If you're a coach at Texas, you liked that game a lot. You won convincingly, no major breakdowns or power failures, and a whole ton of tape to use in practice!
ULL isn't a tomato can. They're a solid, strong, well built team that won 10 games for two seasons running. They look poised to contend again. They certainly did not give the game away, and demanded that Texas show its quality if they wanted to win. Certainly, in years' past, this is where Texas wasted possessions, had coverage breakdowns, turned the ball over, or simply couldn't get the power cranked up. This is a game Texas either hung on at the end or outright lost.
The Cajun defense sent different looks than they'd had in the past. Clearly, Napier wanted to win this game, and built some packages just for Texas. It's worth noticing, then, that the Texas coaches picked that up and MADE ADJUSTMENTS! Schemes were tweaked. Protections were changed. Coaches, oddly, coached! Nothing warmed my heart more than hearing, after ULL scored their TD, the Texas special teams coach told his unit, "I'm guessing they're going to try the onsides kick. Be aware!". Sure enough, they pinged a short football right to the up man.
Card took his check-down more often than he should. The receiver groups did not create separation cleanly to help him. The OL wrong footed some protections and weren't helped by the TEs forgetting some help schemes. These are all things you'd expect of players learning their craft in Game 1. This team, though, is fundamentally strong everywhere. The coaches will earn their paycheck this week (if anyone could be said to ever "earn" that much cash) by breaking down the tape and seeing where improvements are needed.
