The Texas Longhorns likely saw their playoff hopes end on Saturday. It was a 35-10 loss to Georgia, as Georgia dominated the fourth quarter. A third loss of the season likely knocks Texas out of playoff contention, and there are a few spots to blame.
Texas was in the game most of the way. They trailed 14-3 at the end of the first half, but after picking off Gunner Stockton in the third quarter, the Longhorns made it 14-10. The fourth quarter saw the wheelers fall off. Georgia drove the field and scored a touchdown, then hit a surprise onside kick to get the ball back. The Bulldogs would score again and then force a Texas punt. After a third consecutive touchdown, Georgia put the game out of reach, winning 35-10.
Kade Phillips is not ready for the spotlight
Kade Phillips was a major recruiting win for the Longhorns in the last cycle. He was the fourth-ranked cornerback in the nation according to 247Sports and the eighth-best player in Texas. Further, he was given a five-star label and was a top 25 player nationally. Phillips has been okay in his true freshman season, but was picked on by Georgia.
This year, the cornerback has ten tackles and three pass breakups. Still, he has just one pass breakup in conference play, and while he had two tackles agaisnt Georgia, he was targeted. Phillips took just 27 snaps agaisnt Georgia, but had a 61.2 grade according to PFF and was the target of Gunner Stockton's passes multiple times. His grade was one of below average for the game, and it has not been uncommon this year.
Phillips has all the tools to become a solid defensive back, and he is a solid player, but he is not ready to play at the level needed in the SEC. Georgia knew that and went after him in this game, resulting in a poor performance from the freshman.
Ryan Wingo and the receiving core deserve blame
For all the flak Arch Manning will take for this game, he was actually solid. Manning completed 27 of 43 passes for 251 yards. He has a touchdown and an interception in the game. His top receiver was DeAndre Moore, who brought in five receptions for 75 yards. Meanwhile, Ryan Wingo brought in nine receptions, but for just 62 yards. He did score in the game.
Still, Wingo had more chances to make plays in the game with Georgia. It all started on the first drive of the game. On third down on the Georgia 16-yard line, Arch Manning found Wingo for a first down, but he dropped the pass, leading to a Texas field goal. That would just be the first of five dropped passes by Texas in the game. Wingo also dropped a second pass in the game in the second quarter on a deep shot. The drive ended up without points, but could have easily had a touchdown if Wingo brought in the ball.
He was not the only receiver with the drops. Jordan Washington and DeAndre Moore also dropped big passes in the game, leading to a Texas punt, and Georgia extending their lead. The Texas receivers were able to get into solid positions, but could not convert.
Steve Sarkisian lost this game
The top person to blame for the loss is Steve Sarkisian. There are multiple reasons why. The first is the play balance. The leading rusher for the Longhorns in the game was Quintrevion Wisner, who ran for 37 yards. Still, he had just nine carries. While he had just 37 yards, he also averaged over four yards per carry. Meanwhile, CJ Baxter had just one carry, while Ryan Wingo had two carries. After the sack adjustment, Texas ran the ball 17 times for just 23 yards in the game. It was not a situation of the ground game being bad; Sark just completely abandoned it. Sarkisian is the offensive playcaller for Texas, and he failed the team in this game.
Meanwhile, the amount of penalties also falls on the coaching staff. Texas was penalized nine times in the game with Georgia for 58 yards. It was not a situation of the refs being flag-happy either. Georgia has just one penalty for 15 yards. The most costly was on a kickoff return that negated a 58-yard return for Texas due to a holding penalty. This is a discipline issue that falls squarely on Sarisian.
Finally, Sark was outcoached by Kirby Smart. There is no more indicative play than the onside kick. Georgia went on a six-minute drive from late in the third into the fourth quarter that resulted in a touchdown. Still, Texas was just down 11 points at that point, and could still make the comeback. Texas was not prepared for the surprise onside kick, which led to Georgia recovering. They then marched right back down the field and made it 28-10. Over and over, Georgia outsmarted Texas, which led to the blowout by the end of the game. That falls on just one person, Steve Sarkisian.
