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Texas Football: 3 reasons the Longhorns are toast after the USC loss

By Andrew Miller

AUSTIN, TX - SEPTEMBER 09: Sam Ehlinger #11 and P.J. Locke III #11 of the Texas Longhorns sing The Eyes of Texas after the game against the San Jose State Spartans at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, TX - SEPTEMBER 09: Sam Ehlinger #11 and P.J. Locke III #11 of the Texas Longhorns sing The Eyes of Texas after the game against the San Jose State Spartans at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /
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The USC Trojans barely defeated Texas football in what promises to be one of the best games of the 2017 season. But no, the Longhorns aren’t “back” yet.

A loss like the Texas Longhorns experienced in Week 3 against the No. 4 USC Trojans is something that is hard to recover from. Head coach Tom Herman and his Horns proved that they will be a tough out for any top 25 opponent this year.

We can all learn from Herman’s tenure with the Houston Cougars to know what to expect during his time in Austin. Entering this matchup, Herman was 6-0 against ranked opponents. It took USC all they had to win this game in a 27-24 double overtime instant classic.

This was the first time that Texas and USC had faced off since the 2006 Rose Bowl in which former Longhorn quarterback Vince Young won a National Championship. Week 3’s matchup was almost just as good, if not a more entertaining game in and of itself.

If not for a huge touchdown pass to running back Ronald Jones II to end the first half, USC might not have even pushed this game to overtime. Sophomore USC quarterback Sam Darnold did post a better stat line than Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger, but he made a few key mistakes.

The Texas defense held strong the entire game. For a team that gave up 51-points to Maryland, it was very surprising to see the Horns come out and play the way they did. Defensive back DeShon Elliott had a huge game with two interceptions, one returned for a touchdown.

The ground game for the Longhorns ended up being nearly nonexistent. Starting running back Chris Warren III ended up with only four carries for 15 yards. Abandoning the run game so early is a worrying concern for the Horns.

Now, let’s take a look at three reasons why the Texas Longhorns are done after their loss to USC.

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