Close doesn't cut it for Texas football
The Horns are close to piecing it all together. The defense isn’t giving up huge plays. The Horns have some major weapons on offense and are scoring even with the backup QB.
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But here’s the deal.
Close isn’t good enough.
Close is a euphemism for not getting it done.
In the loss to Tech, both sides of the ball were close.
– If the Texas defense just gets off the field on one more of those third or fourth downs…
– If the Texas offense takes advantage of the turnover on downs in Tech territory to start the second half…
– If Texas doesn’t jump offsides on third and 26…
One or two plays clearly change the outcome of the game.
But that itself is the problem.
As Justin Wells said yesterday in the Rapid Reactions video, Texas let its opponent hang around the rim.
The Horns didn’t step on the throats of the Red Raiders in that third quarter when they got them off the field on fourth down on the very first possession. And that’s what Texas did a year ago, too.
If Texas is ever to become a good football team, it’s going to need to take on a different mentality.
Perhaps they’re trying to do just that and just can’t accomplish it. Well, then the coaches need to be the difference maker in that regard.
Whether it’s a creative play call on offense to tip the balance or a more aggressive defense to produce an errant throw, Texas needs to do something. It can’t be so vanilla in the second half.
Vanilla just won’t cut it.
Even if you’re without your top QB and receiver, and your OL can’t create run lanes against a heavy box.
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Even if your defense is so concerned about the QB run or giving up big plays that no one is actually getting home on the QB and getting the opposing O off the field.
Something must change if Texas wants to be a good team because close isn’t good enough.
**
For Sark, relying too heavily on the run game in the second half is not going to work against good teams.
Even with Bijan, the Texas OL is not going to dominate good teams that stack the box. The hope that they will is just that – hope. So he needs to find different solutions. Perhaps a short passing game.
On defense, Pete Kwiatkowski is going to have to risk some things, to get more creative in pressures and the timing of them. Allowing a team to nickel and dime you down the field is a death by a thousand cuts.
For players and coaches alike, close is not good enough.
They know that. Now they just need to do something about it.
**
If an opposing coach was filmed telling his players that he knew he could break your will, I’d be plenty pissed off.
As a player or as a coach, I’d take it personally.
Texas needs to lean in to that a little. If they want to prove Joey McGuire wrong, then win the rest of your games and show him in a rematch in Dallas in two months.
