Texas is creating a reputation as “cardiac kids”, winning a third game where they trailed in the 4th quarter. Last night, it was a Taleek Brown TD with two seconds left that delivered Texas a 22-21 road win. The performance was uneven performance but the fourth quarter did plenty to redeem Manning and the offense. More than anything, Texas found a way to get a win in a tough environment.
Here’s how I’d grade the Longhorns performance by unit:
Texas Longhorns Offense: C-
This was a poor offensive performance. Manning and company scored on the opening drive of the game, then went quiet until the fourth quarter. Texas scored on three of their final five possessions(2 FGs, 1 TD), capping it with the game-winning score. Manning had a poor performance with three terrible INTs,
but when Texas needed a drive late, he got it done. It’s hard to say this was a good performance from this unit but there’s something to be said about showing up when they are needed.
Texas Longhorns Defense: B+
The defense had a more uneven performance than Texas fans have become accustomed to. The Longhorns struggled on 3rd down in the first half, allowing too many open passes over the middle of the field. Their saving grace was three INTs from Jelani McDonald, two coming in LSU’s end zone. In the fourth quarter, they finally looked like their normal selves. LSU finished the final frame with -1 yards on 18 plays, forcing four straight punts after none to that point. It wasn’t a dominant performance from the defense, the final stretch was controlled by Will Muschamp’s groups, giving Texas the opening to come back.
Texas Longhorns Special Teams: A
This was the best special teams performance of the season, largely because it was straight forward. There were no true negative plays for the unit, highlighted by Gianni Spetic going 3/3 with a long of 50. Chuimento had three punts on the night, two of which landed inside the 20-yard line. Finally, there were no major returns from LSU, who’s capable of those game changing plays.
Texas Longhorns Coaching: B
This is a difficult game to grade the coaching in. There were minor playcalling things on both sides of the ball left some to be desired. More than anything, this game was a great example of the culture Sarkisian and company have instilled in this team and program. Being down by 11 points in the Death Valley usually equates to a loss, but the mental toughness of this team was the difference. That’s a credit to this coaching staff.
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This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Longhorns Grades at LSU: Offense earns C-, Defense gets a B+
