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Texas will have one of its most important practices of the year on Saturday as the team takes part in the final scrimmage before their collective attention turns to general gameplan-related, then game-week install over the next two weeks heading into the opener.
It doesn't feel anything like Fall outside, but it doesn't change the fact that we're careening back toward real, actual football at breakneck speed.
The Longhorns did have a practice on Friday, but there is little to report, as we were told it was more of a walk-thru in preparation for the scrimmage than anything else. With this said, there are many things to consider when starting to think about what we've reported up until this point from both open and closed practices, and what kinds of answers we should be looking for when seeking out information about this scrimmage -- one that Steve Sarkisian has mentioned is more of a "depth-chart"-type of scrimmage. Next week will be more like a "mock-game" in DKR where things will need to be pretty much in order.
Now is the time to get the depth chart sorted in its initial form, and while everyone knows that things are likely (perhaps even sure) to change as the season progresses, the foundation is set to be officially laid down starting next week. That's the starting point.
So, with this in mind, here are the top questions I'm looking most forward to gaining more clarity on as we move forward into this new phase:
1) Who is the *true* backup QB?
At this point, it's a question that has to be asked. Arch Manning has surged during closed practices and in scrimmage-settings during camp after what was looking like a ... good? ... but certainly a non-earth-shattering entry to college football last spring.
It stands to reason that a guy who was still technically a senior in high school by age a few months back upon arrival might take a little while to get rolling, and in keeping with the hype that Manning entered Texas with, we're hearing more and more about how the lightbulb is appearing to really come on just in time for the start of the season. Manning, we've been told now by numerous sources, is getting worked in with the second group, and if you listen to certain people, they'll tell you he's getting as much work with the twos as Maalik Murphy is.
If we hear from the scrimmage that Manning was getting an equal number of reps during the scrimmage as Murphy, it will show that the staff needs to get the real evaluation reps on tape to compare them apples to apples when making a tough decision about who will be No.2 on that all-important depth chart. If the decision has already been made, there would be much less reason to need such a side-by-side comparison, given equivalent surrounding casts and competition.
At the end of the day, the initial depth chart will likely have Murphy ahead of Manning. The reasons for this are as obvious as they are political: If Murphy sees he's already been recruited over, his bags will already be mentally packed before the 2023 season starts. Whereas Manning has seemed perfectly fine all along to chalk 2023 up as a redshirt opportunity.
However, if that initial depth chart has an "OR" between Manning and Murphy as the backup QB, that would be quite a hint (as would reports that reps were evenly split during such a consequential scrimmage) that Murphy, despite more time in the program, hasn't adequately separated from the nation's top recruit of the last cycle.
2) What sort of runway does CJ Baxter have to become the Longhorns RB1 as a freshman?
When we hear about freshman RB CJ Baxter getting first-team work, it means a whole lot more than hearing about a guy like Keilan Robinson or Savion Red getting first-team work. (Although Red is out with a shoulder injury and looks to probably be in line to miss at least the beginning portion of the season). The point remains, though: you shouldn't bat an eyelash to hear those guys are working in with the first group, because there is always going to be a complementary, gadget-style RB integrated into the offense at a 10-15% snap rate for specialized packages.
When we hear that Baxter is getting first team work, we need to take notice. This is because he is a redundant asset to Jonathan Brooks. He is not utilized in a flashy way out of the slot or as a joker-type on jet-motions and the like. He's in there as the lead back and, in operating as such, is taking snaps away from Brooks.
And, as camp has worn on, this has indeed been happening. Again, with this being an evaluation scrimmage, I'm dying to hear about how these first-team reps were split up in order to give the staff apples-to-apples evaluation reps. I've written in the past that, if history is any indicator, it leads us to believe in basically all scenarios that Baxter would become the team's RB1 as a true freshman given the established pedigree and production of his surrounding cast coupled with his own ranking as a recruit.
It's time to start wrapping our heads around what kind of runway Jonathan Brooks will (or won't be) giving him initially to start that kind of ascension.
3) How long will Jalen Catalon need kid gloves?
Another thing we've heard pretty consistently through practices thus far is a two-pronged explanation of Jalen Catalon's existence on the team as a fifth-year transfer safety and reclamation project.
On one hand, you have the fact that he looks to be an immediate starter and that the flashes of his former self on the back end of the defense have been evident. On the other, we've heard Sarkisian say that his load is to be managed through camp and the staff is taking it easy with him given his injury history and presumed importance to the starting 11 on D. Reports from closed practices have even led us to believe he has gotten days off for rest, etc.
But, now the season is here. Has the load management through camp been successful? Is he taking 100% of snaps with the first group in a key depth-chart scrimmage? We know that Texas doesn't rotate its safeties in and out of actual games unless someone gets hurt or, in rare cases, should there be the need for a dime setup where an additional safety is brought in instead of a dime LB.
We're getting into gameplan time. At some point, the gloves have to come off and Catalon is going to need to be back to being who he is without restrictions and qualifiers if we're to anticipate his 2023 resurgence that so many Texas fans are dying to see.
