Official newspaper of The University of Texas at Austin

The Daily Texan

Official newspaper of The University of Texas at Austin

The Daily Texan

Official newspaper of The University of Texas at Austin

The Daily Texan

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October 4, 2022
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Column: Texas needs to fix offensive flaws in offseason

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Ethan Oblak

Texas’ 59-yard offensive performance in the AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl was an embarrassing low.

The 31–7 loss in the Texas Bowl capped off the Longhorns’ second losing season in five years, a result that irritated head coach Charlie Strong.

“You don’t ever expect to go out and get hammered in a bowl game 31–7 when you had a month to go prepare,” Strong said. “Texas has got to mean something. Right now, it doesn’t mean much.”


And now with an offseason to prepare, Texas will look to fix its broken offense. 

First, Texas will need to address quarterback issues. The bowl game presented an opportunity for sophomore quarterback Tyrone Swoopes to prove himself, but his poor performance didn’t put him in a promising position. Swoopes finished the game with 57 passing yards, -32 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown and one interception. With four-star quarterback recruit Zach Gentry recently decommitting from the Longhorns, redshirt freshman Jerrod Heard will be expected to produce. 

Additionally, the Longhorns face an identity crisis. Strong and his staff wanted the team to have a run-based offense in 2014, but the loss of three lineman and their starting quarterback made that difficult.

But this spring, Texas will try and establish its run-based offense, or it will look to change its game plan with the help of new recruits. 

As it stands, Texas has the No. 12 ranked recruiting class in the nation, according to Scout.com. The 2015 class currently has 23 players committed — 12 offensive and 11 defensive commits. Malik Jefferson, a five-star outside linebacker, headlines this recruiting roster.

With little time remaining before National Signing Day, the Longhorns have room for eight more players. Texas is in the mix for four-star cornerbacks Kris Boyd and Holton Hill. Five-star running back Soso Jamabo and four-star running backs Nick Brossette and Chris Warren also have their eyes on Austin.

Though the Longhorns have promising incoming talent and experienced players on the defensive side of the ball, they are still looking for answers.

“We see there’s a lot of work to be done, which is a great challenge, and I don’t mind that — I accept that,” Strong said. “You look at the TCU game and [the bowl] game, and it’s not an indication of what Texas is all about. We have work to do, and we got to get it done.”

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Column: Texas needs to fix offensive flaws in offseason