1. The outcome is going to stick in Texas’ craw for a while, but that was one hell of an effort by the Longhorns overall. The defensive performance was fantastic, Sam Ehlinger stepped up and made some great plays when the pressure was on and Texas was an inch or two away from pulling off an upset that nobody even thought it had a chance to accomplish. I’m not really a big believer in moral victories, but the Longhorns have no reason to hang their heads after this loss, and this is a game that could be a real building block as Texas enters Big 12 play.
2. Texas, with a true freshman quarterback, had the No. 4 team in the nation on the ropes on its own field. There are so many “what if” plays in this one that could have been the difference that it’s going to be frustrating as hell for Texas coaches, players and fans, but this was a big step forward for the UT program.
3. The effort by the Texas defense, minus a couple backbreaking plays, was nothing short of exceptional. If you would have told me, or anyone else, that UT would have held USC to 27 points in a game that went to double overtime, you probably would have been asked to check into a mental home. This was one of the best defensive performances by a Texas team I can remember in a long while.
4. Losing sucks, but Todd Orlando has to be feeling really, really good with the way his guys played tonight. Orlando had a ton of crap shoveled on him for the defense’s performance against Maryland, and deservedly so, but he deserves an equal amount of praise and then some for the defense’s performance tonight. If Orlando’s D can bottle up what it showed against USC, this team could make some waves in Big 12 play.
5. People are sometimes overly critical of Malik Jefferson because of extremely high expectations, but he was nothing short of fantastic tonight. Jefferson played what looked like it was the best game of his career and it was the type of performance that was worthy of the first-round draft pick talk. Hell of a game by Jefferson on the big stage.
6. A lot of players deserve a tip of the cap in this one, but I thought Anthony Wheeler was fantastic as well.
7. Like everyone else, I just do not get the lack of usage of Chris Warren. I’m dumbfounded. Warren had one carry in the first quarter, three in the first half and didn’t get another carry until late in the game, when he went for five yards. Why in the hell Texas wasn’t riding him late in the game and in overtime is beyond me. He was obviously fresh, but instead of giving Warren a chance to power for a first down or TD in double overtime, Texas goes with back-to-back runs by Sam Ehlinger, which wound up costing UT the game.
8. I have not heard anything specific on Connor Williams’ injury, but common sense would seem to indicate that he’s going to be out for quite a while. Needless to say, that’s a huge blow to the team’s chances for success moving forward. Williams may be Texas’ most irreplaceable player.
9. Overall, I thought the offensive line play was pretty solid, all things considered.
The pass pro was kind of feast or famine in this one. There were times when Ehlinger was running for his life when USC brought pressure, but there were several other times when the offensive line actually held up pretty well and gave Ehlinger a chance to look downfield. Considering all the injuries Texas has had up front, that’s about as best as you could realistically hope for.
10. Hindsight is always 20/20, but I thought Texas should have gone for the field goal and the points on UT’s first drive of the game. It would have been about a 34-yard field goal and would have let Texas build some early momentum. I get that Joshua Rowland hadn’t been very reliable in the first two games, but this would have been an easier kick than what he had attempted previously. I don’t think there was really a wrong call, especially that early in the game, but those (possible) points would have obviously been big down the stretch.
11. Sam Ehlinger really struggled in the first half, but his play in the first drive of the second half and late in the game was really pretty impressive. The touchdown to Armanti Foreman late in the fourth quarter, where Ehlinger felt the pressure, rolled right and delivered a strike on the boundary of the end zone was big-time stuff.
12. My phone was blowing up with texts from a couple friends in the last five minutes of regulation and overtime. When USC made the kick to send it to OT, I told them I’d give the ball to Chris Warren every single down, let him get his four or five yards (minimum) and just chew up yards from the 25-yard-line in overtime and grind your way into the end zone. Instead, Warren got one touch, on a play in which Ehlinger was running for his life and did a good job of finding Warren between defenders. Texas’ offense was pretty good in overtime, so it’s hard to be too critical of the playcalling, but I have to wonder what the outcome would have been if Texas would have just fed Warren against a tired USC defense.
13. Armanti Foreman’s catch towards the end of regulation will be the play most people remember, but his catch on fourth down earlier in that drive, where he elevated in traffic to make a nice catch, was one of the best plays a Texas offensive player made all night.
14. Oh by the way, it’s probably time that I mention that Collin Johnson is pretty damn good. The sophomore finished with 191 yards on 7 catches, including a couple grabs against good coverage. In the first half, Johnson had 76 yards of UT’s 90 total yards of offense.
15. I’m not sure what to make of Ehlinger if I’m projecting the rest of the year. On one hand, he seemed to grow up quite a bit and play better when the coaches threw caution to the wind late in the game (out of necessity), but on the other hand, there were a lot of struggles over the course of the game. Can he consistently do what he did down the stretch of this game, or are we going to see lengthy periods of offensive struggles if he’s the guy over the long haul? I don’t know, but I know that if the Texas offense plays in the Big 12 like it did in the first half of this game, several teams will put the game out of reach before halftime.
16. Ehlinger made some great throws, but he has to cut down on the turnovers. I have no idea what was going on with the snaps with him and Zach Shackelford, but that’s something that will obviously have to be addressed.
17. What the hell did Texas have to do in order to draw a pass interference penalty downfield? Those Pac-12 refs must live by the Coliseum.
18. Sam Ehlinger looks a little timid as a runner early on but seemed to be more natural in the second half. Perhaps it was a case of him needing to warm up to such a big stage, or maybe the coaches wanted him to try to avoid as much contact as possible since Texas has no quarterback depth … not sure. But Ehlinger is clearly at his best when he just lets it rip – both in the run and passing games.
19. DeShon Elliott came up big, with two interceptions and one TD. I’m expecting more big games from him moving forward.
20. Kris Boyd on the first play of the first overtime … yikes.
21. Reggie Hemphill-Mapps fielded a punt at the 1 yard line (what???) but got away with it after a nice return. The next time he does it and is tackled at the 1 yard line. Hemphill-Mapps is supremely confident, but he needs his ass chewed for those.
22. The entire Texas defensive line was very good tonight. That group had struggled some in the first two weeks of the season, but it was creating havoc all over the place tonight.
23. Last, but certainly not least, it was pretty cool that USC went out of its way to show respect for Sean Adams. I still can’t believe he’s gone at such a young age. And thank you to all of you on the board for allowing us a few minutes to honor Sean’s memory with an OB moment of silence. His loss puts everything else from the weekend in perspective.
Player of the game:A few players deserve recognition (Collin Johnson, DeShon Elliott), but this one goes to Malik Jefferson. Malik was simply incredible tonight and played as well as any defender has played for Texas in a long, long while.
Best position group:Defensive line takes this award this week. Across the board, that group played very well, including a number of big plays by Charles Omenihu.
This game was over when ... USC’s kick sailed through the uprights in double overtime. I thought it was 50/50 when Chase McGrath lined up for that kick that he’d make it, but good for the true freshman walk-on for coming through in the clutch.
Best decision: Taking the handcuffs off Sam Ehlinger late in the game.
Head-scratcher: This contradicts the above answer just a bit, but I still have no idea why the hell Chris Warren received only four carries. That is truly an astonishing stat.
What's next?:Texas will get next weekend off, which will be big in getting some bodies healthy, before the Longhorns head to Ames for a Thursday night contest against Iowa State. That’s a game Texas should win, but it’s certainly not a guarantee. The Longhorns need to carry over some of the focus and effort from tonight into their Big 12 opener to avoid a catastrophic letdown.
2. Texas, with a true freshman quarterback, had the No. 4 team in the nation on the ropes on its own field. There are so many “what if” plays in this one that could have been the difference that it’s going to be frustrating as hell for Texas coaches, players and fans, but this was a big step forward for the UT program.
3. The effort by the Texas defense, minus a couple backbreaking plays, was nothing short of exceptional. If you would have told me, or anyone else, that UT would have held USC to 27 points in a game that went to double overtime, you probably would have been asked to check into a mental home. This was one of the best defensive performances by a Texas team I can remember in a long while.
4. Losing sucks, but Todd Orlando has to be feeling really, really good with the way his guys played tonight. Orlando had a ton of crap shoveled on him for the defense’s performance against Maryland, and deservedly so, but he deserves an equal amount of praise and then some for the defense’s performance tonight. If Orlando’s D can bottle up what it showed against USC, this team could make some waves in Big 12 play.
5. People are sometimes overly critical of Malik Jefferson because of extremely high expectations, but he was nothing short of fantastic tonight. Jefferson played what looked like it was the best game of his career and it was the type of performance that was worthy of the first-round draft pick talk. Hell of a game by Jefferson on the big stage.
6. A lot of players deserve a tip of the cap in this one, but I thought Anthony Wheeler was fantastic as well.
7. Like everyone else, I just do not get the lack of usage of Chris Warren. I’m dumbfounded. Warren had one carry in the first quarter, three in the first half and didn’t get another carry until late in the game, when he went for five yards. Why in the hell Texas wasn’t riding him late in the game and in overtime is beyond me. He was obviously fresh, but instead of giving Warren a chance to power for a first down or TD in double overtime, Texas goes with back-to-back runs by Sam Ehlinger, which wound up costing UT the game.
8. I have not heard anything specific on Connor Williams’ injury, but common sense would seem to indicate that he’s going to be out for quite a while. Needless to say, that’s a huge blow to the team’s chances for success moving forward. Williams may be Texas’ most irreplaceable player.
9. Overall, I thought the offensive line play was pretty solid, all things considered.
The pass pro was kind of feast or famine in this one. There were times when Ehlinger was running for his life when USC brought pressure, but there were several other times when the offensive line actually held up pretty well and gave Ehlinger a chance to look downfield. Considering all the injuries Texas has had up front, that’s about as best as you could realistically hope for.
10. Hindsight is always 20/20, but I thought Texas should have gone for the field goal and the points on UT’s first drive of the game. It would have been about a 34-yard field goal and would have let Texas build some early momentum. I get that Joshua Rowland hadn’t been very reliable in the first two games, but this would have been an easier kick than what he had attempted previously. I don’t think there was really a wrong call, especially that early in the game, but those (possible) points would have obviously been big down the stretch.
11. Sam Ehlinger really struggled in the first half, but his play in the first drive of the second half and late in the game was really pretty impressive. The touchdown to Armanti Foreman late in the fourth quarter, where Ehlinger felt the pressure, rolled right and delivered a strike on the boundary of the end zone was big-time stuff.
12. My phone was blowing up with texts from a couple friends in the last five minutes of regulation and overtime. When USC made the kick to send it to OT, I told them I’d give the ball to Chris Warren every single down, let him get his four or five yards (minimum) and just chew up yards from the 25-yard-line in overtime and grind your way into the end zone. Instead, Warren got one touch, on a play in which Ehlinger was running for his life and did a good job of finding Warren between defenders. Texas’ offense was pretty good in overtime, so it’s hard to be too critical of the playcalling, but I have to wonder what the outcome would have been if Texas would have just fed Warren against a tired USC defense.
13. Armanti Foreman’s catch towards the end of regulation will be the play most people remember, but his catch on fourth down earlier in that drive, where he elevated in traffic to make a nice catch, was one of the best plays a Texas offensive player made all night.
14. Oh by the way, it’s probably time that I mention that Collin Johnson is pretty damn good. The sophomore finished with 191 yards on 7 catches, including a couple grabs against good coverage. In the first half, Johnson had 76 yards of UT’s 90 total yards of offense.
15. I’m not sure what to make of Ehlinger if I’m projecting the rest of the year. On one hand, he seemed to grow up quite a bit and play better when the coaches threw caution to the wind late in the game (out of necessity), but on the other hand, there were a lot of struggles over the course of the game. Can he consistently do what he did down the stretch of this game, or are we going to see lengthy periods of offensive struggles if he’s the guy over the long haul? I don’t know, but I know that if the Texas offense plays in the Big 12 like it did in the first half of this game, several teams will put the game out of reach before halftime.
16. Ehlinger made some great throws, but he has to cut down on the turnovers. I have no idea what was going on with the snaps with him and Zach Shackelford, but that’s something that will obviously have to be addressed.
17. What the hell did Texas have to do in order to draw a pass interference penalty downfield? Those Pac-12 refs must live by the Coliseum.
18. Sam Ehlinger looks a little timid as a runner early on but seemed to be more natural in the second half. Perhaps it was a case of him needing to warm up to such a big stage, or maybe the coaches wanted him to try to avoid as much contact as possible since Texas has no quarterback depth … not sure. But Ehlinger is clearly at his best when he just lets it rip – both in the run and passing games.
19. DeShon Elliott came up big, with two interceptions and one TD. I’m expecting more big games from him moving forward.
20. Kris Boyd on the first play of the first overtime … yikes.
21. Reggie Hemphill-Mapps fielded a punt at the 1 yard line (what???) but got away with it after a nice return. The next time he does it and is tackled at the 1 yard line. Hemphill-Mapps is supremely confident, but he needs his ass chewed for those.
22. The entire Texas defensive line was very good tonight. That group had struggled some in the first two weeks of the season, but it was creating havoc all over the place tonight.
23. Last, but certainly not least, it was pretty cool that USC went out of its way to show respect for Sean Adams. I still can’t believe he’s gone at such a young age. And thank you to all of you on the board for allowing us a few minutes to honor Sean’s memory with an OB moment of silence. His loss puts everything else from the weekend in perspective.
Player of the game:A few players deserve recognition (Collin Johnson, DeShon Elliott), but this one goes to Malik Jefferson. Malik was simply incredible tonight and played as well as any defender has played for Texas in a long, long while.
Best position group:Defensive line takes this award this week. Across the board, that group played very well, including a number of big plays by Charles Omenihu.
This game was over when ... USC’s kick sailed through the uprights in double overtime. I thought it was 50/50 when Chase McGrath lined up for that kick that he’d make it, but good for the true freshman walk-on for coming through in the clutch.
Best decision: Taking the handcuffs off Sam Ehlinger late in the game.
Head-scratcher: This contradicts the above answer just a bit, but I still have no idea why the hell Chris Warren received only four carries. That is truly an astonishing stat.
What's next?:Texas will get next weekend off, which will be big in getting some bodies healthy, before the Longhorns head to Ames for a Thursday night contest against Iowa State. That’s a game Texas should win, but it’s certainly not a guarantee. The Longhorns need to carry over some of the focus and effort from tonight into their Big 12 opener to avoid a catastrophic letdown.
