ADVERTISEMENT

2016 Season Running Thread

We spoke to several of our sources, who shared some great nuggets on this past weekend's scrimmage.Here's the latest on what we have.
  • Charlie Strong made news when he said he might not announce his starter prior to Notre Dame, but we were told that Shane Buechele is still the favorite to win the job. Buechele shows the abililty to make the throws and has a nice command of the offense. His biggest issue right now are freshman mistakes throwing the ball, but even with that he’s still on par if not better than Swoopes at this point. For Tyrone, he’s having good practices as he’s done in the past, but we are told he’s still a bit too tentative with the ball. We will see what unfolds in the next two weeks, but we still expect Shane Buechele to be named starter.
  • While Charlie Strong announced they expect Zach Shackelford back for Notre Dame, things sound worse behind the scenes. We did some more checking, and the ankle is better off than we originally heard, there is still a feeling that it could drag on into the first few games.
  • If Shackelford could make it back for Notre Dame that would obviously be the best scenario. Backup center Jake McMillon is having a tough time with the job, and Texas might explore other alternatives like Patrick Vahe or other freshmen.
  • D’Andre Christmas (No Giles anymore) is really coming on at the defensive tackle position. Christmas was arguably the most skilled defensive tackle signed in the spring, and he’s certainly playing like it. The Louisiana native is using his athleticism well, and he’s creating havoc in the backfield. All hands will be needed once the season rolls around, but Christmas has some potentially plus ability.
  • We were told that Jason Hall and Dylan Haines still have a hold on the starting safety positions, but Hall has a fight on his hands with DeShon Elliott.
  • Look for Lil’Jordan Humphrey to make an early impact this year. Humphrey has the ability to play both inside and outside. Humphrey is making plays early in camp, and he’s surprising everyone with his natural fluidity.
  • We’ve heard Trent Domingue is starting to settle in and looking more reliable at kicker.
[HS]

-------

It is true that D'Andre has dropped the hyphonated Giles in his last name. He is now Christmas all year long. :)
 
E$PN has published a list of the top 5 Beg12 defensive ends:

5. Naashon Hughes, Texas: Hughes is a key player for the Longhorns' front seven, manning the Fox hybrid slot and helping against the run and the pass. Hughes has plenty of talent around him. But he is the seasoned veteran of the group.

They've also posted their Beg12 Power Rankings

5. Texas: New offensive scheme plus a new plan at quarterback plus four tough foes in their first five games makes this Texas team a volatile one to predict. How the Longhorns show up in their Sunday night opener against Notre Dame will set the tone, that's for sure. They'll lean on a powerful run to take pressure off the quarterback duo of Shane Buechele and Tyrone Swoopes, but their young defense must keep improving.
 
HornSports Burnt Ends

We spoke to several of our sources, who shared some great nuggets on this past weekend's scrimmage.Here's the latest on what we have.
Charlie Strong made news when he said he might not announce his starter prior to Notre Dame, but we were told that Shane Buechele is still the favorite to win the job. Buechele shows the abililty to make the throws and has a nice command of the offense. His biggest issue right now are freshman mistakes throwing the ball, but even with that he’s still on par if not better than Swoopes at this point. For Tyrone, he’s having good practices as he’s done in the past, but we are told he’s still a bit too tentative with the ball. We will see what unfolds in the next two weeks, but we still expect Shane Buechele to be named starter.

While Charlie Strong announced they expect Zach Shackelford back for Notre Dame, things sound worse behind the scenes. We did some more checking, and the ankle is better off than we originally heard, there is still a feeling that it could drag on into the first few games.

If Shackelford could make it back for Notre Dame that would obviously be the best scenario. Backup center Jake McMillon is having a tough time with the job, and Texas might explore other alternatives like Patrick Vahe or other freshmen.

D’Andre Christmas (No Giles anymore) is really coming on at the defensive tackle position. Christmas was arguably the most skilled defensive tackle signed in the spring, and he’s certainly playing like it. The Louisiana native is using his athleticism well, and he’s creating havoc in the backfield. All hands will be needed once the season rolls around, but Christmas has some potentially plus ability.

We were told that Jason Hall and Dylan Haines still have a hold on the starting safety positions, but Hall has a fight on his hands with DeShon Elliott.

Look for Lil’Jordan Humphrey to make an early impact this year. Humphrey has the ability to play both inside and outside. Humphrey is making plays early in camp, and he’s surprising everyone with his natural fluidity.

We’ve heard Trent Domingue is starting to settle in and looking more reliable at kicker.
 
HornSports Burnt Ends

We spoke to several of our sources, who shared some great nuggets on this past weekend's scrimmage.Here's the latest on what we have.
Charlie Strong made news when he said he might not announce his starter prior to Notre Dame, but we were told that Shane Buechele is still the favorite to win the job. Buechele shows the abililty to make the throws and has a nice command of the offense. His biggest issue right now are freshman mistakes throwing the ball, but even with that he’s still on par if not better than Swoopes at this point. For Tyrone, he’s having good practices as he’s done in the past, but we are told he’s still a bit too tentative with the ball. We will see what unfolds in the next two weeks, but we still expect Shane Buechele to be named starter.
This is the best news of the offseason. Strong is building something if he can get the QB situation sorted out. I don't know if throwing in the freshman against Notre Dame in his first game is optimal for development, but just hearing that he is better than the alternative is great news.
 
HornSports Burnt Ends

We spoke to several of our sources, who shared some great nuggets on this past weekend's scrimmage.Here's the latest on what we have.
Charlie Strong made news when he said he might not announce his starter prior to Notre Dame, but we were told that Shane Buechele is still the favorite to win the job. Buechele shows the abililty to make the throws and has a nice command of the offense. His biggest issue right now are freshman mistakes throwing the ball, but even with that he’s still on par if not better than Swoopes at this point. For Tyrone, he’s having good practices as he’s done in the past, but we are told he’s still a bit too tentative with the ball. We will see what unfolds in the next two weeks, but we still expect Shane Buechele to be named starter.

While Charlie Strong announced they expect Zach Shackelford back for Notre Dame, things sound worse behind the scenes. We did some more checking, and the ankle is better off than we originally heard, there is still a feeling that it could drag on into the first few games.

If Shackelford could make it back for Notre Dame that would obviously be the best scenario. Backup center Jake McMillon is having a tough time with the job, and Texas might explore other alternatives like Patrick Vahe or other freshmen.

D’Andre Christmas (No Giles anymore) is really coming on at the defensive tackle position. Christmas was arguably the most skilled defensive tackle signed in the spring, and he’s certainly playing like it. The Louisiana native is using his athleticism well, and he’s creating havoc in the backfield. All hands will be needed once the season rolls around, but Christmas has some potentially plus ability.

We were told that Jason Hall and Dylan Haines still have a hold on the starting safety positions, but Hall has a fight on his hands with DeShon Elliott.

Look for Lil’Jordan Humphrey to make an early impact this year. Humphrey has the ability to play both inside and outside. Humphrey is making plays early in camp, and he’s surprising everyone with his natural fluidity.

We’ve heard Trent Domingue is starting to settle in and looking more reliable at kicker.
lol you posted this about an hour late man. ;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Scholz
A few things I saw.......

We are far enough along on this thread that I think we're off the radar- so here goes:

Mind you there were a few things that happened at practice that stood out that I won't be mentioning for obvious reasons- but I've figured Swoopes out. If the play is "Tyrone, turn and hand the ball to this guy....... or.....Tyrone, take the snap and throw it to THAT guy..." he is fine. He's been given a direct task and he follows it to the letter. BUT- if there's a decision to be made or an option or two that he can choose from, he gets hesitant. Why? He's afraid to make a mistake because he lacks confidence in his decision making paradigm. I could see it multiple times in practice. The game only slows down for him if he has a direct task and does not have to think. I'm not saying he's "dumb"- he isn't dumb. He suffers from paralysis by analysis. The more options he's given, the harder it is for him to feel confident he's choosing the right one. That's a lack of confidence thing, in my opinion.
The problem with "Tyrone, throw it to THAT guy" is- he stares at the receiver like she's a topless chick jogging on a beach. Everybody knows who he's throwing to. He's got zero look off. 2nd problem- he can't throw to a spot. Most good QBs don't WAIT until the receiver is open to throw the ball- they throw to a spot and it's the receivers job to get to that spot and catch the ball. We call this a "timing route". He can't do it. Instead of throwing as the receiver goes into his break and the ball arriving just as the WR turn to look at him, he waits to make eye contact WITH the WR before throwing. Almost like "ok, you see me seeing you so here, catch this". The problem, obviously, is this gives the db a chance to recover and jump the pass. This kids got a strong enough arm he just has zero, and I mean zero confidence either in his abilities or his wrs capabilities. You can not be a contender with a qb that's afraid to make mistakes or afraid to make decisions.
SB looks to have added a little weight since last I saw him. (Before I go any further, I wasn't taking notes on pen and paper, so I'm remembering jersey numbers and if I get some wrong, please don't tar and feather me). SB seems loose. He still does some "DOH!" freshman stuff-- but he's a freshman. He looks like he's having more fun than Tyrone. Can he throw it? Ya, he can throw those middle routes all day long. He's still having problems getting those deep sideline routes on target. It appears to me that SOME of those deep sideline routes have been shortened by a few steps but that's just speculation on my part. In the spring, his 15 yard out either ended in him skipping it short- air mailing the WR, or pick 6. I think our OC decided to shorten a few of those for safety sake. Again, not 100% sure, but that's what it looked like to me. Not what I was hoping to see-- but the good news is, if we can run block, it shouldn't matter THAT much because--
33 is a big dude. He's big. I mean big, big. And 25--- that kid has muscles on top of muscles. They are feeding that kid raw beef pumped full of cow roids. I kid you not. Take away the 25 jersey number and he looks like a freaking DE. He makes 33 look like a garden gnome. He's not Derrick Henry monstrous- but he's just dreadlocks and 5 pounds in each thigh away from it. He is a man child. Ricky was yoked like that but Ricky wasn't 6'3. And Ricky's center of gravity was somewhere just below his ankles. 25 can get a little high at times, and he will get caught in the chops early I predict- but if he can keep his pad level down through the LOS- I pity big 12 LBs. He's a tiny bit top heavy, just a tiny- but he's got the legs to go for a grand. That's a big IF- we can block anybody up the middle. The OL is----- well, we are good at LT. 55 has great feet. His kick step is awesome. His punch is WAY better. He's been playing ping pong or handball or something because his hand speed has gotten sick. I think he spent the summer at a feed lot swatting flies all day and getting paid by the pound. He looks a tiny bit light until you remember he's still a kid. I'm thinking he's around 290-295. I'd like to see him around 305 but he will get there. That kid has up side. If he stays healthy and on this path of improvement, he will make a fine LT on Sunday. 78 looks like he's moving in mud compared to 55. But being on the right, he's not supposed to move like a ballerina. He'll be fine. It's the middle that has me freaked out. If you don't have a center and guards that can get down, dirty and push people around, you can't RUN the football. I didn't see that out of 77 or 56 or 58 (can't remember all their numbers). Anyway- my point is, 55 stood out. Way out. Nobody else did. The center seemed confused several times when coming to the line to make his calls- pointing with both hands at times and getting set only to raise back up and change his call. That needs to be fixed- pronto. You can't run the ball if you screw up who the middle linebacker is-- it screws up everyone's block assignments. We are a long way away from being able to utilize the HORSES we have in the backfield. Did I mention 25 was huge?
Wrs-------- I'm vexed by them. They all "look" the part. Attitude, swagger, trash talking-- all the things you look for from the diva position in football- but I don't see any "ooooooo- awwwwwww" guys. Dudes reaching up and jamming a fork into a high thrown ball. Guys making shoelace catches and turning up field- or tip toe sideline grabs. Nothing that makes you go "THAT GUY is NAILS!". They run their routes and when the ball arrives they either catch it, or they don't. It's kinda like "meh.....good grab (even though it hit you in the chest)". I don't see guys making finger grabs. I see a lot of passes that I can "hear" being caught. Guys with soft hands, you don't "hear" the pass hitting their hands. I can close my eyes and tell you almost every time if the ball was caught or not. 1 showed some speed and 85 (i think it was 85) is tall and has some hops but throw that high fastball over the middle to 85 and some headhunting safety will send him to Seton. Looks like he weighs about a buck ten.
Dline- we in trouble. As poor as our middle 3 on oline are playing, they look like all Stars compared to our interior dline. We got one dude that looks like a mountain and another that looks like a bowling ball. Neither of them warrant a double team. On the edge, we need more speed. 90 has good long arms and a good first step but then he just sort if loses his momentum. He needs a rocket jammed up his a$$. He's got tools, he's just not always using them. He could be a double digit sack guy if our dt's would man up and get more active on their stunts. They ran loops and slants like old people fvck--it was slow and painful to watch. This means our lb crew will have a busy, busy year. We got Talent. We got speed. We got 46. He's just a man. In the spring I could tell things were slowing waaaaaaay down for him. He seemed to be pressing a little more this summer though. I can't figure that out. He seems more "urgent" to make a play. In the spring it was like "Oh, look. They're breaking the huddle and my spidey sense is telling me that it's a draw play....". Now it's like "I'm going to make every tackle on every play or die!". I like it, but I don't. I like that he's hungry and aggressive- I just don't want him to be SO aggressive that he runs himself out of plays. I told you last summer that 46 was going to kill someone at some point. Think the OU qb got that memo? I'm telling you now- he will have victims this year. He will flat the fvck out end someone's career at some point. I also liked the motor on 11 I think it was. Tiny looking kid but just a ball of energy.
Dbs- 14 and 31 would have you believe they know what time it is. 14 actually made a couple of decent plays on some decently thrown balls. But as much as 14 and 31 seem to know what's going on 5 and 8 (or 6 or 9--- my memory isn't what it used to be) still aren't always on the same page. Deep routes still cause confusion, and wheel routes by the slot or Rb is cause for concern. I saw this last year and warned everyone about the deep ball down the right. Sure a sh!t, ND must have seen what I saw because they charcoaled us with the deep right bomb for a TD. Look for more deep passes along the right side as well as that soft area between 7 and 10 yards on the wide side.
I'll make one more swing by before game week and tell you what I think.
 
A few things I saw.......

We are far enough along on this thread that I think we're off the radar- so here goes:

Mind you there were a few things that happened at practice that stood out that I won't be mentioning for obvious reasons- but I've figured Swoopes out. If the play is "Tyrone, turn and hand the ball to this guy....... or.....Tyrone, take the snap and throw it to THAT guy..." he is fine. He's been given a direct task and he follows it to the letter. BUT- if there's a decision to be made or an option or two that he can choose from, he gets hesitant. Why? He's afraid to make a mistake because he lacks confidence in his decision making paradigm. I could see it multiple times in practice. The game only slows down for him if he has a direct task and does not have to think. I'm not saying he's "dumb"- he isn't dumb. He suffers from paralysis by analysis. The more options he's given, the harder it is for him to feel confident he's choosing the right one. That's a lack of confidence thing, in my opinion.
The problem with "Tyrone, throw it to THAT guy" is- he stares at the receiver like she's a topless chick jogging on a beach. Everybody knows who he's throwing to. He's got zero look off. 2nd problem- he can't throw to a spot. Most good QBs don't WAIT until the receiver is open to throw the ball- they throw to a spot and it's the receivers job to get to that spot and catch the ball. We call this a "timing route". He can't do it. Instead of throwing as the receiver goes into his break and the ball arriving just as the WR turn to look at him, he waits to make eye contact WITH the WR before throwing. Almost like "ok, you see me seeing you so here, catch this". The problem, obviously, is this gives the db a chance to recover and jump the pass. This kids got a strong enough arm he just has zero, and I mean zero confidence either in his abilities or his wrs capabilities. You can not be a contender with a qb that's afraid to make mistakes or afraid to make decisions.
SB looks to have added a little weight since last I saw him. (Before I go any further, I wasn't taking notes on pen and paper, so I'm remembering jersey numbers and if I get some wrong, please don't tar and feather me). SB seems loose. He still does some "DOH!" freshman stuff-- but he's a freshman. He looks like he's having more fun than Tyrone. Can he throw it? Ya, he can throw those middle routes all day long. He's still having problems getting those deep sideline routes on target. It appears to me that SOME of those deep sideline routes have been shortened by a few steps but that's just speculation on my part. In the spring, his 15 yard out either ended in him skipping it short- air mailing the WR, or pick 6. I think our OC decided to shorten a few of those for safety sake. Again, not 100% sure, but that's what it looked like to me. Not what I was hoping to see-- but the good news is, if we can run block, it shouldn't matter THAT much because--
33 is a big dude. He's big. I mean big, big. And 25--- that kid has muscles on top of muscles. They are feeding that kid raw beef pumped full of cow roids. I kid you not. Take away the 25 jersey number and he looks like a freaking DE. He makes 33 look like a garden gnome. He's not Derrick Henry monstrous- but he's just dreadlocks and 5 pounds in each thigh away from it. He is a man child. Ricky was yoked like that but Ricky wasn't 6'3. And Ricky's center of gravity was somewhere just below his ankles. 25 can get a little high at times, and he will get caught in the chops early I predict- but if he can keep his pad level down through the LOS- I pity big 12 LBs. He's a tiny bit top heavy, just a tiny- but he's got the legs to go for a grand. That's a big IF- we can block anybody up the middle. The OL is----- well, we are good at LT. 55 has great feet. His kick step is awesome. His punch is WAY better. He's been playing ping pong or handball or something because his hand speed has gotten sick. I think he spent the summer at a feed lot swatting flies all day and getting paid by the pound. He looks a tiny bit light until you remember he's still a kid. I'm thinking he's around 290-295. I'd like to see him around 305 but he will get there. That kid has up side. If he stays healthy and on this path of improvement, he will make a fine LT on Sunday. 78 looks like he's moving in mud compared to 55. But being on the right, he's not supposed to move like a ballerina. He'll be fine. It's the middle that has me freaked out. If you don't have a center and guards that can get down, dirty and push people around, you can't RUN the football. I didn't see that out of 77 or 56 or 58 (can't remember all their numbers). Anyway- my point is, 55 stood out. Way out. Nobody else did. The center seemed confused several times when coming to the line to make his calls- pointing with both hands at times and getting set only to raise back up and change his call. That needs to be fixed- pronto. You can't run the ball if you screw up who the middle linebacker is-- it screws up everyone's block assignments. We are a long way away from being able to utilize the HORSES we have in the backfield. Did I mention 25 was huge?
Wrs-------- I'm vexed by them. They all "look" the part. Attitude, swagger, trash talking-- all the things you look for from the diva position in football- but I don't see any "ooooooo- awwwwwww" guys. Dudes reaching up and jamming a fork into a high thrown ball. Guys making shoelace catches and turning up field- or tip toe sideline grabs. Nothing that makes you go "THAT GUY is NAILS!". They run their routes and when the ball arrives they either catch it, or they don't. It's kinda like "meh.....good grab (even though it hit you in the chest)". I don't see guys making finger grabs. I see a lot of passes that I can "hear" being caught. Guys with soft hands, you don't "hear" the pass hitting their hands. I can close my eyes and tell you almost every time if the ball was caught or not. 1 showed some speed and 85 (i think it was 85) is tall and has some hops but throw that high fastball over the middle to 85 and some headhunting safety will send him to Seton. Looks like he weighs about a buck ten.
Dline- we in trouble. As poor as our middle 3 on oline are playing, they look like all Stars compared to our interior dline. We got one dude that looks like a mountain and another that looks like a bowling ball. Neither of them warrant a double team. On the edge, we need more speed. 90 has good long arms and a good first step but then he just sort if loses his momentum. He needs a rocket jammed up his a$$. He's got tools, he's just not always using them. He could be a double digit sack guy if our dt's would man up and get more active on their stunts. They ran loops and slants like old people fvck--it was slow and painful to watch. This means our lb crew will have a busy, busy year. We got Talent. We got speed. We got 46. He's just a man. In the spring I could tell things were slowing waaaaaaay down for him. He seemed to be pressing a little more this summer though. I can't figure that out. He seems more "urgent" to make a play. In the spring it was like "Oh, look. They're breaking the huddle and my spidey sense is telling me that it's a draw play....". Now it's like "I'm going to make every tackle on every play or die!". I like it, but I don't. I like that he's hungry and aggressive- I just don't want him to be SO aggressive that he runs himself out of plays. I told you last summer that 46 was going to kill someone at some point. Think the OU qb got that memo? I'm telling you now- he will have victims this year. He will flat the fvck out end someone's career at some point. I also liked the motor on 11 I think it was. Tiny looking kid but just a ball of energy.
Dbs- 14 and 31 would have you believe they know what time it is. 14 actually made a couple of decent plays on some decently thrown balls. But as much as 14 and 31 seem to know what's going on 5 and 8 (or 6 or 9--- my memory isn't what it used to be) still aren't always on the same page. Deep routes still cause confusion, and wheel routes by the slot or Rb is cause for concern. I saw this last year and warned everyone about the deep ball down the right. Sure a sh!t, ND must have seen what I saw because they charcoaled us with the deep right bomb for a TD. Look for more deep passes along the right side as well as that soft area between 7 and 10 yards on the wide side.
I'll make one more swing by before game week and tell you what I think.

Well, my week is now screwed. All I can think about is damn we still won't be able to run the ball or throw a decent ball. and to top it off, now I think we are Charmin soft up the middle.
 
Since this article by OB, the reliability of which I find extremely questionable, now every reporter seems to be hedging their bets as far as who the starter is.
After taking a few days to digest all the coverage, weed out what seems blatantly false, and flat out make some assumption, it seems to me that the likely scenario is thus:
Strong is risk adverse when it comes to offense. A true freshman taking his first snap is going to be anxious and somewhat unpredictable. In practice, now from a variety of sources, it seems he has made some bad choices. On the other hand, you have Swoopes, who from what I can tell, has improved mostly by learning to check down or tuck and run when his target isn't open.
Here in lies the problem. Swoopes gives you almost zero chance to win. He can't move the offense. He's never been able to. Not in games. Not in scrimmages. Even this past Saturday Buchele got more snaps because Swoopes was unable to sustain drives. So if you put Swoopes out there, you are basically hoping that your D plays shut down defense and you get a few big plays.
Buchele on the other hand, likely can move the offense, but will also likely have some costly turnovers.
To me this is a no brainer. Our D is not going to be good enough to shut down a top ten offense. We are going to have to move the ball. Furthermore, if we plan to feature our runningbacks, we need a QB who the other team respects and won't load the box. We already know they will load the box against Swoopes.
But I'm not Strong. Although I have serious doubts he has actually gotten any better at completing passes, the fear is starting to creep in that Strong is yet again leading the team as if he can win without any real offense.
 
Hopefully Sterlin Gilbert's offense will be the difference maker between last year and this year. Things can't be worse than last year, offensively. No way. I'm cautiously optimistic about the offense, given Gilbert's track record for moving the ball. Time will tell...
To that end, I hope he is allowed to make the final call on QB. If he really thinks Swoopes gives us the best chance, so be it, but I don't trust Strong to make that decision.
 
Guys, we've got talent. The field just oozes of it. There's just this----- I do think know how to describe it------- this feeling in the air. Like when things are tougher than they should be and you just can't figure out why. I don't know how to explain it. I walked away last year and told ya'll "we in trouble" and I got rocks thrown at me. And at the end if the day, we were in trouble. I don't get the feeling like I did last year---- I absolutely HATED having to come on here and tell you guys "well, Debbie downer says we suck ballz"...... but we did. We sucked ballz last year and we all know it. Well, we don't suck ballz right now. But we also aren't going to the cotton bowl.
 
Sept. 4: NOTRE DAME L
Sept. 10: UTEP W
Sept. 17: at California W
Oct. 1: at Oklahoma State* L
Oct. 8: vs. Oklahoma* (Dallas) L
Oct. 15: IOWA STATE* W
Oct. 22: at K-State* L
Oct. 29: BAYLOR* W
Nov. 5: at Texas Tech* L
Nov. 12: WEST VIRGINIA* W
Nov. 19: at Kansas* W
Nov. 24: TCU* L
 
Sept. 4: NOTRE DAME L
Sept. 10: UTEP W

Sept. 17: at California W
Oct. 1: at Oklahoma State* L
Oct. 8: vs. Oklahoma* (Dallas) L
Oct. 15: IOWA STATE* W
Oct. 22: at K-State* L
Oct. 29: BAYLOR* W
Nov. 5: at Texas Tech* L
Nov. 12: WEST VIRGINIA* W
Nov. 19: at Kansas* W
Nov. 24: TCU* L

I don't think we lose to TCU, Tech, or KSU. I think the light comes on after Oklahoma.
 
I don't think we lose to TCU, Tech, or KSU. I think the light comes on after Oklahoma.
... I think KSU in The Little Apple, Tech in Lubbock at night and a healthy Patterson Defense are the difference makers in those games. I'd love to be wrong.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: CoachEmUp64
Hopefully Sterlin Gilbert's offense will be the difference maker between last year and this year. Things can't be worse than last year, offensively. No way. I'm cautiously optimistic about the offense, given Gilbert's track record for moving the ball. Time will tell...

Totally agree
 
Finish season 8-4, win bowl.

Sept. 4: NOTRE DAME L
Sept. 10: UTEP W

Sept. 17: at California W
Oct. 1: at Oklahoma State* L
Oct. 8: vs. Oklahoma* (Dallas) W
Oct. 15: IOWA STATE* W
Oct. 22: at K-State* W
Oct. 29: BAYLOR* W
Nov. 5: at Texas Tech* L
Nov. 12: WEST VIRGINIA* W
Nov. 19: at Kansas* W
Nov. 24: TCU* L
 
Sept. 4: NOTRE DAME L
Sept. 10: UTEP W

Sept. 17: at California W
Oct. 1: at Oklahoma State* L
Oct. 8: vs. Oklahoma* (Dallas) L
Oct. 15: IOWA STATE* W
Oct. 22: at K-State* L
Oct. 29: BAYLOR* W
Nov. 5: at Texas Tech* L
Nov. 12: WEST VIRGINIA* W
Nov. 19: at Kansas* W
Nov. 24: TCU* L


I think we go 10-2 and lose to K-State and TCU......
 
Guys, we've got talent. The field just oozes of it. There's just this----- I do think know how to describe it------- this feeling in the air. Like when things are tougher than they should be and you just can't figure out why. I don't know how to explain it. I walked away last year and told ya'll "we in trouble" and I got rocks thrown at me. And at the end if the day, we were in trouble. I don't get the feeling like I did last year---- I absolutely HATED having to come on here and tell you guys "well, Debbie downer says we suck ballz"...... but we did. We sucked ballz last year and we all know it. Well, we don't suck ballz right now. But we also aren't going to the cotton bowl.
I hope you were there at a bad time...........dang. I was really thinking 8 wins was the bottom. Might be 6 by what you have said.
 
Tristan Nickelson: I can confirm the Nickelson did indeed suffer an injury. I was told, “He was rolled up on yesterday near the end of practice. He had an MRI and treatment yesterday and the results should be back today. Injury very similar to what happened to [Zach] Shackelford”.

It doesn’t sound like this is a major injury for Nickelson. The source did add, “The coaches are optimistic, and still plan to start him vs Notre Dame as of right now.” Just an added note, when I asked who might be the guy to replace him if he can’t start week one the first name that was mentioned was, “[Denzel] Okafor.”

Hardest Working Freshman: [T]here are always a couple of guys who aren’t talked about as much when they arrive on campus, but they just flat out outwork everyone and eventually the results of those efforts start to show up.

This year, those guys seem to be DT Gerald Wilbon and RB Kyle Porter. Wilbon was the last guy talked about when it came to Texas’ big DT haul in 2016. Wilbon was a big-time power-lifter in high school so it wasn’t a shock that he tore it up in the weight room over the summer but he’s also been turning heads on the field. He’s the type of nose guard you want, an immovable object. He’s a guy that does a lot of the unnoticed dirty work and he’s been a pleasant surprise this off-season.

With Foreman (ankle) and Warren (hamstring) being held back for parts of fall camp as a precaution, Kyle Porter has taken advantage. He has been a workhorse as other RBs keep getting banged up and he just keeps coming out everyday taking most of the carries and working. No one will question Porter’s toughness after he played most of his senior season on a pretty badly sprained ankle and led Katy to a State Championship.

[TFB]
 
Well Clob took a little sugar out of my koolaid but I'm still thinking we go 8-4 with a bowl win!

Don't forget this has turned into a total rebuild. Would we all like it to be turned around faster? Hell ya! But I believe there's a method to this madness. With that being said, It has to transfer over to more wins on the field this year than last year. And it will.

In years past 8-4 would have been looked down upon. We go 8-4 this year and with all this youthful talent, then everybody better look out!
 
Don't forget this has turned into a total rebuild.

In years past 8-4 would have been looked down upon. We go 8-4 this year and with all this youthful talent, then everybody better look out!
"Total rebuild" is correct. But, I say we'll beat nostrum damas and go 13-0 for the season.

Why not 14-0? Because our margins of victories will be low enough for the panel of College Football Playoff genii to exclude us from the playoffs. Plus, they'll have to fit a 2-loss bammy team in there against some patsy.
 
  • Like
Reactions: CoachEmUp64
Guys, we've got talent. The field just oozes of it. There's just this----- I do think know how to describe it------- this feeling in the air. Like when things are tougher than they should be and you just can't figure out why. I don't know how to explain it. I walked away last year and told ya'll "we in trouble" and I got rocks thrown at me. And at the end if the day, we were in trouble. I don't get the feeling like I did last year---- I absolutely HATED having to come on here and tell you guys "well, Debbie downer says we suck ballz"...... but we did. We sucked ballz last year and we all know it. Well, we don't suck ballz right now. But we also aren't going to the cotton bowl.

Sounds to me like a team that's 71% high-ceiling freshmen and sophomores with very few upperclassmen of consequence. Assuming we remain healthy at key positions, I expect they'll look quite a bit better three months from now.
 
Sounds to me like a team that's 71% high-ceiling freshmen and sophomores with very few upperclassmen of consequence. Assuming we remain healthy at key positions, I expect they'll look quite a bit better three months from now.
Getting better as the season goes would be a sure sign the future is very bright. If they are up and down like last year I will be disappointed. Yes I know they are still young but these youngins will have played a lot of football. I was thinking 8 wins was the bottom...clob has me concerned. For the life of me I don't know why Texas has not gone after a transfer QB over the last 2 years. Even an average QB would be better than what we have had. I am still fired up about this team though. I am hoping clob was still drunk when he went to practice and flashed back to last year. lol
 
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT