Let's talk about the quarterbacks...again.
I considered writing about something else, but the Longhorns are less than three weeks away from the season, and there's not a more important storyline surrounding new coach Steve Sarkisian and his program.
It's kind of a big deal.
On one hand, Saturday was just a single practice, and no one should overreact to the Longhorns struggling to execute offensively because it's just a single practice.
On the other hand, I think Sarkisian knows that if his quarterbacks play like they did on Saturday against Louisiana, his team could start the season with a loss.
For a guy that has not been prone to hyperbole since he arrived in Austin, I took Sark's serious tone on Saturday as a sign that the sense of urgency is changing from this moment forward. Games are around the corner. The finish line for whatever is about to happen is in sight.
So, where do I think things stand...
Thompson missed a big chance
From the moment Sarkisian has taken over, he's given Thompson every opportunity to take the starting job and never look back. He gave him almost all of the first-team reps in the spring. He was given 42 passing attempts in the spring game with the starters. He's been treated like a starter during camp in regards to who gets to take the lead with the first-team unit for the majority of the reps.
On a day when his competition wasn't overly impressive, but didn't turn the ball over, Thompson wasn't overly impressive and did.
It means that whatever anyone wants to say about the Alamo Bowl, the last two spotlight moments that Thompson has been allowed to work with the first-team in front of Sarkisian (the spring game and the first August scrimmage) have been disappointments.
Sarkisian has given Thompson more space to thrive than he's given Card up until now, and Thompson hasn't completely paid off on that investment.
Card missed a checkmate moment?
Going into the scrimmage, there were several things that seemed to stand out about Card in this battle against Thompson for the starting job.
a. Card seems to trust his receivers more and has been more willing throughout camp to push the ball down the field.
b. That aggression is not coming at the expense of turnovers.
c. Card has been better throwing on the move, which is an important thing when the offensive line is struggling and his outside throws are going to wide receivers down the field.
Of course, those three things didn't mean much on Saturday, which means that Card did miss a chance to make a larger statement. Yet, it was interesting that Sarkisian made a point to officially note that Thompson turned the ball over while Card didn't. It might not have been an emphatic win but still.
What happens this week?
The million dollar question in my mind centers on the first-team reps at the quarterback position.
Will they continue to be split 50-50ish?
Is Card going to start getting more of them? If he's going to be the starter, doesn't he deserve more time to prepare with the players he needs to be comfortable with? The same is true with Thompson. If it's going to be his show, shouldn't he start getting prepared like it?
Is it going to continue to be 50-50 through the next scrimmage? Is that next scrimmage really that important?
No. 2 - One other thing about the quarterbacks...
On Monday, Sarkisian made a point of telling this story:
“In my career, we had a really tough one early on. When Carson Palmer got done playing at USC, we had had a pretty good battle on our hands with Matt Cassel and Matt Lienart. Matt Cassel was a year ahead of him, a little more experienced. Matt Lienart was coming up. That was a tough call. And in the end, Leinart ended up being named the starter, but we really prided ourselves on the development of Matt Cassel. He never started a game for us and still got drafted by the New England Patriots and went on to have a really long career. This one's a tough one because both guys, like I said, I had a feeling this would happen. Both Casey and Hudson, neither of them are making it easy. They're both playing well. They're both improving. They’re both trying to do the things we're asking them to do, and that's what I hoped for. I wanted them to make it hard on us and they're doing just that.”
Five days later, Sarkisian made a point of saying this...
“We didn't want to play conservative today. I wanted to push the limit with them, and look at the decision-making, which I thought we did. And quite frankly, neither guy played up to the standard that I view is acceptable, and I think what they view as acceptable. That’s part of the process. Both those guys had a really good first week, and then all suddenly go to a scrimmage format and we didn't apply the things that we have done all week long and that's the key to the drill. The key to the drill is applying the preparation to the performance, and we were too inconsistent at doing that today. Both guys going into next week have got to take the practice reps and then ultimately apply it to the scrimmage next Saturday.”
It's not so much that I think the two sets of comments are intertwined as much as I think these are two most interesting sets of comments that he'd made about this position since he arrived.
No. 3 - Scattershooting on UT football...
... I'm not worried about the offensive line if the quarterback play is going to be a plus for this team, but I'm very worried about it if the quarterback play is less than that. I'm also worried about what happens if there's an injury at tackle.
... Knock on wood, but one of the best stories in camp is the continued emergence of Jordan Whittington at wide receiver. It's not a small thing.
... Sark made a point to praise his running backs group, while chewing the offense's ass out after the scrimmage.
... Jordan Whittington and Xavier Worthy are going to be on the field a lot together this season, and it took the coaches about 2 practices before they realized having Worthy working behind Whittington wasn't going to work.
... When Whittington mentioned Anthony Cook as a guy that had caught his eye early in camp, I wondered if he was just hooking up a friend with a nice comment, but sure enough, Sarkisian singled him out yesterday as a guy in camp that has been excellent.
... Luke Brockermeyer has been a difference-maker in camp. I'm dying to see what that means when the games begin. What an emerging story he's become.
... It feels like this is a big week for Ben Davis. If he's going to make a move up the depth chart before the opener, it kind of has to happen now.
... Sounds like Ovie Oghoufo has been everything the coaches hoped he'd be. His presence has made the defense better.
... It feels like you can see this offense running a lot of "12 personnel" from a mile away.
... I can't get over how good Byron Murphy has been since the very first day of camp. He shouldn't be this good, this soon.
... Brenden Schooler being one of the keys to the success of the 2021 Texas defense is not something that ever crossed my mind a year ago, yet here we are. He's had a very good camp.
No. 4 - ICYMI...
The only interviews from Texas players after the scrimmage on Saturday were right here.
No. 5 - Get out the checkbook...
The sheer lack of desire for the Leftover 8 in the Big 12 is starting to look like it might be a bigger problem than it already has been for the last 25 years.
If you missed The Athletic's article from this weekend, it described a college athletics universe that seems to have zero interest in actually adding any of the teams in the Big 12. Hell, the Pac-12, ACC and Big 10 might not include the conference in a potential schedule alliance.
As someone who believed that chaos would end this conference sooner rather than later, it's becoming very clear that this is the best movie reference I can make involving the eight schools that remain.
No. 6 - Sam Ehlinger makes his NFL debut ...
After watching his first drive, I have to admit that I had some real doubts about what was going to happen with Sam Ehlinger over the course of his first NFL preseason game.
The interception he threw was bad.
To his credit, he balled out the rest of the second half and led the Colts to a come-from-behind win. If you take away the interception, he was 10-of-14 for 155 yards and averaged more than 10 yards per attempt.
In my mind, he's put himself in a position where the Colts will not cut him because he almost certainly wouldn't clear waivers. Big picture, he just needs to make the team and Saturday was a big step towards that.
No. 7 – BUY or SELL …
(Buy) Yeah, I think the clock is running out on Thompson.
(Sell) I think the smart play is to not plan on playing more than four games and seeing how things go before bailing. A full year with Sark has value.
(Sell) Not really.
(Sell) I still think the offense ends up ranked higher nationally.
(Buy) I think he already is his best hire.
(Sell) I think he was just honest.
(Buy) I expected this would be a lot of fun, but I think the best stuff is yet to come. We're still getting comfortable with each other and another big change is on its way (see section No.10).
(Sell) Day two is very, very possible with a big season.
(Sell) I don't quite sense that at the moment.
(Sell) I'm just not sure anyone is going to replace Sam Cosmi's scores.
(Sell) I think Texas is going to have the No. 3 defense in the Big 12 this season and have kind of felt that all year. I worry about who makes the game-changing plays and rushes the quarterback consistently, but I think this unit will be much improved.
(Sell) I wonder how many spots are left and whether the staff will target help through the portal because they had a chance to do so in the spring and chose not to.
(Buy) Absolutely. It helps the recruitment of all dynamic young skill players to see a true freshman playing.
(Sell) I wouldn't bet on Owens returning to the Longhorns at this point.
(Sell) That's a little further than I'm willing to go.
No. 8 - Scattershooting on the sports weekend...
... Joseph Ossai had quite a first impression with the Bengals over the weekend.
... Man, I can't say I know what to think about the Dallas Cowboys after two preseason games. I guess it doesn't matter at all if Dak doesn't play.
... The No Fun League
... Have yourself a weekend, Tyler Gilbert. First dude since 1953 to throw a no-no in his MLB start.
... I'm not sure I have watched a single second of NBA Summer League hoops. That thing is way more interesting when there's no football to sidetrack me.
... It feels like we might have seen the last of Roger Federer mattering again as an active single's tennis player.
... RIP Gerd Müller.
... Week 1 Premier League Thoughts In A Single Paragraph: No sport has missed its fans more, so it was beyond great to have them back. Now if only some of those fans can leave the fighting, racism and bigoted comments at home. I'm not sure Bruno Fernandez has ever been better than he was against Leeds. Welcome back, Liverpool. That's the squad I've come to know and love. Well done, Spurs! Thank goodness the Spurs want Harry Kane instead of Son!
No. 9 - Top 10 Women on TV in the 1990s. ...
Last week's topic was dedicated to the women on TV in the 80s and this week, I thought it might be fun to do a more recent decade.
Same topic. It's just that the cast of Friends is now eligible.
LFG!
10. Jasmine Guy (A Different World)
9. Julianna Margulies (ER)
8. Roseanne Barr (Roseanne)
7. Heather Locklear (Melrose Place)
6. Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy The Vampire Slayer)
5. Gillian Anderson (X-Files)
4. Shannen Doherty (Beverly Hills 90210/Charmed)
3. Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Seinfeld)
2. Tiffani Amber-Thiessen (Saved By The Bell/Beverly Hills 90210)
1. Jennifer Aniston (Friends)
No. 10 - And Finally ...
There's another big announcement scheduled tomorrow on Orangebloods at 10 a.m.
Stay tuned...
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