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View from the Cheap Seats-Gators No Joy in Sark-Ville Welcome to the SEC, where even the bad teams are good. There is no way to spin this other than failure. Starting with the most basic principle of football, you have to win the line of scrimmage. The most concerning aspect going forward for this team is that we were outplayed on both sides of the ball. The Horns were outphysicaled for the majority of the game. This by a team that will finish in the middle tier of the SEC and likely is playing in a minor bowl. Don’t say we didn’t warn you, this quote is from the Preseason edition of the Cheap Seats, sub-titled “Don’t eat the cheese”: To quote Bill Parcells, DON’T EAT THE CHEESE. Don’t let the hype get inside your head. This will be Sark’s biggest coaching challenge in his career against a tough schedule. This loss hurts. We've seen cracks all year, exacerbated by absurd pre-season hype. Against Florida in the Swamp, the dam burst on those cracks and exposed big flaws across the board. The worst, this staff did not have the team ready coming off a bye week. Make no mistake, this was a butt whipping and it exposed holes, some we knew about (young QB, offensive line, lack of running game), some that frankly shocked us, namely the defense getting roasted. Starting with the opening play, DJ Lagway completes a pass to a true freshman WR, our true freshman DB Singleton makes a tremendous open field tackle, and dislodges the ball. Potential game-changing moment, but TEXAS can’t recover the fumble, and their WR gets back on it to record a 7-yard gain. Very much, the tone of the game was set on the opening drive. The first play in a 13-play, 84-yard drive culminating in a Gator touchdown. A very balanced drive with a strong mix of rush and short passing to keep our pass rush off Lagway. This against a defense which had not allowed a point in the 1st quarter this season. The writing was on the wall. TEXAS takes over with the offense facing the strength of Florida’s team, their front 4. And they gave TEXAS young offensive line fits all day. Arch completed one great pass to early Offensive Player of the Year Parker Livingstone, but the drive ended in a punt. Florida puts together a 10-play drive and adds a field goal, putting the Horns down 10-0 in the 1st quarter. The Horns would record a touchdown, Florida answered with their own TD, then forced a 3 and a Safety. Say what? 3 and out, leading to a punt that, thanks to some good scouting by them and poor coaching by us, gets blocked out of the back of the end zone. 19-7 at halftime We have been both fans and critics of Sark since he arrived. He has done some GREAT things and brought in a ton of talent. His biggest flaw is that he is stubborn and he wants to force his offense regardless of results. The Cheap Seats became very concerned when, during a bye week press conference, Sark talked about the need to “push the ball downfield”. We do not understand why, and that strategy largely failed again. Gone were the passes to the RBs, the throwback screens, the misdirection by formation and motion. All of the things that help a young QB get settled, all the things Billy Napier did to get his QB in rhythm. All the things you do to slow down a pass rush that would record six sacks, along with 10 hits on the QB, or pressures. Arch was under duress throughout the game while we continued to call slow-developing plays, trying to force the ball downfield. The Nintendo fans love it, they love the “explosives”, forgetting that many of the “explosives” last year came from WR screens and passes to RBs in the flats. We did run one throwback screen, and it went for a nice game. Let’s not do that again, then. Now, in fairness, some of the downfield stuff worked and worked well, but too often the pressure on Arch prevented a solid throw, or he would release the ball a second too late. So, although we were not impressed with the game plan, we were equally disappointed with the poor offensive line play. And the bad news is that, while it’s easy to correct (at least if the coach puts his ego aside), play calling and fixing a developing offensive line mid-season are a bridge too far. Ols take time to gel and honestly, this one is going backwards. We have to credit Sark for the WR pass but when we did have the right play called, we failed to execute as Wingo put up a wobbly duck to a wide open Enderies. Glass half full This will not take long. The Horns did not quit. With nothing going right, offense, defense, or special teams, the team kept coming. Not unlike the game at the Shoe to open the season, In the last drive, the Horns had a chance to tie the game. Thanks to the safety, they couldn’t win on the last drive, but they battled back the entire 2nd half and had a chance to tie. 4th quarter, Manning’s helmet was pulled off while he was being sacked, and he had to go out. Matthew Caldwell, playing for his 4th school, calmly comes in facing 2nd and 22, stands firm in the pocket, and delivers a strike to Ryan Wingo, who makes a great move to gain extra yards, but also to get out of bounds, stopping the clock with no timeouts left. 2 Red Zone Trips, 2 Touchdowns. Glass half empty The offensive line and play calling are the low points in this section. With the OL under duress, why were we trying to push the ball downfield so often? Why was nothing being called to protect the QB/OL with short passes, WR screens, etc? Our best offense came when plays broke down and Arch played backyard ball. He was our leading rusher, mostly on scrambles and his best passes came when he was forced out of the pocket and he improvised. Can someone tell us where the defense, which had been outstanding, went? Their lead RB averaged over 5 yards a carry, and we couldn’t get off the field on 3rd down, while the offense could not convert on 3rd down, frequently facing 3rd and long vs the Gators' 3rd and short. And the number of missed tackles was simply ugly. We suspect Lagway is the SEC player of the week after completing 75% of his passes and recording 2 TDs. We did not sack him nor get any real pressure on him. Offensive Player of the Game Arch Manning, often coming on busted plays where he took off and was TEXAS’ leading rusher, or he scrambled and played sandlot ball. He’s a young player still, but the game is coming to him, and he did not seem to be a “deer in headlights” as he was earlier in the year. Defensive Player of the Game Colin Simmons. In one series, he recorded 3 straight tackles for loss; one was wiped out due to a holding penalty, but he went beast mode. Some love for Ty’Anthony Smith, who delivered a great punch out, creating a fumble, which gave Texas a short field for their first touchdown. Special Teams Player of the Game Jack Bouwmeester-Our Aussie punter who had a decent day while the rest of the special teams were poor at best. How many special teams breakdowns is Sark going to allow? Stats that Matter 3 of 11 3rd down conversions, we are #115 in the nation, and that after playing three tomato cans 10 for 70 Penalties continue to be a significant issue, #129 in number of penalties, #125 in penalty yards. 457 Yards given up by the defense 6/0 Sacks given up by the Horns vs sacks recorded by the Horns On Deck The Red River War. Sark is 2-2 vs the Dirt Burglars. Bad news, they have a talented front 7 as well. Another tough test for the Horns. A major coaching challenge for Sark is maintaining the team's mental focus while also being willing to admit that he does not have the offensive line to run a bombs-away offense. Or does he allow one loss to become two? Look no further than Pedo State getting blasted by UCLA (couldn’t happen to a worse bunch). Clearly, they were hungover after losing to the Ducks. We stated in the preseason that this team would go as far as Coach PK and the defense carry us. Can he right the ship as TEXAS’ schedule does not get any easier from here out? Oklahoma is ranked #96 in the nation in rushing, and the RRW usually comes down to two factors: turnovers and whoever can establish the run. We’re not off the Sark bandwagon, at least not yet. Can he keep the talent together to give the team time to reach its full potential? Hey, no pressure, the season is largely on the line. Drop this game, or any game from here, the playoffs are GONE. Prediction: TEXAS 23 Thieves of Land 20 Lowlights https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWRNl8sXnYw

Glad someone got it 😂🤘

Bad choice of words my friend

Need to keep this poor man off the internet when he wakes up. Tell him Covid is back and we’ve cancelled all football for a while.

There’s always an uncle….

My nephew is a five star receiver from the SEC. I spit my drink.

Man you did get something right atleast

Na we are a 7-5 time its is what it is. Remember OTF we lived through the Charlie Strong years stay strong

He hasn’t looked remotely the same. He needs to get better but has shown improvement. He was legitimately pressured all night. Those weren’t happy feet. He needs to work on his progressions and I don’t know if he’ll live up to the hype but it’s inaccurate and disingenuous to say he’s the same.

Bring in a new quarterbacks coach too. Sark isn't the QB guru we thought he was, and Milwee hasn't done his job either. I've seen multiple times QB's from lesser programs outplay our 5 star QB's. How is that possible?? Sark needs all new coaches on offense cause this is embarrassing for him supposedly being an offensive minded genius.

That was truly unreal ... but not surprising at all - at the same time.

I’m not against bringing him on. I doubt it happens during the season.

Okay, I went back and looked at the stats here. He had 14 tackles (Hill) but it it felt like you barely noticed him lol. I'm going to need to do another watch through.

Lmaooo Ohio state has a young one inexperienced team. The difference is they have a QB being developed and ours isn’t developing. He’s looked the same in all games but against SHSU

Arch doesn’t look anywhere but deep. The middle of the field is nonexistent with him.

Hire him immediately as a consultant replace Flood in the off season. The Hall of Fame OL Coach (Pre-2020 Edition) Pittman wasn’t just good; he was a developer of monsters. From Oklahoma (1990s) to Georgia (2016-2019), he built lines that pancaked defenses and funneled talent to the NFL: • Georgia Peak: Under Kirby Smart, Pittman’s crews anchored three straight SEC East titles and a 2017 national championship run. They paved for a 2019 rushing attack led by D’Andre Swift (1,216 yards, 4th in SEC). He coached 15 linemen to the pros, including studs like Andrew Thomas (No. 4 overall pick, 2020). PFF loved ’em—top-10 pass protection, elite run blocking. • Arkansas Assistant Days (2013-2015): As Bret Bielema’s OL coach/recruiting coordinator, he fielded the biggest line in college football (average 320+ lbs). They powered 1,000-yard rushers Jonathan Williams and Alex Collins, mentoring All-SEC beasts like Brandon Scherff (No. 5 pick, 2015) and Frank Ragnow (2nd-rounder, 2018). • Career Stats Vibe: Across stints at Tennessee, Missouri, and beyond, his lines hovered around a 5% sack rate (elite) while fueling top-20 rushing attacks. X chatter calls him “the best O-line coach in the country” for effort, technique, and turning mid-tier recruits into pros. He’s the “Yesssssir!” hype man who made Georgia’s OL recruiting viral gold. In short: Pittman as OL coach? A+. He’d thrive as a position guru under a sharp HC—think what he did for Smart or Bielema.

I think you’re a little harsh on the WRs from yesterday. They were getting open. But Arch had zero time most of the second half unless he created that with his pocket movement.

The apple typically does not fall far from the tree. I think we should all remember that.

If the ball isn't handed to them, they give up too fast. If the ball is near your radius, go get it. If it hits your hands, catch it. Livingston's catch was really good, but he got blown up. But he is the only one who competes at a high level. Wingo needs to stop relying on his press clippings.

Finally, we have a zillion coaches, player personnel types, and yet no one could see our O-Line was full of dudes that just can't drive block.

Bottom line is we got our asses kicked in all phases. It happens. After the players see the tape, let's see the pride they have to not allow this to happen again. We need to be foaming at the mouth against OU. Our tackling was atrocious. Our O-Line should be embarrassed. Why is our freshman sensation running back not getting opportunities? Wisner didn't have it. Kobe Black is not ready. Geez.

We're favored Yo Spreads and Moneyline Oklahoma Sooners: +3.5 (-110) Texas Longhorns: -3.5 (-110) Over/Under Over 56.5 points: (-110) Under 56.5 points: (-110)

Has our entitled culture from days of old crept back?

Saying it with my chest. I think Arch grew up a lot today. We know we have a young and inexperienced team, so what did we expect?

Eval misses happen which is why the lack of portal action is so surprising. But there were some big fish (humans) that this staff did not reel in for whatever reasons, and Cam and Banks flips from Oregon required luck of Cristobal leaving (which in a small world twist, Mario now has James Brockermeyer starting at Center). I hope Saban offers Sark some advice on this front.