Fans made it through the bye week, and the Longhorns are now preparing to hit the road to play Oklahoma State with hopes of getting back on track and starting off conference play with a win.
We take a look at three things we learned over the last week, two questions that are on our mind and one prediction.
It's time for The 3-2-1 ...
THREE THINGS WE LEARNED
1. Everyone needs to put his or her trust in Charlie Strong when it comes to disciplinary issues
Although he didn't come out and directly lay out the stipulations of offensive lineman Kent Perkins' discipline after a DWI arrest on Friday morning, in reading between the lines of Charlie Strong's comments on Monday, it sounds like Kent Perkins will miss one game, along with going through counseling, community service and internal punishment that will be handed out within the team. That news sparked a debate among Longhorn fans (and surely commentary from other fan bases) on whether or not the suspension is long enough. I get it. Everyone is certainly entitled to his or her own opinion, and there's really no right or wrong answer.
It's important to remember that Strong knows more about the situation than any of us, including extensive knowledge of Perkins' character, which obviously played a decision in the severity of the discipline. Perkins is a senior captain who has never been in any kind of trouble before, and he's been a player who has been singled out by others on the team or closely connected to the team as having extremely high character. His situation is night and day from other players who have been suspended or even dismissed from the program (most of whom were given multiple chances before public discipline was handed out).
After news of Perkins' arrest broke on Friday, I had three people close to the team hit me up via text, expressing shock that Perkins had found himself in trouble. As one person put it, Perkins made a dumb mistake that a lot of "kids" make, but he should have never put himself in that position. Another text, after expressing disappointment in Perkins' actions, read "He's really a good young man."
Again, I don't know that there's a right or wrong answer or if it should have been a one-game suspension or more. That's for Strong to decide, and I'll defer to him to use the wealth of information at his disposal to make the right decision. But considering Perkins' track record of being a model student athlete, and his willingness to take questions from the media on Monday and face the music, I'll give Strong the benefit of the doubt in his decision and trust that Perkins will learn from his mistake and be a better man because of it.
2. Charlie Strong is facing one of the biggest two-game stretches of his UT coaching career
It's pretty amazing how far the pendulum has swung in terms of perception of Charlie Strong's job performance. The memory of Strong crowd surfing above his players' heads after knocking off Notre Dame seems like it was forever ago. After that game, it felt like Strong and UT were on top of the college football world and there was an overwhelming surge in positive momentum. Fast forward a couple weeks and you'd think the Longhorns were sitting at 0-3 instead of 2-1 if you were basing things off of some of the comments from the UT fan base.
This is a pivotal year for Strong. Everyone knows that. There's been speculation over the last couple weeks if he'll even be back at Texas in 2017. Personally, I don't see this team collapsing to the point that Strong is truly on the hot seat at any point this year, but it's certainly possible that the next two weeks could be the start of UT's turnaround or the beginning of the eventual end if the Longhorns struggle.
Think of the dramatic swing in perception in the following two scenarios:
a. Texas wins against both Oklahoma State and Oklahoma and the Longhorns are 2-0 in conference play and once again look like the favorites to win the Big 12. The Longhorns' record would be 4-1 overall with a likely win over Iowa State next on the schedule. Texas is flying high with the type of momentum that could carry the team to wins over what could be tough opponents like K-State, Texas Tech, etc.
b. Texas struggles on offense against two quality defenses, the UT defense doesn't show any improvement and the Longhorns lose their next two games to fall to 2-3 overall and 0-2 in conference play. The team could certainly rebound from that scenario, but it's arguably just as likely that the Longhorns' confidence could be completely shot five games into the season and games at K-State, home against Baylor, at Texas Tech, home against West Virginia and home against TCU suddenly look like coin flips at best.
I'm not going to call for an extension for Strong or call for his head, regardless of what happens the next two weeks, but the outcome of these next two games could certainly go a long way in determining how the rest of the season goes.
3. It's time to quit expecting a depth chart every week
Honestly, I don't really care too much if Texas puts out a weekly depth chart. I guess I'd prefer to see one every Monday because it gives everyone something to talk about and sheds a bit of light on which injured players might be available for action, but depth charts are pretty far down my list of things I look forward to each week.
If Texas doesn't want to put one out, as was the case this week heading into a key game against Oklahoma State, that's obviously the football staff's prerogative. But I do think it's a bit bizarre that Texas released depth charts against UTEP and Cal but has refused to release one for Notre Dame or Oklahoma State (coaches have also declined to discuss personnel matters for those games).
To me, being selective about when you're going to put out a depth chart smacks of a bit of unnecessary paranoia. I highly doubt Notre Dame, Oklahoma State or any other team on the schedule is going to change its game plan based on a paper depth chart that is distributed five days before the game. Charlie Strong, or whoever's decision it is not to put out a depth chart before games of certain perceived importance, doesn't need to "trick" an opponent by withholding personnel information. Hell, if that's the objective, put out a depth chart and then "surprise" your opponent with a different line-up on game day.
I know I'll be in the minority here and I'll step down off my soapbox and move on, but if Texas chooses to not put out a depth chart consistently, it would be a better look to just do away with them altogether rather than selectively hold them back against quality opponents.
TWO QUESTIONS
1. Can the Texas defense make immediate strides?
Charlie Strong said it again on Monday (a few times) - the Texas defensive issues will get fixed. In fact, he was pretty clear and adamant about it.
After the way the defense has struggled last year and through three games of 2016, I'm going to need to see it to believe it. I'm just not sure there's an easy answer for this side of the ball.
Strong didn't go into details, but if you comb through his comments, it sounds like the defensive changes will be as much about personnel as they will scheme. If that's the case, expect to see a lot more of guys like Malcolm Roach, Breckyn Hager, DeShon Elliott and Brandon Jones. Getting more athleticism in the defensive backfield should help, but will it be enough to register noticeable improvement? It's going to be tough.
Oklahoma State and Oklahoma are both balanced offenses, but I'm not sure either is quite as explosive and creates the mismatch for Texas that Cal did. Statistically, Cal's offense is better than Oklahoma State in both the run and pass rankings (for all the talk of OSU's balance, the Cowboys rank 109th in rushing offense and averages just 3.36 yards per carry).
I'm expecting an improved effort and a better statistical performance against Oklahoma State than what Texas showed against Cal, but I'm reluctant to predict some miraculous turnaround by the UT defense on a weekly basis. I just don't see some magic pill that is going to immediately cure Texas' shortcomings.
2. Will Shane Buechele's health be an issue this weekend?
On Monday, Texas quarterback Shane Buechele downplayed the significance of any injuries he may have suffered against Cal and said he's fine heading into the Oklahoma State game. Buechele didn't go into any specifics on his health and nobody at Texas has issued an official comment, but Buechele did say he will not be wearing any extra padding this weekend. Those are all positive developments, but the question still looms on whether or not Buechele is playing at anywhere close to 100 percent,
If it's a rib injury, as OB has heard, one has to imagine that Buechele will have to play through some pain and it could very well affect his ability to make certain throws and the game plan that Sterlin Gilbert will have to employ. The quarterback run game with Buechele in the game may be pulled back, and everyone will have to wait and see if he has his normal arm strength and accuracy. Buechele seemed to be off in the Cal game, but he was having some issues before being taken to the locker room so it's really hard to tell just what type of impact, if any, a lingering issue may have. He was able to finish the Cal game (probably playing on a healthy dose of adrenaline) so he should be fine this weekend, but it's still a situation worth watching very closely.
ONE PREDICTION - D'Onta Foreman keeps his standing among the national rushing leaders after this week
If Texas running back D'Onta Foreman had enough qualifying games (he missed the UTEP game), he would rank third nationally and first in the conference in rushing yards per game. In fact, his 144 yards per game would blow away the rest of the Big 12, with UT's Chris Warren currently leading the conference at 86.7 yards rushing per game.
I expect to see a heavy dose of the UT run game this week, which means Foreman should have a chance to pile up the yards against a decent but not spectacular Oklahoma State run defense. Foreman's average of 6.4 yards per attempt may be tough to match this week (Oklahoma State yields 3.52 ypc) but he should still have success and if he can break off a big run at some point, he should easily top 100 yards and even come close to his current average of 144 yards per game.
We take a look at three things we learned over the last week, two questions that are on our mind and one prediction.
It's time for The 3-2-1 ...
THREE THINGS WE LEARNED
1. Everyone needs to put his or her trust in Charlie Strong when it comes to disciplinary issues
Although he didn't come out and directly lay out the stipulations of offensive lineman Kent Perkins' discipline after a DWI arrest on Friday morning, in reading between the lines of Charlie Strong's comments on Monday, it sounds like Kent Perkins will miss one game, along with going through counseling, community service and internal punishment that will be handed out within the team. That news sparked a debate among Longhorn fans (and surely commentary from other fan bases) on whether or not the suspension is long enough. I get it. Everyone is certainly entitled to his or her own opinion, and there's really no right or wrong answer.
It's important to remember that Strong knows more about the situation than any of us, including extensive knowledge of Perkins' character, which obviously played a decision in the severity of the discipline. Perkins is a senior captain who has never been in any kind of trouble before, and he's been a player who has been singled out by others on the team or closely connected to the team as having extremely high character. His situation is night and day from other players who have been suspended or even dismissed from the program (most of whom were given multiple chances before public discipline was handed out).
After news of Perkins' arrest broke on Friday, I had three people close to the team hit me up via text, expressing shock that Perkins had found himself in trouble. As one person put it, Perkins made a dumb mistake that a lot of "kids" make, but he should have never put himself in that position. Another text, after expressing disappointment in Perkins' actions, read "He's really a good young man."
Again, I don't know that there's a right or wrong answer or if it should have been a one-game suspension or more. That's for Strong to decide, and I'll defer to him to use the wealth of information at his disposal to make the right decision. But considering Perkins' track record of being a model student athlete, and his willingness to take questions from the media on Monday and face the music, I'll give Strong the benefit of the doubt in his decision and trust that Perkins will learn from his mistake and be a better man because of it.
2. Charlie Strong is facing one of the biggest two-game stretches of his UT coaching career
It's pretty amazing how far the pendulum has swung in terms of perception of Charlie Strong's job performance. The memory of Strong crowd surfing above his players' heads after knocking off Notre Dame seems like it was forever ago. After that game, it felt like Strong and UT were on top of the college football world and there was an overwhelming surge in positive momentum. Fast forward a couple weeks and you'd think the Longhorns were sitting at 0-3 instead of 2-1 if you were basing things off of some of the comments from the UT fan base.
This is a pivotal year for Strong. Everyone knows that. There's been speculation over the last couple weeks if he'll even be back at Texas in 2017. Personally, I don't see this team collapsing to the point that Strong is truly on the hot seat at any point this year, but it's certainly possible that the next two weeks could be the start of UT's turnaround or the beginning of the eventual end if the Longhorns struggle.
Think of the dramatic swing in perception in the following two scenarios:
a. Texas wins against both Oklahoma State and Oklahoma and the Longhorns are 2-0 in conference play and once again look like the favorites to win the Big 12. The Longhorns' record would be 4-1 overall with a likely win over Iowa State next on the schedule. Texas is flying high with the type of momentum that could carry the team to wins over what could be tough opponents like K-State, Texas Tech, etc.
b. Texas struggles on offense against two quality defenses, the UT defense doesn't show any improvement and the Longhorns lose their next two games to fall to 2-3 overall and 0-2 in conference play. The team could certainly rebound from that scenario, but it's arguably just as likely that the Longhorns' confidence could be completely shot five games into the season and games at K-State, home against Baylor, at Texas Tech, home against West Virginia and home against TCU suddenly look like coin flips at best.
I'm not going to call for an extension for Strong or call for his head, regardless of what happens the next two weeks, but the outcome of these next two games could certainly go a long way in determining how the rest of the season goes.
3. It's time to quit expecting a depth chart every week
Honestly, I don't really care too much if Texas puts out a weekly depth chart. I guess I'd prefer to see one every Monday because it gives everyone something to talk about and sheds a bit of light on which injured players might be available for action, but depth charts are pretty far down my list of things I look forward to each week.
If Texas doesn't want to put one out, as was the case this week heading into a key game against Oklahoma State, that's obviously the football staff's prerogative. But I do think it's a bit bizarre that Texas released depth charts against UTEP and Cal but has refused to release one for Notre Dame or Oklahoma State (coaches have also declined to discuss personnel matters for those games).
To me, being selective about when you're going to put out a depth chart smacks of a bit of unnecessary paranoia. I highly doubt Notre Dame, Oklahoma State or any other team on the schedule is going to change its game plan based on a paper depth chart that is distributed five days before the game. Charlie Strong, or whoever's decision it is not to put out a depth chart before games of certain perceived importance, doesn't need to "trick" an opponent by withholding personnel information. Hell, if that's the objective, put out a depth chart and then "surprise" your opponent with a different line-up on game day.
I know I'll be in the minority here and I'll step down off my soapbox and move on, but if Texas chooses to not put out a depth chart consistently, it would be a better look to just do away with them altogether rather than selectively hold them back against quality opponents.
TWO QUESTIONS
1. Can the Texas defense make immediate strides?
Charlie Strong said it again on Monday (a few times) - the Texas defensive issues will get fixed. In fact, he was pretty clear and adamant about it.
After the way the defense has struggled last year and through three games of 2016, I'm going to need to see it to believe it. I'm just not sure there's an easy answer for this side of the ball.
Strong didn't go into details, but if you comb through his comments, it sounds like the defensive changes will be as much about personnel as they will scheme. If that's the case, expect to see a lot more of guys like Malcolm Roach, Breckyn Hager, DeShon Elliott and Brandon Jones. Getting more athleticism in the defensive backfield should help, but will it be enough to register noticeable improvement? It's going to be tough.
Oklahoma State and Oklahoma are both balanced offenses, but I'm not sure either is quite as explosive and creates the mismatch for Texas that Cal did. Statistically, Cal's offense is better than Oklahoma State in both the run and pass rankings (for all the talk of OSU's balance, the Cowboys rank 109th in rushing offense and averages just 3.36 yards per carry).
I'm expecting an improved effort and a better statistical performance against Oklahoma State than what Texas showed against Cal, but I'm reluctant to predict some miraculous turnaround by the UT defense on a weekly basis. I just don't see some magic pill that is going to immediately cure Texas' shortcomings.
2. Will Shane Buechele's health be an issue this weekend?
On Monday, Texas quarterback Shane Buechele downplayed the significance of any injuries he may have suffered against Cal and said he's fine heading into the Oklahoma State game. Buechele didn't go into any specifics on his health and nobody at Texas has issued an official comment, but Buechele did say he will not be wearing any extra padding this weekend. Those are all positive developments, but the question still looms on whether or not Buechele is playing at anywhere close to 100 percent,
If it's a rib injury, as OB has heard, one has to imagine that Buechele will have to play through some pain and it could very well affect his ability to make certain throws and the game plan that Sterlin Gilbert will have to employ. The quarterback run game with Buechele in the game may be pulled back, and everyone will have to wait and see if he has his normal arm strength and accuracy. Buechele seemed to be off in the Cal game, but he was having some issues before being taken to the locker room so it's really hard to tell just what type of impact, if any, a lingering issue may have. He was able to finish the Cal game (probably playing on a healthy dose of adrenaline) so he should be fine this weekend, but it's still a situation worth watching very closely.
ONE PREDICTION - D'Onta Foreman keeps his standing among the national rushing leaders after this week
If Texas running back D'Onta Foreman had enough qualifying games (he missed the UTEP game), he would rank third nationally and first in the conference in rushing yards per game. In fact, his 144 yards per game would blow away the rest of the Big 12, with UT's Chris Warren currently leading the conference at 86.7 yards rushing per game.
I expect to see a heavy dose of the UT run game this week, which means Foreman should have a chance to pile up the yards against a decent but not spectacular Oklahoma State run defense. Foreman's average of 6.4 yards per attempt may be tough to match this week (Oklahoma State yields 3.52 ypc) but he should still have success and if he can break off a big run at some point, he should easily top 100 yards and even come close to his current average of 144 yards per game.
