Photo via AP
This football season has not gone the way most Texas Longhorn football followers expected, and that includes players and coaches.
The big goal was to compete for a national championship. After a seven-point loss at home against LSU, it appeared Texas was good enough to be in the college football playoff conversation. That was until Oklahoma defeated Texas, which eliminated that big picture goal. However, Texas still had a great chance to play in the Big 12 Championship Game. Sure, losing to Oklahoma was a step back, but if Texas won its remaining games, the Longhorns were guaranteed to make a second straight title game appearance. Of course, TCU knocked off Texas, and I am pretty sure @drunk randoke is still detoxing after drinking away his disappointment following that loss.
Texas (5-3, 3-2) cannot lose against Kansas State on Saturday (kickoff is at 2:30 p.m.). Heck, Texas needs to win its remaining four games (Kansas State, Iowa State, Baylor, Texas Tech), plus hope Oklahoma or Baylor implodes down the stretch, in order to reach the Big 12 title game. Texas was 6-3 (4-2 in the Big 12) after a loss against West Virginia last season before winning three straight games to qualify for the conference championship game. If you are looking for hope, Texas was in a similar situation last season and dug out of that hole.
The Longhorns face Kansas State at home. This will be the healthiest Tom Herman’s team has been since the season opener. Herman and his staff had a week to prepare for the Wildcats.
If Texas is going to turn the corner, it must happen against Kansas State.
That means no more excuses.
No more steps back.
No more team meetings.
No more meltdowns by fans on Orangebloods.
Okay, the last line is probably unrealistic.
It seems like every game at Texas is a must-win game, followed by the next must-win game. After those games, Texas will inevitably play in another … wait for it … must-win game.
That formula applies to the next four games.
If Texas loses one game, Longhorn fans better get ready to hit up Big City Wings in Houston before a third Texas Bowl appearance since 2014. This season will be viewed as setback if that occurs. It is hard to go from a bowl on New Year’s Day back to the Texas Bowl and feel good about this season. Once you start hearing about the importance of getting seniors to a bowl game, the white flag has been waved.
Of course, it would be disingenuous to discuss Texas’ current state of affairs without mentioning injuries. To be clear, I am not leaning on injuries as an excuse at all. Players are going to get injured every year. That is just football.
Herman and his staff received a lot of credit for obtaining fourth-ranked recruiting classes in 2018 and 2019, according to Rivals. In fact, they were praised for the gems in the 2017 transition class (quarterback Sam Ehlinger, linebacker Gary Johnson, offensive lineman Derek Kerstetter, tight end Cade Brewer, defensive end Taquon Graham, and tight end Reese Leitao). If the talent is there, but the Longhorns cannot successful apply their next man up mentality, that lack of development falls on the coaches.
In fact, Herman agrees with that assessment.
“We've got a saying that it's not, it’s that coach,” Herman said after the TCU loss. “If they’re not playing at the level that we need them to play, and when they don't understand, to know chosen the wrong guy to be out there, it's our job to coach the guys that we're going to play out there to make the plays necessary. That hasn't changed around here this year compared to any of them.”
If you list Longhorn players who have been injured this season with no context, that is skewing stats to win an argument.
Instead, I decided to list the games players missed this year due to injury. Clearly, some players were injured during a previous game and could not return. Others were injured in practice.
Nevertheless, here is the list I charted (let me know if I missed someone):
Louisiana Tech – RB Daniel Young, RB Kirk Johnson
LSU – RB Jordan Whittington, Kirk Johnson
Rice – DB B.J. Foster, DB DeMarvion Overshown, Collin Johnson, Kirk Johnson, Whittington
Oklahoma State – Collin Johnson, Kirk Johnson, Whittington, Foster, Overshown
West Virginia – S Caden Sterns, CB Jalen Green, DB Josh Thompson, Overshown, Whittington, Collin Johnson
Oklahoma – Whittington, Sterns, Green, Thompson
Kansas – DB Chris Brown, LB Jeffrey McCulloch, Whittington, Sterns, Foster, Green, Thompson
TCU – Whittington, Sterns, Brown, Thompson, McCulloch
In addition, tight end Cade Brewer sustained an ankle injury against TCU, which required surgery. Herman is optimistic Brewer will return for the bowl game.
Injuries should not be a topic of conversation this week.
Herman said he expects Whittington to play against Kansas State. The run game has not been explosive, but Keaontay Ingram and Roschon Johnson have played well. Whittington could add big-plays to an offense ranked within the top 20.
In addition, Sterns, Foster, and McCulloch are expected to be in uniform on Saturday. McCulloch’s playing time was reduced because of Juwan Mitchell prior to the injury. Sterns has the opportunity to play like the guy who was named Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year.
I said it last week, but the next four games are big for Herman’s assistant coaches. It is hard for me to see a scenario where staff changes are not made after this season. I do not have any insight, but my sources close to Herman said he is not happy with the results, even if those views are not expressed in front of the media. There is no way Herman squanders Sam Ehlinger’s senior season at Texas without changes after the regular season.
We might look back at this moment a few weeks from now talk about how Texas rebounded from the TCU loss and had a season-saving win against Kansas State. Maybe this defense gets better. Maybe somebody showed Herman, or Tim Beck, Alex Dunlap’s article about how their offense is tipping plays to opposing defenses (if nobody has, Herman's support staff is doing a huge disservice to the program). Heck, maybe the punt return unit will gain yards during the next four games.
That might mean no more meltdowns on Orangebloods.
Yeah, I did it again.
If Texas is going to turn the corner, it must happen against Kansas State.
Photo via AP
Funniest Things You Will See This Week
Props to Sunny Nelson for submitting this one. I was rolling
If you have ever watched Star Wars, and shopped at CVS, this one will resonate
Keep your head on a swivel
Somebody got a whoppin' for messing with momma like that
Sports On A Dime
1. Kansas quarterback Carter Stanley completed 27-of-47 passes for 310 yards and four touchdowns and no interceptions, while rushing nine times for 65 yards against Texas. He completed 13 of 23 passes for 115 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions, plus rushed five times for -27 yards, during a 38-10 loss against Kansas State. Todd Orlando’s defense made Stanley look like an All-American. The Longhorns cannot allow Kansas State quarterback Skylar Thompson to have the same success.
2. Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger has carried his team this season, which is why I give him a pass for not playing his best against TCU. However, Texas cannot have multiple turnovers against Kansas State and expect to win. Ehlinger needs to bring no less than his B-game to give his team a chance to win.
3. I thought Austin American Statesman reporter Brian Davis made several valid points while discussing the difficulty of cutting the cord and finding ways to watch LHN. Longhorn fans are getting rid of cable, like most people, and there simply are not enough streaming options to watch LHN. I know LHN is an easy target, but that channel should be available to purchase in the ESPN app. It is a missed opportunity to connect with Texas fans.
4. I am trying to figure out what will happen first if USC hires Urban Meyer:
A. Wins a national championship
B. Scandal in his program
C. Steps down after another convenient medical condition
5. It is hard not to feel for Oklahoma State receiver Tylan Wallace. I hope this injury does not impact his draft stock.
6. As a former Pro Football Hall of Fame voter, the voting process for the NFL’s upcoming 15-person centennial mega-class is an absolute joke. A new voting process has been implemented to get former Commissioner Paul Tagliabue into the hall of fame. Of course, Tagliabue is the guy who covered up the affects of CTE and concussions on players.
Check out this article from ProFootballTalk.com:
“In a memo dated November 1, a copy of which PFT has obtained, the Hall of Fame selection committee is informed that they won’t be voting on the 15-person centennial mega-class.
“Instead, a so-called “blue-ribbon panel” will choose 10 senior candidates, three contributor candidates, and two coaching candidates — and the choices of the blue-ribbon panel will be final, with no vote at all by the selection committee.
“It’s an astounding outcome, one that bastardizes the entire process. Since the inception of the Hall of Fame, a selection committee has determined the candidates that do, and don’t, get in. For the 15-person centennial mega-class, the usual process will be turned on its head.
“The reason for this grossly unconventional approach is obvious: It prevents the selection committee from scuttling the all-or-nothing process, to which many of them have objected, by voting “no” to the entire class. And it likewise ensures that people who otherwise would have a very hard time getting past the selection committee (e.g., former Commissioner Paul Tagliabue) will have a chance to get in.
“So, basically, the 48-person selection committee will now be disregarded, with the judgment of the blue-ribbon panel supplanting the usual process.”
Now would be a great time for Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee members to step down.
7. I normally do not get into NBA games until Christmas, but that duel between the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks on Friday night was compelling. Luka is a bad man.
8. Colin Cowherd used a lot of words to say Baker Mayfield has a bad attitude. Mayfield is a talented quarterback. However, he has put a giant target on his back because of his poor attitude, which means opposing players and media members do not like him. Mayfield does not care, and time will tell if he can well enough for his arrogance not to matter.
9. Meanwhile, here is a former high school quarterback from Austin with class:
10. Canelo Alvarez moved up to light heavyweight and knocked out Sergey Kovalev, who seemed content to throw light punches all night. I am not sure what that was all about. Alvarez got the win, and he is definitely the best pound-for-pound boxer in the sport right now.
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