Plus, an early look at the Ohio State Buckeyes
Have you caught your breath yet? The Texas Longhorns advanced to the College Football Playoff Semifinals with a double-overtime victory over the Arizona State Sun Devils. What’s your biggest takeaway from the win?
Daniel Seahorn (@DanielSeahorn) – My biggest takeaway is that Texas struggled to run the football much more than I anticipated going into this one. Texas also really struggled to sustain offensive drives and allowed Arizona State to dominate the time of possession, which eventually took its toll on the defense that was playing well for most of the game. Complimentary football was not played and it made this game a lot tighter than it should have been.
Gerald Goodridge (@ghgoodridge) – I think my biggest takeaway is that something is still wrong with the running game and it is a big impediment to what the team is trying to do. Part of the reason why Texas got into the predicament it was rests on the fact that they were unable to sustain a drive and keep the clock moving, so ASU went into the fourth quarter with a massive time of possession difference, and the Texas defense looked gassed. If the Texas ground game can’t at least have some impact on the pace of the game against Ohio State, it is going to get ugly.
Cameron Parker (@camerondparker) – Quinn Ewers is a dawg. He led Texas down the field not once, but twice in regulation for a potential game-winning field goal and ended the game with three throws that resulted in points. He’s a gamer and you can’t tell me otherwise.
Jacob Neidig (@jneidig_2) – This team needs Quinn Ewers. For the entire season it seems, people have been grumbling about his play with some even arguing that he was the limiting factor for the Texas team. Given that the defense was approaching historically elite levels and the run game was thriving, I guess I get it. How things are trending in the last few games and especially how Texas won against Arizona State highlighted the exact opposite for me.
Was this the quintessential Quinn Ewers’s performance? Excuse the pun…
Daniel – Certainly feels like it. When overtime hit, it was like it was a different guy than we had seen for most of the game. I’ve called that version of QE3 Big-Game Quinn because he has tended to show up for the biggest games on the schedule. That’s what we got out of him with his last two throws of the game that ultimately won it for Texas.
Gerald – It’s definitely up there, especially when taking into account the game state in which he had to operate. He marched the team down the field multiple times to put them in a winning position and didn’t get the support from the special teams unit that he should have. Then, when it was put up or pack up time, he called a protection audible to give himself time and threaded the needle to tie the game and force the second overtime. When Quinn is at his ceiling, Texas can win almost any game, but the circumstances – both of his making and not – have kept him from being at his best for a lot of the year.
Cameron – Yes. I’m going to sound like Bill Hader’s Stefon character on Saturday Night Live but the Peach Bowl had it all: NFL-caliber throws, pee-wee football throws, a gritty touchdown run, an awful interception, bad sacks, and multiple potential game-winning drives before ending the game with three straight scoring throws. Love him or hate him, Quinn is a fierce competitor and played his butt off against Arizona State. It was a legacy game for Quinn and another one will present itself against Ohio State.
Jacob – The quintessential Quinn Game wouldn’t be complete without a few hiccups that leave you scratching your head while other plays leave your mouth wide open. I think the ability to use his legs, even just once, is a big reason why this represents the QE3 experience. People forget how lethal he can be scrambling on third downs. Also, the 4th and 13 was an audible from Ewers, something he does frequently and successfully that flies under the radar.
What’s your biggest concern heading into the semifinals and is it fixable?
Daniel – Without question, it’s the running game, and given the caliber of defense you are about to see I’m not sure it’s fixable with a little over a week to prep. The Texas run game (and the offense in general) has been very Jekyll and Hyde throughout the year. They are what they are at this point in the season.
Gerald – The running game. The way the ground game goes is the way the offense goes overall. Texas’s best offensive games are when the run game is clicking and it was anything but against Arizona State. I’m not sure if it’s fixable because I thought it was fixed but I guess it’s not? Is it a line issue? Is it a running back issue? Is it a play-calling issue? I’m legitimately stumped.
Cameron – Playing a four-quarter game. We have not seen it yet this season and Texas has to play a complete game on offense, defense, and special teams to beat Ohio State. Is it possible? I think at this point in the season, we know exactly what this team is and I don’t think we’re going to see it against the Buckeyes.
Jacob – My biggest concern is that the same issues that plagued the offense the whole season will hurt Texas against Ohio State. The bad with Texas starts with taking their foot off the gas but includes offensive penalties, turnovers, third and longs, and red zone struggles. These issues arose early in SEC play. It seems to me that we often win in spite of them, not because they are fixed. I think there’s also a strong case that in losses, these issues are more significant impactors. The staff and the players know about these issues but haven’t found a way to eradicate them. I’m skeptical that any game will be free from any of these but hopeful Texas can limit them enough to get a win.
We’ll save the prediction for next week’s roundtable but how do you like Texas’s chances against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the CFP Semifinal next week?
Daniel – We haven’t seen Texas play a complete football game all year and at this point, I’m not sure we will. Meanwhile, Ohio State is peaking and playing up to the potential that most had them pegged for at the start of the year. Texas could always surprise us, but it’s hard to pick against the Buckeyes right now.
Gerald – If the Texas offense plays like it did against Arizona State, especially in the second and third quarters, I have to say I don’t like their chances. Ohio State is simply the most talented roster in the country, with 90 percent of their roster considered blue chips. Dating back to 2011, the highest blue chip ratio for a national champion was the 2020 Alabama Crimson Tide, which was 83 percent. Ohio State is not only the most talented team left in the tournament, they are playing their best football of the year. I would be SHOCKED that Chip Kelly approaches the semifinal game with a game plan that even remotely looks like what he brought to the Michigan game so Texas needs to be at its best or they might get run in this one.
Cameron – Ohio State is playing the best football of the remaining four teams in the country and presents a lot of challenges. They have a front four that can put pressure on Quinn and possibly the best pair of safeties in the country. They also have a legitimate cheat code at wide receiver in Jeremiah Smith and maybe the best running-back tandem in the country. They have the best roster in all of college football and are favored to win it all for a reason. It’s going to take a near-perfect performance from Texas to win.
Jacob – Ohio State is hot but the thumping they put on Oregon is an overrepresentation of their upside. Ohio State ran it up thanks to four 40+ yard touchdowns. That’s not a repeatable formula. Just three games ago, the same offense scored 10 points. Does that mean Texas will hold them to that amount? Unlikely but hardly impossible. If Texas can limit big plays and the offense sustains a few drives, I think the game will be much more competitive than early commentary seems to suggest.