The B12 (XII) Forum, home of the 'Front Porch, y'all' at College Football Fan Site, CFB51!!!

Yeah, overall everything looked solid for the Horns.  We've had season openers against scrub teams in other years, where everything did not look solid.  So I like this better.

I don't know about Rutgers, I haven't really watched them play much.

But I don't think UTEP's as good as the 2's of a top level team, if for no other reason than they also lack the coaching and "consulting" resources of a top level team.  So even if the athletes were as good as the 2's, their development/training/utilization still isn't going to be as good.

Just my opinion of course

UTEP got off the mat last week to beat SFA. They're not technically an FCS team, but competitively that's the way to think.

Concur with the feeling. This win doesn't validate Texas, but when compared to seasons past, it's good to see the team functioning as designed.

The first play from scrimmage is a perfect example. The defense showed a tight box. The offense all saw it. The outside receivers took their guys short and to the sides. The slot ran a perfect slant that locked up the safety, grabbed a training ground pass, and darted to the end zone. It was over in 5 seconds.

In seasons past, that play could have featured a breakdown in protection, or a receiver going too vertical, leading to tighter coverage. An incomplete pass could have been followed up with an earnest 3 yard run, plus maybe a mis-timed dig route and a punt.

UTEP's offense isn't toothless. The QB is legit, but needs some help from his receivers. If they scheme around the RB Hankins and his bashing style, they could be respectable. The Texas defense, like the offense, performed their schemes as designed. Modern offenses are hard to stop even when you're playing perfect defense, and UTEP could have helped themselves to 10 or so more points with better execution. Texas, though, avoided the assignment busts that usually lead to walk in scores.

For at least one game, Texas reminded me of the championship teams when I didn't have to sweat out the cupcakes.

I was sorta thinking about when the ones play the scout team in practice and how they SHOULD look good, and execute most of the time.

I think UTEP's safety blew the opening play by closing on the receiver improperly

while that play should have been a good 20 or 30 yard gainer it shouldnt have been a TD

that wasnt the only mistake UTEP's def backs made and UT exploited it all night

I haven't diagnosed the replays yet, and I was watching the game on a "secondary" feed on my tablet. I didn't really catch everything. I don't mean to split hairs.

The play was an RPO. Part bubble screen, part post. With the heavy box, a pass was coming. One safety saw the bubble and shifted to cover it. Sam saw the safety move and moved to his secondary pass option - the skinny post.

Perhaps the safety could have taken a better angle, but Josh Moore is one of the fastest players on the Texas Longhorns football team. Unless you're right next to him when he catches the pass, it's going to be hard to track him down one on one. Sam hit him easily in stride.

From my perspective, what made this different from years past is that everyone on the offense saw the same thing and knew their role. We obviously get a ton of talent at Texas, but that talent is wasted when half the team isn't on the right page. More than anything, this game showed the team almost always working in unison.

Now that I looked closer at the play, UTEP's only player with a chance to make that play was the 1-high safety. He opted for the big downhill hit.

He, of course, utterly whiffed on that, not even making glancing contact. The rest was a jog to the orange paint.

which brings us back to my original statement

well, ya see what happens   Larry???