The Shawn Watson era of offensive football at Texas is over after just 14 games.

Norvell will take over Watson's play-calling duties immediately beginning with this weekend's game against Rice.

Watson, Texas' assistant head coach for offense, will no longer serve as Texas’ play-caller. Charlie Strong, who made the announcement, said Tuesday night wide receivers coach Jay Norvell will be sole play-caller and the duties won't be shared.

Watson will be the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator Joe Wickline will focus on coaching the offensive line.

“What was key is we have to get this program on track,” Strong said. “We've got to do a better job of coaching, we've got to get our players better prepared and there's no reason for us to go out and perform at the level we've been performing at, no reason at all.”

After a debut season where Texas finished near the bottom of the FBS in virtually every major offensive category, Watson’s unit struggled in its season opener against Notre Dame. In the 38-3 defeat, the Longhorns did not show the offensive change the staff had promised all offseason.

“It's about productivity,” Strong said. “I just sat down and just came to that conclusion that we just need better and we have to do better.”

What Strong wanted and what Watson produced seemed to be in stark contrast to one another. Strong admitted Tuesday Waston's more comfortable with what Texas was attempting to do last season as an extension of his background in the West Coast offense, which ultimately prompted the head coach to promote Norvell.

Strong said Watson never told him he couldn't switch to a different style of offense, but Strong expected to see vastly different results out of the gate than what the Longhorns put on the field.

“You think about change and for some guys it's very uncomfortable,” Strong said. “Sometimes you have to look at what you're trying to do and you just want to make sure that if someone isn't comfortable doing what you like to do, then if someone on your staff can do it you try to place that person in there.”

Strong said the decision to demote Watson was all about productivity, or a lack thereof.

Norvell, who was the offensive coordinator at Nebraska from 2004-2006 and called plays for Karl Dorrell at UCLA in 2007, spent the last six seasons at Oklahoma prior to being hired at Texas last January. Norvell's final four seasons in Norman saw him carry the co-offensive coordinator title as he teamed with play-caller Josh Heupel.

“We just want to make sure that we talk about an up-tempo offense,” Strong said. “That's what everyone wants to see. It's still about making sure you play with good fundamentals and technique and making sure that we can move the football.”

The Longhorns averaged just 2.1 yards per carry against the Fighting Irish. Texas went three-and-out on seven drives, managing just 163 yards of total offense on 52 offensive snaps, not exactly what Strong and anyone else following the program had in mind considering all of the talk of changing the offensive.

Strong said there's enough talent with the program that results should be better.

“When we talk about change we want to see it,” Strong said. “We have the guys, let's go get it done.”

Saturday's showing was on the heels of a two-game stretch where the Longhorns put up some of the worst offensive numbers in the country. After turning the ball over six times in a 48-10 loss to TCU, the Longhorns totaled only 59 yards, the lowest total for a single game in the FBS last season, in a Texas Bowl loss to Arkansas.

Watson has been calling plays for Strong since 2011 when he was elevated to the role following the demotion of Mike Sanford. Watson oversaw a Louisville offense, led by eventual first round draft choice Teddy Bridgewater, which led the Cardinals to a 23-3 record over the course of the 2012 and 2013 seasons.

This is now the third time in the last decade Watson has been relieved of the job as the primary play-caller. Watson was a part of Gary Barnett’s staff at Colorado that was released following the 2005 season, and he was fired by then-Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini following the 2010 season.

Strong admitted it wasn't an easy decision to demote Watson and Wickline, but it is what's best for Texas.

“It's never an easy transition because sometimes guys do get their egos hurt, but it wasn't about trying to get anyone's ego hurt, it's about fixing the problem,” Strong said. “You either accept the problem, you divorce yourself from or you let it go and I couldn't let it go. There's just too many people involved and this university is too big for that to happen. I wouldn't be doing my job.”