Texas Bowl Recap: Where Do the Longhorns Go From Here?

There isn’t a lot for Texas Longhorn fans to be happy about after the team’s ugly loss to old SWC rival the Arkansas Razorbacks in the AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl. In fact, there really are no silver linings to be found. A Longhorn win would have allowed them to carry momentum into the off-season; instead, there are many, many questions that must be answered.

So, where exactly do the Longhorns go from here? What needs to be done this off-season to get this program back on track?

First and foremost, though the Texas Bowl loss makes his job much more difficult, Strong must figure out a way to shore up this year’s recruiting class. It will be hard to sell this offense to recruits, especially considering there are huge question marks at the QB position heading into the spring, but Strong has to figure out a way to get it done. Perhaps he could sell early playing time or the fact that these guys can be the ones to come and turn it around–whatever it is, this team needs to load up on offensive talent, and that won’t be an easy sell.

Speaking of quarterback, it doesn’t appear that Tyrone Swoopes is the answer for the Longhorns as they head into next season. Sure he can turn things around over the next several months, but that’s certainly no guarantee. Redshirt freshman Jerrod Heard could very well prove to be worthy of the hype he received coming out of high school, but until he takes a snap in a real game, no one truly knows. Also highly touted is Zach Gentry, a commitment from New Mexico, but as an incoming freshman, it’s more than likely that he will need a redshirt season of his own.

Quarterback isn’t the only concern heading into the off-season. At one point, the offensive line appeared to be improving, but as the season wore on, the line seemed to fall back into their old ways. Joe Wickline is supposed to be one of the best in the business when it comes to coaching the offensive line, but he will have his work cut out for him this spring. Bottom line is that games are won and lost in the trenches, and without a good offensive line, neither the passing game nor the running game will ever be successful.

All season long, including in the bowl game, the Longhorns’ special teams unit was simply poor. From inconsistent field goal kicking, to poor kick-off returns, to weak kick-off coverage, it’s clear that special teams needs to be a focus of the coaching staff this spring. Special teams are the X-factor in football and the difference between good and great teams.

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From a coaching standpoint, all season long there was a lack of in-game adjustments on both sides of the ball. Whether or not that is on the players or the coaches’ themselves is uncertain, but it’s a huge concern nonetheless. Offensive coordinators Shawn Watson and Joe Wickline have to do a better job of making changes, as does defensive coordinator Vance Bedford. For most games this season, the tone was set early on, and nothing the coaching staff did could ever really change it. If the Longhorns hope to turn things around, the game-day coaching simply has to be better.

The bottom line is this: it’s very concerning that the Longhorns did not improve over the course of the season; in fact, some will say they regressed. The question is, is that due to a lack of talent or a lack of coaching?

That is the key question.

It will be a very ugly off-season for the Longhorns, and for the next several months, Texas fans will be wondering if Charlie Strong and Company can get it rebuild this program.

The season-ending loss to the Razorbacks certainly makes things a lot more difficult.

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