Just a Bit Outside: Playing the expectations game.
- By Travis Galey
- Inside the 40 Acres
- 40 Replies
"Just a Bit Outside" is brought to you by:
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Now is your chance to sponsor the column. Our previous sponsor paid for more than three months of sponsorship fees in the first two weeks of signing up. That can be you! Contact Orangebloods' new sales lead, Cody Clearman ( codyclearman@orangebloods.com ) if you want that kind of successful promotion for your business. Don't miss out on this amazing opportunity!
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When Quinn Ewers entered the 2023 winter conditioning program, he did so as an almost broken man.
"There weren't a lot of sun shining, rosy days for him in his first year as a starting quarterback," Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said of Ewers at Big 12 media days in July.
Ewers laid off the Chick-fil-A, lost weight, lost the mullet and went to work. In the process, he gained confidence in himself and gained the confidence of his teammates. He needed that confidence to guide the Horns to their first Big 12 title since 2009.
Changing his body and changing the mindset of the team was a big hill to climb.
This year’s offseason workouts may come with an even bigger challenge. If last season was all about learning how to win, this season is all about learning how to win when you're expected to win.
“The reality is that excessively high expectations rarely result in high-level performance,” wrote Dr. Patrick Cohn, a sports psychologist. “When expectations are high, so is the pressure to meet those expectations.”
The Longhorns are among the odds-on favorites not just to make the expanded college football playoff, but to win it all … so no pressure there.
The 2024 Horns need to learn how to not let the pressure of the outside expectations get to them.
Of course, high expectations come with the territory when you’re at the University of Texas.
"I mean, I think there's always a target on our back," Ewers said at Big 12 Media Days. "A lot of people are expecting a lot of us, but we’re squarely focused on what we can control inside the facility.”
And of course, Sark isn’t doing anything to lessen the pressure on his team.
“I came here to win a championship,” Sarkisian told the press during his national signing day press conference earlier this month. “If I can get one, I want to get two. I’m borderline obsessed with it at this point. I know what it tasted like last year. I know how close we were, and I couldn’t wait to get back. Hopefully that’s what our team really starts to exude, is this obsession with being the best.”
Those expectations will be even higher on Quinn Ewers, but Sark is confident in his quarterback’s ability to grow just as much this year as he did last year.
“I don’t think Quinn was a finished product yet. I think there’s plenty of room for growth and improvement and development in his game going into year three,” Sarkisian said. “I do think his experience and maturity are all going to be things we can benefit from. We’re going to need his leadership.”
That leadership is already on display during winter conditioning … a time when championships are built.
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FROM PIGSKIN TO HORESEHIDE
If any team knows what it’s like to play with high expectations … it’s the UT swimming and diving team. But not far behind them is the baseball team. The Horns are expected to make it to Omaha each and every year.
This team is good enough to make it to Omaha again if everything breaks right. But there were also a lot of doubts about whether that will happen this year after the opening weekend against San Diego.
The Horns won the series, but they needed a grand slam in game one and they lost game two in 11 innings.
“We’ve got a lot to work on,” Texas first baseman Jared Thomas said after Sunday’s game. “Going into the rest of the year, especially this week, going into our Tuesday game and then having a series against another California team this weekend, we know that we have to work on that. So it’s going to be a good week of work and work hard to get back to it.”
Then came Tuesday night's game against Houston Christian where the Horns scored three touchdowns but missed the extra point in the 20-3 win.
Tuesday night games, especially against teams such as Houston Christian, are not really good barometers of how the season will go. You’re frequently seeing pitchers take the mound who are not front-line starters, so it’s hard to see the 20-3 win and start booking your hotel rooms. But the HCU game was good for one thing … getting a bunch of guys some critical game experience.
Nineteen Horns got an at-bat Tuesday night, pounding 24 hits, including seven doubles, one triple and three home runs.
"A lot of times, especially later in the year, people think that they're just subs and right now they're still competing for jobs," UT coach David Pierce told the Austin American-Statesman. "There's some young players that are really good. I want to see them go out, get comfortable and really just not miss a beat with our defense and have quality at-bats. I thought we saw that for the most part."
Texas has a young team and getting these freshmen up to speed will go a big way toward determining how successful the year is.
Just look at this absolute blast from Casey Borba!
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This early season stretch is important in one other way as well. Besides getting young players experience, now is the time when the Horns need to pad their College World Series resume.
I’ve written extensively, ever since @Ketchum hired me, about how 40 wins in a season is a critical benchmark for Texas to make the CWS. If the Horns can win out the rest of their games this month then they’ll be 7-1 and almost a fifth of the way there.
Texas still has a three-game series against Cal Poly at home this weekend and then another Tuesday night game against St. Johns before the season really kicks into high gear in March.
Texas plays LSU on March 1, Texas State and Vanderbilt the next two days and then they’ll have a Tuesday game against Texas A&M before starting conference play.
So enjoy the Cal Poly series this weekend and know … each and every one of these wins will make the W-L total at the end of the season look better.
TWEETS OF INTEREST:
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I played catcher growing up until my playing career came to an end far too soon … so I always keep a close eye on the backstops.
Catcher was one of the biggest question marks heading into this season but Ryan Galvan had a breakout game Tuesday night. I’ve already cautioned against overhyping expectations based on a Tuesday night game against anyone – but especially a team like Houston Christian. But I have to say, if Galvan has developed a hitting game then Texas is going to be good this year.
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I doubt Texas scores 20 again this weekend … but the bats are getting hot just as the weather is getting hot. Coincidence? I think not!
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Ichiro Suzuki may be one of the boys of Summer, but it sounds like he doesn’t exactly love the heat.
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I hope that what Cordova did was just a moment of stupidity from a teenager. I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt that he was not trying to murder his teammate. And I am all for giving people second chances (especially young people), but having a second chance doesn’t mean it has to happen at UT.
The bigger question is how Texas got to the point of offering him in the first place. Someone didn’t fully vet that offer and what it would mean for the local community.
#############################
I’m really looking forward to next week’s NFL combine. I love the draft as much as anyone.
Login to view embedded media
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The culture at Texas was definitely fractured in the past.
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Did I mention Texas is a betting favorite next season?
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#############################
Ummm… what?
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#############################
I know a lot of you may be sick of hearing about the Kelces, but I do like me some Jason Kelce.
Login to view embedded media
#############################
He may not be the hero she wanted, but he’s the hero she needed.
Login to view embedded media
YOU!
Now is your chance to sponsor the column. Our previous sponsor paid for more than three months of sponsorship fees in the first two weeks of signing up. That can be you! Contact Orangebloods' new sales lead, Cody Clearman ( codyclearman@orangebloods.com ) if you want that kind of successful promotion for your business. Don't miss out on this amazing opportunity!
===========================================================================
When Quinn Ewers entered the 2023 winter conditioning program, he did so as an almost broken man.
"There weren't a lot of sun shining, rosy days for him in his first year as a starting quarterback," Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said of Ewers at Big 12 media days in July.
Ewers laid off the Chick-fil-A, lost weight, lost the mullet and went to work. In the process, he gained confidence in himself and gained the confidence of his teammates. He needed that confidence to guide the Horns to their first Big 12 title since 2009.
Changing his body and changing the mindset of the team was a big hill to climb.
This year’s offseason workouts may come with an even bigger challenge. If last season was all about learning how to win, this season is all about learning how to win when you're expected to win.
“The reality is that excessively high expectations rarely result in high-level performance,” wrote Dr. Patrick Cohn, a sports psychologist. “When expectations are high, so is the pressure to meet those expectations.”
The Longhorns are among the odds-on favorites not just to make the expanded college football playoff, but to win it all … so no pressure there.
The 2024 Horns need to learn how to not let the pressure of the outside expectations get to them.
Of course, high expectations come with the territory when you’re at the University of Texas.
"I mean, I think there's always a target on our back," Ewers said at Big 12 Media Days. "A lot of people are expecting a lot of us, but we’re squarely focused on what we can control inside the facility.”
And of course, Sark isn’t doing anything to lessen the pressure on his team.
“I came here to win a championship,” Sarkisian told the press during his national signing day press conference earlier this month. “If I can get one, I want to get two. I’m borderline obsessed with it at this point. I know what it tasted like last year. I know how close we were, and I couldn’t wait to get back. Hopefully that’s what our team really starts to exude, is this obsession with being the best.”
Those expectations will be even higher on Quinn Ewers, but Sark is confident in his quarterback’s ability to grow just as much this year as he did last year.
“I don’t think Quinn was a finished product yet. I think there’s plenty of room for growth and improvement and development in his game going into year three,” Sarkisian said. “I do think his experience and maturity are all going to be things we can benefit from. We’re going to need his leadership.”
That leadership is already on display during winter conditioning … a time when championships are built.
Login to view embedded media
FROM PIGSKIN TO HORESEHIDE
If any team knows what it’s like to play with high expectations … it’s the UT swimming and diving team. But not far behind them is the baseball team. The Horns are expected to make it to Omaha each and every year.
This team is good enough to make it to Omaha again if everything breaks right. But there were also a lot of doubts about whether that will happen this year after the opening weekend against San Diego.
The Horns won the series, but they needed a grand slam in game one and they lost game two in 11 innings.
“We’ve got a lot to work on,” Texas first baseman Jared Thomas said after Sunday’s game. “Going into the rest of the year, especially this week, going into our Tuesday game and then having a series against another California team this weekend, we know that we have to work on that. So it’s going to be a good week of work and work hard to get back to it.”
Then came Tuesday night's game against Houston Christian where the Horns scored three touchdowns but missed the extra point in the 20-3 win.
Tuesday night games, especially against teams such as Houston Christian, are not really good barometers of how the season will go. You’re frequently seeing pitchers take the mound who are not front-line starters, so it’s hard to see the 20-3 win and start booking your hotel rooms. But the HCU game was good for one thing … getting a bunch of guys some critical game experience.
Nineteen Horns got an at-bat Tuesday night, pounding 24 hits, including seven doubles, one triple and three home runs.
"A lot of times, especially later in the year, people think that they're just subs and right now they're still competing for jobs," UT coach David Pierce told the Austin American-Statesman. "There's some young players that are really good. I want to see them go out, get comfortable and really just not miss a beat with our defense and have quality at-bats. I thought we saw that for the most part."
Texas has a young team and getting these freshmen up to speed will go a big way toward determining how successful the year is.
Just look at this absolute blast from Casey Borba!
Login to view embedded media
This early season stretch is important in one other way as well. Besides getting young players experience, now is the time when the Horns need to pad their College World Series resume.
I’ve written extensively, ever since @Ketchum hired me, about how 40 wins in a season is a critical benchmark for Texas to make the CWS. If the Horns can win out the rest of their games this month then they’ll be 7-1 and almost a fifth of the way there.
Texas still has a three-game series against Cal Poly at home this weekend and then another Tuesday night game against St. Johns before the season really kicks into high gear in March.
Texas plays LSU on March 1, Texas State and Vanderbilt the next two days and then they’ll have a Tuesday game against Texas A&M before starting conference play.
So enjoy the Cal Poly series this weekend and know … each and every one of these wins will make the W-L total at the end of the season look better.
TWEETS OF INTEREST:
Login to view embedded media
I played catcher growing up until my playing career came to an end far too soon … so I always keep a close eye on the backstops.
Catcher was one of the biggest question marks heading into this season but Ryan Galvan had a breakout game Tuesday night. I’ve already cautioned against overhyping expectations based on a Tuesday night game against anyone – but especially a team like Houston Christian. But I have to say, if Galvan has developed a hitting game then Texas is going to be good this year.
#############################
I doubt Texas scores 20 again this weekend … but the bats are getting hot just as the weather is getting hot. Coincidence? I think not!
Login to view embedded media
#############################
Ichiro Suzuki may be one of the boys of Summer, but it sounds like he doesn’t exactly love the heat.
Login to view embedded media
#############################
Login to view embedded media
I hope that what Cordova did was just a moment of stupidity from a teenager. I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt that he was not trying to murder his teammate. And I am all for giving people second chances (especially young people), but having a second chance doesn’t mean it has to happen at UT.
The bigger question is how Texas got to the point of offering him in the first place. Someone didn’t fully vet that offer and what it would mean for the local community.
#############################
I’m really looking forward to next week’s NFL combine. I love the draft as much as anyone.
Login to view embedded media
#############################
The culture at Texas was definitely fractured in the past.
Login to view embedded media
#############################
Did I mention Texas is a betting favorite next season?
Login to view embedded media
#############################
Ummm… what?
Login to view embedded media
#############################
I know a lot of you may be sick of hearing about the Kelces, but I do like me some Jason Kelce.
Login to view embedded media
#############################
He may not be the hero she wanted, but he’s the hero she needed.
Login to view embedded media
