Texas Football: Why the bye week came at the perfect time

Texas football has been rolling of late, however, they enter the bye week at a perfect time as a trip to Stillwater on Oct. 27 is on the horizon.

After a week one loss to Maryland, who would have thought this Texas football team would rattle off six straight wins? Tom Herman and the locker room did, however many fans and media heads thought different.

Regardless, the Texas Longhorns currently sit at 6-1 (4-0 Big 12) and are ranked 7th in the AP Poll. Many would argue that this bye week comes at an inopportune time as the Horns are playing some great football, however, we should see it differently.

In last week’s 23-17 win over Baylor, starting quarterback Sam Ehlinger was taken out after a first quarter injury. It was unclear at the time what the injury was, but it kept him sidelined for the remainder of the game. Ehlinger was later diagnosed with a Grade 1 AC shoulder sprain.

Shoulder injuries are nothing to take lately, especially for a quarterback that uses the power run as much as #11 does. Orangebloods’ Anwar Richardson went on to report that Ehlinger will rest and rehab this week and hopefully return to throwing by the end of the week.

The way it was sounding is that if Texas was not on the bye, Ehlinger would not be ready for the Week 8 matchup with the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

Backup Shane Buechele was serviceable on Saturday and you could tell the more he got into the game the better he was. However, the Horns put up their second lowest point total of the season against a Baylor defense that gave up 100 combined points the two games prior.

Not to mention that the QB run game is almost non-existent with Buechele. You have to believe that massively changed the play-calling from head coach Tom Herman last Saturday.

With a shoulder injury there is not much you can do but rehab and give it time. Ehlinger will have a full two weeks before he potentially sees game action again. And if this team wants to fulfill their goal of a Big 12 Championship, they will need Ehlinger at the helm.

Another key reason this bye week is coming at a great time is so this Texas team can get an emotional break.

In a span of 29 days the Longhorns played five games. Three of these games came against top 25 opponents. This team has been through the ringer since their Week 1 loss.

They came out and played their A-game to topple the likes of TCU and USC. They survived a late push in Manhattan, KS, and at home against the Baylor Bears. That was all topped off with an incredible win against bitter rival Oklahoma in a game that had so many ups and downs.

These guys must be exhausted, mentally and physically.

A week where you do not have to prepare for an opponent but instead can take the opportunity to get healthy and improve in all facets should be big for this squad.

After the bye, the Longhorns enter a four-game gauntlet that features games in Stillwater and Lubbock and at home against West Virginia and Iowa State.

If Texas wants to succeed down the stretch, they must come out ready to fire on all cylinders. When you are in a long stretch of games there is always that feeling that the “letdown game” is around the corner. The Horns avoided this against Baylor and can now regroup, ready to attack the last five games of the season.