Photo via HookEm.com
The moment Texas football coach Tom Herman’s heart dropped is the same one Longhorn observers will never forget.
Texas dominated Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. The score did not indicate how well Texas performed during that victory, mainly because the Longhorns played conservatively on offense after obtaining a big lead. The postgame interview and trophy presentation started several minutes after the win. If we are being honest, that occasion is usually non-eventful, but Sam Ehlinger livened it up when he declared that Texas was back. His proclamation excited a fan base that has been clinging to the days of Vince Young and Colt McCoy through the history channel (LHN) for far too long.
During Big 12 Media Days, I asked Herman if appearing in the conference title game and winning a major bowl meant Texas was back.
“I've never been able to answer that question because I don't know what the definition of back is,” Texas football coach Tom Herman said.
Texas may or may not be back, but the Longhorns still have Ehlinger .
That might be all the Longhorns need.
Herman has consistently been cautious with answering the question since Ehlinger gave him high blood pressure on the podium. To Herman, the answer is pretty subjective. In his mind, it is hard to describe what Texas is back from.
To me, the answer is simple.
Texas is back from being blown out of games and looking unprepared. Texas is back from below .500 seasons. Texas is back from just being happy to make a bowl game. Texas is back from not developing its players. Texas is back from being laughed at for losing to Kansas.
Heck, Texas is back from being confused on a coin toss and giving its opponent the ball at kickoff and after halftime.
It is still hard to believe that happened.
However, I get where Herman is coming from.
“I do know this. That's how and what we do around here,” Herman said. “We don't take days off. It’s fourth-and-inches every time you walk in the doors in that building. There’s no almost. I was almost hydrated. That means you're dehydrated. We live in a zero-sum business. It's like sales. Well, I almost made my quota. Guess what that means? You didn't make your quota. Well, we almost won the game, or we should have won the game. You know what that means? You didn't win the game.
“So, I mean literally in everything we do, and it's very evaluation friendly. You either did it or you didn't. It’s either plus or minus. That’s it. As coach [Mack] Brown used to say, there’s no partially pregnant. It doesn't exist. It is exhausting as coaches to be that thorough in your details and consistent with your follow through of them, but it is also necessary. It’s also why there is only one national champion at the end of the season. It’s also why there have only been a few in the past decade.”
At the end of the day, debating whether Texas is back is a fun conversation, but Longhorn observers know this season is all about Ehlinger.
He was recently named the 2019 Big 12 Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, plus appeared on the 2019 All-Big 12 Preseason Team. He is expected to be the best quarterback in the conference this season (sorry, Jalen Hurts). Simply put, if Ehlinger meets those expectations, Texas will win the Big 12 championship this year.
What about replacing nine starters on defense?
Oklahoma has proven it is possible to win a Big 12 championship with an average to subpar defense.
The Sooners have won four straight conference titles, and that success can be attributed to a dynamic offense. Obviously, it helps to have Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray. Sure, Oklahoma has not accomplished much in the playoffs, but getting to the semifinals is more important that nitpicking the team’s lack of success in those games.
Here is how Oklahoma’s offense and defense have finished in the Big 12 the past four seasons:
2015 --- Offense: 4th, Defense: 1st
2016 --- Offense: 2nd, Defense: 5th
2017 --- Offense: 1st, Defense: 4th
2018 --- Offense: 1st, Defense: 10th
In addition, Oklahoma averaged 44 points per game in 2015, 44 in 2016, 45 in 2017 and 48 in 2018.
Texas averaged 26 points per game in 2015, 32 in 2016, 30 in 2017 and 31 in 2018.
Based on the Oklahoma example, I asked Herman if you simply need an elite offense to win the Big 12 Championship.
“They’ve proven that, right?" Herman said. “I don’t think you can win a national championship without an above average to elite defense.”
He continued that thought.
“There’s a lot to be excited and optimistic about defensively,” Herman said. “I get that there needs to be stats for returning starters, not returning starters, and all of that, but Jeffrey McCulloch has played a lot of football for Texas. He’s not a returning starter, he has a lot of experience. Joseph Ossai led the team in tackles against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. He’s got a lot of experience. Malcolm Roach is not considered a returning starter, but he’s got a lot of experience. Ta’Quon Graham has played a lot of football for Texas. Even Gerald Wilbon at nose has played a lot of football for Texas.
“Really, the only three positions that you’re going to see truly fresh faces are the two corner positions and middle linebacker. We’re not too concerned with returning starters. Do we wish they were all returning starters? Yeah, we do, but there still is a lot of experience there.”
Texas also has a lot of experience at the quarterback position.
Ehlinger played so well, three Longhorn quarterbacks entered the transfer portal. Shane Buechele and Camerson Rising found new homes. Casey Thompson stayed. Everyone knew they were not getting any snaps if Ehliger stayed healthy.
If Ehlinger stays healthy, Texas will appear in the Big 12 Championship game for a second consecutive season – and might win it this time.
“When Sam was a freshman, he didn't have a great grasp of the offense. Defenses were moving extremely fast, and it was just in survival mode,” Herman said. “So, fast-forward to sophomore year. He's got all the intangibles and has a great offseason, and the Maryland game happens. We decide we're going to stick with him, and he thanked us for that. In fact, he told me that gave [him] a ton of confidence because he knew what had happened his freshman year. He knew he threw a pic in the fourth quarter against Texas Tech, and we lost that game. He threw a pic in the end zone against Oklahoma State, and we lost that game. He fumbled on the goal line against USC, and we lost that game, and then all of a sudden Maryland happens. In any human being there would be some sense of self-doubt. By us saying we believe in you, I think that went a long way. It sounds oxymoronic, but he got better protecting the football when he was a more aggressive thrower. When you're a tentative thrower of the ball, you have no control over the ball. There were certain games and certain practices where I would challenge him. Man, fit that in. You can fit that in. You have that throw in your bag. You got that. I think when you do that, and you're not afraid to throw interceptions, guess what happens? You don't throw interceptions, and you go 10 straight games without doing it, and you set the record in this conference that's known for quarterbacks with the most pass attempts without throwing an interception.
“I think this year, two areas of improvement I see. One is intangible. He's doing a lot more leading of the defense, Being more of a team leader than just the leader of the offense. And then tangible, mechanical, he’s working really hard. Some of the new RPOs that we're putting in, the ball has to spit out really fast, and that has not been a strong suit, as you know. I go back to Shane Buechele, and he had one of the prettiest non-conventional arm slot, arm angle, whatever you want to call it, way to get the ball out of his hands. He kind of had that baseball shortstop turn when he was throwing those quick RPOs. Sam really, really worked this offseason to try to improve that. I know he's going to go into fall camp to do the same, to continue to improve. He’s still got work to do, but the sky is the limit for him.”
Texas may or may not be back, but the Longhorns still have Ehlinger .
That might be all the Longhorns need.
Photo via HookEm.com
Funniest Things You Will See This Week
One of the funniest things I have seen
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She channeled her inner Flo-Jo to get the heck out of there
Sports On A Dime
1. Texas senior center Zach Shackelford was among the Longhorn players who attended Big 12 Media Days this past week. Shackelford was recently named to the Big 12 Preseason First Team, and Gil Brandt previously identified the center as the third-best senior lineman available in the 2020 NFL Draft.
"When asked about the preseason accolades, Shackelford said: “I’ve been on both sides of the spectrum. I’ve got bad press and good press. I try to keep a level head throughout it all. I try not to let anything affect me, good or bad. Ultimately, it doesn’t really matter, to be honest with you. All that matters is going out there and winning, getting to a stage like this, competing as hard as we can. That’s all we care about."
2. I literally saw reporters putting tripods in front of Sam Ehlinger’s podium before 9 a.m. to gain a prime listening spot at Big 12 Media Days. Ehlinger was not slated to speak until 2:30 p.m. It was a wild scene on Wednesday, but Ehlinger embraced the spotlight and was comfortable throughout his first major media experience.
3. Props to Texas defensive line coach Oscar Giles, otherwise known as OG. He was criticized by Longhorn fans for not landing major recruits throughout his tenure, but he landed Vernon Broughton and Van Fillinger on back-to-back days. That is one hell of a way to silence your critics.
4. This Q&A with Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley from Big 12 Media Days shows how confident he is heading into this season:
Q: You lost Kyler and four NFL offensive linemen. I assume your offense is going to dip. Can your defense arise more than your offense might slip this year?
RILEY: We don't plan on the offense dipping. The second part of that, we definitely expect our defense to be better. I don't think there is any doubt. That's why we have recruited as hard as we have. That's why we made the changes on the coaching staff that we've made. As we feel like there is going to be positive results behind that. What we have been able to see behind the scenes up to this point get you encouraged and excited that both those things will happen. The expectations are very high on both sides of the ball, and we feel like we've got the right people in place to meet those expectations.
5. TCU football coach Gary Patterson is not a guy who stays down for long. Patterson has finished with less than 10-wins seven times during his 20-year tenure at TCU, and he immediately rebounded with double-digit wins in five seasons.
Here is the breakdown:
6-6 in 2001, 10-2 in 2002
5-6 in 2004, 11-1 in 2005;
8-5 in 2007, 11-2 in 2008;
7-6 in 2012, 4-8 in 2013 (only year without double-digit wins), 12-1 in 2014
6-7 in 2016, 11-3 in 2017.
TCU finished 7-6 in 2018, which means you need to keep an eye on Patterson’s team this season.
I asked Patterson to explain the key to bouncing back, and this is what he told me during Big 12 Media Days: “It's just a dislike losing more than like a winning. I’m not a very good loser. You go back and you got to look at yourself first and what is it we got to do to change? Obviously, you had teams with good players that grew up, and that goes into it. Your coaches, the consistency of staying the path. I think so many people panic. And, you know, for us, this is a head league to win in. Going into last season, we've won 40 games in four years. Didn't have the year we wanted to, but we fought back and got where we are. I think the maturity factor of how we handle these guys with the understanding that there was a quiet confidence what we had to go through, and they survived it. I think that makes a difference.”
6. Alabama’s Nick Saban is the latest coach to complain at the transfer portal. Here is what he said during SEC Media Days via SI.com:
"I think the spirit of the transfer portal in and of itself is a positive thing for players," Saban said. "You know, I think when we started with the transfer portal, it was a mechanism for players to be able to say I'm transferring, so everybody knows that I'm transferring, so if that creates opportunities for me to go different places, then that's a good thing for the player."
He continued: "The issue with the transfer portal is we've gotten very liberal in giving people waivers, so, when we do that, it becomes free agency, which I don't think is good for college football. I don't think it's good for fans."
The six-time National Championship coach added that if there is going to be a transfer portal, the one-year sit-out period should be made mandatory.
"So, in my opinion, if we're going to have a transfer portal that's good for the players, then we ought to have a rule that says, regardless of what happens when you transfer, you have to sit out a year," Saban said. "And now we have, I don't know–at one point in time there were 65 waivers that were given in a year. So everybody's expectation is I can transfer and get a waiver. We make commitments to players for four years. They make commitments to us to be in our program. It may not work out for everybody and they may have a better opportunity someplace else, but if they have to sit out for a year, it would be a consequence for them in terms of their commitment."
Honestly, Herman expressed the best solution this past week, which is having players who transfer sit out one year. However, that player can get that year back after graduating. Giving players an incentive to graduate makes the most sense.
7. It is hard to find this kind of deal at the Salvation Army. It is safe to say the Big Baller Brand is dead.
8. This one is for those old-school NBA fans. How many of you remember Hardaway as a player who lit it up at Memphis? Shaquille O’Neal and Hardaway led Orlando to the NBA Finals during 1994-95 season, but were swept by the Houston Rockets. The Magic never won the titles many envisioned, but enjoy this trip down memory lane.
9. I was absolutely wrong about Keith Thurman vs. Manny Pacquaio. My man Thurman looked outmatched in round one. Thurman could not handle Pacquaio’s quick hands. A younger Pacquaio probably knocks out Thurman, but he is good enough to earn an easy decision. Thurman is still an elite fighter, but Pacquaio continues to defy his age. It is just a matter of time before we hear about a Manny-Mayweather rematch.
10. I do not want to jinx Errol Spence Jr. by predicting an outcome against Shawn Porter. Spence better get ready for a scrappy and dirty fight.
