The Texas Longhorns are facing major questions about their offense under Steve Sarkisian following the woeful loss to the Oklahoma Sooners last week.
These issues have come into question since the team's non-conference finale against UTSA. The Longhorns then had offensive shortcomings in the win over Tennessee but managed to escape with a win.
But the inconsistencies came back to bite them against Oklahoma. For an offense that's worth millions, the standard is not being met. Texas will need to do things differently moving forward before the season turns into a failure.
Try Out More 10 Personnel Until It Proves It Doesn't Work
The topic of 10 personnel has been talked about at length following the loss to Oklahoma, but it's something that Texas needs to at least try until proven otherwise that it doesn't work.
Outside of a few clutch plays in the fourth quarter of the Ohio State game by Emaree Winston, the Longhorns have gotten next to nothing from the tight ends so far this season. Yes, we understand that tight ends provide more to the offense than just catching passes but the Longhorns would be much better off using their versatile talent at receiver to stretch opposing defenses thin.
Adding Jermaine Bishop Jr. to the mix alongside Cam Coleman, Ryan Wingo and Emmett Mosley V gives the Texas offense another skilled pass-catcher on the field to stress the defense. Of course, this also means less help when it comes to blocking for Arch Manning.
This is something that Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian talked about when speaking with the media on Thursday,
"Really good defensive coordinators like the one we the ones we play against, if they know that's all you're going to do, I promise you, we're going to get schemed up," Sarkisian said. "And so, you have to be able to to change gears, switch gears, do different things, or we can stand back there, five and six-man protection, and guys are going to be running free in Arch's face. So we've got to continually change those things."
"Don't get me wrong, our 10 personnel is really good to us, and it's grown as the season's gone on, and it's been effective. But you have layers to that. Your run game can get limited. Your pass protection can get limited. So you have to have other things to offset that if people are trying to attack that aspect of your game."
Get Cam Coleman Going on Short Routes
More specifially, the Longhorns need to start changing how they use Cam Coleman.
Sure, Coleman has had a few impressive downfield plays so far this season but hasn't been there enough consistently to justify that approach moving forward for an offense that needs to keep things simple. After all, he's had his own miscues on deep routes, including the phantom drop-turned-interception against Ohio State along with near-perfect pass from Arch Manning that slipped right through his hands in the Oklahoma game.
Like George Pickens often does with the Dallas Cowboys, the Longhorns need to start getting Coleman involved early and often on short slant routes against man coverage. His frame and wide catch radius is typically a mismatch against most cornerbacks and should be something Texas uses to its advantage.
This will help get Coleman into an early rhythm while also doing the same for Manning. Once the offense shows it can consistently move the chains with the short to intermediate game, then the deep shots can come.
Coleman is on a multi-millionare contract for a reason but it's safe to say he has yet to fully match the offseason expectations. The Longhorns need to treat him like the No. 1 receiver they expected him to be.
The Freshmen Need to Stay More Involved
The loss to Oklahoma proved that Texas' freshmen class is worth the hype.
Fans have heard all offseason about how talented Jermaine Bishop Jr. and Derrek Cooper are, and they got to see that firsthand at the Cotton Bowl.
Now, it's about keeping them involved.
Cooper was Texas' most productive back in the loss, finishing with eight carries for 41 yards. Some fans could argue he's the team's second-best running back behind Hollywood Smothers but he will need to stay consistent in order to prove that.
Regardless, the Texas offense could be better off with both Cooper and Bishop receiving more reps moving forward.
Running Backs in the Screen Game
It's easier said than done, but the Longhorns need to make an attempt to get Hollywood Smothers, Raleek Brown and Derrek Cooper involved in screen passes. No more passes behind the line of scrimmage and outside the numbers. That hasn't come close to working.
Yes, establishing a consistent running game is more of the priority but that's obvious enough. Finding different ways to get them the ball will help open up the offense while simultaneously helpoing Manning avoid holding on for too long. The quicker the ball is out of his hands, the better.
Texas fans saw what Steve Sarkisian did in the screen game with players like Jaydon Blue and Quintrevion Wisner a few years back. It doesn't feel like a huge fix but it could be the thing that helps the offense build some momentum.
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