View from the Cheap Seats-Georgia

echeese · 2025-11-16T17:09:03Z

View from the Cheap Seats-Dawgs

Not ready for Prime Time

Next season, can we eliminate bye weeks altogether? TEXAS was scheduled for 2 bye weeks this year. Generally, a bye week is a great time to prepare, make special adjustments for an upcoming opponent, and get healthy. Teams typically have excellent games following a bye week. The Horns? They have been blown out twice this year. Texas traveled to Athens for the first time in history to take on the top-5 ranked Georgia Bulldogs following a bye that, on paper, was scheduled at the perfect time of the year. Not unlike their bye week before playing the woeful Gators, Sark/TEXAS was embarrassed before a Prime-Time National audience. The Horns were unprepared for the game and failed to make the necessary in-game adjustments.

Sark/TEXAS/Arch started the game with their hair on fire, a 13-play 60-yard drive deep into Georgia’s Red Zone. And then it begins, the pattern of penalties and dropped passes leading to a field goal instead of a Touchdown.

This ould be the last of TEXAS’ scoring in the 1st half, while the D would give up back-to-back TD drives before bowing up and forcing 3 straight 3-and-outs to end the 1st half and keep the game close.

D would bow up again on the Dawgs' 1st drive of the 2nd half. After a punt from the offense, the defense steps up once again with an interception, giving Texas a short field, which results in a touchdown. The game is now 14-10 in the 3rd quarter, and you’re telling me there’s a chance.

The Dawgs answer with a 10-play 73-yard TD drive, then execute a beautiful on-sides kick, catching TEXAS asleep at the wheel on special teams again, and they would take that recovery to a 9-play 53-yard drive, resulting in another touchdown, effectively putting the game out of reach. This marks the 3rd time in 3 games that Texas has played Georgia that the Dawgs have executed big-time special teams play to make a difference in the outcome. A pattern continues to emerge: TEXAS and Sark are getting outcoached.

We like Sark, he’s done some great things at TEXAS. We have to say the unsaid thing, are we looking at the next James Franklin, though Sark has much more class? He cannot win the big games, he continues to repeat too many of the same mistakes, such as getting outscored in the 2nd half and an inability to make in-game adjustments.

We’ll say it, Kirby Smart and his staff flat out OWN Sark and the Horns. They are now 3-0 against TEXAS, thanks to far superior coaching, game plans, and in-game adjustments. Smart, Bobo, and their defensive coordinator simply do a much better job of preparing their team than Sark has done.

Glass Half Full

At the end of the 1st half and start of the 2nd, the defense forced four punts and an interception to keep the Horns in the game.

Glass Half Empty

TEXAS outcoached again.

Penalties and dropped passes are also significant issues.

TEXAS abandoned the run far too early, only four rushing attempts in all the 3rd quarter, when the game was still within reach (14-10).

Our secondary is too easy to exploit.

Worst loss of the Sark era?

PLAYOFFS????????? PLAYOFFS?????????? In our best Jim Mora voice. Folks that ship has SAILED. TEXAS is reduced to playing spoiler for Lil Brother’s season and a decent bowl game.

Based on pre-season hype (which was absurd and we tried to tell you in the pre-season edition), it's hard to say this season is anything but a disappointment.

Offensive Player of the Week

Arch Manning, 27 of 43, 251 yards a TD and an INT. It was not his best game, though certainly not his worst. He can’t catch the ball for pass catchers. A strong run game would greatly aid his play (as it does for every QB). Measuring QBR, in SEC play, Arch has only been the better QB vs OU and Vandy.

Defensive Player of the Week

Ty’Anthony Smith He led the team in tackles with 2 tackles for loss and a sack. Logging some good time to take over for next year.

Special Teams Player of the Week

Ryan Niblett continues to be a difference maker in returns, though his best return was called back for a penalty, which sent Jeff Banks into apocalyptic mode, and rightfully so.

Stats that Matter

2 of 12 on 3rd down, overall ranked #81 in the nation. The most glaring stat (after the final scoreboard) of the night
9, Penalties. TEXAS is #133 out of 134 teams in the nation in penalties.
7-21 TEXAS once again outscored in the 2nd half of a game, a disturbing pattern
?? Dropped passes, at least a half dozen, we did not count, players have to make plays. At least 4, which would have resulted in 1st downs.

Congratulations to Michael Taffe for his 2nd semi-finalist nomination for the Bulworth Award for the Best Player who started his career as a Walk-On. Frankly, he was robbed of the award last year.

Additionally, Anthony Hill was named a semi-finalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award, Most Outstanding Defensive Player of the Year to go with last week’s announcement of his semi-finalist spot on the Butkus Award list, Best Linebacker. This marks the 5th straight year a Longhorn has made the Butkus Semi-Final list, with Derrick Johnson winning in 2004.

In late October, Trey Moore was recognized as a finalist for the Walter Campbell Award for excellence in combined Athletic performance, academic accomplishments, and leadership.

On Deck

Classic trap game. Coming off a loss and an unimpressive performance, Texas hosts Arkansas, which will be playing what amounts to its bowl game. Upsetting the Horns would be a major salve on their season. Make no mistake, Pigs play tough, despite their record; five of their losses are by three points or less. Should we mention they HATE TEXAS with a jihadist level of intensity? Do they catch the Horns looking ahead to Lil Brother coming to town with the roles reversed? Now it is TEXAS in the role of spoiler while Aggie is all but assured of a playoff berth and potentially an SEC title shot. Can Sark get his team ready, not just for this week, but also for next? Major coaching challenge for Sark

Highlights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JohYSQCHL-I