Texas’ passing offense has struggled compared to expectations this season, and there’s no sugarcoating that.

(Join Inside Texas TODAY and get ONE WEEK for just $1)

Yes, the Longhorns rank 16th in passing yards per game this season, but with an offense that featured a Heisman hopeful quarterback earlier in the year Quinn EwersMany expected Texas to surpass last year’s passing yards per game given his potential Joe Moore Award-winning offensive line, one of the best offensive minds in the sport and six blue-chip receivers.

There are many reasons for resignation. What has been most surprising, particularly over the last two weeks, has been the failure of two of the key players to get their hands on the ball Steve Sarkisian Attack.

There was a significant lack of contributions from Isaiah Bond And Ryan Wingo in the last few weeks.

Bond is the most electric pass-catcher on this roster, but a lingering ankle problem has limited his effectiveness since a bright start to the season.

Wingo, on the other hand, is the tallest receiver in Texas at 1.80 m and 100 kg and is incredibly athletic. On his first catch as a Longhorn, he fought a tough tackle against a 6-foot-1 Colorado State defensive back.

The problem is that these two talented receivers haven’t been able to thrive in recent weeks despite the strong offense. Below are charts showing the difference in stats between Weeks 1-3 and the final three weeks before the A&M game begins, showing how little commitment Bond and Wingo are compared to other top targets Matthew Golden And Gunnar Helm.

In games like the season opener against Colorado State, all three players who held the roles of boundary WR, field WR and tight end were able to enjoy and create opportunities. But over the last three contests, Wingo in particular has been essentially nonexistent, and Bond hasn’t reached 100 all-purpose yards in a game since Mississippi State.

There are many reasons for this, and there are no easy answers to them. In general, Sarkisian likes Bond and Wingo to win downfield, and with Ewers ranking in the bottom ten among Power Five QBs in deep ball completion percentage, it’s hard to expect this one Both of them make big plays downfield considering how poorly the deep ball has been completed this year.

This is why teams have often cheated in the passing game. Arkansas’ three-high safeties really pushed Texas’ passing game to the limit, and Ewers mostly threw the ball to Helm, who averaged five air yards per score in the game. The Longhorn tight end is more effective at fighting for difficult catches, at least more effective than players like Bond and Wingo. If not Helm, the ball has often found a running back in the passing game or other wideouts in the screen game, plays that are not typically conducive to big yards.

In addition to the inability to find Wingo and Bond, DeAndre Moore Jr. was almost non-existent in the last few games. Although he has also battled some injuries, Moore has only 14 yards receiving in his last three games, a surprising slump given his breakout 97-yard performance against Vanderbilt. Silas Bolden has taken on some additional duties but is less valuable as a traditional pass catcher.

Ewers’ two best games of the season were against Vanderbilt and Michigan, averaging 267 passes and three touchdowns in the two games. There were two different things that happened in those two games that will need to resurface against Texas A&M in order for Texas to prevail against a strong A&M front.

Against Michigan, Texas didn’t use the young Wingo much in the passing game, but an end-around run broke through the Wolverine defense for 55 yards to tie the game in the third quarter. Wingo’s legs were a constant threat in Ann Arbor, even if Sarkisian was hesitant to plan passes to a player in his second college game. Ewers also targeted Helm, Golden and Bond very evenly, connecting with Bond on a 33-yard pass and averaging over 13 yards on his average target depth.

Seven weeks later against the Commodores, with Bond sidelined, Moore seized the opportunity to prevail against a Vanderbilt team that values ​​size and safety, not coverage ability.

Estimate the A&M defense’s biggest personnel weakness. The Aggies have bounced between two nickels this year, neither of which was the most impressive in coverage. Moore was the engine that powered the offense when Bond was out and Golden was struggling. That’s why Sarkisian needs to find ways to include these guys despite the limitations at the quarterback position to put the offense in a strong position to succeed at Kyle Field.

Whether it’s setting up stunning finishes like Bond’s against Florida or simply getting Ewers to find Wingo deep down the field Arch Manning What he did against UTSA, it’s hard to expect Texas to beat Texas A&M, with Bond, Moore and Wingo combining for just 50 yards on the day.

(Subscribe to the Inside Texas YouTube channel!)

Sarkisian has been preparing for this game for months, it’s time to bring in his best playmakers.