Dear Steve Sarkisian,
On behalf of everyone invested in the 2023 Texas Longhorn football team, please remember who you are at all times over the course of the next three months.
All gas, no brakes. We like that.
All gas, no brakes. It's what led to the Alabama win.
No gas, all brakes?
That's what we mostly witnessed on Saturday night against the Cowboys when he let Wyoming deploying a new defense keep him from doing the things on offense that the Longhorns did so well the week before.
"This is now two out of the three weeks where we have gotten a different defense than they have put on tape," Sarkisian said following the game. "That's the sign of a really good team, that people are going to such lengths to play a style of defense that they wouldn't play against anything else."
I mean ... good for Wyoming, but the Cowboys deploying a new defense can't mean that the Longhorns lose their identity in the process. One week after the Longhorns were full bombs away against Alabama on the road, the offense went into a ... dare I say ... shell.
The Longhorns threw only three passes all night that went 20+ yards or more in the air and they completed none of them. Things weren't much better in the intermediate passing game, as Ewers connected on only 2 of 6 passes on throws between 10-20 yards.
Perhaps most curious is the fact that the Longhorns threw only one pass to the outside left of the numbers, which is Ewers' career sweet spot.
It wasn't just the deep passing game that Sarkisian let Wyoming take away from him, but also the areas of the field that Texas has had the most success since the start of the 2022 season. Nearly half of the Texas passing game throws occurred in the middle of the field between 0-20 yards, which plays into a less athletic team's hands because it takes away the size/depth of the field that it has to defend against when playing a much faster and athletic team.
To be fair to Sarkisian, he seemed to know immediately after the game that he could have done better and he'll probably think that even more when he watches the film.
"I critique myself as hard as I critique the players or harder. And quite frankly, we probably should have scored the first drive of the third quarter. Those are a couple of crummy play calls - the second- and third-down a call. If I could go back and change two calls, like I'd tell you guys all the time, I can tell you right now I’d change those two calls that I made on second down the third down kind of in the high red right there. And then ultimately on that third down, Quinn takes a sack on something that I was probably trying a little too hard to make happen. But that's okay. And I'm going to come in here Monday and tell the players that exact same thing and so they know as much as I'm critiquing them and trying to get them better, we do the same as coaches, too.”
The good news is that Sarkisian was able to learn a lesson ... or be reminded of an old lesson ... in the midst of a 21-point win. The best lessons in football are the ones you can learn in a game you win.
Against Alabama, Sarkisian dictated the terms of the game. That changed against the Cowboys. The aggressiveness was sucked right out of the offense, which largely explains why Ewers never really took flight, his playmakers never got unleashed and his team was sucked into a 10-10 game going into the fourth quarter.
Lesson learned, right?
Here's hoping so.
No. 2 - Let's not overcook the grits ...
One of the things that happened after the game was a healthy percentage of Texas fans trying to excuse a disappointing performance from Quinn Ewers by saying that dropped passes were at the root of him being 10 of 20 for 87 yards (103.0 efficiency rating) through the third quarter.
Personally, I pretty strongly push back against that narrative.
Officially there were three drops, but I would contend that there were mitigating circumstances on two of them. Let's go through them.
Drop #1 - 1st quarter (2nd and 15 at the Texas 30)
The game's first drop was attributed to A.D. Mitchell, as the transfer wide receiver wasn't able to catch a ball that was thrown behind him and forced him to turn his body back against the flow of his momentum.
On one hand, the ball absolutely hits him in the hands. On the other hand, Ewers made the attempt at catching the ball more difficult than it needed to be in throwing behind him. That being said, it also needed to be said that Ewers' hands were slightly tied because a throw that would have hit Mitchell in stride might have found trouble because of the positioning of the Wyoming defense on the play.
Ultimately, there was a lot going on inside of the play. I'm willing to cut everyone involved some slack, especially the receiver that had to turn his body around against his momentum to get his hands on the ball.
Drop #2 - 2nd quarter (1st and 10 at the Texas 20)
This one was a flat-out drop, as freshman Johntay Cook simply didn't make a catch in the flat that he has to catch.
Drop #3 - 2nd quarter (2nd and 10 at the Texas 20)
On the very next play after the Cook drop, Jordan Whittington was charged with a drop after he wasn't able to catch a fastball from Ewers, who was pressured into making a quicker throw at a faster velocity than he would have liked to.
This is another play where I have some sympathy for everyone involved in the throw. Whittington is standing about 4 yards away from his quarterback when an absolute dart is thrown at him. They two have probably practiced that play 100 times and I'm guessing at no point in any of the previous 100 times did the ball arrive with such velocity. Should he have caught it? Very probably. Would most receivers struggle to catch that ball? Very probably.
Meanwhile, Ewers is just trying to not get sacked when he throws the ball under duress. It's hard to nitpick him for throwing a heater when he was feeling heat. Also, the elephant in the room is that the play would have likely gone for no gain because the Wyoming defense was all over the entire play.
Those are the drops. All three of them. Xavier Worthy didn't have any. Ja'Tavian Sanders didn't have any. There weren't any in the second half.
I'll stand on the table that the idea that dropped passes being at the forefront of what went wrong with the offense against Wyoming is an overcooked notion.
***
Finally, let's take a look at the drop rates through three games for the four primary players in the Texas passing game.
Jordan Whittington (20.0%)
The senior slot receiver has dropped a pass in each of the last two games and hasn't caught a contested pass so far this season.
Adonai Mitchell (10.0%)
Per PFF, the drop on Saturday night was the first drop this season.
Xavier Worthy (5.9%)
Worthy dropped that early pass in the Alabama game and that's it out of the 25 targets that have come his way through three games, per PFF.
Ja'Tavian Sanders (0.0%)
According to PFF, Sanders hasn't dropped a pass on any of his 16 targets through three games.
***
Through three games, the four primary receivers in the passing game are averaging a combined 1.33 dropped passes per game. None of the four primary receivers has more than two drops.
Yes, the receivers need to aim for fewer drops and they'd all probably tell you that there shouldn't be any drops, but this issue on the whole is a much ado about nothing.
No. 3 - Isaiah Neyor and the non-rotation receiver rotation ...
One of the things that everyone seemed to agree on going into Saturday night is that it would have been awesome if former Wyoming transfer Isaiah Neyor could have got a touchdown pass against his old team.
I'm not sure he even played. The official stats do not list him as a game participant.
It's yet another reminder that Sarkisian simply isn't a big fan of heavy receiver rotations.
Here's a look at the receiver participation log coming into the Wyoming game (courtesy of
@Alex Dunlap)
It's not rocket science. Worthy and Mitchell almost never come off the field. When the team adds a third receiver to the field, it's almost always Whittington.
Cook and Casey Cain played two and three plays, respectively, against Alabama. Cain joined Neyor as a non-participant against Wyoming.
When we look ahead at next season, we all need to keep in mind that Sarkisian isn't looking to play a bunch of people. He's very comfortable playing three guys, which means that all of the guys on the roster are mostly playing for two spots. Cook is one. I'm not sure that anyone else stands out as a sure-thing participant in 2024. The smart money is that one of Deandre Moore and Ryan Niblett will be the player that replaces Whittington. I think Sark will go to the Portal for his third guy. Anyone that believes that Neyor is an obvious key player in 2024 isn't paying attention to what Sark is telling us with his usage through three games.
No. 4 - Hello, Big 12 officials ...
Get ready, folks. They're coming and there's no way to avoid the damage they create out of thin air from week to week.
No. 5 - Final Wyoming Game Impressions ...
... The touchdown pass to Xavier Worthy in the fourth quarter was the first time all season that the Longhorns have thrown a pass to that area of the field (outside right of the numbers) to any receiver all season. It was a great play call by Sarkisian to go against his tendencies against a team that was seriously geared to defend against Sarkisian's tendencies.
... Jonathan Brooks would have had 100+ yards and a 5.0+ yards per carry without his 61-yard run in the fourth quarter. It was a really important performance for a running back position that has been waiting for someone to step forward as a true lead back.
... It feels like Savion Red has a true role in the offense moving forward, while Jaydan Blue doesn't, even if Blue's officially higher on the depth chart.
... The play that T'Vondre Sweat made in splitting a double team and tackling the Wyoming running back in the backfield for a tackle for loss is one that will be on his future pre-NFL Draft highlight tape. That was worthy of a "Wow."
... I've said it before this month and I'll say it again, Ryan Sanborn has been some kind of player so far this season and so much better than I thought he would be.
... Live by the young player, sometimes die by the young player. True freshman Anthony Hill was in the game early for the Longhorns against Wyoming and was a central player on the 62-yard touchdown run by Harrison Waylee, as he took a false step and got sucked into traffic, which kept him from being about to close down the play at the first or second level. I'm not saying he's the only reason why that happened, but his fingerprints were all over it as the play-side linebacker who played himself out of position.
... This is so over the top that I actually kind of love it.
No. 6 - Bye, bye Bears ...
The first Texas game I ever attended was back in November of 1984 at the old Baylor Stadium. The day before the game, I met Dave Campbell and Baylor star defensive lineman Ervin Randle in the studio at KRZI-AM.
I was 7 years old. I'm 47 years old today.
Basically, all I've known for almost my entire life is that Baylor and Texas play each other each season. On Saturday, that ends.
Yup, we've officially reached the portion of the schedule where we begin to say goodbye to schools that have been on the schedule for a long time, but perhaps never again after the 2023 season.
I'll probably get in my feels at some point this week. These are the memories and moments that have shaped my life and it all started with a game we're about to wave farewell to.
No. 7 – BUY or SELL …
(Buy) If the Longhorns lose a game or two this season, I think Saturday gave everyone an idea of what they might look like.
(Sell) Several indicates more than two by the literal definition of the word and I'm not sure we'll see the offense be a significant issue too many times this season.
(Sell) BYU might be the toughest test ... period.
(Sell) It's definitely something that will continue. We just have to figure out the best way to make it work from a timing standpoint. It's hard to get everyone together during the season. We will talk about it in a staff meeting this week.
(Buy) I think the growing narrative that he doesn't know what to do against this defense is a little insulting towards him. I'm not expecting this to be as big or a problem as making in-game adjustments that go against what he's planned for is. I think teams know they can throw Sark out of his comfort zone by simply doing something unexpected.
(Double Sell) As bad as the first half was on Saturday, it didn't include any turnovers on offense or multiple scoring drives allowed by the defense.
Also, Brewster could literally be the point man on any prospect at any position in any state. Choice focuses on one position. I don't quite consider it the same thing.
(Sell) Not at all. I see Ewers as a player that is still developing and will occasionally have some ups and downs. He's a second-year player. It's unrealistic to expect that he's done having an occasional stinker.
(Buy) It wouldn't have taken 100 million to hire Brown and he'd have won at least as many games as Fisher has.
(Sell) See my answer about Ewers above. Campbell is a young player. There will be mistakes. You have to expect that there will be occasional bad moments with young players.
(Buy) Won't we all?
(Sell) He's going to be a Longhorn.
(Buy) Let Pam from the office sum it up.
(Sell) This team is going to fly or crash based on what Ewers does. Benching him? Come on...
(Buy) He's No. 2 right now behind Mitchell.
(Sell) Weirdo.
No. 8 - 3 Quick Texas Volleyball Notes ...
a. Can the Longhorns stop playing teams from out West? The Longhorns are 5-3 and three losses are to Long Beach State, No. 2 Stanford and No. 11 Washington State. The Longhorns have won only one two sets against those three West Coast teams.
b. The Longhorns split their two home match-ups this week against ranked teams, beating No. 19 Ohio State on Thursday night before losing to No. 11 Washington State the following night. Texas is 2-2 against ranked teams this season.
c. Big 12 play starts this week with two games against Oklahoma on Friday and Saturday. The Sooners are 6-3 overall and 1-1 at home (split two games with UCLA).
No. 9 – Scattershooting on anything and everything …
... Baylor is not a good football team and its quarterback play leaves a lot to be desire, whether Blake Shapen is in the line-up or not.
... Jalen Milroe got thrown under the bus by Nick Saban. He better put Milroe back in the line-up and find someone that can work with him or the Tide are going to be an 8-4 type team.
... Missouri fans rushed the field after beating Kansas State? Lulz.
... Colorado survived Colorado State, but that's a team that is going to lose a handful of games this season.
... Washington might be the best team in the country.
Might. If nothing else, Michael Penix Jr might be the best quarterback in the country.
... I still don't believe in Oklahoma.
... Georgia's quarterback play leaves a lot to be desired.
... Micah Parsons is entering the discussion of being the best defensive player the Dallas Cowboys have had in my lifetime (born in 1976). The discussion includes Randy White, Deion Sanders and DeMarcus Ware. He's better than Ware.
... There's only one Michael Irvin.
... In his second game as a pro, Bijan Robinson had his first career 100-yard game, He finished with 124 yards on 19 carries, while adding another 48 yards receiving on four catches. He really is that dude.
... Roschon Johnson had 32 yards on 4 carries against Tampa.
... Get well, Charlie Manuel.
... Shohei Ohtani is done with the Angels.
... Chelsea fans...
... This is what it sounded like when the New Kids on the Block used to hit the stage when I was in middle school.
... Russell Brand seems like some kind of wonderful human being ...
... Drake asked Halle Berry is he could use a 2012 photo of her being slimed at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards for the first song he's releasing on a new album. She said no thanks. He used the photo any way. Why would you even reach out to her and ask for permission if you were just going to do it regardless of her feelings about it? That's low-rent.
... I need to sneak away and watch The Equalizer 3 this week.
No. 10 - The List: Top 10 Merle Haggard ...
It felt like a good time to take on one of the giants of country music.
I'm sure there will be zero arguments.
Last five songs out:
The Fightin' Side of Me,
Footlights,
The Bottle Let Me Down,
That's The Way Love Goes and
You Take Me For Granted
10.
Misery and Gin
My favorite song from the outstanding Back to the Barrooms album.
9.
I Take a Lot of Pride in What I Am
One of his best from the 60s.
8.
If We Make it Through December
A heartbreaking tale about a man that's recently lost his job and can't buy his kid a present for Christmas.
7.
Pancho and Lefty
Yes, the song was written by Townes Van Zandt and Merle only has his one section of the song, but he brings it home with one his best verses of his career.
6.
Big City
When a lot of his peers were stuck in music purgatory in the early 80s, Merle was putting out top-shelf music and the album that was named the same might have been his best.
5.
Okie From Muskogee
A piece of pop culture Americana for sure, but it's hard for me to get past the disconnect that was Haggard's real life and the song that he wrote that doesn't speak for him personally. I just couldn't put it in the top three.
4.
Sing Me Back Home
One of the saddest country songs that has ever been written.
3.
Branded Man
It's Merle at his best, singing about an ex-con's terrifying scarlet letter that follows him at every turn.
2.
Mama Tried
A lot of people are going to cry foul over me not putting this song in the No. 1 slot and it's a deserving champion, but there can only be one No. 1 in my heart.
1.
Silver Wings
A very personal choice for me, as this song played at the funeral of one of my best friend's father when I was fresh out of high school.
