5 Things Charlie Strong Must Do to Save His Job with Texas Football
By Tyler Brett
As bad as the defense has been playing, the offense has been a pleasant surprise for Texas. Sterlin Gilbert has put his touch on this offense and they have responded in a major way. Now, they just need to continue that positive development.
Gilbert’s up-tempo style has paid immediate rewards for Texas. The Longhorns are averaging 41 points and 498.8 yards per game while running an average of 83 offensive plays per game. That’s a drastic improvement from 2015. Last season, Texas averaged 26.4 points and 370.8 yards per game while running 65 plays per game. This Longhorn offense is fast, aggressive, and putting up points in bunches.
They have been helped by breakout performances from some key positions. Shane Buechele stepped into the starting lineup as a true freshman and has looked incredibly comfortable. Through five games, he already has more passing touchdowns (11) than Texas had all of last season (9). His play has got him some national attention, as he just got added to the Manning Award watch list.
He’s helped by the dominant performance of D’Onta Foreman in the backfield. Despite missing a game, Foreman leads the Big 12 in every rushing statistical category. He’s the No. 2 rusher in FBS and has rushed for at least 100 yards in six straight games. He’s ben a steady producer even after losing the other half of the Bash Brothers, Chris Warren, indefinitely to a knee injury.
But with this defense, 41 points hasn’t been enough to seal the deal. Texas will have to continue to develop on offense, getting faster and more efficient to compensate for their porous defense. Gilbert’s goal is to outscore the other team by 1. Unfortunately with this defense, they still have some work to do to get there.