The big game in the Big House is almost here.
Texas fans fall into two categories this week … those few who are going and those masses who wish they were going.
So it should come as no surprise that Michigan will have an advantage in the number of fans watching the game in person this week.
“There's going to be over 100,000 people that want us to play bad, and we're seeing about 100 of us that want us to play good,” said Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian. “We need to lean into that 100 and make sure that we're as strong as we can be.”
One hundred may be a slight understatement in the number of fans wearing burnt orange in the Big House Saturday, but probably not by much.
The fact that Michigan will have the decided home-field advantage doesn’t seem to bother Sark.
“I think this is why you come to a Texas or you go to a Michigan, is to play in games like this,” Sarkisian said. “Our guys love this opportunity, and I’m sure their players do, too, and I think the coaches do as well — that we get to go play in a marquee game, on the road, in a great environment for college football.”
Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore agreed. These are the types of games that everyone can get excited about.
“I think it's exciting for our players, for the program, for the fans, everything,” said Moore. “You want these type of games, you want these atmospheres, you want these building blocks to help you mold your team and really get where you need to be.”
That the head coach of the defending national champions is talking about this game as a “building block” is a bit of a tell as to where his program is heading into the week two matchup.
TEXAS NEEDS SACKS
Michigan had to replace its quarterback and entire offensive line and struggled in week one against Fresno State. The Wolverines held a 16-10 lead on the Bulldogs with only five minutes left in the game before scoring two quick touchdowns (one of them a defensive score) to make it look like a more reasonable 30-10 win.
“Felt like it was the same kind of way in fall camp, just took a little time to get going but once we started rolling, had confidence in each other, it was an explosive offense,” said senior quarterback Davis Warren. “Those were the keys, those 15-plus-yard pass plays, if we can get those going a little bit more, I have a ton of confidence in the guys.
“I'm just really excited to get back to work this week, got a real great opportunity and it's going to be a lot of fun."
Warren won the job because his competition, junior quarterback Alex Orji was capable of making throws like this.
If Orji did that in a game, then you know he had to have made multiple throws like that in fall camp.
Warren was better, but not much. He went 15 of 25 for 118 yards, one touchdown and one interception against Fresno State. Tight end Colston Loveland, a future NFL first-round draft pick, accounted for 84 of 118 yards (Loveland also caught all of Orji’s three passing yards).
Look deeper into those numbers and you’ll see Warren completed just one pass longer than 10 yards in the air and he converted just four of 11 third downs.
"Can't get in third-and-long situations," said Warren. "Staying ahead of the sticks, putting plays together, getting in a rhythm, that will be key."
Staying out of third and long means avoiding sacks.
Michigan is breaking in five new starters on the offensive line and Fresno State was able to get pressure on the quarterback, even though they only came up with one sack. That may be due, in part, to the fact that while Warren isn’t the runner that Orji is but he’s not a stone pony either. He can move around within the pocket to buy time. Like this play from the spring game.
Texas’ defensive players say pressure is sometimes good enough.
“Just try to be as disruptive as possible,” said defensive tackle Alfred Collins. “It’s complementary football. If we get pressure on the quarterback the DB could get a pick or it could be a bad throw.”
But this is not the game to take solace with just getting pressure. Now is the time to see the Texas pass rush, which we’ve heard a lot about throughout camp but have yet to see, come through with some sacks.
Barryn Sorrell, Trey Moore, Anthony Hill and the rest need to get to the QB this game in order to force Michigan into obvious passing downs and keep them from grinding out runs. Do that, and you at least put yourself in a position to win if your offense can come through with some points as well.
TEXAS’ OFFENSE IS READY TO FLY
Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers looked phenomenal in week one against Colorado State. In fact, Ewers looked like the kind of quarterback everyone expected him to be as the highest-rated recruit in the country coming out of high school. He looked good, even when he wasn’t looking.
"I was going to throw the flat, and then I saw everybody run out so I kind of just (threw a no-look pass)," Ewers told reporters after the game. "It's that shortstop background, I guess."
He admitted that he has worked on the no-look pass in practice as well but he says he didn’t do it too much because he didn’t want to miss one and get his butt chewed.
But Texas linebacker Anthony Hill may have spilled the beans that Ewers throws that pass more often in practice than he wants to admit.
"It was crazy, but to be honest, I'm not surprised," Hill Jr. said with a smile. "He got me on no-look so many times this fall camp. I'm so happy to play somebody else. I'm tired of him no-looking me and doing all this stuff. So I'm happy I get to just play somebody else."
It may be easy to blow off that play as a fluke – or as some kind of trick play, but that would be a mistake.
The no-look pass answered one of the biggest questions many national pundits had coming into the season … would Ewers be able to get his timing down with a whole new crop of receivers?
The answer was a resounding yes.
Eleven different Texas receivers caught passes last Saturday. Ewers looked in command and knew where to go with the ball at all times. He was fast with his decision-making and accurate. In short, he looked like what an upper-class quarterback with two years of starting experience should look like.
“Extremely explosive quarterback,” Moore said on the Inside Michigan Football radio show. “Is as seasoned, as good as any in the country. Accurate. Knows the offense inside and out. He does a good job of controlling the offense.”
It is not just the no-look pass. We also saw improvement from Ewers in being able to marry his feet with his vision.
“I thought he threw the ball to the right people on time,” Sarkisian said. “I thought the command was there, the timing of the throws, the accuracy of the throws, the RPO game, the drop back game. I think that's all a byproduct of his comfort level, because when he's calm and comfortable but playing with confidence. I think the other guys feel it.”
Many people were expecting a drop in talent level in the wide receiver room this year as opposed to last year. Xavier Worthy and Adonai Mitchell went in the first two rounds. Tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders was a fourth-round pick. And Jordan Whittington made the 53-man roster for the Los Angeles Rams and is just beginning his professional career.
But I’m not sold on the drop-off in talent. Isaiah Bond will be climbing up draft boards after this year. Ryan Wingo (I maintain) will end up being a first-round pick when it is all said and done. And then you have a breadth of very talented players who may or may not be high draft picks, but they are very talented.
Matthew Golden came on strong last week. Johntay Cook, Silas Bolden, and DeAndre Moore round out the rotation of players who are the backbone of this year’s receiving corps. It is much deeper than what Texas had last year.
“I mean, they're all fast, they're all playmakers,” Moore said when asked about the Texas wide receivers. “(Isaiah) Bond, we played last year. He’s a great playmaker. I’m sure our guys are familiar with him, obviously, in a different scheme, doing different things, but he's a really good playmaker. They've got transfers from Oregon State and Houston. The big thing that stands out is their speed, their ability to separate. And I think Sark does a really good job of just putting them in position to showcase their talent. So for us, it's going to be doing everything we can to contain those guys.”
And while Ewers doesn’t have the same amount of reps with this year’s guys as he had with last year’s group, his boost in experience makes up for that.
Michigan promises to be a very good test for Texas’ offense.
"They got a lot of good receivers,” said Michigan cornerback Will Johnson who is set to be a high first-round draft pick himself. “I played against Bond last year. I was actually on the same 7-on-7 team with Golden in high school. They're very explosive, a lot of experience, a good set of guys."
Johnson is the heart of the Michigan secondary and he already has one pick six in this very short season.
Combine the sticky and talented DBs with perhaps the best defensive line in the country and a defensive coordinator (Wink Martindale) who is known for being aggressive and innovative and it’s easy to see why that defense is one of the top units in the country.
“They're very sound from a coverage standpoint. They're really good defensive front, with some elite players on the defensive front, but also some elite players in the back end too,” Sarkisian said. “When you put together scheme with great players, and then they play with a great deal of confidence because of who they've been over the years and that’s the challenge.
“They’ve got good schemes, got good coaches, got pride in that defensive style, but yet they've got some elite players. You know, they got first-round draft picks on that defense too, so it's a heck of a challenge for us.”
MATCHUP I’M EXCITED TO WATCH:
I cannot wait to see Texas left tackle Kelvin Banks go up against Michigan edge rusher Josiah Stewart.
Stewart had himself a game in week one.
“He’s a very, very explosive rusher. You’ve got to get on him,” Banks told the press this week. “He’s very powerful at the point of attack and he’s not afraid to make contact with you.”
This is one of those game tapes that scouts will pull up this spring while they’re evaluating Banks’ draft prospects because Stewart is just one of MANY Michigan defenders who will soon be playing on Sundays.
“I mean he’s an animal,” said Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore. “He just plays with fanatical effort. You watch from one play during the fourth quarter, he gets a sack, and then he drops in coverage and then stops the screen on the other side of the field. The guy just plays with incredible effort. He's got an incredible attitude, work ethic, and he's everything you want.”
AROUND THE SEC:
Arkansas vs. Oklahoma State
McNeese vs. Texas A&M
Tennessee Tech vs. Georgia
California vs. Auburn
South Carolina vs. Kentucky
Middle Tennessee State vs. Ole Miss
South Florida vs. Alabama
Buffalo vs. Missouri
Samford vs. Florida
Tennessee vs. NC State
Nicholls vs. LSU
Alcorn State vs. Vanderbilt
Houston vs. Oklahoma
Mississippi State vs. Arizona State
There are not a lot of great week two matchups in the SEC.
South Carolina vs. Kentucky is the one conference matchup this week (how did that happen?). It’s not bad but Kentucky should be able to win it (they’re 10-point favorites).
Maybe Arkansas vs. Oklahoma State will be a watchable game? Although it’s on at the same time as the UT-Michigan game so I doubt anyone actually does watch it … at least not many of you.
Mississippi State vs. Arizona State and Tennessee vs. NC State are the other two matchups that are mildly interesting. Oh, and South Florida gets a rematch against Alabama. USF pushed the Tide to their limits last season. But then again, that was the game that Saban had benched Jalen Milroe while he was trying to figure out who his quarterback was. Yes, even the GOAT makes a bad call every now and then.
Florida, LSU and Texas A&M should all bounce back with wins over pathetic opponents. But, even if they do, they’ll still be behind Vanderbilt in the standings.
Speaking of Florida, I never understood why some were still projecting the Gators to have a winning season. Graham Mertz just isn’t very good (and never has been). Even if they switch to DJ Lagway, he’ll still be a freshman QB competing against better competition.
The Gators have a four-game stretch coming up where they had better win all four or they’ll be in real trouble this year. UF hosts Samford this week before hosting A&M the week after that (and I like A&M’s defense way more than I like anything I’ve seen out of Gainesville this year). Then it’s Mississippi State and UCF before the schedule really kicks in. The Gators take on Tennessee, Kentucky and Georgia before coming to Austin in November. I think it’s still possible Billy Napier gets fired after either the Georgia or Texas game.
By the way, who knew that Florida State would look like one of the most winnable games on UF’s schedule?
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF PROJECTION:
I’ve made a few changes to my CFP projections following week one.
I still have Texas winning the SEC, but I’m not going to lie. Georgia looked so good against Clemson that I am a little more nervous about that pick.
However, Texas looked really damn good too and so I’m sticking with it for now … Texas will be the SEC champs and the number one seed in the CFP.
I did bump Georgia up from being the 6th seed (the second-highest-ranked SEC team) to the 5th seed. Last week, I had Ohio State as the 5 seed, projecting Oregon to win the Big Ten and get the 2 seed. However, Oregon’s bad win (if there really is such a thing) has me moving the Ducks down to the 10 seed. Ohio State will now be the Big Ten champs and the 2 seed and the Georgia Bulldogs are in as the top non-conference champion seed.
I do still think UGA has a tough damn schedule and I don’t foresee them coming out of the regular season without a loss.
I also moved Notre Dame up following its win over A&M in College Station. I didn’t exactly see a Fighting Irish team that just screams future national championship caliber team, but their schedule is super soft and they will be a highly-ranked CFP team.
Penn State moved up following its easy win over West Virginia.
Ole Miss (whom I still have projected to be the team Texas beats in the SEC championship game) looked good last week. I know they were playing a cream puff but Jaxson Dart throwing five touchdown passes in the first half is impressive nonetheless.
I had Kansas State as a second Big 12 team making the CFP prior to week one. I’m now kicking them out and putting Missouri in as the 11 seed, becoming the fifth SEC team to make the CFP (Texas, Georgia, Ole Miss, Alabama & Missouri).
Finally, I’m going with UNLV this week as the top G5 team. Really, this is just a crap shoot. I think Memphis or Boise State would have to be the odds-on favorite … but I thought UNLV played great against an overmatched Houston team so for now, they’re getting my nod.
TWEETS OF INTEREST:
The game Saturday will be on Fox’s “Big Noon Saturday” lineup with Joel Klatt working the game. We all know Klatt loves him some Longhorns and he’ll get to see Texas play up close and personal this week.
This year’s team is probably the best team Texas has had since the last time when Klatt got a little too up close and personal with the Horns (especially Drew Kelson).
###########################
Michigan fans are still not happy with Quinn Ewers.
###########################
Speaking of triggering Michigan fans …
This one very well could have legs (although I have not confirmed it). The reason I say that is that Cooper Manning is the senior managing director of investor relations for AJ Capital Partners, a private real estate investment company that has focused on building hotels and resorts … most notably the Graduate Hotels boutique hotels in college towns across the US.
Of course, that could be why the internet is trying to pin it on Manning - which, if we're being honest, sounds a little more petty than something a Manning would allegedly do.
###########################
No matter what happens on Saturday, Quinn Ewers will not be hurting for money. That dude has capitalized on his NIL opportunities.
###########################
I mentioned Jordan Whittington making the Rams roster … you guys will love this video.
###########################
The first bit of Texas baseball’s 2025 schedule is out and it’s already a doozy!
###########################
Finally, RIP to one of the all-time greats in college baseball, coach Wayne Graham. He was so damn good on the field and off … and he really enjoyed coming to watch the Horns play later in life.
Last edited by a moderator:
