Texas football jumped out to an early lead on Maryland, but they crumbled down the stretch. What did we learn about the Longhorns and Terps on Saturday?
When the season began, the Texas Longhorns defense was expected to be their biggest strength. The defense looked to be just that on the opening drive of the game. Cornerback Holton Hill returned an interception 31 yards for a touchdown on the Maryland Terrapins opening drive of the game. After the Longhorns went up 7-0, they forced a three-and-out and a punt.
Then things took a turn. Quarterback Shane Buechele threw an interception on their next drive. Then after an 11-play, 55-yard drive, kicker Joshua Rowland missed a 42-yard field goal. Maryland would block the Longhorns next field goal attempt and return 71 yards for another touchdown to go up 21-7 and essentially never look back.
The Longhorns trailed 30-14 at halftime in Austin.
The ball started in the hands of the Texas Longhorns in the second half. They drove the ball 70 yards down the field in 12 plays before going for it on fourth down and turning it over on downs.
Texas was 0-for-3 on fourth downs in the game. The Longhorns still put up 20 points in the third quarter, but the defense couldn’t stop the Terrapins when it mattered. Whether it was Tyrrell Pigrome or Kasim Hill, the Texas Longhorns defense had a hard time stopping the Terrapins offense all game long.
It didn’t help that the Texas offense had three turnovers in the game, either. Here are three things we learned from the Longhorns 51-41 loss to the Terrapins.
3. The Maryland Terrapins have a leader in Tyrrell Pigrome
The Maryland Terrapins entered this game as huge underdogs, on the road at that, but they delivered a solid performance. Quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome did all he could with both his arms and his legs, oozing with the potential that earned him the starting job this fall.
Pigrome was 9-for-12 passing with 175 yards and two passing touchdowns. He bounced back nicely after throwing a pick-six on the game’s opening drive. He also has 11 carries for 64 rushing yards and a touchdown in the game.
Unfortunately for the Terps, Pigrome left the game with an injury in the second half but backup quarterback Kasim Hill looked prepared as well. Hill went 3-for-3 passing for 44 passing yards. He also had a big rushing touchdown late to put the Terrapins up 44-34.
Pigrome also used his weapons well. Running back Ty Johnson had 12 carries for 132 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. Wide receiver D.J. Moore had seven receptions for 133 receiving yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Taivon Jacobs had three receptions for 80 receiving yards and a touchdown.
It was a great start for D.J. Durkin and the Maryland Terrapins to kickoff the 2017 season. It looks like their offense is in good hands.
2. Shane Buechele still has work to do as quarterback
Quarterback Shane Buechele could soon be an expendable piece of the Texas Longhorns offense. Buechele didn’t play poorly but he didn’t do much to showcase Herman’s pass-heavy philsophpy.
Buechele went 34-for-52 passing with 375 passing yards and two passing touchdowns, but he also had one interception.
He didn’t take too many shots downfield, either, which hurt the team in the end. Next to that, Buechele also took his fair share of shots in the backfield. The Terrapins sacked Buechele five times in the game.
The Texas Longhorns looked like two different teams for most of the game. When they trailed big, their offense seemed to want to score and they’d drive down the field. When things got close and the pressure was turned up a bit, they fizzled.
It wasn’t all on Buechele but as the leader on offense, decision-making is big and today, he just didn’t seem to have it. He looked lost in the pocket at key times in the game and it hurt the Longhorns as the result shows.
Week Two gives them an opportunity to work the kinks out. The Texas Longhorns face the San Jose State Spartans in another home matchup.
1. The Longhorns are in for a long 2017 season
The Texas Longhorns look like they’re in for another long year in 2017. The offense struggled to run the ball all game long. They had 28 rushing yards at halftime and ran the ball 16 times in the first half. The team rushed the ball 31 times for the whole game.
It wasn’t until 7:20 left in the third quarter that they scored their first offensive touchdown in the game. The Longhorns scored four non-offensive touchdowns in the game, including two on special teams in the form of a blocked field goal and a punt return. It just wasn’t enough.
While it seems like their offense will struggle, their special teams should eventually be one of the bright spots if things really do get that bad. The Longhorns opened the second half of the game with some promise. They drove the ball all the way down to the Maryland five yard line before turning it over on downs.
Texas went 0-for-3 on fourth down conversions in the game. The Longhorns had a solid drive going through the third quarter which culminated in a 23-yard touchdown pass, but it was called back due to a hold on the offensive line.
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Penalties killed the Longhorns’ momentum all game long. They finished with 11 penalties for 117 yards in the game. Prepare for another long season in the Big 12 Longhorns fans, lest Tom Herman figures things out in a hurry.