The worst thing about Saturday night isn't that Texas lost in Ames by three touchdowns.
Or the fact that Texas has lost four straight games for the first time since 2010.
Or that Texas is 4-5 and looked every bit of a team with that kind of record on Saturday night.
No, the worst part about Saturday night is that over the course of 60 minutes, the Longhorns look like a team that is regressing to the point that the entire season feels like a pretty big waste of time.
Both for the fans and the program.
Take a look at what happened at the quarterback position. The entire point of hiring Steve Sarkisian was to have a guru to handle this position and yet I don't know what to tell you about the state of things after nine games. After Casey Thompson flamed out in the first quarter, Hudson Card flamed out over the course of the next three quarters to such a degree that it feels like the Longhorns suddenly have zero answers to the quarterback position that remotely instill confidence going into the 2022 season.
How the hell is this where things stand after nine games?
Meanwhile, let's not sugarcoat the rest of the offense, which was so poor against the Cyclones that it was hard to know if the team practiced at all this week. Would it even matter if they had twice as much practice time? Other than Bijan Robinson leaving a pound of flesh on the field in racking up 126 yards of all-purpose offense, everything else was beyond poor.
A defense full of upperclassmen did all they could for a half and then caved in once the third quarter started.
Speaking of the third quarter, I don't really know how much worse the lack of second-half adjustments under this staff can get, but getting dominated in both quarters of the second half in being outscored 27-0 took the troublesome issues after halftime to an entirely new level.
Is this rock bottom?
We've reached a point where I'm not sure where this program expects to have itself position after this season? What was supposed to be a springboard season into 2022 feels more and more like a burn it all down campaign as much as anything else. What exactly are the building blocks on this team for achievements that mater?
I don't have any positives tonight.
( A few other thoughts...)
* I can't imagine that Sarkisian has ever had as poor of a year as a developer of quarterbacks as he has this year. Both of his pupils look absolutely lost. This area of the team gets an F through nine games of the season, considering I don't think anyone wants either of them to start.
* Hudson Card had a chance tonight to retake the quarterback job and he failed the test. No excuses. The only positive for Card was that he was slightly better over three quarters than Thompson was in once quarter.
* It feels like Sark is going to need to go to the portal at the quarterback position. Can he be committed to either? Does he trust either?
* Texas scored 7 points with a historically good running back in Bijan Robinson and Xavier Worthy on the field. Those two dudes have to be very frustrated.
* Damnit, that DeMarvion Overshown injury did not look good.
* You couldn't have asked much more of the Texas defense in the first half in limiting Iowa State to three measly points. You almost couldn't have received less in the second half.
* Breece Hall is a damn baller. That was a pretty incredible 47-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Yes, I know the tackling by the Texas defense was poor, but some of that was created by a great play by a future NFL player.
* The touchdown pass from Card to Xavier Worthy is a play I yelled for in the first half of the Arkansas game when Card was screaming for some easy ways to get the ball to Texas receivers... like Worthy.
* Texas wide receiver Joshua Moore was held out for the entire first quarter. On a night when the team had four passing yards in the first quarter, his presence on the field could have been used, but I doubt any of us can say it really would have mattered.
* That quarterback sneak with Card? lulz. Why didn't we see Texas in the Wildcat once in the first quarter? Or the second quarter? Or the third? Or... oh, never-mind.
* Hell of a play by Jahdae Barron to force a fumble on a hustle play with Iowa State driving into Texas territory in the first quarter.
* Casey Thompson in the first quarter: 2 of 6 for 2 yards and a 36.1 rating.
* Nothing is a better metaphor for this season than Bijan Robinson dragging defenders for a great first down run, only to fumble the ball in a pile.
* The Robinson fumble on the second play of the game ended a streak of six straight games that witnessed the Longhorns score points on the opening offensive possession of the game. Five of those six games featured touchdowns on the first possession.
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