Texas Football: Tim Beck Talks Offensive Struggles

Third down, run game issues have throttled the Longhorns attack over the past few weeks

The Longhorn offense has been trending the wrong direction over the past few weeks. 

After averaging 40 points per game through the first six contests of the year, Texas has failed to crack the 30-point mark in each of its last four - three of which have been losses. 

In the most recent back-to-back defeats at the hands of Iowa State and Baylor the Longhorns are scoring less than 16 points per game. 

Texas offensive coordinator Tim Beck met with the media for the first time since the Longhorns 24-10 loss to Baylor.

The game comes down to situational football a lot of times right and didn't convert their downs to stay on the field," Beck said. "That's a big part of scoring points, obviously, right, help our defense out? I thought our defense played well. We didn't help them at all early, late and anytime in the game.

"It's disappointing. It's frustrating. I know we can be better I know our players feel like they can be better. We just didn't put our best game out there."

The Longhorns were second in the nation at one point in third-down conversions but converted just 4-of-13 opportunities against the Bears, another troubling trend that has persisted over the past few weeks. 

"I think one of the things we're not as good on first down," Beck said. "So we're getting a lot more third down in long situations and we were I think we were very efficient early right. The goal on first downs get four yards, put in second, six, manageable second down get half so you're in a good manageable run-pass area, (between) two to three yards, somewhere in that range. To convert downs if you're sitting at third and 10 it becomes harder. Defenses know that and you know those guys we were in third and long they are going to drop eight (into coverage)."

Some of the issues have come in the running game. Other than a 68-yard run from Keaontay Ingram on the second-to-last play of the first half, Texas backs gained just 36 yards on 11 carries against the Bears. 

"We're just not efficient (in the run game)," Beck said. "We'll get, you know, we had a couple 5, 6, 8-yard runs and then it's minus four.

"I can't put a finger on it, you know, I can't we're trying we're, looking at what we're calling. We're looking at everything."