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

[FrancoBevo]

There's no question the program has to keep improving.

Keep improving. So you’ve seen improvement? Are you basing this on the win over OK and the close loss to Alabama? Both may turn out to be fools gold. Regardless, outside of those, I don’t really see any “improvement”. I see treading water at the mediocrity dock.

Also, it’s really hard for me to accept “improvement“ solely based on comparison to the abortion that was last year.

It would be like getting a 40 on the first exam and then getting a 50 on the next one and pretending I’d accomplished something. It’s still failing by any reasonable standard, especially for the football program that consistently tops the revenue rankings and pays combined salaries approaching $15m to people that don’t seem to have a fvcking clue how to consistently win games on Saturday, which, at the end of the day, is the only metric that matters.

 

[fouled_anchor]

The defense’s inability to consistently get the QB to the ground is killing this team. There are so many times guys get right there, but somehow are just a bit too late, or the QB escapes.
Ovie should not be starting. I don’t understand why a young guy like Justice Finkley isn’t getting most of Ovie’s reps, since he has proven to be mostly inadequate as an edge rusher.
The few times I’ve noticed Finkley in games, he seems to be disruptive in the backfield. I think it would be much more beneficial to have Finkley getting the valuable in game experience.
When it was announced that PK was going to come in as Sark’s DC, I was excited. His defenses at UW were pretty good. I’m at the point now where I’m beginning to believe his philosophy just isn’t conducive to stopping Big XII offenses on a weekly basis. Part of me thinks it’s got to be him, while I also believe some is due to inadequate personnel.

 

[Ketchum]

Also Congrats on your Phillies and baseball is crazy so anything can happen but the Astos look like a tough nut to crack.

The Stros are pretty incredible and clearly the better team.

We'l give it our best shot.

 

[Ketchum]

I think your recruiting rankings are a decent analogy. There is a greater break between 6.0-6.1 prospects and 5.7-5.9 prospects than in a 5.8 to 5.9 prospect. The Big 12 looks like a bunch of 5.8 and 5.9 teams.

 

[Ketchum]

How can 2023 be a better prize if the defense doesn’t make a big jump…

Fair point. The Portal will be critical.

Great quarterback play is the ultimate trump card, though.

 

[Ketchum]

It’s maddening to me how misused JWhitt is in the offense. You’d think he’d have at least five targets over the middle each game.

He seems to only be targeted two/three times a game and the rest of the time is spent blocking (which he is excellent at).

+1

 

[Ketchum]

Card should have played.

who would have thought folks would be arguing for this a few months ago?

 

[Ketchum]

Ewers played like he was on the "take" Saturday in Bigwater......the opposing qb didn't have throwing problems related to windy conditions !

Ouch.

 

[Ketchum]

I totally agree on NOT taking QE out against OK St. Clemson was getting the crap beat out of them and had nothing to lose.

However, if we have similar challenges with QE against KSt, you have to give Card a chance to take the reins in the second half or before the game gets away from us.

agreed

 

[Ketchum]

Another blowhard moment in the annals of someone whose been wrong as much as he's been right. But get on your knees and lap it up, children. You never had a mind to start with.

It must be hard to type with so much in your mouth.

 

[Ketchum]

But you said yourself he has failed to put the qbs he does have in the best position to succeed.

Yesterday was a really good example. Ray Charles could see early on the QE was struggling. Get the ball quickly and in a myriad of ways to those athletes that can make a difference.

You listed the plays that have been successful but were absent from the playbook a la Mackovic's removal of the qb sneak so many years ago.

Sure the hold on 70 was fantom. 8 slipping on the turf and missing one of the only well thrown deep balls all day was just unbelievable but not really.

Most coaches need special qb play to win something worth putting in the trophy case. Sark must need special qb play to win...anything.

Can't argue with any of that.

 

[Ketchum]

Do you mean as a series? Because the first movie wasn't all that great. This is one of the few series where it got better each movie until like 4 when it peaked.

Yes, I meant the first movie.

 

[Ketchum]

I guess when the ref asked OSU during the coin toss “Hey Spencer, what would you like to do?” We we’re screwed. I’m not well versed in coin toss educate, but the optics of that coupled with the penalty results are bad. If I was CDC I might be making a phone call to Yormark on Monday

I'm just not sure what it would accomplish.

 

[Ketchum]

Texas was ahead by 7 at the end of the 3rd qt. You’re going to pull your star Freshman QB with the lead? Really?

That's exactly my point.

 

[Ketchum]

I think Sark should script his first 15 or 20 plays of the second half. What happened to the misdirection plays (such as the one Worthy scored on) in the 2nd half?

They disappear.

 

[Ketchum]

Punchline remains the same. One coach had the nerve to make the change needed to win the game, while the other didn't have the nerve and took the whole team down with him.

Yet, it must be stressed.... if Worthy doesn't fall and the refs don't flag Jones after Ewers long run... the whole thing looks different, no?

 

[Ketchum]

Welp, cj baxter just announced an official visit to FSU this weekend. Was just there last weekend too. Johntay also posted some cryptic message online, as well as removed texas football from his bio that was there the other day. Not looking good.

The Baxter stuff is really concerning in my mind.

 

[Ketchum]

The failure to pull any player for poor performance by a coach has consistently lost more teams than anything else a coach can do.

Oh please. You just made that up.

 

[Ketchum]

Ok, the 2003 Tech game is a good point on the “replace young QB” argument. However, it’s not like Mock came in at the half and saved the day. He came in on Texas’ last possession after Vince had fumbled which led to Tech scoring and taking the lead. In this current case, on the second to last drive, Ewers was 2 - 4 for 32 yds, had a 35 yd run negated by a very questionable holding call, and a false start. He threw a desperation INT on 4th and 8.

On the last drive, Ewers delivered a perfect pass right into Ja’Tavons hands at the 10 yd line where, if he had held on, he almost surely would have scored. Oh, and there was also a False Start on that drive. Would Sanders have cought that pass if Card had been throwing it instead? Would the refs have kept their flags in their pocket if Card had been at the helm? I think you know the answer.

Ewers wasn’t very good but he is only one of about five reasons Texas lost.

Bingo.

 

[mln59]

@Ketchum you should see smile

 

[Ketchum]

“Quinn will learn from this”…..if there ever was sunshine pump speak that’s it. Like Quan said,,, with NIL $$$$ comes expectations

k.

 

[Ketchum]

The movie that scared me the most in my life wasn't even considered a horror movie.

Have you seen THE FALL? Scared the shit out of me. I have never squirmed more during a movie.

Never seen it. I don't think, anyways.

 

[Ketchum]

And as I wrote above, Mock only came in on the last possession of the game once Texas was behind. In yesterdays game, Ewers two drives after Texas lost the lead, we’re not that bad. The two false starts and bs holding call and Sanders dropped pass which would have led to a tying TD, were.

I'm really surprised more people aren't seeing it as you do.

 

[Ketchum]

What was Card's quarterback efficiency rating for last years Arkansas game?

87.5

 

[Ketchum]

If they show PK the door does Patterson step in and take the job? If not I’d he still here in the same capacity? Does anybody know what he really wants to do?

I think he hopes a head job opens up.

 

[Ketchum]

Hard for us to accept, but Sark is a downgrade coaching wise over Herman. I think we’ve seen a large enough sample to extrapolate what we’ve got. Of course, there’s always Manhattan.

agreed

 

[Ketchum]

Yeah let’s lose. And Astor’s will destroy your Phillies.

The Astor's are very good.

 

[Ketchum]

while i wasn't a big fan of Sark's hire, the correct answer is TBD. recall that Herman went 6-6 (7-6 after the Texas Bowl) so one game was the difference between Herman's first year and Sark's.

now look at Sark and Herman year two. Sark is sitting at 5-3 after 8 games. Herman was 6-2 and fixin' to lose the next game too. of course Herman won out, lost to ZerOU in a rematch which we won in the regular season for the Big 12 title then upset UGA in the Sugar Bowl to ultimately finish 10-4.

9-3 is still doable albeit we'd need to run the table and two games are against ranked teams, TCU and K State. 8-4 is more likely. we win a bowl game and Sark wins 9 games total to Herman's 10.

so the correct answer is ... TBD.

Is it, though?

 

[Ketchum]

Mock came in vs TT in Austin. He hit Roy Williams for about 50 yards throwing from his own goal line and scored TD 3 plays later. Last minute of the game. Bold and desperate move by Mack that paid off.
But different scenario than this. Card is gonna come in and win the game? Based on what? I don’t see it. Ewers actually performed well at the end - long scramble called back for BS holding penalty, and perfect pass to Sanders that he should’ve grabbed and put us around the 20.

bingo

 

[Ketchum]

Sure there is an overall trend, but the leading reasons for that trend have mostly been to shifts in offensive philosophy to just running out the clock. That was not the case be OSU. Sark tried to continuously attack and it still didn’t work. You have to evaluate each of these games independently. Taking a 10,000 ft view results in you missing the true problems behind each game. Ewers was the problem.

It's funny to me that the people that called Herman by the nickname Turtle Tom don't have a cute nickname for Sark yet.