Big 12 Football: Week 1 Power Rankings
By Hayden Hyde
Sep 5, 2015; South Bend, IN, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Tyrone Swoopes (18) is tackled by Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Jaylon Smith (9) in the second quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
This was a bad game for Texas. The Longhorns looked completely lost on both sides of the ball. What Charlie Strong advertised as an improved Tyrone Swoopes actually looked like a worse version than last year’s. The offense only posted 3 points in the loss to Notre Dame, and Tyrone Swoopes only completed 7 of 22 passes for 93 yards.
Texas Longhorns
That’s not going to get Texas anywhere in the Big 12.
The defense wasn’t much better. Other than true freshman Malik Jefferson, the rest of the unit looked inept and lost. The Longhorns allowed Malik Zaire throw for 313 yards and 3 touchdowns. Zaire only had 3 incompletions the whole game—he threw as many touchdowns as completions!
The Longhorns also gave up 214 yards on the ground and 2 touchdowns. Notre Dame clicked on offense and Strong had no answer for them.
I don’t know if Notre Dame was actually that good or if Texas was that bad, my guess is it’s a little bit of both. As of now, I don’t think Texas will be competing with TCU or Baylor for the Big 12 title.
They’re going to have trouble getting to a bowl game.
Next: Kansas State