Jay Norvell
Since becoming offensive play caller, Jay Norvell had some immediate success, including the win over Oklahoma. Since that game, the calls have remained the same and Texas is 2-2. Opposing teams have caught onto Norvell’s plays — hand the ball to sophomore running back D’Onta Foreman. If Foreman is not playing, the handoff goes to senior running back Johnathan Gray. The Texas offense is easy to stop if the opposing team has watched any film of the Longhorns. As the play caller and wide receivers coach, Norvell needs to get his receivers more involved. Norvell has completely neglected his receivers, aside from the usual rotation of seniors Daje Johnson and Marcus Johnson, sophomore Armanti Foreman, and freshman John Burt. Junior Jacorey Warrick has gotten the ball six times, freshman Ryan Newsome has only gotten the ball three times, and freshman DeAndre McNeal has only touched the ball on running plays. As the play caller, Norvell has the chance to play some guys who have barely had any playing time instead of sticking with the same four guys for the entire game.
The defense
The Texas defense has allowed 82 points combined in the past three games. Texas Tech scored 59 points last week and has put up 138 points combined in its last three games. The Red Raider offense can move down the field and score fast. Texas’ defense has allowed opponents to score easily and rack up a few hundred yards. Texas Tech put up 658 total yards on Kansas State on Nov. 14. The Red Raiders are third in the conference in yards per game. The Longhorns allowed 379 total yards against West Virginia. Texas Tech is a type of offense Texas has not encountered since TCU. TCU put up 50 points and 604 yards on the Longhorns. The Red Raiders are a true spread offense, and the Texas defense must make big stops for the Longhorns to secure a win. The Texas offense alone will not be able to match up to Tech’s air-raid attack.
The entire team
Texas has two games left: Texas Tech and Baylor. This is the Longhorns’ chance to make a bowl game if they win both games. This is the time for the team to come together and play as a unit on the field. Even if Texas only wins one of these games, there is a possibility it could still make a bowl game due to the shortage of six-win teams. The entire team — including the coaching staff — needs to step up in this crunch time if they want to save this season.
