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Over the past two years and more, four words have underscored Texas' endless journey to national fame.
"Texas is back, guys!"
The phrase, pronounced by Joe Tessitore, ESPN table top, at the end of the memorable 50-44 victory of the Longhorns on the-No. 10 Notre Dame to open the 2016 season, at the present time seemed prescient. Charlie Strong began his third season as head coach and, after winning the top 10 consecutive recruiting categories, seemed to have taken a decisive turn starting with this thrilling victory.
In 1999, the Sooners offensive coordinator left a game sheet on the ground that was to be discovered by the Longhorns, which caused a "pandemonium" and almost caused a surprise.
Five weeks let us see the impact that real new players may have more than ever on the game.
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Except that it did not happen like that. The Longhorns finished the season 5-7, including a loss in the Kansas winery, and Strong was fired. The Tom Herman era began shortly thereafter.
In the years that followed, "Texas is back" became at best a question and at worst a striking line, since the Longhorns have been 15-14 years since the victory of Notre Dame. Social media can often be inundated with jokes about returning from Texas as a result of the loss of a Longhorn.
As the 2018 Longhorns approach Okrahoma at the annual Red River Showdown competition on Saturday at the Cotton Bowl, the question no longer arises, accompanied by cautious optimism for Texas fans, of curiosity. general for others (and certainly of skepticism justified for hearing premature exclamations of longhorn prowess pronounced before, only to see the bottom collapse).
The No. 19 Longhorns are 4-1, leading to a four-game winning streak. Number 7 Sooners (5-0), armed with Heisman Trophy nominee Kyler Murray, and an explosive offense, will be the ultimate metric for measuring the back of Texas. (Let us remind you that the last time the Longhorns recorded double-digit wins in a season, it was in 2009.)
Herman was cautious of promising too much, too fast, after defeating the ranked teams two weeks in a row, "this is one step … not the end, be all."
We ask: Is Texas really back? Here are some sources of optimism and skepticism:
Why Texas could be back
1. They are winning games
Quickly, when was the last time the Longhorns were so far above .500? Answer: 2013. It was Mack Brown's last season as head coach, and how long Texas has not been good. After losing early in the season to Maryland and a tighter victory than they wanted against Tulsa, the Longhorn lost wins against USC, TCU and Kansas State. USC and TCU were both ranked when Texas beat them (this is now not the case), but Texas beat both two-digit teams. The Longhorns beat Kansas State 19-0, but they are late to win by three points. But Texas had not won in Manhattan since 2002, so it's something. Herman, seeing his team "carry it to no avail", has seen progress: "There was no scheduled opponent to our schedule last year to be able to do it. "
2. Their defense is damn good
Defensive coordinator Todd Orlando's group has been globally good since his arrival in 2017. Texas has kept its 17 opponents within 200 yards on the ground, the second-longest FBS series behind Clemson (19), according to ESPN Stats' research. & Information. The Longhorns award 19.8 points per game against their FBS opponents this season, placing them in the top 25 in this distinction. In the last three weeks alone, this number has been reduced to 14.6 points per game (sixth in the country in this sequence). In the second half against USC, TCU and Kansas State, the Longhorns allowed only 17 points. Herman says that the unit plays "loose, free and without fear". The reason why? "The defense was working for us last year, but many guys have not really understood it," defensive lineman. Chris Nelson said. "Why are you doing this, what are your keys and why are you playing this gap." Now everything works because everyone understands what we are doing.
3. They could finally have found their quarterback
After years of riding at the most important position in the game, Texas seems to have settled its quarter, at least in the foreseeable future. Sam Ehlinger, ESPN 300 signing in the 2017 recruiting category, has shown significant signs of progress from its first year to the second year. He has reduced turnovers (he has only started two interceptions this season and has not started one in 128 consecutive attempts). Its percentage of completion is up (from 57.5% last season to 64.7% this season). He is responsible for 12 touchdowns against the FBS competition, which is third in the Big 12. He is a regular factor in the Longhorns' run, helping to get the first key tries. No one will confuse Ehlinger with Vince Young or Colt McCoy, but he continues to improve and make winning games this season. "He has more confidence in himself," said defensive lineman Charles Omenihu. "Everyone is behind him, everyone pulls for him.We think he can lead this team … it's beautiful to see."
4. Recruitment goes well
Herman's first full round of hiring as the Longhorns' head coach – the 2018 class – gave rise to the nation's No. 3 class. Many of these prospects are already making contributions, including security Caden Sterns, which looks like a real star. The Texas recruiting class in 2019 is on the rise, with three commitments over the past two weeks that have put the Longhorns in the top 10. Recruitment is the most vital part of this equation because when Texas was at its peak in the mid-2000s, regularly recruited among the top five at the national level.
Why Texas is not back
1. He still lost to Maryland
The Longhorns have entered the last two seasons with some expectation (they were ranked 23rd in the AP pre-season poll both times) and have laid an egg against Maryland on every occasion. The first time, in the early days of Herman, that was producing his famous comment "fairy dust" ("If you thought you could come here and sprinkle fairy dust and think we arrived, you're wrong") while the Terrapins hung half-a-hundred on Texas in Austin. This time, the Longhorns fell on the road to a Maryland team with an acting coach who had just completed a grueling and emotional summer after the death of one of his players, Jordan McNair. Herman insisted that, despite the new loss to Maryland, things were different this time, but at that time, most of the time, he was deaf. The defeat highlighted the path the Longhorns still had to travel.
2. The current game is still random
Texas has only 3.74 yards per race this season, making it the eighth in the Big 12. One of the main reasons for this small number of players is that the defenses are quickly moving towards the running back. The Longhorns averaged 1.69 meters before the first contact per race, which is the second worst of the conference (only the Iowa State is worse). In Texas, the race is a little better than a season ago, but that does not say much because the Longhorns were largely incompetent in this department in 2017. They ran it more often in the running . supports almost six times more per game than in 2017. They are better, but they must continue this progression.
3. As a result, the offense was inconsistent
There are times when the Longhorns have a nice offensive appearance, moving the chains, playing big games (we think of the second period against USC and TCU). There are other times when they do not do it. Against Kansas State, the attack generated only 10 points and none in the second period. The 25.2 points per game generated by the offensive (excluding the special teams and defensive scores) ranks 46th out of the 65 teams of the Power 5. In the red zone, the Longhorns do not score that touchdowns, half the time, is the 111th national rank. "We took a knee twice in the red zone, which skews the numbers a bit early in the season," said Herman. "We felt more confident in our goal kicker, which distorts the number of touchdowns We want to score touchdowns 75 percent of the time in the red zone offensive. is a realistic goal.We are not here at the moment.We really need to improve.But it's not a massive panic right now. "
4. They did not beat an elite opponent
USC and TCU were ranked when the Longhorns defeated them, and Texas deserves congratulations for that. The victory of the USC however raised more questions about the Trojans than it revealed the quality of Texas. (To be fair, the Trojans won the two matches that followed the loss to Texas, but the jury is still unaware.) The Horned Frogs were to be one of the best teams in the league, but have so far been a spinning machine, committed 12 in their last four games. They climbed by 1-3 Iowa State with a late placement last week. Kansas State, meanwhile, has not yet registered a victory over a Power 5 team this season. The Longhorns have the opportunity to change this last point if they are able to upset the Sooners. It's a game of declaration for Texas, even if the players do not say it. "To say 'Texas is back', we are not looking at it at all," said Rear Defender P.J. Locke III. "We are looking to go 1-0 every week."
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