1. Brutal. Just brutal.
Texas just looked out of sorts all game. Be it on offense, defense or special teams, the Longhorns just didn't have their best night and too many mistakes were made.
The offense put up good numbers overall (568 total yards) but couldn't come up with plays when Texas needed them in the second half and it felt like the Longhorns left points on the field despite scoring 43 points. But really, it's hard to put this one on the offense.
The defense was atrocious in the first half and couldn't do anything to stop Cal in the fourth quarter, when all the chips were on the table. Just an awful performance on that side of the ball.
2. It's amazing how much my perceptions have changed over the last 12 hours.
Texas loses. The two teams Texas beat looked like crap for most of the day in losing this week (although Notre Dame did battle back against Michigan State).
The Longhorns still sit at a very respectable 2-1, but there are two very tough teams coming up and if Texas doesn't play A-level football against Oklahoma State and Oklahoma, this team could be sitting at 2-3 in a few weeks. I found myself sipping the Kool-Aid last week and thinking this team had a chance to start the season 5-0 and then who knows what after that. Now, I really don't know what to expect, but I know the lofty expectations I had built up after the first two games came crashing down tonight.
3. It's worth stating again, but the defensive performance in the first half was horrible, especially in the secondary. Missed tackles, blown coverages and just overall bad play by Vance Bedford's unit kept Cal in it when it felt like the Longhorns were a stop or two away from really blowing the game open early on.
4. Shane Buechele had by far his worst game of the young season. He finished 19 of 33 for 196 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT, and just seemed a bit off, even before he temporarily left the field with a chest injury. Buechele's accuracy downfield in weeks one and two was as good as anybody in the country, but he was a bit off tonight with both his accuracy and his timing. Even with Buechele having an "off" night, he played well enough for the team to win.
5. Against Notre Dame and UTEP, Buechele did a terrific job of not forcing the ball into spots where the defense had a chance to make plays. He threw one interception tonight had several other balls that were an inch or two from being intercepted. I was surprised to see that.
6. I honestly think Texas could have won this game without ever throwing a pass. Cal's run defense is flat out horrible and I'm not sure the Bears could have prevented Texas from moving the chains even once if the Longhorns decided to go exclusively with the ground game.
7. This game seemed tailor-made for Chris Warren's skill set. D'Onta Foreman actually put up better numbers overall but it didn't seem like Cal wanted any part of trying to tackle Warren. If Texas had given him the ball every time on first and second down, I'm not sure the Longhorns would have ever seen a third down.
8. Cal wide receiver Chris Hansen is legit. He was the best player on the field and he's not just a product of Cal's offense. Hansen pretty much had his way with the Texas secondary all night and finished with a career-high 196 yards receiving.
9. Am I the only one who saw the season flash before his eyes when Buechele was taken into the locker room? Texas could have won this game without him, but if you're looking at the big picture, this team takes a huge step back if it has to rely solely on Tyrone Swoopes. Buechele's durability has always been a concern due to his size, and Texas dodged a bullet tonight.
10. Speaking of Swoopes, that interception he threw in the second quarter is the exact reason why he can't be counted on to be the main guy at quarterback. That should have been a simple pitch and catch to a wide open Collin Johnson, but Swoopes somehow threw it way too high for his 6-6 receiver. Swoopes has a crazy strong arm, but he has an inability to show touch when the situation calls for it.
9. This is a good Cal offense. We can all acknowledge that. But there is no reason Texas should give up 35 first-half points to anybody and 50 points overall (should have been 57). I don't know what the answer is, but Vance Bedford's group has to start playing better.
10 Malik Jefferson finished with just 5 tackles (2 solo). He didn't make his first tackle until about midway through the second quarter. Texas needs more production from the Big 12's Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. Through three games, Jefferson has 19 total tackles, 1 sack and 1 PBU. Not horrible by any means, but he's not playing at an all-conference level, much less an all-American level. Be it scheme or execution, Texas needs more from Jefferson.
11. Brandon Jones is a punt blocking machine. He recorded his third blocked punt of the year, getting his hands on one that went out of the end zone for a safety. Jones actually came through completely untouched on the punt ... how does that happen?
12. Texas' inability to kick the ball into the end zone feels like it's going to bite the team in the butt at some point. I would assume the coaches have tried all options, but I have to wonder if walk-on kicker Chris Naggar could come in and be a kick-off specialist?
13. I don't know if Cal is that good at executing WR screens or if Texas is that bad at covering them, but Cal ate UT's lunch with those plays all night long. The Longhorns better get ready for a healthy dose of screens from Oklahoma State and Oklahoma.
14. In his post-game press conference, Charlie Strong basically said his defense has to do a better job of executing the game plan.
He didn't want to point fingers and didn't assign blame to any one coach, but the buck stops with Bedford on defense and the bottom line is that side of the ball isn't getting it done. Texas played well against UTEP, but I said all week that that game should be thrown out because of the opponent and the injury to UTEP's quarterback. This game was a pretty good example of what Texas is going to see on a lot of weeks in the Big 12, and that should scare the crap out of Longhorn fans.
15. I really don't know what to make of this team after three games, especially when looking at it compared to what looks to be a bad year in the Big 12.
This loss is a tough pill to swallow, but all hope is not lost. If you're a glass-half-full person, you can look at the schedule and there's really not a game left that Texas cannot win if it plays good football. An 11-1 regular season and Big 12 title is still within reach.
On the flipside, Cal would probably be a pretty mediocre team in the Big 12. So while we can say Texas could win every game remaining on the schedule, we have to also point out that there are realistically seven games that could go either way (at Ok State, OU, at K-State, Baylor, at Texas Tech, West Virginia, TCU).
Will this be a 10-win season, or will Texas once again be struggling to finish the season above .500? I still lean towards the former, but honestly, your guess is as good as mine.
Player of the game: There's really only one place to go here, and the nod goes to D'Onta Foreman, who finished with 157 yards and 2 TDs on 21 carries. That's an effort that should be good enough to bring home a win.
Best position group: Easy choice here to go with the running backs. In a game when most position groups had some sort of issues, the combination of Chris Warren and D'Onta Foreman was pretty damn impressive. Texas' top two running backs combined for 276 yards and 4 touchdowns on the night and averaged over 7 yards per carry on 39 attempts.
This game was over when ... In my mind, this thing ended when Texas went three-and-out with a few minutes left in the game and the Longhorns down by 7. Yes, in theory, Texas could have got a stop and got the ball back, but Cal had seized all momentum at that point and I had zero confidence that the Texas defense would be able to get the ball back. Worse than that, Cal busted free on third down for a back-breaking 54-yard run by Vic Enwere.
Best decision: I'm struggling here. Feel free to jump in the thread and help me out.
Head-scratcher: Pretty random, but Texas hasn't completed a single pass to a running back or tight end all season. The Longhorns have 62 completed passes, and every one has been to a wide receiver. That's not a critique of the offense, I just found it curious.
What's next?: Texas will enjoy a much-needed off week to get some guys healthy. Beyond that, the Longhorns face two very tough opponents in the next two games, and Texas will have to find a way to play better defense and eliminate some of the mistakes (especially penalties) if it wants to win either of the games against Oklahoma State or Oklahoma.
Texas just looked out of sorts all game. Be it on offense, defense or special teams, the Longhorns just didn't have their best night and too many mistakes were made.
The offense put up good numbers overall (568 total yards) but couldn't come up with plays when Texas needed them in the second half and it felt like the Longhorns left points on the field despite scoring 43 points. But really, it's hard to put this one on the offense.
The defense was atrocious in the first half and couldn't do anything to stop Cal in the fourth quarter, when all the chips were on the table. Just an awful performance on that side of the ball.
2. It's amazing how much my perceptions have changed over the last 12 hours.
Texas loses. The two teams Texas beat looked like crap for most of the day in losing this week (although Notre Dame did battle back against Michigan State).
The Longhorns still sit at a very respectable 2-1, but there are two very tough teams coming up and if Texas doesn't play A-level football against Oklahoma State and Oklahoma, this team could be sitting at 2-3 in a few weeks. I found myself sipping the Kool-Aid last week and thinking this team had a chance to start the season 5-0 and then who knows what after that. Now, I really don't know what to expect, but I know the lofty expectations I had built up after the first two games came crashing down tonight.
3. It's worth stating again, but the defensive performance in the first half was horrible, especially in the secondary. Missed tackles, blown coverages and just overall bad play by Vance Bedford's unit kept Cal in it when it felt like the Longhorns were a stop or two away from really blowing the game open early on.
4. Shane Buechele had by far his worst game of the young season. He finished 19 of 33 for 196 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT, and just seemed a bit off, even before he temporarily left the field with a chest injury. Buechele's accuracy downfield in weeks one and two was as good as anybody in the country, but he was a bit off tonight with both his accuracy and his timing. Even with Buechele having an "off" night, he played well enough for the team to win.
5. Against Notre Dame and UTEP, Buechele did a terrific job of not forcing the ball into spots where the defense had a chance to make plays. He threw one interception tonight had several other balls that were an inch or two from being intercepted. I was surprised to see that.
6. I honestly think Texas could have won this game without ever throwing a pass. Cal's run defense is flat out horrible and I'm not sure the Bears could have prevented Texas from moving the chains even once if the Longhorns decided to go exclusively with the ground game.
7. This game seemed tailor-made for Chris Warren's skill set. D'Onta Foreman actually put up better numbers overall but it didn't seem like Cal wanted any part of trying to tackle Warren. If Texas had given him the ball every time on first and second down, I'm not sure the Longhorns would have ever seen a third down.
8. Cal wide receiver Chris Hansen is legit. He was the best player on the field and he's not just a product of Cal's offense. Hansen pretty much had his way with the Texas secondary all night and finished with a career-high 196 yards receiving.
9. Am I the only one who saw the season flash before his eyes when Buechele was taken into the locker room? Texas could have won this game without him, but if you're looking at the big picture, this team takes a huge step back if it has to rely solely on Tyrone Swoopes. Buechele's durability has always been a concern due to his size, and Texas dodged a bullet tonight.
10. Speaking of Swoopes, that interception he threw in the second quarter is the exact reason why he can't be counted on to be the main guy at quarterback. That should have been a simple pitch and catch to a wide open Collin Johnson, but Swoopes somehow threw it way too high for his 6-6 receiver. Swoopes has a crazy strong arm, but he has an inability to show touch when the situation calls for it.
9. This is a good Cal offense. We can all acknowledge that. But there is no reason Texas should give up 35 first-half points to anybody and 50 points overall (should have been 57). I don't know what the answer is, but Vance Bedford's group has to start playing better.
10 Malik Jefferson finished with just 5 tackles (2 solo). He didn't make his first tackle until about midway through the second quarter. Texas needs more production from the Big 12's Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. Through three games, Jefferson has 19 total tackles, 1 sack and 1 PBU. Not horrible by any means, but he's not playing at an all-conference level, much less an all-American level. Be it scheme or execution, Texas needs more from Jefferson.
11. Brandon Jones is a punt blocking machine. He recorded his third blocked punt of the year, getting his hands on one that went out of the end zone for a safety. Jones actually came through completely untouched on the punt ... how does that happen?
12. Texas' inability to kick the ball into the end zone feels like it's going to bite the team in the butt at some point. I would assume the coaches have tried all options, but I have to wonder if walk-on kicker Chris Naggar could come in and be a kick-off specialist?
13. I don't know if Cal is that good at executing WR screens or if Texas is that bad at covering them, but Cal ate UT's lunch with those plays all night long. The Longhorns better get ready for a healthy dose of screens from Oklahoma State and Oklahoma.
14. In his post-game press conference, Charlie Strong basically said his defense has to do a better job of executing the game plan.
He didn't want to point fingers and didn't assign blame to any one coach, but the buck stops with Bedford on defense and the bottom line is that side of the ball isn't getting it done. Texas played well against UTEP, but I said all week that that game should be thrown out because of the opponent and the injury to UTEP's quarterback. This game was a pretty good example of what Texas is going to see on a lot of weeks in the Big 12, and that should scare the crap out of Longhorn fans.
15. I really don't know what to make of this team after three games, especially when looking at it compared to what looks to be a bad year in the Big 12.
This loss is a tough pill to swallow, but all hope is not lost. If you're a glass-half-full person, you can look at the schedule and there's really not a game left that Texas cannot win if it plays good football. An 11-1 regular season and Big 12 title is still within reach.
On the flipside, Cal would probably be a pretty mediocre team in the Big 12. So while we can say Texas could win every game remaining on the schedule, we have to also point out that there are realistically seven games that could go either way (at Ok State, OU, at K-State, Baylor, at Texas Tech, West Virginia, TCU).
Will this be a 10-win season, or will Texas once again be struggling to finish the season above .500? I still lean towards the former, but honestly, your guess is as good as mine.
Player of the game: There's really only one place to go here, and the nod goes to D'Onta Foreman, who finished with 157 yards and 2 TDs on 21 carries. That's an effort that should be good enough to bring home a win.
Best position group: Easy choice here to go with the running backs. In a game when most position groups had some sort of issues, the combination of Chris Warren and D'Onta Foreman was pretty damn impressive. Texas' top two running backs combined for 276 yards and 4 touchdowns on the night and averaged over 7 yards per carry on 39 attempts.
This game was over when ... In my mind, this thing ended when Texas went three-and-out with a few minutes left in the game and the Longhorns down by 7. Yes, in theory, Texas could have got a stop and got the ball back, but Cal had seized all momentum at that point and I had zero confidence that the Texas defense would be able to get the ball back. Worse than that, Cal busted free on third down for a back-breaking 54-yard run by Vic Enwere.
Best decision: I'm struggling here. Feel free to jump in the thread and help me out.
Head-scratcher: Pretty random, but Texas hasn't completed a single pass to a running back or tight end all season. The Longhorns have 62 completed passes, and every one has been to a wide receiver. That's not a critique of the offense, I just found it curious.
What's next?: Texas will enjoy a much-needed off week to get some guys healthy. Beyond that, the Longhorns face two very tough opponents in the next two games, and Texas will have to find a way to play better defense and eliminate some of the mistakes (especially penalties) if it wants to win either of the games against Oklahoma State or Oklahoma.
