1. I talked to a couple people close to the team this week and we all agreed - this game would give everyone a really good idea of what the rest of the season will probably look like. If this game was close, Texas is probably in for a long, long year. If the Longhorns were able to blow Rice out, that would make the Notre Dame game look like more of a fluke.
Unfortunately, I'm still not sure what to make of this team. Texas handled Rice easily on the scoreboard, but Rice was able to move the ball pretty effectively and Texas' offense was a bit hit-or-miss for most of the game.
Bottom line though ... it was a good, solid win with the Longhorns making plays in every phase of the game. That's exactly what Texas needed after last week's performance.
2. Early on, Malik Jefferson again looked like UT's best defender but he took some lumps tonight as well. He may have nightmares of trying to corral Rice QB Driphus Jackson in the open field. Jackson's a slippery runner, but Malik has to be able to get guys on the ground when he's one on one if he wants to be great. He's young though ... no reason to think he won't work out the kinks.
Of course, Malik was also part of one of the night's biggest plays when he scooped up a fumble in the third quarter and raced in for a TD. The guy just seems to be around the ball all the time and his athleticism is scary.
3. Twenty-one third-quarter points for the Longhorns? I feel like I'm living in a bizarro world.
4. The first-half stats were skewed because Texas scored so quickly due to the two big punt returns, but the numbers were pretty ugly overall in the first 30 minutes.
Rice 21:36 time of possession to 8:24 for Texas.
Rice 8-12 third downs, UT 2-4.
Total plays: Rice 49, UT 20.
Rice 15 first downs, UT 7.
Total yards Rice 223 Texas 157 (Texas got 35 on two meaningless carries to end the half).
Texas led on the scoreboard 21-14 at the half, but it could be argued that Rice looked like the better team.
5. It's official ... this is Jerrod Heard's team. Tyrone Swoopes is a great kid. Great kid. But no need to ever look back at this point.
6. Heard threw only 7 passes on the night, completing 4 of them, but his four completions covered 120 yards and accounted for 2 TDs. That equates to a 295.4 passing efficiency. That'll work.
The sample size of Heard's pass attempts is probably too small to tell how he'll handle that aspect of the game when he's forced to put the ball up more frequently (like next week), but Heard's athleticism gives Texas a spark that Swoopes can't come close to matching. If it's third-and-12, I have as much confidence that Heard can pick up the yardage with his legs than I do Swoopes can do it with his arm.
Remember, Heard was a track guy in high school as well as a football player. He's quick, but he can really get going when he stretches his legs, as he showed a couple times tonight. Plus he just has a natural feel as a runner that most guys don't have.
6. Speaking of young players, I loved seeing the young DBs on the field early. That's a talented group of corners, led by Kris Boyd and Holton Hill, that gives Texas a very bright future on the outside of the defense.
7. Defensively, you have to be worried if you're a Longhorn fan or coach. Rice was able to pretty much control the line of scrimmage and run the ball between the tackles at will. If the Owls can overpower the Texas defensive front with their inexperienced line, what are teams in the Big 12 going to do? Texas has to be much better up front.
8. The pass defense wasn't much better. Yes, the Longhorns recorded three gimme interceptions but Rice threw for 234 yards on the night.
Overall, the Owls gained a whopping 462 yards (to just 277 for Texas). Like I said earlier, the big plays by Texas on defense and in special teams skewed the stats some, but there's no excuse for letting Rice come close to 500 yards of offense.
9. Some bad ... up 21-0, most really good teams would have beaten a team like Rice into submission. Texas let the Owls battle back and made it way too interesting heading into the half.
10. Some good ... the Longhorns did put the game away in the third quarter with some big plays - the TD pass from Heard to freshman WR John Burt on the first play from scrimmage, a defensive TD by Jefferson and a TD run by D'Onta Foreman in the third quarter. I wasn't crazy about the way the team let Rice claw back in it in the second quarter, but Texas was able to regain control in the third quarter and basically choke Rice out.
11. Jerrod Heard hasn't always been the best practice player in the passing game, but that throw to Burt for a 69-yard score was perfection. You can't throw it any better than that. I remember watching Vince Young at practice when he was a young player (all practices were open back then). VY sometimes had trouble hitting his target when it was right in front of him, but when he was between the lines in the big games, he was a different player. The bigger the stage, the better he played. I've always thought Heard might have a little of that same characteristic in him (he showed it in high school), and he showed some of that tonight. The challenge for him will be to carry it over from week to week as the challenges get tougher.
12. I really liked the game Jay Norvell called in what was a tricky game. Rice was able to control the clock, which made it tough for Norvell and the Texas offense to really get into a rhythm, but I thought Norvell did a good job of picking his spots in the passing game and putting Heard in a position to have success.
It was a very solid debut for Norvell as UT's new playcaller.
13. On one hand, I feel bad for Johnathan Gray. He never seems to get much help from the guys in front of him, but Gray has to be better than 17 yards on 9 carries. The blocking was not good, but that just isn't going to get it done. D'Onta Foreman was only marginally better (23 yards on 6 carries), but there really doesn't seem to be any separation between the backs on the roster. Gray's a senior and he's a team leader, so he has to be able to separate from the pack.
14. That punt return by Daje Johnson was a thing of beauty. He made guys miss early and it was well blocked downfield. When Johnson really kicks it into high gear, he's just moving at a different speed than everybody else.
15. John Bonney bounced back after a slow start, but he had another couple rough plays. He has to do a better job of getting guys on the ground as well. Two TDs came largely on his watch.
16. Nice bounceback game for Dylan Haines, who took a beating from fans last week.
17. In two games, Texas has completed a total of 10 passes to wide receivers. Six of those went to Daje Johnson last week. The way tonight's game unfolded contributed to the low WR totals, but that's going to have to change next week.
18. Cal is going to really challenge the Texas defense. The Longhorns were not able to make many plays on third downs tonight, and the task is going to be much better next week to get off the field or Cal will make them pay.
Player of the game: This is a weird game, because nobody really lit it up statistically. Malik Jefferson led the defense with 9 tackles and he did have a TD, but the freshman also missed a handful of tackles. Poona Ford quietly turned in a very productive performance with 8 stops.
But we'll give the nod to Heard in his first career start. He threw the ball well in limited attempts and he added 96 yards on the ground on just 10 carries. He was the spark that Texas needed on offense.
Best position group: Again, there wasn't one group that really turned in exemplary game, so we'll go a different direction and give it to the punt return unit. Daje Johnson's TD return was obviously huge, and Duke Thomas' big return (albeit after a questionable decision to field the punt) helped set up another easy score.
This game was over when ... Malik Jefferson scooped up a fumble and raced 26 yards for a score, pushing Texas' lead to 35-14. Two things stood out on that play ... Jefferson's speed in the open field and Kris Boyd's play to come up and jar the ball free on the option pitch.
Boyd is the kind of scrappy, back-down-from-nobody player that Texas needs.
Should have seen coming ... Texas struggling to run the ball, aside from Heard on plays that weren't by design. I think it's time to stop giving the Longhorn ground game the benefit of the doubt each week until it starts producing.
Couldn't see coming ... I would have never guessed that Rice, with one returning offensive line starter, would be able to run the ball at will against the Texas front for most of the game. The Owls' ability to create seams, and Texas' inconsistent tackling, is a bit alarming.
Best decision: Going with Jerrod Heard. Easy choice.
Head-scratcher: The two punt returns and Jason Hall's decision to bring his interception out of the end zone could have been costly. Texas was fortunate that two of the three worked out in its favor. Speaking of Hall's return, how much grief will he get when they break down the film this week? You could see that fumble coming from a mile away.
What's next?: Cal shook off a slow start to beat up on San Diego State for a 35-7 win. The Bears are really going to challenge Texas next week with their ability to spread the ball around through the air. Quarterback Jared Goff has the ability to slice up Texas' secondary if UT doesn't play better than it has in the first two weeks and he has plenty of weapons at his disposal.
Make no mistake, this is a huge game for Texas and it could very well swing then pendulum on whether or not the Longhorns turn in a successful season or struggle through another year of mediocrity.
Unfortunately, I'm still not sure what to make of this team. Texas handled Rice easily on the scoreboard, but Rice was able to move the ball pretty effectively and Texas' offense was a bit hit-or-miss for most of the game.
Bottom line though ... it was a good, solid win with the Longhorns making plays in every phase of the game. That's exactly what Texas needed after last week's performance.
2. Early on, Malik Jefferson again looked like UT's best defender but he took some lumps tonight as well. He may have nightmares of trying to corral Rice QB Driphus Jackson in the open field. Jackson's a slippery runner, but Malik has to be able to get guys on the ground when he's one on one if he wants to be great. He's young though ... no reason to think he won't work out the kinks.
Of course, Malik was also part of one of the night's biggest plays when he scooped up a fumble in the third quarter and raced in for a TD. The guy just seems to be around the ball all the time and his athleticism is scary.
3. Twenty-one third-quarter points for the Longhorns? I feel like I'm living in a bizarro world.
4. The first-half stats were skewed because Texas scored so quickly due to the two big punt returns, but the numbers were pretty ugly overall in the first 30 minutes.
Rice 21:36 time of possession to 8:24 for Texas.
Rice 8-12 third downs, UT 2-4.
Total plays: Rice 49, UT 20.
Rice 15 first downs, UT 7.
Total yards Rice 223 Texas 157 (Texas got 35 on two meaningless carries to end the half).
Texas led on the scoreboard 21-14 at the half, but it could be argued that Rice looked like the better team.
5. It's official ... this is Jerrod Heard's team. Tyrone Swoopes is a great kid. Great kid. But no need to ever look back at this point.
6. Heard threw only 7 passes on the night, completing 4 of them, but his four completions covered 120 yards and accounted for 2 TDs. That equates to a 295.4 passing efficiency. That'll work.
The sample size of Heard's pass attempts is probably too small to tell how he'll handle that aspect of the game when he's forced to put the ball up more frequently (like next week), but Heard's athleticism gives Texas a spark that Swoopes can't come close to matching. If it's third-and-12, I have as much confidence that Heard can pick up the yardage with his legs than I do Swoopes can do it with his arm.
Remember, Heard was a track guy in high school as well as a football player. He's quick, but he can really get going when he stretches his legs, as he showed a couple times tonight. Plus he just has a natural feel as a runner that most guys don't have.
6. Speaking of young players, I loved seeing the young DBs on the field early. That's a talented group of corners, led by Kris Boyd and Holton Hill, that gives Texas a very bright future on the outside of the defense.
7. Defensively, you have to be worried if you're a Longhorn fan or coach. Rice was able to pretty much control the line of scrimmage and run the ball between the tackles at will. If the Owls can overpower the Texas defensive front with their inexperienced line, what are teams in the Big 12 going to do? Texas has to be much better up front.
8. The pass defense wasn't much better. Yes, the Longhorns recorded three gimme interceptions but Rice threw for 234 yards on the night.
Overall, the Owls gained a whopping 462 yards (to just 277 for Texas). Like I said earlier, the big plays by Texas on defense and in special teams skewed the stats some, but there's no excuse for letting Rice come close to 500 yards of offense.
9. Some bad ... up 21-0, most really good teams would have beaten a team like Rice into submission. Texas let the Owls battle back and made it way too interesting heading into the half.
10. Some good ... the Longhorns did put the game away in the third quarter with some big plays - the TD pass from Heard to freshman WR John Burt on the first play from scrimmage, a defensive TD by Jefferson and a TD run by D'Onta Foreman in the third quarter. I wasn't crazy about the way the team let Rice claw back in it in the second quarter, but Texas was able to regain control in the third quarter and basically choke Rice out.
11. Jerrod Heard hasn't always been the best practice player in the passing game, but that throw to Burt for a 69-yard score was perfection. You can't throw it any better than that. I remember watching Vince Young at practice when he was a young player (all practices were open back then). VY sometimes had trouble hitting his target when it was right in front of him, but when he was between the lines in the big games, he was a different player. The bigger the stage, the better he played. I've always thought Heard might have a little of that same characteristic in him (he showed it in high school), and he showed some of that tonight. The challenge for him will be to carry it over from week to week as the challenges get tougher.
12. I really liked the game Jay Norvell called in what was a tricky game. Rice was able to control the clock, which made it tough for Norvell and the Texas offense to really get into a rhythm, but I thought Norvell did a good job of picking his spots in the passing game and putting Heard in a position to have success.
It was a very solid debut for Norvell as UT's new playcaller.
13. On one hand, I feel bad for Johnathan Gray. He never seems to get much help from the guys in front of him, but Gray has to be better than 17 yards on 9 carries. The blocking was not good, but that just isn't going to get it done. D'Onta Foreman was only marginally better (23 yards on 6 carries), but there really doesn't seem to be any separation between the backs on the roster. Gray's a senior and he's a team leader, so he has to be able to separate from the pack.
14. That punt return by Daje Johnson was a thing of beauty. He made guys miss early and it was well blocked downfield. When Johnson really kicks it into high gear, he's just moving at a different speed than everybody else.
15. John Bonney bounced back after a slow start, but he had another couple rough plays. He has to do a better job of getting guys on the ground as well. Two TDs came largely on his watch.
16. Nice bounceback game for Dylan Haines, who took a beating from fans last week.
17. In two games, Texas has completed a total of 10 passes to wide receivers. Six of those went to Daje Johnson last week. The way tonight's game unfolded contributed to the low WR totals, but that's going to have to change next week.
18. Cal is going to really challenge the Texas defense. The Longhorns were not able to make many plays on third downs tonight, and the task is going to be much better next week to get off the field or Cal will make them pay.
Player of the game: This is a weird game, because nobody really lit it up statistically. Malik Jefferson led the defense with 9 tackles and he did have a TD, but the freshman also missed a handful of tackles. Poona Ford quietly turned in a very productive performance with 8 stops.
But we'll give the nod to Heard in his first career start. He threw the ball well in limited attempts and he added 96 yards on the ground on just 10 carries. He was the spark that Texas needed on offense.
Best position group: Again, there wasn't one group that really turned in exemplary game, so we'll go a different direction and give it to the punt return unit. Daje Johnson's TD return was obviously huge, and Duke Thomas' big return (albeit after a questionable decision to field the punt) helped set up another easy score.
This game was over when ... Malik Jefferson scooped up a fumble and raced 26 yards for a score, pushing Texas' lead to 35-14. Two things stood out on that play ... Jefferson's speed in the open field and Kris Boyd's play to come up and jar the ball free on the option pitch.
Boyd is the kind of scrappy, back-down-from-nobody player that Texas needs.
Should have seen coming ... Texas struggling to run the ball, aside from Heard on plays that weren't by design. I think it's time to stop giving the Longhorn ground game the benefit of the doubt each week until it starts producing.
Couldn't see coming ... I would have never guessed that Rice, with one returning offensive line starter, would be able to run the ball at will against the Texas front for most of the game. The Owls' ability to create seams, and Texas' inconsistent tackling, is a bit alarming.
Best decision: Going with Jerrod Heard. Easy choice.
Head-scratcher: The two punt returns and Jason Hall's decision to bring his interception out of the end zone could have been costly. Texas was fortunate that two of the three worked out in its favor. Speaking of Hall's return, how much grief will he get when they break down the film this week? You could see that fumble coming from a mile away.
What's next?: Cal shook off a slow start to beat up on San Diego State for a 35-7 win. The Bears are really going to challenge Texas next week with their ability to spread the ball around through the air. Quarterback Jared Goff has the ability to slice up Texas' secondary if UT doesn't play better than it has in the first two weeks and he has plenty of weapons at his disposal.
Make no mistake, this is a huge game for Texas and it could very well swing then pendulum on whether or not the Longhorns turn in a successful season or struggle through another year of mediocrity.
