Ketch's 10 Thoughts From the Weekend (Now is the time for Tom Herman to be a star ...)

[Gus McCrea]

I don't think it's hyperbole to say Saturday is a monumental day. When Tom Herman was hired, we were all 100% positive he was a savant that would lead us to greatness. He had some tough circumstances on the football field last year, but it was an unmitigated disappointment.

Tom has done a lot for our program, but he absolutely has some questions to answer, and he needs to answer them right now.

One is that he absolutely has to have the offense fixed. It needs to operate at a level that is in the top 3-4 in the league and gives us enough to win consistently with solid D play. I think there is plenty of talent around for a solid top 40 offense, there are zero excuses for it to not happen. If Tom and staff can't make it happen, then I fear that Tom is not the guy we all thought he was.

If Tom can get the offense operating functionally, there is no reason this team can't win 10 football games. This is the most talented, experienced Texas team we've had in a while. And the schedule feels decently favorable for the first time in awhile.

So I agree. Either Tom Herman is the star we think he is, he gets the offense rolling and we have a monster year, or, it sputters and we dick around to 6 or 7 wins and now no one is confident about what we have going on around here anymore. I don't really see an in-between. Recruiting is already tough in state right now, wait till the vultures start circling.

It needs to happen, right now. There is no excuse. Either Tom is the guy we thought he was, or we were all duped.

We start the process of finding out Saturday.

Here we go, gents. Fingers crossed we were all right.

Indeed.

GM

 

[txfight]

Good read Ketch! I remember being in the news room at KVUE when the Mack Brown story broke. I was an intern at the time.

David Johnson and Steve Atkinson were great guys to work for. Mike Barnes checked a package I wrote and criticized me for starting a sentence with a prepositional phrase. When he left the room Johnson said, "Don't listen to him, I don't even know what a ****ing prepositional phrase is."

 

[Dave C2]

I wonder how many people remember Ricky's first carry as a Longhorn in that Hawaii game.

I don't but I remember I was so pumped to see Ricky and Shon Mitchell (Jerry Scarbrough had been serving some good kool aid) that I drove down to Austin and stayed in a hotel so I could watch the game on TV. It wasn't telecast in DFW.

 

[Atownatx]

I'm having a hard time figuring out what I think about the Eagles at the moment with Carson Wentz not cleared for contact and Nick Foles looking like the guy we thought Nick Foles was nine months ago. I'm assuming they'll be fine, but the early evidence suggests that a Super Bowl hangover might be in play.

Hard to disagree with that with what the Eagles put on the field. But thats just it there are huge pieces missing sitting on the sidlines very little of Ajai, OL Peters, Sprolles, Clement, Jeffery, Agohlor and more.

Those are some huge pieces not playing. Also, Foles will be on a short leash coming opening day. Sudfeld is pushing for playing time and has been pretty dame good. I think its hard to make that statement when really we havent seen anything.

 

[TexasEx09]

No. 10 – And Finally...

Five and a half years. That's how long John McCain was held as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. It's almost impossible to fathom the strength and character that would be needed to survive it all, let alone have the ability to come out of it all with the ability to carve out one of the most notable political careers of anyone in the last 50 years.

Of course, politics can make the waters murky when one talks about individual moments of disagreement over the years, but the bottom line for me is that John McCain was just a good man and he left us over the weekend having made sure that it the world was better off because he was in it. Few Americans have ever given more to this country out of love for this country.

At his very best, McCain was the best of us.

Rest in peace.

Real life inspiration for this iconic scene (okay probably not but still it would be cool if it was)

 

[Ketchum]

I know it falls outside of your time frame, but I would put the 1983 and 1984 opening games against Auburn up high in my personal list.

1983 was at Auburn and it showed how dominant the defense truly was, just taking Auburn's (who I think went on to win 9 or 10 games) offense apart.

And 1984 in Austin was a classic, Texas winning 35-27, I believe. The thing I remember most about it was I drove down to Austin thinking I could get a hotel room when I got there, and couldn't. So, with us ahead by 2 TD's and about 5 minutes to go, knowing I had to drive back home, I left. Drove back to Arlington and got home about 2 am and the replay was still on on ESPN so I got to see the last five minutes that I had missed.

Yeah, if I was just a wee bit older, those games definitely make the list and would rank very high.

 

[Ketchum]

Good read Ketch! I remember being in the news room at KVUE when the Mack Brown story broke. I was an intern at the time.

David Johnson and Steve Atkinson were great guys to work for. Mike Barnes checked a package I wrote and criticized me for starting a sentence with a prepositional phrase. When he left the room Johnson said, "Don't listen to him, I don't even know what a ****ing prepositional phrase is."

David Johnson is a world class guy.

 

[Ketchum]

I don't but I remember I was so pumped to see Ricky and Shon Mitchell (Jerry Scarbrough had been serving some good kool aid) that I drove down to Austin and stayed in a hotel so I could watch the game on TV. It wasn't telecast in DFW.

That's awesome.

Shon Mitchell might have been the better back that day, but Ricky's 65-yard run was just a drop the mic moment.

Man, I have my own Shon Mitchell story. He beat us by himself in 1992.

 

[Ketchum]

Real life inspiration for this iconic scene (okay probably not but still it would be cool if it was)

View embedded media

Ha!

 

[Ketchum]

Hard to disagree with that with what the Eagles put on the field. But thats just it there are huge pieces missing sitting on the sidlines very little of Ajai, OL Peters, Sprolles, Clement, Jeffery, Agohlor and more.

Those are some huge pieces not playing. Also, Foles will be on a short leash coming opening day. Sudfeld is pushing for playing time and has been pretty dame good. I think its hard to make that statement when really we havent seen anything.

completely fair.

 

[Milesoilb]

Not only would our leadership have fired Urban Meyer, had the shoe been on the other foot, but they would have hired a woman to replace him.

 

[Horns!]

Maryland and USC, TCU and OU - we need to come out swinging early.

We certainly cannotspot OU 20 points as we did last year!

 

[Ketchum]

Not only would our leadership have fired Urban Meyer, had the shoe been on the other foot, but they would have hired a woman to replace him.

Perhaps a progressive move. I know someone with a distinguished resume, but she's a little older now. Greater recruiter of five-star talent.

 

[Milesoilb]

Perhaps a progressive move. I know someone with a distinguished resume, but she's a little older now. Greater recruiter of five-star talent.

Definitely a move I could get behind!!

 

[longhornlm]

Of course not. Ketch reserves special sensitivity for Serena. He even thinks that female tennis players have been wearing cat suits for years. A tennis player named White surprised everyone with a white cat suit at Wimbledon a decade or two ago. The catsuit was immensely banned. The LPGA banned Razorback shirts last year and made rules about the length of skirts. Men can’t play in the NFL with their shirt tails out. BUT the French Open dared make a rule that bans something Serena wore. No mention of any of these wardrobe rules by Ketch until one effects Serena. To her credit she said it is fine so Ketch doesn’t need to ban French fries and French poodles.

Social warriors always look for something to sufficiently rustle their Jimmies. My former employer dictated what all employees were able to wear. If they don't like it, they can leave. If she wants to continue wearing that awful looking cat suit, she can skip the French open. Problem solved.

 

[Ketchum]

Social warriors always look for something to sufficiently rustle their Jimmies.

 

[Dave C2]

Yeah, if I was just a wee bit older, those games definitely make the list and would rank very high.

I had paid very little attention to Auburn before that, mainly because they rarely beat Alabama and so few games were televised before right about this time. But I remember very well Pat Dye commenting beforehand about the SEC just being bigger, stronger, and tougher than other places in the country. And maybe he was speaking the truth in general, but Texas just went into Jordan Hare stadium and opened a can on him and his "tougher" team. Texas won that game 20-7 and it should have probably been 40-7.

 

[HerkieWalls]

That Martin performance is probably the best running back performance I've seen against Texas,including Salaam in 1994.

I was at the game and they said Curtis Martin over the stadium speaker about 100 times- I think he had 300 yards rushing. The only name I heard more in my nightmares was Tiki Barber. Went to the Cowboys game the next day at Three rivers. Great weekend in Pittsburgh.

 

[G550horn]

Tell us more. Give us detail.

I was just out of UT and lived in CT. Picked up the rental Winnebago and drove into Manhattan to pick up 9 friends on Friday afternoon. Actually picked them up in front of the world trade center. Driving a Winnebago in Manhattan was a trip. We loaded up and headed to State College. Stayed in Harrisburg Friday and arrived in State College on Saturday AM. We walked with the Texas band into the stadium. The environment was amazing. Huge crowd. Very loud but very friendly. When we won Penn State folks invited us to their tailgate, gave us food and drink and congratulated us. Same thing in the bars that evening. I haven’t been back but have a lot of respect for the Penn State fans.

 

[CPHornfan]

By mid-season, Cameron Rising could be the true No. 2 on the roster. Herman is making hints about how much he likes his true freshman and we know he's got four games with which to tinker.

Being president of the Rising fan club, he needs to red-shirt. If Sam gets hurt or can't get the job done, Shane needs to play. This is the approach Herman has to take. If both QB's get hurt at same time, then sh*t

 

[Ketchum]

I was at the game and they said Curtis Martin over the stadium speaker about 100 times- I think he had 300 yards rushing. The only name I heard more in my nightmares was Tiki Barber. Went to the Cowboys game the next day at Three rivers. Great weekend in Pittsburgh.

I was doing a fantasy draft that day and remember trying to draft Martin with my first pick as a joke. Everyone laughed. He was beyond fantastic that day.

Future Hall of Famer in his true breakout performance.

 

[metaldetektor]

Really enjoying the Story time section of the weekly 10 Thoughts column.

 

[FrancoBevo]

ANGRY WHITE MALE ALERT

LOL - you've never met me - sorry, not all of us (non-caucasians) kneel at the alter of the ridiculous left or parrot every ridiculous, overused, boring cry of racism, sexism, etc. - we can think for ourselves, I know that shocks you, but it's true -

 

[WTexasHorn]

Most important mentor of my career by a mile.

And the Power Stick! You still talk to that dude? What about Noah? That footage takes me back...I was definitely running studio cam and tapes for some of those clips. Good ol KEYE days.

 

[Ketchum]

And the Power Stick! You still talk to that dude? What about Noah? That footage takes me back...I was definitely running studio cam and tapes for some of those clips. Good ol KEYE days.

I don't keep up with anyone like I wish I did. I chatted wit Andy recently and semi-yearly talk with Noah.

 

[Jamaicashane]

Great write up as usual ketch. But I want to especially thank you for your kind tribute to the late Senator John McCain. While I don't know what side you vote for in your private booth, your postings would indicate a strong liberal slant. For you to show such respect for a man who likely has sat across the aisle from who you've voted for (sorry for the assumption here), speaks volumes. I wish everyone could be more objective no matter what their political leanings are. Perhaps the late Senator McCain provided us all a good example of that. For the most part, he followed his heart to the end. He truly was a "maverick." He was a great man, and to an extent you are as well for your generous and kind words to a lost American hero.

 

[Jamaicashane]

I disagree that the French are trying to police serena's or women's bodies. Women are afforded way more room in their outfits in sports than men are. Way more. In golf, tennis or whatever. You have standards or you don't. It's not political. It's not policing women's bodies. Its wardrobe standards. Male golfers can't even wear shorts for crying out loud. Are we policing men's bodies? Where are the feminists for equality in that argument?

I fully agree with this. Furthermore, it's Wimbledon. They are a bastion of tradition which makes them special.

 

[jspirohorn]

Meanwhile, the skill talent is good enough to win with at any school in the country.

Unfair to Herman and untrue. I'm not sure how you can say our skill talent is as good as OU or WVa or better than TCU, and we are still talking about the conference much less nationally. Besides, QB by far is the most important piece of utilizing skill talent and putting Ehlinger up with Grier is ridiculous and there is no reason to put him ahead of Murray or Robinson at this point.

Incremental improvement, an 8-4 record and an offensive led win over any of our top 4 opponents would be fine IMO.

 

[BrushCountryHorn]

I watch Andy Liscano's kitchen cops segments here in Corpus Christi

Personally I watch that station for the weather girl/reporter. .

 

[Ketchum]

Unfair to Herman and untrue. I'm not sure how you can say our skill talent is as good as OU or WVa or better than TCU, and we are still talking about the conference much less nationally. Besides, QB by far is the most important piece of utilizing skill talent and putting Ehlinger up with Grier is ridiculous and there is no reason to put him ahead of Murray or Robinson at this point.

Incremental improvement, an 8-4 record and an offensive led win over any of our top 4 opponents would be fine IMO.

Was thinking more running backs, wide receivers and tight ends.