Texas Longhorns football: Just what the doctor ordered

On3 imageby:Eric Nahlin10/02/22

The Texas Longhorns defeated West Virginia 38-20 and it wasn’t that close.

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I don’t know what West Virginia’s final record will be but they’re not a bad team. They executed poorly and as the Texas Tech game demonstrated you have to execute at a very high level to beat this Texas team.

As much as I felt the coaches had a rough time in Lubbock I feel they excelled last night. That was the game for Hudson Card to manage. Card’s night was a little choppy but that overall performance is what he can give you. More importantly, that’s what Sark can give you. We saw creativity and an off-balance defense.

In some ways that game went as expected. This is not an easy team to run the ball on. That predetermines the volume of passing we’ve seen in recent weeks. I had some minor concerns about the corners going into the game. I felt there would be more give and take. While Bryce Ford-Wheaton and Kaden Prather combined for 16 receptions, they only went for 130 yards and one touchdown. It’s time to acknowledge the corners are pretty good.

It’s plainly obvious Texas is better than last year. The coaches and players deserve credit. A big question entering the season regarded how they would respond to adversity. Yesterday was a resounding, positive indicator.

The season still sets up well. If you’ve watched fellow Big 12 teams it’s clear Oklahoma State is the best team but it’s wide open after that. Texas gets a mentally, and perhaps physically, broken OU. Then Iowa State at home. It gets tougher after that but this team with momentum will be tough for anyone to beat.

Texas *should* get Quinn Ewers back next week but credit to the oft-maligned Card. His growth from last year is clear and he is still improving. As his confidence grows he’s going to become a very good quarterback.

I need a re-watch of the game to opine further. I had no intentions of going to the game but I ended up watching from the Bevo Club with a few of you guys. The viewing experience (as far as the game goes) isn’t great but it’s a total blast.

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