Some Quick Thoughts On The BYU Win

Nice analysis and summary. Thanx.

All of us internet experts keep talking about the arm when comparing Case and Ash. That is funny, because I feel like GG has the biggest arm.

I want to know who has the head to do the right things with the arm. If that is Case, then let’s use him until Ash is up to speed.

Five plays do not an offense make (if that report is accurate), so let’s use them both until Ash starts doing more than Case. JMO.

Thanks for all the great info.

hook’em

Pretty spot on across the board. Obviously I’m gonna have some fun with some specific play breakdowns but the general tenor of my thoughts is right in line with yours.

I’m a bit ashamed to say I was one of the many booing out of sheer frustration. In my mind, I could see another 5-interception (you have to let the QB work it out) game ala K-State. But then, I realized that Greg “Bubble Screen” Davis no longer sat stubbornly in the booth any longer.

Apologies to GG for booing you. I was booing the decision, but it still sounded the same to you.

(and hope you find happiness in D II next year)

uttuck- i don’t think it’s a question of who has the best arm, but who has at least an adequate arm and understands the offense and reads. I’m not sure Case satisfies the adequate arm- we don’t need a 15 yard out but we do need some zip to tight spots.

Great win.

I know Ash is being brought along slowly but he’ll be better for it. I think he’s ready for ISU following the bye

I was begging for Ash to come in and stay in like everyone else, however I was getting pretty pissed at his greed for holding the ball rather than handing it off. Perhaps he misread something forcing him to hold it, but the D realized he wasn’t handing it off and just keyed on him. Malcom could have had 100 yards easy if he would have handed it off a few times.

Contrary to you, I thought McCoy showed some moxie and leadership, and ablility to make plays and move the ball. I could very easily see this team getting behind him if he continues to play like he did last night. It was easy to see the team and D especially falling apart in the late 1st early 2nd based on the O’s ineffectiveness, much like last year. And when they brought in McCoy, the team instantly responded. I think had we brought either qb in, I think the team responds positively, but as it stands it was McCoy and the team got behind him.

My biggest concern now, is whether Ash was being greedy by choice and not something else, and if he’s going to play like that going forward, and two, are we creating a QB controversy that could split the team apart – Ash guys vs. McCoy guys.

Does The Asset have any thoughts on that?

uttuck-

You are correct. We need to add one more play to the Ash package to be able to call it an Offense. (Remember the Titans)

I’d be surprised if all of Ash’s ‘keeps’ were true options. Harsin has a lot of plays with a typical option look, but where he dictates keep or pitch.

bat, I’m pretty sure they were read plays. We ran zone read, power read, and fly option. I think Ash got confused by how to read them because BYU switched to a 3-4 look and pressured aggressively with their playside outside linebacker. Or at least that’s how I remember it. I’m getting my hands on some film right now, so I could be wrong.

I suspect we start running some play action bootlegs with Ash to give him a run pass option and someway to meaningfully stretch the field.

This offense is going to seriously open up if we can manage even serviceable QB play. We just ran for 166 yards on a good front 7 with nothing in the passing game. That’s impressive.

Right on JS. I couldn’t be happier with the win and the team showing some cojones (freshmen!), so I really don’t want to go all ransomstoddard but . . . Ash and Case were effective partially because BYU hadn’t prepared for them. We just gave the rest of our opponents the book on those guys, and they’ll be licking their chops.

I’m glad we’re making the transition, as its obvious Gilbert is not the guy (whether through his own shortcomings or the horrible, confidence destroying situation he was put in last year) but that also means this year will be really rough at times. I actually hope this relieves some pressure on Gilbert and gets rid of his game-time paralysis, because I think it will get so rough this year we may need him again. By the end of the year, though, Ash should be the man. Case, I like you too, eat lots of spinach if you want staying power.

Here’s to 2012.

I was pleasantly surprised by McCoy’s performance. I’ve been against him since forever, but I thought he did a good job of managing the game/leading the team last night, and I for one have no problem giving him the start at UCLA.

I’m just now re-watching the game, but so far Ash seems to make the wrong read on a semi-regular basis. Probably a capable QB at some point in the future….but not quite yet.

Great write up as usual. I trust Harsinwhite to bring Ash along as they see fit. Where was Bergeron? Also one of the many unsung heroes of the game was Bernie Wylie in my opinion. We fucking wore BYU out in the 2nd half.

I guess I would like to see Ash pass more in game conditions before I make a decision on him. He looked great last night but as others have said he kept the ball too much. It was the right decision the first 3-4 times he kept though.

Case looks like Colt to me at the same point in his career. Not saying he is even going to start but they throw the same kind of ball as a 2nd year player.

Totally agree on Malcolm Brown. Guy’s a baller flat out. The first 1st down was on a Malcolm cut back. He has great skill hopping into a hole without losing much momentum.

Whaley had a great play too! He may just be a Melton redux.

MB could have easily had twice the number of carries he actually had. In the 4Q he was the most physical guy in our backfield and even when BYU knew he was coming, they could not really stop him. Yet, he was pulled out, repeatedly, just when he seemed to be hitting his stride.

Case looks like a string-bean. One good hit and he’s gone. I mean…he LOOKS vulnerable.

And, pray tell, do we still use our TEs? I saw Irby on one play but I don’t recall us completeing a pass to them. For that matter, other than Irby I don’t even know who are TEs are (yes, I should go look at the depth chart, I suppose).

Last year’s team would have lost this game.

Speaking of The Asset, another cap tip for the information about the Jaxon Shipley to David Ash connection that helped ice the game. If you haven’t figured it out already, that was the redacted portion of last week’s report.

I imagine some of our readers will read that and think “Sure. Right. How convenient.” But it’s not bullshit. As I left the tailgate a few minutes before kick-off, JS pulled me aside and said, under his breath, “Watch for a Shipley-to-Ash pass play. The team’s been working on that all week.”

Needless to say, I smiled broadly when Ash hauled in the pass and everyone watching the game was in shock. Almost everyone, anyway.

When Shipley made that pass, the first thing I thought of was the Asset. Pretty damn cool. Mack was visibly pained when asked about the starting QB next week, when interviewed on LHN post-game. Gonna be interesting… JS , you rock.

By the end of the game it looked like the D had finally was mastering the Diaz system. They were totally dominating BYU. That had been a concern after the Rice game. I’m glad to see so much change there in one week.

Pulling the game out should do a lot to shape this team. Before we scored I was thinking we might lose the game but, if that’s what it takes to get the right QB in the game, so be it. Fortunately, we didn’t have to lose it.

I’d like to see Ash throw the long ball but we may be saving that for another surprise. No matter how it turns out I’m convinced Harsin is a genius. Diaz and some of the others on the staff also.

1) thought the team responded to Ash coming in….not McCoy. The incredible athleticism of Shipley2.0 saved McCoy (threw into triple coverage/double coverage).
2) think ball security had more to do with Ash keeping the ball (what do we all hate about GG?). Agree that yards, yards, and more yards were left on the field. Expect that to change.
3) thankful to have finally seen the end of the GG era.
4) Defensively: 3 of 4 linemen played great. Jeffcoat played horrible. In addition to his penalties, he played lazy…especially in the first half (check the replay).

Bottom line:
The Horns are fun to watch again, and for that I am grateful. 8)

Dorsey the other night looked like the defensive tackle I saw as a senior at JT.

It will be interesting to see how the quarterback situation plays out this year. There is no doubt the team has no confidence in GG and you could see the difference in the offense with either Case or Ash at quarterback.

If Ash is going to start you have to start letting him throw the ball and if you aren’t confident in him I guess that means Case. Yesterday was big in many reasons, but the offense has steps to go and how the quarterback situation is handled could be key.

Could not understand Malcolm’s 2 carries in the first half and the run on the draw to ice the game should confirm to anyone just how much a difference a great back can make to an offense. Last year that play is stopped for a loss.

And, pray tell, do we still use our TEs? I saw Irby on one play but I don’t recall us completeing a pass to them. For that matter, other than Irby I don’t even know who are TEs are (yes, I should go look at the depth chart, I suppose).

The 4th down conversion that Case threw was a completion to DJ Grant.

What happened to Joe Bergeron?

BYU D-Lineman #91, talking smack before the game…

“I just want to go into Texas and make them say, ‘No mas’ real quickly," Fangupo said. "During that first series I want to come at them hard and strong so they know that every down is going to be a battle”

“My plan is simple," said Hebron Fangupo. "It’s to go in there, just like Ole Miss, and make them surrender. My grandpa always told me this since I was a kid, ‘No one wins unless someone surrenders,’ so my job is to go in there and make them surrender.”

Anyone notice that that same D-lineman was limping off the field midway through the 4th Qtr, sucking wind?

I guess he wanted “No Mas”, and “surrended!”

In regards to the QB situation, I am trusting this site to tell me about McCoy’s arm strength. I haven’t seen anything on the tv to make me think he can’t get the job done, especially since Major didn’t really have a cannon, either. But y’all have stuck it in my head that his arm is so weak that he shouldn’t even sniff the field. Aside from the strength issue, I thought he made some good throws, but they all seemed to go Shipley’s way. It’s great that he can make the catches, but I can’t help but think McCoy was throwing that way out of some ingrained family BBQ obligation. I just don’t want the defense to KNOW that Jaxon is going to get the ball.

BTW…here’s the link.

http://byu.scout.com/2/1104785.html

excellent report. thanks much.

great to hear the insider view.

one concern i have, however. i’m going to bet a sooner fan or two have been to the tailgates and are getting chummy. you are getting information that bob stoops would love to get his hands on. i wouldn’t tell a soul one blasted thing the week of the ou game if i were either the asset or a big cigar. hell, even a little cigarillo should keep his trap shut. loose lips tip stoops.

yeh, it’s a valid point. We’re going to tighten that stuff up going forward. Plus Brick’s an old friend.

Yeh, how do you know JS isn’t the mole?!? Have you even thought about THAT???

When I saw the Shipley to Ash pass, I said, “that’s what The Asset was talking about!” Hell of a time to pull it out. Most satisfying one point win against an unranked, nonconference opponent in recent memory. As always, nice work Jesus.

Can we get a new segment on here, “Redacted Play of the Week”??

I’m going to bet the next redacted play is a flea flicker. And I’m going to get specific: Ash to MB to Ash. Then, Ash to a TE, probably Blaine Irby.

for an ooc game, no problem, but for conference games and especially unohoo, i wouldn’t tell my own brother anything. the most innocent of comments could be trouble. ask darrell about those guys.

good point, tt. he does look a little sneaky. one wrong word and it’s mole sauce for him.

feel pretty much the same about everything..especially the program’s direction part. i just kept thinking after the win last night: what if they actually build what they’re trying to? a sort of alabama (stop the run/smash the qb/keep it in front of you passing) mixed w/ the scrap, guile, and execution of a boise style offense? what if they actually do that with alabama level d-talent and build THAT boise style offense with the sort of weapons available to us via recruiting? what if they keep that boise sort of philosophy where they reload their depth until they’re ready to start but always ready to contribute but with our talent? but and and and if and puerile grammar aside…i mean..what if they really do that?

Think what you want about Case, But a couple of after game comments from Shipley beg to differ with you. He is much higher on Case than you are. When i see the Ash accuracy you talk about on the field i will believe, because his running ability is Pretty good. Right now with Case i see a young Colt, not the strongest arm,but there is something to be said about throwing a catchable ball.He did not throw any ducks in that game as others have reported on this site. I spent the afternoon watching his 8 throws and the replays, the one ball he did not connect on was thrown away. He has a head for the game and accuracy to go with it.

There are ways of scientifically determining whether or not someone is a witch.
It involves ducks, water, and wood. Has the test been performed?

Li’l McCoy looked fine to me with Li’l Shipley to connect to. In fact, I was surprised that the ball passed the line of scrimmage every time Case threw. But, and a big BUT, I seem to recall that he threw a duck (not of the witching variety) once when he tried to go long. Do I remember that incorrectly?

I, too, felt that Ash was not making correct reads every time on the runs, but he is still young and will learn.

The defense was nails (barring some dumb penalties which will no doubt cause some extra laps for the perpetrators this week).

Texas football is fun again, and winning is only a part of it. Watching the players learn and grow while having fun is a BIG part of it. There’s not much doubt that the players on both sides of the ball have totally bought into what HarWhite and Diaz are doing.

I think the team responded to both Ash and Case.

However, Shipley was quoted after the as saying that Case told the team (presumably in the huddle) that he would lead them to victory. That’s some kind of (a) balls, (b) leadership, or © lucky freaking coincidence.

We may wind up with QB controversy II.

I totally agree with Jesus about Malcolm Brown. The guy needs to test 20 carries next week and the next. The man is special and is demonstrating a clear ability to move the chains. He kind of reminds me of Jam Jones back in the day, deceptively smooth yet very physical. That 3rd and 8 run was the truth.

yeh -

I wouldn’t worry. JS wouldn’t have let the info out unless he was absolutely, 100% positive that it went nowhere near enemy ears. Trust me. The dude is VERY guarded about this stuff.

Here’s what Bronco had to say about the game.

On whether BYU’s offense was too conservative or if it was just a lack of execution: “I think it was execution. We were in a hostile environment, but I don’t think it was that we were too conservative. I just think Texas’ defense out executed us. I give a lot of credit to The University of Texas’ No. 14 [David Ash] they put in at quarterback. He played with a lot of heart and toughness, and I think it made a difference in helping them with time of possession.”

Bergeron report?

You have to be excited about the future, but what in god’s name did MB and staff do for 3 recruiting cycles? The lack of talent among upperclassmen which became evident last year is showing itself again and is quite unbelievable.

Jesus,

Curious as to how much of your belief about Ash being “the future” is your own opinion versus what you are hearing from your sources. I agree with you completely, but I wasn’t sure how much of it was your personal “take” after watching the game.

Appreciate all of the info.

Groundhog, you bring up a good point, Seems the recruiting eye went downhill while Muschamp was here.

good grief there are people who put cameras at atm machines to catch the button presses. someone can film somebody talking and a lip reader can tell you what was said. didn’t you see hackman in the conversation?

ok, tin hat off.

fantastic movie, by the way. i don’t like movies, and i liked that one. saw hackman in an interview some years later and he was still saying that was his fave.

I trust Harsinwhite will review Ash’s decisions to keep the ball 4(?) times in a row during the 4th quarter, often for no gain. At the same time, I hope Harsinwhite will give double the size of David’s package of plays this week to include a broader range of intermediate and deep routes.

Per the reports and comments on this blog about his weak arm, I’m pleasantly surprised by Case’s consistently high pass completion rate. Although he was 0/2 during garbage time in the Rice game, Case performed admirably against BYU including on his 4th down completion/conversion. As long as he avoids throwing INTs, I could care less if Case completes 87.5% of his passes by closing his eyes and lobbing the ball backwards over his shoulder. Like they say, it’s better to be lucky than good. As long as Case helps us win games, I say let’s play him. Let’s let NFL scouts worry about his mechanics.

As I left the tailgate a few minutes before kick-off, JS pulled me aside and said, under his breath, "Watch for a Shipley-to-Ash pass play. The team’s been working on that all week."

He waited until you left?? I heard it as soon as I walked in… I figgered he was just trolling for a Jackson in the tip jar (which I did leave, of course).

That, coupled with the news in the Secret Email made my trip well worth while. Two of my boys and my lone son-in-law made the trip double-delicious, and the seats smack dab on the fifty five rows up gave me as good a view of the Gilbert meltdown as one could ask for – or stomach. The Gentleman Jack in my youngest son’s Fireman’s Flask slid pleasantly down my throat and calmed that quivering organ, though, and the sight of a young – very, very young – team showing clear evidence of growth soothed it well.

Between you fellas here and the End of GDGD, I feel pretty good about how things are shaping up. I gotta admit, I’m pretty tight about this UCLA trip – but on the other hand, we busted a cherry with BYU, so why should UCLA be any different?

Still, my camp will not be happy, nor will it be overflowing with the milk of human kindness if I see Gilbert start against UCLA, and what little milk may be found will be curdling to suit Miss Muffett if MB1 isn’t on the field before our first punt… and by the way, if I read the Harsin Novella series (Secret Emails) correctly, I’ll bet my hat, ass, and suitcase that we’re going to see Ash taking punt snaps before too many more games roll by – he looked every bit Tucker’s equal in warmups. I have a feeling Ash may be a bit more of a threat than Tucker to run (or pass) on the fake punt… I think we show that before 0u just to make Venables respect it and either prepare for it and defend it or face the consequences.

Coulda been better, but as Saint Darrell pointed out in daze of yore, “Ten years from now, nobody remembers you only beat ’em by one point – what they remember is, you won the damn game.” What I remember about this is that I saw a team suck it up and come back – something all too rare, lately.

So far, so good. I’m still not expecting to win ‘em all – although I still think (as always) that it’s possible. But I also expect us to not quit, and I expect us not to get whipped – we may lose a game or three, but it’s not gonna be because we got whipped.

monty: no. you’re wrong. hicks, jeffcoat,byndom, cobbs, adrian phillips, reggie wilson, aaron benson, tevin jackson…all came in under muschamps watch. probably more than that

Case did a good on short yardage plays. Review the tape and stats. I feel comfortable having dual qbs play all year long. Stat wise and looking at ash close to the end of the game he looked hurt, semi-limp. 9 carries and 36 yards for him seems like they put a bit too much on him to carry but that could have been the result from broken up option plays. By the way was there an “ode to greg davis” hitch pass that was executed for 20 + yards?

“Seems the recruiting eye went downhill while Muschamp was here.”

Have to take exception to that comment’s implication that Muschamp was the culprit. The recruiting failures are on the offensive side. Without going through every position, (we graduated most of our D-backs last year, D-line weight/injury/grade/personal issues) the D recruiting has been outstanding.

The recruiting on our O-line was a vortex of suck for a couple years and that has been the main culprit (plus some bad rb evals). The O has had some bad luck too (TE, Gilbert) though.

tex long with an awesome, awesome post

Good stuff.

couple of points.

The intangibles that Gilbert did NOT have, it appears Case might have. Why not see if they develop? He extended plays and completed everything except for one throw away pass. He was clutch on 3rd and 4th downs. Gilbert had 3 straight 3 and outs. He didn’t have 3 and outs only because of some INT’s. OUCH.

Also…. just thought I’d point out that after the 3rd down play late in the game we were cheated by about 1/2 a yard. It should have been 4th and a foot and not 4th and 1. THAT spot didn’t help things on the 4th down try.

I hope you are right that BYU is THAT good. Don’t know if I’m buying that yet. I think every single game is gonna be an adventure for us. Iowa State doesn’t look like a gimme anymore. UCLA should be a dog-fight.

Oh yeah, did you notice that RICE beat Purdue??

mattdb, thanks – I just rolled into home after another quick 7-hour drive west, and wanted to get some quick impressions down. Main impression: we’re young and raw, we do indeed have some talented players, and we’re going to be really, really good sooner or later, probably sooner (no Oklahomo).

One quibble – I hate the fucking field turf. I don’t care what it costs to do it right – we’re Texas, and playing on plastic ain’t right. (BTW – same goes for the Disch).

Casegets some happy feet back there and the throws suited him. Lot of underneath stuff. Jaxson was really impressive. First time I have seen a texas wr go and get the ball. I am having a little issue with “they responded when case came in”. 2 games and in both games offense was completely different animal. What is the common link? Not Case or Ash, it is Malcolm. He is the difference. Amazing how much better an offense looks with 2nd aNd 4, instead of 2Nd and 9

“Ash is a true dual threat”.

More like a sextuple threat:
Passing, running, receiving, punting, blocking, and acting (remember him acting like he was hurt right before he caught the pass from Ship). You can also run the wild horn easily when Ash is in the game because he is useful at WR both as a receiver and as a blocker.

Totally agree about Harris vs Darius. Harris’s blocking is a big deal on a team that runs as much as the horns. In addition to his catching and blocking capabilities, Harris passes quite well, which facilitates Harsin trickeration.

It was not surprising that Ash would catch a pass. What was surprising was that Ship threw the pass.

My takes on Case and Ash are based mostly on what was reported to me by The Asset watching practice. The rest is my own observations which is about 25% of the equation I’d say.

vortex of suck might be a complement to our OL recruiting.

great stuff, JS. you have been right on top of the QB situation. great win, and starting to see some answers at DL and hopefully now QB.

now time to get some pay back on Neuheisel’s rotten ass.

Great write-up! I can sense this team as a whole growing each week with confidence and knowledge of the playbook. Can’t wait to see what new trickeration awaits UCLA.

What did you mean by “we know what mike davis gives us”? Because I am not sure what that is. Some drops vs rice, and some nice deep plays. 0 catches vs BYU. He seems consistantly inconsistant to me.

I’m with Orangechipper… Case might not have the arm you would like but neither did Colt or Applewhite. What he does seem to have is excellent timing, accuracy and decision making. We have seen nothing of Ash’s arm in in-game situations in these regards so I think the coronation is premature.

Also, and I hate to be the wet blanket here because you are providing some of the best Longhorn content on the interweb, but I don’t think you can say “see, I told you so” when you REDACTED that tidbit.

JS thanks for all you do. I think Ash played fearless which is what makes the team respond to him. McCoy is getting the throwing down reps simply because he is more familiar with that aspect of the offense. I was very impressed with M Brown he looks very mature for his age. I was sitting next to Sherrod Evans’s dad and he said Sherrod is always talking about how good Malcom is. I am a true believer in our front seven, our linebackers were great last night and every time I watched the d-line I came away impressed. Especially with Dorsey and Jackson. Last night was one of the most positive steps I’ve seen this program take in awhile. I look forward to seeing this team get better and better. Much love to the Bc and Cosm.

AP, gotta agree with you. Jeffcoat looked like he was in cruise mode a good part of the night. Lazy or tentative is no way to go through life son. You came in with a ton of rep but you ain’t showin’ up in real time.

Aha! There is a secret email! You misogynistic bastards. ;-)

In all seriousness, I’m curious to know your (or the Assets or Big Cigar’s… oh, and Longhorn Scott’s and Scipio’s) thoughts on the offensive play calling in the first half versus the second half. Been catching some grief from a few aggie friends about this point, and I want to see if what I’m thinking is in line with what y’all are thinking. If so, then I’m learning! Yes!

One big advantage that Ash has over Case is that Ash has the physique and athletic ability to run the ball well without getting hurt. Having a QB who runs well forces the D to honor QB fakes to run in one direction before handing off to the TB running in the opposite direction. In addition to making the D indecisive, this also nicely sets up the blocks for the OL. Mack deeply appreciates the benefits to the run game of having a running QB.

Texastough, if your going to quote me, put in the whole quote. Its obvious we recruited heavy on defense. You are right Muschamp got more than his share of players with Macks blessing. The offense suffered because of this.How many times did we take one running back or one QB as an example? When you have only 25 to give it becomes a numbers game. Muschamp being pandered to got us in the mess we were in last year. Then when things didnt look so rosy he lost his fire last year. The best thing to happen to Texas was Florida hiring him.

I went back and rewatched the game and came out much more impressed by McCoy than I thought I would be. I wasn’t giving him enough credit on those connections to Shipley, those are the best throws I’ve ever seen him make, period.

I think McCoy is your starter.

I was worried about Ash keeping the ball so much, but after looking for it on the rewatch, I think he mostly made the correct calls. It was just the BYU defense successfully adjusting to the Ash “package”.

I’d expect to see pretty much the same offense against UCLA that we saw in the second half against BYU. I think they’re going to try and work in some more plays to Ash’s package, but Case has shown he’s more effective under pressure than he is in garbage time or practice. I think the job is his to lose.

honkskillet,

JS can say it because he speaketh the truth. Please find something else to criticize..

If BYU truly has the best front 7 that the horns face all regular season, that makes the rushing performance by Brown (14 rushes for 68 yards) and DJ Monroe (3 rushes for 40 yards) even more impressive. It seems like it would be quite synergistic to have Malcolm(at TB) and DJ (at flanker) in the game at the same time.

what ash is doing is incredible. when was the last time at TX a true freshman took meaningful snaps at QB in an early regular season game? I’ve been following the horns for 20 years and I can’t remember a single instance.

Someone give me a history lesson please.

Oh and ps, harsin has a lot of decisions to make. there are so many different directions he can go with this offense and all of them have serious tradeoffs.

I like the idea of getting Harris on the field, kid is a gamer. If I were Mack, if a position battle were even close, I would be playing the younger guy (ala Pete Carroll). It’s smart for program building reasons and it also gives him another year of excuses should we have a bad record at the end of the year.

Hookem

Muschamp being pandered to got us in the mess we were in last year.

2009 was really Muschamp’s first class here. The idea that we went 5-7 because the youngest two classes on campus weren’t up to snuff is hard to believe.

You are right Muschamp got more than his share of players with Macks blessing. The offense suffered because of this.

31-34 offense to defense while Muschamp was here. Not a ridiculous imbalance. There were certainly enough offensive players recruited, they were just the wrong ones.

Great write up. One of the biggest wins in years. The entire stadium was ready to explode with pent up excitement and the Horns delivered. BYU is a good team and will win many games this year. Credit them and their fans who showed up in good numbers to support them.

Very impressed by the defensive shut down in the second half.

The team plays harder for McAsh. You could see the hustle once the rotation began.

Also props to Wylie, this team is in great condition and looked like they could play another quarter if needed.

I’ve seen McCoy actually get some real PT twice, once in the Spring Game and last night. All I saw was a rag arm in the Spring Game. Last night I saw him make some nice throws that seem to indicate, at least to me that he an adequate arm. There is a huge difference in his throws when his feet are settled and he steps into his throws— like last night as opposed to the spring game. He doesn’t have enough arm to make throws off of his back foot or on the run though.

I could be wrong given that I’ve only had a two opportunities to see him throw, but it does seem like the arm strength issue is being over blown a bit. I mean from the sound of some of the reports and the chatter, you’d think the kid couldn’t make a ten yard throw.

monty: mack is recruiter in chief…esp when it comes to promising 1 only per position when he recruits kids. this doesn’t lay on muschamp’s door at all. if what we’ve read here is to be believed…muschamp was part of the revolt/solution/whatever along with major while the old guard, mack included, continued with their horseshit.

your premise is pretty much ridiculous.

Been going to games a long time, but just started seriously reading this site this year. I have to say. I love this site. I was telling people all week Ash would catch a pass. Great job guys.

Case is a leader and a winner, and he knows where to put the ball. Oh, and he also has a Shipley mental telepathy thing going. I hope we go with the two headed monster the rest of the way unless one of the two really separate.

My vote is that game sensitive plans get a permanent gag order. I love the predictIon and timing but prefer if maybe those cats are let out around game time/ kick off. Kind of like the friday Q and A. Maybe a predetermined release to let those cats run, kind of like a secret email.

I was flying home during the game and no one at my house recorded the game. Any good links or anything like that where i could watch a replay of it?

Did we watch the same game? Case made the throws he needed to make, and did so accurately. He led the team to victory, and he appears to be in sync with our future – Shipley. Those are facts. Is Case the long term answer? I don’t know, but neither do you.

These blogs are so over-the-top pro-Ash, it’s seems like this site is run by his family!

Perhaps I was watching another game….I thought that Case McCoy hit everyone of his recievers even in the numbers with his passes. With exeption to the 1 overthrow under pressure and where the reciever stepped out of bounds but still got tattooed in the numbers with the ball. The Skinny post that was a suicide throw to Shipley was pinpoint. No Mistakes. I agree that Ash is the future but in the new system is it necessary to run the option? Should he have pitched it on multiple ocassions…..Yes…Do we need an accurate passer taking the snaps. My good Friend, Allen Iverson, once told me that practice is practice and games are different…I saw ugly throws in both the spring game and the BYU game that got to his recievers on time and on the money…I don’t ask for much more. Do your job. Deliver the ball and don’t turn it over. As for leadership qualities winning games and throwing touchdowns others will follow.

Completely agree with hecox20.

So if McCoy falters against ucla, who will obviously have better athletes in the secondary, do we go back to gilbert or go straight to ash or even just stick it out with mccoy? those soft throws will get jumped on against cali athletes. of course, this question is only relevant given that the depth chart reads mccoy, gilbert, ash

Abe Lemons,

http://www.don-lindsay-archive.org/skeptic/arguments.html#authority

Ash came up limping after one of the runs in the 4th quarter. Any word on if he is injured?

As an old pass-catcher, I can tell you that a ball delivered like a rocket, with the nose down, and low is – how shall I phrase it? – fucking hard to catch. Most of Gilbert’s throws resemble that remark, to the point that one of them last night, right before my very eyes, was low enough that it hit the ground a good five yards in front of the receiver. I don’t give a big flying fuck if McCoy’s and Ash’s passes wobble like a wounded duck, as long as they get to the right place at the right time.

Fuck me, I feel so bad for Gilbert – he seems like a really nice, likable young man, very earnest, and trying hard. I very much want him to succeed, but right now he just sucks. Damn.

McCoy got a hell of a lot better results out of his eight or nine passes than Gilbert did on about the same number. I think we’re a lot better off with the McAsh packages.

Someone mentioned something about wanting Mack to start McCoy or someone at some other position… whoever you are, bite your tongue, hard. We want Mack to have nothing to do with who starts, on offense, on defense, or on specials. If he ever calls another fake FG punt or anything like it, I will personally climb out of the stands and throttle his pot-bellied little ass. We want Mack to stick to clapping and cheerleading, and leave the coaches the hell alone.

One last thing before I hit the sack: I think we owe Will Muschamp a sincere vote of thanks for bringing things to a head. Yeah, I think the HCIW stuff was a huge mistake – at least, without a contractually enforceable timeline – but I think he was doing what he thought was best for Texas as well as for Will Muschamp, and I’m pretty happy for him that he got that HC. I also hope he does a damn good job and that we get to play his team ASAP, preferably for the Xtal Ball, and that we kick his ass good and proper… and then help him to his feet and buy him a cold one.

I’ll leave you with my all-time favorite Kung Fu movie subtitle: Waaahaaa! Come, large black person, let us band together and not forget to kick some ass of the evil Spider Woman.. Rick Neuheisel, we’re looking at you.

I had a McAsh the other night at McDonalds

Why do we have to have one or the other? The QB platooning worked great. Can it work all season? I don’t know, but it damn sure worked in this game…. Thought it kept them guessing and gave them a myriad of possibilities. I say stick with it until it doesn’t work. That being said, Malcolm Brown needs to be on the field… a lot. Hook ’Em

I’ve never played option qb. Does it feel dangerous to pitch? Does it feel risky to be the guy who makes that decision? Maybe Ash just didn’t feel comfortable making that play yet and was concerned most of all about ball security.

“Marcus said:
September 11th, 2011 at 8:45 pm
I was flying home during the game and no one at my house recorded the game. Any good links or anything like that where i could watch a replay of it?”

Marcus, the BYU-vs-Texas game condensed replay is playing on ESPNU right now. If you have a broadband carrier that gives you Internet access to espn3.com (watchespn.com) or the Longhorn Network channel, you can also watch the game replays there.

colt is much more athletic than case will ever be, he is not the future here. two of his passes get picked against OU or any other fast defense. ash is the future and we need to start getting him involved in the passing game as well. the k states of the world will suffocate case…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVuA35c6ihY

Go to the 1:00 mark. It’s plays like that that make Ash a favorite amoung his teammates. He takes out two defenders.

JS, like sevral others, do you have any news on why Bergeron got no snaps. He was nails on ST and looks rather imposing physically if I may say so.

Speaking of physically imposing, Steve Edmond is the tits! If we ever put him and Kenny V on the field together, there’s gonna be casualties. Speaking of Kenny, he is clearly the leader in our seconday so, for those of you who were worried if we’d be able to line up after Gideon leaves, put your mind at ease. As a bonus, he also tackles well and with authority—-no extra charge.

Hey fellow blogsters… I don’t want to bust anybodies bubble but I suspect GG to start against UCLA with one significant difference in regard to Rice & BYU…..Malcolm instead of Fozz will be in the backfield
his presence in the Rice game not to mention the BYU game takes a load of stress of the QB and even helps Monroe & Ash as they cannot ignore Malicious Brown.
Troy Aikman looked like shit with the Cowboys until Emmit Smith showed up. Then what…. oh yeah, all those pro bowls & a few of those super bowl thingies

As valorous as it is to take on two defenders…. we won’t be discussing him as our QB if that continues.
would make about as much sense as gettin Colt to run an option against Bama in the red zone… oh shit, I forgot we did that and…….

Monty’s comment about Muschamp made me laugh because it was so dumb.

ryan: “what ash is doing is incredible. when was the last time at TX a true freshman took meaningful snaps at QB in an early regular season game? I’ve been following the horns for 20 years and I can’t remember a single instance.”

I don’t exactly keep track of that, but the name that came to mind when reading your question was Peter Gardere.

Really – Shaq was curious: how does McAsh taste?

That’s a Mickey D’s commercial, right there.

And for the ongoing QB debate, I say: yawn. Let’s see what happens against UCLA. I’m pretty sure HarsinWhite have better ideas how to manage each kids strengths and balance the rotation than we do. And I’m pretty sure our opinions are ultimately going to be shaped by gameday performance anyway. As long as the coaches continue to adjust appropriately, I’ll buy whatever they choose to sell.

See how easy and angst-free that is? That’s the upside of having coaches whose judgment you can trust.

Saul, you are correct. Gardere holds that distinction.

As for the Mack Brown era, you already know the answer to that.

I think Donnie Little had significant playing time at QB in 1980.

The difference I saw with Case was what I saw with his brother – leadership. And something I haven’t seen with Gilbert. The McCoys may not have the greatest skill sets in the world, but they do have the ability to make folks believe in them and rally round. Just like the lack of confidence is a Gilbert-killer and reinforces itself, the McCoys make enough plays that folks start to believe them, and those prophecies start becoming self-fulfilling. I’ll be watching Ash, but I’m thinking he could learn from McCoy and the way he works the team.

Lurker…I seem to recall newts and very small rocks are involved as well.

Are there any more Shipleys in the pipeline? If not, we should encourage procreation by offering scholarships to any future male children.

Gardere redshirted.

i’m with dagga here. i’m gonna sit back and watch this magnificent staff work out the issues and think how lucky we all are that my opinion doesn’t matter.

1. Where was Bergeron? Still not impressed with Fozzy. Two yard per carry average is not going to cut it. Play Brown and Bergeron.
2. Jeffcoat is average at best and always hurts us with stupid penalities. Still think he had a lot to do with OU loss last year.
3. Case gets it done but he is still throwing off his back foot just like he did in the spring game. Ball just does not have much zip on it. I hold my breath every time he throws for more than fifteen yards. Bottom line is, it works but I still don’t feel like he is the answer. I think they need to let Ash start throwing the ball more.
4. Shipley and Brown are studs. Brown is the kind of back that wears teams down until he breaks one. He needs more carries. Shipley had a lot to do with McCoy’s success. He makes QB’s look good. It it is anywhere close he brings it down.
5. Bennie Wylie deserves a ton of credit. In both games this season we have taken over in the second half. You can tell the other teams are wearing down and our team gets stronger. Bennie, you are the man.
6. I loved seeing Manny ripping ass in the second half and then watching the defense respond. They definitely got the message and took it up a notch. I frickin love the intensity level that Manny is bringing and I think the defense is getting better and better. They will keep us in the game and give us a good chance to win.

If Gardere redshirted (which I don’t recall one way or the other), then James Brown comes into the discussion. He redshirted but took over as the QB his RS Freshman year when Shea Morenz was injured.

Simms and Snead.

I know this is off topic, but we may want to start a new realignment thread since we have some new reports out for discussion. Chip Brown is reporting that OU and OSU will apply for PAC membership before the end of the month (OU board ready to apply to PAC-12

Your move, Baylor…

Your move, Baylor…

OU leaving certainly can’t be the direction A&M was hoping this would take. Though this may shift Baylor’s main focus to OU and the PAC, I still don’t know that it lets A&M and the SEC off the hook. It seems at some point that the SEC will have to bite the bullet and take A&M with potential iaibilities. I can’t fathom this working out where A&M just twists in the wind for months with no place to go.

Hey dammit … easy on the hardballers — we’ve got a pennant race going on here.

- Game ball to Jane Austen’s Carrington Byndom. His open field tackle on third-down in the red zone saved the game.

- The offense is just a couple of clicks away from coming together and getting pretty dominant. Two things needed: reduce penalties and improved blocking.

- We had five or six plays in which we were one key block away from breaking a ton of 30+ yard runs. The pulling guards, TE’s and H-Backs need a little more improvement on this, and when they get it, we will see Brown breaking runs for 25 yards instead of 12, and we will see DJ taking runs to the house.

- It has been at least 10 years since we have had a running back with the vision and adjustment ability like Brown. Look for a 100+ yard game in the next two weeks.

- Jax Shipley does things in the air that are not possible without special effects. The NCAA should investigate to find out how Jon Woo is hiding the wires. The only other explanation is that he is a Jedi.

- Neither Ash nor McCoy give us a deep play action threat (yet?). This is unfortunate, because the deep play action is the killing stroke that Harsin’s offense is designed to set up. I think both QB’s are capable of a short and mid-range game. I look for more of that to be installed, if not unveiled, by the time of the OU game, with TE’s getting in the mix. If they can’t pull that off, I fear teams are just going to load the box against the run.

- Bad news: Snow is a liability on the line, Darius White is a liability at receiver. Jeffcoat is a liability at DE. I’m only confident that the latter can be fixed right away.

Guvnah – interesting points. From what I gather, Ash has the arm for play-action. But I don’t think his package (what we’ve seen, anyway) is designed to set it up as much as other constraint plays like the counter or reverse. We’ll see what they add to his playbook this week.

As far as Jeffcoat is concerned, the difference between him and the other two is (a) his problems this game came before the snap, and (b) they were problems rooted in aggressiveness. Very fixable, as you say. I’d go a step further and say I wouldn’t classify any of those three as a liability at this point. None of those guys are physically incapable. The team is still adjusting to the new system and those first two seem a little “in their heads” about it, so to speak. Hopefully soon the game will slow down for them and they’ll play better.

there’s a quick fix to any of those three: play someone else.

Nunna – what I’d give to be a fly on Bill Byrne’s cranial wall right now. I’d probably be treated to a nightmare of Greek tragedy on loop, with the hero sheep charging headlong into a prison made of fortified bat guano and guarded by invisible Baptist-tornado hybrids. The moral of that story is muddy. Confusing times for Bill.

mattdubya – that’s what they’ll do if they feel the backup serves the team better. I don’t feel the need to defend that assertion anymore.

I agree that Jeffcoat is not a physical liability, and like I said, his mistakes are fixable. But he loses contain too often. On BYU’s 97 yard drive, he allowed a TE to seal him inside and DiLuigi busted a big run to get BYU out of the shadow of their own goal. He needs to improve. The good thing is, I’m confident he can.

My problem with Snow is that his failure is not just showing up in scheme absorption, but in basic run blocking technique, which shouldn’t happen for a senior.

White appears to have caught Malcom Williams’ brain-hand arthritis. Hopefully there is a cure, and hopefully we won’t have to wait indefinitely for it to take, like we did with Williams.

I hope you are right about Ash’s deep ball. If it’s there, there’s no reason he can’t run this offense as successfully as Kellen Moore by the end of the season.

As Mack was being interviewed as he left the field postgame, he said that they told Ash to be very careful on the option plays and to keep the ball if he had any doubts.

there’s no reason he can’t run this offense as successfully as Kellen Moore by the end of the season.

More successfully than, given that Moore’s running ability looks closer to Case’s than to Ash’s. That, plus there are more weapons in the backfield.

Guv – fair enough. Forgot about that TE seal, that was a killer. In any case I think the message sent this week was clear: if you’re not Texas-good, your playing time is in jeopardy. Those kids will all be sweatin’ it this week.

@Kilgorehorn

To be fair to Ash’s running of the option, even setting aside the coaches’ caution, BYU’s read man played a tweener on several of those plays — neither crashing hard nor coming upfield hard — making the read very difficult. This was similar to what Texas pulled against Taylor Martinez and Nebraska especially in the first half of last year’s game in Lincoln.

ESPN is reporting that Case and Malcolm are listed to start against UCLA. Kudos to Mack for not waiting to pull the trigger. Next they need to play Harris and Myles at receiver until Darius learns how to hold on to the ball.

what I’d give to be a fly on Bill Byrne’s cranial wall right now. I’d probably be treated to a nightmare of Greek tragedy on loop, with the hero sheep charging headlong into a prison made of fortified bat guano and guarded by invisible Baptist-tornado hybrids. The moral of that story is muddy. Confusing times for Bill.

Hilarious Dagga.

JS is still an idiot. He didn’t see much from Case? Weird. I saw him go 7 out of 8 with incredible poise on money downs: 3rd and long/4th and 5. I saw a great tandem, and we’ll keep seeing it. It’s no secret that JS hates the McCoys because they are Christians.

I’ll withhold opinion on Case’s ability to be the permanent starter until he starts throwing play action passes, or anything greater than 15 yards. As of now, I agree with JS that he’s a stop gap until Ash or Brewer wins it from him.

As a Longhorn, three words: I FEEL GOOD!

Here’s a link to a full version of the Texas/BYU game: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bb2v2N536oE

Pretty good quality, too. Also, I think McCoy is vastly underrated. Maybe he can’t throw a 70 yard pass, but he has the quick intelligence and determination to win games. I think it’s kind of funny listening to everyone downgrade him, because it’s exactly what everyone was saying about Colt at first, too. I’m not saying he’s the second coming of his brother – yet – but he did very well Saturday night, made good decisions (if you watch the replay, he only threw to Shipley in such tight coverage because Shipley gave the wave and he trusted him and his own accuracy), didn’t turn the ball over, moved us down the field consistently, and according to Shipley he also rallied the team and gave them confidence. All of those qualities are exactly what we need right now, plus the big one: HE NEVER CAVED UNDER THE PRESSURE. Hell, he never even seemed stressed. He kept it together and made things happen. Even if you don’t think he’s going to be our long-term guy, I don’t think it’s right to discredit what he did for our team Saturday night.
Ash also deserves major credit – for a true freshman he is incredibly talented already, and I look forward to watching them play together and grow up in the next few games. But saying he should just start immediately, or even soon, seems selfish to me. That’s a lot of pressure for someone experienced, let alone someone just coming in, and Harsin doesn’t seem the type to ruin brilliant young talent like Davis did, or even take the chance to do so if not absolutely necessary. Let the kid grow up – he’s gonna be great.
Malcolm Brown is a BEAST. ‘Nuff said.
As for Shipley…my god. He VAULTED that guy, snatched the ball, landed as gracefully as a gazelle, and would have kept going if he hadn’t gone out of bounds. Guvnah, I think you hit the nail on the head: the kid’s a fucking Jedi warrior, and this week his Force is going to have the effect of a raging Death Star on UCLA. The fact that he’s just going to get (somehow) even BETTER is just mindblowing.
And I wish Garrett Gilbert the best. He’s played his heart out for Texas, and I hope he finds his confidence and his groove again. He stuck with it and tried his hardest through a season that would have made many people quit, and he deserves our respect even if we don’t believe he’s our best option for starting QB. I appreciate his effort, and above all else, I respect his dedication to UT.
HOOK ’EM!

I’m thinking that Mack will continue to alternate McCoy and Ash, so that if one goes down from injury, the other will have had plenty of reps to continue at high level. Sorta the antithesis of last year.

Gilbert is a nonstart at his point.

Amazing he gets his chance & we concede 2 goals….thats why you are number 4 in the pecking order.Just when I thought we were going to see the King notch up another fine performance.