A Usually Strong Texas Unit Struggles in Loss to No. 5 Georgia

In the football world, there’s only one cliche that most coaches and players have heard or said at least once before: If you win one facet of the game, you lose. If you win two facets of the game, you win. If you win all three facets, you dominate.

All season, the Texas Longhorns had managed to win at least two facets of the game in most of their games, and it was often special teams and defense.

In the Longhorns’ 35-10 loss to the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs, Texas failed to capitalize on any of the three facets, but special teams took the most obvious step backward.

Texas’ Special Teams Struggles

Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Zachariah Branch (1) runs the ball in the first half against the Texas Longhorns at Sanford Stadium. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

When the Longhorns' offense has struggled this season, their special teams have come running to the rescue. Late in close games, Texas returners would usually come up huge with impactful plays at critical moments, often resulting in touchdowns or setting the offense up with phenomenal field position.

Looking at the Texas specialist’s stat lines, it does not look like a bad outing. Texas kicker Mason Shipley made his singular field goal attempt and a PAT, punter Jack Bouwmeester booted the ball away five times with an average of 41.8 yards per punt, returner Ryan Niblett recorded a 59-yard kickoff return, and kick returner DeAndre Moore Jr. had one return for 11 yards.

The designated specialists who are usually in the spotlight for the Longhorns did their jobs. It was the kick and punt coverage and the kick return units that dropped the ball. Texas started four of its 11 drives within or at its own 20-yard line, and three within its own 15. Three of those drives ended in punts, and the fourth was cut short by the end of the first half.

Against the Bulldogs, it seemed like Georgia got all of the return fireworks, securing the third facet of the game in their favor. Georgia wide receiver and kick returner Zachariah Branch gashed the Longhorns almost every time he touched the ball on special teams. When it came to punt returns, Branch returned three for a total of 30 yards. As for kickoffs, he recorded two returns for 63 yards and a long of 44, setting the Bulldogs up with good field position to start their drives, ultimately leading to Texas’ demise.

The Texas Longhorns get a chance to bounce back and convince the College Football Playoff selection committee that they still deserve a spot in the big dance when they host the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday, Nov. 22.