As one of the more public skeptics of the 2023 Texas Longhorns heading into the season, I need to raise my hand and make a confession.
I might have been dead-ass wrong about this being a 9-3 team.
It's not just that this team is starting to mature in front of our very eyes, as evidenced by the fact that it showed up in Waco and played to its own standard on Saturday night instead of the bad team's standard that it was playing.
It's not just the fact that this team is suddenly on a four-game winning streak on the road, which includes victories over teams ranked No. 3 and No. 13 at the time of the wins.
It's not that the toughest road game left on the schedule is probably against unranked TCU.
It's not just that this team has a dynamic offense and possibly the best defense in the entire country.
It's that this team is maturing in front of our eyes with the best offense/defense combo in the country, while playing a very forgiving road schedule at a time when it is playing its best football on the road.
Seriously, this team has a lot going for it.
For instance, let's talk about the schedule. No one could say that what remains is a cakewalk, but the reality is that the road schedule the rest of the way doesn't feature a single ranked team. If we go by the current rankings in the AP Poll Top 25 (including all teams that received votes), the toughest remaining games on the schedule look like this:
1. Oklahoma (14) - Neutral site.
2. Kansas (24) - At Home
3. Kansas State (26) - At Home
4. TCU (32) - Away
Simply put ... that's very doable.
What might make it so doable from my perspective is the defense that the Longhorns are bringing to the table week-in and week-out. Check out the national rankings for this unit in a few critical areas:
3rd down defense: 17th
First Downs: 16th
Interceptions: 12th
Red Zone Defense: 2nd
Rushing Defense: 18th
Sacks: 18th
Scoring Defense: 12th
Team Passing Efficiency: 24th
Turnover Margin: 16th
Yards Allowed Per Game: 24th
My goodness. I don't quite know what to say other than I never saw this coming from 100 miles away. The Longhorns aren't just getting good defensive play from Pete Kwiatkowski's side of the ball, but they are getting borderline elite production from it. In fact, it's not a stretch to say that the Longhorns have a better defense than offense through the first four games of the season.
Who saw that coming? No one. Even the folks who thought this team might go undefeated wouldn't have guessed that the defense would rank inside the top 25 in 10 different major defensive statistical categories.
This is just a team that has a lot going for it right now. Forget the idea of 9-3 or 10-2.
I'm giving myself permission to dream big.
No. 2 - Let's talk about Jaylan Ford...
Over the course of the last 35 years, the Texas football program has produced a single first-team all-American linebacker.
His name was Derrick Johnson. You might have heard of him. He did it twice.
During that 35-year window, the following Texas linebackers earned all-America honors of some variety: D.D. Lewis (2001), Aaron Harris (2005), Sergio Kindle (2008), Jordan Hicks (2014), Malik Jefferson (2017) and Jaylan Ford (2022).
I bring all of this up because I'm ready to flatly declare Ford as the second-best Texas linebacker in at least the last 35 years after Saturday night, when he recorded his eighth created turnover in his last 11 games. His sixth career interception leaves him behind only Johnson (9), Fred Edwards (8) and Tommy Nobis (7) on the all-time interceptions by linebackers chart in school history.
Truth be told, I wondered quite a bit to myself in the off-season whether Ford would regress to the mean this season and the opposite has occurred. He's been even better in my estimation.
The only thing left for him to do is close the deal. Earn his second set of all-America honors, which has only been done twice in school history (Nobis and Johnson). Earn first-team All-America honors.
He's already in rarefied air. If he finishes this season as he's started, he's going to legitimately finish his career as one of the three best linebackers in school history.
No. 3 - Speaking of history ...
Ja'Tavion Sanders is on his way to tracking down David Thomas for most receptions and receiving yards in school history by a tight end.
Check out where things currently stand ...
Receptions
1. David Thomas (98)
2. Pat Fitzgerald (80)
3. Jermichael Finley (76)
4. Bo Scaife (75)
5. Kerry Cash (71)
6. Ja'Tavian Sanders (66)
He's currently on pace (three catches per game) to finish the regular season with 90. Averaging four catches per game over the final eight regular season games would see him tie Thomas with potential post-season games left to play.
Receiving Yards
1. David Thomas (1,367)
2. Pat Fitzgerald (1,106)
3. Lawrence Sampleton (1,071)
4. Bo Scaife (997)
5. Kerry Cash (979)
6. Jermichael Finley (947)
7. William Harris (909)
8. Ja'Tavion Sanders (881)
At his current pace (67 yards per game), he'll break the record in the final regular season game of the season. It's possible that he'll end up smashing this record if he can squeeze in a few extra post-season games. Every player but Finley played at least three seasons with the Longhorns.
It's very possible that Sanders will break both records in only two seasons of play.
No. 4 - Final Baylor Game Impressions ...
... Jonathon Brooks ranks 21st in the country with 379 rushing yards, which is 28 more than 2022 All-American Blake Corum (Michigan).
... Here's a look at Quinn Ewers’s place in the national passing efficiency rankings:
... Should Johntay Cook be taking more of Jordan Whittington's snaps? Cook's 51-yard reception against the Bears is longer than any play in Whittington's career and 20 yards more than Whittington’s longest reception this season.
... Ryan Sanborn ranks fourth in the Big 12 in punting with a 47.0 yard average.
... J'Mond Tapp took advantage of Kristopher Ross's absence in the Texas two-deep. The second-year player flashed in exactly the ways he needs to in order to assure himself of more playing time this week.
,,, Don't be so quick to rush Xavier Worthy off the field on punt returns because of Saturday's muff. He leads the Big 12 in punt return yards and is second in the Big 12 in average per return (16.0).
... Get you some, Tre Wisner.
No. 5 - If I had a vote that mattered ...
1. Washington
2. Texas
3. Georgia
4. Michigan
5. Ohio State
6. Florida State
7. Oregon
8. Utah
9. USC
10. Alabama
(Heisman Trophy)
1. Michael Penix - QB - Washington
2. Caleb Williams - QB - USC
3. Tyler Van Dyke - QB - Miami
No. 6 - This deserves its own section ...
Hello, Texas-Ex Andrew Beck!
No. 7 – BUY or SELL …
(Sell) 6-0, baby.
(Buy) Objectively, that's probably where Vegas would set the mark.
(Sell)
(Sell) Georgia is going to be in the Top 5.
(Sell) I think they eat each other alive. One will be lucky to be left standing.
(Buy) I said as much in the Pinthouse Watch-a-Long on Saturday night.
(Sell) The 2002 group had nine make the NFL. I don't think that class gets that many.
(Sell) It's still David Gbenda and no one else.
(Buy) Worthy > Shipley
(Buy) Quinn Ewers, Xavier Worthy, Adonai Mitchell, Ja'Tavion Sanders, Christian Jones, T'Vondre Sweat, Alfred Collins, Jaylan Ford, Jahdae Barron, Ryan Watts and Jerrin Thompson make 11.
(Sell) I'm not sure OU gets there.
No. 8 - 3 Quick Texas Volleyball Notes ...
a. Texas handled its business in its opening set of Big 12 fixtures by sweeping both games against Oklahoma in Norman this weekend.
b. This week's match-up in the Big 12 will see the Longhorns face No. 11 BYU (13-1, 2-0) at home on Thursday and Friday. Thursday's match-up will be televised by FS1, while Friday's match will be on the Longhorn Network.
c. Kansas, Baylor, Houston and Iowa State were all ranked this week. The league looks much tougher than it did a month ago.
No. 9 – Scattershooting on anything and everything …
... The stats would suggest that OU is the best team in the Big 12 with its No. 1 offense and defense in the Big 12. The eyeballs tell me they are a bit of a fraud with inflated numbers. Don't fall for the hype.
... Notre Dame lost to Ohio State in total Charlie Strong fashion. How do you come out of a time out with 10 dudes on the field with the ball on the one-yard line. Oof.
... Damn, Lou Holtz. You got people all in their feelings.
... Alabama beating Ole Miss this weekend was very, very good for the Longhorns. Root for Bama the rest of the way.
... USC likely has a couple of losses coming.
... I'm not mad at Dan Lanning for accusing Colorado of being about clicks, but can the head coach of Oregon and all of its 5,000 different sets of uniforms really accuse anyone of being about clicks ... while grandstanding in front of every camera that will turn its attention towards him? I'm just saying ...
... Hey, there goes the Dallas Cowboys that I've come to know/love/loathe. Right on time, fellas.
... Texas Tech losing Tyler Shough means that the Red Raiders are done.
... Go on, Travis Kelce. Nothing but respect for the way he willed Taylor Swift into Arrowhead on Sunday.
... The Dolphins humiliated Sean Payton on Sunday. 70 freaking points. That happened.
... Who had De'Von Achane in their starting fantasy line-up this week? This guy!
... The Jets might end up with the No. 1 pick in the draft.
... Attaboy, Texans. C.J. Stroud looks like the real deal.
... Sheffield United should be relegated right now.
... I love this Liverpool 2.0 that Klopp has created.
... After more than seven months of careful attention to detail (checking the line-ups before every MLS game all season), my entire fantasy season came crashing down with one of the worst weeks I've ever experienced. I'm weirdly bothered by it.
No. 10 - The List: Top 10 American Rock Bands ...
Last 10 out: Bon Jovi, Grateful Dead, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Parliament Funkadelic, Red Hot Chili Peppers, REM, The Allman Brothers, The Doors, Steely Dan and Sly and The Family Stone
10. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
9. Nirvana
8. Van Halen
7. Aerosmith
6. Guns N' Roses
5. Creedence Clearwater Revival
4. Metallica
3. Bruce Spingsteen and the E. Street Band
2. The Beach Boys
1. The Eagles
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