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Texas football coach Tom Herman knows exactly what kind of offensive coordinator he needs to be successful.
Herman’s knowledge is rooted in 10 years of holding that title before finally becoming a head coach. It is easy to forget Herman was previously an offensive coordinator at Texas State in 2005 and 2006. He spent two seasons as an offensive coordinator at Rice in 2007 and 2008. Three seasons as an offensive coordinator at Iowa State. After Iowa State, Herman became Urban Meyer’s offensive coordinator at Ohio State, and there is no need for me to break down a bio Longhorn fans can recite with ease.
When Herman was hired to lead Houston, Major Applewhite was precisely the offensive coordinator he needed. They compiled 22 wins together during a two-year period. Houston had notable wins against Louisville (twice), Florida State, Oklahoma and Navy during that time span. Greg Ward Jr. emerged into an outstanding college quarterback. Applewhite led a 2016 Houston offense that ranked 17th in passing offense (296.3 yards per game), 26th in scoring offense (35.8 points per game), and his unit scored at least 30 points in 11 of 13 games. It was a perfect union. If Applewhite did not have a negative history at Texas, Herman and his protégé could have duplicated that success at Texas.
Instead, Herman hired Tim Beck, and it only took him one season to realize that union would not work. Oh, Herman was very diplomatic. He always said the right things in public and defended Beck anytime he was questioned by the media. Herman told us his offensive was a collaborative coaching effort, and it really did not matter who was calling plays. Few people knew Herman was working past midnight every day to develop an offensive game plan, and that extra work became mentally exhausting. In addition, Herman was forced to call plays from the sidelines after spending a decade doing that job from the press box. Herman parted ways with Beck after last season, and eventually hired Mike Yurcich, a former Oklahoma State offensive coordinator and passing game coordinator at Ohio State.
It is time to learn about Yurcich’s role at Texas.
“It's been a great marriage thus far,” Herman said. “We're cut from the same cloth. We found out in the interview process that we value the same things. Mike's got an excellent track record as a play-caller and preparer of game plans.”
Longhorn fans are definitely aware of Yurcich's success as offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State.
According to Yurcich’s bio, Oklahoma State averaged 38 points per game and 478.3 yards throughout his six-year run, compiling a record of 52-24 with four 10-win seasons and four bowl game victories. That included two appearances in New Year's Six games – the 2016 Sugar Bowl and the 2014 Cotton Bowl. In addition, the Cowboys scored 40 or more points 35 times, plus 50-or-more 15 times.
Photo via HookEm.com
However, Herman has said on more than one occasion that Yurcich was not bringing in his playbook, but adapting to what was already established. Some Longhorn fans believe Herman’s approach is holding back his offensive coordinator. Basically, Herman is asking Yurcich to call his plays instead of giving the offensive coordinator freedom to do his own thing.
Herman does not see it that way.
During a Zoom conference call with the media on Saturday, I asked Herman multiple questions about Yurcich’s role. I specifically asked if Yurcich had the green light to call plays on fourth-down if he wanted to go for it, and Herman clarified the situation.
“I don't know where that perception is,” Herman said. “This isn't Chris Ash’s defense. This isn't Mike Yurcich’s offense. This is Texas’ defense and Texas’s offense. We've got two really good minds on both sides of the ball that understand and are very aligned in what we want to do.
“To get into specifics, I mean, you asked about fourth-down. I mean, nowhere in America does an offensive coordinator has the autonomy to go for it on fourth-down. At least, I've never heard of it. That's going to be the head coach's call.”
Or the binder.
All jokes aside, Herman explained Yurcich’s role.
“I envision it to be being very similar to what it was like at Houston with Coach Applewhite,” Herman said. “I can give input throughout the game-planning process, and then on game day, Mike will call the plays on a play-by-play basis, and every now and again … I’m trying to think of examples.”
The examples were enlightening.
“Maybe it's third-and-8 from the 20. I might chime in and say, hey, Mike, all we need is six (yards), and we're going to go for it on fourth.”
“Hey, Mike, Jake [Smith] hasn’t touched the ball in two series. Make sure we get Jake the ball.”
“Hey, Mike, this corner is gassed right now. You probably want to go deep on him.”
“Just adding input. But no, Mike is going to call the plays.”
If we are being objective, which is sometimes hard to do as observers who over-analyze everything Longhorn related, Texas did not need a massive offensive overhaul after last season.
Just look at the national numbers from 2019.
- Texas’ offense was ranked 14th in the nation last year. It was ranked 58th in 2018 and 65th in 2017.
- Texas was ranked 17th in scoring (35.2 point per game).
- The passing offense was ranked 20th (289.3 yards per game).
- The third-down conversion rate was ranked seventh (48.91 percent).
- Herman’s offense was ranked 12th in red zone conversions (92 percent scoring percentage).
It is easy to understand why Herman was not looking for an offensive overhaul this offseason.
“Mike's done a great job of bringing in quite a few new tempo-wrinkles, some new route concepts, which have been great,” Herman said. “The QBs and receivers have really liked it, but at the end of the day, we all run the same plays. It's not like we went from what we were last year, finishing in the top 15 in the country in total offense, to blowing it up and installing the wishbone or something like that. That's not the direction we felt like we needed to go. Mike's done a great job of enhancing the offense. He's done a great job of adapting to our language so that it's one person learning a new language rather than 50 18-to 22-year-olds. I appreciate that about. He's done a great job.
“There are some terms and verbiage that are that are new, especially in the tempo game, and in the throw game. He's done a great job of bringing in some new fresh ideas. I think they're going to really jump start our offense and take us from a top 15 offense in the country to hopefully a top 10, top five, offense in the country. We believe in the same things, and he's going to do a great job calling plays and managing the game plans, and all of that. I'm really, really confident in that.”
There was a time when Herman was really confident in his offensive coordinator.
Hopefully, for Longhorn fans, Yurcich duplicates the success Herman and Applewhite had at Houston.
Herman knows what kind of offensive coordinator he needs to be successful.
“The personality of the offense was discussed well into the interview process,” Herman said. “We were in very much lockstep. Mike had lots of options. He was excited about this one because he knew that our vision of what a productive, high-powered offenses look like was very aligned. He’s done a great job thus far.”
Photo via AP
Funniest Things You Will See This Week
Longhorn fans will enjoy the shot at Oklahoma (1:26 minutes)
@drunk randoke is like this with his drink after five hours of tailgating
This one is for the moms – a few dads may comprehend
Waste of a good beer
Sports On A Dime
1. The thing I like most about future Longhorn quarterback Charles Wright is his dedication. Wright’s high school football team is not that good, and he could have taken the easy way out by transferring to a successful program. Instead, Wright remained committed to Austin High, and it paid off when he verbally committed to Texas on Saturday. I have no clue what the future holds for Wright. However, I admire this young man’s perseverance.
2. Ta’Quon Graham on what defensive coordinator Chris Ash, co-defensive line coach Mark Hagen, linebackers coach Coleman Hutzler and cornerbacks coach Jay Valai bring to the table as new coaches at Texas: “Of course, change is hard, especially when you've been used to something for years. For them to come in and have the impact that they've had on us, and how much fun that we have out there, I feel like they bring the energy and the juice, or whatever you want to call it, every single day. As players, we feed off that. We continue to get better. We continue to grow. We continue to get tighter as a defense. These coaches definitely did come in and do that for us and help us with this process. I feel like they bring the juice every day. They bring the energy. They bring knowledge. They're great coaches. Great teachers. I'm glad they came.”
3. Graham on Hagen: “I would say he's very detailed. He has high expectations of us, and he pushes us daily. He pushes us the whole time during practice. I feel like in this little period of time we’ve had, he's made it so much better. He also likes to teach in the film room. He's very particular in how he wants stuff done I just feel like he's a great, amazing coach, and he's a great guy as well.”
4. Texas senior quarterback Sam Ehlinger on players receiving an extra year of eligibility: “This was a topic that we discussed with the Big 12. The commissioner was on the call with a few ADs and players. Obviously, it’s an extremely difficult subject and topic to kind of pinpoint the right answer because there's going to be issues with everyone. My personal opinion is I do think that eligibility should be frozen. I think that it's unfortunate everybody has had to go through this. I know it's not the college's fault by any stretch of the imagination, but the college experience is such a short-term thing in people's lives, and I think everybody should be able to get the most of it. Also, say a team started off 1-3. Would you have guys saying, okay, you know what? This year, it stinks. We didn't start the season off right, so I'm just going to sit out the rest of the season and say it was for COVID reasoning? I do think that there's issues that lie there. I believe that with spring ball being canceled, the uncertainty with the season, no preseason games, I do believe that the eligibility should be frozen, and guys should be able to get that back.”
5. Ehlinger on Yurcich: “He is extremely passionate. Extremely passionate on the practice field. Off the practice field, it's football all the time. Extremely smart. Extremely professional. Knows the Xs and Os inside and out. He's a great play caller as well. In the few live settings we've had where we're actually moving the ball, I really get into a great rhythm with him calling plays. He seems to call it really well, and it flows really well. Very professional, very passionate, intense, and extremely intelligent when it comes to football.”
6. In the weekly PFF love letter to Ehlinger, he is ranked as the sixth-best quarterback in the country. Trevor Lawrence (Clemson) is first, followed by Justin Fields (Ohio State), Jamie Newman (Georgia), Sam Howell (North Carolina) and Tanner Morgan (Minnesota).
Here is the breakdown:
6. SAM EHLINGER, TEXAS
Texas might not have the same “elite program” status as they did in the early 2000s, but it's far from Ehlinger's fault. He posted an impressive 85.7 PFF grade in 2018 before improving that to an elite mark of 90.1 in 2019. Ehlinger produced 33 big-time throws last year, tying for the second-most in the country. He makes good decisions with the ball, he has excellent accuracy and mobility for a college quarterback, and he can take his play even further if he cuts down on his tendency to bail out of clean pockets.
7. Longhorn fans have spent nearly a week discussing quarterback recruiting. The decommitment of Jalen Milroe is a huge loss for Texas, and there is no way to sugarcoat that. Honestly, I am more concerned about offensive line recruiting right now. Hayden Conner is an elite offensive lineman, while Michael Myslinski is a developmental project. Savion Byrd is visiting Oklahoma this weekend. When I think about what the offensive line will look like next season without left Sam Cosmi, center Derek Kerstetter and guard/tackle Denzel Okafor, coupled with the current lack of bodies in the 2021 class, I am hitting the panic button like a contestant on Press Your Luck. Hopefully, for Longhorn fans, offensive coordinator Herb Hand figures out the recruiting formula like Michael Larsen.
8. @Alex Dunlap made a casual comment during a recent Ticket City Podcast that still resonates – Tarik Black’s decision to leave Michigan was a much smarter move than anyone could have anticipated. Black decided to leave Michigan as a grad transfer and decided to join the Longhorns. A few months later, the Big Ten decided to cancel football season. With the Big Ten and Pac-12 pushing back football season to the spring - I still believe that season will not occur and those teams will play in the fall - Black has an opportunity to impress NFL scouts since there will be less receivers playing college football this season. Black needs to take advantage of this Golden Ticket.
9. Here are the latest preseason odds provided by www.BetOnline.ag
Big 12 Regular Season Wins
Baylor
Over/Under 6
Iowa State
Over/Under 6½
Kansas
Over/Under 2½
Kansas State
Over/Under 5½
Oklahoma
Over/Under 8½
Oklahoma State
Over/Under 7
TCU
Over/Under 6
Texas
Over/Under 7½
Texas Tech
Over/Under 4½
West Virginia
Over/Under 4½
10. I never believe a boxer when that person claims to retire because they usually return to the ring at some point. We can now add Oscar De La Hoya to the list of boxers who believe they can become the next George Foreman.
Here is a portion of an ESPN article about De La Hoya’s comeback:
“De La Hoya's career came to an ignominious conclusion when he quit on his stool after the eighth round of a fight against Manny Pacquiao in December 2008. A few months later at age 36, De la Hoya announced his retirement.
"Look, my last fight with Pacquiao, I weighed in at 145 and obviously that was a shell of myself," said De La Hoya of his ill-fated decision to move down to welterweight to face Pacquiao after seven years of campaigning at junior middleweight.
“Now, as he is set to return, De La Hoya understands that many will question this decision.
"Look, it's been a long time, yes," he said. "But actually my jab feels faster than ever. I have to make sure that my conditioning is perfect, my health is good. And that's going to take place in the next few weeks. So we'll see."
Meanwhile, Dana White dropped a bomb and alleged De La Hoya is returning to boxing because of a cocaine habit:
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