We bring you part two of our three part series recapping the 2011 Texas Longhorns. Today, "Final Grades" highlights how every position from head coach to kicker fared in 2011.

Players:

QB – The quarterback situation for the Longhorns was a conundrum, all season. Garrett Gilbert emerged as the offseason winner of the starting job, following a sophomore season that proved to be a bigger disappointment than Colt McCoy’s second year as a starter. His struggles continued into the Longhorns’ second contest of 2011, and it didn’t take long for Case McCoy and David Ash to find their way onto the playing field (Remember, this was the former Gatorade High School Player of the Year; and after just 14 games as the starter, he was ousted. Now, he’s transferring.)

The two young quarterbacks were blessed with a strong running game behind them, allowing them to play with limited pressure. In fact, the following two games (UCLA, Iowa St.) went smoothly. McCoy and Ash each threw two touchdowns in that two-week span and managed to protect the football.

It was the Red River Rivalry, in Week 5, that was the real wake-up call for everyone. Texas was pounded, 55-17, and turned the ball over twice through the air. After that, it was “goodbye” to any hope of a two-dimensional offense. Long story short, McCoy and Ash combined for a 59.0% completion percentage, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. The yards-per-completion average for the Texas passing game (minus the Texas Tech contest) was an embarrassing 5.3. They simply had no ability to stretch the field.

If you’re absolutely scraping for positives, they can be found in Texas’ bowl win over California. Other than that performance – which nobody can say for sure wasn’t just an aberration – it was a hold-your-breath-every-time-the-ball-is-thrown type of season for Longhorn fans. But how high were your expectations, anyhow? Because the two quarterbacks seemed to have met the realistic ones.

FINAL GRADE: C-

RB – At face value, the Texas running game made enormous strides, in 2011. They improved to the 22nd-ranked rushing team in the nation (66th in 2010) and posted 24 touchdowns. In hindsight, though, Texas’ rushing yards-per-attempt increased by just 0.3. Their yardage-per-game broke the 200-yard mark, but much of that can be contributed to two first-year starters at quarterback and a heavy reliance on the run game. Even more so, Texas’ two biggest games on the ground (Kansas – 441, Tech – 439) were against the 117th- and 120th-ranked rush defenses in the country. There are only 120 schools in the FBS.

But those negatives aside, what did earn this backfield an above average grade were some of the same factors mentioned earlier. Even with two freshman quarterbacks – and, consequently, facing 8-, 9-, and 10-man defensive fronts – the Texas running backs still succeeded. They knew they would be handed the ball 70%-80% of the time and made about as much as they could out of it.

Depth was significant in grading this unit, as well. Before the injuries to Fozzy Whittaker, Malcolm Brown and Joe Bergeron, this team could plug in three different tailbacks and avoid a drop-off in production. An every-down back emerged (or at least a true lead-back) for the first time in quite a while. Brown, when healthy, saw the majority of the carries for the team. After him, Bergeron, Whittaker and D.J. Monroe found their own niches in Bryan Harsin’s offensive scheme.

Still, the Longhorns are without a 1,000-yard rusher since 2007 and the running game did a disappearing act toward the end of the season.

FINAL GRADE: B

WR – It’s obvious that this group was reliant on good outings by David Ash and Case McCoy. Therefore, it’s goes without saying that the Texas receiving corps made few impressive appearances on the stat sheets. The offense’s ineptness throwing the ball made it difficult for any pass-catcher to have a breakout game. In fact, only three Longhorn receivers caught more than five balls ALL season; namely, Mike Davis (45), Jaxon Shipley (44) and Marquise Goodwin (33).

Yet, talent was recognized, as Shipley appeared to be someone capable of developing into a consistent playmaker for this offense. His three receiving touchdowns led all Texas receivers (for what that is worth) and it became obvious that the coaches wanted to find ways to get the ball in his hands, as he was involved in plenty of trick plays (even throwing for three touchdowns).

Mike Davis started off the season hot (three receptions for 115 yards) and many thought Mack Brown had found him a legitimate deep threat. Ahem. Now, his quarterback play didn’t help much, but Davis regressed in a major way. That would be his first and final game to eclipse the 80-yard mark in receiving.

Marquise Goodwin was a unique one. He made his way onto the roster in the second week, opting to join the team after a summer in which he had decided to concentrate his efforts entirely on track and field. However, his role in the offense was a question mark for most of the season. There wasn’t much to say about Goodwin for two-thirds of the schedule, as he accumulated just 17 catches and no touchdowns in his first nine games.

His productivity made a 180-degree turn, though, as the season came to a close. In Goodwin’s final three games, he hauled in 16 passes for 238 yards and two scores. Yardage wise, he was given assistance by facing two pass defenses (Baylor, A&M) that ranked in the bottom 10. But his involvement in the offense experienced a sudden increase, and there’s only one explanation for that: the coaches feel he has matured into something more than just a speedster.

Overall, the receivers were an inconsistent group that ebbed and flowed, throughout. Although, ebbing quite a bit more than flowing.

FINAL GRADE: B

TE – This year saw more blocking than pass-catching from the Texas tight ends, and understandably so. Although, one stat does prove that young quarterbacks look to their tight ends often in the red zone. That is D.J. Grant and Blaine Irby’s touchdown total: 6. Of course, this doesn’t seem like a number to get excited about, but when you consider there were only 16 scores via the pass for the Longhorns, on the year, it carries with it a little bit more weight. Both Grant and Irby caught three touchdown passes, and they both developed into reliable safety valves for McCoy and Ash.

In Irby’s case, he was rarely seen, until the Kansas State contest in mid-November. That would kick-start a 3-game stretch in which Irby scored in each matchup. Yes, some were on trick plays, but he had become visible for the first time.

D.J. Grant’s season followed a different route. He saw action, early on, and caught people’s attention with his performance against UCLA. Almost half of his season’s total production (and all of his touchdowns) came in that one week. That should tell you how much he was involved throughout the middle of Texas’ schedule – almost none.

In his final two games, Grant did only record five receptions, but we began to see a tight end who had improved his route-running and reliability. Like Irby, he had reentered into the picture. Unlike Irby, he has another year of eligibility left, which means his late production is something to build on.

FINAL GRADE: B-

OL – The Texas offensive line was probably the most overlooked and underappreciated unit on the field. They consistently rotated seven sophomores and freshmen all season long, which would mean disaster for some teams. Kudos to the coaching staff and offensive line coach, Stacy Searels, for maintaining this group and managing to find continuity and reliability in a challenging situation.

The offensive line, led by Mason Walters and David Snow, among others, paved the way for a 22-ranked rushing offense. They tied for 75th in sacks allowed, with 28.0, but many of those can be attributed to quarterback inexperience. All in all, it was a season that deserves praise.

FINAL GRADE: B+

DL – A top-10 rush defense is what this front four has to pride themselves on. Alex Okafor and Jackson Jeffcoat fell short of expectations early on, but as the latter portion of the schedule rolled around, these two began to showcase some of their playmaking ability. The two defensive ends ranked in the top-3 on the team in Sacks and Tackles For Loss. The inside tackles weren’t necessarily “tackle machines,” as few are, but they helped make plays for the linebackers behind them.

The most important aspects of the entire defensive line, however, were their athleticism and depth. Boy, did they have depth. Playmakers were few and far between with this unit, but when you talk about rotating guys in and out consistently, there were only a handful of teams in the country that could do it as well as Texas did and avoid a loss in production. For this, they deserve credit.

FINAL GRADE: B+

LB – Keenan Robinson, Emmanuel Acho and Jordan Hicks were the glue that held this defense together. Coming into the season, it was no secret that defensive coordinator Manny Diaz would lean on this linebacking corps for production . . . and production they got. Acho and Robinson led the team in tackles, with 117 and 98, respectively (Acho also recorded three sacks.) Both Acho and Robinson were among the team’s leaders in Tackles For Loss, as well, with a combined 23.

Jordan Hicks was the youngest of the three starters, and being a sophomore he had less pressure to produce, statistically. Many of his contributions didn’t show up on the stat sheet. Not to short the young linebacker, by any means, as he was still sixth in Total Tackles on the team, with 55.

Although this unit’s rotation wasn’t quite as deep as the Texas defensive front, there were reliable options; be they, young ones.

FINAL GRADE: A-

Secondary – The Texas defensive backs grew up before Longhorn fans’ very eyes, this year. Their youth was a major uncertainty, going into the season. How would such a young secondary compete against the great quarterback play of the Big 12? “Very well,” would turn out to be the answer to that question. Quandre Diggs and Carrington Byndom, the two youngsters of the group, flat out delivered. The secondary did have their hiccups, but let’s take a look at their accomplishments.

They allowed five quarterbacks to throw for more than 200 yards. Four of those quarterbacks were Landry Jones, Brandon Weeden, Seth Doege and Robert Griffin. Yes, they deserve a pass on ALL of those. Especially when you consider they held Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden to just 218 yards and one touchdown. In that same game, Justin Blackmon was limited to only 74 yards and a score.

Texas Tech? Well, they throw the ball 50 times a game (55 in their meeting with Texas). Their 381 passing yards came largely from volume, not poor secondary play. Texas’ secondary also forced three interceptions of Ryan Tannehill, in a game that most believed the A&M quarterback would have a chance to exploit the Longhorn pass defense.

Time after time, Kenny Vaccaro, Blake Gideon and the young cornerbacks exceeded expectations. If there is one negative, they needed to find a way to come up with more interceptions. They should improve on this in the future, as the talent is certainly there to create turnover opportunities. Nonetheless, the future is bright, to say the least.

FINAL GRADE: A-

Special Teams – Texas finished the season ranked 101st in punting and their placekicking was above average – nothing special in those departments (not to downplay the kicking game’s importance in Texas’ win over A&M). However, their kickoff and punt return averages ranked among the top-20 in the country.

They had three touchdown returns on the season, as well. With an offense that had trouble moving the ball all season, field position off returns was vital; and Texas did well early on, in that department. The loss of Fozzy Whittaker hurt the return game, though, as two of those three touchdown returns were courtesy of the Texas running back. Overall, production was above average.

FINAL GRADE: B

Coaches’ Grades:

Offensive Coordinators – Bryan Harsin and Major Applewhite had their work cut out for them, this season. Quarterback controversy turned into a quarterback rotation, which eventually resulted in disappointing play. But these two coordinators did find a way to restore a Texas running game that had been missing since 2007.

The development of the young backfield can be attributed to Applewhite, as he coaches the running backs. All year long, the Longhorn backs were plagued with injuries – some season-ending – yet still managed to have a productive unit.

When the team struggled to move the ball, which was often, Bryan Harsin found ways to ignite the offense. The production wasn’t consistent, but what the former Boise State offensive coordinator found a way to do was get the ball in playmakers’ hands; whether this was through trick plays or unique offensive sets.

Something the two coordinators can’t escape, though, is an offense that struggled to put up points and have consistent production.

FINAL GRADE: B-

Defensive Coordinator – Manny Diaz came to Texas from Mississippi State with huge shoes to fill. Former defensive coordinator and coach-in-waiting Will Muschamp departed for the head coaching position at Florida and left Texas fans wondering how he would be replaced. He was supposed to be the next head coach, for God’s sake.

What Diaz was able to accomplish exceeded all expectations. He inherited a unit that was coming off a disappointing season and had just lost any continuity they had, with the departure of Muschamp. Combine that with the fact that this Texas offense did little to help with field position, and you can call Manny Diaz’s 2011 coaching performance an enormous success. Amazing. At the very least, reassuring.

His defense ranked 7th in the NCAA in rush defense (44th last year) and 11th in total defense. He battled youth and helped improve once-underperforming players on his way to building what was one of the most respected defenses in the country.

FINAL GRADE: A-

Head Coach – Well, Mack Brown returned Texas to a bowl game. That’s the first step. Only so much can be expected for a team that went 5-7 a year ago, and I believe Brown met the realistic expectation of 8-wins. His recruiting ability definitely hasn’t suffered, as he has landed top prospects across the board, in the class of 2012. It’s apparent that his team has the talent and recruits, who simply need an offseason to mature before Texas is capable of competing for a Big 12 title, again.

The one thing that cannot be excused is consecutive losing records in the Big 12. That is definitely something that is lingering over Mack Brown’s shoulder. Another losing conference record, or even one that pulls to .500, and impatient Longhorn fans will quickly forget that 2006 National Championship. He has taken the first, small step. But because this is the University of Texas, that next one must be a significant one.

FINAL GRADE: B

* "Final Grades" was part two of our three part series recapping the 2011 season for the Texas Longhorns. On Monday, our final installment, Part Three: "Looking Forward" will showcase the immediate future for this Texas Longhorns football program.