8-2 would be enough to retain Herman but man, losing to TCU is really going to hurt recruiting. That’s when all the recruits seen enough. They seen a three star team beat and out coach a 4 and 5 star team.
You want to know the best compliment I can give Texas defensive coordinator Chris Ash?
My own eyes can see clearly that players at every level of his defense are improving on a weekly basis.
From Juwan Mitchell to DeMarvion Overshown to T'Vondre Sweat to Chris Brown to almost everyone in-between. Seriously, the Longhorns held a Big 12 offense that scored nearly 40 points last week to 13 points seven days later and it had almost zero to do with the continued emerging greatness of Joseph Ossai.
I know that it's a hard thing to recognize around these parts after the last decade, but do you know what they call that? Do you?
Development.
It's that thing that occurs when players are better in November than they were in September. It's that thing that occurs when a player like Mitchell can be trusted in game No. 7 when you weren't sure he could stay on the field in week two without costing the team seven points. It's also that thing that occurs when you're left wondering how a defense that gave up 142 points in a three-game stretch from game No. 2-No. 4, but has only given up 63 in the three games that followed.
D-E-V-E-L-O-P-M-E-N-T.
When the season ended last year, one of the most damning things you'd say about the entire team is that you could probably count on a few fingers the number of players that had made legit progress as players from the previous season.
Now?
Now the Longhorns can get a "meh" game from Ossai, lose standout defensive tackle Keondre Coburn early in a game and not be handed a single lucky break turnover, yet none that ever seemed to make a difference. The unit stopped the run at an elite level, limited the big plays in the passing game and held the Mountaineers out of the end zone for nearly the final 54 minutes of the game.
I'm telling you right now, that Tom Herman has made some bad personnel decisions since he was named the Texas head coach, but if what we're watching isn't some kind of mirage, it's possible that Ash is the best hire that Herman has made in the four years he's been in Austin. This recent three-game winning-streak has everything to do with Ash's unit and a whole lot less to do with an offense that can't quite figure out who the hell needs to be on the field among the skill players heading into the eighth game of the season.
Should Herman pull a Houdini act over the next month, win a Big 12 championship and keep his job along the way, it feels like today it will be because of the decision he made back in December to hire the guy he brought in last October to audit the performance of the defensive coordinator he hired three years earlier.
After feeling a little unsure about Ash after the stretch of games that included Texas Tech, TCU and Oklahoma, his quality as a leader of the defense is shining through. That man is earning his salary. He's instilled confidence in a unit that has mostly felt left for dead for the last five or six seasons.
Again, you don't even have to show me the stats because I can see it with my eyes.
If only I felt that way about the Texas offense ...
No. 2 - The next three games ...
On one hand, I fully believe that the Longhorns will be involved in coin-flip games in two of the final three weeks of the season, but on the other hand, check out the quarterback efficiency numbers of the quarterbacks in these final three games.
View attachment 193
That's not just ugly, it's this ugly ...
What the hell is happening with Brock Purdy at Iowa State?
No matter, I'm starting to think Texas might just go 8-2 and see Oklahoma for a second time this season.
No. 3 - OL Appreciation ...
Considering I thought the Texas offensive line was going to get pistol-whipped by the West Virginia defensive line on Saturday, the entire unit deserves a lot of credit for rendering that part of West Virginia mostly a moot point.
Dante Stills, Darius Stills and Jeffery Pooler combined for six tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss and zero sacks over the course of four quarters.
That's getting it done.
Therefore, I'm going to go back and retrospectively give the entire group a game ball for its collective performance.
Attaboy, Sam Cosmi. Attaboy, Derek Kerstetter. Attaboy, Junior Angilau. Attaboy, Christian Jones. Attaboy, Denzel Okafor.
No. 4 - A stat I just don't understand ...
Targets in the passing game on Saturday vs. West Virginia ...
Brenden Schooler: 4
Kai Money: 1
Joshua Moore + Jared Wiley: 1
Moore has been the best player on the entire offense this season and at no point on Saturday did anyone on the coaching staff apparently think to themselves, "We need to get the ball to our damn best player."
Look at what I wrote two weeks ago going into the Oklahoma State game:
"Joshua Moore doesn't need to be coming off the field as much as he does and if that means that someone has to transfer because you have to keep your best players on the field for at least 80 percent of key offensive reps, so be it. Same with Brennan Eagles. Same with Jared Wiley. The fact that Moore and Wiley each had only three targets in the entire game when they were creating plays like the ones below is kind of mind-blowing."
THE TEXAS OFFENSIVE COACHES KEEP REPEATING THE SAME MADNESS.
No. 5 - A few more random thoughts ...
a. If you're going to take your hot five-star running back off the field for long stretches of the game, don't do it for a guy averaging 2.9 yards per carry during the game and 4.3 yards for the season. I'm not saying that you don't give Johnson some snaps, I'm just saying that you probably don't need to do it with a high volume on a day when Johnson doesn't have it at all and Bijan Robinson has it going big. That's called hustling backwards.
b. Chris Brown can flex all he wants when he's playing as well as he has for the last three games.
c. Saturday was the best game of DeMarvion Overshown's college career thus far. He's starting to find the light switch.
No. 6 - Real greatness ...
If you're not watching the No.1-ranked Texas volleyball team, you're missing out.
Over the course of back to back nights, the Longhorns knocked off No. 3 Baylor in back to back games, displaying the kind of resolve that might just make it a champion when this season ends. In the first game against the Bears, the Longhorns fell behind by two sets before clawing back into the game and winning in five. The next night Texas went up by two sets, only to watch the Bears claw back into the game at home, before the Longhorns closed it out in five.
I'm telling you, it was gutsy stuff. If nothing else, give them a follow on Twitter because no team on campus has a better social media game than the volleyball team. My personal favorites are the ones with hair tosses, mostly because I don't have hair. No one does it better than sophomore Molly Phillips from Mansfield High.
No. 7 – BUY or SELL …
(Sell) If I had to bet on either, I bet on change. Maybe it would be different if Urban Meyer wasn't just sitting out there waiting to be poached, but he is ....
(Sell) A coach will never admit it with his words, but just watch ... Bijan has a 20-carry game coming, maybe as soon as the Kansas game.
(Buy) No way I'm answering this with a "sell," only to have someone blame me for jinxing the COVID luck. Good question, but to hell with that!
(Sell) I think one of the issues that we're currently dealing with right now is the reality that neither of these scenarios addresses all of the concerns.
(Sell) Three stars need homes, too.
(Buy) He hasn't recruited well in Texas, but he's recruited well everywhere else. That will likely change.
(Sell) For the first time, though, I'm seriously wondering about it.
(Sell) It's close.
(Sell) Five-star running backs will likely look at the fact that he's starting as a freshman and recording 100-yard games more than they will the total number of carries.
(Sell) I want you to know this is my favorite question of the week, but I'm only going to sign off on a dozen conference titles and two national championships.
No. 8 - Scattershooting on the world of sports ...
... Garrett Gilbert was one of the best players on the field for the Cowboys on Sunday and that's a problem. If Gilbert never starts another NFL game, he can take comfort in the fact that if his offensive line, and about a half-dozen defensive players had played as well as he did, the Cowboys would have won on Sunday against the Steelers.
... Josh Allen was a lot better than Russell Wilson in an actual NFL game this weekend. I'll take sentences I never thought I would type for $500, Alex.
... I wish I had drafted Dalvin Cook in fantasy football this year. I thought about it and just didn't trust him to stay healthy.
... Notre Dame/Clemson was all kinds of fun on Saturday night. That was the best of college football in the regular season in action.
... Before the season started, I suggested that the Big 12 add BYU for just this season (as the ACC did with Notre Dame), but I'll be the first to admit that the rest of the Big 12 doesn't want or need that smoke. Zach Wilson would be the best offensive player in this conference.
... Texas A&M is a good, rough and tumble, quality team. I know you guys don't want to hear it, but it's true. I'm impressed every time I've watched them this season.
... So, maybe Georgia isn't the No. 5 team in the country ...
... My goodness, Jim Harbaugh. I wonder where his next job is going to be?
... I guess I really need to watch Coastal Carolina play ...
.... Premier League week eight takeaways: Liverpool and Man City are still the best two teams in the league by a mile. End of story. Considering Liverpool's legs seem to die in the second half on Sunday after playing its sixth game in three weeks, a point at the Ethihad felt like a good point. lulz @Everton. If I had to guess right now, the final top four will be Liverpool, Man City, Chelsea and Tottenham.
No. 9 - The List: Top 10 Game Show Hosts ...
With the passing of Alex Trebek on Sunday, I thought I would do a list of my personal favorite Top 10 game show hosts of all-time.
10. Marc Summers (Double Dare)
9. Anne Robinson (The Weakest Link)
8. Dick Clark (Pyramid)
7. Gene Rayburn (The Match Game)
6. Monty Hall (Let's make a Deal)
5. Steve Harvey (Family Feud)
4. Bob Eubanks (The Newlywed Game)
3. Richard Dawson (Family Feud)
2. Bob Barker (The Price is Right)
1. Alex Trebek (Jepardy)
No.10 - And finally ...
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Ketch's 10 Thoughts From The Weekend (The best hire of Tom Herman's career?)
- Thread starter Ketchum
- Start date
Allen Ludden of Password for 15 years. Texas Ex and husband of the eternal Betty White.
About 1967 some rube contestant introduced himself as being from "Oklahoma, home of the greatest college football". Ludden went into a cold death stare for about 2 seconds and then quipped, "I disagree with that." then completely turned his back on the guy until the break. I was only 9 years old when I saw this but never forgot it. Learned he was a Longhorn when he died and it suddenly made sense.
About 1967 some rube contestant introduced himself as being from "Oklahoma, home of the greatest college football". Ludden went into a cold death stare for about 2 seconds and then quipped, "I disagree with that." then completely turned his back on the guy until the break. I was only 9 years old when I saw this but never forgot it. Learned he was a Longhorn when he died and it suddenly made sense.
wouldn’t that be a kick in the dick -
Regardless of the win loss record, the other 9 of 10 deficiencies are still glaring problems; recruiting, lack of development of an O-Line, personnel miss-usage, bad in game decisions, penalties, dropped passes, no TE development, no identity, portal is a one way street and about to become a highway and recruiting. (I know I said recruiting twice - it’s a huge, huge problem)
Whatever miracle Herman pulls off this year, it changes nothing related to the above and those problems will be greatly magnified next year.
The BMDs need to keep the heat on big-time. Regardless of the outcome of the season.
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it wont be an unflattering look if it’s Urban Meyer dude
Only thing I saw was the "optics" of the money could become an issue.... So yeah Texas is going full Texas... I am prepared for a Matt Campbell type hire or Herman coming back...
If I could give this post 100 likes, I would. Just think about it, if you were a stud player with an option to play for Fisher or Herman, who would you pick? We need an Urban development real real real soon, before recruiting gets worse. If that’s even possible.
The only people that would be ticked off at a Meyer hire would be Mr. & Mrs. Herman
did not know that and was just being facetious w my earlier post.......yes even UM can be wrong.
I haven't been told that. Honestly, most people are behind the scenes are reluctant to use his name specifically. Lots of code.
I think what has happened with The Eyes and the disaster that took place six weeks into the season matter most.
You are 100-percent correct. We talked all off-season about the problematic areas of not having a practice throughout the off-season.
My guess is that Moore is hurt. He looked a little gimpy last week off of a play IIRC. Could be wrong though and it wouldn't surprise me that this staff isn't finding ways to get him the ball.
That was the second game of the season. Since Alabama, the scores of their games have been:
41-38 over Florida (one of the best wins anyone has all season)
28-14 at Miss St.
42-31 over Arkansas
48-3 at South Carolina.
Hanging onto the performance in the second game of the season from September is an interesting confirmation bias to hang onto.
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CDC is really not a fan of Herman right now. He b lames Herman for people noticing how shitty handled many of the roles he bungled.
What did/does he actually add to the show? It's not humor or a great personality.
Vanna was the star.
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