Photo via Getty Images
It is hard for me not to be skeptical when it comes to preseason reporting.
No matter what is being said prior to football season, you always have to take a step back and question the positive news being relayed. It is easy for players to excel against guys they face every day in practice and perform on a familiar field. In the NFL, I will never forget the 2008 Detroit Lions team. That squad went 4-0 in the preseason, and many people thought former head coach Rod Marinelli’s team was destined to have a great season. Yeah, the Lions finished 0-16 that season, and Marinelli was fired. I never viewed preseason games or practices the same.
During Texas football coach Tom Herman’s previous training camps, there were plenty of reasons for optimism. We heard about former linebacker Malik Jefferson’s body transformation in 2017. There were stories about how burnt toast and pee charts were going to reshape the culture. We heard about the buy-in that occurred in 2018. Yet, Texas was defeated by Maryland in the season opener. Twice. To be fair, we as media members created these storylines. Herman was always hesitant to place expectations on his guys, and he was even criticized for pausing and saying “some” when asked to name his elite players during Big 12 Media Days in 2018.
However …
There is a lot of confidence behind-the-scenes prior to the season opener against Louisiana Tech.
Get ready for the Kool-Aid.
A few weeks ago, I asked Herman about the previous two season openers against Maryland and wanted to know if he would do anything different in training camp this year.
Herman laughed at the Maryland reminder, but gave a fair answer.
“Other than the variation in periods on the field, this isn't our first gig, either,” Herman said. “We were pretty good in season openers at our previous stop. I don't know that those performances were necessarily indicative of what was going on during training camp. We got to look at how we're handling the week of the game. It's hard here at the University of Texas. I called some of my peers in the coaching, and I said, hey, how do you guys schedule your practices when you start school on the Wednesday of the first game, and literally nobody (out) of the four or five people that I called has that ever happened.
“For us, it's three straight years where we've started classes the Wednesday of the first game, and so that can be pretty distracting. In most other universities, they start the week before the game week, so you have time to get into a routine. We're going to adjust a little bit how we operate on game week knowing that classes start, and a totally different routine getting shoved at them in three days before the first game.”
Herman has a point.
Prior to Texas, he was 2-0 in season openers at Houston. His squad defeated Tennessee Tech, 52-24, in 2015, followed by a memorable 33-23 victory against Oklahoma in 2016.
When I spoke with my sources about the upcoming season, I was honest. I hear all the optimism about this year’s team, but wanted to know how they intend to be more prepared for the upcoming season.
That is when they replayed the past two season openers.
Prior to the 2017 season, players talked a good game, but many of those guys did not buy-in. I was told when the bullets starting flying, guys on that team reverted back to their old ways. The complete buy-in did not take place until Texas Bowl preparations, which resulted in a victory against Missouri.
In addition, that team did not know how to handle pressure. One source reminded me about Texas’ season-opening victory against Notre Dame in 2016, which was a huge win at the time. Texas was instantly a top 10 team after that win. Of course, the Longhorns proceed to win only four more games and finished 5-7.
Last year, the buy-in was there, but people inside the building believe players psyched themselves out. They also were facing a Maryland team playing for Jordan McNair, their teammate who died of heat stroke prior to the season. There was a weather delay during that game, the field never drained, which contributed to horrible playing conditions. My sources point to how that team responded to the loss as evidence of it just being one of those weird games.
“This team is different,” a source told me. “We have different guys. We’re worried a little about the defensive guys being a deer in the headlights, but most of these guys played on a top 10 team last year. They know the pressure and gravity of the situation.”
Nobody within the program is worried about not being prepared for this season.
That does not mean they are predicting a Big 12 title. Nobody is checking to see when the college football playoffs are held this season. They just feel really good about this team.
When you have junior quarterback Sam Ehlinger, it easy to feel comfortable about the upcoming season. Having receiver Collin Johnson does not hurt either. You sense offensive line coach Herb Hand will figure out his rotation. Keaontay Ingram and Jordan Whittington are all Texas needs for a productive run game. The defensive line might be better this season. Herman has praised his young linebackers recently. These defensive backs should emerge into the Big 12’s top group. The coaching continuity is there. There is a reason for optimism.
We are 13 days away from the season opener. According to UT, “Texas has sold 62,645 season tickets for the 2019 football season, just 355 tickets shy of selling out the 63,000 season tickets available. The Longhorns’ record for season tickets sold in a year is 62,737 in 2010, putting them just 92 shy of that mark at this point.”
Longhorn fans are excited about this season. The stadium will be packed on August 31. Everyone is looking forward to Louisiana Tech.
From what I was told, the goal main right now is to get healthy. Ingram is battling a knee injury, while receiver Brennan Eagles (elbow), center Zach Shackelford (foot), Caden Sterns (ankle) are expected to be ready for the season opener.
Typically, I am very cautious about preseason narratives.
Those inside the building believe in this year’s team.
“We’re not concerned with this team having any issues like the previous two openers,” a source told me. “Could something else show up on Saturday August 31? Sure, but we don’t anticipate it. We don’t even feel like it was a possibility. We knew both years prior these things were possibilities, and they were. We don’t feel that way this year.”
Photo via AP
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Sports On A Dime
1. As I post this column, the news about Cedric Benson has not been confirmed. I contacted the Austin Police Department on Sunday morning and have not heard anything official. Honestly, I never covered or met Benson, and it would be disingenuous for me to reflect on his life and legacy. @Ketchum is more equipped to handle that task.
2. One reason to be very optimistic about the upcoming season is the schedule. Texas has only two out-of-state games this season (West Virginia and Iowa State). I asked a source about the advantage of playing nine games inside Texas and was told, “It’s not the travel there that is the issue. Normally, it’s the recovery home. When we went to L.A., didn’t get home until 4 a.m., and then practiced on Sunday. The travel part on the back end and getting recovered for the following week is the hard part.”
3. Most of the heavy lifting of training camp is over. Texas will begin preparing from the season opener against Louisiana Tech on Tuesday. I asked Herman about training camp on Saturday, and he appeared to be very happy with the results: “You always you want to see those newcomers who have never practiced with us embrace the way we practice, and those guys have done so. They needed a little prodding from time to time, but I think they are fully aware. And then, just the amount of reps for the guys on defense. Some of those new guys, it was good to get them as many reps as possible.”
4. Herman on the record-breaking season-ticket sales this year: “I want to thank them [fans] for believing in us. What we've got going and, where we're headed. I think it's also a testament to Chris Del Conte and his crew for making game days an experience around here. An all-day event that people want to come and be a part of.”
5. In 2017 and 2018, Texas and USC were the only schools to play 11 Power Five programs. At some point, Texas needs an easier non-conference schedule to gain momentum heading into Big 12 games.
6. This is my favorite part of training camp. It never gets old.
7. Sam Ehlinger will be on the Heisman watch list next season
8. The school backtracked and later said it was an encouragement, not a requirement. Regardless, college players should not feel pressure from their coach to make a financial donation to the program.
9. Kyler Murray looked good in his preseason debut, and the hype train was out of control. Murray struggled in his second preseason game, and some NFL observers tried to downplay it since it was an exhibition game. Murray is facing base defenses right now, and it will be interesting to see what occurs during the regular season when NFL coordinators scheme against him. Regardless, the Cardinals are a bad team with an unproven coach, and this team may not win more than five games.
10. Boxing is not dead, and it will never die. However, the inability to give fans fights they want will keep it a niche sport to the masses. The purists will watch boxing no matter what, but the average fan will only pay attention to a mega-fight once every few years.
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