Texas Longhorns

Texas Football: 5 Improvements Longhorns Need to Make During Bye Week

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Sep 17, 2016; Berkeley, CA, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Shane Buechele (7) warms up prior to the game against the California Golden Bears at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports

After three weeks, Texas football gets a chance to breath. Currently 2-1 and ranked No. 21 in the AP poll and No. 24 in the Coaches Poll, the Longhorns get a bye week before starting their conference schedule October 1. Between now and then, there are some things the team needs to work on.

Prior to the season, many would have considered getting through the non-conference schedule with a 2-1 record a major win for this program. But expectations were raised significantly after the season-opening win over Notre Dame. That, combined with the manner in which they lost to Cal, has Texas heading into the bye with an air of disappointment around the team.

The good news is that this team still have plenty of potential to grow into. This roster has not played up to their full ability yet. That’s understandable when you consider how many freshman and sophomores fill out the depth chart. But now that youth and inexperience can’t be used as an excuse. Entering Big 12 play means every game takes on greater importance and the Horns need to buckle down from this point forward.

After this bye week, Texas will play every week until the end of the regular season. This is the time to get things fixed. There is the potential for something special on the Forty Acres this season, but the Horns have to keep improving to make it happen.

With that being said, here are five improvements that Texas needs to make during their bye week.

Sep 17, 2016; Berkeley, CA, USA; California Golden Bears defensive end Evan Weaver (89) sacks Texas Longhorns quarterback Shane Buechele (7) in the first quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports

Thankfully, Texas enters their bye week in pretty good shape. In-game injuries against Cal, however, showed that Texas is still thin in some places so they need to get healthy and then stay healthy.

The biggest injury against the Bears was to quarterback Shane Buechele. Early in the first half, Buechele took a hard hit that ended up keeping him out for much of the first half. Buechele was taken into the locker room to be checked out for what was officially deemed a chest injury. Later, he was able to come back into the game.

However, his absence really upset the rhythm of the offense. Even when he came back in, there were some deep throws that seemed to lack their usual touch. Repeated shots from the Cal defense really seemed to take their toll on Buechele. Texas needs their young star under center healthy if they want to make a run in the Big 12. That means he needs to get healthy this week and the offensive line needs to figure out how to keep him upright.

Speaking of the offensive line, junior right tackle Tristan Nickelson missed his second straight game with a knee injury suffered in the opener against Notre Dame. The team is confident that with the bye week, Nickelson will be healthy enough to get back into the starting lineup for the Big 12 opener. With how much pressure Cal was able to put on Buechele last week, that’s big news for the offense.

Other notable injuries during the game did nothing to help a struggling defense. Devante Davis was knocked out of the game with a head injury that stretched a thin and overmatched secondary. Malik Jefferson had to leave the game in obvious pain with what ended up being diagnosed as a stinger. He was able to return to the game, however, and finished the contest.

Sep 17, 2016; Berkeley, CA, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Tyrone Swoopes (18) breaks through the California Golden Bears in the first quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports

Against Notre Dame, Texas was able to use both Shane Buechele and Tyrone Swoopes effectively in a seemingly effortless tandem. In the Cal game, it was far less smooth. Moving forward, Texas needs to iron out this dual-quarterback system for the offense to be effective.

It’s clear to see how each Texas quarterback can contribute to the offense. Buechele is a gifted thrower who can stretch the field in the vertical passing game. Swoopes is a physical runner between the tackles who can provide a boost to the power running game. Against the Irish, we saw the coaching staff use these skill sets interchangeably to create a cohesive offensive attack.

However, it was a very different story in the Cal game. Part of it may have been Buechele’s injury but the coaching staff seemed unsure about when or how to use each quarterback. Swoopes was forced into some passing situations where he completed 4 of 6 for 65 yards with an interceptions. While that’s not terrible, it clearly was not what the offense wanted him to be doing and the flow struggled.

Those issues were not fixed when Buechele returned. Some drives they were swapping out Swoopes and Buechele on every other play. That makes it difficult for the offense to find a rhythm and likely cost the Horns a couple of scoring drives.

We know that Buechele and Swoopes can coexist. Sterlin Gilbert needs to use the bye week to rediscover that balance he had in the opener.

Sep 4, 2016; Austin, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns linebacker Malcolm Roach (32) celebrates during the third quarter against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Charlie Strong has never been shy about playing young players. Coming out of the bye, he should embrace the youth movement and get more of his young stars onto the field.

Since taking over Texas, Strong has dominated on the recruiting trail. The influx of talent in Austin has been incredible to see and many of those young studs have played an integral role in the Horns on-field success. However, there are a few underclassmen stuck behind veteran starters who should get more opportunities going forward.

Freshmen like Brandon Jones and Malcolm Roach or sophomores such as Breckyn Hager and DeShon Elliott have made great impact on the game despite seeing limited snaps. Jones has blocked a punt in back to back games, putting his athleticism and playmaking ability on display. Roach and Hager are co-lead the team with two sacks apiece despite playing as rotational players. Elliott has a sack and a pass breakup at safety coming off the bench.

These younger players provide an upgrade in terms of athleticism and playmaking ability even if they don’t have the experience or knowledge of some of Texas’ more veteran players. As we saw at Cal, however, experience does not always equal wins. Upgrading the overall talent level of the team on the field by using more young players should be a point of emphasis.

Sep 17, 2016; Berkeley, CA, USA; California Golden Bears wide receiver Melquise Stovall (1) scores a touchdown against the Texas Longhorns in the second quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports

The loss to Cal was an embarrassing effort from the defense. Whether it’s a matter of scheme, execution, or communication, Texas must fix their defensive breakdowns.

Too often, Cal was able to spring receivers into the open field. In the second quarter, Melquise Stovall ran up the sideline without a Texas defender within 10 yards of him to score a 29-yard touchdown, cutting the Longhorn lead to 31-28. This was far from an isolated incident in this game and is something that has to change moving forward.

Following the game, Strong said the responsibility fell on the coaching staff. Senior safety Dylan Haines blamed a lack of communication between the players on the field. Whatever the issue, it’s not something that can continue. The Big 12 is filled with offenses who can stretch the field like Cal did. If the Longhorns don’t bring a better effort, their bid for a conference title will be short-lived.

Whatever steps the team takes, they need to find a way to tighten up the defense. Continued breakdowns like they have had in their non-conference schedule will be disastrous in Big 12 play.

Sep 10, 2016; Austin, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns wide receivers Jake Oliver (6) and Jacorey Warrick (11) a touchdown reception against the University of Texas at El Paso Miners during the second quarter at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports

One of the biggest improvements that this Texas team can make may be the most fundamental; tackle better.

Even in their win over Notre Dame in the season opener, missed tackles plagued this defense. Against Cal, they continued to hurt the Horns with short screen passes turning into big gains after a defender missed his chance to end the play early. Getting offensive players down when they have a shot is a fundamental key to improving this Texas defense.

There is no denying there is talent on this roster. However, that talent means nothing if they aren’t doing the little things well. There is nothing more fundamentally important for a successful defense than being able to get ball carriers to the ground when they have an opportunity.

Sometimes it doesn’t take something exotic or extreme to make a significant difference for a struggling defense. In this instance, improving the simple art of tackling could turn the Longhorns into a decent defense, which could be mean the difference between success and failure for Texas in 2016.

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