Lol I’ve got maybe three posters on ignore after 20+ years. Welcome to the club! You are easily one of the five worst posters on the board.
Ketch's 10 Thoughts From The Weekend (The chance was there for the taking)
- Thread starter Ketchum
- Start date
I would have had no issues with Hudson coming in when Quinn struggled but I believe if Quinn will work with someone that will hold him accountable this off season that he will take a huge step forward next year and that the experience he got this year was invaluable to him and did/ will facilitate more growth than most here realize next year.
Quinn will be a lot better QB with a better pocket. A lot of his high throws was a result of not being able to step into his throws because of pocket. OL and QB performance go hand in hand. Team performance experience has a lot to do with it. TCU will be Baylor next year. OK lite, I St and WV will be bottom feeders next year. OK, Kansas, TT, Baylor, TCU middle of pack and Texas and K St will fight for title.
I can't go as far as my guy @Anwar Richardson did this morning in declaring the 2022 season for Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns a "success."
I just can't do it.
Oh, I'm not sure that I'm light years away from taking such a step and if the Longhorns complete the season with an impressive bowl win to finish the season 9-4 and inside the top 15, I'm sure I'll be willing to revisit this entire conversation and consider changing my mind based on some nuance related to where things are now versus where they were a year ago.
Yet, at this exact moment, it's hard to see past the fact that the Longhorns finished third in the Big 12 in a year when the league was absolutely dreadful at the quarterback position. The league's No. 2 spot (at a minimum) was there for the taking and the Longhorns failed to take it.
My general rule of thumb for Texas football is that any season that doesn't end with the Longhorns AT LEAST playing for the Big 12 Championship and qualifying for a major bowl game isn't a success.
Period.
No one ever voted for me to be the decider of such things, but this has been the bar of excellence that has existed since I was a student at The University of Texas and a decade-plus of failing to be successful just isn't going to force me into lowering the bar.
Consider the state of the rest of the conference, which featured eight teams with three or more losses in conference play, including the Longhorns. Oklahoma was historically dreadful. Mike Gundy's team finished below .500. Defending champion Baylor finished tied for fifth, also below .500.
Meanwhile, the quarterback play was ... well ... pictures are worth thousands of words, right?
Look at this mess.
View attachment 3524
Exactly two quarterbacks in the entire conference finished in the top 58 nationally in passing and the Longhorns had to play only one of them.
You simply can't ask for a clearer pathway to a conference title if you've got a good enough team that wants to be viewed as a "success."
Now don't get me wrong, there are plenty of positives from this season. The defense became exactly the kind of outfit that should have allowed for this team to play for a conference title. The offensive line might have been as good as it’s been since Arch Manning was two years old. Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson were the best 1-2 punch since Brennan Huff and Dale Doback created the best NSFW song of the 21st century.
It's just that the only time in my lifetime when 8-4 is viewed as a success is when the previous season's play was so poor that 8-4 looks like a 1999 New Year's Eve celebration by comparison, which is what is occurring at the moment.
This 8-4 season isn't a success when comparing it to Tom Herman's record. It's not a success when comparing it to the prime Mack Brown years. It's not even a success when comparing it to John Mackovic's "successful" teams. Yet, if we're comparing it to Charlie Strong or last season's debut season for Sarkisiain, it looks like one by comparison.
Through 12 games, it's been solid. It certainly isn't a bad season. Hell, it's right on the cusp of being a success, mainly because the Big 12 was so lousy that a three-loss team would have qualified for the title game if Kansas State had stubbed its toe one more time (where was Tulane when it was really needed?).
Perhaps the best news of all is that a win in the bowl game would leave this team standing on a possible platform in 2023 to accomplish the things needed to undeniably call a season a success. The Longhorns are getting closer, but I can't quite say they are there yet.
No. 2 - Let's talk about Quinn ...
Forget about Friday's game against Baylor for a moment. In the grand scheme of things, it's merely a small piece of the puzzle that makes up his first season in Austin.
What matters most through the recently completed 12-game schedule is that Ewers didn't quite play well enough this season that he'll enter the spring with the starting job on lockdown, which I've maintained for two straight seasons that doing so was one of Sarkisian's No. 1 tasks.
Don't take my word for it. Just look at what Sarkisian said about the shape of the most important position on the field six days ago.
“I think competition is healthy for all of us. To anoint anybody for the future, that probably wouldn't be fair to the other guys in that room. Quinn's made some really good strides. I know there's opportunities he probably would love to have back throughout the year. I think Hudson (Card) has really improved. I thought he was really valuable for us early in the season when we needed him. I think Maalik Murphy is another guy who's got a bunch of upside. I have seen development in him. Like every year, we'll go into the offseason and wipe the slate clean and let these guys compete and battle and see what it looks like because that's what makes us better."
You can take it to the bank that this isn't how Lincoln Riley will discuss a position held by Caleb Williams or how Mack Brown will discuss the return Drake Maye going into 2023.
From my vantage point, there are several very important things it would serve everyone well to remember going into the next 10 months until the 2023 season-opener.
1. There's a really talented quarterback inside of Ewers, even if that player wasn't ready to spread his wings and fly in his first season. The arm talent that made him the No. 1 overall prospect in recruiting still exists.
2. It can't be stressed enough that Ewers is a very young quarterback. When many were ready to see him emerge as a Heisman candidate after the Oklahoma game, I stressed over and over again that young players almost always have ups and downs that you can't set your watch to. No one should be shocked that Ewers played like a pretty typical first-year starter.
3. Even though Ewers finished with a 131.4 efficiency rating in the regular season, he still picked up some invaluable experience. He's played and beaten Oklahoma. He's lost and won on the road. He's played and experienced games with high stakes attached to them. None of this is unimportant and when looking ahead to the competition he'll face for the starting job in 2023, he'll be the only player in the equation that can claim that he's been through all of the various fires the starting quarterback will face.
4. Ewers has to improve at the mental challenges of the position. He has to elevate his ability to make more than a single read in his progressions. He has to own the full offense in a way that he didn't in 2022. His brain simply has to become as valuable as his arm at this level.
Although Ewers ended up winning the quarterback battle in August, there were more than a few whispers about his commitment to the playbook and the mental side of the game.
Point-plank ... this side of his game has to improve or he's going to have a hard time holding on to the job.
Yet, if he's able to make the commitment to the position that will be expected of him, there's no reason to doubt that his performance levels in 2023 can be much higher than they were in 2022.
No. 3 - Re-visiting my thought on Ewers from Friday ...
For the life of me, I'm a bit bewildered at the response to the part of my post-game review of the game that focused on Ewers.
Over the last few weeks, I've been about as loud of a vocal supporter for Ewers than just about anyone else in the industry.
* When people cried to the rafters that he should have been benched in Stillwater, I maintained that it was the kind of test he needed to experience and that I wouldn't have pulled him.
* When people said the performance in Stillwater was the worst in recent memory, I dedicated a huge portion of this column pointing out that it was far from the worst quarterback performance any of you have seen.
* When the Longhorns won in Manhattan, I stressed that he had played turnover-free football and gave his team a chance to win a critical road game.
* I've constantly stressed over and over again that Ewers is a young quarterback and experiencing things that most young quarterbacks deal with.
Therefore, I was more than a little surprised to somehow be positioned as some kind of anti-Ewers, click-bait fire-breather because of comments made in my Instant Analysis column.
So, what did I actually say that warranted such heat? Let's inspect it all, paragraph by paragraph.
"It's just that Quinn Ewers played at a level that basically required Sarkisian to take the ball completely out of his hands in the two drives that decided this game following his fumble that allowed the Bears to take a fourth-quarter lead."
With the Longhorns leading by 5 with 13:30 left in the fourth quarter, Ewers lost a fumble that was returned 16 yards for a touchdown that eventually gave Baylor a 27-24 lead. It was the 10th point of the game that Ewers had contributed to the Baylor cause. In the final 8+ minutes of the game, the Longhorns ran 22 straight plays on offense that asked Ewers to do nothing more than hand the ball off.
That feels like less of a piece of speculative commentary and more of a read of what actually happened.
The stats will show that Ewers was pretty good, as he finished with a 176.9 efficiency rating. Yet, sometimes stats can't tell a complete story. On a day when Ewers handed the Bears 10 points on a safety/fumble combo, while also leaving four points off the scoreboard on a high throw in the red zone to Ja'Tavion Sanders, Ewers' feel for the game and what's happening around him left a lot to be desired.
The stats will show that when Ewers threw the football, he had a really nice game from a statistical standpoint. On several throws, Ewers flashed the kind of arm talent that makes the mouth water. Yes, he did give away a safety when he threw the ball into an area where there were no receivers while he was in the end zone. He did hold onto the ball too long and committed the only sin he simply couldn't by fumbling the ball, which allowed Baylor to totally flip the script of the game in the fourth quarter. His situational awareness did leave a lot to be desired.
"A lot."
Yeah, a lot.
"I mean ... Sark just stopped letting him do anything other than hand off and that decision probably won the game."
That's literally what happened.
"The scene was a giant reminder of how far this team still has to go at the quarterback position. When Sark said that the team would go into the spring with an open competition, he better mean it because it's much needed."
Again, where is the hyperbole and rhetoric that caused the outrage that occurred? The Texas quarterback position needs to play better, can't give the other team points through sloppy situational awareness and will be open for competition in a few months.
I just don't get the outrage.
No. 4 - Next year's Senior Class ...
Assuming that Bijan Robinson turns pro and the likes of Jordan Whittington, Junior Angilau and Devin Richardson have played their final snaps as Texas football players as Friday seemed to suggest ...
We're going to be looking at the smallest senior class I've ever seen.
The list?
RB Keilan Robinson
WR Isaiah Neyor
DT T'Vondre Sweat
DE Alfred Collins
LB Jaylan Ford
LB David Gbenda
CB Jahdae Barron
S Jerrin Thompson
S Kitan Crawford
That's nine before any further attrition or before the Portal potentially adds a few to it. A lot of leadership is departing and will need to be replaced.
No. 5 - Scattershooting on the Longhorns ...
... Bijan Robinson is 106 yards short heading into the bowl game of a 2,000-yard all-purpose season. Something to aim for!
... Xavier Worthy finished the regular season with nine touchdown receptions, which is two more than second-place in the Big 12 from Bryce Wheaton-Ford (West Virginia).
... No player in the Big 12 hit double digits in sacks this season, which is kind of wild. Barryn Sorrell finished sixth in the conference with 5.5. The next highest for Texas was DeMarvion Overshown, who placed tied for 18th with 5.
... Jahdae Barron held off late charges by Overshown and Jaylan Ford to finish as the team leader in tackle for loss with 11. That says a lot about how all over the field he's been all season.
No. 6 - A Portal profile to keep an eye on ...
On one hand, Kentucky wide receiver Barion Brown was saying all of the right things to the public following Kentucky's win over Louisville.
On the other hand, Brown's name has been making the rounds behind the scenes as a player that could absolutely end up in the Portal and I would suggest is a player to keep an eye on after catching 45 passes for 604 yards and four touchdowns.
That includes a monster 10 catches for 145 yards and a touchdown against Georgia two weeks ago.
The Portal is about to be bubbling over with talent and this is exactly the kind of player that would improve the Longhorns.
No. 7 – BUY or SELL …
(Buy) Yeah, I think Sark will most likely run it back with the same group of coaches.
(Sell) I just don't see Sark going out for anyone that will get in the way of his young talent.
(Sell) I'm not 100-percent certain that we should count on Neyor being an automatic starter coming off of a major injury. That being said, it's possible we'll see a couple of starters in the top 4, along with Johntay Cook, when it's all said and done.
(Buy) Don't shoot the messenger, but I am expecting it at this point.
(Sell) Maybe I'm naive, but that doesn't sound like Bijan.
(Sell) From a statistical standpoint, it's basically a wash going into next season.
(Sell) Hell no. 15 points?
(Sell) I don't think 8-4 does a whole lot for a majority of the board that watched Tom Herman put up similar seasons. I'm not sure that I would say that the board is overwhelmingly negative, but I would say it is overwhelmingly unsatisfied. Frankly, they have a right to be.
(Sell) It's possible that both things are true and not mutually exclusive. Caleb Williams showed us last year what a 5-star quarterback talent truly looks like and I'm having a hard time putting Ewers in the same sentence with him at the moment, even if some of these growing pains are to be expected.
(Sell) Possibly, but I'm going to go with one or two fewer. Let's call it 8.
(Buy) I expect transfers in the Portal to be very turned on by the Texas NIL situation.
(Sell) Receivers love Sark's offense, his history of producing star players and the fact that Arch Manning lingers in the distance.
(Sell) I wouldn't just completely forget about it at all, but it was a step in the right direction.
(Buy) He's that important.
(Sell) Joe Burrow had arguably the best season of any quarterback in NCAA history. Let's walk before we sprint like Ben Johnson on steroids.
(Buy) We're going into year three with way more questions than answers.
No. 8 - Scattershooting on anything and everything ...
... If I had a vote that mattered ...
1. Georgia
2 Michigan
3. USC
4. TCU
5. Ohio State
6. Alabama
7. Doesn't matter
8. Doesn't matter
9. Doesn't matter
10. Matters even less
... Heisman Ballot: 1. QB Caleb Williams (USC), 2. QB CJ Stroud (Ohio State), 3. RB Bijan Robinson (Texas), 4. QB Max Duggan (TCU) and 5. QB Bryce Young (Alabama)
... I couldn't be any more impressed with Michigan after they went into Columbus and shoved it in Ohio State's face. Jim Harbaugh has the team he's always dreamed of having. Do not sleep on them in the playoff.
... Caleb Williams is in a class by himself right now ... and he's back next season.
... Give Jimbo Fisher another 5 years on that contract after Saturday night.
... I know LSU fans are smarting after that ass-kicking. They were so sure of themselves on Thanksgiving Day. Level 1 confirmed.
... Much respect to TCU. I didn't think they had a 12-0 in them.
... Kansas was never going to beat the Wildcats in Manhattan. I felt bad for all of those with hope on Saturday night.
... Joey McGuire beat Texas and Oklahoma in the same season. Respect.
... Attaboy, Ja'Quinden. Glad to see the talent is still flowing strong.
... It didn't end well for David Shaw and I'm not sure if we'll ever see him coach again, but he had a hell of a run at Stanford and is the postcard picture of doing things the "right way".
... All the USMNT needs to do to advance in the World Cup is beat Iran on Tuesday. Why does that feel like a tall task?
... From a neutral perspective, I'd love to see Messi and Mbappe have a showdown late in this tournament for the ages.
... Never fear UT basketball. You're about to be the center of attention for the next few months outside of recruiting and events from the Portal.
No. 9 - The List: Top 10 Steven Spielberg Movies ...
I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts over the weekend (The Big Picture) and a discussion of Steven Spielberg's best movies was at the heart of a discussion centering around the release of his new movie "The Fabelmans," which is expected to compete for Best Picture at this year's Oscars.
I found myself completely disagreeing with a lot of the list that was created and thought I would take it on in this week's column.
10. Lincoln
9. Munich
8. Minority Report
7. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
6. Schindler's List
5. Raiders of the Lost Arc
4. Saving Private Ryan
4. Jurassic Park
2. E.T.
1. Jaws
No. 10 - And Finally ...
Arch Manning is done playing high school sports after his team lost this weekend in the state quarterfinals.
The five-star early enrollee turned the ball over three times, including his first two interceptions of the season. It just wasn't his night.
Now he heads to Texas.
Buckle up, it should be a sight to behold.
Ugh, our entire defense may have something to say about him getting help in the TCU game. They scored more points th
I firmly believe this take is how the Manning’s see Sark and Texas as well. We’re not cutting corners for short-terms wins. We’re laying a foundation for long-term success. There’s some kool-aid in that beverage, but I’m thirty and partaking.
1000% agree. Tom needed maturing for this job. He has some great coaching characteristics but needed to marinate a bit more before being thrown on the grill of all grills.
And after his experience here, he now needs tenderizing before marinade application should begin again.
TH mocking opposing team players was embarrassing. Enough said there without really taking this narrative Deep South.
Good 10TFTW. I love OB and have been a loyal member for over 20 years. It is an important part of my life and I hope you allow me to be a member for another 20 years.
But I do feel like the Ewers negativity craze on OB has been flamed by you. Your postgame shows first few minutes talked about the win. But the next 45 minutes was a QE bash. This was a game that he had 3 bad plays! Did he really deserve that much negativity? It was not until Anwar came on the show that it was pointed out that Ewers game performance was not a big deal with other reporters. You seemed shocked.
I know you have pointed out that Sark called all running plays because he did not trust QE, but Sark said his self in the press conference that they were having pass blocking issues.
Many OB fans have turned on Ewers so much and there is such a negative bias that QE will not be able to do anything right in some peoples eyes. He has become another Chris Sims. There have been posts about 12 reasons Ewers is a terrible QB and that he is a top 5 QB bust of all time. I feel sorry for the kid. We should all know a freshman QB is likely to not be perfect.
Again I love this site. You have created the best football site in America. But I can not help but feel you have had some bias against Ewers the past couple of weeks in your reporting.
But I do feel like the Ewers negativity craze on OB has been flamed by you. Your postgame shows first few minutes talked about the win. But the next 45 minutes was a QE bash. This was a game that he had 3 bad plays! Did he really deserve that much negativity? It was not until Anwar came on the show that it was pointed out that Ewers game performance was not a big deal with other reporters. You seemed shocked.
I know you have pointed out that Sark called all running plays because he did not trust QE, but Sark said his self in the press conference that they were having pass blocking issues.
Many OB fans have turned on Ewers so much and there is such a negative bias that QE will not be able to do anything right in some peoples eyes. He has become another Chris Sims. There have been posts about 12 reasons Ewers is a terrible QB and that he is a top 5 QB bust of all time. I feel sorry for the kid. We should all know a freshman QB is likely to not be perfect.
Again I love this site. You have created the best football site in America. But I can not help but feel you have had some bias against Ewers the past couple of weeks in your reporting.
Well thought out Ketch. I think you spoke some of my same thoughts. I’m just hoping Ewers figures it out soon so we can have a true QB completion with him a Arch and Murphy.
I can't go as far as my guy @Anwar Richardson did this morning in declaring the 2022 season for Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns a "success."
I just can't do it.
Oh, I'm not sure that I'm light years away from taking such a step and if the Longhorns complete the season with an impressive bowl win to finish the season 9-4 and inside the top 15, I'm sure I'll be willing to revisit this entire conversation and consider changing my mind based on some nuance related to where things are now versus where they were a year ago.
Yet, at this exact moment, it's hard to see past the fact that the Longhorns finished third in the Big 12 in a year when the league was absolutely dreadful at the quarterback position. The league's No. 2 spot (at a minimum) was there for the taking and the Longhorns failed to take it.
My general rule of thumb for Texas football is that any season that doesn't end with the Longhorns AT LEAST playing for the Big 12 Championship and qualifying for a major bowl game isn't a success.
Period.
No one ever voted for me to be the decider of such things, but this has been the bar of excellence that has existed since I was a student at The University of Texas and a decade-plus of failing to be successful just isn't going to force me into lowering the bar.
Consider the state of the rest of the conference, which featured eight teams with three or more losses in conference play, including the Longhorns. Oklahoma was historically dreadful. Mike Gundy's team finished below .500. Defending champion Baylor finished tied for fifth, also below .500.
Meanwhile, the quarterback play was ... well ... pictures are worth thousands of words, right?
Look at this mess.
View attachment 3524
Exactly two quarterbacks in the entire conference finished in the top 58 nationally in passing and the Longhorns had to play only one of them.
You simply can't ask for a clearer pathway to a conference title if you've got a good enough team that wants to be viewed as a "success."
Now don't get me wrong, there are plenty of positives from this season. The defense became exactly the kind of outfit that should have allowed for this team to play for a conference title. The offensive line might have been as good as it’s been since Arch Manning was two years old. Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson were the best 1-2 punch since Brennan Huff and Dale Doback created the best NSFW song of the 21st century.
It's just that the only time in my lifetime when 8-4 is viewed as a success is when the previous season's play was so poor that 8-4 looks like a 1999 New Year's Eve celebration by comparison, which is what is occurring at the moment.
This 8-4 season isn't a success when comparing it to Tom Herman's record. It's not a success when comparing it to the prime Mack Brown years. It's not even a success when comparing it to John Mackovic's "successful" teams. Yet, if we're comparing it to Charlie Strong or last season's debut season for Sarkisiain, it looks like one by comparison.
Through 12 games, it's been solid. It certainly isn't a bad season. Hell, it's right on the cusp of being a success, mainly because the Big 12 was so lousy that a three-loss team would have qualified for the title game if Kansas State had stubbed its toe one more time (where was Tulane when it was really needed?).
Perhaps the best news of all is that a win in the bowl game would leave this team standing on a possible platform in 2023 to accomplish the things needed to undeniably call a season a success. The Longhorns are getting closer, but I can't quite say they are there yet.
No. 2 - Let's talk about Quinn ...
Forget about Friday's game against Baylor for a moment. In the grand scheme of things, it's merely a small piece of the puzzle that makes up his first season in Austin.
What matters most through the recently completed 12-game schedule is that Ewers didn't quite play well enough this season that he'll enter the spring with the starting job on lockdown, which I've maintained for two straight seasons that doing so was one of Sarkisian's No. 1 tasks.
Don't take my word for it. Just look at what Sarkisian said about the shape of the most important position on the field six days ago.
“I think competition is healthy for all of us. To anoint anybody for the future, that probably wouldn't be fair to the other guys in that room. Quinn's made some really good strides. I know there's opportunities he probably would love to have back throughout the year. I think Hudson (Card) has really improved. I thought he was really valuable for us early in the season when we needed him. I think Maalik Murphy is another guy who's got a bunch of upside. I have seen development in him. Like every year, we'll go into the offseason and wipe the slate clean and let these guys compete and battle and see what it looks like because that's what makes us better."
You can take it to the bank that this isn't how Lincoln Riley will discuss a position held by Caleb Williams or how Mack Brown will discuss the return Drake Maye going into 2023.
From my vantage point, there are several very important things it would serve everyone well to remember going into the next 10 months until the 2023 season-opener.
1. There's a really talented quarterback inside of Ewers, even if that player wasn't ready to spread his wings and fly in his first season. The arm talent that made him the No. 1 overall prospect in recruiting still exists.
2. It can't be stressed enough that Ewers is a very young quarterback. When many were ready to see him emerge as a Heisman candidate after the Oklahoma game, I stressed over and over again that young players almost always have ups and downs that you can't set your watch to. No one should be shocked that Ewers played like a pretty typical first-year starter.
3. Even though Ewers finished with a 131.4 efficiency rating in the regular season, he still picked up some invaluable experience. He's played and beaten Oklahoma. He's lost and won on the road. He's played and experienced games with high stakes attached to them. None of this is unimportant and when looking ahead to the competition he'll face for the starting job in 2023, he'll be the only player in the equation that can claim that he's been through all of the various fires the starting quarterback will face.
4. Ewers has to improve at the mental challenges of the position. He has to elevate his ability to make more than a single read in his progressions. He has to own the full offense in a way that he didn't in 2022. His brain simply has to become as valuable as his arm at this level.
Although Ewers ended up winning the quarterback battle in August, there were more than a few whispers about his commitment to the playbook and the mental side of the game.
Point-plank ... this side of his game has to improve or he's going to have a hard time holding on to the job.
Yet, if he's able to make the commitment to the position that will be expected of him, there's no reason to doubt that his performance levels in 2023 can be much higher than they were in 2022.
No. 3 - Re-visiting my thought on Ewers from Friday ...
For the life of me, I'm a bit bewildered at the response to the part of my post-game review of the game that focused on Ewers.
Over the last few weeks, I've been about as loud of a vocal supporter for Ewers than just about anyone else in the industry.
* When people cried to the rafters that he should have been benched in Stillwater, I maintained that it was the kind of test he needed to experience and that I wouldn't have pulled him.
* When people said the performance in Stillwater was the worst in recent memory, I dedicated a huge portion of this column pointing out that it was far from the worst quarterback performance any of you have seen.
* When the Longhorns won in Manhattan, I stressed that he had played turnover-free football and gave his team a chance to win a critical road game.
* I've constantly stressed over and over again that Ewers is a young quarterback and experiencing things that most young quarterbacks deal with.
Therefore, I was more than a little surprised to somehow be positioned as some kind of anti-Ewers, click-bait fire-breather because of comments made in my Instant Analysis column.
So, what did I actually say that warranted such heat? Let's inspect it all, paragraph by paragraph.
"It's just that Quinn Ewers played at a level that basically required Sarkisian to take the ball completely out of his hands in the two drives that decided this game following his fumble that allowed the Bears to take a fourth-quarter lead."
With the Longhorns leading by 5 with 13:30 left in the fourth quarter, Ewers lost a fumble that was returned 16 yards for a touchdown that eventually gave Baylor a 27-24 lead. It was the 10th point of the game that Ewers had contributed to the Baylor cause. In the final 8+ minutes of the game, the Longhorns ran 22 straight plays on offense that asked Ewers to do nothing more than hand the ball off.
That feels like less of a piece of speculative commentary and more of a read of what actually happened.
The stats will show that Ewers was pretty good, as he finished with a 176.9 efficiency rating. Yet, sometimes stats can't tell a complete story. On a day when Ewers handed the Bears 10 points on a safety/fumble combo, while also leaving four points off the scoreboard on a high throw in the red zone to Ja'Tavion Sanders, Ewers' feel for the game and what's happening around him left a lot to be desired.
The stats will show that when Ewers threw the football, he had a really nice game from a statistical standpoint. On several throws, Ewers flashed the kind of arm talent that makes the mouth water. Yes, he did give away a safety when he threw the ball into an area where there were no receivers while he was in the end zone. He did hold onto the ball too long and committed the only sin he simply couldn't by fumbling the ball, which allowed Baylor to totally flip the script of the game in the fourth quarter. His situational awareness did leave a lot to be desired.
"A lot."
Yeah, a lot.
"I mean ... Sark just stopped letting him do anything other than hand off and that decision probably won the game."
That's literally what happened.
"The scene was a giant reminder of how far this team still has to go at the quarterback position. When Sark said that the team would go into the spring with an open competition, he better mean it because it's much needed."
Again, where is the hyperbole and rhetoric that caused the outrage that occurred? The Texas quarterback position needs to play better, can't give the other team points through sloppy situational awareness and will be open for competition in a few months.
I just don't get the outrage.
No. 4 - Next year's Senior Class ...
Assuming that Bijan Robinson turns pro and the likes of Jordan Whittington, Junior Angilau and Devin Richardson have played their final snaps as Texas football players as Friday seemed to suggest ...
We're going to be looking at the smallest senior class I've ever seen.
The list?
RB Keilan Robinson
WR Isaiah Neyor
DT T'Vondre Sweat
DE Alfred Collins
LB Jaylan Ford
LB David Gbenda
CB Jahdae Barron
S Jerrin Thompson
S Kitan Crawford
That's nine before any further attrition or before the Portal potentially adds a few to it. A lot of leadership is departing and will need to be replaced.
No. 5 - Scattershooting on the Longhorns ...
... Bijan Robinson is 106 yards short heading into the bowl game of a 2,000-yard all-purpose season. Something to aim for!
... Xavier Worthy finished the regular season with nine touchdown receptions, which is two more than second-place in the Big 12 from Bryce Wheaton-Ford (West Virginia).
... No player in the Big 12 hit double digits in sacks this season, which is kind of wild. Barryn Sorrell finished sixth in the conference with 5.5. The next highest for Texas was DeMarvion Overshown, who placed tied for 18th with 5.
... Jahdae Barron held off late charges by Overshown and Jaylan Ford to finish as the team leader in tackle for loss with 11. That says a lot about how all over the field he's been all season.
No. 6 - A Portal profile to keep an eye on ...
On one hand, Kentucky wide receiver Barion Brown was saying all of the right things to the public following Kentucky's win over Louisville.
On the other hand, Brown's name has been making the rounds behind the scenes as a player that could absolutely end up in the Portal and I would suggest is a player to keep an eye on after catching 45 passes for 604 yards and four touchdowns.
That includes a monster 10 catches for 145 yards and a touchdown against Georgia two weeks ago.
The Portal is about to be bubbling over with talent and this is exactly the kind of player that would improve the Longhorns.
No. 7 – BUY or SELL …
(Buy) Yeah, I think Sark will most likely run it back with the same group of coaches.
(Sell) I just don't see Sark going out for anyone that will get in the way of his young talent.
(Sell) I'm not 100-percent certain that we should count on Neyor being an automatic starter coming off of a major injury. That being said, it's possible we'll see a couple of starters in the top 4, along with Johntay Cook, when it's all said and done.
(Buy) Don't shoot the messenger, but I am expecting it at this point.
(Sell) Maybe I'm naive, but that doesn't sound like Bijan.
(Sell) From a statistical standpoint, it's basically a wash going into next season.
(Sell) Hell no. 15 points?
(Sell) I don't think 8-4 does a whole lot for a majority of the board that watched Tom Herman put up similar seasons. I'm not sure that I would say that the board is overwhelmingly negative, but I would say it is overwhelmingly unsatisfied. Frankly, they have a right to be.
(Sell) It's possible that both things are true and not mutually exclusive. Caleb Williams showed us last year what a 5-star quarterback talent truly looks like and I'm having a hard time putting Ewers in the same sentence with him at the moment, even if some of these growing pains are to be expected.
(Sell) Possibly, but I'm going to go with one or two fewer. Let's call it 8.
(Buy) I expect transfers in the Portal to be very turned on by the Texas NIL situation.
(Sell) Receivers love Sark's offense, his history of producing star players and the fact that Arch Manning lingers in the distance.
(Sell) I wouldn't just completely forget about it at all, but it was a step in the right direction.
(Buy) He's that important.
(Sell) Joe Burrow had arguably the best season of any quarterback in NCAA history. Let's walk before we sprint like Ben Johnson on steroids.
(Buy) We're going into year three with way more questions than answers.
No. 8 - Scattershooting on anything and everything ...
... If I had a vote that mattered ...
1. Georgia
2 Michigan
3. USC
4. TCU
5. Ohio State
6. Alabama
7. Doesn't matter
8. Doesn't matter
9. Doesn't matter
10. Matters even less
... Heisman Ballot: 1. QB Caleb Williams (USC), 2. QB CJ Stroud (Ohio State), 3. RB Bijan Robinson (Texas), 4. QB Max Duggan (TCU) and 5. QB Bryce Young (Alabama)
... I couldn't be any more impressed with Michigan after they went into Columbus and shoved it in Ohio State's face. Jim Harbaugh has the team he's always dreamed of having. Do not sleep on them in the playoff.
... Caleb Williams is in a class by himself right now ... and he's back next season.
... Give Jimbo Fisher another 5 years on that contract after Saturday night.
... I know LSU fans are smarting after that ass-kicking. They were so sure of themselves on Thanksgiving Day. Level 1 confirmed.
... Much respect to TCU. I didn't think they had a 12-0 in them.
... Kansas was never going to beat the Wildcats in Manhattan. I felt bad for all of those with hope on Saturday night.
... Joey McGuire beat Texas and Oklahoma in the same season. Respect.
... Attaboy, Ja'Quinden. Glad to see the talent is still flowing strong.
... It didn't end well for David Shaw and I'm not sure if we'll ever see him coach again, but he had a hell of a run at Stanford and is the postcard picture of doing things the "right way".
... All the USMNT needs to do to advance in the World Cup is beat Iran on Tuesday. Why does that feel like a tall task?
... From a neutral perspective, I'd love to see Messi and Mbappe have a showdown late in this tournament for the ages.
... Never fear UT basketball. You're about to be the center of attention for the next few months outside of recruiting and events from the Portal.
No. 9 - The List: Top 10 Steven Spielberg Movies ...
I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts over the weekend (The Big Picture) and a discussion of Steven Spielberg's best movies was at the heart of a discussion centering around the release of his new movie "The Fabelmans," which is expected to compete for Best Picture at this year's Oscars.
I found myself completely disagreeing with a lot of the list that was created and thought I would take it on in this week's column.
10. Lincoln
9. Munich
8. Minority Report
7. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
6. Schindler's List
5. Raiders of the Lost Arc
4. Saving Private Ryan
4. Jurassic Park
2. E.T.
1. Jaws
No. 10 - And Finally ...
Arch Manning is done playing high school sports after his team lost this weekend in the state quarterfinals.
The five-star early enrollee turned the ball over three times, including his first two interceptions of the season. It just wasn't his night.
Now he heads to Texas.
Buckle up, it should be a sight to behold.
Really hoping Sark turned the corner on how to make second half adjustments from here out.
I heard and interesting comment made by Jerry Jones couple weeks ago about what they look for in a Wide Receiver either through the draft or free agency and they look for passion and Alpha personalities and that was one of the main reasons they let Amari Cooper go because his lack of passion and alpha leadership. He said their blue print was Michael Irvin and not the Amari Cooper. I think he was maybe hinting around about how quite Cee Dee Lamb is also.
I’m not sure what has happened with Worthy not being that guy, but from the looks of how he was pouting the last two games, I’m not sure Sark thinks he’s that guy anyLonger either.
It’s a shame because he does have big time talent, but you could see he was coasting on numerous plays that he could have caught, but just didn’t want to lay out for.
I'm usually a CCG is the minimum goal type. I'm also a "move on" type.
I refused to dwell on 5-7. Maybe this particular 8-4 could have been different for the reasons you laid out, but it wasn't.
I'm more worn out by the Ewers is or isn't the guy stuff, and the same with Sark.
Maybe QE isn't the future of UT at QB, but I also don't know that about Malik yet, and I cannot anoint Arch as the savior just yet.
The only things I know are that recruiting looks to be in good shape, and that the return of an intact staff bodes well.
I refused to dwell on 5-7. Maybe this particular 8-4 could have been different for the reasons you laid out, but it wasn't.
I'm more worn out by the Ewers is or isn't the guy stuff, and the same with Sark.
Maybe QE isn't the future of UT at QB, but I also don't know that about Malik yet, and I cannot anoint Arch as the savior just yet.
The only things I know are that recruiting looks to be in good shape, and that the return of an intact staff bodes well.
Caleb Williams is listed as the eighth best quarterback in the big 12 out of nine listed for passing stats last year. He made a huge jump this year from last year. There’s no reason Quinn can’t do the same thing, especially if the offensive line continues to improve their pass blocking and his receivers drop fewer passes. The problems that you spoke about in the passing game against Baylor are not just because of Quinn, but also because of the offensive line and his receivers.
You’re spot on with your Ewers comments. He’s fine athletically. His problem is between his ears. I know he’s young, but he needs to get with the intellectual part of the game stat.
I think most thought 8-4 was an acceptable record as a milestone in the journey versus the destination. I doubt you’re going to find anyone that’s stoked about 8-4. It’s sure as heck better than 5-7😀
We should’ve been 10-2 if we didn’t hand TT and OSU wins. Those losses sucked.
I think most thought 8-4 was an acceptable record as a milestone in the journey versus the destination. I doubt you’re going to find anyone that’s stoked about 8-4. It’s sure as heck better than 5-7😀
We should’ve been 10-2 if we didn’t hand TT and OSU wins. Those losses sucked.
I guess I’m the odd man out but watching Texas run the ball down the throats of a well coached Baylor defense got me really excited. I don’t care that Quinn never threw a pass. The offense on the last two scoring drives was like watching the 90s Cowboys impose their will on the other team.
Plus, Quinn needs to live in the weight room this offseason. An additional 10-15lbs of lean muscle mass is worth its weight in gold wrt the body's ability to take and absorb repeated hits. Hook'em!
Last edited:
I probably wouldn’t pick it today as my all time favorite, but I never liked a movie more at the time I saw it than that one.
Nice article @Ketchum , per usual. I couldn't stay awake last night because I have been sick as all get out the past two weeks. Not a great way to spend my birthday.
I will say you said in a couple weeks ago how teams would "lure Texas into the deep....." That has stuck with me and I smile every time I get a chance to use that line now 😄👊🏼 This was an 8 win team, we knew it but we expected a 9-10 win year so I'll call it fun times and we must enjoy the ride, even if it's bumpy 🤘🏼
I will say you said in a couple weeks ago how teams would "lure Texas into the deep....." That has stuck with me and I smile every time I get a chance to use that line now 😄👊🏼 This was an 8 win team, we knew it but we expected a 9-10 win year so I'll call it fun times and we must enjoy the ride, even if it's bumpy 🤘🏼
How about no back to back losses this season??? We didn't let any team beat us twice.
I can't go as far as my guy @Anwar Richardson did this morning in declaring the 2022 season for Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns a "success."
I just can't do it.
Oh, I'm not sure that I'm light years away from taking such a step and if the Longhorns complete the season with an impressive bowl win to finish the season 9-4 and inside the top 15, I'm sure I'll be willing to revisit this entire conversation and consider changing my mind based on some nuance related to where things are now versus where they were a year ago.
Yet, at this exact moment, it's hard to see past the fact that the Longhorns finished third in the Big 12 in a year when the league was absolutely dreadful at the quarterback position. The league's No. 2 spot (at a minimum) was there for the taking and the Longhorns failed to take it.
My general rule of thumb for Texas football is that any season that doesn't end with the Longhorns AT LEAST playing for the Big 12 Championship and qualifying for a major bowl game isn't a success.
Period.
No one ever voted for me to be the decider of such things, but this has been the bar of excellence that has existed since I was a student at The University of Texas and a decade-plus of failing to be successful just isn't going to force me into lowering the bar.
Consider the state of the rest of the conference, which featured eight teams with three or more losses in conference play, including the Longhorns. Oklahoma was historically dreadful. Mike Gundy's team finished below .500. Defending champion Baylor finished tied for fifth, also below .500.
Meanwhile, the quarterback play was ... well ... pictures are worth thousands of words, right?
Look at this mess.
View attachment 3524
Exactly two quarterbacks in the entire conference finished in the top 58 nationally in passing and the Longhorns had to play only one of them.
You simply can't ask for a clearer pathway to a conference title if you've got a good enough team that wants to be viewed as a "success."
Now don't get me wrong, there are plenty of positives from this season. The defense became exactly the kind of outfit that should have allowed for this team to play for a conference title. The offensive line might have been as good as it’s been since Arch Manning was two years old. Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson were the best 1-2 punch since Brennan Huff and Dale Doback created the best NSFW song of the 21st century.
It's just that the only time in my lifetime when 8-4 is viewed as a success is when the previous season's play was so poor that 8-4 looks like a 1999 New Year's Eve celebration by comparison, which is what is occurring at the moment.
This 8-4 season isn't a success when comparing it to Tom Herman's record. It's not a success when comparing it to the prime Mack Brown years. It's not even a success when comparing it to John Mackovic's "successful" teams. Yet, if we're comparing it to Charlie Strong or last season's debut season for Sarkisiain, it looks like one by comparison.
Through 12 games, it's been solid. It certainly isn't a bad season. Hell, it's right on the cusp of being a success, mainly because the Big 12 was so lousy that a three-loss team would have qualified for the title game if Kansas State had stubbed its toe one more time (where was Tulane when it was really needed?).
Perhaps the best news of all is that a win in the bowl game would leave this team standing on a possible platform in 2023 to accomplish the things needed to undeniably call a season a success. The Longhorns are getting closer, but I can't quite say they are there yet.
No. 2 - Let's talk about Quinn ...
Forget about Friday's game against Baylor for a moment. In the grand scheme of things, it's merely a small piece of the puzzle that makes up his first season in Austin.
What matters most through the recently completed 12-game schedule is that Ewers didn't quite play well enough this season that he'll enter the spring with the starting job on lockdown, which I've maintained for two straight seasons that doing so was one of Sarkisian's No. 1 tasks.
Don't take my word for it. Just look at what Sarkisian said about the shape of the most important position on the field six days ago.
“I think competition is healthy for all of us. To anoint anybody for the future, that probably wouldn't be fair to the other guys in that room. Quinn's made some really good strides. I know there's opportunities he probably would love to have back throughout the year. I think Hudson (Card) has really improved. I thought he was really valuable for us early in the season when we needed him. I think Maalik Murphy is another guy who's got a bunch of upside. I have seen development in him. Like every year, we'll go into the offseason and wipe the slate clean and let these guys compete and battle and see what it looks like because that's what makes us better."
You can take it to the bank that this isn't how Lincoln Riley will discuss a position held by Caleb Williams or how Mack Brown will discuss the return Drake Maye going into 2023.
From my vantage point, there are several very important things it would serve everyone well to remember going into the next 10 months until the 2023 season-opener.
1. There's a really talented quarterback inside of Ewers, even if that player wasn't ready to spread his wings and fly in his first season. The arm talent that made him the No. 1 overall prospect in recruiting still exists.
2. It can't be stressed enough that Ewers is a very young quarterback. When many were ready to see him emerge as a Heisman candidate after the Oklahoma game, I stressed over and over again that young players almost always have ups and downs that you can't set your watch to. No one should be shocked that Ewers played like a pretty typical first-year starter.
3. Even though Ewers finished with a 131.4 efficiency rating in the regular season, he still picked up some invaluable experience. He's played and beaten Oklahoma. He's lost and won on the road. He's played and experienced games with high stakes attached to them. None of this is unimportant and when looking ahead to the competition he'll face for the starting job in 2023, he'll be the only player in the equation that can claim that he's been through all of the various fires the starting quarterback will face.
4. Ewers has to improve at the mental challenges of the position. He has to elevate his ability to make more than a single read in his progressions. He has to own the full offense in a way that he didn't in 2022. His brain simply has to become as valuable as his arm at this level.
Although Ewers ended up winning the quarterback battle in August, there were more than a few whispers about his commitment to the playbook and the mental side of the game.
Point-plank ... this side of his game has to improve or he's going to have a hard time holding on to the job.
Yet, if he's able to make the commitment to the position that will be expected of him, there's no reason to doubt that his performance levels in 2023 can be much higher than they were in 2022.
No. 3 - Re-visiting my thought on Ewers from Friday ...
For the life of me, I'm a bit bewildered at the response to the part of my post-game review of the game that focused on Ewers.
Over the last few weeks, I've been about as loud of a vocal supporter for Ewers than just about anyone else in the industry.
* When people cried to the rafters that he should have been benched in Stillwater, I maintained that it was the kind of test he needed to experience and that I wouldn't have pulled him.
* When people said the performance in Stillwater was the worst in recent memory, I dedicated a huge portion of this column pointing out that it was far from the worst quarterback performance any of you have seen.
* When the Longhorns won in Manhattan, I stressed that he had played turnover-free football and gave his team a chance to win a critical road game.
* I've constantly stressed over and over again that Ewers is a young quarterback and experiencing things that most young quarterbacks deal with.
Therefore, I was more than a little surprised to somehow be positioned as some kind of anti-Ewers, click-bait fire-breather because of comments made in my Instant Analysis column.
So, what did I actually say that warranted such heat? Let's inspect it all, paragraph by paragraph.
"It's just that Quinn Ewers played at a level that basically required Sarkisian to take the ball completely out of his hands in the two drives that decided this game following his fumble that allowed the Bears to take a fourth-quarter lead."
With the Longhorns leading by 5 with 13:30 left in the fourth quarter, Ewers lost a fumble that was returned 16 yards for a touchdown that eventually gave Baylor a 27-24 lead. It was the 10th point of the game that Ewers had contributed to the Baylor cause. In the final 8+ minutes of the game, the Longhorns ran 22 straight plays on offense that asked Ewers to do nothing more than hand the ball off.
That feels like less of a piece of speculative commentary and more of a read of what actually happened.
The stats will show that Ewers was pretty good, as he finished with a 176.9 efficiency rating. Yet, sometimes stats can't tell a complete story. On a day when Ewers handed the Bears 10 points on a safety/fumble combo, while also leaving four points off the scoreboard on a high throw in the red zone to Ja'Tavion Sanders, Ewers' feel for the game and what's happening around him left a lot to be desired.
The stats will show that when Ewers threw the football, he had a really nice game from a statistical standpoint. On several throws, Ewers flashed the kind of arm talent that makes the mouth water. Yes, he did give away a safety when he threw the ball into an area where there were no receivers while he was in the end zone. He did hold onto the ball too long and committed the only sin he simply couldn't by fumbling the ball, which allowed Baylor to totally flip the script of the game in the fourth quarter. His situational awareness did leave a lot to be desired.
"A lot."
Yeah, a lot.
"I mean ... Sark just stopped letting him do anything other than hand off and that decision probably won the game."
That's literally what happened.
"The scene was a giant reminder of how far this team still has to go at the quarterback position. When Sark said that the team would go into the spring with an open competition, he better mean it because it's much needed."
Again, where is the hyperbole and rhetoric that caused the outrage that occurred? The Texas quarterback position needs to play better, can't give the other team points through sloppy situational awareness and will be open for competition in a few months.
I just don't get the outrage.
No. 4 - Next year's Senior Class ...
Assuming that Bijan Robinson turns pro and the likes of Jordan Whittington, Junior Angilau and Devin Richardson have played their final snaps as Texas football players as Friday seemed to suggest ...
We're going to be looking at the smallest senior class I've ever seen.
The list?
RB Keilan Robinson
WR Isaiah Neyor
DT T'Vondre Sweat
DE Alfred Collins
LB Jaylan Ford
LB David Gbenda
CB Jahdae Barron
S Jerrin Thompson
S Kitan Crawford
That's nine before any further attrition or before the Portal potentially adds a few to it. A lot of leadership is departing and will need to be replaced.
No. 5 - Scattershooting on the Longhorns ...
... Bijan Robinson is 106 yards short heading into the bowl game of a 2,000-yard all-purpose season. Something to aim for!
... Xavier Worthy finished the regular season with nine touchdown receptions, which is two more than second-place in the Big 12 from Bryce Wheaton-Ford (West Virginia).
... No player in the Big 12 hit double digits in sacks this season, which is kind of wild. Barryn Sorrell finished sixth in the conference with 5.5. The next highest for Texas was DeMarvion Overshown, who placed tied for 18th with 5.
... Jahdae Barron held off late charges by Overshown and Jaylan Ford to finish as the team leader in tackle for loss with 11. That says a lot about how all over the field he's been all season.
No. 6 - A Portal profile to keep an eye on ...
On one hand, Kentucky wide receiver Barion Brown was saying all of the right things to the public following Kentucky's win over Louisville.
On the other hand, Brown's name has been making the rounds behind the scenes as a player that could absolutely end up in the Portal and I would suggest is a player to keep an eye on after catching 45 passes for 604 yards and four touchdowns.
That includes a monster 10 catches for 145 yards and a touchdown against Georgia two weeks ago.
The Portal is about to be bubbling over with talent and this is exactly the kind of player that would improve the Longhorns.
No. 7 – BUY or SELL …
(Buy) Yeah, I think Sark will most likely run it back with the same group of coaches.
(Sell) I just don't see Sark going out for anyone that will get in the way of his young talent.
(Sell) I'm not 100-percent certain that we should count on Neyor being an automatic starter coming off of a major injury. That being said, it's possible we'll see a couple of starters in the top 4, along with Johntay Cook, when it's all said and done.
(Buy) Don't shoot the messenger, but I am expecting it at this point.
(Sell) Maybe I'm naive, but that doesn't sound like Bijan.
(Sell) From a statistical standpoint, it's basically a wash going into next season.
(Sell) Hell no. 15 points?
(Sell) I don't think 8-4 does a whole lot for a majority of the board that watched Tom Herman put up similar seasons. I'm not sure that I would say that the board is overwhelmingly negative, but I would say it is overwhelmingly unsatisfied. Frankly, they have a right to be.
(Sell) It's possible that both things are true and not mutually exclusive. Caleb Williams showed us last year what a 5-star quarterback talent truly looks like and I'm having a hard time putting Ewers in the same sentence with him at the moment, even if some of these growing pains are to be expected.
(Sell) Possibly, but I'm going to go with one or two fewer. Let's call it 8.
(Buy) I expect transfers in the Portal to be very turned on by the Texas NIL situation.
(Sell) Receivers love Sark's offense, his history of producing star players and the fact that Arch Manning lingers in the distance.
(Sell) I wouldn't just completely forget about it at all, but it was a step in the right direction.
(Buy) He's that important.
(Sell) Joe Burrow had arguably the best season of any quarterback in NCAA history. Let's walk before we sprint like Ben Johnson on steroids.
(Buy) We're going into year three with way more questions than answers.
No. 8 - Scattershooting on anything and everything ...
... If I had a vote that mattered ...
1. Georgia
2 Michigan
3. USC
4. TCU
5. Ohio State
6. Alabama
7. Doesn't matter
8. Doesn't matter
9. Doesn't matter
10. Matters even less
... Heisman Ballot: 1. QB Caleb Williams (USC), 2. QB CJ Stroud (Ohio State), 3. RB Bijan Robinson (Texas), 4. QB Max Duggan (TCU) and 5. QB Bryce Young (Alabama)
... I couldn't be any more impressed with Michigan after they went into Columbus and shoved it in Ohio State's face. Jim Harbaugh has the team he's always dreamed of having. Do not sleep on them in the playoff.
... Caleb Williams is in a class by himself right now ... and he's back next season.
... Give Jimbo Fisher another 5 years on that contract after Saturday night.
... I know LSU fans are smarting after that ass-kicking. They were so sure of themselves on Thanksgiving Day. Level 1 confirmed.
... Much respect to TCU. I didn't think they had a 12-0 in them.
... Kansas was never going to beat the Wildcats in Manhattan. I felt bad for all of those with hope on Saturday night.
... Joey McGuire beat Texas and Oklahoma in the same season. Respect.
... Attaboy, Ja'Quinden. Glad to see the talent is still flowing strong.
... It didn't end well for David Shaw and I'm not sure if we'll ever see him coach again, but he had a hell of a run at Stanford and is the postcard picture of doing things the "right way".
... All the USMNT needs to do to advance in the World Cup is beat Iran on Tuesday. Why does that feel like a tall task?
... From a neutral perspective, I'd love to see Messi and Mbappe have a showdown late in this tournament for the ages.
... Never fear UT basketball. You're about to be the center of attention for the next few months outside of recruiting and events from the Portal.
No. 9 - The List: Top 10 Steven Spielberg Movies ...
I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts over the weekend (The Big Picture) and a discussion of Steven Spielberg's best movies was at the heart of a discussion centering around the release of his new movie "The Fabelmans," which is expected to compete for Best Picture at this year's Oscars.
I found myself completely disagreeing with a lot of the list that was created and thought I would take it on in this week's column.
10. Lincoln
9. Munich
8. Minority Report
7. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
6. Schindler's List
5. Raiders of the Lost Arc
4. Saving Private Ryan
4. Jurassic Park
2. E.T.
1. Jaws
No. 10 - And Finally ...
Arch Manning is done playing high school sports after his team lost this weekend in the state quarterfinals.
The five-star early enrollee turned the ball over three times, including his first two interceptions of the season. It just wasn't his night.
Now he heads to Texas.
Buckle up, it should be a sight to behold.
% of regular seasons with 8+ wins
Sark - 50℅
Herman - 25%
Kind of early to start talking about "consistently" beating Herman's record, but the overall percentage is currently 64℅ to 54℅. This program had major holes in it when Sark took over. The OL was fairly putrid last year and the defense was going through it's 3rd system transition in 4 years. We knew this was not a 1 year rebuild going in. Dabo Swinney's winning percentage over his first 3 seasons was 55%.
Then 2018 season has to be a success. Played OU in Big 12 Championship game and beat Georgia in Sugar Bowl.
His final team disintegrated into the second best final ranking of any Texas team since 2010.
That's what fans of underachieving teams say.
There were also games that Texas was a play away from potentially losing, including one at home to Iowa State.
We never count those. though.
No, what I'm not doing is playing the pretend game for the sake of massaging feelings.
Ohhhhh.... so, what? So what is that one very specific play triggered a drastic change of play-calling.
For some reason, some folks want to pretend that it was a pure coincidence.
My definition of success for this team never changes. It is as consistent as the sun rising.
Hard to say. Probably could look something like that, but it depends on what becomes available and what they can close with.
I take it that Tom just happened to be in place during a year when cultural things out of his control occurred.
I'm not going to re-litigate the situation and how it played out, but it takes a special kind of person not to acknowledge the nuance and trickiness of the 2020 off-season.
Why do you respond to things I say with completely random questions that have nothing to do with the remarks or questions that you ask?
Why not just ask your question?
