I hope they could score more than that on me?
I will be shocked if they scored that on ND.
Hey Domers
- Thread starter LonghornSoldier
- Start date
I hope they could score more than that on me?
I will be shocked if they scored that on ND.
After watching QB snap his ankle & TE blow out knee in back to back plays Im proud they battled back. A win is a win is a win.
It sure is.... and a loss is a loss.... so enjoy the 1st of the season when Texas spanks the domers.
On the ND board they put together a early 2-deep depth chart. The class next to the player is their football year, not academic year.
Some players appear more than once since some guys are the backup at multiple positions.
Offense
QB: DeShone Kizer Soph
2. Malik Zaire Jr
RB: Josh Adams Soph
2. Tarean Folston Jr
WR(X): Torii Hunter Sr
2. Kevin Stepherson Fr
WR(W): Equanimeous St. Brown Soph
2. Javon Mckinley Fr
WR(Z): CJ Sanders Soph
2. Corey Holmes Fr
TE: Aliz'e Jones Soph
2. Durham Smythe Jr
LT: Mike McGlinchey Jr
2. Alex Bars Soph
LG: Quenton Nelson Soph
2. Colin McGovern Soph
C: Sam Mustipher Soph
2. Tristen Hoge Soph
RG: Hunter Bivin Jr
2. Colin McGovern Jr
RT: Alex Bars Soph
2. Hunter Bivin Jr
Defense
SDE: Isaac Rochell Sr
2. Jon Bonner Soph
DT: Jerry Tillery Soph
2. Jay Hayes Soph
NG: Jarron Jones Sr
2. Daniel Cage Jr
WDE: Andrew Trumbetti Jr
2. Daelin Hayes Fr
WILL: Greer Martini Jr
2. Te'Von Coney Soph
MIKE: Nyles Morgan Jr
2. Josh Barajas Fr
SAM: James Onwaulu Sr
2. Asmar Bilal Fr
CB: Cole Luke Sr
2. Nick Coleman Soph
FS: Max Redfield Sr
2. Devin Stustill Fr
SS: Drue Tranquill Soph
2. Avery Sebastien Sr
CB: Nick Watkins Jr
2. Shaun Crawford Fr
NB: Shaun Crawford Fr
2. Troy Pride Jr Fr
K Josh Yoon Soph
P Tyler Newsome Soph
R CJ Sanders Soph
Some players appear more than once since some guys are the backup at multiple positions.
Offense
QB: DeShone Kizer Soph
2. Malik Zaire Jr
RB: Josh Adams Soph
2. Tarean Folston Jr
WR(X): Torii Hunter Sr
2. Kevin Stepherson Fr
WR(W): Equanimeous St. Brown Soph
2. Javon Mckinley Fr
WR(Z): CJ Sanders Soph
2. Corey Holmes Fr
TE: Aliz'e Jones Soph
2. Durham Smythe Jr
LT: Mike McGlinchey Jr
2. Alex Bars Soph
LG: Quenton Nelson Soph
2. Colin McGovern Soph
C: Sam Mustipher Soph
2. Tristen Hoge Soph
RG: Hunter Bivin Jr
2. Colin McGovern Jr
RT: Alex Bars Soph
2. Hunter Bivin Jr
Defense
SDE: Isaac Rochell Sr
2. Jon Bonner Soph
DT: Jerry Tillery Soph
2. Jay Hayes Soph
NG: Jarron Jones Sr
2. Daniel Cage Jr
WDE: Andrew Trumbetti Jr
2. Daelin Hayes Fr
WILL: Greer Martini Jr
2. Te'Von Coney Soph
MIKE: Nyles Morgan Jr
2. Josh Barajas Fr
SAM: James Onwaulu Sr
2. Asmar Bilal Fr
CB: Cole Luke Sr
2. Nick Coleman Soph
FS: Max Redfield Sr
2. Devin Stustill Fr
SS: Drue Tranquill Soph
2. Avery Sebastien Sr
CB: Nick Watkins Jr
2. Shaun Crawford Fr
NB: Shaun Crawford Fr
2. Troy Pride Jr Fr
K Josh Yoon Soph
P Tyler Newsome Soph
R CJ Sanders Soph
It sure is.... and a loss is a loss.... so enjoy the 1st of the season when Texas spanks the domers.
That will be tough since I quit drinking.
LOL... You are a domer.... and by definition, the enemy.... and I keep trying to find reasns to not like you Farly..., but you are just too laid back and respectful..... it will be fun going back and forth with you when this game happens, regardless of who wins.
I like talking to you guys because you talk good, old fashioned, football trash talk in a fun way. The ND board ends up with two types, either the unrealistic sunshine up your rear type, or the doom & gloom type. So I enjoy you telling me Texas is going to drop kick ND.
The ironic thing is the only thing I get worked up over is ND football. My wife says I turn into a 14 year old during the games. Lol
If ND is sucking it up you won't even have to say anything, all the Texas fans can just sit back & enjoy watching me tear my team apart.
I don't blame officials, I don't blame weather, I don't blame the other team, I just blame my team for their own actions. (With a few choice curse words mixed in).
And if Texas does come out & put it to ND then good on them. That's their job. And it's NDs job to stop them.
Texas Hornsport podcast on Texas this year against each opponent:
http://texas.247sports.com/Article/...cast-on-the-2016-schedule-and-what-t-46584901
I said way back at the beginning that I believe football games are won in the trenches.
http://texas.247sports.com/Article/...cast-on-the-2016-schedule-and-what-t-46584901
I said way back at the beginning that I believe football games are won in the trenches.
How so?
I'm guessing Texas practice in half pads today for the first practice? (As did ND).
I read a little of Jeff Howe's report. It seemed they are moving guys around the OLine, not sure what is going to be the end result. According to him & the three insiders in the above podcast Texas is still behind ND up front. They are trying to find a combo of C, G, G to slow down Jones & Rochelle in the middle. And the the single place Texas is "overmatched" is the ND OLine against Texas Dline.
Once again, the above statements are those from the Texas podcast above & Jeff Howe from Horns247. Not mine.
So feel free to 100% disagree, not going to hurt my feelings.
(I like to read the opposing teams beat writers & experts to see how they rate their own team).
I'll trust what I hear from within. The little tid bits I've gotten about the DL when it comes to underclassmen has me feeling good, not necessarily about week one.
Then again. The Irish arent a juggernaut.
Currently, the OL is the same unit they sent out in the spring game. Not sure what you're insinuating.
Then again. The Irish arent a juggernaut.
Currently, the OL is the same unit they sent out in the spring game. Not sure what you're insinuating.
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I haven't read it, but here is some Howe.
It’s hard to take too much away from the defense in a setting with no pads. However, that side of the ball, more so than the offense in my estimation, has completely changed the way people will look at this team when speaking of size and stature based on Saturday’s preseason-opening practice. If you let Jordan Elliott and Anthony Wheeler off of the bus first it would also drastically alter the way opponents would look at the Longhorns. The defensive linemen and linebackers, in addition to their counterparts at running back and along the offensive line, are why I haven’t seen a Longhorn squad look this good on the hoof in a decade. Here are other notes from the defensive side of the ball from Saturday’s practice:
-- More bluntly than what I stated previously, I’ve already made the comment that this is the best a Texas team has looked getting off of the bus since 2006. I stand by it and as fans get a look at the players they should be inclined to say the same types of things.
-- To those points, there’s a difference in the guys Charlie Strong has recruited and the guys Mack Brown recruited in his later years. Some of Mack’s recruits you knew were destined to redshirt and once they got on campus their ceilings were lowered, significantly in some cases. Strong has added players to the roster who look like they’re going to be on NFL rosters in three or four years. The current regime has simply recruited a different breed of cat than the types of guys who were brought in previously.
-- Getting to the action on the field, one of the things that stood out were the drills the defensive players were doing while the offense was doing play polish against air. It was a four-drill circuit and all of the drills involved practicing either wrap-up tackling, shooting the knees of the ball-carrier, taking good angles to the ball and stripping the football. Those were things the defense struggled mightily doing last season, so it’s good to see them work on those things starting on the first day of camp.
-- Like with the offensive linemen, the heads of the young defenders seemed to be spinning. The guys who I thought held it together the best were Elliott, Gerald Wilbon, Andrew Fitzgerald, Jeffrey McCulloch, Eric Cuffee, Chris Brown and Brandon Jones.
-- Last year Wheeler, Malik Jefferson and a few of the other freshmen who wound up playing a lot were guys the coaches rode the hardest in practice. Who were those guys on the first day of camp? McCulloch and Jones.
-- To the point about the coaches riding McCulloch, it speaks to two things. One is that Charlie Strong needs around seven linebackers active and able to fill out the special teams. The second is that Brian Jean-Mary is the most intense coach on the staff and has a high expectation for how he wants things to go on the practice field. I dig his style.
-- For about two periods I noticed that while the offensive linemen were working on pass sets and hand placement Brick Haley was putting the defensive linemen through a variety of pass rush drills. They worked on getting skinny, getting the hands of the blocker off of you and out of your chest and ball get-off. Texas is serious about trying to generate a pass rush with the front four and they need that group to be better when it comes to getting after the quarterback.
-- Naashon Hughes, Poona Ford, Paul Boyette and Bryce Cottrell were the No. 1 defensive line group. Quincy Vasser, Jordan Elliott, Chris Nelson, Charles Omenihu backed them up. Breckyn Hager, D’Andre Christmas, Gerald Wilbon and Andrew Fitzgerald ran with the third team. No Marcel Southall, no Chris Daniels (who I don’t recall seeing on the field) and no Malcolm Roach. The Longhorns are now working with now some serious line depth.
-- Elliott looked like a million bucks. There’s no two ways around it; he looks like a guy who has a chance to make quick work of the college game and be off to the NFL in short order. Haley is stickler for details and won’t put guys on the field unless he trusts them. With that said, if Elliott does those little things right it’s all there for him to be a special player.
-- Omenihu is one of the players who has come the furthest in terms of how he’s filled out. Strong said he reported at 245 pounds last summer and he’s now closing in on 270, looking every bit the part. The player the Longhorns have nicknamed “Baby Giraffe” is doing a good job of adding bulk to his long frame.
-- Wheeler had one of the best plays of the day when he intercepted Tyrone Swoopes on the third play of pass hull. I don’t know if Swoopes ever saw him because Wheeler played the route the way you coach it, jumped it and finished the play. He picked up where he left off spring practice.
-- I didn’t make many notes about Jefferson’s day because he makes everything look easy. You definitely see the speed and explosiveness with him, but Saturday seemed like a quiet day for him. The real test for him will be improving at taking on blocks and working through the trash when the pads come on.
-- The defense used a lot of three-linebacker sets as the base defense with Edwin Freeman being the No. 1 SAM linebacker. McCulloch backed him up. This position will be useful when Texas faces opponents like UTEP and Kansas State during the season because a three-linebacker set could be the base defense for that given week.
-- P.J. Locke III, John Bonney and Chris Brown were the primary guys in the nickel. Locke made a great play on a ball thrown to Jacorey Warrick during a live period where he closed quickly and was right on top of Warrick when he caught the ball.
-- Jason Hall was in a position to make an interception on a ball Jerrod Heard threw behind Reggie Hemphill-Mapps during a live period but he didn’t. Those are the kinds of plays the coaches want to see Hall finish this season and those are the plays they’re counting on him to make.
-- Dylan Haines and Kris Boyd each recorded interceptions during live periods.
-- As far as Boyd is concerned, he’s stuck behind two extremely talented cornerbacks. Davante Davis and Holton Hill as a duo were one of the most impressive aspects of the team I saw on the field on Saturday. Hill had the better day and was locking down his side of the field throughout the day. He began camp playing with a lot of confidence.
-- Texas is blessed to have starting experience (Antwuan Davis) and a veteran presence (Sheroid Evans) at cornerback. The fact that Davis appears to be the No. 5 cornerback speaks to the talent at that position because Davis flashed a little bit on Saturday.
-- Clay Jennings spent a lot of time coaching Jones. It feels like they’re trying to get him acclimated as quickly as possible to prepare him for a big role as a true freshman.
-- Maybe he just had a good day today, but Hill looked like a legitimate option to return punts. He fielded punts with Warrick, Hemphill-Mapps, Armanti Foreman and Devin Duvernay. Hill caught it cleanly and consistently in the times I watched him go through the rotation, although Duvernay looked like the player the coaches (Charlie Williams and Anthony Johnson) seemed invested in having back deep.
-- It was good first day for Trent Domingue. Strong said the senior transfer from LSU hit 5-of-6 field goal attempts.
-- Michael $#@!son had a much better practice than his first practice of camp last August in the sense that no balls wound up on Red River or on the upper deck of IH-35. His hang time seemed good and the ball came off of his foot cleanly. The progress $#@!son makes is nothing to sneeze at since he'll be counted on to flip the field when the Longhorns need it now that he's got a collegiate season under his belt.
It’s hard to take too much away from the defense in a setting with no pads. However, that side of the ball, more so than the offense in my estimation, has completely changed the way people will look at this team when speaking of size and stature based on Saturday’s preseason-opening practice. If you let Jordan Elliott and Anthony Wheeler off of the bus first it would also drastically alter the way opponents would look at the Longhorns. The defensive linemen and linebackers, in addition to their counterparts at running back and along the offensive line, are why I haven’t seen a Longhorn squad look this good on the hoof in a decade. Here are other notes from the defensive side of the ball from Saturday’s practice:
-- More bluntly than what I stated previously, I’ve already made the comment that this is the best a Texas team has looked getting off of the bus since 2006. I stand by it and as fans get a look at the players they should be inclined to say the same types of things.
-- To those points, there’s a difference in the guys Charlie Strong has recruited and the guys Mack Brown recruited in his later years. Some of Mack’s recruits you knew were destined to redshirt and once they got on campus their ceilings were lowered, significantly in some cases. Strong has added players to the roster who look like they’re going to be on NFL rosters in three or four years. The current regime has simply recruited a different breed of cat than the types of guys who were brought in previously.
-- Getting to the action on the field, one of the things that stood out were the drills the defensive players were doing while the offense was doing play polish against air. It was a four-drill circuit and all of the drills involved practicing either wrap-up tackling, shooting the knees of the ball-carrier, taking good angles to the ball and stripping the football. Those were things the defense struggled mightily doing last season, so it’s good to see them work on those things starting on the first day of camp.
-- Like with the offensive linemen, the heads of the young defenders seemed to be spinning. The guys who I thought held it together the best were Elliott, Gerald Wilbon, Andrew Fitzgerald, Jeffrey McCulloch, Eric Cuffee, Chris Brown and Brandon Jones.
-- Last year Wheeler, Malik Jefferson and a few of the other freshmen who wound up playing a lot were guys the coaches rode the hardest in practice. Who were those guys on the first day of camp? McCulloch and Jones.
-- To the point about the coaches riding McCulloch, it speaks to two things. One is that Charlie Strong needs around seven linebackers active and able to fill out the special teams. The second is that Brian Jean-Mary is the most intense coach on the staff and has a high expectation for how he wants things to go on the practice field. I dig his style.
-- For about two periods I noticed that while the offensive linemen were working on pass sets and hand placement Brick Haley was putting the defensive linemen through a variety of pass rush drills. They worked on getting skinny, getting the hands of the blocker off of you and out of your chest and ball get-off. Texas is serious about trying to generate a pass rush with the front four and they need that group to be better when it comes to getting after the quarterback.
-- Naashon Hughes, Poona Ford, Paul Boyette and Bryce Cottrell were the No. 1 defensive line group. Quincy Vasser, Jordan Elliott, Chris Nelson, Charles Omenihu backed them up. Breckyn Hager, D’Andre Christmas, Gerald Wilbon and Andrew Fitzgerald ran with the third team. No Marcel Southall, no Chris Daniels (who I don’t recall seeing on the field) and no Malcolm Roach. The Longhorns are now working with now some serious line depth.
-- Elliott looked like a million bucks. There’s no two ways around it; he looks like a guy who has a chance to make quick work of the college game and be off to the NFL in short order. Haley is stickler for details and won’t put guys on the field unless he trusts them. With that said, if Elliott does those little things right it’s all there for him to be a special player.
-- Omenihu is one of the players who has come the furthest in terms of how he’s filled out. Strong said he reported at 245 pounds last summer and he’s now closing in on 270, looking every bit the part. The player the Longhorns have nicknamed “Baby Giraffe” is doing a good job of adding bulk to his long frame.
-- Wheeler had one of the best plays of the day when he intercepted Tyrone Swoopes on the third play of pass hull. I don’t know if Swoopes ever saw him because Wheeler played the route the way you coach it, jumped it and finished the play. He picked up where he left off spring practice.
-- I didn’t make many notes about Jefferson’s day because he makes everything look easy. You definitely see the speed and explosiveness with him, but Saturday seemed like a quiet day for him. The real test for him will be improving at taking on blocks and working through the trash when the pads come on.
-- The defense used a lot of three-linebacker sets as the base defense with Edwin Freeman being the No. 1 SAM linebacker. McCulloch backed him up. This position will be useful when Texas faces opponents like UTEP and Kansas State during the season because a three-linebacker set could be the base defense for that given week.
-- P.J. Locke III, John Bonney and Chris Brown were the primary guys in the nickel. Locke made a great play on a ball thrown to Jacorey Warrick during a live period where he closed quickly and was right on top of Warrick when he caught the ball.
-- Jason Hall was in a position to make an interception on a ball Jerrod Heard threw behind Reggie Hemphill-Mapps during a live period but he didn’t. Those are the kinds of plays the coaches want to see Hall finish this season and those are the plays they’re counting on him to make.
-- Dylan Haines and Kris Boyd each recorded interceptions during live periods.
-- As far as Boyd is concerned, he’s stuck behind two extremely talented cornerbacks. Davante Davis and Holton Hill as a duo were one of the most impressive aspects of the team I saw on the field on Saturday. Hill had the better day and was locking down his side of the field throughout the day. He began camp playing with a lot of confidence.
-- Texas is blessed to have starting experience (Antwuan Davis) and a veteran presence (Sheroid Evans) at cornerback. The fact that Davis appears to be the No. 5 cornerback speaks to the talent at that position because Davis flashed a little bit on Saturday.
-- Clay Jennings spent a lot of time coaching Jones. It feels like they’re trying to get him acclimated as quickly as possible to prepare him for a big role as a true freshman.
-- Maybe he just had a good day today, but Hill looked like a legitimate option to return punts. He fielded punts with Warrick, Hemphill-Mapps, Armanti Foreman and Devin Duvernay. Hill caught it cleanly and consistently in the times I watched him go through the rotation, although Duvernay looked like the player the coaches (Charlie Williams and Anthony Johnson) seemed invested in having back deep.
-- It was good first day for Trent Domingue. Strong said the senior transfer from LSU hit 5-of-6 field goal attempts.
-- Michael $#@!son had a much better practice than his first practice of camp last August in the sense that no balls wound up on Red River or on the upper deck of IH-35. His hang time seemed good and the ball came off of his foot cleanly. The progress $#@!son makes is nothing to sneeze at since he'll be counted on to flip the field when the Longhorns need it now that he's got a collegiate season under his belt.
I actually read all those earlier. The one he said that made me chuckle was the part about Texas looking good getting off the bus. "Best they have looked since 2006." Not sure how that matters one bit.
To me nothing changes since the spring right now except injuries & freshman showing up in shape.
The ND staff had the same type of sunshine, but I ignored 99% of it. Two categories for me:
First Category, Sunshine that doesn't matter because it's walk through.
For example, Brian Kelly said "how can you pick a QB when both did everything exactly how I asked all spring & today." Writers said both looked exceptional. Zaire threw as good as Kizer & Kizer ran as good as Zaire. The writers said ND is 5 deep at RB & the OLine is the best they have seen day 1 at ND in the Kelly era.
Who cares? It's half pads.
Category two, things that matter day one.
Example, Folston (starting RB who blew out knee against Texas) practiced without a knee brace ( which is big coming off the surgery) & had the same 40 time as before, was explosive, cut hard, & even added 10lbs.
Some of the freshman came in much bigger (and some even taller) than their recruiting profiles listed & are expected to play.
After losing Robinson & Jones, ND has multiple WRs even taller & heavier (ranging from 6'1 210 to 6'4 225), which was a pleasant surprise. And after losing the speed of Fuller, ND had two WRs beat his 100 time.
So the ND QBs completing 100% of passes against air means nothing to me compared to our starting RB making a full recovery from ACL surgery, & even being improved.
ND insiders are saying this is the best OLine 8-9 deep ND has had with Kelly. That's saying a lot. But I will believe it when I see it in a game. Not in drills. So i don't believe it yet.
See my viewpoint?
The Irish aren't a juggernaut. But if we are talking Dline versus OLine, then I would say that is ND's strong point.
I read the ND scouting report from our opponents (just like the Texas podcast) & every single opposing scout from the other teams said the ND OLine was the single biggest difference maker. I hope they all are right. HH is considered by NFL & College coaches as the best in the business. He has already put in multiple All-Pro & 1st Rounders at Oline since coming to ND from the NFL. He says McGlinchey, Nelson & Bars are all future first rounders when eligible.
Time will tell.
I think the ND OL will be sound and it will be their strength. I look forward to seeing how Charlie attacks it. He has more depth on DL than he's had since joining the program, he has more depth at OL since joining the program, same for QB, etc. they'll surprise.
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Howe is simply talking physical conditioning, it had gotten a bit flabby and slow on the forty. This staff has turned that around in 2 years.
As for the Irish, I'm sure they'll be stout off the ball.
Well, knowing ND's luck recently, McGlinchey will fall over on Nelson & Bars (like in the movie "Wildcats") & injury all three.
They're really pouring on the kool-aid for today's fan appreciation day open practice, you should enjoy these reports. Lol
It was hot on Sunday at Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, but the second practice of the fall for the Texas Longhorns was better than the first.
Whereas Saturday seemed more like an acclamation for the rookies and a review for the veterans, the pace picked up and things were crisper on the program’s annual Fan Day at the stadium.
The Horns247 staff was on hand providing live updates for what should be the public’s only look at the Longhorns before the Sept. 4 season opener against Notre Dame.
Here are my thoughts from inside the stadium:
-- After stretching there was brief special teams period where Trent Domingue booted a 47-yard field goal through the uprights. He missed one right before that, hitting two of the three kicks I saw him attempt. He might not be as good as Anthony Fera was in 2013 once he was healthy, but he doesn’t have to be in order to help the Longhorns. Having Domingue certainly beats the alternative.
-- The defense, as they’ve done in every practice under Charlie Strong that I’ve seen, started with pursuit drill. This seems to be one of Strong’s favorite drills because it takes discipline to run to the right spot, instincts to take a good angle and hustle to finish the drill. But he wasn’t happy with the things were going. Strong made the No. 1 defense run through it four times before he was satisfied with their effort and execution. This is one of the few drills in practice Strong (and perhaps the only) runs himself (with the help of Brian Jean-Mary) so it’s clear he wants practice to start off on the right foot with good effort and attention to detail on the side of the ball that’s his specialty.
-- I watched the offensive line the most during individual drills of any other group. Matt Mattox was serious during his introductory press conference last December when he was talking about how the power play is going be called “Mama,” which means when all else fails and you’re in trouble you pick up the phone and call mama. They worked on pulling and combo blocks (a guard and center up to the second level) more than I remember seeing a Texas line do in past practices I’ve attended. They want to make the power run game a staple of what they do offensively and it’s going to be ingrained in their DNA if they keep after it with the little things.
-- During the drills it looked to me like the veterans in front of the freshmen are holding places until they get their feet underneath them. Jean Delance (pictured), Denzel Okafor and Patrick Hudson got some work with the second team on Sunday. The look different and move at a different pace than the reserves currently ahead of them on the depth chart. Those rookies are closer to the level of Kent Perkins, Zach Shackelford, Patrick Vahe and Connor Williams than they are the linemen in the program they were brought in to push (and eventually push out of the way).
-- Quarterbacks were up next for me. Shane Buechele, Jerrod Heard, Matthew Merrick and Tyrone Swoopes continued to be the four quarterbacks getting the bulk of the work with Swoopes going out first with the No. 1 offense in almost all of the drills despite the reps being split evenly (perhaps even with slant in favor of Buechele). The bottom line for me is simple: Swoopes is going to have to play at an unexpected and likely unrealistic level to pass Buechele and win the job. Swoopes looked better on Sunday than he did on Saturday, but that doesn’t change the fact that the feel for the game, accuracy, ability to manage the offense and savvy Buechele showed again on Sunday were far better than what Swoopes brought to the field in those same areas. I understand wanting to get guys reps, but whenever Strong and Sterlin Gilbert decide to let a quarterback roll with the first-team offense for good it has to be Buechele for this team to reach its ceiling.
-- I mentioned Swoopes was better and he started off the first pass hull period by hitting Lorenzo Joe on a deep ball where he got by the safety. He then threw a strike into the boundary to Collin Johnson. Swoopes has improved from where he was at this time a year ago, he’s just not better than Buechele and the inconsistencies in his game aren’t what you’d want from a senior quarterback who is trying to beat out a true freshman.
-- I didn’t see Buechele miss many throws or make egregious errors. Even an interception he threw that wound up in the hands ofDavante Davis was him taking a shot into the end zone to John Burt after he drew the defense offsides. There are two things I saw Buechele do again Sunday Gilbert has to like; he gets the ball out quickly, in rhythm and on time consistently and he rarely seems to make the same mistake twice. I don’t know how much more blunt I can be when I talk about him being the guy. He’s the guy.
-- Take this for what it’s worth, but almost all of the plays Heard had during 11-on-11 periods were either keepers, short passes or handoffs off read option action. Heard can help the Longhorns in a big way as a situational, change of pace quarterback. Heard did have a nice touchdown pass to Joe in pass hull as Joe got by Dylan Haines.
-- The field was then split with the quarterbacks, wide receivers and defensive backs doing one-on-one drills going into the north end zone. The linemen, linebackers, running backs and tight ends were on the south end of the stadium doing inside hull. For an inside run period without pads things got pretty physical. The assistant coaches, namely Jean-Mary and Brick Haley, demanded gap integrity and alignment above everything else. That’s what these early practices are for and that’s what they’re focusing on before the pads come on and depth chart starts to shake out and preparations for the Fighting Irish get underway. Not only do these linemen look the part, on both sides of the line of scrimmage there were violent hands on display; defensive linemen were trying to get a push and the offensive linemen did their best in this setting to stop the charge.
-- One-on-ones started with Buechele going up top to Burt for a touchdown against Davante Davis. The two Floridians had some physical battles throughout the day. Holton Hill is a more physically gifted cornerback, but Davis is a better pure cover corner in my estimation. So those battles were between the best cover corner on the team and the most complete wide receiver on the roster. Folks getting to see those battles for free got a real treat as two guys with legitimate high-end NFL potential got after it.
-- The same can be said for the battles between Hill and Armanti Foreman. Foreman caught a curl with Hill draped over him and then caught a slant after Hill knocked him off of his route off of the line. Foreman had a better day on Sunday than he did on the first day of camp.
-- Swoopes hit Reggie Hemphill-Mapps on a deep ball where the true freshman got by Kevin Vaccaro. On the next repDevin Duvernay ran right by Jason Hall. A little bit later Davion Curtis blew by Haines. There’s a reason why the staff went into the offseason wanting to upgrade speed at the safety. Watching P.J. Locke III and DeShon Elliott it’s not even close how much more athletically gifted the younger safeties on the roster are compared to the veterans. Brandon Jones, who was out with an undisclosed injury (he made it back onto the field for a walkthrough period late in practice, so it’s likely nothing too serious), can’t get back in the mix fast enough.
-- Locke made one of the best defensive plays of the day in one-on-ones, breaking on a short pass Jake Oliver and denying him what should have been an easy reception.
-- I didn’t mention the tight ends on Saturday, but I’ll say that I was impressed with Peyton Aucoin. His ability to catch the ball wasn’t something he showed a ton of in high school, but he looked solid. If Andrew Beck can find some consistency he could wind up being a threat and a real asset offensively because he’s a good athlete with good hands who can run after the catch a little bit. It’s the catching the ball part where Caleb Bluiett has the edge on Beck.
-- All of the true freshmen at wide receiver flashed on Sunday. However, Lil’Jordan Humphrey continued to impress at level higher than what Curtis and Hemphill-Mapps showed. He had a tremendous one-handed snag from Kai Locksley during pass hull. He once again displayed strong hands and he’s got a real chance to join Devin Duvernay and Collin Johnson as true freshmen who can make a significant impact on offense in 2016.
-- Like with their offensive counterparts, it shouldn’t be long before those freshmen defensive tackles are in the mix with the first and second groups. Jordan Elliott, D’Andre Christmas and Gerald Wilbon have gotten themselves in the mix with Paul Boyette, Poona Ford and Chris Nelson as the guys who will contribute the most at the position. Physically there seems to be little to no drop-off from the veterans to the newcomers. You wonder if Chris Daniels, who I was told has been dealing with a foot issue, and Marcel Southall, who is behind in terms of conditioning compared to his linemates who got a head start on him, are going to be the odd men out at the end of the day. It’s early in camp, so there’s time, but there are only going to be so many reps to go around that are going to make the difference between who plays and who doesn’t.
-- Charles Omenihu worked more with the No. 1 defense on Sunday compared to Saturday. He made a great play to hang with Heard and space and eventually chased him down when Heard called his own number on a zone read during 11-on-11. It’s going to be very hard for Bryce Cottrell to hold him off based on the way things have looked to this point since Omenihu is younger, was recruited by the current staff and might have the kind of natural pass rush ability the coaches are hoping to find.
-- The defensive line depth was evident near the end of practice. Naashon Hughes appeared to turn an ankle, which took him out of the mix at Fox end. That elevated Quincy Vasser to the first unit, Breckyn Hager worked with the No. 2 defense andMalcolm Roach got whatever reps were left. It’s been a long time since the Longhorns could go three-deep at both end spots with scholarship bodies.
-- Several notable plays were made by linebackers on Sunday. Malik Jefferson had a “sack” of Swoopes in 11-on-11 on a blitz (with the athletic linebackers the Longhorns have this defense has a chance to be a good blitzing unit). Jeffrey McCullochpicked Heard off in pass hull by jumping a ball in the flat after playing outstanding coverage. Demarco Boyd also had an interception during live action. Cameron Townsend made a nice play by running down walk-on Trenton Hafley on a wheel route and denying him a catch. Strong wishes the Longhorns were deeper in Jean Mary’s room but there’s a ton of talent there regardless. (Howe)
It was hot on Sunday at Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, but the second practice of the fall for the Texas Longhorns was better than the first.
Whereas Saturday seemed more like an acclamation for the rookies and a review for the veterans, the pace picked up and things were crisper on the program’s annual Fan Day at the stadium.
The Horns247 staff was on hand providing live updates for what should be the public’s only look at the Longhorns before the Sept. 4 season opener against Notre Dame.
Here are my thoughts from inside the stadium:
-- After stretching there was brief special teams period where Trent Domingue booted a 47-yard field goal through the uprights. He missed one right before that, hitting two of the three kicks I saw him attempt. He might not be as good as Anthony Fera was in 2013 once he was healthy, but he doesn’t have to be in order to help the Longhorns. Having Domingue certainly beats the alternative.
-- The defense, as they’ve done in every practice under Charlie Strong that I’ve seen, started with pursuit drill. This seems to be one of Strong’s favorite drills because it takes discipline to run to the right spot, instincts to take a good angle and hustle to finish the drill. But he wasn’t happy with the things were going. Strong made the No. 1 defense run through it four times before he was satisfied with their effort and execution. This is one of the few drills in practice Strong (and perhaps the only) runs himself (with the help of Brian Jean-Mary) so it’s clear he wants practice to start off on the right foot with good effort and attention to detail on the side of the ball that’s his specialty.
-- I watched the offensive line the most during individual drills of any other group. Matt Mattox was serious during his introductory press conference last December when he was talking about how the power play is going be called “Mama,” which means when all else fails and you’re in trouble you pick up the phone and call mama. They worked on pulling and combo blocks (a guard and center up to the second level) more than I remember seeing a Texas line do in past practices I’ve attended. They want to make the power run game a staple of what they do offensively and it’s going to be ingrained in their DNA if they keep after it with the little things.
-- During the drills it looked to me like the veterans in front of the freshmen are holding places until they get their feet underneath them. Jean Delance (pictured), Denzel Okafor and Patrick Hudson got some work with the second team on Sunday. The look different and move at a different pace than the reserves currently ahead of them on the depth chart. Those rookies are closer to the level of Kent Perkins, Zach Shackelford, Patrick Vahe and Connor Williams than they are the linemen in the program they were brought in to push (and eventually push out of the way).
-- Quarterbacks were up next for me. Shane Buechele, Jerrod Heard, Matthew Merrick and Tyrone Swoopes continued to be the four quarterbacks getting the bulk of the work with Swoopes going out first with the No. 1 offense in almost all of the drills despite the reps being split evenly (perhaps even with slant in favor of Buechele). The bottom line for me is simple: Swoopes is going to have to play at an unexpected and likely unrealistic level to pass Buechele and win the job. Swoopes looked better on Sunday than he did on Saturday, but that doesn’t change the fact that the feel for the game, accuracy, ability to manage the offense and savvy Buechele showed again on Sunday were far better than what Swoopes brought to the field in those same areas. I understand wanting to get guys reps, but whenever Strong and Sterlin Gilbert decide to let a quarterback roll with the first-team offense for good it has to be Buechele for this team to reach its ceiling.
-- I mentioned Swoopes was better and he started off the first pass hull period by hitting Lorenzo Joe on a deep ball where he got by the safety. He then threw a strike into the boundary to Collin Johnson. Swoopes has improved from where he was at this time a year ago, he’s just not better than Buechele and the inconsistencies in his game aren’t what you’d want from a senior quarterback who is trying to beat out a true freshman.
-- I didn’t see Buechele miss many throws or make egregious errors. Even an interception he threw that wound up in the hands ofDavante Davis was him taking a shot into the end zone to John Burt after he drew the defense offsides. There are two things I saw Buechele do again Sunday Gilbert has to like; he gets the ball out quickly, in rhythm and on time consistently and he rarely seems to make the same mistake twice. I don’t know how much more blunt I can be when I talk about him being the guy. He’s the guy.
-- Take this for what it’s worth, but almost all of the plays Heard had during 11-on-11 periods were either keepers, short passes or handoffs off read option action. Heard can help the Longhorns in a big way as a situational, change of pace quarterback. Heard did have a nice touchdown pass to Joe in pass hull as Joe got by Dylan Haines.
-- The field was then split with the quarterbacks, wide receivers and defensive backs doing one-on-one drills going into the north end zone. The linemen, linebackers, running backs and tight ends were on the south end of the stadium doing inside hull. For an inside run period without pads things got pretty physical. The assistant coaches, namely Jean-Mary and Brick Haley, demanded gap integrity and alignment above everything else. That’s what these early practices are for and that’s what they’re focusing on before the pads come on and depth chart starts to shake out and preparations for the Fighting Irish get underway. Not only do these linemen look the part, on both sides of the line of scrimmage there were violent hands on display; defensive linemen were trying to get a push and the offensive linemen did their best in this setting to stop the charge.
-- One-on-ones started with Buechele going up top to Burt for a touchdown against Davante Davis. The two Floridians had some physical battles throughout the day. Holton Hill is a more physically gifted cornerback, but Davis is a better pure cover corner in my estimation. So those battles were between the best cover corner on the team and the most complete wide receiver on the roster. Folks getting to see those battles for free got a real treat as two guys with legitimate high-end NFL potential got after it.
-- The same can be said for the battles between Hill and Armanti Foreman. Foreman caught a curl with Hill draped over him and then caught a slant after Hill knocked him off of his route off of the line. Foreman had a better day on Sunday than he did on the first day of camp.
-- Swoopes hit Reggie Hemphill-Mapps on a deep ball where the true freshman got by Kevin Vaccaro. On the next repDevin Duvernay ran right by Jason Hall. A little bit later Davion Curtis blew by Haines. There’s a reason why the staff went into the offseason wanting to upgrade speed at the safety. Watching P.J. Locke III and DeShon Elliott it’s not even close how much more athletically gifted the younger safeties on the roster are compared to the veterans. Brandon Jones, who was out with an undisclosed injury (he made it back onto the field for a walkthrough period late in practice, so it’s likely nothing too serious), can’t get back in the mix fast enough.
-- Locke made one of the best defensive plays of the day in one-on-ones, breaking on a short pass Jake Oliver and denying him what should have been an easy reception.
-- I didn’t mention the tight ends on Saturday, but I’ll say that I was impressed with Peyton Aucoin. His ability to catch the ball wasn’t something he showed a ton of in high school, but he looked solid. If Andrew Beck can find some consistency he could wind up being a threat and a real asset offensively because he’s a good athlete with good hands who can run after the catch a little bit. It’s the catching the ball part where Caleb Bluiett has the edge on Beck.
-- All of the true freshmen at wide receiver flashed on Sunday. However, Lil’Jordan Humphrey continued to impress at level higher than what Curtis and Hemphill-Mapps showed. He had a tremendous one-handed snag from Kai Locksley during pass hull. He once again displayed strong hands and he’s got a real chance to join Devin Duvernay and Collin Johnson as true freshmen who can make a significant impact on offense in 2016.
-- Like with their offensive counterparts, it shouldn’t be long before those freshmen defensive tackles are in the mix with the first and second groups. Jordan Elliott, D’Andre Christmas and Gerald Wilbon have gotten themselves in the mix with Paul Boyette, Poona Ford and Chris Nelson as the guys who will contribute the most at the position. Physically there seems to be little to no drop-off from the veterans to the newcomers. You wonder if Chris Daniels, who I was told has been dealing with a foot issue, and Marcel Southall, who is behind in terms of conditioning compared to his linemates who got a head start on him, are going to be the odd men out at the end of the day. It’s early in camp, so there’s time, but there are only going to be so many reps to go around that are going to make the difference between who plays and who doesn’t.
-- Charles Omenihu worked more with the No. 1 defense on Sunday compared to Saturday. He made a great play to hang with Heard and space and eventually chased him down when Heard called his own number on a zone read during 11-on-11. It’s going to be very hard for Bryce Cottrell to hold him off based on the way things have looked to this point since Omenihu is younger, was recruited by the current staff and might have the kind of natural pass rush ability the coaches are hoping to find.
-- The defensive line depth was evident near the end of practice. Naashon Hughes appeared to turn an ankle, which took him out of the mix at Fox end. That elevated Quincy Vasser to the first unit, Breckyn Hager worked with the No. 2 defense andMalcolm Roach got whatever reps were left. It’s been a long time since the Longhorns could go three-deep at both end spots with scholarship bodies.
-- Several notable plays were made by linebackers on Sunday. Malik Jefferson had a “sack” of Swoopes in 11-on-11 on a blitz (with the athletic linebackers the Longhorns have this defense has a chance to be a good blitzing unit). Jeffrey McCullochpicked Heard off in pass hull by jumping a ball in the flat after playing outstanding coverage. Demarco Boyd also had an interception during live action. Cameron Townsend made a nice play by running down walk-on Trenton Hafley on a wheel route and denying him a catch. Strong wishes the Longhorns were deeper in Jean Mary’s room but there’s a ton of talent there regardless. (Howe)
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Not much from ND today since the practices at Culver Military Academy are all closed except yesterday's.
The only Kool aide moment from an insider was that the secondary looks like it could be the best one in a long time at ND. They have a couple 5* who hadn't performed like it in their secondary who evidently look like it now.
I read they are playing with a bunch of line combos & wont know for a while what they are starting with.
Nope, they're not.
Williams, Vahe, Shack, Perkins, Nickelson is the starting OL. I'm not sure where your assumptions are coming from. The variations they run in fall camp won't change the starting OL, not for ND that is.
They have three full rotations set at the moment. The 2nd and 3rd will change, but the line I posted is very entrenched.
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You obviously know more than me about it, but how is Texas already set after day two? I read yesterday they were moving guys around trying to find the best spot for each?
Is Texas' practices open to the media still?
Checking line combinations in fall camp is to see where they should plug in players.
This will be our front five versus ND unless somebody steps up at RT, it's Nickelson
Williams
Vahe
Shack
Perkins
Nickelson
Second OL grouping had Brandon Hodges at RT. Alex Anderson at RG, McMillon at C, Elijah Rodriguez at LG, Garrett Thomas at LT.
This will be our front five versus ND unless somebody steps up at RT, it's Nickelson
Williams
Vahe
Shack
Perkins
Nickelson
Second OL grouping had Brandon Hodges at RT. Alex Anderson at RG, McMillon at C, Elijah Rodriguez at LG, Garrett Thomas at LT.
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We don't even have our line set yet. We have three guys competing for one spot at guard. One of them is a center but the coaches feel he is too talented not to play.
Coach Kelly says he will have the WRs/TE set by the end of the week.
QBs will go to the end. So will RB.
Secondary & Dline are set.
LBs have one spot open for competition.
The first week is closed to media so we won't know until his end of week press conference who will be where.
I don't know if you follow handicappers, but even though I don't gamble I read what they say because the literally earn their money by accurately predicting results.
And they usually are pretty close.
I read CFB Advisor today, who is a national handicapper that combines handicappers' data.
They ranked Texas 28th overall, but didn't have their O or D in the top 20.
And they usually are pretty close.
I read CFB Advisor today, who is a national handicapper that combines handicappers' data.
They ranked Texas 28th overall, but didn't have their O or D in the top 20.
That's because the youth makes Texas a true unknown, it's all about maturity and discipline. If they have it, they'll be successful. Handicappers can only work with what they know.
Fringe top 25 lets me know plenty with them being the 28th overall.
ND for reference, they're all pretty much saying it was a simple reload.
Fringe top 25 lets me know plenty with them being the 28th overall.
ND for reference, they're all pretty much saying it was a simple reload.
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Because handicappers don't take temp at kick off into account. After all, the entire ND roster only plays in the snow and has never seen hot weather.
