The Muschamp hire

by ChrisApplewhite on Dec 15, 2008 8:40 AM CST in Texas Longhorns and Other Football

Texas plays in a league where 10 teams run spread, west coast-y offenses designed almost entirely around avoiding sacks. Texas still led the country with 44 of them.

We are football fans in an era of almost unconscionable offensive production, one in which any QB who can make decisions faster than your average pot-head and has the roughly the accuracy of Shawn Kemp's sperm can throw for 3,000 yards. Just in case you forgot, our secondary consisted of two freshmen, four first year starters, and a LB ~~core~~ corps that couldn't cover Plaxico Burress today.

We led the league in scoring defense despite playing, arguably, five of the best 11-12 offenses in the country. Texas football sported a pass rush for the first time since 1983. Players with potential turned into players who are good players. We still don't have anyone you'd call a good run stopper at LB, but do we really need one? Kansas had three and it didn't do them any good. The days of having gap filling LBs and trying to force 3rd and 5+ by stopping the run are over. These days it's about not giving up yardage 15+ at a time and waiting until you make a play to put then in a 3rd and 13. Pass rushers are even more valuable than they were 10 years ago.

Now that pretty much anyone can score, and the state of Texas will feed the conference QB's forever, you'd better be able to play defense. It's going to end up being the only thing that sets anyone apart. We're all going to have to adjust our expectations, though. It's not like 20 years ago, when shutouts weren't reason enough to close the office on Monday and take a holiday. These day's it's about holding teams that score 35 to 21. The fact that we gave up 16 total points to a couple of not horrible offenses is hard enough, but Kansas was actually good. Don't underestimate how hard that is to do to anyone in 2008.

College football is turning into what high school ball has been for years -- take your best athlete, put him at QB, take your next best athlete and make him your RB or WR. 6'4 260 guys who can run are TEs now. It's the new equalizer, and for the most part is has equalized.

There are maybe 1-2 real quality ends that come out of Texas each year. Aside from the curious Richetti Jones saga, and the OU brainwashing of RJ Washington, those kids go to Texas. Anyone can find a Todd Reesing, but Brian Orakpos are as rare as uneaten butter in the Mangino household. The game is about getting to the QB and there just aren't the athletes to go around.

The point is, give a coach like Will Muschamp players like we have and you set yourself apart from the pack. We'll probably never be more talented on the DL that this year, but we will certainly be better everywhere else. The big key now is hopefully getting Greg Davis to stick around. That guy sure is in high demand I tell you what!

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Absolutely true. With GRobinson or Chizik as DC this year, we’re a .750 club. Let’s make one small change, though: “Brian Orakpos are about as common as Mark Mangino groupies.”

by JDLooneyII on Dec 15, 2008 8:50 AM CST reply actions

It will be interesting to see if guys like Gideon and Beasley can hold their starting jobs next year.

Starting DL next year? The DT position is pretty up in the air, while our depth at DE will be excellent.

by Steve Nebraska on Dec 15, 2008 8:51 AM CST reply actions

I have a great deal of respect for your commitment to a Davis Barb at every opportunity.

by t1climb1 on Dec 15, 2008 8:53 AM CST reply actions

It will be interesting to see if guys like Gideon and Beasley can hold their starting jobs next year.

I think Beasley has already peaked. Don’t know about Gideon, but I do know he is white. All signs point to both of them riding pine.

by PatronSaint on Dec 15, 2008 8:56 AM CST reply actions

Kudos to you for not mentioning institutionalized holding.

by Trips Right on Dec 15, 2008 9:09 AM CST reply actions

Good post, Chris. I’ve been pining for a while that the DE position has become the most important in college football. If you’re weak there, teams will zone read you to death and pick apart your secondary with all day to throw.

by dedfischer on Dec 15, 2008 9:11 AM CST reply actions

Ded,

Wouldn’t it be opining?

by t1climb1 on Dec 15, 2008 9:52 AM CST reply actions

“I have a great deal of respect for your commitment to a Davis Barb at every opportunity.”

Seriously, screw him.

by ChrisApplewhite on Dec 15, 2008 9:53 AM CST reply actions

Not where I’m from.

by dedfischer on Dec 15, 2008 9:55 AM CST reply actions

Speaking of holding, how is that analysis going?

Also, nice writeup CA…the Horns are in good shape with WM leading the defense.

We had a lot of pressure sacks this season with a baby secondary and a great set of ends. Next season, I expect to see more coverage sacks mixed in.

Hook ’em!

by uthookem on Dec 15, 2008 10:01 AM CST reply actions

1. pining – a feeling of deep longing
longing, yearning, hungriness – prolonged unfulfilled desire or need
lovesickness – a pining for a loved one

by dedfischer on Dec 15, 2008 10:02 AM CST reply actions

Opine –
intransitive verb : to express opinions transitive verb : to state as an opinion

by t1climb1 on Dec 15, 2008 10:10 AM CST reply actions

I was in more of a longing state at the time versus one of expression.

by dedfischer on Dec 15, 2008 10:19 AM CST reply actions

Could you elaborate on your opinion that Texas will never be more talented on the DL than this year? Because I have a hard time with that statement.

by sl xpress on Dec 15, 2008 12:21 PM CST reply actions

If Mangino was a woman, I’d tap it.

by Shawn Kemp on Dec 15, 2008 12:31 PM CST reply actions

Considering we’ve had a line that had 3 of the 4 have 5+ year careers in the NFL (the 4th being DE Aaron Humphrey who dominated at the college level) I have to agree with SL there.

This years line was great but I don’t think it ridiculously great.

by LonghornScott on Dec 15, 2008 12:33 PM CST reply actions

Henry Melton is an NFL caliber talent at DE although he doesn’t know the position that well yet. Houston has a big ceiling also and was playing DT for the first time. Roy Miller is the best nose-tackle we’ve had since Casey Hampton and there isn’t another Miller on our depth chart or our committment list. Orakpo…well.
We can be probably be better all around on D-Line but we may not have the same collection of talent again.
I think next year we can be really solid all around without being as explosively good at quick end or nose tackle. Or even using a nose-tackle.

by RolloTamasi on Dec 15, 2008 12:35 PM CST reply actions

I agree SL, I’m not ready to say game “game over, it will never get better than that” myself.

by t1climb1 on Dec 15, 2008 12:35 PM CST reply actions

Rollo are you going to put line up against Woodard, Hampton, Rogers, and Humphrey? Even though they played in a running league I would still take them over the 2008 line against a spread offense. Hampton and Rogers (when they were both healthy) were practically a passable defense on their own.

by LonghornScott on Dec 15, 2008 12:42 PM CST reply actions

It has already been established that MajorSimms has an unhealthy obsession with hating GD.

by Him on Dec 15, 2008 1:04 PM CST reply actions

Agree on Muschamp. But wonder if Gideon is a 4 year starter, you will hold the same opinion of Muschamp. As far as GD, we would absolutely be undefeated since 01 if we had anybody else. IMO Davis cost us the Colorado Big 12 Championship game, OU in 04 and the Tech game this year. Otherwise, I lay the blame on the other losses on the defense.

by Beaten Dead Horse on Dec 15, 2008 1:39 PM CST reply actions

IMO Davis cost us the Colorado Big 12 Championship game, OU in 04 and the Tech game this year.

I might add the OU game last year to that list. We were killing them in the middle of the field the first half and never looked that way again in the 2nd half. BTW, their vulnerability over the middle is exactly what the coaches cited as their game plan this year that they felt we could exploit. Why we never went back to Finley again last year in the 2nd half eludes me.

by t1climb1 on Dec 15, 2008 2:12 PM CST reply actions

Longhorn Scott:
I’m not sure. I was pretty young for that D-line’s era. I think this line’s overall upside might have been higher. And against a spread offense I would be hesitant to have 2 massive tackles. See Lokey/Okam. (granted Rogers and Hampton were definitely better than Lokey and Okam).

by RolloTamasi on Dec 15, 2008 2:17 PM CST reply actions

We may be equally talented. Probably, at some point. All 4 guys were really good, and not only that, they actually lived up to and exceeded expectations. I mean, Jermain Anderson, Marcus Tubbs and Kalen Thornton were plenty talented, too, and a fat lot of good it did them.

Yes, I said “fat” on purpose.

In terms of talent taken as a total sum, we’ll probably never surpass Casey and Shaun. Those guys alone were an entire defense’s worth of good. Casey Hampton pretty much ruined NU on his own.

by ChrisApplewhite on Dec 15, 2008 3:33 PM CST reply actions