When you're a 3-4 football team through seven games, you can save the moral victories mess.
You can make a case that the Texas season was on the line today, which means Texas needed a win very badly ... and it didn't get it.
If the Longhorns have proven to be great at anything this season, it's letting huge fish slip off the hook just as they are pulling the damn fish into the boat.
Yes, this is a better football team. Yes, it is competitive. Yes, the defense might be the best in the Big 12.
None of that matters if you're not getting results and all of the off-season competitions in the world haven't taught this team to win a game.
It's time to forget about eight or nine wins for about a month. That's the type of talk that a team with a winning record warrants. As it stands, this team is going to have to work with an incredibly thin margin of error to qualify for a bowl game.
This is better, but it isn't good enough.
(other thoughts on the game)
* Todd Orlando is earning his money.
* OSU 1st half drive chart
Punt
Punt
TD
Fumble
Punt
Punt
Time Expires
7 drives 7 points, 1 turnover, 5 drives that ended in nothing.
* OSU second-half drive chart
Punt
Punt
Field Goal
Punt
Missed Field Goal
Punt
Punt
7 drives, 3 points and 6 drives that end in nothing.
You just can't ask for more than that against the No. 1 offense in the nation.
* The Texas offensive staff is stealing money.
This team can't run. It can't catch. It can't block. It can't stop committing penalties. Its idea of imagination is a counter with the quarterback
I don't know who is in charge of the offense, but it IS a poor reflection on Tom Herman. This is supposed to be the side of the ball that Texas wasn't going to have to worry about. Instead, it's the worst offense I think I've seen in 25 years. I suppose we could quibble over this offense vs. Shawn Watson, but the story-lines are the same.
I don't know what the offensive game-plan was. I don't know where the adjustments were. I don't understand the playing time decisions.
The offenses coaches simply aren't doing their jobs. Period.
* Sam Ehlinger today: 22 of 35 for 241 yards
The interception in the back of the end zone in overtime will define his performance, but he was the best thing the offense had in this game. Hell, he was the only thing.
Will someone on that side of the ball step up and help their freshman quarterback?
* Chris Warren averaged 2.8 yards per carry on 12 carries to lead the team. I suppose that's improvement.
* Toneil Carter and Daniel Young: 1 combined carry.
* I'm not even going to get into the offensive line play. It is what it is at this point.
* Malik Jefferson, Kris Boyd and Holton Hill deserve game balls.
* That's right, give Boyd a game ball. He was tremendous today.
* Oh, Brandon Jones ...
* Here's an idea ... the offense needs to be throwing the ball to Armanti Foreman or Collin Johnson on critical third downs when Reggie Hemphill-Mapps is hurt, not true freshman Cade Brewer.
* With the game tied at 10-10, Michael Dickson's 66-yard punt in the fourth quarter completely flipped the field for the Longhorns in a game that was waiting for someone to break the other's serve. Huge play. He's the best Texas punter I have ever seen with my own eyes.
* Dickson: 11 punts for a 50.9 average and five downed inside the 20-yard line. He's not the punter. He's The Punter.
* What a goal line stand by the Texas defense in the fourth quarter to force Oklahoma State to take three points instead of 7. The level of physicality that the entire unit showed in that moment has been missing since 2014.
* 3rd and 44 will kill your team rushing stats.
* OSU's James Washington was a complete non-factor in the first half.
* Holton Hill is balling. He's having the best season of any Texas cornerback since ...
* Gary Johnson flashed more in the final two defensive series of the half than Anthony Wheeler has all season and it led to him pretty much taking Wheeler's job in the second half.
* John Freaking Burt. Man, this offense needed some of that.
* Someone will need to explain why any receiver other than John Burt will start next week? I guess I'm not watching practice, though ...
* Breckyn Hager probably needs to play more. Just an idea.
* Jalen McCleskey, I dub thee Jack Dundee 2.0.
* How do you get an illegal substitution on fourth down AFTER stopping the OSU offense? Woof.
* Texas was 1 of 7 on third downs on offense in the first half. How were the Longhorns still in this game after 30 minutes?
* I'm not sure there's been a bigger play all season than Poona Ford's forced fumble that stopped an Oklahoma State drive and ended up producing a possible 14-point swing, as John Burnt flipped the game on its head seconds later.
You can make a case that the Texas season was on the line today, which means Texas needed a win very badly ... and it didn't get it.
If the Longhorns have proven to be great at anything this season, it's letting huge fish slip off the hook just as they are pulling the damn fish into the boat.
Yes, this is a better football team. Yes, it is competitive. Yes, the defense might be the best in the Big 12.
None of that matters if you're not getting results and all of the off-season competitions in the world haven't taught this team to win a game.
It's time to forget about eight or nine wins for about a month. That's the type of talk that a team with a winning record warrants. As it stands, this team is going to have to work with an incredibly thin margin of error to qualify for a bowl game.
This is better, but it isn't good enough.
(other thoughts on the game)
* Todd Orlando is earning his money.
* OSU 1st half drive chart
Punt
Punt
TD
Fumble
Punt
Punt
Time Expires
7 drives 7 points, 1 turnover, 5 drives that ended in nothing.
* OSU second-half drive chart
Punt
Punt
Field Goal
Punt
Missed Field Goal
Punt
Punt
7 drives, 3 points and 6 drives that end in nothing.
You just can't ask for more than that against the No. 1 offense in the nation.
* The Texas offensive staff is stealing money.
This team can't run. It can't catch. It can't block. It can't stop committing penalties. Its idea of imagination is a counter with the quarterback
I don't know who is in charge of the offense, but it IS a poor reflection on Tom Herman. This is supposed to be the side of the ball that Texas wasn't going to have to worry about. Instead, it's the worst offense I think I've seen in 25 years. I suppose we could quibble over this offense vs. Shawn Watson, but the story-lines are the same.
I don't know what the offensive game-plan was. I don't know where the adjustments were. I don't understand the playing time decisions.
The offenses coaches simply aren't doing their jobs. Period.
* Sam Ehlinger today: 22 of 35 for 241 yards
The interception in the back of the end zone in overtime will define his performance, but he was the best thing the offense had in this game. Hell, he was the only thing.
Will someone on that side of the ball step up and help their freshman quarterback?
* Chris Warren averaged 2.8 yards per carry on 12 carries to lead the team. I suppose that's improvement.
* Toneil Carter and Daniel Young: 1 combined carry.
* I'm not even going to get into the offensive line play. It is what it is at this point.
* Malik Jefferson, Kris Boyd and Holton Hill deserve game balls.
* That's right, give Boyd a game ball. He was tremendous today.
* Oh, Brandon Jones ...
* Here's an idea ... the offense needs to be throwing the ball to Armanti Foreman or Collin Johnson on critical third downs when Reggie Hemphill-Mapps is hurt, not true freshman Cade Brewer.
* With the game tied at 10-10, Michael Dickson's 66-yard punt in the fourth quarter completely flipped the field for the Longhorns in a game that was waiting for someone to break the other's serve. Huge play. He's the best Texas punter I have ever seen with my own eyes.
* Dickson: 11 punts for a 50.9 average and five downed inside the 20-yard line. He's not the punter. He's The Punter.
* What a goal line stand by the Texas defense in the fourth quarter to force Oklahoma State to take three points instead of 7. The level of physicality that the entire unit showed in that moment has been missing since 2014.
* 3rd and 44 will kill your team rushing stats.
* OSU's James Washington was a complete non-factor in the first half.
* Holton Hill is balling. He's having the best season of any Texas cornerback since ...
* Gary Johnson flashed more in the final two defensive series of the half than Anthony Wheeler has all season and it led to him pretty much taking Wheeler's job in the second half.
* John Freaking Burt. Man, this offense needed some of that.
* Someone will need to explain why any receiver other than John Burt will start next week? I guess I'm not watching practice, though ...
* Breckyn Hager probably needs to play more. Just an idea.
* Jalen McCleskey, I dub thee Jack Dundee 2.0.
* How do you get an illegal substitution on fourth down AFTER stopping the OSU offense? Woof.
* Texas was 1 of 7 on third downs on offense in the first half. How were the Longhorns still in this game after 30 minutes?
* I'm not sure there's been a bigger play all season than Poona Ford's forced fumble that stopped an Oklahoma State drive and ended up producing a possible 14-point swing, as John Burnt flipped the game on its head seconds later.
