While there is some cause for optimism, the Texas Longhorns remain mired in the same mediocrity that Mack Brown left them in. Texas didn't get on the scoreboard until the final minutes of the fourth quarter, losing 28-7 to Baylor on Saturday.
Baylor vs. Texas final score: 3 things we learned from Bears’ 28-7 win
The Longhorns did little on offense while leaving their defenders out to dry.
The game started ugly for the Longhorns. Baylor blocked a 52-yard field goal attempt on Texas' first possession, and returned the live ball for a touchdown. Tyrone Swoopes threw an interception into double coverage later in the first quarter, setting up the Bears near midfield.
Just as it appeared Baylor was about to pour on the points, the Longhorns defense did something unexpected. Backed up to its own 1-yard line on third and fourth down, Texas stood firm and forced a turnover on downs, the team’s first goal-line stand of the season. The offense responded with a long drive, nearly culminating in a game-tying score. Yet just before halftime, a fumbled exchange between Swoopes and his center resulted in a takeaway for Baylor.
The game boiled down to a defensive struggle in the second half. Baylor’s high-powered offense did produce a few more scores, but Texas’ defense looked as strong as it has all season. The Bears offense didn’t need to do much, however, as Baylor cruised to a 21-point victory.
Three things we learned
1. The Longhorns’ inexperienced offensive line remains their greatest impediment.
Even during a game in which Swoopes went full YOLO mode, the biggest issue for the Longhorns was once again their offensive line. Lacking a lineman with double-digit starts under his belt, Texas' offense found itself buried in a sea of yellow penalty flags for holds, among other issues. After driving to the Baylor 1-yard line near the end of the first half, center Jake Raulerson fumbled the exchange with Swoopes. After the scrum, Baylor ended up with the football and the lead at halftime.
Texas is only going to resolve its offensive line issues by keeping the same group together for as long as possible. Even the oldest members of the line remain eligible through the 2015 season. By then, the group should have moved beyond its struggles and become a unit that can help win games for the Longhorns.
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2. Texas’ defense saves its best performance for its strongest opponent.
Entering Saturday’s game, Baylor produced an average of 56.8 points per outing, the best offensive output in the nation. While the Longhorns haven’t been pushovers defensively (averaging just 17 points allowed per game), the matchup appeared to heavily favor the visiting Bears.
Yet Texas did the unthinkable, holding Baylor to just seven points in the first half, and only 28 for the game. The Longhorns' interior of Malcolm Brown and Hassan Ridgeway regularly stuffed a rushing Bryce Petty at the line of scrimmage while getting to him often on passing plays and disrupting his rhythm. While the offense remains a drive-to-drive proposition, Texas seems to have found something on defense to hang its hat on.
3. Art Briles’ gambles ultimately win the day for Baylor.
In the second quarter, Art Briles made a calculated risk to go for it on fourth down from inside the Texas 1-yard line. While the Bears couldn’t push the ball over the goal line, backing up the Longhorns and their highly inconsistent offensive line against their own end zone was statistically the smart move. However, Texas responded with a 98-yard drive that, if not for the botched center-quarterback exchange, would have yielded points and a tie game.
Still, the experience didn’t temper Baylor head coach Art Briles’ enthusiasm for the unconventional. Midway through the third quarter and facing a fourth down from his own 33-yard line, Briles called for a fake punt. The play completely caught the Longhorns off guard, resulting in a run of 19 yards for punter Spencer Roth. Because of Briles’ gamble, Baylor was able to stay on the field and ultimately produce a touchdown via a Petty-Antwan Goodley connection. That score, which put the Bears up 14-0, added an extra cushion and effectively put the game out of reach for Texas.
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