Defensive line

The Texas defensive front dominated the football game from the second period on. The move of Poona Ford inside really helped the pass rush in the second half. It freed up Naashon Hughes to become a more competent pass rusher and it paid dividends with Hughes finishing with 2.5 sacks. Freshman Jordan Elliott pushed the pocket and plugged the middle. Bryce Cottrell played well off the edge and Chris Nelson seems to be getting better. Still, the unsung hero for me is Charles Omenihu. The sophomore didn't record a lot of stats but he continues to play well against the run and is getting more and more push against the pass.

Grade: A

Linebackers

Anthony Wheeler had the play of the night for the LBs. His fourth-down stop of Joel Lanning was a key play in the game. Malik Jefferson had one sack and a couple of plays behind the scrimmage but also missed two tackles (one was a sack). Breckyn Hager and Malcolm Roach played outstanding games with their normal hair-on-fire tenacity. True freshman Jeff McCulloch also got in on the action and more than looked the part. His clothesline tackle of the ISU QB may have been the play most of the crowd remembers but it was his deep drop into the passing lanes in the fourth quarter that could cause problems for future opponents. Fellow true freshman Erick Fowler also saw his first real action of the year. Yes, he had a personal foul penalty, but he also showed a nose for the football, knifing inside a power block to stop a power run play. Senior Tim Cole continues to be isolated by opponents who are well aware he comes into the game every third series.

Grade: A-

Secondary

I can't give the secondary stellar grades because I don't know how much of it was their actual performance or that of the pass rush. John Bonney played solid against the run after catch, but also almost cost the Horns points at the end of the first half. Kris Boyd was the game's standout in the secondary. He made three plays on third down to get Texas off the field. Of course, he also was called for a taunting penalty that gave an Iowa State on the ropes a fresh set of downs. Davanta Davis saw minimal action and Holton Hill didn't see the field at all.

Grade: B

Defense overall

Eight sacks. I'm not sure much needs to be said other than that. The Horns played the run very well and even generally contained Joel Lanning reasonably when the pocket broke down. Texas must continue to get Roach and Hager more and more snaps, and move Ford back inside on passing downs. If Texas can generate this type of pass rush on a weekly basis, it'll be a big win for a defense that just hasn't had many the last couple of years. But for those who think the defense has now turned the corner, I'd suggest waiting until the Horns can do it on a consistent basis, not just an Iowa State team deflated by back-to-back fourth quarter losses.

Grade: A

Special teams

The Horns connected on both of their field goal attempts. But other than that, the special teams was largely beaten by Iowa State. The Cyclones' punter kept getting the ball past Texas, even though the Horns employed two deep men on punt returns much of the game. ISU also had a kickoff return that almost cost Texas points near the end of the first half. Meanwhile, the Horns did little-to-nothing in their own return game. Michael Dickson had two touchbacks on attempts that could have pinned ISU deeper in its own territory.

Grade: C