Pessimistic view of Texas Football’s win over Oklahoma in Red River Rivalry

Texas was able to get the 23-6 win in Red River yesterday over Oklahoma. It’s easy to find the bright side, but this is about the issues. They are much smaller and insignificant now.

We are back on a victory Sunday for the first time in three weeks with the Longhorns, but this is about the negative side. Some good news is it’s much harder to put this together today than it has been this season. Texas finally played complementary and smart football for the first time this year, and it led to a win that gives this season life again. 

For now though, let’s take a look at where Texas needs to be better: 

Early Game Success

This is something that continues to follow Texas. It’s not overly surprising against a defense like Oklahoma’s, but it’s something Texas will need to improve on moving forward. Prior to the FG drive at the end of the half, the Texas offense had 20 total yards, two first downs and had faced 3rd downs of 23, 12 and 30 yards. They looked much like they had the first five games. Now, it’s not a massive issue if you can stay within a score early, but that won’t always be the case. The Texas offense just has to find a groove earlier. 

WRs After The Catch 

This, again, is a relatively small thing, but one that can catch up to you if you aren’t careful. Outside of Tre Wisner, there weren’t a ton of missed tackles forced by the Texas skill players. Some of that is Oklahoma being one of the best tackling teams in the country, but those are the teams you run into if Texas wants to make a CFP run. The longest pass play of the day was 24 yards to DeAndre Moore Jr., which isn’t terrible, but it’s not what the Texas offense wants to be. Wingo, Moore and Livingstone continue to improve, but the Longhorns need some massive YAC plays going forward. 

FG Misses

This is one I don’t worry about much going forward. Mason Shipley missed a 55-yarder off the goalpost and a 56-yarder short. Mason Shipley’s leg is plenty strong, but there needs to be maybe a shorter cap on him going forward. Special teams have gotten much better for the Longhorns this season compared to last, and Shipley is a big part of that. I tend to believe he will continue to be a plus kicker, but Texas will likely need something more at some point to make a run to 10-2. It’s hard to know how much to make of the long misses yesterday, but it’s another nit-picky thing to watch going forward. 

I just went through three things that the Longhorns have to do better, and none of them will outright keep them from success. Those three things are both capable of being handled, and areas I expect Texas to improve with more reps. It’s incredibly hard to come out of a Red River win and try to find the dark side of things, especially when the Longhorns put together that second half performance. There are a few very small things that Texas needs to improve, but overall today is about celebrating the Longhorns rising to the occasion.