Ketch's 10 Thoughts From the Weekend (Texas needs more Tom Herman...)

[qwanseeker]

My bold prediction is that Shane is benched in the KSU game after a chorus of drunken irate fans let the boos rain down.

 

[LeeRoy Brown]

I think much of the credit goes to Major

Time will tell

If TH was so great at running QBs, he would have put Heard in the QB competition vs "taking other people's opinion on him as a QB"

Herman was lights-out calling plays at tOSU. Major is a good play caller too, he can adapt his calls to the type of offense he's running. Beck struggled everywhere he's been, and caught a lot of flack for how handed his portion of the offense at OSU.

I think it's clear the weak link here is Beck.

U say TH is looking weak due to delegating to a weak link manager...that is weak TH the HFC

Hopefully TH takes responsibility & helps our offense improve

 

[PaperChampion]

Porter's name should stop being called on running plays, period, ever!

Fragile Shane should stop trying to run through defenders, even
cornerbacks, period, ever!

 

[FrancoBevo]

Chuck and Giblet were getting more out of this offense than Herman and Beck - I wonder what the problem is? Not really, I know what the problem is, Beck sucks and many of knew it when he was hired and now he's proving it week after week.

 

[BigSkyHorn]

Yes the offense has its issues. You cannot have a marginal o-line and take away 3 of the best blockers (including TE) and the best back up and then be clicking along like nothing happened. I like the way they are finding ways to win/be competitive than finding ways to lose. I am VERY pumped up about the D! This is how you get more and more great recruits and make it sustainable. This is a D that can compete with anyone in the country. That is a huge improvement and a giant step in the right direction.

 

[bigdog1024]

Ketch, you're reporting on the NFL? The NFL is DEAD, Remember?

Gezzz...

 

[PaulieD]

Are we overanalyzing? A MASH unit of an offensive line is always going to be trouble. Period.

AMEN

 

[CAPITOLHORN]

Ride or die huh?!? Damn I was hoping for a coach that could adapt to circumstances and not be hard headed as we’ve experienced in recent past. Well I hope he knows something about his OC that is unevident to the naked eye. Cuz it sucks having a shtty offense.

 

[Keystone55]

Definitely, he's eligible for medical redshirt.

Hudson redshirted last season.

 

[DKR-3rings]

Ketch, I disagree that these 2 QBs can't take us to 10 wins or whatever our ceiling is. Both of these QBs can do it. They just both need an offense that fits their strengths. It isn't rocket science to reilize why our offense is a mess. Herman (and Beck) need to figure this out quickly because after KSU, we won't beat the next 2 on our schedule with this current offense. The QB position isn't the problem with our offense. It's coaching right now. We can win with either QB, just give either one the correct offense.

 

[TheTR]

Thank you for the great write up, good stuff. But, TCU way way overrated.

 

[cm1308]

Vince Young was a third-year player when the light switch came on in 2004. Colt McCoy was a fourth-year player when the light switch came on in 2008.

Come on, man.

 

[Craben]

Charlies thoughts would include lots of uhhhs and unbelievables.

Strong's rambling coach-speak didn't damage the program like the massive hole Mack left in our offensive roster that we're still trying to climb out of. Going into 2014, Mack left us with only 1 OL who had ever started a D-1 game (and who never played again due to injury), only a single QB with concussion history (who subsequently had to quit early in the season), and no TEs. Our first full recruiting season after Mack wasn't until 2015, and it takes longer than 2 years to recruit and develop enough mature OL and QBs to field a consistent offense.

 

[ball911]

1) Buy your points on the status of our QBs.
2) Sell on your point that Johnson Must be thrown the ball. I do buy that Johnson, Humphreys, Mapps, etc., are the strength of the O and should be the focal point going forward. They have enough talent at WR that they don’t have to force the ball to one guy. In fact, I would argue that Humphrey’s is under utilized.

 

[sodiumacetate]

Fragile Shane should stop trying to run through defenders, even
cornerbacks, period, ever!

So you would rather him not get the first downs when it's third down and a qb run is called?

 

[Ketchum]

Perhaps the best thing to do is simply to stay the course. Is Texas going to make it 8 coordinators in 7 years? When does it stop and become apparent... There’s no magic coordinator out there that can come in and get this exact same group to average 40 ppg.

Greg Davis. He’s the problem!

Bryan Harsin will save us!

Major will he better than Harsin!

Shawn Watson, Jay Norvell and even Sterlin Gilbert also inherited the same problem and not coincidentally the same results kept/keep happening; having to start a true freshman and inexperienced (raw) quarterback with a subpar OL, decent WR’s, average to good running backs (only good because of DF) and absolutely, positively zero worthwhile tight ends to speak off.

Other than Forman who clearly demonstrated that he was special, who else has distinguished himself as such in the last 5 Years? Shipley, Davis, Harris were solid players, but not Roy Williams or Jordan Shipley, Sweed or Cosby.

They have good young players who can be that. Collin Johnson, Hemphill and Humphrey have potential. CJ can be a star. Carter and Young have speed and talent. The quarterbacks are not lost causes.

However, unlike the defense, this a pretty young offense with talent gaps at OL, TE and maybe even Running Back. They’re not experienced enough.

I disagree slightly @Ketchum. They definitely need to figure out how to get Johnson the ball more, but the real issue Thursday night was not being able to punish Iowa State for playing a 3 man line and dropping 8. Texas should’ve been able to pick up 6-7 yards running the ball on almost every down and did so on their first touchdown drive but then the blocking just broke down after that and the third quarter monsoon of penalties and errors just made it worse.

What Texas did on that final clock eating drive that took up almost 7 minutes was what they should’ve been able to do all night.

It looks bad right now. I’m not disagreeing, but yet another change at coordinator is not salvation in my eyes. Tom’s not stupid. If he feels he cant coexist with Beck at the end of the season (philosophically) then he’ll make a change.

Let’s see how this plays out.

There were multiple real issues with the offense.

 

[Ketchum]

I hope next year we are done hearing about Texas QB’s not being experienced enough. Either they have it or they don’t for college ball. Good thing Herman keeps going after QB’s in the next two classes.

Said by some guy about Vince Young after Texas was shut out by Oklahoma in 2004, VY's third season in Austin.

 

[PaperChampion]

So you would rather him not get the first downs when it's third down and a qb run is called?

-
Your point assumes he is capable of running through a defender. He's not, and Shane trying to run through defender creates a good possibility of a fumble or a game-ending injury to him.

 

[Ketchum]

How so? I can interpret this comment in so many ways.

me too

 

[WhatAboutEggs]

Never underestimate Kstate when they play Texas. They ALWAYS bring their A game. I'm a ways away from saying we should 100% beat them. I've gotten burned that way before.

 

[Ketchum]

I hear where you are coming from when citing prior longhorn QBs and when they found their groove, but VY in 03 and Colt in 06 and 07 were far from debacles. They weren't perfect but they won some games. Those were in their very early years.

Major was an impact player his redshirt freshman season.

We aren't looking for 04 or 05 VY. We are just looking for serviceable QB play.

It's not apples to apples, but it is fruit to fruit.

 

[Ketchum]

You're not impressed with them?

Impressed? Sure. Impressed to the point of believing that KC is truly a great team. Good grief, no.

 

[Ketchum]

I don't think Colin Johnson is quite ready for "elite receiver" status. He's a mismatch, for sure, in most 1-on-1 situations. But he's not exactly what I would call strong-willed or relentless at this point in his career.

The USC Trojans beg to differ.

 

[Ketchum]

@Ketchum

Does Herman feel like he's rised above calling plays like other HCs? Or does he have that much confidence in Beck?

I think he wants to be a guy that trusts his coaches the way he was trusted at Ohio State.

 

[drunk randoke]

Strong's rambling coach-speak didn't damage the program like the massive hole Mack left in our offensive roster that we're still trying to climb out of. Going into 2014, Mack left us with only 1 OL who had ever started a D-1 game (and who never played again due to injury), only a single QB with concussion history (who subsequently had to quit early in the season), and no TEs. Our first full recruiting season after Mack wasn't until 2015, and it takes longer than 2 years to recruit and develop enough mature OL and QBs to field a consistent offense.

Thanks Mrs Strong!

 

[sodiumacetate]

-
Your point assumes he is capable of running through a defender. He's not, and Shane trying to run through defender creates a good possibility of a fumble or a game-ending injury to him.

Except he did just that on two seperate occasions on the last drive of the game, to keep the drive going. Had he not tried to get through the defenders, he would not have picked up the first downs and Texas would have been forced to punt.

 

[PaperChampion]

Except he did just that on two seperate occasions on the last drive of the game, to keep the drive going. Had he not tried to get through the defenders, he would not have picked up the first downs and Texas would have been forced to punt.

He didn't run "through" anyone. Not saying he shouldn't run. Saying he should dive to one side of the defender or the other because he has no power, at all. If you can't see the futility in Shane attempting to run through defenders, let's agree to disagree.

 

[cnapp]

Herman and Warehime made it work at UH with just as many issues.

This is my frustration... Where the UH lineman better than what Texas has? Shouldn't the Texas backups be equal to the UH line recruit ranking wise?

 

[cnapp]

- LSU hired Ed Oregron because it couldn't compete against Texas for Herman. Oregron is a good coordinator, but not a good coach.

Do you find it amazing that Ed O was the only backup plan to Herman?
And why the big buyout, no one else wanted Ed

 

[Bevotex]

Neither quarterback that Texas currently has at its disposal is ready to quarterback a program like Texas to the type of season it strongly covets.

James Brown was a third-year player when the light switch came on in 1995. Vince Young was a third-year player when the light switch came on in 2004. Colt McCoy was a fourth-year player when the light switch came on in 2008.

Shane Buechele is 17 games deep into his second season. Sam Ehlinger is five games into his first season.

When I screamed caution to the masses with regards to the quarterback position all off-season, it had nothing to do with being a hater or having a favorite, it had everything to do with establishing realistic expectations at a position that has only seen Major Applewhite in 1998 and Colt McCoy's Cinderella season in 2006 achieve what is being demanded out of necessity from both players this season.

And this has nothing to do with having a poor offensive line, a lackluster running game with very little explosiveness, tight end play that is such that it's hard to warrant having any on the field and a first-year coaching staff that is still trying to learn the strengths of its team.

It's possible that what we're watching right now from Buechele is the best that Texas will ever get from him, but it's also possible that the grading of his abilities probably should not be taking place until his third year when he's had a fair opportunity to develop. It goes without saying that Ehlinger is still in need of development.

That's not me having an agenda, that's me being fair to both players.

But, but, but @UTwiz said...............