Texas Football: 3 reasons Herman saved his job for now with upset of OK State
1) Why Texas football HC Herman took pressure off: Sam Ehlinger’s improved play in clutch time
What we’re starting to learn from the play of senior star quarterback Sam Ehlinger over the course of the last two weeks is that he does best for this team with his key efficiency in clutch time. Ehlinger wasn’t doing very well for this Longhorns offense for most of the game against Oklahoma State. That Oklahoma State defense was stifling Ehlinger much of the way.
But then Ehlinger and his group really got off and running in the later stages of the second half. He finished up the game with only 169 passing yards (and a negative amount of rushing yards including sacks), but three passing touchdowns, and no interceptions. He was good when it mattered most, which was a common theme also in the win over Baylor.
In the first six quarters of the season, Ehlinger didn’t toss any picks. That also translated to more efficient play over the last six quarters for Ehlinger. He didn’t toss any picks in the last six quarters against Oklahoma State and Baylor, and it translated to two wins against key Big 12 opponents by a combined margin of 20 points.
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Through six games played to date for Ehlinger this season, he’s registered 1,650 passing yards, 20 passing touchdowns, five interceptions, 284 rushing yards, seven rushing touchdowns, 60.3 completion percentage, 8.3 adjusted yards per passing attempt, and a 149.1 passer efficiency rating. He needs to keep up this efficient management in place against solid Big 12 opponents, including this weekend’s showdown against West Virginia.