After this week that was full of big games, I think many teams saw their problems get exposed. In this article, I will talk about the issues with many of the teams who lost this weekend, and what could be done to fix them.

Texas

So I might as well go ahead and talk about my Texas Longhorns first. Texas could not get the job done in their Red River Shootout matchup with Oklahoma. While the 34-27 loss in a vacuum is not very disappointing, I feel like Oklahoma did not perform nearly as well as they could have and Texas failed to show up in a game they could have won if they played well.

Throughout this season, I think Texas’s biggest weakness as a team has been their lack of consistency at cornerback. This issue became widely known after their cornerbacks were repeatedly burned by LSU’s receivers. This all was the case before Jalen Green, the best cornerback the Longhorns have, went down with a shoulder injury. While allowing 235 passing yards from Jalen Hurts might not look terrible, they did allow CeeDee Lamb to have 10 catches for 171 yards and three touchdowns. Texas just had absolutely no answer for Lamb the entire game. While I would have expected Lamb to make some big catches, what made it all worse was that Texas’s cornerbacks could not make tackles on him in the open field after the catch. Two of Lamb’s touchdowns were caught outside of the end zone and run in. One was caught 30 yards from the end zone and the other was caught 10 yards away. On both of those, Texas failed to make an open field tackle as you can see below.

Both of these still frames are from shortly after a catch and both led to touchdowns. While part of that is due to great elusiveness by Lamb, Texas also did a poor job of making the open field tackles. If Texas continues to not only give up catches but also fail to bring down a receiver after the catch, there will be some tough times ahead. Hopefully these issues can be patched up a bit once the Longhorns bring back Green, DeMarvion Overshown, Chris Brown, and safety Caden Sterns.

Texas also did not do well at all when it came to pass protection. Quarterback Sam Ehlinger was sacked nine times and Oklahoma also had 15 tackles for loss as well. Oklahoma ran a lot of stunts with their defensive line and Texas could not pick up on them or make any adjustments to it. Oklahoma had just 35 tackles for loss and nine sacks in total before this game. While part of it can be blamed on Ehlinger holding the ball for too long, the offensive line play held him back and the rest of the offense at times. I will also put a lot of this on offensive coordinator Tim Beck and offensive line coach Herb Hand for not preparing for the stunts Oklahoma ran and also failing to adjust. These issues will continue to be exposed until the Longhorns can solve them.

Texas also had their fair share of coaching errors during the game. In the Red River Shootout last season, (the Big 12 Championship did not happen) Texas abused Oklahoma’s secondary by running slants or other inside routes with Collin Johnson and Lil’Jordan Humphrey. They both did very well at getting contested grabs against cornerbacks that were much shorter than they were and Oklahoma never really had an answer for it. While Humphrey has since moved on to the NFL, they still have Johnson along with 6’6” Malcolm Epps and 6’4” Brennan Eagles. It seems like a no brained to try and do the same thing. Well unfortunately for the Longhorns, that concept was not understood by the coaching staff as they tried to beat Oklahoma on deep routes. Oklahoma’s defense might have been faulty at times this season, but it has their fair share of athletes. Texas struggled to beat them with speed but could have definitely beat them with strength. The Longhorns finally started calling inside routes later in the game and lo and behold it worked. Why Texas did not go back to that well earlier is a question that needs to be asked. I think the offense would have been set up much better for success if they did.

The other coaching error that I saw from Texas was not using a quarterback spy on Jalen Hurts more often. Hurts ran for 131 yards on the day and was able to extend drives often as he gave Oklahoma a first down on six of his carries, two of which coming on third down. If Texas used a quarterback spy, it would have discouraged Hurts from running ball and force him into more passes he might not have felt very comfortable throwing. Texas did very little to take Hurts off his game as he was not sacked the entire game. This is something Oklahoma did very well and I do not think it is a coincidence that they ended up winning.

All in all, Texas went toe to toe with a playoff caliber team and has some stuff to be excited about for the future. Roschon Johnson looks like a future star at running back despite playing the position for about six weeks. I think he will only get better and should be the lead back on the team right now. On defense, Joseph Ossai looks like a playmaker at linebacker. Hopefully the Longhorns can do well while they are still bitten by the injury bug and get a rematch with Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship with an improved and fully healthy roster.

Georgia

The most shocking result of the past weekend definitely has to be Georgia’s home loss against South Carolina. The Bulldogs fell 20-17 in double overtime and snapped a 16 game home winning streak.

The biggest reason Georgia lost this game was their inability to take care of the ball. At the forefront of that is that quarterback Jake Fromm had what is likely his worst game ever as a Georgia Bulldog. Fromm threw three interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown and another was in overtime. Fromm has never thrown three interceptions in a game before and has only thrown two interceptions in a game twice before this. Fromm was clearly off and Georgia continued to use him instead of running the ball with a strong stable of running backs and an elite offensive line. Fromm threw the ball 51 times, which is 12 more times than his previous highest mark. Georgia’s six losses with Fromm as a starter, five of them have been in games where he threw over 30 passes. The Bulldogs have never won when Fromm has thrown more than 30 times. He threw the ball 51 times on Saturday. Also before you say that the game going to double overtime bumped his numbers up, he threw 48 passes in regulation. I also know that teams tend to throw more when they are losing, Georgia is 27-1 and one with him throwing less than 30 passes, so it is a major discrepancy. I think Fromm is still a very good quarterback, but Georgia needs to find a big play in their receiving corps. It looks like George Pickens could be that guy, but he is just a true freshman.

Georgia also only averaged four yards per carry as a team, which reflects poorly on their backfield but also their offensive line. Georgia has elite talent up front on offense and they need to pave the way for their backfield. On defense, Georgia completely failed to get a pass rush as they did not have a sack or even a quarterback hurry the entire game. South Carolina was on their third string quarterback by the end of the game and Georgia allowed them to settle in the pocket. It should also be mentioned that the final play of the game was a missed field goal by Rodrigo Blankenship. Blankenship has been considered one of the best kickers in the country and should make a 42 yard field goal. Then again, the game should not have had to come down to a field goal for Georgia. This game might have been a clunker, but I think Georgia can bounce back still. The Bulldogs have an inexperienced offensive coaching staff and hopefully they can learn from this loss. If Georgia wins out, they can still make the playoff.

Iowa

Iowa was unable to channel some Kinnick magic Saturday night as they fell 17-12 to Penn State. I think this game saw many of Iowa’s problems come to a head. The Hawkeyes still have a strong defense, but their offense has struggled recently. To start things off, in the last couple years, they have lacked the workhorse back that they typically have had. The Hawkeyes has just 70 rushing yards on 2.3 yards per carry against Penn State, and 29 of those were on one carry. That was also their only run of more than 10 yards all game. Iowa has prided themselves on the ground game and solid offensive line play for as long as Kirk Ferentz has been head coach and both of those have been lacking this season. There have been suggestions that Iowa switch up offensive coordinators and I think that would be a wise decision even though it would likely not sit well with head coach Kirk Ferentz. Kirk’s son Brian Ferentz is in the middle of his third season as offensive coordinator and Iowa’s offense has clearly done worse since he took over that job. Iowa’s offense has averaged less points per game every season since 2017. A change up and retooling on offense could do a lot of good things for the Hawkeyes, but for now they need to find a consistent go to back and find a way to improve their offensive line play.

Florida

The biggest game this week was Florida’s matchup with LSU in Death Valley. While the Gators hung around for a bit and even held the road briefly in the second half, they eventually fell 42-28.

The biggest cause for Florida’s defeat was the fact that LSU’s offense completely had their way with Florida’s defense. LSU averaged 10.6 per play and only faced four third downs the entire game. LSU put up 42 points on just 49 offensive plays. While those stats can tell a lot, the main point is that Florida provided no resistance for LSU’s offense. Florida’s pass rush suffocated the likes of Auburn and Miami but they did nothing against LSU as they did not get a sack or a quarterback hurry. LSU’s Joe Burrow is a very good quarterback and will destroy a defense if he has time to throw. Florida also failed to effectively stop the run. I think part of this could just be that LSU is really good on offense, but Florida will need to find ways to generate big plays or at least some resistance against elite offenses.

Michigan State

The main narrative of Michigan State’s last season was their lack of an offense. They showed flashes this season, but they clearly have a long way to go after being shut out by Wisconsin. The Spartans has just 149 yards of total offense on just 2.9 yards per play and did not have a single play over 20 yards. The Spartans had just one run over six yards and 30 total yards on the ground. Quarterback Brian Lewerke was benched after throwing for just 53 yards and an interception on 16 attempts. Rocky Lombardi did not do much better as he went 5/14 for 66 yards and an interception. Quarterback play seemed to have improved earlier this season, but Lewerke had a rough day. They also lack a solid ground game which they have not had since 2017. Michigan State also has had quite bad offensive line play and has amplified many issues. The Spartans need to change offensive coordinators and possibly even make a head coaching change. Dantonio has been the head coach for the Spartans since 2007 and sports a 111-54 record. He just has not fixed some of the pressing issues surrounding the team and will not change offensive coordinators. I think replacing him might be warranted if he will not make changes on the offensive staff.

Some Random Thoughts

1. Appalachian State is still undefeated and now ranked after their win over Louisiana. It will be interesting to see how things go for the Mountaineers and their game against South Carolina later this season will be interesting.

2. I was so wrong about Syracuse. The Orangemen are now 3-3 after their loss to North Carolina State and I predicted them to go 10-2. Their offense clearly misses Eric Dungey.

3. Steven Montez had a rough go of in Colorado’s 45-3 loss to Oregon on Friday night as he threw four interceptions. Oregon’s CJ Verdell ran absolutely wild for 171 yards.

4. Texas kicker Cameron Dicker is pretty good at onside kicks. His onside attempts against LSU and Oklahoma have both been good but have seen teammates drop the ball. A successful onside kick is awesome and I hope we can see more of them.

5. South Carolina cornerback Israel Mukuamu had an absolute monster performance in their upset win over Georgia with 11 tackles and three interceptions.

6. Michigan let Illinois hang around a bit too much for comfort before pulling away and winning 42-25. I feel like Michigan is currently doing the bare minimum to get by against inferior opponents.

7. Bowling Green beat Toledo outright as 26 point underdogs, which could be one of the biggest upsets against the spread this season.

8. Washington State and Arizona State played a wild game on Saturday. True freshman Jayden Daniels is a straight up good quarterback for Arizona State and was not phased at all during big moments. Daniels scored on a 17 yard run with 34 seconds left to give the Sun Devils the win. Brandon Aiyuk had a big day for Arizona State with 196 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Washington State still can salvage this season but they need to improve their pass defense.

9. Guys Maryland was ranked at one point this season. I am serious you can look it up.

10. Former Last Chance U star Malik Henry had a solid performance in his first start for Nevada. Henry did throw two interceptions, but he threw for 352 yards in a 41-38 win for the Wolfpack. Henry was a former five-star recruit and had the talent to succeed. It will be interesting to see how he does for the rest of the season.

11. Vanderbilt lost 34-10 to UNLV and have really cemented themselves as the worst Power Five team.

12. Clemson absolutely ran through Florida State in their 45-14 win. The Tigers ran for 320 yards on the day.

13. Texas A&M finally showed some life. Unfortunately it was against first ranked Alabama and they still lost 47-28.

14. LSU head coach Ed Orgeron saying “Welcome to Death Valley where opponents come to die” in a pregame interview was great.

15. Baylor remains undefeated after beating Texas Tech 33-30 in double overtime. The Bears survived by the skin of their teeth, but are now one of 12 undefeated teams left. Texas Tech will also be an interesting team to watch as I think they have improved throughout this season.

16. Nebraska knocked around by Minnesota on Saturday. The absence of Adrian Martinez at quarterback definitely did not help. Minnesota is now 6-0 and is looking toward a daunting back half of their schedule. Also the Five Dollar Bits of Broken Chair Trophy that Minnesota won by winning this game is one of the best trophies in college football.

17. Kentucky was in some desperate times at quarterback and made the gamble of having receiver Lynn Bowden start at under center. The risk paid off as he threw for a touchdown and ran for 196 yards and two touchdowns. Bowden was a quarterback in high school, but this was still a surprise performance.

18. Southern Miss’s Jack Abraham is a very good quarterback as he has thrown for 1,936 yards in five games while completing 71% of his passes. The Golden Eagles are 3-2 on the season but the two losses are to Mississippi State and Alabama.

19. Missouri is actually good and I feel that their loss to Wyoming on opening weekend is preventing people from realizing that. They have a very nice and balanced offensive attack and they have a puncher’s chance at winning the SEC East if their defense can bounce back without Cale Garrett at linebacker.

20. Navy is 4-1 on the season after a 45-17 win over Tulsa last week led by 218 rushing yards from quarterback Malcolm Perry. The Midshipmen have already surpassed their win total from 2018. Perry is also a very good option quarterback.

21. Louisville and Wake Forest played a wild game on Saturday that saw Wake Forest nearly battle back a 52-31 fourth quarter deficit before ultimately losing the game and their undefeated season 62-59. An injury to quarterback Jamie Newman really torpedoed Wake Forest’s chances. Also Sage Surratt is an absolute dude at receiver for the Demon Deacons. He had 196 receiving yards on Saturday and has 711 yards through six games this season. Louisville also has a legitimate chance of making a bowl game which would be quite impressive after they went 2-10 last season.

22. Boise State beat Hawaii 59-37, and that was with quarterback Hank Bachmeier out due to injury.

23. Jacob Eason had a good bounce back game for Washington as he threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns on 11 yards per attempt. Washington’s matchup with Oregon on Saturday will be interesting.

24. All 40 of Purdue’s points in their win over Maryland were scored by freshmen, which is quite the intriguing stat.

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