Texas: Huge Step Backwards Against Iowa St.

The Texas Longhorns had a chance to get back to .500 this weekend but proved that they weren’t ready just yet.

The Texas Longhorns were riding a lot of momentum into last weekend as they were coming off a great three-week period, which included a win over then-No. 10 Oklahoma and a defensive win over Kansas St. However, they lost every last bit of that on Halloween when they were crushed 24-0 by Iowa St.

First off, let’s take a look at a few stat lines from the weekend:

• QB, Jerrod Heard: 6/9 for 26 yards, 1 interception, QBR of 2.4
• RB, Johnathan Gray: 8 carries for 23 yards
• WR, Daje Johnson: 6 receptions for 37 yards
• P, Michael Dickson: 9 punts for 412 yards

There are so many things wrong with these numbers but the obvious issues come in the form of Heard’s total quarterback rating and the fact that Dickson had to punt 9 different times.

Texas was forced to punt on 9 out of 10 of their possessions, with the only other one ending with an interception. Seven of those drives were for less than 10 yards and the longest one, a 77-yard drive, didn’t come until the end of the game. That drive was their longest of the game at 5:33.

More from Sports Dallas Fort-Worth

• West coast, Texas coast, burnt toast: Cowboys don’t need more runs
• Brandin Cooks will change the way defenses play the Dallas Cowboys
• Why the Dallas Cowboys defensive X-Factor is EDGE Sam Williams
• Dallas Cowboys: 3 head coach options if McCarthy fails in 2023
• Dallas Cowboys: Is CB Jourdan Lewis a tradeable asset?

The main issue they had throughout this game was not being able to get anything rolling on offense. Heard struggled to make plays and finished with 39 total yards. Later on, quarterback Tyrone Swoopes came in and accounted for 117 total yards, but was still unable to formulate a scoring drive, in part, because of the lack of productivity from running backs and wide receivers.

Overall, the Longhorns were completely shut down on offense. Whether it was all offensive problems or just a great Iowa State defense, something was not right with the team and it showed.

The key to getting back on track is just taking care of business and taking time with the ball. Many times, the Horns looked rushed and whenever they would try their normal rushing plays, both the quarterbacks and running backs were often tackled for losses. There was an obvious lack of communication between the skill-position players and the offensive line throughout the game.

More drama came a in the aftermath of this loss when reports surfaced that Charlie Strong had cussed the Texas coaching staff out after the game due to the team being “out coached.” Though this will shed a negative light on the school it is a true statement. The Longhorns were not only out coached but they were outplayed, and that is something that they can’t suffer from again this season.

On the bright side of things, Texas is set to face a Kansas Jawhawks team that is currently 0-8 when coming back to Austin. This should be an easy game as long as the Longhorns play the same type of game that they became accustomed to just a few weeks earlier.

They will need to avoid making the simple mistakes that they made last week and use the energy from the crowd to build momentum to ensure a victory. It is important for Texas to take care of business against Kansas this week and the West Virginia Mountaineers the week after.

Next: Cowboys: Reality Is Setting In

The final two games of the season include a home date with the Texas Tech Red Raiders, which is followed by a potentially brutal matchup against the second-ranked Baylor Bears in Waco.