Texas took their first loss of the season yesterday, losing to Oklahoma in Red River
. Arch Manning struggled in the 4th quarter, the run game was anemic down the stretch and the special teams allowed a touchdown for the second straight week. It’s time to grade the Longhorns performance, going position by position. There are small bright spots but, as you can imagine, it’s not shining grades across the board.Quarterback: C-
Arch Manning, as he has every game this season, put in an uneven performance. The two late INTs are mistakes that can’t happen if Texas is going to walk the tightrope to the CFP. There were moments of brilliance, namely the drive following his pick six, but they were not frequent enough. Manning will need to play at a higher level for this Texas offense
to find a groove.
Runningbacks: C+
The trio of running backs finished the day with 25 carries for 102 yards, averaging just over 4 yards a tote. Derrek Cooper shined late in the first half and finished as the leading rusher for the Longhorns. Smothers and Brown struggled to find a consistent groove, with a long run of just 14 yards. It wasn’t a bad performance from the running backs but they lacked the game-changing ability they have.
Wide Receivers: B-
This was Cam Coleman’s best performance in a Longhorn uniform, reeling in 5 catches for 110 yards and a TD. Wingo added a score, but finished with just two catches. Mosley factored in with 5 catches but it was Jermiane Bishop’s first TD that stole the show. They did struggle to get separation at times and the blocking on screens was poor. This group was the strong point of the offense but still has an uneven performance.
Tight Ends: C
The tight ends continue to put in down the middle performances. Nick Townsend had 3 catches for 18 yards, but that was it in the receiving game. The blocking continues to be relatively strong for this unit, but it’s not a unit that’s adding to the Texas offense enough.
Offensive Line: C+
Once again, a rather uneven performance from the offensive line. The pass protection started slow, allowing multiple pressures but settled in nicely. The run game was very uneven but that’s somewhat to be expected against the Oklahoma defensive line. Overall, it’s not a poor performance but there’s something lacking for this unit still.
Defensive Line: B
While the defensive line didn’t have the destructive performance they are capable of, they put together a nice performance. Colin Simmons finished with 2 sacks and 3 TFLs and Maraad Watson added another sack and TFL to the stat sheet. Outside of a single explosive, the Oklahoma run game had 30 carries for 41 yards. Oklahoma’s offensive plan was to keep the pass rush out of the game and they did a nice job executing it, but this group was still impactful.
Linebackers: B-
The linebackers in this game profile much like the wide receivers. There were multiple moments of brilliance for Rasheem Biles and Justin Cryer, but it was an uneven performance. There were a few mistakes that kept Texas from getting Oklahoma off field, namely Biles’ roughing the passer penalty. An above average performance but still uneven and missing that ceiling.
Secondary: B-
For the vast majority of this game, the secondary played very well in coverage. Every starting CB made a nice breakup in this game, but like many others, had mistakes that cost Texas. Kade Phillips pass interference led to 7 points for Oklahoma instead of 3. Littleton, despite playing nice coverage, allowed Sategna to make two catches to move the ball into FG range. Another unit that played well as a whole but missed opportunities, mistakes cost them.
Coaching: D
This is by far the lowest mark on the team. Will Muschamp, once again, is not a major part of this. His defense continues to be the sole reason Texas is still alive for the CFP. As for Sarkisian’s offense, it continues to look disjointed, inconsistent and overall, disappointing. While there were execution mistakes by players, the offensive product ultimately falls on the head coach and playcaller. On special teams, it continues to be a negative unit that is actively hurting the Longhorns. The second straight week of allowing a TD, matching Will Muschamp’s defense over that same time. Currently, this coaching staff(outside of Muschamp) is not putting this team in the best position to win games. That’s not acceptable for a team and program with this much talent and resources.
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This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Longhorns Grades: Did Arch Manning get an 'F' against Oklahoma?
