First of all, with the limited number of games this weekend, E$PN could have done better than to send their 9th team production crew to Wacko - camera coverage was abysmal, scene cuts were atrocious, and the announcers were the most disinterested and unprepared pair I can ever remember. That is, until they were instructed to go all in on Bailor. The whole experience was like having a proctology exam performed by a one eyed aggy after its first kiss.
Pathetic. And Painful.
Continuing with the bad....
John Burt had his worst game of the year. Let me rephrase that - after starting all year as a freshman and providing so many incredible contributions, John Burt finally had a down game. Great season, Mr. Burt! You, sir, are a bona fide stud!
Holton Hill, what were you thinking? You got baited into that late hit. I know, you're a freshman and it's Bailor. But, let's make that the last time it happens in your career.
I didn't see a flag fly when Kevin Vaccaro was bumped and tripped over the BU QB following Duke's interception, but if that was the real reason for the call then we needed Randy Galloway's Idiot Alert to sound.
Speaking of the "brawl," Coach Strong was asked about it a couple of times in the post-game PC. He explained it thusly:
"It started in the pre-game - they were doing a lot of talking, so our guys got a little upset about their talking, which was good. I'm glad they did it."
"We didn't back down and I didn't want 'em to back down. We got some silly penalties, but we didn't want to back down. We're not going to back down."
"We didn't back down and I didn't want 'em to back down. We got some silly penalties, but we didn't want to back down. We're not going to back down."
Knowing it was his last game at Texas, Shawn Watson tied up Jeff Traylor and locked him in a closet at halftime. Fortunately, Traylor was able to escape and return to the booth late in the 4th quarter.
Okay, enough of the bad.
- The Horns were up 17-zip while BU's 1st (3rd) string QB was still in the game
- Duke Thomas had his best game of the season, especially in the first half
- This was the first time in two years the Bears haven't scored in the 1st quarter
- Bailor had not been held scoreless in the first half for since October, 2011
- Jake Oliver made a great save on Daje's muffed punt reception that could have been a game changer
- Texas racked up four TOs while protecting the ball all four quarters
But, when you're lacking Ridgeway, Jinkens, and a Predator, as well as having Jefferson relegated to limited action, then bad things are gonna happen with your run defense. That's not an excuse, it's a reality. Add to that losing Jason Hall and Duke Thomas in the 4th, then you're seeing freshmen at all seven backer positions. That's a train wreck waiting to happen.
And it almost did were it not for a miracle strip by Poona Ford.
Ricky Williams explained after the game that it may have appeared as though Bailor was running the same play from the "wildcat" over and over, but they were actually alternating between Iso's, Counters, and Traps which was confusing the young guys.
Overall, yeah, the Bears came into the game with their 3rd string QB/WR at the helm, and quarterback is the most important position. But Texas entered with 32 dead and 17 hobbled starters on both sides of the ball and they beat Bailor for the 2nd time in four years.
Suck it, Biles!
