Ketch's 10 Thoughts From The Weekend (A total free-for-all)
- Thread starter Ketchum
- Start date
(Buy) It's not rocket science.
@Ketchum I think that is a shortisghted answer. And as a counter I give you joe burrow and Ed orgeron in 2018. I then give you joe Brady and joe burrow in 2019. Elite QB play with shitty coaching is still prettty average. Still not even sure joe burrow is elite. But burrows and Brady together were almost magical.
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Absolutely, I loved this hire, and Saturday was the physical manifestation of that glee.
My main thought with that was how ou fans were so blinded that the transition would have any bearing on them continuing the big xii dominance. I honestly believe 95% of their fans thought theyād roll out any coach and theyād win this conference. I guess arrogance in itās purest form.
Need to recheck in section 5 that Texas hasnāt caused any fumbles. Iām pretty sure they forced two fumbles which were not recovered by tx against Texas Tech or utsa.
We interrupt our regularly-scheduled programming to show you a live look at Big 12 at the midway point of the season.
The league has been a complete free-for-all full of teams that can pretty much win or lose from week to week to a least half of the names in the standings.
Of course, this doesn't include OU, which absolutely sucks as much as Texas fans have maintained for decades.
Six teams are at the top of the league standings with one loss or less. All six are ranked in the Coaches Top 25 Poll. Five are ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll.
What does it all mean?
Well, it could mean that as I predicted before the season, we might be looking at a season when both participants in the Big 12 Championship game finish with multiple losses. From my perspective, I'm not sure that there's a truly standout team in the entire pack.
There have been moments when I've thought Oklahoma State stood out slightly from the pack, but the Cowboys are very sketchy on defense. That's not a subjective stance. OSU ranks ninth in the league in total defense, 10th in pass defense. That problem area allowed Texas Tech to hang around in Stillwater with its third quarterback of the season.
Perhaps TCU deserves more respect, but the truth about the Horned Frogs is that outside of beating the league's Cinderella outfit this weekend when the clock seemed to strike midnight in Lawrence, their best win might be against a historically poor Sooners team.
You can pretty much say the same about the Longhorns at the moment. Seriously, is UTSA (4-2) the best win on the Texas ledger in terms of quality of opponent?
Don't get me wrong, the Longhorns show flashes of being possibly the best team in the Big 12 and they aren't alone in having a mostly non-impressive string of wins. Kansas State's best win is probably its win in Norman. Oklahoma State beat Baylor, but are we sure that the Bears are better than an 8-4 type of team?
The conference is absolutely there for the taking. For the Longhorns, that loss to Texas Tech probably means that Texas will need to win five of its last six games. Three of those six games are on the road, an area in which Texas has struggled as recently as two weeks ago. Only two of those final six games feature opponents with starting quarterbacks with passing efficiency ratings better than the one Hudson Card owns.
It's definitely doable. It's just going to take really good and consistent football from this moment through the rest of the season.
Buckle up. It figures to be some kind of ride in this final two months of the season.
No. 2 - Ranking the final six games ...
In terms of difficulty, it probably looks like this...
6. Vs. Iowa State (October 15th)
The Cyclones are seriously legit on defense, but they seriously struggle moving the football. It's hard to imagine that this team can keep pace with the Longhorns.
5. Vs. Baylor (November 25th)
A solid and capable team, but one the Longhorns should absolutely beat at home.
4. At Kansas (November 19th)
Will Jalon Daniels be healthy when this game rolls around in six weeks? It could be a close call, depending on the severity of his shoulder injury.
3. At Kansas State (November 5th)
Somehow this team lost at home to Tulane, but is at the top of the Big 12 standings at 3-0.
2. Vs. TCU (November 12th)
Surely Max Duggan is going to fall back to earth at some point, right?
1. At Oklahoma State (October 22nd)
This game has loomed as the most difficult game on paper all season and even a shaky defense hasn't changed that.
No. 3 - Three thoughts on Quinn Ewers ...
a. You can just see the talent dripping all over the place. His return to the field absolutely makes the Longhorns a more dangerous offense than the one that Hudson Card commanded. You can pretty much set your watch to Ewers making two or three throws in every game that will make NFL scouts drool. I still can't stop thinking about the ball he dropped into Ja'Tavion Sanders' breadbasket for a touchdown at the end of the second quarter against OU. This is what it looks like when a mega-talent at quarterback goes boom.
b. He's still a young player. There will still be some growing pains. He still hasn't played a true road game as a starter. Don't freak out if he has one of those games in the future that momma always warned about. It's part of the developmental process.
c. Big 12 Newcomer of the Year is still on the table. It might be asking too much to chase down Duggan for the first-team all-Big 12 spot at quarterback, but if he can lead this team to the Big 12 Championship game and look dazzling in the process, there's no reason to think he can't compete for this honor and freshman all-America honors.
No. 4 - Heading for greatness ...
Consider me absolutely flabbergasted that Ja'Tavion Sanders has as many touchdown receptions in half a season (5) as any player at the position has had in a full season since Pat Fitzgerald set the school record with eight in 1995.
David Thomas never had more in a season. Bo Scaife and Jermichael Finley each posted five touchdown receptions in their entire Texas careers
How is that possible?
As it stands, Sanders is on pace for 50 receptions for 566 yards and 10 touchdowns, but perhaps that projection is too low when you consider that he's proven to be a much more viable receiving option when Ewers is on the field. Without going too deep into the world of possible hyperbole, I'm not here to tell you that Sanders is the best tight end in school history. There's still a ways to go before we can have that conversation.
Yet, it is not hyperbole to suggest that the Longhorns have never had a better sophomore at the tight end position ... ever. Or that he's the most explosive young talent from point A to point B that the program has ever had at the tight end position.
Just like with Ewers at the quarterback position, this is what it looks like when a five-star talent goes boom.
No. 5 - Football Scattershooting ...
... Fire ... er .... give Pete Kwiatkowski a raise? Don't look now, but the Longhorns rank 35th in the nation in total defense and 23rd in the nation in scoring defense. This unit might not have a bunch of elite-level playmakers that win personal awards, but the unit has 11 guys playing well at once right now. The defensive coaches on staff deserve some attaboys, including PK.
... On the downside, even with the two interceptions created on Saturday, the Longhorns rank 122nd in the nation in turnovers created.
... D'Shawn Jamison and Jahdae Barron are both tied at the top of the interception leaderboard in the Big 12. No other player on the Texas defense has recorded an interception, forced a fumble or recovered a fumble. It feels like Jamison might be the player with the best chance of earning all-Big 12 honors this season.
... Ryan Watts and Jamison absolutely locked OU's Marvin Mims, who was held to one reception for -2 yards on Saturday. Yes, Oklahoma was a shattered team in the passing game, but it got nothing against the Texas starting cornerbacks.
... Hudson Card is currently fourth in the Big 12 in passing efficiency. Without throwing a pass, he moved ahead of Oklahoma State's Spencer Sanders over the weekend. If Ewers had enough game-time, he'd currently rank second in the Big 12 in passing efficiency (173.5).
... The Texas offense is averaging 9.2 yards per passing attempt. The Texas defense is allowing 5.7 yards per attempt.
... As far as I'm concerned, Jordan Whittington played is best overall game as a Longhorn player against the Sooners.
... True freshmen that have played more than four games this season: Kelvin Banks, Jaydon Blue, Justice Finkley, Jaylon Guilbeau, Cole Hutson, Austin Jordan, Will Stone and Cameron Williams.
No. 6 - Mid-season All-Big 12 Team ...
Player of the Year: TCU quarterback Max Duggan
Defensive Player of the Year: Texas Tech edge Tyree Wilson
Newcomer of the Year: KSU quarterback Adrian Martinez
Coach of the Year: Kansas head coach Lance Leipold
QB: Max Duggan (TCU)
RB: Bijan Robinson (Texas)
RB: Kendre Miller (TCU)
WR: Xavier Hutchinson (Iowa State)
WR: Marvin Mims (Oklahoma)
WR: Braydon Johnson (Oklahoma State)
TE: Ja'Tavion Sanders (Texas)
OT: Kelvin Banks (Texas)
OT: Brandon Coleman (TCU)
OG: Hunter Woodard (Oklahoma State)
OG: Cooper Beebe (Kansas State)
C: Jacob Gall (Baylor)
DE: Tyree Wilson (Texas Tech)
DT: Keondre Coburn (Texas)
DT: Siaki Ika (Baylor)
DE: Felix Anudike-Uzomah (Kansas State)
LB: Khalid Duke (KSU)
LB: Jaylon Ford (Texas)
LB: O'Rien Vance (Iowa State)
CB: D'Shawn Jamison (Texas)
CB: Julius Brents (Kansas State)
S: Devin Neal (Baylor)
S: Billy Bowman (Oklahoma)
K: Tanner Brown (Oklahoma State)
P: Ty Zetner (Kansas State)
KR: Jaden Nixon (Oklahoma State)
PR: Gavin Holmes (Baylor)
(Note: The Big 12 really does lack great players. My goodness, this was like pulling teeth at some of these positions.)
No. 7 ā BUY or SELL ā¦
(Sell) They'll transfer somewhere they think they can definitely play. I'm not so sure that's at Texas at this point.
(Sell) Leonard Davis was the No.2 pick of the 2001 NFL Draft. It'll be tough to beat that.
(Sell) There's a better chance that CJ Baxter has more yards in 2024 than Brooks, in my opinion.
(Buy) It's not rocket science.
(Sell) I think there's four on the offensive side of the ball, but I don't really count any on defense at the moment.
(Buy) Of course, but that's ok. You should go a little overboard when you beat your rival in a historic beatdown.
(Sell) I don't sense he's really looking around.
(Buy) Two and done.
(Buy) Even though ISU held Kansas and Kansas State to a combined 20 points, I like the Longhorns to do what Baylor did in September in Ames.
(Sell) Texas might be the best in the Big 12, but TCU literally ranks 3rd in the country in total offense and scoring offense.
(Buy) It's an impossible question to fully answer.
(Sell) I'm not sure Billingsly is going to be anything more than the third tight end in the offense behind Sanders and Gunnar Helm.
(Sell) It's certainly possibly, but I'm not one that automatically believes it would be the case.
(Buy) He's been a damn good player for two straight seasons. He's going to play on Sundays.
(Buy) With CJ Stroud, Bryce Young, Max Duggan, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Hendon Hooker and Will Levis all expected to be out of college football, it makes more sense than it doesn't, although Caleb Williams and a few others will certainly compete with him for that honor.
(Buy) Until this team shows that it can play at a high level on the road, I can see a 4-2 end to the season.
(Sell) I still believe Xavier Worthy is the No.1 option in the passing game.
No. 8 - Scattershooting on anything and everything ...
... If I had a vote that mattered ...
1. Alabama
2. Georgia
3 Ohio State
4. USC
5. Michigan
6. Clemson
7. Ole Miss
8. Tennessee
9. TCU
10. Oklahoma State
... Alabama needs its starting quarterback back as soon as possible, just like the Longhorns did. I've still got the Tide in my No. 1 spot because when they've got their Heisman winner pulling the strings, I just think they are the best team in the country.
... I'm baffled by so many that rush to judge young quarterbacks early in their careers before they've had time to fully develop. Alabama's Jalen Milroe wasn't great by any stretch against the Aggies, but he threw three touchdown passes, nearly rushed for 100 yards and had the Tide in a position to win comfortably if not for field goal misses. Instead of focusing on the good that exists to build on, too many people want to rush in and trash a player with assumptions that they can't get better, despite hundreds of examples that show otherwise.
... That might feel like a moral victory on Monday morning, but if Texas A&M finishes with a losing season (as it could), playing Alabama close won't mean much.
... Clemson might be the sneakiest team in college football. Very quietly, that's a team that is improving each week. Guess what? They've got a young quarterback that everyone wanted to bury after a few games.
... Texas Tech is a handful. They don't have the pieces to win each week, but they certainly give teams all they want.
... UCLA's Dorian Thompson-Robinson is having some kind of season, which if funny because he was below average for the first two seasons of his career and had never been better than just pretty good until the light switch went off the season. Notice a trend in the section this week?
... This Mississippi State team might just be the best outfit that Mike Leach has had since 2008.
... The Dallas Cowboys could have played me at quarterback on Sunday and still would have beaten the Rams. Man, that Dallas defense is better than I thought it would be.
... The Houston Texans showed on Sunday why I still have some questions about how good Trevor Lawrence is going to be as an NFL player, but since he's a young guy in the league, I'm not going to pretend like he can't get better ... but he surely needs to.
... Josh Allen is good. That's it. That's the comment.
... Cameron Dicker is officially a game-winner NFL kicker. Nice job, rookie.
... Dan Campbell is going to lose his job, isn't he?
... I almost benched Gabe Davis in fantasy this week ... almost. Then I remembered who his quarterback was and just rode it out. Whew ...
... Suck on that two-game sweep, St. Louis Cardinals fans. The loss to the Cardinals in 2011 will never stop haunting me, but this weekend helped ease some of the pain as a Phillies fan.
... The next time we see Austin FC, it'll be in the MLS playoffs as the No.2 seed in the West. Pretty cool stuff.
... I'm very, very, very, very concerned about Liverpool's Top 4 chances.
No. 9 - The List: Billy Joel Top 10 ...
I'm sure there won't be any debate about this week's Top 10....
Last five songs out: Moving Out , Goodnight Saigon , Only The Good Die Young, She's Got a Way (Kettles) and Just The Way You Are
10. This is The Time
I might be the only person that will include this song in his top 10, but after listening to it 1,000 times on my old NBA Superstars VHS tape, I couldn't leave it out.
9. Uptown Girl
The first song from Billy I ever loved at the age of six.
8. It's Still Rock and Roll To Me
One of my personal favorites. Had to be on the list.
7. My Life
The best song off of the 52nd Street album.
6. Vienna
A completely underrated song by the masses, but one of his favorite two songs.
5. Tell Her About It
Billy's work in the 1980s cannot be overlooked. The man was a superstar.
4. Scenes From an Italian Restaurant
The song that has been described as his Stairway to Heaven.
3. New York State of Mind
Mr. New York singing about New York.
2. Captain Jack
You can make a strong case that Joel's live performance of this song in the early 70s saved his career.
1. Piano Man
Choices 2-10 ere incredibly difficult to sort out, but the top spot was as easy as it gets.
No. 10 - And Finally ...
It's officially been 365 days since Oklahoma last scored a point against Texas in the Cotton Bowl. That number will reach 700+ before it has a chance to change.
Enjoy that little nugget.
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The Cash brothers could make some nice catches. The difference in what fans wore to games then vs now is pretty striking.
By far my favoriteā¦OUSUX as far back as I can remember!
I would throw Sanders in there. Maybe a young o lineman also, who knows.
Great question, I thought the same.
@Ketchum curious who are your 4 and who therefore misses out? I assume QE, Bijan and Banks are locks based on this yearās performance. That leaves Sanders or X missing the first round
I must have some seriously skewed memories from my youth, because I have some vivid memories of Pat Fitzgerald being bigger, stronger, faster, and more uncoverable than anyone on the field.
He was also doing it at a time when tight ends were not spread out wide and college football wasnāt treated like 7 on 7 with pads.
There was a reason why he is the only All American tight end Texas has ever had. Heck, he was a limited few in all of Texas football history that was a TWO-TIME All American.
@Ketchum Maybe itās time for people to start giving Pat Fitzgerald the recognition he deservesā¦
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Only way that happens IMO is is Bryce Young stays out.... you never know.
Better than a third year coach that sucks and is dragging it down.
When you always get it right, getting it wrong doesn't make sense.
Lane Kiffin. I think he'd have left Ole Miss for ou.
Kiffin would have been a really good hire IMO.
