As I did last week, I just totally DISAGREE that everyone needs to cut Worthy some slack. What needs to happen is that Worthy needs to own what he did this year, and if he comes back, he needs to grow up AND compete at a higher level. Patting a "problem child" on the head and telling him that we love him is NOT the right approach. Telling him that an elite receiver does not do the things he did this year and holding him to a higher standard is the right---indeed, the only---approach. And Ketch, if you don't think Worthy is a "problem child", you just aren't paying attention. Ask J. Sanders what he thought of Worthy's effort this week. Quit being an apologist, Ketch.
Ketch's 10 Thoughts From The Weekend (Time for Sark to do what others have)
- Thread starter Ketchum
- Start date
Loved it. Not sure if I liked it more than In Bruges, but it’s close. Really hope Farrell and Gleeson win Oscars.
Go find time to catch the movie called EO. Everyone in Hollywood is talking about it.
Through the first two seasons of his career in Austin, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian has posted a 13-12 record and has yet to win a bowl game.
It's been suggested that the roster was void of talent and that culture issues existed on a team that won 70 percent of its games in the season before Sarkisian arrives. Plus Big 12 officials detest the Longhorns and make it nearly impossible for the Longhorns to win games.
Yet, when you look around the Big 12, "lesser" programs are doing more in less time.
Sonny Dykes has TCU playing for a national championship in his first season after inheriting a 5-7 team.
Baylor's Dave Aranda won the Big 12 and the Sugar Bowl in his second season in Waco.
Chris Klieman won the Big 12 in Manhattan in his fourth season, despite not having a single player on his roster that the Longhorns gave the time of day to in recruiting.
Hell, Texas Tech's Joey McGuire won eight games, beat Texas and Oklahoma together in the same season for the first time in school history, while also beating an SEC team in a bowl by three scores ... in his first year as a major college head coach.
Everywhere you look in the Big 12, football programs are receiving historically great work from head coaches.
It's time for Sarkisian to join the party.
The point of this column isn't to be critical of Sarkisian, who has no equal in the conference when it comes to pulling the bluest of the blue super blue chips. Instead, it's to point out what is possible if Sarkisian and his staff can elevate their collective performance.
While the Longhorns have a bunch of questions on both sides of the ball going into the 2023 season, these issues aren't anything that great coaching can't overcome.
For instance, look at the quarterback position. The Longhorns don't really know what the hell to expect with a returning Quinn Ewers and a couple of young players in Maalik Murphy and Arch Manning competing for the starting job.
Yet, Kansas State went into this season with Adrian Martinez (the worst passer in the Big 12 this season) and a backup in Will Howard, who had more career interceptions than touchdowns coming into 2022. Having to juggle the two all season didn't keep the Wildcats from winning the title. TCU's Heisman runner-up Max Duggan didn't even start the season-opener this year because he had been so damn dreadful the year before. Hell, Baylor didn't even want to keep the guy at the quarterback position that led them to its title.
It just didn't matter. Those teams overcame whatever needed to be overcome because their coaching was just that damn good. No excuses required.
None of these coaches inherited perfect rosters or cultures. They just didn't let any of those unfortunate conditions keep them from accomplishing huge missions. By any means needed ... whether it's through the Portal or recruiting or just making your chicken-scratch into chicken salad ... just freaking get it done.
No coaching staff in the Big 12 has a better roster of talent on paper going into 2023 than Texas. No team has a coaching staff that costs as much money as Texas. Although I haven't yet done the math involved because the rosters aren't yet set, it's likely that Texas will have as many super blue chip players on its roster than the entire Big 12 ... combined.
If TCU can do it ... Texas should be able to do it.
If Kansas State can do it ... Texas should be able t do it.
If Baylor can do it ... Texas should be able to do it.
Therefore, Steve Sarkisian just needs to do it. Nothing less than what Dykes, Klieman and Aranda have showed us what is possible is good enough.
No. 2 - Discussing Quinn ...
Going into the Alamo Bowl, I stressed in the weeks leading up to the contest that everyone should be careful not to overreact to Quinn Ewers' performance - good, great, decent or awful.
It turns out that Ewers was pretty good against the Huskies in throwing for 369 yards in the loss.
Here's the breakdown of his performance by quarter:
1st Q: 8 of 12 for 89 yards (129.0 efficiency rating)
2nd Q: 6 of 8 for 37 yards (113.9 efficiency rating)
3rd Q: 5 of 8 for 91 yards and a TD (199.3 efficiency rating)
4th Q: 12 of 19 for 152 yards (130.4 efficiency rating)
The breakout of Ewers by quarter is pretty reflective of what my eyes and brain told me what occurred, which is that he had a pretty meh first half, a damn near perfect third quarter and then a decent (but not noteworthy) fourth quarter.
That's exactly what happened. The third quarter will likely be what is remembered most because all three of his incompletions were drops by Xavier Worthy. Bad drops. Disgusting drops. Legacy-shaping drops. It's hard to exactly pinpoint what his numbers should have looked like for the quarter, but something like 7 of 7 for 166 yards and a pair of touchdowns was possible.
That would have been a near 400.00 rating for the quarter. It would have made it memorable to say the least.
None of it really matters in the 30,000-foot view.
What matters most for Ewers is what happens over the course of the next nine months, not the last three weeks.
Now is the time that Ewers works to digest every single piece of the Texas playbook, position by position. Now is also the time that he works on his footwork. Now is also the time to work on the timing with his receivers. In his own words, now is the time to start working on becoming a vocal leader.
From my perspective, Ewers is going to be the starting quarterback for the Longhorns in week one of the 2023 season. He'll have the advantage of working with the first team all off-season and he is the guy that owns all of the experience at the position on the roster.
What happens from the moment game one starts is a total unknown and will come down to how much improvement he makes in all of the areas that he needs to work on over the next nine months. That remarkable third quarter on Thursday won't make for a hill of beans if he doesn't put in more work in 2023 than he's put in during the rest of his life combined.
It's why nothing he did against one of the worst pass defenses of any team from a major conference in America on Thursday night really mattered.
The real work begins now.
No. 3 -Let's talk about the X-Man ...
Where does one even start with Xavier Worthy?
If we're making a list of why a number of Texas fans are pissed at the sophomore receiver, it probably looks something like this:
1. Toyed with entering the Portal last season.
2. Used that threat of entering the Portal to secure high six-figures in NIL money, which probably ranked third on the team behind Quinn Ewers and Bijan Robinson.
3. Showed horrible visible body language throughout the season during games when he struggled to connect with Ewers and at times it seemed like he just gave up on plays rather than fight to get near the football at all costs. On top of that, he seemed to track the ball in the air so poorly at times that it looked like he might need an eye exam.
4. He didn't give a ringing endorsement on the idea of returning to Texas when asked about it last week before the Alamo Bowl, choosing instead to say he was just focused on the game.
5. In the game that he claimed to be extremely focused on, he dropped three critical passes that played a significant role in the team losing the game. It brought his total of dropped passes over the last two seasons to 18, which is among the leading numbers across the country.
It all reminds me of this scene in Bull Durham.
"We're dealing with a lot of shit."
There's a feeling for a lot of Longhorns that if now is the moment when Worthy walks away from the program, it would be good for everyone. After all, sometimes when you're dealing with so much perceived drama, it's best to just cut bait and everyone can just start over.
Yet, it's not quite that easy. For all of the strikes against him, there's no getting around the fact that no player in the history of the Texas program through two seasons at the wide receiver position has ever created more production. Let's just look at the side-by-side numbers of Worthy and the players generally considered to be the best in the program over the last three decades.
Touchdown receptions through freshman and sophomore seasons:
1. Xavier Worthy 21
2. Roy Williams 15
3. Jordan Shipley 9
4T. Lovell Pinkney 8
4T. Mike Adams 8
6. BJ Johnson 7
7T. Limas Seed 5
7T. Collin Johnson 5
9T Quan Cosby 4
9T Kwame Cavil 4
11T. Devin Duverney 3
11T. Mike Davis 3
Total yards through freshman and sophomore seasons:
1. Xavier Worthy 1,741
2. Roy Williams 1,645
3. BJ Johnson 1,237
4. Mike Adams 1,179
5. Lovell Pinkney 1,144
6. Kwame Cavil 1,091
7. Mike Davis 1,087
8. Collin Johnson 1,080
9. Limas Sweed 808
10. Quan Cosby 795
11. Jordan Shipley 646
12. Devin Duvernay 536
Total receptions through freshman and sophomore seasons:
1. Xavier Worthy 122
2. Roy Williams 107
3. Mike Davis 92
4T. BJ Johnson 82
4T. Collin Johnson 82
6. Kwame Cavil 74
7. Lovell Pinkney 69
8. Mike Adams 65
9. Quan Cosby 60
10. Limas Sweed 59
11. Jordan Shipley 43
12. Devin Duvernay 29
I don't care how frustrated any of you are. You just don't give up on a guy that leads your program's history in receptions, yards, and touchdown receptions through two seasons because a few folks are in their feelings.
We're not talking about a guy that has been arrested and charged with a violent crime. We're not talking about a guy that embarrasses the program in any way off the field. We're not talking about a guy that isn't liked by his teammates. We're not talking about a guy that isn't a hard worker.
No, we're talking about a guy who when he isn't making more plays in the receiving game as a young player than anyone that has ever stepped foot in Austin has a tendency to show his frustrations with poor body language. Or sometimes he drops a pass (0.72 in his career per game). Or is looking to maximize his earning potential in NIL.
Guys, those aren't sins that cause you to give up on a guy.
The best two things that can happen from here on out are this:
a. Worthy gets back to work in an effort to become the best version of himself as a player, which he wasn't as a sophomore, despite leading the Big 12 in touchdown receptions and earning second-team All-Big 12 honors.
b. The fans cut him a break.
Unless he has a complete change of heart from before the bowl game, he's set to return in 2023, regardless of what he didn't say at a press conference this week. No matter what you might think, his talent isn't easily replaceable.
Everyone just needs to give everyone a free pass for the last week. Move on.
Let the kid's return to top form be one of the reasons why Texas reaches the mountaintop in 2023 instead of his departure being used an excuse for why it doesn't.
No. 4 - Jake The Great ...
I'm currently working on an article for later in the week that re-ranks the Class of 2020 from the state of Texas, but I had to share one of the initial glaring eye-openers from the project.
For all of the discussion among Texas fans about the need to upgrade at the center position from two-year starter Jake Majors, it turns out that he's probably the best offensive lineman from the entire state of Texas from his class.
Seriously.
Let's sort through it all.
Has started 25 combined games in 2021-2022 at center for the Longhorns.
Has played in 14 games and made 8 career starts at guard through the first two years of his career
Has been a back-up for the Horned Frogs this season at left guard and will likely compete for a starting spot in 2023.
Anderson has played in only four games in his career at this point.
Lingberg has played in a total of nine games over the last two seasons as a reserve player. Isn't currently listed on the two-deep.
Has made two career starts at guard for the Hawgs after transferring from Charlotte after his freshman season.
Transferred to Tennessee in December after being passed up on the depth chart by younger players.
After starting eight games at left tackle in 2021, Ford was a back-up for the Trojans throughout the entirety of the 2022 season.
Has been a back-up for the last two seasons for the Aggies.
Only played 20 snaps this season for Alabama after starting three games in 2021. Entered the Portal in December.
Basically, it goes on and on and on like this. Without boring you to death with a bunch of names that haven't made a dent in college football, I'll just tell you that thus far the 2020 offensive line class from the state of Texas has been such a stinker that Majors is the only consistent starter from the entire pack.
Karic, Logan Parr and Jaylen Garth were the other members of the Texas offensive line class and all three are no longer in the program.
No. 5 - Here comes Jalen Catalon ...
Here's what you need to know about the former Arkansas safety, who is scheduled to visit Austin this upcoming weekend on an official visit.
1. The 5-10, 201-pound safety has had three surgeries during his Arkansas career and has only played one full college season, but he's been given a recent clean bill of health by doctors, which is one of the reasons Texas is interested.
2. Was the first Arkansas defensive back since 2007 (Michael Grant) to earn (second-team) All-SEC honors as a redshirt freshman, while also earning first-team All-SEC honors from the Associated Press. During the COVID shortened season, Catalon recorded 99 tackles, a team-best 51 solo tackles, 3 interceptions and 2 forced fumbles.
3. Has been severely hampered by injuries in the last two seasons, as he was limited to eight games in 2021 and a single this year.
4. Outside of a great game in the season-opener against Rice as a sophomore (11 tackles, 2 INT and a TFL), Catalon hasn't created a turnover or made a tackle for loss in his last 6 games played, which represents half a season of football.
5. Given that he's gone out of his way to make sure Texas is comfortable with his medical report, I'd be surprised if he's not a Longhorn by the end of the weekend. Considering he wants to be a spring semester enrollee, he only has until the middle of January to get all of his stuff together. The fact that he seems really focused on Texas (he visited Austin back in December), I'd be surprised if something other than him ending up at Texas occurs.
No. 6 - Handlin' Bid-ness ...
I wonder if there's anything in life that I do with the confidence that Sir'Jabari Rice displayed when shooting pressure free throws in the final minute of the Texas-Oklahoma game.
Down 60-57 with 2:07 left in the game, he knocked all three down.
Up 64-62 with 18 seconds left, he calmly knocked both down.
Up 66-64 with 13 seconds left, he laughed, while his body language seemed to scream "ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED!!!!", before knocking down both of them.
It all was all part of a game storyline that centered around Texas hitting 15 of 16 attempts for the game. On an afternoon when the game was decided by a single point, Rice's perfection and the team's near-perfection at the free throw line was pretty critical.
In the process, the Longhorns picked up a vital round win to begin Big 12 play and proved they could win a close game in a hostile situation without Chris Beard around to direct them.
The bi-weekly Big 12 grind has begun. Just keep stacking up wins.
No. 7 - Back on track...
In case you haven't been paying attention (and I have to admit, I've only done so casually), the Texas women's basketball team has recovered quite nicely over the course of the last month after a fugly 3-4 start, which included a loss to South Florida at home on December 2.
Since that loss to the fighting Anwar Richardsons, the Longhorns have rolled off seven consecutive wins to move their record to 10-4.
That includes a 46-point win to open conference play against Kansas State on Saturday.
We'll learn a little more about this team this week with road games at TCU and Oklahoma State, but is is back to playing at a level that won't require you to cover both of your eyes. Considering that there's not a single Big 12 team currently in the top 25 polls (Iowa State is the highest-ranked Big 12 team at No. 14 in the Coaches Poll), maybe there's still a lot to play for.
All I know if that Rori Harmon and Co. have my attention again.
No. 8 – BUY or SELL …
(Buy) It's a leap of faith, but I'll go that far at this point, even if there's some real skepticism in buying.
(Sell) I'm guessing they have a drop off to some degree in 2023, but does it matter? TCU is playing for a freaking national title. Unless something substantial arrives with that better record in the next two seasons, it would be the tiniest of moral victories at this point.
Ok, not all of these are buy or sell questions in format, but I’ll cut you some slack since you just sent me a check and I love your supplies. I'm sitting on 8 or 9 wins at this point, but I really need to see the schedule before being able to have a great feel for things. I think Ewers starts game one of 2023 and Arch Manning starts game one in 2024. Not sure what the hell happens in-between those two events. Yes, I expect the arrival of Manning to push Ewers to higher levels ... or else. Yes, the Mannings would not be delighted if put in a situation where Arch would need to wait until 2025. Texas likely wouldn't have been the pick (IMO) if the sales pitch was, "We'll get you in by your third year."
(Sell) I believe he mismanaged it on Thursday night, but using a one-game sample size to make such a statement is completely unfair. I'm not sure there will be portals, but Jaydon Blue is probably not thrilled he didn't play against Washington.
(Sell) With all due respect to the game he had the other night, Texas needs a better and more dynamic No. 3 receiver.
(Sell) No, I don't expect all four young players, which includes three freshmen, to be in the rotation.
(Buy) Yes, that feels like it might be too low of a number.
(Sell) Disappointing seasons are disappointing seasons. I'm not sure why this one would make for a harder nine months than the others. The fact that Texas recruited so well in the last two years and will have two 5-star quarterbacks on campus probably will lead to more optimism than existed in a lot of past off-seasons.
(Buy) No-brainer IMO.
(Sell) This board does overreact, but I don't know that singing the praises of the work Dykes has done counts as overreaction. He's done what most would have deemed impossible.
(Sell) Although his passer rating was only 146.8 in 2018, Sam Ehlinger passed for nearly 3,300 yards and 25 touchdowns, rushed for 482 yards and another 16 touchdowns, while also leading his team to the Big 12 title game and a Sugar Bowl win over Georgia. Oh, and he only threw five interceptions.
(Buy) He simply has to.
(Buy) I'm waiting to see the screw-job that awaits.
(Buy) I'm still waiting to be impressed in those areas.
(Sell) "May have" to play the best player in the 2023 recruiting class? I kind of reject the notion of the question, especially when he has 4 games to tinker with if he wants to.
(Sell) Nothing that is said in the summer will mean anything when the lights come on in September. That's when the job will really be won or lost.
(Buy) Hey, it might just be the jealousy of an old, bald guy talking, though.
(Buy) As @Anwar Richardson said in the Pulpit today, it might be now or never.
(Sell) I don't believe that at all. Hell, Pete Kwiatkowski was seen as a pretty great hire when that move was made two years ago. Pete Golding gave it serious consideration.
(Sell) What the hell are you talking about? Just put some mustard on it.
(Sell) Sir ...
(Buy) Sarkisian has a lot of slack, especially with his recruiting and all eyes are on what things will look like going into 2024.
No. 9 - Scattershooting on anything and everything ...
... TCU didn't just beat Michigan on Saturday, the Horned Frogs were fairly the better team. I can't believe I just wrote that sentence.
... Is Max Duggan sure he doesn't want to play another season of college football? I can't imagine life could be better for another 365 days elsewhere.
... Georgia got away with one against Ohio State.
... C.J. Stroud deserved to walk out of the Peach Bowl semi-final as a winner on Saturday night. Sports are cruel.
... Texans fans, you guys ready for Bryce Young time?
... After a 7-6 season with a quarterback now headed to the NFL, maybe it's time for Kentucky's Barion Brown to enter the Portal. Just saying ...
... I was really hoping that the Cowboys could rest some players in week 18, but ...
... After a quiet game against Tampa bay on Sunday, D'Onte Foreman will need 154 yards in the season finale to get to 1,000 yards for the season. Considering the Panthers will be on the road in New Orleans, it feels like too big of an ask to expect.
... Color me shocked by the Brock Purdy in San Francisco thing.
... Jaire Alexander held Justin Jefferson to 1 catch for 15 yards. Talk about putting your money where your mouth is.
... Kevin Durant is 34 years old and averaging 29.7 PPG, 6.9 rpg, 5.3 apg and has is shooting 57.7/41.7/96.5.
... Most teams in the Premier League have played 16 games. That leaves another 22 to go. I'm not sure what I expect to happen.
No. 10 - The List: 2022 Movies ...
I haven't seen all of the best movies in 2022, but I've probably seen the top 5-6 movies that are the leading favorites for Best Picture
Therefore, I've got some work to do going into the next month or two.
Movies I Still Need To See: Avatar: The Way of Water, Woman Talking, A Man Called Otto, Living, The Woman King, Aftersun, Till, Causeway, The Whale, Triangle of Sadness, She Said and Living
That being said, here's how I have things ranked as the year ends ...
Best Movie
1. Everything, Everywhere All at Once
2. Top Gun: Maverick
3. Tar
4. The Banshees of Inisherin
5. Babylon
6. The Fabelmans
7. Nope
8. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
9. Elvis
Best Director
1. Daniel Kwan, Daniel Schreinert (Everything, Everywhere All at Once)
2. Todd Field (Tar)
3. Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick)
4. Steven Spielberg (The Fabelmans)
5. Martin McDonagh (The Banshees of Inisherin)
Best Actor
1. Collin Farrell (The Banshees of Inisherin)
2. Austin Butler (Elvis)
3. Tom Cruise (Top Gun: Maverick)
4. Diego Calva (Babylon)
5. Gabriel LaBelle (The fabelmans)
Best Actress
1. Care Blanchett (Tar)
2. Michelle Yeah (Everything, Everywhere All at Once)
3. Margot Robbie (Babylon)
4. Michelle Williams (The Fabelmans)
Best Supporting Actor
1. Brendan Gleeson (The Banshees of Inisherin)
2. Brad Pitt (Babylon)
3. Ke Huy Quan (Everything, Everywhere All at Once)
4. Barry Keoghan (The Banshees of Inisherin)
5. Miles Teller (Top Gun: Maverick)
Best Supporting Actress
1. Stephanie Hsu (Everything, Everywhere All at Once)
2. Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)
3. Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin)
3. Keke Palmer (Nope)
5. Nina Hoss (Tar)
Fablemans is the biggest letdown movie for me. I had high expectations. Love Dano, but thought he, Williams and Rogan were all weak.
Does Texas land 3 more starters in the portal
Does Texas still land Another DB after
Does Texas land Jalen Catalon and another DB from the portal?
Do we land 3 more starters after the WF DB?
What is your best guess at who we end up with at WR 1 or 2?
Will we find a Edge rusher that can get 5 sacks next year?
I watched Banshees tonight. Great flick. I miss going to the theater. But I loved this.
Yeah, neither can I, Charles.
Card and Thompson is what Sark inherited, I think TCU's QB room was significantly better equipped to win, KSU's was probably worse though.
In 2023, Sark has got to win at least 10 games and play for the BIG 12 Championship. But most of all...STOP LOSING TO TEAMS YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BEAT...AND STOP LOSING GAMES AFTER YOU HAVE A DOUBLE DIGIT LEAD GOING INTO THE 4TH QTR!!!
Here’s a tidbit Brian Jones told me yesterday: since 2010 we have he same number of wins as Navy and Fresno St. Let that soak in.
"Everything, Everywhere All at Once" is a great movie. And with that being said, Michelle Yeoh will be nominated for Best Actress and I really believe she will win it. Her performance in the movie was phenomenal!
We beat up the Texas coach with the lack of development, and then we beat them up with the lack of instant success. The freshman and sophomore’s from the 21 and 22 class need time in the oven. The bench mark should be 9 wins and getting a big win.
^^^ Even as a confessed “Sark apologist”, I’m unable to disagree with the above sentiment.
^^^ All valid points, but I think Quinn’s #1 priority for the offseason should be to live in the weight room and get stronger while building lean muscle mass. Having confidence in his ability to take a hit will do wonders for his psyche.
^^^ In my view, portal additions should be as close to “sure things” as possible. I’m no expert, but 3 surgeries seems like a lot and an obvious risk to future, reliable playing time.
^^^ Sonny’s stock is going to blow up if he wins it all next week. The sky will be the limit for him. It will be interesting to watch where he goes from there. TCU simply won’t be able to afford him going forward.
^^^ The question of whether to rest or not to rest NFL players ahead of the playoffs seems to come up every single year. However, I thought it has long been settled that the correct answer is to play your starters all the way through the end of the regular season to ensure momentum heading into the playoffs.
^^^ Flash in the pan
I think Worthy stating the he will remain at Texas next season will do wonders for the attitude that many have towards him. His statement before the bowl game sure didn't help matters.
I hadn't thought about it before, but I wonder if the schedule will be part of the negotiation. Someone at Texas has to be prescient, expect the schedule screw job, and make that part of the negotiation before stroking a check (or signing off on the forfeiture of the Big 12 revenue distributions they've earned).
If they are lettin 2023 schedule drive negotiations then someone has lost their mind.
This sounds about right. And it’s why he will never win anything if he doesn’t change. Throwing the ball deep over and over and over again versus Oklahoma State and TCU and refusing to bench Quinn, who obviously had major issues going on were a couple of the worst Head Coach/OC performances I’ve ever seen. Basically they were the most cringe football games we’ve all ever seen because as we could do was cringe every time Quinn threw up another deep ball. There are many more examples, but the original point has been spot on. The Washington Head Coach certainly didn’t appear to be worried about Sark.
They can't cancel TX/OU. It's actually in the ABC/Fox contract. It's a guaranteed annual game.
I don't know how you made the Evel Knievel leap from me wondering if it's been a discussion point during negotiations to it being the central topic driving negotiations, but if there truly did exist an alternate universe in which money, timing, future OOC arrangements, etc didn't matter to UT's brass....then yes, I agree, someone would've had to have lost their mind to let conference scheduling be the driving force in negotiations.
"Controllables" - There are things in life you can control and things you cant. Worthy cant control certain things like height, body genetics, etc - but he CAN control his attitude or "perceived" attitude, work ethic, effort to get on the same page as his QB, his communication (maturity in what he says and what he does), etc. Sorry but now that he has six-figs NIL, he has that responsibility and more importantly expectation. You cant shoot you mouth off or act disinterested anymore. You cant. He is not a kid anymore. Sark seems to have a connection with him so I hope he is coaching him on this.
Until he fixes this and changes (which he has total control over), he's not getting a break from me. He let down his teammates with those drops especially with his attitude prior to the game where he was rumored "gone" again.
I can appreciate those great stats, but even those have an alternate side of them. He's incredibly talented and its easy to rack up alot of that over inferior teams. How much of that was clutch. When has he had a clutch performance? He had that chance last Thursday.
I manage alot of employees. Some very good performers. But if I have a very good statistical performer, that does not come through when I need him to repeatedly AND does not fix things that he can control (selfish attitude, not a team player, etc), well sometimes you have to make those tough decisions on what's good for the team versus an individual. It seems like Sanders is the only
one to visually show that but im sure there are alot of others that feel that way as well.
I'll be the FIRST one to congratulate him and support him if he first changes the things he can control. It's not that hard.
I understand that, but Young is so dynamic throwing the football. Tough choice.
I think Brooks can understand why he started, maybe not why he received the most touches.
Great stuff, Ketch.
Through the first two seasons of his career in Austin, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian has posted a 13-12 record and has yet to win a bowl game.
It's been suggested that the roster was void of talent and that culture issues existed on a team that won 70 percent of its games in the season before Sarkisian arrives. Plus Big 12 officials detest the Longhorns and make it nearly impossible for the Longhorns to win games.
Yet, when you look around the Big 12, "lesser" programs are doing more in less time.
Sonny Dykes has TCU playing for a national championship in his first season after inheriting a 5-7 team.
Baylor's Dave Aranda won the Big 12 and the Sugar Bowl in his second season in Waco.
Chris Klieman won the Big 12 in Manhattan in his fourth season, despite not having a single player on his roster that the Longhorns gave the time of day to in recruiting.
Hell, Texas Tech's Joey McGuire won eight games, beat Texas and Oklahoma together in the same season for the first time in school history, while also beating an SEC team in a bowl by three scores ... in his first year as a major college head coach.
Everywhere you look in the Big 12, football programs are receiving historically great work from head coaches.
It's time for Sarkisian to join the party.
The point of this column isn't to be critical of Sarkisian, who has no equal in the conference when it comes to pulling the bluest of the blue super blue chips. Instead, it's to point out what is possible if Sarkisian and his staff can elevate their collective performance.
While the Longhorns have a bunch of questions on both sides of the ball going into the 2023 season, these issues aren't anything that great coaching can't overcome.
For instance, look at the quarterback position. The Longhorns don't really know what the hell to expect with a returning Quinn Ewers and a couple of young players in Maalik Murphy and Arch Manning competing for the starting job.
Yet, Kansas State went into this season with Adrian Martinez (the worst passer in the Big 12 this season) and a backup in Will Howard, who had more career interceptions than touchdowns coming into 2022. Having to juggle the two all season didn't keep the Wildcats from winning the title. TCU's Heisman runner-up Max Duggan didn't even start the season-opener this year because he had been so damn dreadful the year before. Hell, Baylor didn't even want to keep the guy at the quarterback position that led them to its title.
It just didn't matter. Those teams overcame whatever needed to be overcome because their coaching was just that damn good. No excuses required.
None of these coaches inherited perfect rosters or cultures. They just didn't let any of those unfortunate conditions keep them from accomplishing huge missions. By any means needed ... whether it's through the Portal or recruiting or just making your chicken-scratch into chicken salad ... just freaking get it done.
No coaching staff in the Big 12 has a better roster of talent on paper going into 2023 than Texas. No team has a coaching staff that costs as much money as Texas. Although I haven't yet done the math involved because the rosters aren't yet set, it's likely that Texas will have as many super blue chip players on its roster than the entire Big 12 ... combined.
If TCU can do it ... Texas should be able to do it.
If Kansas State can do it ... Texas should be able t do it.
If Baylor can do it ... Texas should be able to do it.
Therefore, Steve Sarkisian just needs to do it. Nothing less than what Dykes, Klieman and Aranda have showed us what is possible is good enough.
No. 2 - Discussing Quinn ...
Going into the Alamo Bowl, I stressed in the weeks leading up to the contest that everyone should be careful not to overreact to Quinn Ewers' performance - good, great, decent or awful.
It turns out that Ewers was pretty good against the Huskies in throwing for 369 yards in the loss.
Here's the breakdown of his performance by quarter:
1st Q: 8 of 12 for 89 yards (129.0 efficiency rating)
2nd Q: 6 of 8 for 37 yards (113.9 efficiency rating)
3rd Q: 5 of 8 for 91 yards and a TD (199.3 efficiency rating)
4th Q: 12 of 19 for 152 yards (130.4 efficiency rating)
The breakout of Ewers by quarter is pretty reflective of what my eyes and brain told me what occurred, which is that he had a pretty meh first half, a damn near perfect third quarter and then a decent (but not noteworthy) fourth quarter.
That's exactly what happened. The third quarter will likely be what is remembered most because all three of his incompletions were drops by Xavier Worthy. Bad drops. Disgusting drops. Legacy-shaping drops. It's hard to exactly pinpoint what his numbers should have looked like for the quarter, but something like 7 of 7 for 166 yards and a pair of touchdowns was possible.
That would have been a near 400.00 rating for the quarter. It would have made it memorable to say the least.
None of it really matters in the 30,000-foot view.
What matters most for Ewers is what happens over the course of the next nine months, not the last three weeks.
Now is the time that Ewers works to digest every single piece of the Texas playbook, position by position. Now is also the time that he works on his footwork. Now is also the time to work on the timing with his receivers. In his own words, now is the time to start working on becoming a vocal leader.
From my perspective, Ewers is going to be the starting quarterback for the Longhorns in week one of the 2023 season. He'll have the advantage of working with the first team all off-season and he is the guy that owns all of the experience at the position on the roster.
What happens from the moment game one starts is a total unknown and will come down to how much improvement he makes in all of the areas that he needs to work on over the next nine months. That remarkable third quarter on Thursday won't make for a hill of beans if he doesn't put in more work in 2023 than he's put in during the rest of his life combined.
It's why nothing he did against one of the worst pass defenses of any team from a major conference in America on Thursday night really mattered.
The real work begins now.
No. 3 -Let's talk about the X-Man ...
Where does one even start with Xavier Worthy?
If we're making a list of why a number of Texas fans are pissed at the sophomore receiver, it probably looks something like this:
1. Toyed with entering the Portal last season.
2. Used that threat of entering the Portal to secure high six-figures in NIL money, which probably ranked third on the team behind Quinn Ewers and Bijan Robinson.
3. Showed horrible visible body language throughout the season during games when he struggled to connect with Ewers and at times it seemed like he just gave up on plays rather than fight to get near the football at all costs. On top of that, he seemed to track the ball in the air so poorly at times that it looked like he might need an eye exam.
4. He didn't give a ringing endorsement on the idea of returning to Texas when asked about it last week before the Alamo Bowl, choosing instead to say he was just focused on the game.
5. In the game that he claimed to be extremely focused on, he dropped three critical passes that played a significant role in the team losing the game. It brought his total of dropped passes over the last two seasons to 18, which is among the leading numbers across the country.
It all reminds me of this scene in Bull Durham.
"We're dealing with a lot of shit."
There's a feeling for a lot of Longhorns that if now is the moment when Worthy walks away from the program, it would be good for everyone. After all, sometimes when you're dealing with so much perceived drama, it's best to just cut bait and everyone can just start over.
Yet, it's not quite that easy. For all of the strikes against him, there's no getting around the fact that no player in the history of the Texas program through two seasons at the wide receiver position has ever created more production. Let's just look at the side-by-side numbers of Worthy and the players generally considered to be the best in the program over the last three decades.
Touchdown receptions through freshman and sophomore seasons:
1. Xavier Worthy 21
2. Roy Williams 15
3. Jordan Shipley 9
4T. Lovell Pinkney 8
4T. Mike Adams 8
6. BJ Johnson 7
7T. Limas Seed 5
7T. Collin Johnson 5
9T Quan Cosby 4
9T Kwame Cavil 4
11T. Devin Duverney 3
11T. Mike Davis 3
Total yards through freshman and sophomore seasons:
1. Xavier Worthy 1,741
2. Roy Williams 1,645
3. BJ Johnson 1,237
4. Mike Adams 1,179
5. Lovell Pinkney 1,144
6. Kwame Cavil 1,091
7. Mike Davis 1,087
8. Collin Johnson 1,080
9. Limas Sweed 808
10. Quan Cosby 795
11. Jordan Shipley 646
12. Devin Duvernay 536
Total receptions through freshman and sophomore seasons:
1. Xavier Worthy 122
2. Roy Williams 107
3. Mike Davis 92
4T. BJ Johnson 82
4T. Collin Johnson 82
6. Kwame Cavil 74
7. Lovell Pinkney 69
8. Mike Adams 65
9. Quan Cosby 60
10. Limas Sweed 59
11. Jordan Shipley 43
12. Devin Duvernay 29
I don't care how frustrated any of you are. You just don't give up on a guy that leads your program's history in receptions, yards, and touchdown receptions through two seasons because a few folks are in their feelings.
We're not talking about a guy that has been arrested and charged with a violent crime. We're not talking about a guy that embarrasses the program in any way off the field. We're not talking about a guy that isn't liked by his teammates. We're not talking about a guy that isn't a hard worker.
No, we're talking about a guy who when he isn't making more plays in the receiving game as a young player than anyone that has ever stepped foot in Austin has a tendency to show his frustrations with poor body language. Or sometimes he drops a pass (0.72 in his career per game). Or is looking to maximize his earning potential in NIL.
Guys, those aren't sins that cause you to give up on a guy.
The best two things that can happen from here on out are this:
a. Worthy gets back to work in an effort to become the best version of himself as a player, which he wasn't as a sophomore, despite leading the Big 12 in touchdown receptions and earning second-team All-Big 12 honors.
b. The fans cut him a break.
Unless he has a complete change of heart from before the bowl game, he's set to return in 2023, regardless of what he didn't say at a press conference this week. No matter what you might think, his talent isn't easily replaceable.
Everyone just needs to give everyone a free pass for the last week. Move on.
Let the kid's return to top form be one of the reasons why Texas reaches the mountaintop in 2023 instead of his departure being used an excuse for why it doesn't.
No. 4 - Jake The Great ...
I'm currently working on an article for later in the week that re-ranks the Class of 2020 from the state of Texas, but I had to share one of the initial glaring eye-openers from the project.
For all of the discussion among Texas fans about the need to upgrade at the center position from two-year starter Jake Majors, it turns out that he's probably the best offensive lineman from the entire state of Texas from his class.
Seriously.
Let's sort through it all.
Has started 25 combined games in 2021-2022 at center for the Longhorns.
Has played in 14 games and made 8 career starts at guard through the first two years of his career
Has been a back-up for the Horned Frogs this season at left guard and will likely compete for a starting spot in 2023.
Anderson has played in only four games in his career at this point.
Lingberg has played in a total of nine games over the last two seasons as a reserve player. Isn't currently listed on the two-deep.
Has made two career starts at guard for the Hawgs after transferring from Charlotte after his freshman season.
Transferred to Tennessee in December after being passed up on the depth chart by younger players.
After starting eight games at left tackle in 2021, Ford was a back-up for the Trojans throughout the entirety of the 2022 season.
Has been a back-up for the last two seasons for the Aggies.
Only played 20 snaps this season for Alabama after starting three games in 2021. Entered the Portal in December.
Basically, it goes on and on and on like this. Without boring you to death with a bunch of names that haven't made a dent in college football, I'll just tell you that thus far the 2020 offensive line class from the state of Texas has been such a stinker that Majors is the only consistent starter from the entire pack.
Karic, Logan Parr and Jaylen Garth were the other members of the Texas offensive line class and all three are no longer in the program.
No. 5 - Here comes Jalen Catalon ...
Here's what you need to know about the former Arkansas safety, who is scheduled to visit Austin this upcoming weekend on an official visit.
1. The 5-10, 201-pound safety has had three surgeries during his Arkansas career and has only played one full college season, but he's been given a recent clean bill of health by doctors, which is one of the reasons Texas is interested.
2. Was the first Arkansas defensive back since 2007 (Michael Grant) to earn (second-team) All-SEC honors as a redshirt freshman, while also earning first-team All-SEC honors from the Associated Press. During the COVID shortened season, Catalon recorded 99 tackles, a team-best 51 solo tackles, 3 interceptions and 2 forced fumbles.
3. Has been severely hampered by injuries in the last two seasons, as he was limited to eight games in 2021 and a single this year.
4. Outside of a great game in the season-opener against Rice as a sophomore (11 tackles, 2 INT and a TFL), Catalon hasn't created a turnover or made a tackle for loss in his last 6 games played, which represents half a season of football.
5. Given that he's gone out of his way to make sure Texas is comfortable with his medical report, I'd be surprised if he's not a Longhorn by the end of the weekend. Considering he wants to be a spring semester enrollee, he only has until the middle of January to get all of his stuff together. The fact that he seems really focused on Texas (he visited Austin back in December), I'd be surprised if something other than him ending up at Texas occurs.
No. 6 - Handlin' Bid-ness ...
I wonder if there's anything in life that I do with the confidence that Sir'Jabari Rice displayed when shooting pressure free throws in the final minute of the Texas-Oklahoma game.
Down 60-57 with 2:07 left in the game, he knocked all three down.
Up 64-62 with 18 seconds left, he calmly knocked both down.
Up 66-64 with 13 seconds left, he laughed, while his body language seemed to scream "ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED!!!!", before knocking down both of them.
It all was all part of a game storyline that centered around Texas hitting 15 of 16 attempts for the game. On an afternoon when the game was decided by a single point, Rice's perfection and the team's near-perfection at the free throw line was pretty critical.
In the process, the Longhorns picked up a vital round win to begin Big 12 play and proved they could win a close game in a hostile situation without Chris Beard around to direct them.
The bi-weekly Big 12 grind has begun. Just keep stacking up wins.
No. 7 - Back on track...
In case you haven't been paying attention (and I have to admit, I've only done so casually), the Texas women's basketball team has recovered quite nicely over the course of the last month after a fugly 3-4 start, which included a loss to South Florida at home on December 2.
Since that loss to the fighting Anwar Richardsons, the Longhorns have rolled off seven consecutive wins to move their record to 10-4.
That includes a 46-point win to open conference play against Kansas State on Saturday.
We'll learn a little more about this team this week with road games at TCU and Oklahoma State, but is is back to playing at a level that won't require you to cover both of your eyes. Considering that there's not a single Big 12 team currently in the top 25 polls (Iowa State is the highest-ranked Big 12 team at No. 14 in the Coaches Poll), maybe there's still a lot to play for.
All I know if that Rori Harmon and Co. have my attention again.
No. 8 – BUY or SELL …
(Buy) It's a leap of faith, but I'll go that far at this point, even if there's some real skepticism in buying.
(Sell) I'm guessing they have a drop off to some degree in 2023, but does it matter? TCU is playing for a freaking national title. Unless something substantial arrives with that better record in the next two seasons, it would be the tiniest of moral victories at this point.
Ok, not all of these are buy or sell questions in format, but I’ll cut you some slack since you just sent me a check and I love your supplies. I'm sitting on 8 or 9 wins at this point, but I really need to see the schedule before being able to have a great feel for things. I think Ewers starts game one of 2023 and Arch Manning starts game one in 2024. Not sure what the hell happens in-between those two events. Yes, I expect the arrival of Manning to push Ewers to higher levels ... or else. Yes, the Mannings would not be delighted if put in a situation where Arch would need to wait until 2025. Texas likely wouldn't have been the pick (IMO) if the sales pitch was, "We'll get you in by your third year."
(Sell) I believe he mismanaged it on Thursday night, but using a one-game sample size to make such a statement is completely unfair. I'm not sure there will be portals, but Jaydon Blue is probably not thrilled he didn't play against Washington.
(Sell) With all due respect to the game he had the other night, Texas needs a better and more dynamic No. 3 receiver.
(Sell) No, I don't expect all four young players, which includes three freshmen, to be in the rotation.
(Buy) Yes, that feels like it might be too low of a number.
(Sell) Disappointing seasons are disappointing seasons. I'm not sure why this one would make for a harder nine months than the others. The fact that Texas recruited so well in the last two years and will have two 5-star quarterbacks on campus probably will lead to more optimism than existed in a lot of past off-seasons.
(Buy) No-brainer IMO.
(Sell) This board does overreact, but I don't know that singing the praises of the work Dykes has done counts as overreaction. He's done what most would have deemed impossible.
(Sell) Although his passer rating was only 146.8 in 2018, Sam Ehlinger passed for nearly 3,300 yards and 25 touchdowns, rushed for 482 yards and another 16 touchdowns, while also leading his team to the Big 12 title game and a Sugar Bowl win over Georgia. Oh, and he only threw five interceptions.
(Buy) He simply has to.
(Buy) I'm waiting to see the screw-job that awaits.
(Buy) I'm still waiting to be impressed in those areas.
(Sell) "May have" to play the best player in the 2023 recruiting class? I kind of reject the notion of the question, especially when he has 4 games to tinker with if he wants to.
(Sell) Nothing that is said in the summer will mean anything when the lights come on in September. That's when the job will really be won or lost.
(Buy) Hey, it might just be the jealousy of an old, bald guy talking, though.
(Buy) As @Anwar Richardson said in the Pulpit today, it might be now or never.
(Sell) I don't believe that at all. Hell, Pete Kwiatkowski was seen as a pretty great hire when that move was made two years ago. Pete Golding gave it serious consideration.
(Sell) What the hell are you talking about? Just put some mustard on it.
(Sell) Sir ...
(Buy) Sarkisian has a lot of slack, especially with his recruiting and all eyes are on what things will look like going into 2024.
No. 9 - Scattershooting on anything and everything ...
... TCU didn't just beat Michigan on Saturday, the Horned Frogs were fairly the better team. I can't believe I just wrote that sentence.
... Is Max Duggan sure he doesn't want to play another season of college football? I can't imagine life could be better for another 365 days elsewhere.
... Georgia got away with one against Ohio State.
... C.J. Stroud deserved to walk out of the Peach Bowl semi-final as a winner on Saturday night. Sports are cruel.
... Texans fans, you guys ready for Bryce Young time?
... After a 7-6 season with a quarterback now headed to the NFL, maybe it's time for Kentucky's Barion Brown to enter the Portal. Just saying ...
... I was really hoping that the Cowboys could rest some players in week 18, but ...
... After a quiet game against Tampa bay on Sunday, D'Onte Foreman will need 154 yards in the season finale to get to 1,000 yards for the season. Considering the Panthers will be on the road in New Orleans, it feels like too big of an ask to expect.
... Color me shocked by the Brock Purdy in San Francisco thing.
... Jaire Alexander held Justin Jefferson to 1 catch for 15 yards. Talk about putting your money where your mouth is.
... Kevin Durant is 34 years old and averaging 29.7 PPG, 6.9 rpg, 5.3 apg and has is shooting 57.7/41.7/96.5.
... Most teams in the Premier League have played 16 games. That leaves another 22 to go. I'm not sure what I expect to happen.
No. 10 - The List: 2022 Movies ...
I haven't seen all of the best movies in 2022, but I've probably seen the top 5-6 movies that are the leading favorites for Best Picture
Therefore, I've got some work to do going into the next month or two.
Movies I Still Need To See: Avatar: The Way of Water, Woman Talking, A Man Called Otto, Living, The Woman King, Aftersun, Till, Causeway, The Whale, Triangle of Sadness, She Said and Living
That being said, here's how I have things ranked as the year ends ...
Best Movie
1. Everything, Everywhere All at Once
2. Top Gun: Maverick
3. Tar
4. The Banshees of Inisherin
5. Babylon
6. The Fabelmans
7. Nope
8. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
9. Elvis
Best Director
1. Daniel Kwan, Daniel Schreinert (Everything, Everywhere All at Once)
2. Todd Field (Tar)
3. Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick)
4. Steven Spielberg (The Fabelmans)
5. Martin McDonagh (The Banshees of Inisherin)
Best Actor
1. Collin Farrell (The Banshees of Inisherin)
2. Austin Butler (Elvis)
3. Tom Cruise (Top Gun: Maverick)
4. Diego Calva (Babylon)
5. Gabriel LaBelle (The fabelmans)
Best Actress
1. Care Blanchett (Tar)
2. Michelle Yeah (Everything, Everywhere All at Once)
3. Margot Robbie (Babylon)
4. Michelle Williams (The Fabelmans)
Best Supporting Actor
1. Brendan Gleeson (The Banshees of Inisherin)
2. Brad Pitt (Babylon)
3. Ke Huy Quan (Everything, Everywhere All at Once)
4. Barry Keoghan (The Banshees of Inisherin)
5. Miles Teller (Top Gun: Maverick)
Best Supporting Actress
1. Stephanie Hsu (Everything, Everywhere All at Once)
2. Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)
3. Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin)
3. Keke Palmer (Nope)
5. Nina Hoss (Tar)
All good points on Worthy, but…1. Once you’re getting paid you no longer have the luxury of getting “slack” from the fans, and 2. It feels like he has gotten a ton more targets than the other guys on the list. In other words, it is kind of like a basketball player getting his points (through volume shooting) but not making the rest of the team better.
I’m rooting for him but time to step up.
I'm not being an apologist, I'm asking for those that have been giant assholes to be lesser assholes.
Frankly, I don't think you have a great feel on the situation. You want me to ask the same Sanders, who is good friends with Worthy, if he thinks he's a problem child?
I'm guessing you wouldn't want to hear from him after he said something you don't like.
