Texas coach Charlie Strong does not need to review Saturday’s film to make a quarterback decision. There is no need to let this competition play out during the summer and two-a-days. He does not need to conduct a long meeting with offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert this week. Strong should do one thing on Sunday.
He needs to officially name Shane Buechele as Texas' starting quarterback.
Some people might call the hype over the freshman’s spring game performance an overreaction. Others may label the excitement as premature. There are cautious people who believe anointing Buechele as "the answer" is simply a knee-jerk reaction.
Frankly, those people are wrong.
Buechele looked like a guy capable of leading this team during an impressive debut on Saturday. He completed 22-of-41 passes for 299 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Texas scored four times during the spring game, and Buechele played on each drive, according to the official stats. Buechele always placed the ball where his receivers could catch it, or nobody else would. He was never rattled. He looked like a starting quarterback.
Meanwhile, Tyrone Swoopes completed 4-of-16 passes for 71 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions on Saturday. After John Burt dropped a long pass from Swoopes in the first quarter, Swoopes struggled throughout the game. Many of his passes were contested by defensive backs. The accuracy was not there. For an offense that was supposed to be so simple for Swoopes to excel in, he looked like the same quarterback who struggled in Shawn Watson’s system, and was relegated to being a runner under Jay Norvell.
Game over.
There is no way Strong can sell Swoopes to the fan base, especially after what everybody witnessed on Saturday. If there was a second half, Buechele may have finished with so many yards and touchdowns, Strong would have been forced to name a starter after the game. The game ended prematurely, and so did any argument about Swoopes starting again this season. In fact, I spent the evening talking to my sources, and all of them agree it will be hard to sell Swoopes to Longhorn fans after Buchele’s performance.
Here is the deal:
- Nobody wants to hear about Swoopes’ potential when Buechele showed so much promise.
- Buechele may struggle as a freshman, but that is better than watching Swoopes flounder as a senior.
- We may not know how Buechele will react in the season opener. However, most observers can predict what will occur when Swoopes is under the lights.
- Strong is possibly facing a do-or-die season, and the blind faith in Swoopes has contributed to the program being in intensive care.
Photo via the Houston Chronicle
Nobody is saying Swoopes is a bad person, because he appears to have a lot of friends on the team. He was very effective in the 18-wheeler package last season. Swoopes is seemingly enjoying being a college player and attending Texas. It sounds like a great experience for him.
However, for Longhorn fans who want to win, they need to experience Buechele as a starter.
Strong can name Buechele a starter and never look back by making an honest observation – this is not "his" team.
This offense will be led by D’Onta Foreman and Chris Warren in 2016, not Buechele. Warren gained 101 yards and one touchdown on seven rushes, while Foreman had nine carries for 73 yards and one touchdown. It may not be as simple as just handing the ball off to those two studs, but the formula should be pretty darn close. Plus, Kirk Johnson (knee) is expected to participate in offseason workouts, and incoming freshman Kyle Porter will hit campus later this year. Buechele has enough weapons to lean on the run game.
"They’re both big," Gilbert said. "They’re both physical. It brings an aspect to your run game that a lot of people don’t have, and we’re very fortunate with those two guys. We’re obviously going to utilize those guys in our offense, and just be a part of the process of trying to win every Saturday."
Gilbert said the biggest running back he remembered coaching was 225. Foreman is listed at 238 pounds, while Warren is at 255.
“You've still got to be good up front,” Gilbert said. “You've got to get bodies on bodies, but they do a really good job. They’re big, they’re physical. They do a great job with our fundamentals and techniques and paths we ask them to run.”
Meanwhile, there are plenty of receivers who are playmakers. Collin Johnson and Burt could be explosive options for Buechele in the fall. Armanti Foreman, Jacorey “Petey” Warrick and Jake Oliver are in the mix. DeAndre McNeal, Dorian Leonard and Lorenzo Joe are fighting to be in the rotation, too.
The offensive line may have a few question marks, but nothing was alarming about its performance on Saturday.
Right now, the only thing alarming is any talk surrounding Swoopes starting in the season opener after Buechele rose to the occasion. Strong has always maintained if an upperclassman is tied with an underclassman, he would start the young player. I asked him if the same rule applied to Buechele and Swoopes, and Strong said, “When we make that decision, it won't be a tie. It will be a guy that clearly stepped out where we can say, 'Boom. That's the guy. Let's go with him, and let's go play.'"
Well, I saw enough on Saturday.
There is no tie.
Buechele needs to be named the starting quarterback.
Photo via the Houston Chronicle
10 Things We Learned After The Game
1. Do not be surprised if Saturday was the last time you saw backup quarterback Kai Locksley in a Texas uniform. From what I was told, his tweet after the spring game did not go over well with anyone inside of the building. I was told another reason there might be a parting of ways this offseason is because there are certain expectations players in the program are supposed to meet, and Locksley has not met those requirements, which explains his lack of playing time. I know that seems elusive, but I cannot get into any details right now.
2. Texas safety Kevin Vaccaro delivered a nice hit against Buechele in the spring game. However, Vaccaro was told he could never hit Buechele like that again.
3. Gilbert was asked if he showed the bare minimum on offense during Saturday’s spring game, and responded by saying, “It wasn’t much” while smiling. Clearly, what we witnessed on Saturday was just a small preview of the future.
4. One thing Gilbert tried to emphasis is nothing has been settled on offense. He expects guys to compete for playing time at every spot. He wants to see how players perform in the summer and two-a-days before finalizing his starters.
5. Here was Gilbert’s response when asked about his biggest concern: “We've just got to get better. It’s still early. We’re still learning these guys and trying to figure out how or what is the best thing for us to be doing on our side of the ball. Just continue to watch, evaluate and see.”
6. If Longhorn fans are looking for another positive statement from Gilbert, he said the installation of this offense at Texas is on par with other places he has coached. It appears there have not been any setbacks, and Gilbert is satisfied with the progress of his unit at this point.
7. Gilbert had plenty of positive things to say about assistants Charlie Williams and Anthony Johnson, two guys he has worked with for only a few months: “Man, it’s been great. Those two guys have been great hires. They do a great job with kids. They love kids. Both of those guys are very knowledgeable. They’re very enthusiastic, and they do a great job of coaching or guys and learning what we did. They had to learn, too, before they could coach our kids. They’ve done a great job. Both of those guys are really stand up guys and coaches.”
8. This is a small note, but Gilbert said he plans to coach from the sidelines instead of the press box this season. Former Texas offensive coordinator Shawn Watson preferred to coach from the box.
9. Gilbert was not worried about Texas receiver Collin Johnson’s lack of involvement during Saturday’s game. He reemphasized that the spring game does not overshadow the previous 14 practices. Gilbert described Johnson as a hard worker, somebody who wants to be good, plus he has ball skills.
10. Finally, here was Gilbert’s assessment of freshman center Zach Shackelford: “Every day he’s just gotten better. He’s a guy that’s very coachable. He’s physical. I know (offensive line coach) Matt (Mattox) loves him. He’s just done a great job. Again, he’s a young guy [who should be] two weeks from prom. He falls in that deal, too. He’s just a young guy. He’s really jumped both feet forward with what’s been going on, and what coach has asked him to do up front.”
Funniest Thing You Will See This Week
Sports On A Dime
1. Every time Warren touches the ball, I expect something good to happen. He is a becoming special player:
2. Dallas Wilson High cornerback Darrion Green has become my favorite recruit in the 2017 class. Green was an invited guest to Texas’ spring game, and his Hudl highlights are impressive. However, I learned Green has emerged into a top recruit despite being deaf. Green had to read the lips of Texas coaches during his visit this weekend. So far, he has been offered by Michigan, but is waiting for a Texas offer. He was told Brian Jean-Mary will visit him on campus during spring evaluations. I wish this young man nothing but luck in the future.
3. Everything that comes out of Baylor is just disturbing:
4. History tells us judging an NFL schedule in April is a fruitless exercise because nobody knows which teams will be good or bad. However, I really think Dallas has a chance to win the NFC East this year. If the Cowboys find an adequate backup for Tony Romo, while adding defensive players who can contribute right away via the NFL draft, I like their chances to excel.
5. Okay, the Rams went all chips in after their recent trade with Tennessee. Even if Carson Wentz or Jared Goff flop, I still do not think Jeff Fisher will ever be fired for being a mediocre coach.
6. After former New Orleans defensive end Will Smith was recently shot to death, I was ready to throw Cardell Hayes under the jail. However, after watching the accident video, and reading witness accounts stating Smith had a gun, I may have rushed to a quick personal judgement of this situation. Once the video of the shooting is released, we will have a better idea of what really occurred.
7. Last week, I questioned why the heck NFL commissioner Roger Goodell had not reinstated Josh Gordon. A few days later, we learned Gordon is an idiot who failed another drug test. I love vodka and bourbon (not together), but I would drink Aquafina every day for seven figures a year. Maybe Gordon can start working at that car dealership again – assuming they do not drug test.
8. Drew Rosenhaus threatening to drop Johnny Manziel unless he entered rehab was a nice gesture, but the agent will realize a fact the majority of observers grasped a long time ago – Manziel does not care.
9. There are really no words for this:
10. Very impressive victory by Errol Spence Jr. against Chris Algieri on Saturday. I would like to see Spence against Timothy Bradley or Danny Garcia in the future.
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