Here is your postgame wrap-up after Texas’ 24-20 home loss against West Virginia on Saturday:
- I was told Texas linebacker Malik Jefferson was kicked in the back of his head against West Virginia, which is why he left the game. However, I was told Jefferson was fine after speaking to a source on Saturday afternoon.
- Texas coach Charlie Strong informed his team about linebacker Tim Cole’s father being transported to the hospital on Saturday. The team prayed for Cole’s father prior to the game.
- Here is what Malcolm Roach said about the situation: “We just came together, sat down as a team, talked to each other and said we were going to try our hardest out there. We know Tim had a heavy heart out there, but he’s a strong person. He played today, and I don’t feel like he let it affect his play. I feel like he played a good game.”
- Texas cornerback John Bonney said Strong’s message to the players after this loss was they are close, but still need to keep fighting.
- Texas offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert said producing a season-low 20 points was disappointing when asked about the output. Gilbert said they knew West Virginia was a good football team that was talented on defense. However, Gilbert said there were things his team can learn from this game: “We didn’t execute at times, we missed some things, and had some missed assignments. Things we’ll clean up. We’re just forward focused, really focusing in on next week, and getting bowl eligible.”
- Gilbert said he believed his team had enough time to drive the field after taking over with 1:25 minutes remaining on the 12-yard line. He believes they executed pretty well to drive down the field and have a few scoring opportunities.
- Here was Gilbert’s take on the pressure Shane Buechele faced: “We knew they were the best that we’ve seen this year. Those guys do a really good job. They’re active. They apply a lot of pressure. He saw some things come at him today. We've just got to execute and be able to be efficient.”
- However, Gilbert was very satisfied with the toughness Buechele showed on Saturday: “Not to say he has not been tough this season, but to take some of the shots he took today, and to come back out and execute, that’s huge. We’ll go to battle with that guy for a long time.”
- Gilbert said freshman receiver Collin Johnson did break off his route early on fourth-and-5 from West Virginia’s 43-yard line with less than three minutes remaining.
- When asked about West Virginia being able to stop the run and apply pressure in the second half, Gilbert said, “Hats off to those guys again. Again, those guys are really good, talented football team. A good football team. Really stingy on defense. We knew going in were going to half to fight and battle for whatever yards and points we could go get. Again, we just have to execute better, see some things and continue to grow and come back to work and fight to get bowl eligible.”
- Gilbert said West Virginia was able to take away the run game by stacking the box. He said the team was active up front and on the back end.
- The reason we did not see the 18-wheeler package is not because of the criticism from outsiders. Instead, Gilbert said they were having success with other packages.
- Here is Gilbert’s message to his players after the loss: “Just battle and fight and just grow up. We’re still young. That’s the thing. You don’t turn from a freshman to a senior, even though it’s week eight, nine and all that. We’re still just growing guys up. Guys are still seeing stuff, and just still learning. That’s our deal. Battle, fight, grow, continue to pull together and fight together, and get better. We knew that was a tough loss from a really good football team.”
- Texas settled for field goals on two possessions, and running back D’Onta Foreman wanted to go for it on fourth down, but said he’s a team player.
- After Foreman tied Earl Campbell’s record with 11-straight 100-yard games, the legend told him, “He just told me congratulations. He told me that he hopes that I break it next week. He also said if somebody breaks my record, just come back and tell them congratulations. I told him that I definitely would.”
- Foreman said the Longhorns do not feel like a 5-5 team: “We’ve grown so much. I can really see it. Today, I don’t feel like the offense played to our standards. I still definitely feel like we’ve grown as a team.”
- In addition, Foreman said he was banged up on Saturday, and somebody rolled on his ankle during the game. However, Foreman said he was fine during his media interview.
- Buechele on the pressure he faced: “I didn’t feel that way. I think our offensive line did a good job of picking some of the stuff up. I think maybe that was the game plan. They were a real physical defense, and it showed.”
- Even though Buechele received a strong hit by West Virginia’s Kyzir White, which resulted in a fumble, the quarterback said he is okay. Buechele said he just got the wind knocked out of him.
- Longhorn left tackle Connor Williams was asked about the hits Buechele took on Saturday and attributed it to a lack of execution.
- Texas safety Dylan Haines said his goal during the next two regular season games, and possibly a bowl appearance, is to finish his senior season with a winning record. He said that achievement will mean the most to him.
PLAYER NOTES
(provided by UT)
• Foreman’s 167 rushing yards pushed him to 1,613 rushing yards this season...the 1,613 yards are 6th-most in UT’s single season history, six yards shy of Jamaal Charles’ 1,619 in 2007...his 2,367 career rushing yards are the 15th-most in school history.
• In seven Big 12 Conference games, Foreman now has 196 carries for 1,325 yards and 10 touchdowns.
• Dylan Haines had two interceptions in the game, his second multi-interception game of the season. He now has 13 (T5th) career interceptions.
• P.J. Locke’s interception was his second of the season (also Oct. 29, 2016 vs. Baylor).
• D’Onta Foreman has rushed for at least 100 yards in 11 straight games, tying Earl Campbell’s school record.
• Shane Buechele threw for a career-high 318 yards and ran for a career-high 44 yards...his 31 completions and 48 attempts are also career-highs...he has now passed for 2,575 yards this season, surpassing Colt McCoy’s previous record for a freshman (2,570)...his 2,575 yards in a season are 9th-most in school history.
• Saturday was Buechele’s 10th start this season, tied for third as a freshman (most true freshman) in school history.
• Dorian Leonard tallied a career-high seven receptions and 125 receiving yards. He was the third Longhorn receiver to record a 100-yard game this season.
• Freshman Collin Johnson made his first career start and finished with seven receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown.
• Edwin Freeman set a new career-best with 8 tackles...Malcom Roach also finished with a career-high in tackles (7)...he also picked up a sack and three tackles for loss.
TEAM NOTES
(provided by UT)
• Texas drops to 5-5 overall and 3-4 in the Big 12 Conference.
• The Longhorns are now 2-4 all-time against WVU.
• Prior to today’s loss, Texas had won four straight games against AP top 12 teams.
• The Texas defense has held five straight opponents under their season scoring average...WVU entered the game averaging 33.2 points per game.
• Over the last five games, UT has forced 21 sacks and had 45 TFL.
• The Longhorns finished with 536 yards of total offense...it is the 7th time this season they collected over 500 yards, a new school record.
• Collin Johnson made his first career start, the sixth UT true freshman to start a game this season. Texas’ six true freshmen starters have combined to make 26 starts this season.
• D’Onta Foreman had 167 rushing yards, the most for a Longhorn in six matchups against the Mountaineers.
• Shane Buechele’s 318 passing yards were the most for a Longhorn against West Virginia.
- I was told Texas linebacker Malik Jefferson was kicked in the back of his head against West Virginia, which is why he left the game. However, I was told Jefferson was fine after speaking to a source on Saturday afternoon.
- Texas coach Charlie Strong informed his team about linebacker Tim Cole’s father being transported to the hospital on Saturday. The team prayed for Cole’s father prior to the game.
- Here is what Malcolm Roach said about the situation: “We just came together, sat down as a team, talked to each other and said we were going to try our hardest out there. We know Tim had a heavy heart out there, but he’s a strong person. He played today, and I don’t feel like he let it affect his play. I feel like he played a good game.”
- Texas cornerback John Bonney said Strong’s message to the players after this loss was they are close, but still need to keep fighting.
- Texas offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert said producing a season-low 20 points was disappointing when asked about the output. Gilbert said they knew West Virginia was a good football team that was talented on defense. However, Gilbert said there were things his team can learn from this game: “We didn’t execute at times, we missed some things, and had some missed assignments. Things we’ll clean up. We’re just forward focused, really focusing in on next week, and getting bowl eligible.”
- Gilbert said he believed his team had enough time to drive the field after taking over with 1:25 minutes remaining on the 12-yard line. He believes they executed pretty well to drive down the field and have a few scoring opportunities.
- Here was Gilbert’s take on the pressure Shane Buechele faced: “We knew they were the best that we’ve seen this year. Those guys do a really good job. They’re active. They apply a lot of pressure. He saw some things come at him today. We've just got to execute and be able to be efficient.”
- However, Gilbert was very satisfied with the toughness Buechele showed on Saturday: “Not to say he has not been tough this season, but to take some of the shots he took today, and to come back out and execute, that’s huge. We’ll go to battle with that guy for a long time.”
- Gilbert said freshman receiver Collin Johnson did break off his route early on fourth-and-5 from West Virginia’s 43-yard line with less than three minutes remaining.
- When asked about West Virginia being able to stop the run and apply pressure in the second half, Gilbert said, “Hats off to those guys again. Again, those guys are really good, talented football team. A good football team. Really stingy on defense. We knew going in were going to half to fight and battle for whatever yards and points we could go get. Again, we just have to execute better, see some things and continue to grow and come back to work and fight to get bowl eligible.”
- Gilbert said West Virginia was able to take away the run game by stacking the box. He said the team was active up front and on the back end.
- The reason we did not see the 18-wheeler package is not because of the criticism from outsiders. Instead, Gilbert said they were having success with other packages.
- Here is Gilbert’s message to his players after the loss: “Just battle and fight and just grow up. We’re still young. That’s the thing. You don’t turn from a freshman to a senior, even though it’s week eight, nine and all that. We’re still just growing guys up. Guys are still seeing stuff, and just still learning. That’s our deal. Battle, fight, grow, continue to pull together and fight together, and get better. We knew that was a tough loss from a really good football team.”
- Texas settled for field goals on two possessions, and running back D’Onta Foreman wanted to go for it on fourth down, but said he’s a team player.
- After Foreman tied Earl Campbell’s record with 11-straight 100-yard games, the legend told him, “He just told me congratulations. He told me that he hopes that I break it next week. He also said if somebody breaks my record, just come back and tell them congratulations. I told him that I definitely would.”
- Foreman said the Longhorns do not feel like a 5-5 team: “We’ve grown so much. I can really see it. Today, I don’t feel like the offense played to our standards. I still definitely feel like we’ve grown as a team.”
- In addition, Foreman said he was banged up on Saturday, and somebody rolled on his ankle during the game. However, Foreman said he was fine during his media interview.
- Buechele on the pressure he faced: “I didn’t feel that way. I think our offensive line did a good job of picking some of the stuff up. I think maybe that was the game plan. They were a real physical defense, and it showed.”
- Even though Buechele received a strong hit by West Virginia’s Kyzir White, which resulted in a fumble, the quarterback said he is okay. Buechele said he just got the wind knocked out of him.
- Longhorn left tackle Connor Williams was asked about the hits Buechele took on Saturday and attributed it to a lack of execution.
- Texas safety Dylan Haines said his goal during the next two regular season games, and possibly a bowl appearance, is to finish his senior season with a winning record. He said that achievement will mean the most to him.
PLAYER NOTES
(provided by UT)
• Foreman’s 167 rushing yards pushed him to 1,613 rushing yards this season...the 1,613 yards are 6th-most in UT’s single season history, six yards shy of Jamaal Charles’ 1,619 in 2007...his 2,367 career rushing yards are the 15th-most in school history.
• In seven Big 12 Conference games, Foreman now has 196 carries for 1,325 yards and 10 touchdowns.
• Dylan Haines had two interceptions in the game, his second multi-interception game of the season. He now has 13 (T5th) career interceptions.
• P.J. Locke’s interception was his second of the season (also Oct. 29, 2016 vs. Baylor).
• D’Onta Foreman has rushed for at least 100 yards in 11 straight games, tying Earl Campbell’s school record.
• Shane Buechele threw for a career-high 318 yards and ran for a career-high 44 yards...his 31 completions and 48 attempts are also career-highs...he has now passed for 2,575 yards this season, surpassing Colt McCoy’s previous record for a freshman (2,570)...his 2,575 yards in a season are 9th-most in school history.
• Saturday was Buechele’s 10th start this season, tied for third as a freshman (most true freshman) in school history.
• Dorian Leonard tallied a career-high seven receptions and 125 receiving yards. He was the third Longhorn receiver to record a 100-yard game this season.
• Freshman Collin Johnson made his first career start and finished with seven receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown.
• Edwin Freeman set a new career-best with 8 tackles...Malcom Roach also finished with a career-high in tackles (7)...he also picked up a sack and three tackles for loss.
TEAM NOTES
(provided by UT)
• Texas drops to 5-5 overall and 3-4 in the Big 12 Conference.
• The Longhorns are now 2-4 all-time against WVU.
• Prior to today’s loss, Texas had won four straight games against AP top 12 teams.
• The Texas defense has held five straight opponents under their season scoring average...WVU entered the game averaging 33.2 points per game.
• Over the last five games, UT has forced 21 sacks and had 45 TFL.
• The Longhorns finished with 536 yards of total offense...it is the 7th time this season they collected over 500 yards, a new school record.
• Collin Johnson made his first career start, the sixth UT true freshman to start a game this season. Texas’ six true freshmen starters have combined to make 26 starts this season.
• D’Onta Foreman had 167 rushing yards, the most for a Longhorn in six matchups against the Mountaineers.
• Shane Buechele’s 318 passing yards were the most for a Longhorn against West Virginia.
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