Texas’ gamble on fourth-and-2 late against Florida came straight from its new AI-backed operation, and the result was a mess of missed execution, no-call contact, and a drive that died anyway.
Down 20-17 in the middle of the fourth quarter after the Longhorns had watched Florida rip off 17 unanswered points, Steve Sarkisian tried to spark the offense by sending the unit out near midfield on fourth and 2. The possession had looked promising early: a screen to junior wide receiver Ryan Wingo picked up 15 yards, and a rare designed run for senior quarterback Arch Manning added seven more. But things bogged down after that, first with a two-yard run and a sack, then when Manning passed up an open out route to junior wide receiver Emmett Mosley V and tried to take off himself.
Instead of sticking with the play, Sarkisian leaned on Bevo Lab, Texas’ new artificial intelligence data analytics platform, which came up with a 10 personnel look and a slant to the boundary for junior wide receiver Cam Coleman.
The concept never had a chance to fully play out. A Florida cornerback grabbed Coleman’s face mask and the officials missed it, and Manning abandoned the throw rather than letting the route develop, scrambling into a three-yard loss up the middle.
Ian Boyd of Inside Texas called it his favorite play call of the game.
There’s a clear reason the concept appealed. Texas has already gotten mileage out of four-receiver sets, including two touchdowns in the loss to the Sooners, and the formation helped stretch the field out of the condensed looks the Longhorns had been using. That opened the door for an in-breaking route like Coleman’s slant, the kind of man-beater concept that should have given the Auburn transfer a strong chance to win.
In other words, the play itself was sound. If the officials had flagged the grab, or if Manning had trusted the design and delivered the ball on time, it likely would have had a better ending.
What it didn’t fail because of was AI. The breakdown came from a missed penalty and from Manning not showing enough patience to let the play unfold.
Still, the moment stood out because it showed how deeply Texas is already willing to lean into artificial intelligence. That’s set to become more common across the athletic department with Bevo Lab, which the school describes as “a unique collaboration that will serve as higher education’s premier sports intelligence platform and living laboratory-bringing together sports, technology, data analytics, and artificial intelligence (AI) to elevate human performance while expanding hands-on learning opportunities for students.”
Bevo Lab was formed with Dell Technologies, Google Cloud and SHI International and was officially announced Friday at the Business of College Sports Summit. The school’s main pitch is that the platform will help athletes and coaches become more efficient in training and preparation, even if it is not really designed to take over ordinary play-calling responsibilities.
Chris Del Conte put it this way: “With the help of our nationally ranked academic leaders and cutting-edge technology brand sponsors, Bevo Lab will become the global benchmark for innovation in sports AI and data analytics, making Texas Athletics the most data-driven athletic program in the country,” said athletics director Chris Del Conte. “What starts here changes the world, and this vision will transform collegiate athletics. There is no bigger stage, no more powerful brand and no better time than now to lead in this new evolution of sports technology.”
The school says the project will be driven by several major pieces. Bevo Lakehouse is meant to pull together data that has been scattered across sports-specific systems, including game film and wearable technology, starting with football and eventually moving across all 21 varsity sports.
Texas also points to predictive AI and analytics models, including “transfer AI” for roster evaluation, as tools coaches can use for strategy, scouting and player development. On top of that, the school says it will build front-end applications with visual and natural language interfaces for athletes, coaches and athletic executives.
The student side is part of the plan, too. Texas says the lab will include a hands-on program for UT students to gain AI skills and work on live applications with athletic teams. Through a first-of-its-kind Google Public Sector ambassador program, students will also work directly with engineering teams and get industry experience aimed at helping launch careers in tech and sports analytics.
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