First off, it was one of the hottest games that I have ever been to. The temperature was around 100 degrees and there was basically no breeze what-so-ever. As far as the game went, Texas obviously dominated a weaker [tag]North Texas[/tag] team, but I came away a little under-impressed with Texas’ performance. The offensive unit didn’t seem to have much of a spark, and there were really no plays that had any sort of wow factor. With that said, here is how I graded the performances:
Quarterback – Overall Grade: A-
[tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] started the game off quickly with a 60 yard touchdown pass to Limas Sweed on the third play of the game. Colt threw for two more touchdowns, added one on the ground, and threw for 178 yards. Overall I was impressed with Colt’s calmness on the field. He didn’t seem nervous at all and most of his throws were on the money (although a few of passes seemed to float on him a little). [tag] Jevan Snead[/tag] didn’t seem to be as relaxed as McCoy, but he still made some decent throws. And a few of his incompletions were definitely the receivers’ fault.
Running Backs – Overall Grade: A
There really should be an asterisk next to this grade, as the defense for North Texas was so weak it was hard to get a good feel for just how good the Texas’ backs were running. But with that said, the running backs looked good. [tag]Selvin Young[/tag] looks like a new man out there, showing off his regained speed. Young scored one touchdown on the ground and added another one receiving (did he embarrass that defender or what?). [tag]Jamaal Charles[/tag] ran for 77 yards and a score, but for some reason I was expecting a little more flash from him. I kept waiting for him to break one for a 50 yard gain. Colt actually had the longest running play of the day with a 27 yard scamper he almost broke for a touchdown.
Receivers – Overall Grade: C
I was pretty disappointed with the performance of the receivers, aside from [tag]Limas Sweed[/tag] that is. Sweed definitely did his part, going for a career best 111 yards and added 2 scores. Other than Sweed however, there were way too many dropped passes. Hardy dropped a couple I can remember and even Pittman dropped a pretty easy pass. Snead’s interception was also the result of a pass that was tipped off of Jordan Shipley’s hands. I expect this was all just nerves, but I hope they all get over it because this can’t happen against Ohio State.
Defense – Overall Grade: A-
Even though the defense held North Texas to only 95 yards, I dropped the defense to an A minus, mainly because of the first drive of the second half when North Texas marched down the field against Texas. Yes, North Texas made some great plays on that drive, but that touchdown pass was very poorly defended. The speed on defense for Texas was fun to watch. The linebackers were flying around and the pressure on the quarterback was almost non-stop. Watching the game you almost started to feel bad for North Texas because you knew they weren’t going to go anywhere.
Special Teams – Overall Grade: B
Aaron Ross muffed the first punt of the game, but luckily it didn’t end up costing us anything as Brian Robison blocked their field goal attempt. Robison is a true physical freak, and with his 40 inch vertical he should get some more blocks this season. Thankfully Ross made up for his muffed punt and had some brilliant returns the rest of the way. Everytime he touched the ball he looked like he was going to break it for a touchdown. The kick-offs defintely left something to be desired, but that really has never been a strong suit of our team anyway.
Overall Grade: A-
It is hard not to look good against North Texas. Last time we played them we won 65-0, and this week’s 56-7 result is not all that different. I think this was a good tune-up game for the Longhorns and hopefully will get them ready for next week’s huge game against Ohio State. And thank goodness next week is a night game and we will get at least one half of some cooler weather.
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