Once again, UT went back to its ineffective offensive scheme. Screens got the team nowhere, but they kept running them. They coudn't get off the big pass and had a promising running game that was never allowed to develop.

Vince isn't not here anymore to save the day and make ANY offensive coordinator look good. Once again, we'll see the lack of creativity bog us down until Davis shakes things up (if he ever does).

--Joseph

I agree with everything you've written about Greg Davis and the team. I can't understand why we didn't run the ball more, and I have no idea why we'd give up so many big plays to the receivers.

My point, however, is this: did anyone notice how incredibly nervous Mack looked, even before the game? And this isn't even a now-that-we've-lost-I-can-look-back-thing - I said to my buddies the moment that Mack came onto the field that he looked like a nervous wreck.

And what was going through my mind about that is what people have been saying - without Vince, Mack will "have to coach again." I'm not hating on Mack at all - I like Mack, and I think he's good for the program. Incredible for the program. I do NOT (and have not liked) Greg Davis since, oh, as long as I can remember. But Mack really disappointed me - here you are at home with a record crowd of fans (nearly 90,000 - far and away the largest crowd in the history of that stadium), riding an AMAZING 21-game streak; you're the defending National Champions who knocked off THE GREATEST TEAM OF ALL TIME to silence all your critics, win an outright championship for your program for the first time in 35 years, and returning nearly all of that time - where's the fucking swagger, Mack?!

We all heard how loose VY kept the team - well, I don't know who's stepping up this year, but it sure as hell wasn't Mack. Why didn't we ever go for it on 4th? Why did we play SO conservatively (again, I knew we'd keep it simple, but come on!)? Where's the world-against-us fuckyouedness that we exhibited last year? I know that losing VY was big, but we didn't lose our NC from last year; we didn't lose that many players; and WE WERE PLAYING AT HOME! If we can take out Ohio State in the Horseshoe - with what, 100,000 fans watching? - why can't we at least hold our own IN AUSTIN?!

Mack let me down. I don't think he exhibited the confidence and swagger that this team had earned.

Again, I'm not calling for his head. I want him to keep coaching this team. But I felt like he did all his critics a big favor by "proving" that he can't win the big one without Vince. We're 0-1 in the post-VY big games. For shame.

This was not a "what if" game. Yes, had all gone perfect for Texas, they had a chance to beat OSU. But it is not solely the fault of TB.. the loss of Griffin and Kelson...the fumble by BP...interception thrown by McCoy...late dropped balls by SY or JF...it is the sum of these mistakes and absences that made the game more difficult. This was not a Hamby-dropped ball situation. OSU was the better team on Saturday. They poured salt in the wounds of our defense, and we were unable to answer back with offensive fire power (despite the new media-hype their defense is not of "National Championship"quality - check the stats OSU fans). Not a single play or player was going to make a difference.

The defense suffered some casualties....they will be back. The real worry was the offense. The offense was not clicking and, in retrospect, it was apparent during the North Texas game too. After that game, I wasn't sure if I was feeling the post-VY blues...a young quarterback being conservative....or a strategy to keep secret some 2006-optimized plays for the game against OSU. I suspected the latter (though McCoy didnt pick up on some open receivers in that game). The OSU game showed my errant thinking. There was no secret game plan. In fact, the offense looked very Tressle-like (Pre-2006). All the passes were short.. and the running plays bland. The latter worked, probably because OSUs run defense is poor, but did nothing to set up the SY and JC for big explosives. Where was the power-I? Or the play action? The deep ball? Nothing but sputter.

With all the playmakers and athletes on offense, the blame must (and usually does for Texas) fall on the shoulders of the play callers for not making the game closer. It is probably justified in this case. Critical adjustments could have been made for the game. There appeared to be an obsession with building a young QB's confidence, rather than taking advantage of the opponents weakness. Clearly, OSUs run defense is mediocre. Cleary Texas has one of the top backfields in the country. Why not set them up for success? So what if the Colt hands the ball off 45 times and throws only half as much. Get in formation and run. The spread offense is not a must.

This weekend made me think back to the 2004 Missouri game. When the staff realized they were handcuffing one of college footballs greatest playmakers with their play calling. It was at that point that the VY-switch was flipped and strategy was built on strength. There was a learning curve then, and it is likely we're going through another one. Sad that it involved a high-profile loss. But, it is still a bit premature to roll heads. We can start sharpening the guillotine after conference play begins.