Then this team will be going 10-2 or 9-3, then 9-3 or 8-4...
I don't think the sky is falling. There is a month to improve before we play another competitive football game (if SJSU, UTEP, or Sam Houston frustrate Texas to any degree then just check out on the season). The defense appears to be as advertised and we have a weapon of a punter. It looks like we can run the ball to some degree. That sets a high floor. I think the majority of the schedule is just not going to be able to hang with Texas in the trenches. We don't need the passing game to carry the offense but today it wasn't a credible threat. Any defense worth a shit is going to make Texas run over heavy boxes or beat them throwing the ball going forward, though, and it's not at all clear to me Texas is going to be able to face that from the 4-5 capable defenses on the schedule and not take a couple more Ls. I came into the year thinking that 9-3 and on the CFB bubble was probably the floor for the team but that feels more like the ceiling now. That's not a 2010 grade meltdown or anything, but an adjustment of expectations based on the offensive deficiency to start the year.
And frankly, I can live with that if it looks like the offense is improving and we beat OU and aggy again. I've been consistent in thinking next year is the year.
Yeah, these are alarming. I'd never have criticized Arch Manning for having a weak arm or super sloppy mechanics but he was out there with, at times, the same dead feet and sidearmed throws that would get Ewers in trouble. He was as inaccurate as I've seen a Texas QB in a while (Ewers 2022 vs OSU or TCU come to mind), short on several throws (including his INT). He had some sail on him for good measure.
Arch displayed issues with timing or accuracy at the margins in the short and intermediate game last year. A throw like the terrible 3rd and 5 miss to Wingo comes to mind. That doesn't seem to have improved so I wouldn't count on it going forward. Clearly that didn't get fixed and if it didn't get fixed in a full offseason and camp it's probably going to linger as an issue throughout the season. I have to think he will be better mechanically and not as woefully inaccurate though, particularly with the underthrows.
The book is not yet written on Arch Manning and I think we can still more or less chalk today up to nerves/pressure, so I'm certainly not jumping to conclusions, but QB coaching is starting to be an eyebrow raiser between the lack of development from Ewers between years two and three (and really never making progress in the vertical passing game) and the stunningly terrible season debut from Arch.
Eh, sort of disagree here. I mean, obviously there is no Worthy, Mitchell, Golden, etc. I like the RB room. Endries played well. WR isn't what it's been but the primary issue in the passing game was the QB. Wingo is a freak athlete, Livingstone's TD is a really nice play, we know Moore is solid. Mosely will hopefully get healthy and the freshmen can come on with time. There's enough there if you've got the QB play and the running game. Today they were simply not given a chance to make plays.