Excitement around the UT program is as high as it has been in years after taking care of Notre Dame on Sunday night.
As the Longhorns get ready for UTEP, OB will introduce a new weekly feature: The 3-2-1. We'll breakdown three things we learned that week, two questions we have and give one prediction.
Here is the first installment of The 3-2-1.
THREE THINGS WE LEARNED
1. Shane Buechele has nerves of steel
I'm sure Buechele's heart rate was probably off the charts on Sunday night, but you'd never know it by watching him play. From the opening snap, Buechele appeared calm, cool and collected. He showed enthusiasm when things were going well, but in the few moments when he was faced with some adversity, Buechele never blinked. Even after throwing his lone interception of the night, Buechele reportedly went over to the sideline and told Sterlin Gilbert he was fine and ready to get back on the field. Sunday night may have been the biggest stage Buechele will play on all season, and he passed his first test with flying colors.
2. These new offensive coaches are the real deal
I'd say the offensive coaching staff, as a whole, deserves nothing short of an "A" in their first test. What Sterlin Gilbert did in his first game as offensive coordinator is pretty amazing. Texas totaled 517 yards of offense, compared to just 163 in the season-opener last year, and at times seemed to move the ball with ease. The very first drive of the season was a thing of beauty, going 75 yards on 11 plays that seemed to have the Notre Dame defense's head spinning.
As good as Gilbert was, first-year assistants Matt Mattox, Charlie Williams and Anthony Johnson were also extremely impressive.
Mattox has had to piece together a line all fall camp and his unit suffered a couple key injuries in the game, but the line played very well overall, paving the way for a ground game that went for 237 yards and 5 TDs (4.0 ypc). The line also limited Notre Dame to 1 QB hurry and zero sacks in the game.
Charlie Williams' wide receiver corps was terrific as well. The only real blunder was the drop by John Burt, but it's hard to pin that one on anyone but Burt. In his short time on campus, Williams has apparently turned guys like Jake Oliver, Jacorey Warrick and former QB Jerrod Heard into legitimate weapons for the Texas offense. Williams' efforts have been somewhat overlooked, but that was a heck of a showing by his players on Sunday.
Anthony Johnson's backs, led by D'Onta Foreman, ran hard and ran well for most of the night. Fundamentally, the group was sound in its blocking assignments and perhaps most importantly, didn't come close to putting the ball on the turf.
Great start all around for the new offensive coaches.
3. It may be time to bury the "if you have two quarterbacks, you have none" talk
Everyone's heard the above saying, but it certainly doesn't appear that it applies to Texas (or Notre Dame for that matter). Normally, when a team is playing two QBs, it's because one player hasn't separated from the pack, and that's rarely a good thing. With Texas' situation, it's much different since Shane Buechele and Tyrone Swoopes bring such different elements to the offense. Buechele is the future of the position for Texas and he is the starter, but I see zero reason why Swoopes shouldn't be a heavy contributor for the entire season.
TWO QUESTIONS
1. How much of a recruiting push will Texas get from this game?
The Longhorns have certainly generated a lot of recruiting buzz around the state, deservedly so, but I would not expect any earth-shattering developments with the Horns' top national targets - guys like Marvin Wilson, Baron Browning, Walker Little, Anthony Hines, Dylan Moses, etc.
Those players were certainly impressed with what they saw, and they said as much on social media, but they are all the types that will take a big-picture approach to the recruiting process and not overreact to the outcome of one game.
The good news ... Texas took a huge step forward on Sunday night and laid the foundation for what could be a monster recruiting year. Now the team needs to continue to build on that success on the field. Do that, and recruits will be beating down the door to get in later in the year.
2. Has Texas officially turned the corner?
It sure feels like it.
Obviously, there is work to be done, and Charlie Strong said as much as soon as the Notre Dame game ended, but there sure is a different feel with this year's team than there has been in several years. I'm not necessarily saying Texas is going to keep it rolling throughout the season and claim the Big 12 crown, but with the offense the Longhorns displayed against Notre Dame, it's certainly not out of the question. If Texas has any hopes of competing for the conference title, it will have to show consistency and eliminate the losses in every game it should win. That has been an issue in the past and we truly won't know the answer for several weeks, but this team just has a different feel to it. I think Texas has finally turned the corner.
ONE PREDICTION - Texas wins AT LEAST one of the games I was giving the team little chance to win
Coming into the season, I thought the key to the Longhorns' season would be in the first five weeks. UTEP is an obvious win and Cal is a probable win (though not a given), but what about Notre Dame, Oklahoma State and OU? In my mind, I thought the Horns' best chance to get a win out of those three was against Notre Dame. It's a home game and I wasn't completely sold on the Irish after losing so much talent from last year's squad.
With that game out of the way, that leaves what in my mind were the two toughest games of UT's opening five - at Oklahoma State and OU in Dallas. Whereas I was chalking both of those up as losses before seeing Texas in action last week, I'm changing my tune. I think the Longhorns win at least one, and it's certainly not out of the question that Texas wins both. When this team is clicking, like it was the other night, it's going to be a tough out for anybody on the schedule.
As the Longhorns get ready for UTEP, OB will introduce a new weekly feature: The 3-2-1. We'll breakdown three things we learned that week, two questions we have and give one prediction.
Here is the first installment of The 3-2-1.
THREE THINGS WE LEARNED
1. Shane Buechele has nerves of steel
I'm sure Buechele's heart rate was probably off the charts on Sunday night, but you'd never know it by watching him play. From the opening snap, Buechele appeared calm, cool and collected. He showed enthusiasm when things were going well, but in the few moments when he was faced with some adversity, Buechele never blinked. Even after throwing his lone interception of the night, Buechele reportedly went over to the sideline and told Sterlin Gilbert he was fine and ready to get back on the field. Sunday night may have been the biggest stage Buechele will play on all season, and he passed his first test with flying colors.
2. These new offensive coaches are the real deal
I'd say the offensive coaching staff, as a whole, deserves nothing short of an "A" in their first test. What Sterlin Gilbert did in his first game as offensive coordinator is pretty amazing. Texas totaled 517 yards of offense, compared to just 163 in the season-opener last year, and at times seemed to move the ball with ease. The very first drive of the season was a thing of beauty, going 75 yards on 11 plays that seemed to have the Notre Dame defense's head spinning.
As good as Gilbert was, first-year assistants Matt Mattox, Charlie Williams and Anthony Johnson were also extremely impressive.
Mattox has had to piece together a line all fall camp and his unit suffered a couple key injuries in the game, but the line played very well overall, paving the way for a ground game that went for 237 yards and 5 TDs (4.0 ypc). The line also limited Notre Dame to 1 QB hurry and zero sacks in the game.
Charlie Williams' wide receiver corps was terrific as well. The only real blunder was the drop by John Burt, but it's hard to pin that one on anyone but Burt. In his short time on campus, Williams has apparently turned guys like Jake Oliver, Jacorey Warrick and former QB Jerrod Heard into legitimate weapons for the Texas offense. Williams' efforts have been somewhat overlooked, but that was a heck of a showing by his players on Sunday.
Anthony Johnson's backs, led by D'Onta Foreman, ran hard and ran well for most of the night. Fundamentally, the group was sound in its blocking assignments and perhaps most importantly, didn't come close to putting the ball on the turf.
Great start all around for the new offensive coaches.
3. It may be time to bury the "if you have two quarterbacks, you have none" talk
Everyone's heard the above saying, but it certainly doesn't appear that it applies to Texas (or Notre Dame for that matter). Normally, when a team is playing two QBs, it's because one player hasn't separated from the pack, and that's rarely a good thing. With Texas' situation, it's much different since Shane Buechele and Tyrone Swoopes bring such different elements to the offense. Buechele is the future of the position for Texas and he is the starter, but I see zero reason why Swoopes shouldn't be a heavy contributor for the entire season.
TWO QUESTIONS
1. How much of a recruiting push will Texas get from this game?
The Longhorns have certainly generated a lot of recruiting buzz around the state, deservedly so, but I would not expect any earth-shattering developments with the Horns' top national targets - guys like Marvin Wilson, Baron Browning, Walker Little, Anthony Hines, Dylan Moses, etc.
Those players were certainly impressed with what they saw, and they said as much on social media, but they are all the types that will take a big-picture approach to the recruiting process and not overreact to the outcome of one game.
The good news ... Texas took a huge step forward on Sunday night and laid the foundation for what could be a monster recruiting year. Now the team needs to continue to build on that success on the field. Do that, and recruits will be beating down the door to get in later in the year.
2. Has Texas officially turned the corner?
It sure feels like it.
Obviously, there is work to be done, and Charlie Strong said as much as soon as the Notre Dame game ended, but there sure is a different feel with this year's team than there has been in several years. I'm not necessarily saying Texas is going to keep it rolling throughout the season and claim the Big 12 crown, but with the offense the Longhorns displayed against Notre Dame, it's certainly not out of the question. If Texas has any hopes of competing for the conference title, it will have to show consistency and eliminate the losses in every game it should win. That has been an issue in the past and we truly won't know the answer for several weeks, but this team just has a different feel to it. I think Texas has finally turned the corner.
ONE PREDICTION - Texas wins AT LEAST one of the games I was giving the team little chance to win
Coming into the season, I thought the key to the Longhorns' season would be in the first five weeks. UTEP is an obvious win and Cal is a probable win (though not a given), but what about Notre Dame, Oklahoma State and OU? In my mind, I thought the Horns' best chance to get a win out of those three was against Notre Dame. It's a home game and I wasn't completely sold on the Irish after losing so much talent from last year's squad.
With that game out of the way, that leaves what in my mind were the two toughest games of UT's opening five - at Oklahoma State and OU in Dallas. Whereas I was chalking both of those up as losses before seeing Texas in action last week, I'm changing my tune. I think the Longhorns win at least one, and it's certainly not out of the question that Texas wins both. When this team is clicking, like it was the other night, it's going to be a tough out for anybody on the schedule.
