The targeting rule includes shoulder to helmet - which it definitely was.Point of impact and Elliott is looking away and down. He did not lead with nor hit with the crown of the helmet.
Historic win against the Irish!!!
- Thread starter Longhorn Crazy
- Start date
I need to find the reverse angle as that shows it was shoulder to shoulder first and then slid up.
Watching the replay at full speed there is no real ground for targeting NOT being called.
You can take a coach out of Louisville but you can't take the Louisville out of the coach? Got it. Louisville South? Seriously, don't hate the messenger, I was just commenting on what was done. And yes, if OU were to beat Ohio State, which I don't believe they will, and the player hoisted Bobby up, I would be embarrassed unless it was a NC game. Then again Strong is fighting for his job so maybe the kids sensed his relief from winning a must win game?
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Luckily for you Dozer you will be spared that embarrassment.....and just to piss you off, I hope they "surf" Charlie every game.
? So you are predicting the Horns go undefeated or are you saying you hope they will surf Coach Rudy every game regardless of the outcome? I agree, I don't think OU will beat OSU and said as much above.
Vaccaro was second. I also think he is the one that caused the concussion by whipping Hunter's head forward.
Dozer...I suspect in person you are a great guy. I can respect a good pissing match, but I can see you need a little help here, considering I am old and all, but not necessarily smart as you said(I might surprise you there though...)
Anyway as far as helping you out.....The word hope and the word predict do not have the same meaning. Sometimes they point to different outcomes entirely. For example...I can Predict I will die, but I hope I dont
I hope that helps you, but I predict it won't
Anyway as far as helping you out.....The word hope and the word predict do not have the same meaning. Sometimes they point to different outcomes entirely. For example...I can Predict I will die, but I hope I dont
I hope that helps you, but I predict it won't
Oldhorn I did not say you were not smart in general my friend, I was very specific as to the subject we were discussing, don't go twisting things to fit your narrative. Now, in this new scenarios which you have created, I am simply asking for you to clarify your comment that was not very articulate in my opinion. You said you hoped they surfed Charlie every game my question to you is: are you wanting them to surf Charlie every game regardless of out come? Because if that's not what you are implying, perhaps you should clarify and state your comment in a more definitive way, such as: I hope they surf Charlie after every win just to piss you off.
I hope that helps but I'm not sure.
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Because he feels we're better than that. And kids that do that with their coach are losers and should act like they've been there before. Am I right?
Surfing the coach every year at small time schools is cute, not something I'm used to seeing at prestigious football schools. Admit it, if the was Sooners or Aggie y'all would've all over this so sit back and enjoy getting ribbed over it just as I am enjoying my team sucking right out of the gate.
It's been two games and only two years. Let's not make it sound like this happens every game and every year that we have existed. It's happened twice because of the players it's not like the fans are running out there all the time and picking Charlie up. I could careless if a coach get's picked up at any school. Obviously the kids love playing for our coach and I like that. It's cool Dozer if you have to find something like this to "rib" us with it I can live it. As I said before I'm glad we're starting off on the right foot. 1-0!
What's funny is people attempting to make something out of nothing. He's a little fella and they like to toss him around, so what...
One thing we can take out of this game is that a common myth shared by many on here , was finally debunked once and for all and just as I and others have claimed since Charlie took over and that is: that Vance Bedford knows what he's doing and that the defense is good but only appears like it's not because it's on the field all game because the offense can't score and goes 3 and out.
MYTH DEBUNKED
Please o message board gods let BLH create a new sock puppet and fly under the radar so he can attempt to argue this point like he always has tried.Amen
MYTH DEBUNKED
Please o message board gods let BLH create a new sock puppet and fly under the radar so he can attempt to argue this point like he always has tried.Amen
The defense wasn't all that bad. Minor issues. They busted off a big run early when Haines went wide and missed the runner, the runner that Malik tracked down. Of the 8 top tacklers, 6 were sophomores. They made some significant stops and the DL was much better against what will the arguably the best OL they face this season. Very few missed tackles. Davis got caught eyeing the QB in the endzone for a TD. Wheeler was killing it out there and the freshmen DL that entered the game, they didn't look like freshmen.
I think they will look damn good as the season progresses. They won't face another OL as good are physical.
I think they will look damn good as the season progresses. They won't face another OL as good are physical.
I agree. It's one game and I'd like to see what they do as the year progresses.
The secondary is sketchier than I hoped. Davis did not have a good game and I don't like seeing Vacarro at safety, but the D line is about what I expected going up against a good OL. They flashed some but we don't have the horses to go toe to toe with against top tier OLs. Luckily there is not a lot of those on the schedule.
I haven't read all things on this thread, but I just wanted to eat some crow. I did not think you would win. I thought you guys had a gutsy performance, and it was an incredible win in front of a lot of eyeballs. I didn't enjoy it but if I'm being honest, I would be extremely proud too if I were you. One game doesn't a season make, but you couldn't have scripted much better of a start.
Davis kept looking inside all game instead of at his guy. Was he look for DH to make a call? Is the secondary that dependent on Dylan Haines QBing them?
Notre Dame senior left tackle Mike McGlinchey …
On the challenges Texas presented: “They were doing the same stuff pretty much all game. We didn’t see a lot of adjustments. We missed a couple things here and there that we should’ve see. It wasn’t anything special that they were throwing at us, they played really, really hard.
“It comes down to the way we executed our plays, and we didn’t do that when we needed to.”
On the offensive line play: “We were a little inconsistent today. We played really, really hard, and we didn’t execute as we wanted to across the whole board. The name of the game is consistency and execution.
“We just struggled at certain points in the game for whatever reason.”
This tells me we probably kept it pretty vanilla.
On the challenges Texas presented: “They were doing the same stuff pretty much all game. We didn’t see a lot of adjustments. We missed a couple things here and there that we should’ve see. It wasn’t anything special that they were throwing at us, they played really, really hard.
“It comes down to the way we executed our plays, and we didn’t do that when we needed to.”
On the offensive line play: “We were a little inconsistent today. We played really, really hard, and we didn’t execute as we wanted to across the whole board. The name of the game is consistency and execution.
“We just struggled at certain points in the game for whatever reason.”
This tells me we probably kept it pretty vanilla.
Only one possession that topped 5 minutes. This has always been the criticism of the fast strike offenses.
2:58 TD
1:14 punt
1:13 punt
5:13 TD
2:23 TD
HALF
0:31 TD
3:01 FG
1:19 INT
1:10 punt
1:40 punt
2:20 punt
1:54 TD
1:43 punt
TOP- 27:07
8 of 13 possessions were less than 2 minutes.
Texas isn't going to be a good defense until the front four gets better and can bring pressure on their own. Once again blitzes were the only thing bringing any pressure and ND's OL did a very good job of chipping those guys. Kizer and his receivers were excellent at getting to the space the blitzer left.
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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.
1. How much fun was that game? That sucker had a little bit of everything. A season-opener for the ages.
2. This is the kind of game Texas definitely would have lost last year. One of my concerns for this team was how it would respond when it got punched in the mouth by an opponent like Notre Dame.
Well, this was a heavyweight fight that featured haymakers from both teams, and Texas just kept responding. When Notre Dame jumped on Texas on the first drive of the game, Texas came right back with a score of its own. When the Irish climbed back from a 17-point lead, a lesser team would have folded but Texas just kept fighting, kept battling. It's one thing to hear the coaches and players talk in the pre-season about this team being different than last year, but they backed it up tonight.
3. I'll get to Shane Buechele in a minute, but how about a big attaboy for Tyrone Swoopes. He truly is one of the classiest young men I've ever covered, and it sure was good to see him have such success. The fan support he got the entire game was pretty cool.
Good job Tyrone, good job UT fans.
4. What a start to the career of Shane Buechele. The true freshman finished with a stat line of 16-of-26 for 280 yards with 2 TDs and 1 INT. That'll work.
Beuchele's poise was pretty remarkable throughout the game. From the first series to the end of the game, when he was having to lead Texas back from a deficit, he never flinched. Not for a second. That was one hell of a debut.
5. A few things that I thought Buechele did very well ...
- He never really forced the ball into bad spots. For me, a big part of UT's success this year will depend on the quarterbacks protecting the ball, and Buechele passed his first test with flying colors. He did have one interception but even that throw was the right read, he was just a little off target. The pass late in the game that Cole Luke nearly intercepted was the only time he really forced one.
- Man, is he accurate on the deep ball. His stats would have looked even better had John Burt held onto the long one that went through his hands.
- Buechele gets rid of the ball so quickly. He makes good decisions and makes them in a split second.
6. The way the coaches substituted the quarterbacks was damn near flawless. I was a little surprised when Swoopes entered the game early in the second quarter, but the coaches seemed to have a plan to utilize the 18-wheeler package when backed up near their own end zone. It worked really well and the way they used them situationally throughout the game was extremely effective. Kudos to Sterlin Gilbert on using both guys extremely effectively in key spots.
7. Michael Dickson was pretty damn incredible. Six punts with a 55.0 average. He almost outkicks his coverage sometimes, but you can't exactly ask him to dial it back.
8. Texas' tempo to open the game was almost hard to keep up with. When this team wants to go fast, it's fun as hell to watch.
9. I love that Charlie Strong showed no hesitation in going for it on two fourth downs. That's a winner's mentality and Strong didn't waste any time in rolling the dice twice. Texas converted both fourth down attempts.
10. Yes, John Burt dropped a wide open pass that might have gone for a touchdown, but he had a heck of a game overall. Notre Dame had no answer for his speed downfield.
11. From my notes ... man, Beuchele is sure not afraid to take shots downfield. My goodness. He made the right reads when he did push the ball downfield, but if it's 1 on 1 coverage, he's going to give his guys a chance to make a play.
12. That throw to Burt for the 72-yard touchdown was a thing of beauty. As was the one to Jerrod Heard. You really couldn't place the ball any better than Beuchele did on those plays. Interestingly, both Burt and Heard had to fight the ball a bit before securing the catch, but they both came up big when it mattered.
13. What was going on with the botched extra point? I'll have to go back and look at that one again, but the whole field goal unit seemed confused.
14. We haven't received any official injury reports, but it sure seemed like Texas lost a lot of guys, including a couple offensive linemen and some hits in the secondary. Having UTEP on the schedule next week should be just a little less physical than this week.
15. Good job Jake Oliver. Three catches for 36 yards, including a couple big catches on third downs to help set up a touchdown.
16. DeShone Kizer is legit. Why Notre Dame had any sort of quarterback "controversy" coming into this game is a mystery to me, because Kizer looks like a guy who could play in the NFL for a long while.
17. DeShon Elliott is known as a big hitter and his shot on Torii Hunter Jr. was big because it broke up what would have otherwise been a touchdown pass. But Elliott needs to be careful moving forward. He was lucky he didn't draw a flag on that play, which could have put points on the board for the Irish and potentially flipped this game. Texas caught a big break there.
18. On the flipside, am I the only one that thought the chop block call on Patrick Vahe was bogus? That was a pretty big call in itself.
19. I'm sure Zach Shackelford's nerves were going 100 MPH and he'll be able to settle down moving forward, but he does need to tighten up the snapping issues that jumped up a couple times tonight.
20. With Beuchele getting the ball out so quickly, I don't remember a single play where Notre Dame put pressure on him in the passing game.
21. Chris Nelson led Texas with 8 tackles and 1.5 TFL. Raise your hand if you saw that coming.
22. The following true freshmen were listed on the participation report: Shane Buechele, Zach Shackelford, Brandon Jones, Kyle Porter, Malcolm Roach, Andrew Fitzgerald, Jordan Elliott, Chris Daniels.
Player of the game:Some pretty good candidates, including both quarterbacks, but I'll give the nod to D'Onta Foreman. Foreman finished the night with 131 yards and a touchdown and ran hard all game.
Best position group:Has to be the quarterbacks. Bang-up job by both Shane Buechele and Tyrone Swoopes.
This game was over when ...This one was like a walk-off home run, and it wasn't decided until Swoopes lunged over the goal line in the second round of overtime. Crazy stuff.
Best decision
lenty to choose from here, but I go back to the decision to rotate the quarterbacks in different situations. Sterlin Gilbert and the offensive staff executed that part of the plan to perfection.
Head-scratcher:Honestly, I don't really have any bones to pick this week. Good job all around.
What's next?:The Longhorns will take Monday off, deservedly so, and then hit the practice fields on Tuesday to begin preparation for UTEP. That game really won't show us much, but based on what we saw on Sunday night, this is a Texas team that could very well challenge for the Big 12 crown this year if the Longhorns are able to sustain this type of play.
It's been a heck of a start to the week for the Texas Longhorn football program.
On Sunday night, Texas knocked off Notre Dame in what will likely go down as one of the most exciting games in college football this year.
On Monday afternoon, Texas picked up good news on the recruiting front with Temple defensive end Taquon Graham announcing that he has officially committed to the Longhorns.
HookEm!pic.twitter.com/lzkpPzk3HZ
— TQ (@Quon_49)September 5, 2016
Graham, a three-star prospect, had been a Longhorn lean for some time, and considered making a commitment in the spring. He eventually chose to slow things down to make sure he made the right decision, but after thinking things over he decided to add his name to the Longhorn commitment list.
"What I like so much about Texas, it's 45 minutes away from home. I like the coaches very well. Them being so close, my brother and my mom could see me," Graham said. "Even now my baby niece could come see my games. It's just so convenient for them to come see my games."
Graham was intending to attend last night's win over Notre Dame, but was unable make it in. That did not damper his enthusiasm, and word began to circulate on Monday morning that Graham may be close to making his decision. He made it official on Monday afternoon.
Graham described Texas as a "can't-miss place" and said the timing just felt right for him to make his commitment. He's glad to have the decision behind him.
"Texas is its own beast," Graham said. "It feels so relieving."
A 6-4, 240-pounder, Graham has been on the UT campus several times already and has struck up a good relationship with the Texas coaches, players and current recruits. Graham's former teammate at Temple, Davion Curtis, is a freshman wide receiver for the Longhorns. In July, Graham was in Austin for Texas' Under the Lights camp, where he spent most of the night mingling with current UT commitments Sam Ehlinger, Kobe Boyce and Montrell Estell.
TCU and Oklahoma were Texas' main competition, and Graham had previously mentioned the possibility of visiting a school on the West Coast. Graham is the nation's No. 25-ranked weakside defensive end prospect. He ranks No. 12 on the Lone Star Recruiting Top 100. Graham becomes Texas' eighth commitment in the 2017 class and the second defensive end pledge, joining LaGaryonn Carson.
"Graham has ideal size and speed for a defensive end, but needs to play stronger. When he is able to get leverage and extend his arms, or break the block of an offensive lineman, he shows a great ability to close on quarterbacks or ball-carriers," said Rivals.com regional recruiting analyst Nick Krueger. "When we saw him over the spring at the Rivals Camp Series, he showed a good get-off when the ball was snapped, but he took all of his 1-on-1 reps against five-star offensive tackle Walker Little, who he struggled with to get through or around. Graham provides good upside and the type of canvas that Brick Haley and Vance Bedford are going to love to work with. At the very minimum, he is going to give the Longhorns a pass-rushing threat with a high motor."
What. A. Game.
In what will go down as one of the great games in the history of the Texas program, Charlie Strong's program soared into the stratosphere tonight and there's a chance that it might never look back. In a game that had a little bit of everything, it seems as if dreams were answered everywhere for everyone.
Tyrone Swoopes is a hero. Shane Buchele is on his way to stardom in a first start to remember for the ages. Charlie Strong got to crowd surf on his players.
It's unlike anything I've ever seen before in covering this program.
We're talking about a team full of freshmen and sophomores that just not only played a Notre Dame with a superstar in DeShone Kizer at quarterback off its feet, but it showed the kind of character that could eventually lead to a Big 12 title ... this year.
What. A. Game.
Some scattershots ...
1. You couldn't ask for more from the Texas quarterback duo of Buechele and Swoopes. One made plays with his arm, while the other beat the Irish over the head with a club in the running game. Will it work like this all season? Probably not, but in this game it added up to 280 yards and two touchdowns from Buechele through the air and 53 yards and three touchdowns from Swoopes on the ground.
Texas really does have two quarterbacks.
2. Texas only has one starter, though, and that's Buechele. Outside of one ill-advised throw in the third quarter, he was brilliant for much of the game. Just brilliant. Barring injuries, it's his show.
3. Good for Swoopes. He deserved to have a moment like that in his career. He was knocking dudes out there at the end when he just wouldn't be denied. Eat, Tyrone, eat.
4. Give D'Onte Foreman a game ball as well. All he did was carry the ball 24 times for 141 yards and a touchdown. He looked like the best running back in the Big 12 tonight.
5. John Burt. 6 receptions for 111 yards and a touchdown. Yes, the drop in the first half was bad, but he was critical tonight.
6. Guys were dropping left and right along the offensive line from play to play, but they gutted out a hell of a game. Game ball for Matt Mattox and all of his troops.
7. I'm going to give Vance Bedford and the defense a pass. Kizer is a flat out star and the Irish offense is going to be deadly all season. It was just one of those games when the offensive side of the ball ruled all night. The defense will make improvements and they flashed all over the field all night, so I'm comfortable this unit will have much better days. There's not another Kizer on the schedule the rest of the season.
8. The Texas pass rush has to improve. The front four has to provide more pressure.
9. Paul Boyette made a couple of huge plays in this game. Attaboy, senior leader.
10. The use of DeShone Kizer tonight kind of reminded me of the 2005 Ohio State game when Jim Tressell wouldn’t leave Troy Smith in the game.
11. DeShon Elliott should have been called for targeting. That wasn’t even close in my mind and it was a play that changed the game. The Irish losing Tori Hunter Jr. was huge and might have been the difference in the game down the stretch.
12. Tempo, tempo and more tempo. This isn't your daddy's Longhorn offense. This looked like the modified Art Briles offense that was expected when Sterlin Gilbert was hired.
13. The special teams have to get better, although Michael Dickson was a superstar at punter tonight with his 55 yard average on six punts.
14. The catch that Jerrod Heard made reminded me of Billy Pittman going 65 yards against Ohio State back in 2005, from the throw, catch, run and ultimately getting caught from behind. Still, that was our first glimpse at a player who can be an impact performer this season.
15. Charlie Strong has talked about Jake Oliver quite a bit for the last six months, but I think we all ignored him because we just never felt like Oliver would ever be a difference-maker. Yet, in the second quarter, he was exactly that with two huge first-down converting catches. It’s like we blinked and a third Shipley brother arrived out of thin air.
16. Color me shocked that Charlie Strong put Tyrone Swoopes into the game after two failed Texas drives in the second quarter, but Swoopes gave the offense the spark it needed and suddenly, the quarterbacks were coming and going on a play by play basis. Swoopes’ first four carries were for 31 yards and it was a reminder how effective the 18-Wheeler Package can be.
17. Take it easy on camera guys in the future, Tyrone.
18. Whoa, Big Daddy. I did not expect to see Chris Nelson explode into the backfield like he did in the second quarter for a stop.
19. The Malik Jefferson that can be a first-round draft pick in a few seasons was on display in the first half when he snuffed out an outside run and created a sack on third down on back to back plays. He played his heart out all night and made a number of huge plays. He's headed for an all-American season.
20. Charlie Strong had no fear on fourth downs. None.
There was a sense of relief from players during the postgame interview session after Texas’ 50-47 double-overtime victory against Notre Dame on Sunday. However, every player expressed this year’s team still had more to accomplish, and nobody was ready to act like they crossed the finish line.
Here are the highlights from the postgame interviews:
- Texas quarterback Shane Buechele has the same composure in front of a camera as he did in front of over 100,000 fans on Sunday. It appears evident he will be the face of this team during the next four seasons, and he handled the spotlight very well.
- Here was Buechele’s key to relaxing: “It’s just staying calm, cool and collected. Coach (Sterlin) Gilbert says it all the time, especially with the senior leadership, just being able to look up to them, and them keeping me calm, especially Ty. He kept me calm. Just being able to go out there and execute and do the plays that we have. Just kept me comfortable. That’s all we ask for, just execution. I’m just really happy we came out with the win.”
- Buechele enjoyed watching Swoopes lead Texas with the 18-wheeler package. He said the most important thing was winning in front of the home crowd.
- Even though Buechele had a strong performance in his college debut, he remained humble: “It was alright. We did some good things. We did some bad things. Just got to go in the film room, correct some stuff, and we’re just excited we came out with the win.”
- Buechele described being able to win this game with Swoopes as “really special.” In addition, Buechele said, “We could not have won the game without Ty. Just executing what he did, and executing what the team did. A great team win. I’m just excited we came out with the win.”
- In fact, Buechele praised Swoopes for helping him transition from being a high school quarterback to Texas’ starter: “Ty has helped me tremendously. Just having that leadership to lean on. Since I got here, he took me in greatly. I’m very thankful for his leadership.”
- So far, Buechele said nobody has noticed him on campus. He said, “I don’t think they expect a 6-foot, 190 guy to be playing football.”
- Here is Buechele’s response when asked what the different was between a game at Arlington Lamar High School and a season opener against Notre Dame: “Nothing. The field’s 100-yards long. It’s the same. There’s just a lot more people there. It’s just exciting. I have the same feeling.”
- Swoopes said he was not upset when Strong informed him on Saturday that Buechele would start against Notre Dame: “I’m always ready. I knew I was going to have my package. I knew that was going to be my role. When I got that opportunity, I did it to the best of my ability. That’s what they expect for me. That’s what I’m going to do.”
- When asked if the 18-wheeler package revitalized him, Swoopes said it just helps the team when it is time to make plays.
- Texas faced third-and-1 in double overtime, and Swoopes ran like a man possessed. Swoopes ran over multiple tacklers during his 10-yard run. Two plays later, Swoopes scored on a 6-yard run. When asked about that devastating run on third down, the quarterback said he was determined not to be tackled: “Yeah, that’s just the way we are. I think that’s the way we built our team just to be resilient, not to give up. I think that was just that part of our team coming out in that situation.”
- Gilbert said both quarterbacks knew the situation, and knew some of the scenarios that were going to occur on Sunday. He described both quarterbacks as very unselfish.
- During Gilbert’s press conference on Tuesday, he was relaxed. Gilbert said he had the same feeling during the game, too.
- Gilbert would not discuss how much of the playbook he is using with Buechele right now. However, he said as the season goes along, there will be room to grow the playbook. In addition, he said there is still room for growth.
- Here was Gilbert’s take on Buechele: “You go out and you go some things that he knows and understands really well and you just try to do those things with him. Just see where he starts out and just go from there. Just build from there schematically where we’re going, and what direction we need to go. You just kind of coach on the fly from there.”
- This is a good nugget for Longhorn fans. After Buechele threw his first interception, Gilbert had a brief conversation with his quarterback. The message was simple: “Let’s ride. Let’s go.” Gilbert said Buechele’s face remained the same. He had a good look in his eyes, and his quarterback was ready to go back out there.
- In addition, Gilbert praised the offensive line: “They did a great job. As they go, we go. ... Guys just battled and fought and paved the way for us. “
The Eyes of Texas pic.twitter.com/ej1fQvVGLA
— Anwar Richardson (@AnwarRichardson) September 5, 2016
Here are some postgame notes provided by UT:
- Shane Buechele is the first true freshman to start at QB for the Longhorns in the season opener since Bobby Layne in 1944. He is just the ninth true freshman to start at quarterback in a game in school history and the first since David Ash in 2011.
- Buechele’s 72-yard pass TD is tied for the 4th longest by a freshman QB in Texas history.
- Buechele finished 16-for-26 with 313 yards of total offense.
- Tyrone Swoopes rushed for 53 yards and three touchdowns, including the game winner in the second overtime. He is now seventh in QB rushing yards in school history with 854 and tied for third among QBs with 20 rushing touchdowns.
- John Burt led the Longhorns in receiving yards with 111, including the 72-yard TD from Shane Buechele in the third quarter. It was Burt’s second career 100-yard receiving game.
- D’Onta Foreman led the Longhorns in rushing with 131 yards. He scored his first TD of the season in the fourth quarter on a 19-yard rush. It was his fifth career 100-yard rushing game.
- The 131 yards rushing by Foreman were the third-most by a Longhorn all-time against Notre Dame. It was the first 100-yard rushing game in the series since Ricky Williams had 107 yards in 1996.
- Chris Nelson made a career-high 8 tackles in the game, more than doubling his previous career-best (3).
- Jerrod Heard finished with 2 catches for 73 yards in his first game as a wide receiver. His 68-yard reception in the second quarter was longer than 90 of his 92 completions from a season ago.
- Naashon Hughes blocked a field goal attempt in the third quarter, the first blocked FG of his career.
- Sheroid Evans made one tackle in the game. It was his first appearance since October 3, 2013 at Iowa State making for a total of 1,068 days between starts.
- Jake Oliver made a career-high three catches for 36 yards. His 5-yard catch in the first quarter was the first of his career. He followed it with 21-yard completion and a 10-yard completion in the second quarter.
Texas coach Charlie Strong celebrating with his team after the Notre Dame win pic.twitter.com/diKNhrssEK
— Anwar Richardson (@AnwarRichardson) September 5, 2016
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.
1. How much fun was that game? That sucker had a little bit of everything. A season-opener for the ages.
2. This is the kind of game Texas definitely would have lost last year. One of my concerns for this team was how it would respond when it got punched in the mouth by an opponent like Notre Dame.
Well, this was a heavyweight fight that featured haymakers from both teams, and Texas just kept responding. When Notre Dame jumped on Texas on the first drive of the game, Texas came right back with a score of its own. When the Irish climbed back from a 17-point lead, a lesser team would have folded but Texas just kept fighting, kept battling. It's one thing to hear the coaches and players talk in the pre-season about this team being different than last year, but they backed it up tonight.
3. I'll get to Shane Buechele in a minute, but how about a big attaboy for Tyrone Swoopes. He truly is one of the classiest young men I've ever covered, and it sure was good to see him have such success. The fan support he got the entire game was pretty cool.
Good job Tyrone, good job UT fans.
4. What a start to the career of Shane Buechele. The true freshman finished with a stat line of 16-of-26 for 280 yards with 2 TDs and 1 INT. That'll work.
Beuchele's poise was pretty remarkable throughout the game. From the first series to the end of the game, when he was having to lead Texas back from a deficit, he never flinched. Not for a second. That was one hell of a debut.
5. A few things that I thought Buechele did very well ...
- He never really forced the ball into bad spots. For me, a big part of UT's success this year will depend on the quarterbacks protecting the ball, and Buechele passed his first test with flying colors. He did have one interception but even that throw was the right read, he was just a little off target. The pass late in the game that Cole Luke nearly intercepted was the only time he really forced one.
- Man, is he accurate on the deep ball. His stats would have looked even better had John Burt held onto the long one that went through his hands.
- Buechele gets rid of the ball so quickly. He makes good decisions and makes them in a split second.
6. The way the coaches substituted the quarterbacks was damn near flawless. I was a little surprised when Swoopes entered the game early in the second quarter, but the coaches seemed to have a plan to utilize the 18-wheeler package when backed up near their own end zone. It worked really well and the way they used them situationally throughout the game was extremely effective. Kudos to Sterlin Gilbert on using both guys extremely effectively in key spots.
7. Michael Dickson was pretty damn incredible. Six punts with a 55.0 average. He almost outkicks his coverage sometimes, but you can't exactly ask him to dial it back.
8. Texas' tempo to open the game was almost hard to keep up with. When this team wants to go fast, it's fun as hell to watch.
9. I love that Charlie Strong showed no hesitation in going for it on two fourth downs. That's a winner's mentality and Strong didn't waste any time in rolling the dice twice. Texas converted both fourth down attempts.
10. Yes, John Burt dropped a wide open pass that might have gone for a touchdown, but he had a heck of a game overall. Notre Dame had no answer for his speed downfield.
11. From my notes ... man, Beuchele is sure not afraid to take shots downfield. My goodness. He made the right reads when he did push the ball downfield, but if it's 1 on 1 coverage, he's going to give his guys a chance to make a play.
12. That throw to Burt for the 72-yard touchdown was a thing of beauty. As was the one to Jerrod Heard. You really couldn't place the ball any better than Beuchele did on those plays. Interestingly, both Burt and Heard had to fight the ball a bit before securing the catch, but they both came up big when it mattered.
13. What was going on with the botched extra point? I'll have to go back and look at that one again, but the whole field goal unit seemed confused.
14. We haven't received any official injury reports, but it sure seemed like Texas lost a lot of guys, including a couple offensive linemen and some hits in the secondary. Having UTEP on the schedule next week should be just a little less physical than this week.
15. Good job Jake Oliver. Three catches for 36 yards, including a couple big catches on third downs to help set up a touchdown.
16. DeShone Kizer is legit. Why Notre Dame had any sort of quarterback "controversy" coming into this game is a mystery to me, because Kizer looks like a guy who could play in the NFL for a long while.
17. DeShon Elliott is known as a big hitter and his shot on Torii Hunter Jr. was big because it broke up what would have otherwise been a touchdown pass. But Elliott needs to be careful moving forward. He was lucky he didn't draw a flag on that play, which could have put points on the board for the Irish and potentially flipped this game. Texas caught a big break there.
18. On the flipside, am I the only one that thought the chop block call on Patrick Vahe was bogus? That was a pretty big call in itself.
19. I'm sure Zach Shackelford's nerves were going 100 MPH and he'll be able to settle down moving forward, but he does need to tighten up the snapping issues that jumped up a couple times tonight.
20. With Beuchele getting the ball out so quickly, I don't remember a single play where Notre Dame put pressure on him in the passing game.
21. Chris Nelson led Texas with 8 tackles and 1.5 TFL. Raise your hand if you saw that coming.
22. The following true freshmen were listed on the participation report: Shane Buechele, Zach Shackelford, Brandon Jones, Kyle Porter, Malcolm Roach, Andrew Fitzgerald, Jordan Elliott, Chris Daniels.
Player of the game:Some pretty good candidates, including both quarterbacks, but I'll give the nod to D'Onta Foreman. Foreman finished the night with 131 yards and a touchdown and ran hard all game.
Best position group:Has to be the quarterbacks. Bang-up job by both Shane Buechele and Tyrone Swoopes.
This game was over when ...This one was like a walk-off home run, and it wasn't decided until Swoopes lunged over the goal line in the second round of overtime. Crazy stuff.
Best decision
lenty to choose from here, but I go back to the decision to rotate the quarterbacks in different situations. Sterlin Gilbert and the offensive staff executed that part of the plan to perfection.Head-scratcher:Honestly, I don't really have any bones to pick this week. Good job all around.
What's next?:The Longhorns will take Monday off, deservedly so, and then hit the practice fields on Tuesday to begin preparation for UTEP. That game really won't show us much, but based on what we saw on Sunday night, this is a Texas team that could very well challenge for the Big 12 crown this year if the Longhorns are able to sustain this type of play.
It's been a heck of a start to the week for the Texas Longhorn football program.
On Sunday night, Texas knocked off Notre Dame in what will likely go down as one of the most exciting games in college football this year.
On Monday afternoon, Texas picked up good news on the recruiting front with Temple defensive end Taquon Graham announcing that he has officially committed to the Longhorns.
HookEm!pic.twitter.com/lzkpPzk3HZ
— TQ (@Quon_49)September 5, 2016
Graham, a three-star prospect, had been a Longhorn lean for some time, and considered making a commitment in the spring. He eventually chose to slow things down to make sure he made the right decision, but after thinking things over he decided to add his name to the Longhorn commitment list.
"What I like so much about Texas, it's 45 minutes away from home. I like the coaches very well. Them being so close, my brother and my mom could see me," Graham said. "Even now my baby niece could come see my games. It's just so convenient for them to come see my games."
Graham was intending to attend last night's win over Notre Dame, but was unable make it in. That did not damper his enthusiasm, and word began to circulate on Monday morning that Graham may be close to making his decision. He made it official on Monday afternoon.
Graham described Texas as a "can't-miss place" and said the timing just felt right for him to make his commitment. He's glad to have the decision behind him.
"Texas is its own beast," Graham said. "It feels so relieving."
A 6-4, 240-pounder, Graham has been on the UT campus several times already and has struck up a good relationship with the Texas coaches, players and current recruits. Graham's former teammate at Temple, Davion Curtis, is a freshman wide receiver for the Longhorns. In July, Graham was in Austin for Texas' Under the Lights camp, where he spent most of the night mingling with current UT commitments Sam Ehlinger, Kobe Boyce and Montrell Estell.
TCU and Oklahoma were Texas' main competition, and Graham had previously mentioned the possibility of visiting a school on the West Coast. Graham is the nation's No. 25-ranked weakside defensive end prospect. He ranks No. 12 on the Lone Star Recruiting Top 100. Graham becomes Texas' eighth commitment in the 2017 class and the second defensive end pledge, joining LaGaryonn Carson.
"Graham has ideal size and speed for a defensive end, but needs to play stronger. When he is able to get leverage and extend his arms, or break the block of an offensive lineman, he shows a great ability to close on quarterbacks or ball-carriers," said Rivals.com regional recruiting analyst Nick Krueger. "When we saw him over the spring at the Rivals Camp Series, he showed a good get-off when the ball was snapped, but he took all of his 1-on-1 reps against five-star offensive tackle Walker Little, who he struggled with to get through or around. Graham provides good upside and the type of canvas that Brick Haley and Vance Bedford are going to love to work with. At the very minimum, he is going to give the Longhorns a pass-rushing threat with a high motor."
What. A. Game.
In what will go down as one of the great games in the history of the Texas program, Charlie Strong's program soared into the stratosphere tonight and there's a chance that it might never look back. In a game that had a little bit of everything, it seems as if dreams were answered everywhere for everyone.
Tyrone Swoopes is a hero. Shane Buchele is on his way to stardom in a first start to remember for the ages. Charlie Strong got to crowd surf on his players.
It's unlike anything I've ever seen before in covering this program.
We're talking about a team full of freshmen and sophomores that just not only played a Notre Dame with a superstar in DeShone Kizer at quarterback off its feet, but it showed the kind of character that could eventually lead to a Big 12 title ... this year.
What. A. Game.
Some scattershots ...
1. You couldn't ask for more from the Texas quarterback duo of Buechele and Swoopes. One made plays with his arm, while the other beat the Irish over the head with a club in the running game. Will it work like this all season? Probably not, but in this game it added up to 280 yards and two touchdowns from Buechele through the air and 53 yards and three touchdowns from Swoopes on the ground.
Texas really does have two quarterbacks.
2. Texas only has one starter, though, and that's Buechele. Outside of one ill-advised throw in the third quarter, he was brilliant for much of the game. Just brilliant. Barring injuries, it's his show.
3. Good for Swoopes. He deserved to have a moment like that in his career. He was knocking dudes out there at the end when he just wouldn't be denied. Eat, Tyrone, eat.
4. Give D'Onte Foreman a game ball as well. All he did was carry the ball 24 times for 141 yards and a touchdown. He looked like the best running back in the Big 12 tonight.
5. John Burt. 6 receptions for 111 yards and a touchdown. Yes, the drop in the first half was bad, but he was critical tonight.
6. Guys were dropping left and right along the offensive line from play to play, but they gutted out a hell of a game. Game ball for Matt Mattox and all of his troops.
7. I'm going to give Vance Bedford and the defense a pass. Kizer is a flat out star and the Irish offense is going to be deadly all season. It was just one of those games when the offensive side of the ball ruled all night. The defense will make improvements and they flashed all over the field all night, so I'm comfortable this unit will have much better days. There's not another Kizer on the schedule the rest of the season.
8. The Texas pass rush has to improve. The front four has to provide more pressure.
9. Paul Boyette made a couple of huge plays in this game. Attaboy, senior leader.
10. The use of DeShone Kizer tonight kind of reminded me of the 2005 Ohio State game when Jim Tressell wouldn’t leave Troy Smith in the game.
11. DeShon Elliott should have been called for targeting. That wasn’t even close in my mind and it was a play that changed the game. The Irish losing Tori Hunter Jr. was huge and might have been the difference in the game down the stretch.
12. Tempo, tempo and more tempo. This isn't your daddy's Longhorn offense. This looked like the modified Art Briles offense that was expected when Sterlin Gilbert was hired.
13. The special teams have to get better, although Michael Dickson was a superstar at punter tonight with his 55 yard average on six punts.
14. The catch that Jerrod Heard made reminded me of Billy Pittman going 65 yards against Ohio State back in 2005, from the throw, catch, run and ultimately getting caught from behind. Still, that was our first glimpse at a player who can be an impact performer this season.
15. Charlie Strong has talked about Jake Oliver quite a bit for the last six months, but I think we all ignored him because we just never felt like Oliver would ever be a difference-maker. Yet, in the second quarter, he was exactly that with two huge first-down converting catches. It’s like we blinked and a third Shipley brother arrived out of thin air.
16. Color me shocked that Charlie Strong put Tyrone Swoopes into the game after two failed Texas drives in the second quarter, but Swoopes gave the offense the spark it needed and suddenly, the quarterbacks were coming and going on a play by play basis. Swoopes’ first four carries were for 31 yards and it was a reminder how effective the 18-Wheeler Package can be.
17. Take it easy on camera guys in the future, Tyrone.
18. Whoa, Big Daddy. I did not expect to see Chris Nelson explode into the backfield like he did in the second quarter for a stop.
19. The Malik Jefferson that can be a first-round draft pick in a few seasons was on display in the first half when he snuffed out an outside run and created a sack on third down on back to back plays. He played his heart out all night and made a number of huge plays. He's headed for an all-American season.
20. Charlie Strong had no fear on fourth downs. None.
There was a sense of relief from players during the postgame interview session after Texas’ 50-47 double-overtime victory against Notre Dame on Sunday. However, every player expressed this year’s team still had more to accomplish, and nobody was ready to act like they crossed the finish line.
Here are the highlights from the postgame interviews:
- Texas quarterback Shane Buechele has the same composure in front of a camera as he did in front of over 100,000 fans on Sunday. It appears evident he will be the face of this team during the next four seasons, and he handled the spotlight very well.
- Here was Buechele’s key to relaxing: “It’s just staying calm, cool and collected. Coach (Sterlin) Gilbert says it all the time, especially with the senior leadership, just being able to look up to them, and them keeping me calm, especially Ty. He kept me calm. Just being able to go out there and execute and do the plays that we have. Just kept me comfortable. That’s all we ask for, just execution. I’m just really happy we came out with the win.”
- Buechele enjoyed watching Swoopes lead Texas with the 18-wheeler package. He said the most important thing was winning in front of the home crowd.
- Even though Buechele had a strong performance in his college debut, he remained humble: “It was alright. We did some good things. We did some bad things. Just got to go in the film room, correct some stuff, and we’re just excited we came out with the win.”
- Buechele described being able to win this game with Swoopes as “really special.” In addition, Buechele said, “We could not have won the game without Ty. Just executing what he did, and executing what the team did. A great team win. I’m just excited we came out with the win.”
- In fact, Buechele praised Swoopes for helping him transition from being a high school quarterback to Texas’ starter: “Ty has helped me tremendously. Just having that leadership to lean on. Since I got here, he took me in greatly. I’m very thankful for his leadership.”
- So far, Buechele said nobody has noticed him on campus. He said, “I don’t think they expect a 6-foot, 190 guy to be playing football.”
- Here is Buechele’s response when asked what the different was between a game at Arlington Lamar High School and a season opener against Notre Dame: “Nothing. The field’s 100-yards long. It’s the same. There’s just a lot more people there. It’s just exciting. I have the same feeling.”
- Swoopes said he was not upset when Strong informed him on Saturday that Buechele would start against Notre Dame: “I’m always ready. I knew I was going to have my package. I knew that was going to be my role. When I got that opportunity, I did it to the best of my ability. That’s what they expect for me. That’s what I’m going to do.”
- When asked if the 18-wheeler package revitalized him, Swoopes said it just helps the team when it is time to make plays.
- Texas faced third-and-1 in double overtime, and Swoopes ran like a man possessed. Swoopes ran over multiple tacklers during his 10-yard run. Two plays later, Swoopes scored on a 6-yard run. When asked about that devastating run on third down, the quarterback said he was determined not to be tackled: “Yeah, that’s just the way we are. I think that’s the way we built our team just to be resilient, not to give up. I think that was just that part of our team coming out in that situation.”
- Gilbert said both quarterbacks knew the situation, and knew some of the scenarios that were going to occur on Sunday. He described both quarterbacks as very unselfish.
- During Gilbert’s press conference on Tuesday, he was relaxed. Gilbert said he had the same feeling during the game, too.
- Gilbert would not discuss how much of the playbook he is using with Buechele right now. However, he said as the season goes along, there will be room to grow the playbook. In addition, he said there is still room for growth.
- Here was Gilbert’s take on Buechele: “You go out and you go some things that he knows and understands really well and you just try to do those things with him. Just see where he starts out and just go from there. Just build from there schematically where we’re going, and what direction we need to go. You just kind of coach on the fly from there.”
- This is a good nugget for Longhorn fans. After Buechele threw his first interception, Gilbert had a brief conversation with his quarterback. The message was simple: “Let’s ride. Let’s go.” Gilbert said Buechele’s face remained the same. He had a good look in his eyes, and his quarterback was ready to go back out there.
- In addition, Gilbert praised the offensive line: “They did a great job. As they go, we go. ... Guys just battled and fought and paved the way for us. “
The Eyes of Texas pic.twitter.com/ej1fQvVGLA
— Anwar Richardson (@AnwarRichardson) September 5, 2016
Here are some postgame notes provided by UT:
- Shane Buechele is the first true freshman to start at QB for the Longhorns in the season opener since Bobby Layne in 1944. He is just the ninth true freshman to start at quarterback in a game in school history and the first since David Ash in 2011.
- Buechele’s 72-yard pass TD is tied for the 4th longest by a freshman QB in Texas history.
- Buechele finished 16-for-26 with 313 yards of total offense.
- Tyrone Swoopes rushed for 53 yards and three touchdowns, including the game winner in the second overtime. He is now seventh in QB rushing yards in school history with 854 and tied for third among QBs with 20 rushing touchdowns.
- John Burt led the Longhorns in receiving yards with 111, including the 72-yard TD from Shane Buechele in the third quarter. It was Burt’s second career 100-yard receiving game.
- D’Onta Foreman led the Longhorns in rushing with 131 yards. He scored his first TD of the season in the fourth quarter on a 19-yard rush. It was his fifth career 100-yard rushing game.
- The 131 yards rushing by Foreman were the third-most by a Longhorn all-time against Notre Dame. It was the first 100-yard rushing game in the series since Ricky Williams had 107 yards in 1996.
- Chris Nelson made a career-high 8 tackles in the game, more than doubling his previous career-best (3).
- Jerrod Heard finished with 2 catches for 73 yards in his first game as a wide receiver. His 68-yard reception in the second quarter was longer than 90 of his 92 completions from a season ago.
- Naashon Hughes blocked a field goal attempt in the third quarter, the first blocked FG of his career.
- Sheroid Evans made one tackle in the game. It was his first appearance since October 3, 2013 at Iowa State making for a total of 1,068 days between starts.
- Jake Oliver made a career-high three catches for 36 yards. His 5-yard catch in the first quarter was the first of his career. He followed it with 21-yard completion and a 10-yard completion in the second quarter.
Texas coach Charlie Strong celebrating with his team after the Notre Dame win pic.twitter.com/diKNhrssEK
— Anwar Richardson (@AnwarRichardson) September 5, 2016
4. What a start to the career of Shane Buechele. The true freshman finished with a stat line of 16-of-26 for 280 yards with 2 TDs and 1 INT. That'll work.
Rushing
Att Yds TD
5- 33 -1
Rushing
Att Yds TD
5- 33 -1
I assume it was copy and paste, but if not that is some serious dedication.
The AP Poll has us ranked at #11, ahead of OU and Aggie. I don't care a thing about that ranking after one game, but its perfect for irritating our two biggest closet fan bases. You know they are ready to eat their own fists over it.
I have no problem with it. I do have a problem with a 5 million/yr coach losing a game that they shouldn't though.
