said about Herman and his familiar failures over the three plus seasons on the Forty Acres. The undisciplined play from his team that has seen the penalties rise to the highest they have been through 44 games in Austin. The lack of a vertical passing attack and the defensive woes have continued. So should he get another year seeing as how he just reworked his entire staff in shorted offseason? Longhorns Wire staff weighed in.

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