Ketch's 10 Thoughts From The Weekend (Time to stop braking)

[Ketchum]

I respectfully disagree about putting Card in the game and here is my logic:
1) Ewers getting yanked still gives him plenty of adversity to work through.
2) With swirling wind, is it a terrible idea to put in a dual threat QB who can tuck and run at any point?
3) How about making TCU, KState and KU have to prepare to face a completely different package at any given moment?
4) I think the chances are remote, but Arky pretty much ruined Card for a huge chunk of last year. He never really recovered (plus I know he was playing hurt.) At some point you have to be careful not to expose your young QB to too much adversity.

1. It was the first time in his career he was in a tied or close game in the fourth quarter. You don't bench the future of your program and undermine his success in that situation.

2. Card almost certainly wouldn't have run it any better than Ewers did in getting the ball near OSU territory. Holding killed the play.

3. Sark is Sark. What you see is what you get.

4. What ruined Card as much as anything was the lack of support he received 7 1/2 quarters into his tenure as a starter. He was thrown under the bus and driven over several times. It was good not to repeat that.

 

[jtaaj5]

Oh please. You just made that up.

It’s funny how it can devastate the environment of any workplace or any organization when individuals allow non productive individuals to remain in place. I speak from experience.

 

[Ketchum]

It’s funny how it can devastate the environment of any workplace or any organization when individuals allow non productive individuals to remain in place. I speak from experience.

Your work place analogies literally are nothing like the dynamics of Quinn as the starting quarterback and his importance to the program.

Trevor Lawrence has and will continue to have some bad days with the Jags. You have to let him go through the fire.

Paolo Banchero might have an occasional 3 for 20 night from the field. The Magic know you have to let that player go through the fire.

If Erling Haaland goes 500 minutes without a goal.... you're not putting him on the bench. You're letting him go through the fire.

 

[HornInOz]

2. Card almost certainly wouldn't have run it any better than Ewers did in getting the ball near OSU territory. Holding killed the play.

You mean "supposed" holding penalty that happened at an inopportune time.

Seriously, though, too much gets discussed on whether or not you continued to play Ewers (you do)...

... and not enough focus is being placed upon how losing your focus and committing penalties can affect your chances to win, especially on the road.

In this case, you can blame the refs all you want (which I think is a loser's battle)... but we had enough obvious and uncontested gaffes (outside of that unfortunate holding call) that cost us a lot of valuable yardage and helped to extend OSU drives.

 

[Ketchum]

You mean "supposed" holding penalty that happened at an inopportune time.

Seriously, though, too much gets discussed on whether or not you continued to play Ewers (you do)...

... and not enough focus is being placed upon how losing your focus and committing penalties can affect your chances to win, especially on the road.

In this case, you can blame the refs all you want (which I think is a loser's battle)... but we had enough obvious and uncontested gaffes (outside of that unfortunate holding call) that cost us a lot of valuable yardage and helped to extend OSU drives.

+1

 

[frink1951]

You play to win the game, this is something Herman and Sark don't seem to understand. All of this stubbornness of leaving in a QB who can't throw or subbing in walk ons or backups to get game time early on in a game you might lose is unforgivable.

I really want this staff to succeed but they seem to rather need to be right than win games.

Well, mostly they’ve been wrong. And I’m willing to bet it cost at least two, maybe three, of them their jobs come January.

 

[TexasMcBizzle]

Well, mostly they’ve been wrong. And I’m willing to bet it cost at least two, maybe three, of them their jobs come January.

It's frustrating to watch, I'm holding out hope the staff are just slow learners with the in game stuff but losing winnable games against less talented teams isn't going to fly here.

there really is no way we shouldn't have beat Tech and Okie lite w a hurt qb and half their team hurt or quitting football, pretty embarrassing.

 

[Eagle Fang]

@Ketchum could you argue that Ewers missing all of September contributed to his play Saturday…as in we knew he was gonna have a game like this but wished the growing pains occurred 6 weeks ago???

 

[rgvhorn 89]

That’s the Soi Dog Foundation in Thailand.
They do great things.
When I was in Phuket I volunteered for a few days at their facility.

I’ve been “Phuket” mode since Saturday afternoon….

 

[OldBlood]

Great write this week. Thanks!
@Ketchum

 

[samthehorn]

The simple fact of Texas football life is that we hired a coach with a proven winning record percentage .556. Why on earth should we be surprised that he is not winning at higher clip? We knew what we got and now we must face the fact that we got what we paid for. I drank way too much KoolAid before I came to the realization that we are just another team in a middling situation. Look for the worst and hope for the best just doesn’t work. This is akin to a baseball team bringing in a guy with a .250 lifetime average, then getting pissed off that he’s not hitting .300.

 

[jefakin]

I am all for letting the young quarterback experience adversity but there was no objective reason to think Ewers’ play was going to improve late in the game as he seemed completely disoriented. Make the change and then state loudly and clearly after the game, as Dabo did, that Ewers is still your starting quarterback.

 

[Ketchum]

@Ketchum could you argue that Ewers missing all of September contributed to his play Saturday…as in we knew he was gonna have a game like this but wished the growing pains occurred 6 weeks ago???

It definitely didn't help. I noted almost as soon as he got hurt that missing the Tech game was a killer because it meant Stillwater would be his first road start.

 

[Ketchum]

Great write this week. Thanks!
@Ketchum

 

[Ketchum]

I am all for letting the young quarterback experience adversity but there was no objective reason to think Ewers’ play was going to improve late in the game as he seemed completely disoriented. Make the change and then state loudly and clearly after the game, as Dabo did, that Ewers is still your starting quarterback.

except it did.

He led the team down the field with 5 minutes to go and should have had a touchdown pass. They end up with a missed field goal. The next drive he gets them in scoring position, but a flag flips the field and puts them way behind the chains.

 

[Dillionaire23]

Be prepared to morn the loss of your Phillies cause the Astro's are gonna spank that azz

Why do so many Astros fans keep adding a rogue apostrophe to the name of the team?

 

[Cure4BizCancer]

I am all for letting the young quarterback experience adversity but there was no objective reason to think Ewers’ play was going to improve late in the game as he seemed completely disoriented. Make the change and then state loudly and clearly after the game, as Dabo did, that Ewers is still your starting quarterback.

Disoriented is an accurate assessment.

 

[Ketchum]

Disoriented is an accurate assessment.

He wasn't so disoriented that he couldn't throw a perfect ball to Xavier in the end zone or run the ball down into the near red-zone on the last drive.

 

[dfechtman]

It definitely didn't help. I noted almost as soon as he got hurt that missing the Tech game was a killer because it meant Stillwater would be his first road start.

Thoughts on KState start?

 

[Rex Tex]

The simple fact of Texas football life is that we hired a coach with a proven winning record percentage .556. Why on earth should we be surprised that he is not winning at higher clip? We knew what we got and now we must face the fact that we got what we paid for. I drank way too much KoolAid before I came to the realization that we are just another team in a middling situation. Look for the worst and hope for the best just doesn’t work. This is akin to a baseball team bringing in a guy with a .250 lifetime average, then getting pissed off that he’s not hitting .300.

Not that cut and dried - not that simple. Sark inherited 0-12 team at Washington, got them turned around to the extent that USC hired him away; and he then only coached 18 games there. It’s well documented the struggles he dealt with in 2015. There are a lot of football experts that think highly of Sark and what he will do here (Mannings, Saban, the staff he brought in). He’s flipped the roster 50%+. Patience - I still believe ut is on the right path.

 

[Ketchum]

Thoughts on KState start?

Por que?

 

[Ketchum]

Not that cut and dried - not that simple. Sark inherited 0-12 team at Washington, got them turned around to the extent that USC hired him away; and he then only coached 18 games there. It’s well documented the struggles he dealt with in 2015. There are a lot of football experts that think highly of Sark and what he will do here (Mannings, Saban, the staff he brought in). He’s flipped the roster 50%+. Patience - I still believe ut is on the right path.

To be fair, he's almost in double digit years as a head coach and he's a guy with a limited resume as a head coach.

 

[dfechtman]

Por que?

QE since missing TT and coming into OSU as first road game - thoughts on how he handles KS since at least having one road game under his belt

 

[Ketchum]

QE since missing TT and coming into OSU as first road game - thoughts on how he handles KS since at least having one road game under his belt

I have no idea. These are the moments that make guys who they ultimately become.

It's an early moment of truth.

 

[Rex Tex]

To be fair, he's almost in double digit years as a head coach and he's a guy with a limited resume as a head coach.

7 full seasons. I rate the first 3-4 at UW HIGH cuz the program was wrecked when he got there and he turned it positive. You gotta give a coach at least 3 years in a situation like that. USC was how you want to judge it and the jury is out on UT. It’s not as simple as he is .566 so he sucks and we deserve better. And again, a lot of folks who know more about him and the game than most of us believe in him.

 

[SSHornTXA14]

FWIW - my sources are telling me that Cook has a fracture of his forearm bone. He had a plate put in with some screws. More than likely to be held out of practice for the week and hopefully back at practice next week based on similar recoveries for like-kind procedures. Would imagine that’s in a cast or protection of some sort. Pray that holds true.

 

[SailorDave]

Why do so many Astros fans keep adding a rogue apostrophe to the name of the team?

Many people seem to think that an apostrophe is a warning that an s is coming at the end of the word.

 

[swlonghorn]

No. 4 - Big 12 officiating dumpster fire ...

I didn't read through all the comments, so SIAP.

But this has been happening with OSU for years. As in, every single year we play OSU, for at least eight years, the refs have screwed us over. And while this year shows up as the most egregious, 2015 and 2017 are just as bad.

2015 was, of course, the year everyone remembers for the awful defensive holding and penalty on Charlie after the ref bumped into him.

But in 2017, Texas had 8 penalties for 73 yards, and OSU had ZERO...until the refs called a false start with 36 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. They called a PI on them in overtime to give them 2-20 in the end. But, it was ridiculous, and nothing has changed.

I don't understand why our administration has continued to put up with that BS for a decade.

 

[lbaumer]

Why do so many Astros fans keep adding a rogue apostrophe to the name of the team?

It's an Astro's fan thang

 

[lbaumer]

Very possible. We're playing with found money at this point, though.

Found money is your pitching???