Please, Anthony Hill, forgive me.
I've always been taught to respect my elders, so when I was putting together a Combined All-22 a few days ago between the players involved in the Red River Shootout, I leaned towards OU's Danny Stutsman because it felt like in a battle of two very good players that Stutsman's seniority and more established play over the last few years was the proper tiebreaker.
You know what should have been the proper tiebreaker?
Choosing the more dynamic, better player ... which is Hill. That was proven on Saturday at the Cotton Bowl when Hill put together a nationally elite performance worthy of SEC Player of the Week honors (11 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, a forced fumble and a quarterback hit), while Stutsman was mostly a piece of wallpaper on a game that he didn't impact much.
All I can do is ask for forgiveness. I'm sorry.
In the aftermath of the game and the official halfway point of the season, it's time to start asking just how good Hill is. Best player on the team? Best linebacker in the nation? Best defensive player in the SEC?
Over the course of a 12-game season, Hill is on pace for 84 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 9 sacks and 4 created turnovers, while carrying the most responsibility for the nation's No. 1 defense.
As things currently stand, Hill ranks 10th in the SEC in tackles per game, but ranks first among all players at his position in tackles for loss and sacks. The only power four linebacker in the country with more sacks is Purdue's Kydran Jenkins (5.0), while only Penn State's Abdul Carter (9.5) and Duke's Alex Howard (9.0) have more tackles for loss.
There's not a linebacker in college football having a better season than Hill and that is not a subjective statement after Saturday. Hill's biggest problem going into the weekend was that he might have been slightly overshadowed by the presence of freshman Colin Simmons, who is a contender for a few national awards as well.
That changed on Saturday. Hill's play didn't take a back seat to anyone and the totality of the season he's having is starting to fully come into focus.
Stutsman ... with his 3.5 tackles for loss, zero sacks and zero created turnovers through six games ... can't hold Hill's ... uh ... resume.
Mr. Hill, I'm sorry for not seeing it three days ago, but I see it now. Now that I have my glasses on, it's actually quite blinding.
No. 2 - Speaking of Hill's great play ...
Here's a look at the other players on the defensive side of the ball who were ranked ahead of Hill in the Rivals rankings. Almost none of these players deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence at this point of the 2024 season.
How on earth did On3 rank him as the 13th-best prospect in the state of Texas?
The highest-rated defender in the country has 4 tackles and a sack through the first six games of his season and hasn't yet emerged into a starting-level player for the Aggies.
Kelly hasn't recorded a single stat all season as the fourth-team Bandit in the Alabama defense. Yikes.
The celebrated star safety has 22 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 3 pass break-ups this season for Ohio State.
Other than allegedly driving 88-MPH in a 55-MPH speed zone, M'Pemba has done nothing as a college player thus far.
Wilson has recorded 10 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss this season for the Dawgs as a reserve edge player.
Bowen has 18 tackles for the Sooners and hasn't created a single big play.
Has 8 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and a sack in five games for the Tigers.
Hasn't recorded a stat this season for the Dawgs.
Hasn't recorded any stats for Florida after transferring from Colorado.
Has emerged into a star this season with 27 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 5 sacks and 4 quarterback hits.
Has recorded 18 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks this season.
Has recorded 1 tackle in five games this season.
No. 3 - The Texas defense vs. the world heading into the UGA game ...
Here's where the Texas defense ranks in the major statistical categories ...
Scoring Defense: (6.33) 1st nationally, 1st in the SEC
Total Defense: (229.7): 1st nationally, 1st in the SEC
Passing yards allowed: (126.0) 2nd nationally, 1st in the SEC
Rushing yards Allowed: (103.7) 23rd nationally, 4th in the SEC
3rd down defense: (27.6%) 7th nationally, 3rd in the SEC
Red-Zone Percentage: (.571) 2nd nationally, 1st in the SEC
Red-Zone Scores Allowed: (4) 1st nationally, 1st in the SEC
Red-Zone Passing TDs Allowed: (0) 1st nationally, 1st in the SEC
Red-Zone Rushing TDs Allowed: (1) 2nd nationally, 1st in the SEC
First Downs: (82) 5th nationally, 3rd in the SEC
Team Passing Efficiency: (91.40) 2nd nationally, 1st in the SEC
Team Sacks: (3.0 per game) 15th nationally, 5th in the SEC
Team Tackles For Loss: (8.2 per game) 8th nationally, 3rd in the SEC
Turnovers Gained: (11) 19th nationally, 3rd in the SEC
Pete Kwiatkowski in a gif ...
No. 4 - Scattershooting coming out of OU week ...
... Neither of the Texas quarterbacks currently has enough pass attempts to qualify for the NCAA pass efficiency stats, but if they did, Arch Manning would rank first nationally (200.5) and Quinn Ewers would rank 18th (163.4)
... I think the Texas running game will likely be a two-man committee in future weeks, with Steve Sarkisian going with the hot hand from week to week. Right now the hot hand is Tre Wisner and we should all plan on him getting roughly a 65/35 split against the Dawgs, barring Jaydon Blue getting the hot hand early in the game.
... There's a part of me that wonders what Jerrick Gibson's role on this team will be next season, given how little usage he's currently receiving this season. Of course, I probably thought that about Wisner a year ago ...
... I'm not sure I understand playing Matthew Golden over Ryan Wingo at this point in the season.
... As poorly as Quinn Ewers started the game yesterday, his second-half play was only slightly better than his first-quarter play, as he completed 7 of 12 passes for 77 yards (112.2 rating) in the final 30 minutes. I have to be honest when I say that I don't know what to expect from him against Georgia. I THINK he will be more in sync, but I can't say that for sure.
... It's starting to feel like every Longhorn running back will be returning in 2025.
... Liona Lefau is very quickly becoming the No. 2 linebacker on this team.
... I thought David Gbenda got robbed of a sack in the second quarter when he chased Michael Hawkins out of bounds for a 2-yard loss. He was credited for a tackle for loss, but I'm not sure why it didn't count as a sack.
... Colin Simmons had 5 tackles (second on the team) and 1.5 tackles for loss (second on the team) and it felt like he had a quiet game for his standards. My goodness, what kind of monster do the Longhorns have in the making?
... These Texas cornerbacks are finally going to be tested this weekend. I'm excited to see what they've got. Georgia's Carson Beck ranks 23rd nationally with a 159.91 pass efficiency rating. I would contend the starting quarterbacks on this Texas defense face better quarterback play every day in practice when they face the Texas second-team offense.
No. 5 - If I had a vote that mattered ...
1. Texas
2. Oregon
3. Ohio State
4. Alabama
5. Georgia
6. Miami
7. Penn State
8. Clemson
9. LSU
10. BYU
Heisman Trophy
1. Ashton Jeanty (Boise State)
2. Cam Ward (Miami)
3 Travis Hunter (Colorado)
4. Jalen Milroe (Alabama)
5. Blake Horvath (Navy)
No. 6 - Former Horns Transfer Watch ...
Here are notable stat lines from former Longhorns across college football this weekend ...
RB - Savion Red (Nevada): Rushed for 137 yards and 4 touchdowns on 23 carries in a 42-37 win over Oregon State.
WR - Casey Cain (UNLV): Caught 1 pass for 18 yards and a touchdown in a 50-34 win over Utah State.
DB - Jalen Catalon (UNLV): Recorded 6 tackles and a tackle for loss in 1 50-34 win over Utah State.
DB - Kitan Crawford (Nevada): Recorded 4 tackles and an interception in a 42-37 win over Oregon State.
No. 7 - Smacking the SEC around ...
Sometimes you can go home again.
Maybe for Texas volleyball star Madi Skinner, it's more like sometimes you can go back to your old sorta home. After all, she is a Katy girl.
No matter how you want to slice it, Skinner returned to Lexington for the first time on Sunday since winning a national title and two-time All-America with the Kentucky Wildcats in 2020 and 2021. She did so in style, as she led the Longhorns to a 25-21, 25-19 and 25-19 sweep of the No. 12 Wildcats.
The win leaves the two-time defending national champions on a 7-match winning streak and an undefeated 5-0 record in SEC play. Looming on Friday is a home match against the only other undefeated team in the SEC ... Arkansas. After playing three of its first five SEC matches on the road, the Longhorns get to host their next five conference matches.
No. 8 – BUY or SELL …
(Buy) I don't mean any disrespect to Jefferson, who was the Big 12's Defensive Player of the Year and an All-American in 2017, but ... yeah.
(Sell) I think that's a dead tradition, especially if we're talking about for a full season.
(Sell) That's just not going to happen.
(Sell) The most important position on the field is quarterback and Quinn isn't within a 100-foot pole of Vince Young. Neither was Colt McCoy. And that's the end of the discussion as far as I'm concerned.
(Sell) lulz
(Buy) That being said, it could and might change from week to week.
(Sell) It'll happen more than once over the course of 15-16 games.
(Buy) The thing about Whittington's play is that there absolutely was a reason for him to feel like the hustle was needed. With Bolden, almost every player would have assumed there was no need to trail the play that he did or that he would remotely end up having an influence on the outcome of the play. It's one of the best football effort plays I've ever seen a guy make.
(Sell) Next season will be his last.
(Buy) Of course. He's a really good player.
(Sell) No, man, no.
(Buy) While saying that, I think Jackson Arnold might end up being a hell of a player once he gets away from that disaster of an offense and coaching staff.
(Sell) I haven't even noticed. Plus, Sorrell is playing really well.
(Buy) Don't shoot the messenger.
(Buy and hell no) Venables made a bad OC hire and everything has descended from there.
(Sell) I'm not ready to say that ... yet. Ask me again in two months.
(Sell) I think he was just rusty and reverted to some bad mechanics. I honestly think he needs a new personal quarterbacks coach away from the team. That stuff is still a problem in his fourth season of college football? What is his QB getting paid to do, if not make sure his instinctive sloppy mechanics aren't improved?
(Sell) He's not going to get more than Pete Kwiatkowki.
(Sell) He's already been there for me.
(Sell) But, he needs to. He has a bad hand and needs to fold it.
(Buy) It certainly seems possible. Hell, Kliff Kingsbury ...
(Buy) I think they'll most certainly have their eyes open for a possible difference-maker at the position. Otherwise, I think they stay pat.
(Buy) He's the first name on the Mount Rushmore of Pro Wrestling.
No. 9 – Scattershooting all over the place …
... The women at NC State games put up more of a fight than Oklahoma players.
... Ohio State/Oregon was one hell of a football game. I don't think you punish the Buckeye for losing it at this point.
... How much must have Saturday night sucked for Oklahoma? First, they get molly-whopped by the Longhorns and then they had to watch Dillon Gabriel remind them of what might have been ...
... SEC Thoughts From The Weekend: Guys, South Carolina is not be trifled with. Lane Kiffin isn't getting it done in a year when he was supposed to get it done.
... Clemson is going to win the ACC.
... I'm not embarrassed as a Dallas Cowboys fan. I'm way too numb for that.
... How different is this Cowboys team if Derrick Henry is on it?
... Ja'Tavion Sanders had 5 catches for 49 yards against the Falcons on Sunday, while Bijan Robinson would have picked up his first 100-yard game of the season, except Atlanta gave Tyler Allgeier more carries.
... A Dodgers/Yankees World Series would be kind of cool.
... Words I Never Thoughts I Would Type: The WNBA Finals have been very entertaining.
... Premier League Thought of the Weekend: I miss you.
... Dear Aggies ... your school could never ...
No. 10 – The List: Reba
Thing I didn't know ... McAlester, Oklahoma-born Reba McEntire loves the Longhorns?
Things I do know: This tweet will piss off Oklahoma fans forever ....
I don't know if her partner and Texas-Ex Rex Linn deserved credit for the full conversion, but that woman has a Longhorn bandana on a sculpture of her deceased dog Riddler. In the aftermath of a 34-3 thrashing, this kind of public declaration in front of every Oklahoman on social media makes it official ...
Reba is a damn Longhorn ... and deserves an OB Top 10 list.
Honorable Mention: You Lie, The Fear of Being Alone, One Promise Too Late, Turn on the Radio, Does He Love You, Only in My Mind and Is There Life Out There?
10. The Night The Lights Went Out in Georgia
One of her very best from the early 90s.
9. On My Own
An under-the-radar favorite from 1995.
8. Little Rock
A No. 1 song from the mid-80s that is still a country banger nearly 40 years later.
7. The Greatest Man I Never Knew
A heartbreaker that Reba confesses reminds her of her father.
6. It's Your Call
The title track from her 1992 album.
5. Whoever's in New England
Universally recognized as one of the songs that made her a superstar.
4. I'll Be
Written by Diane Warren, it's one of the few music videos in her career that you cannot find on her official YouTube channel.
3. Till You Love Me
A very personal song for me. This was the favorite song of one of my first girlfriends and when she broke up with me, I must have listened to it 100,000 times. Oh, well ... her loss.
2. She Thinks His Name is John
For my money, this is actually her No. 1 song, but I have to give credit where credit is due ...
1. Fancy
I ranked this song third back in 2012 and it feels like the right thing to do in this revision to place it in the top spot. It's Reba's signature song.
