Ketch's 10 Thoughts From the Weekend (A few apologies need to take place...)
- Thread starter Ketchum
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Trust your eyes, not the numbers. Sam played good enough to win; his wrs did not.
Collin is better than Limas, imo. CJ is right next to the Cash brothers as the best high point pass receiver I’ve ever seen at this school.
Truth is, unless the D steps it up we are not getting into the conference championship. I have been pleasantly surprised with the O this year but the D has let us down.
a. Probably right.
b. He can't help himself. Blessing and a curse at the same time.
c Huge step.
Whether it's fair or not, Texas needs even more of its quarterback to pull off what it wants to pull off.
If you are starting a team, which player are you picking?
I did my best to give all consideration to the older eras (see Spreyer). Texas has had very few all-american receivers in its history
"Let me make this very clear, I thought Sam Ehlinger might have been the best player on the field for the Longhorns in a loss, especially in the second half.
The kid threw his body around with reckless abandon, he played turnover-free football and he nearly led the team on one of the best comebacks in school history."
We seemed a little arrogant on the sidelines, Elinger smiling like he thought we would come back and all would be good. And I thought that as well.
Then their QB started running and we had no answers.
As far as the dustup. Not impressed! Tom Herman lost it and Gundy schooled him. Wasn't it Cornelius last year that got Herman to act like a fool on the sideline? Grow up Tom!
Then their QB started running and we had no answers.
As far as the dustup. Not impressed! Tom Herman lost it and Gundy schooled him. Wasn't it Cornelius last year that got Herman to act like a fool on the sideline? Grow up Tom!
I'll give you that point. I'm sure I'm just jaded by a good OU memory from Wayne.
Kris Boyd and Davante Davis have probably already apologized to their teammates for the actions that led to their 15-minute suspensions on Saturday night, but as I sometimes tell my four-year old Hendrix when he is ultra-quick with his apologies after doing something wrong, "I'm sorry" doesn't mean very much.
This game was lost in the first quarter when Oklahoma State took advantage of their absences and rolled up 260 yards of total yards of offense and a 17-7 lead, which became 24-7 early in the second quarter.
In a game where slim margins that made the difference in the outcome, their negligence made a mark that cannot be denied.
Yes, it was a team loss because so many players didn't play well enough for the Longhorns to win, but the reality is that Boyd and David cost this team the game before the opening kickoff ever took place.
They left their teammates hanging out to dry by acting like knuckleheads. They know it, their teammates know it and the coaches know it.
No. 2 - Making a bad situation worse ...
This is not how you handle adversity.
No. 3 - Sam has to play better down the stretch ...
Let me make this very clear, I thought Sam Ehlinger might have been the best player on the field for the Longhorns in a loss, especially in the second half.
The kid threw his body around with reckless abandon, he played turnover-free football and he nearly led the team on one of the best comebacks in school history.
Those acknowledgments out of the way, it's important to note that Ehlinger completed 52.4-percent of his passes, which was his second-worst mark of the season. His 124.7 efficiency rating was his third-worst mark of the season and basically right at his season number from 2018.
When Ehlinger is at his best, this Texas team can hang with almost anyone in the country, but when he's not at his best, games can turn into 50-50 affairs in a hurry. Although his current efficiency rating (140.1) represents a 14-point improvement from last season, he's also played five of eight games this season below that mark (three in his last four games), including three below a 125.0 rating.
Ehlinger is still in his evolution as a young player, so don't view these comments as a slight towards him; it's simply an acknowledgement that Texas won't make it to the Big 12 Championship game if Ehlinger doesn't lift his level of play.
No. 4 - Looking ahead to players in the 2019 spotlight ...
With eight games gone and only four more in the regular season to go, I found myself thinking about what this team would need to replace on both sides of the ball going into 2019. Although we don't know what will happen with draft eligible players like Collin Johnson and Lil'Jordan Humphrey, we do know that the following starters will need to be replaced:
Offense: RB Tre Watson, LT Calvin Anderson, LG Patrick Vahe, RG Elijah Rodriguez and TE Andrew Beck
Defense: DE Charles Omenihu, DE Breckyn Hager, DT Chris Nelson, LB Gary Johnson, LB Anthony Wheeler, CB Kris Boyd and CB Davante Davis
Looking at those names makes me think that what happens in the 2019 season could be defined by the progress of the following players:
Denzel Okafor (Right tackle) - Currently the top back-up at both tackle spots, Okafor will be a redshirt junior or a senior next season and will reasonably be expected to take over at right tackle in what could be his final season, while Sam Cosmi presumably moves over to the left side.
Cade Brewer (Tight end) - Replacing Beck wouldn't have seemed like a big deal a few months ago, but the senior has actually developed into an important player at a critical position in the offense.
Marquez Bimage (Defensive end) - Although he's getting more reps with each passing week, Bimage hasn't been able to make much happen this season outside of his key strip of Shawn Robinson in the third quarter of the TCU game. His development might be as important as anyone on the team.
Taquan Graham (Defensive end) - See Bimage, except Graham will likely be the guy pressed with replacing Charles Omenihu.
Anthony Cook (Cornerback) - Ready or not, Cook will probably be asked to play the role of No. 1 corner on this team in his true sophomore season.
Kobe Boyce (Cornerback) - Ready or not, Cook will probably be asked to play the role of No. 2 corner on this team in his third-year sophomore season.
No. 5 - Compare and contrast ...
While watching Tylan Wallace take various pieces of cornbread belonging to Texas defensive backs, it was hard for me not to think of his recruitment, which didn't feature the number of big-time offers you'd expect of a Rivals250 kid that I ranked as a state top-five prospect when I debuted my LSR 2017 rankings back in 2015.
I thought we might take a look at the top in-state receivers from his class as they navigate their second seasons at the college level.
No. 1 Cede Lamb (Oklahoma - No. 72 overall nationally) - Ranks fifth in the Big 12 in receiving yards per game (84.3), while posting a total of 34 receptions for 674 yards and nine touchdowns.
No. 2 Charleston Rambo (Oklahoma - No. 97 nationally) - Still waiting to catch his first career pass eight games into his redshirt freshman season.
No. 3 Hezekiah Jones (Signed with Texas A&M - No. 145 nationally) - Has 14 catches for 126 yards and zero touchdowns in his sophomore season.
No. 4 Omar Manning (Signed with TCU - No. 149 nationally) - Left TCU this summer and is attending a junior college.
No. 5 Tyrell Shavers (Signed with Alabama - No. 152 nationally) - Has played in two career games and has zero catches as a redshirt freshman.
No. 6 Tylan Wallace (Signed with Oklahoma State - No. 182 nationally) - Ranks second in the Big 12 as a sophomore in receptions (50) and receiving yards (940) through eight games.
No. 7 Damion Miller (Signed with Texas - No. 207 nationally) - Currently playing for Navarro Junior College.
No. 8 Jalen Reager (Signed with TCU - No. 249 nationally) - Ranks fourth in the Big 12 in receptions (46) and eighth in yards (642) in eight games as a sophomore.
No. 6 – Buy or Sell …
BUY or SELL: Texas will lose 2 of its next 4
(Sell) I like Texas to win its final two home games and at Kansas, which would leave them with a 9-3 regular season record, assuming they lose to Texas Tech.
BUY or SELL:: Todd Orlando has regressed this year?
(Sell) The talent he's working with this year has regressed.
BUY or SELL: Texas has a legitimate problem with playing down to the level of its competition and it finally jumped up and bit them?
(Buy) This has been a problem for Herman's team throughout his career, both at Houston and Texas.
BUY or SELL: Breckyn Hager’s actions at the end of the game are an embarrassment?
(Sell) His actions weren't ideal, but an embarrassment? Stuff happens.
BUY or SELL: Tom Herman still has considerable growing pains to endure before he’s considered an elite coach
(Buy) Especially if your definition of elite is as narrow as mine.
BUY or SELL: You still think the Sooners will drop a game or two by the end of the season?
(Buy) The Sooners still have prime-time road match-ups against quarterbacks with pulses. I think they drop at least one of those two.
BUY or SELL: Herman is an idiot for winning the coin toss and not taking the ball knowing it would give them one less offensive series the first quarter against our backup corners?
(Sell) I thought he made the wrong call, but it's an explainable difference of opinions and not worthy of name-calling.
BUY or SELL: Sam Ehlinger’s sophomore season is better than Colt McCoy’s sophomore season?
(Buy) McCoy had 22 turnovers as a sophomore, including 18 interceptions.
BUY or SELL: You have the connections to get the word to Herman he’s tipping off his offensive plays even though it’s not your responsibility?
(Buy) It's called an Orangebloods subscription. Everything written about the team is known. Believe that.
BUY or SELL: OKLA St had an advantage because someone spiked their stool water with liquid steroids?
(Sell) It's more likely that the Longhorns drank the Austin water this week than anything else.
No. 7 – If I had a vote that mattered …
1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. Notre Dame
4. LSU
5. Georgia,
6. Oklahoma
7. Michigan
8. Ohio State
9. Washington State
10. West Virginia
Heisman Top 3: Tua Tagovailoa, Kyler Murray and Gardner Minshew.
No. 8 – Eternal Randomness of the Spotty Sports Mind …
... I thought it was pretty gangsta of the Red Sox to come back and win game four of the World Series AFTER Yasiel Puig pimped that home run like he'd won the series with one swing. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the hell out of it when it happened, but I couldn't be more impressed by the Red Sox.
... This will live for all-time. Sorry, McComas.
... Michael Dickson has brass ones.
... How can the Giants be this wretched on offense with Saquan Barkley and Odell Beckham Jr. on that unit?
... NFL fan gonna NFL fan, even if it's a woman.
... It kind of feels like Tottenham is playing for its season on Monday against Man City. Good luck with that.
... Luis Suarez kicked Real Madrid upside the head on Sunday with a hat trick and I loved every second of it. The fact that he celebrated his eruption of goals with his family was more than a little charming.
No. 9 - The List: Top 10 Texas Longhorns wide receivers ...
Do I have Collin Johnson ranked too high or too low or just right?
10. Wane McGarity
9. Mike Adams
8. Collin Johnson
7. Johnny "Lam" Jones
6. Cotton Speyrer
5. Kwame Cavil
4. Limas Sweed
3. Quan Cosby
2. Roy Williams
1. Jordan Shipley
No. 10 – And Finally...
If you're like me, you could probably use a pick-me-up after the weekend that just went by. Therefore, I end with this...
Sam's numbers would have been higher if certain receivers would not drop balls in their hands. Look. I was one of the first to say Sam will not be elite in the passing game. Insert gif of me eating humble pie. Sam dropped dimes on short routes and long routes all Saturday. He was ballin'. Only one problem, Sam was the only player that showed-up ready to ball. Most others took three quarters. And, "Kris and Davis,"kiss everyone's ass cause you cost this team. " The rest of your team paid for your selfishness for the entire game, not just the first quarter. Dickson was worth a much higher pick on draft day, Pete got him, a steal. Last, the pic of that little boy, "awesome."
P.S. The comment to Acho shows just how far some players still need to go to become men.
Huh?
Sam wisely threw 3 or 4 balls away instead of forcing balls into coverage.
Sam hit 4 pass catchers with very catchable balls only to see them hit the turf in the 1st half.
But you want to blame Sam because our WRs/TEs failed to do their jobs??????
He had at least one long completion called back for penalty.
Sam ain't the problem with this TEXAS team.
Then Texas will have to open up the passing routes more and do some things to get receivers open down the field. This offense is not like that.
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I believe their actions this past week explain why they were not selected as captains. I was curious earlier with regard to Boyd not being selected, but now I understand. Captains don’t put themselves before the team.
D4horns
7 senior starters on defense, yet somehow the talent has regressed?
When we are young, we blame youth for losses. When we are experienced, we blame lack of talent for losses. Hmmmm.
Bottom line, this defense is underperforming, and that's on Orlando first. Not all on Orlando, but that's the starting place for a very uneven season. It shouldn't take the first quarter of every game to warm up and start to play to your potential. And the late game collapses aren't good either. He has depth, he doesn't use it much. It shows in the 4th Q.
When we are young, we blame youth for losses. When we are experienced, we blame lack of talent for losses. Hmmmm.
Bottom line, this defense is underperforming, and that's on Orlando first. Not all on Orlando, but that's the starting place for a very uneven season. It shouldn't take the first quarter of every game to warm up and start to play to your potential. And the late game collapses aren't good either. He has depth, he doesn't use it much. It shows in the 4th Q.
He played in the wishbone era, so his numbers weren't real high, and he played opposite Johnny "Lam" Jones as a senior in 1977, but Alfred Jackson was a lot better receiver than his numbers indicate, and he played seven years mostly as a starter for the Atlanta Falcons.
Truth be told, he was probably a better receiver than Cotton Speyrer and maybe a couple of others on the list.
