As Texas begins to take in the win over UTSA, they are likely left unsatisfied. It was a frustrating performance from the offense but dominance from the defense. Giving that, it’s a rather simple grading process today. There were positives on offense but they were far too few and far between.
Quarterback: C-
Arch Manning has to be better. He was very inaccurate in this game and consistently left pockets too early. He finished the day 17/33 for 165 yards and 2 TDs. The positive is no turnovers and despite a few misses, a rather strong start from Manning. Overall, it’s not nearly good enough for SEC play, especially on the road in Neyland next weekend.
Runningbacks: B+
This was the highlight of the offense yesterday. Texas finished the day with nearly 230 yards rushing, including
having five rushers over 39 yards. Smothers, Brown, Cooper, Manning and Terry all earned at least 7 carries, averaging over 4 yards/carry each. It wasn’t a perfect day from this unit but they carried the Texas offense for much of the day.
Wide Receiver: B-
The wide receiving group played well in this one. I don’t believe there were any blatant drops, something that has been an issue in the past. The blocking on screens(outside Ryan Wingo) left some to be desired, as did the level of separation the group was getting in the second half. Overall, not this unit’s best day but far from the issue with the offense.
Tight End: C
This was a down-the-middle performance from the tight ends. Not a dominant day from the unit but far from a poor day. Missing Nick Townsend hurt the receiving game, with Spencer Shannon having the sole catch among the group for 9 yards, but added a drop to his stat sheet. The blocking is still strong from this unit, but the receiving game has to be a bigger factor moving forward.
Offensive Line: C-
This was the first time the OL was disappointing this season. The run blocking, by the numbers, was actually rather strong, averaging 3.30 OL yards/carry. However, there was just three rushes over 15 yards, something that’s becoming a trend for the run game. In pass protection, they only gave up one sack, but the pocket was collapsing on Arch Manning consistently. There’s no doubt they’ll need to be better against Tennessee if Texas wants to get the win.
Defensive Line: A
This unit is awesome. Hero Kanu was incredible in this game. Ian Geffrard continues to be a dominant force on the interior. Zina Umeozulu and Colton Vasek played really high level football. Sacks were kept to a minimum but that seemed to be a UTSA offensive approach thing, not a Texas DL struggling thing. This is going to be an impactful unit every single week, but getting Justus Terry back for Tennessee would be huge.
Linebacker: A
Rasheem Biles is around the ball nearly every play. He came away with an INT on the first play, then added four more tackles and consistently was around the football. Justin Cryer and Brad Spence had rather quiet days, only totalling 2 tackles, but didn’t make any major mistakes either. On top of that, Kosi Okpala got a TFL late in the game, building off his strong start. This unit continues to improve, behind one of the best LBs in the country.
Secondary: A
The secondary wasn’t exactly asked to do much in this game. McCown threw 23 passes but very few were down the field and finished the day 14/23 for 70 yards and 3 yards/attempt. Jelani McDonald and Derek Williams Jr. did a great job in run defense and the coverage on the outside was top-tier. This unit continues to improve, especially at the safety position.
Special Teams: A
Coming out of that game, I feel confident the special teams can be a difference maker for this team. Niblett flashed his returning ability, despite one being called back for a penalty. Gianni Spetic hit a 52-yard FG, something that eluded Texas a season ago. Then, Mac Chuimento had a strong day, including a long punt of 52 yards. This is a unit that seemingly has improved from a season ago, especially around Niblett.
Coaching: B-
The only thing docking this grade is the penalty troubles Texas had in this game. Overall, the defensive approach and play calling was downright incredible. While the offense struggled, I didn’t have any massive issues with the play calling from Steve Sarkisian. There were minor coaching errors but I place the shortcomings on the players largely.
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This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Texas Longhorns Grades: Defense earn As, Manning gets C- in UTSA win
