The Texas Longhorns were absolutely killed in Dallas last week by Oklahoma, and that may not describe just how bad it was. Neither side of the ball played well for Texas. Their offense committed 5 turnovers, and they could never get the running game going. The defense looked mediocre at best as they allowed Landry Jones to simply dominate them. They ended up losing by a massive 38 points, and the schedule didn't get any easier this week for the Horns.
Oklahoma State, the 4th ranked team in the country, came to Austin sporting a perfect record. They have a very explosive offense to go along with an aggressive defense. This must've seemed like deja vu for Texas. When a young team like Texas has to face back to back top 5 opponents it usually means disaster. Instead the young Longhorns stepped up to the challenge. No, they didn't beat OSU, but they definitely showed some heart, and they showed that they are an improved football team.
Besides the 3 turnovers, Texas couldn't have played this game any better. Their defense was aggressive, and they controlled the clock. They nearly doubled OSU in time of possession, as they had the ball for 39:18. They had the running game going, with Malcolm Brown leading the way with 135 yards. If not for the turnovers Texas likely wins this game, but they are young, and those turnovers will start to disappear.
One thing Texas hasn't had all season is a consistent passing game. Case McCoy and David Ash have been sharing the starting job since the second half of the BYU game, when Garrett Gilbert was benched. But against Oklahoma State Mack Brown decided to make a decision on the starter. David Ash played the entire game against OSU, and he did show flashes of how good he could be, he just isn't quite there yet. This could help Texas, because the 2 quarterback system doesn't allow for one QB to get into a rhythm. But now with Ash as the lone starter, he should become more comfortable as time goes on.
The schedule doesn't get a whole lot easier for Texas either. They do get a fairly easy game against Kansas next, but after that they will have to battle for every win. After that they will have 2 home games, Texas Tech and Kansas State, and 3 road games, Missouri, Texas A&M, and Baylor. You can't look at any of those games and think that Texas will definitely win. So the young Horns better grow up quick, because the Big 12 is better than ever, and they aren't going to have any mercy on this team.
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