Texas-Kansas Post-Mortem: Offense

Bergeron has a natural lean in his posture that translates well when he comes into contact with a tackler and he is nifty as he showed on the longer TD run, limp legging a LB at full speed. His being able to keep the Freshman wall way out in front of MB will be a Godsend if he is only half as effective as this week. The point about lack of route adjustments by our WR’s cannot be emphasized enough except for Shipley who, like his brother, just instinctively has it in spades. Everyone else—-not so much.

People also need to realize that separation is as much about a WR’s size and strength as anything else and both of those are in short supply on this team. Wyatt is doing a comendable job with what Kennedy left him. The improvement in blocking alone makes him a great hire.

I believe an OL can gain a lot of confidence by run blocking that carries over into other areas, and we will see that more as the season progresses. Cochran had about 3 beautifully set up seal blocks that sprang MB—-one for a TD. You’re right about his size, but someone has coached him well, IMO.

Oh, and just to get it out of the way for everyone so we can talk about the offense—-blah, blah, de blah, fucking Longhorn Network, yada, yada, yada! There!

And just to be clear about the Ciochran seal blocks, he set them up himself by taking the guy straight on and turning him inside at contact. Nicely done.

Lulz at WildOreo.

I think it can’t be emphasized enough the impact on the offense for the rest of the season on having Cochran stabilize the left tackle position.

Yes, he might need some work in some areas, but two big things leap out about this kid. First in the immediate they trust him at a critical position more than a fifth year senior. He might need some help in certain situations which they will find ways to get him that help. More importantly they know what to expect from him and they now have a line they trust and know what they will get each and every week. The fact Stacey knows each week who he is working with and can focus on developing that unit instead of finding pieces to complete the unit is huge.

Second, this is a kid who is not just happy to be a Longhorn. I have raled multiple times about the phrase “Texas good” and this kid is the perfect example. He doesn’t want to be good enough to become a Texas Longhorn. He wants to become the absolute best football player he can become and he is going to do it the right way. Busts his ass in practice, does the film study, works hard in the weight room, and does what he needs to do and not need to do to take care of his body.

Jake – nice try, but what’s the guess on the number of replies here before it degenerates into a series of rants on the LHN? I take the under, whatever it is.

Oh, and while I’m at it, we need to hire Corch Urban Meyer before the aggies get him. (This is because we shouldn’t get too many calls for Manny and/or Harsin to be fired this week.)

TIC

Now you’re just trolling. You know full well you didn’t take on the good team in the state, but the crappy one! Wait until the actual UT – KSU game!

I was able to view the highlights on LHN at my uncle’s in Flowermound. I travelled from El Paso just to see it! J/k, kind of; nevertheless, whipping KU was important for the team. I don’t like apologizing for KU’s lack of quality. They are in the deepest conference in America and have shown the ability to put quality drives together against decent teams. The fact that we maintained a 4 quarter submission speaks volumes. Lastly, Joe B. is a man-child. I had graded him a slight cut below MB in high school and although MB has thoroughly impressed me, I’ve been slowly and eagerly anticipating the emergence of Joe B. We could possibly have a situation similar to Auburn when they had Cadillac, Ronnie, and Brandon. I just hope HW can showcase them all over the next 3 years. I envision us installing an Air Force style Gray, JB, Monroe/MB package next year. Lol

Interested to hear what LonghornScott has to say about the game. From what I saw:

1. We’re starting to develop a quick passing game in the offense and Ash furthered his development by changing the calls a few times to get us into the right play. However, he’s still got a long way to go. Timing is still an issue.
2. We’re in trouble if Jaxon is out an extended period of time. Thought Mike Davis would have a bigger game with Jaxon being down.
3. I thought Cody Johnson took a step back in blocking this week. There were several times when I watched a run play gain minimal yards where I went back to rewatch and saw Cody as the culprit.
4. Poehlmann to TE was a great move.
5. The run fits were a lot better this week and it’s clear they spent time on it during the bye. We had several blitzes that were timed really well and a few that weren’t. Against a passing team like Tech, we’re going to need to clean that up.
6. Surprised Mack allowed the 1st team to go back in on defense to preserve the shutout. Times are really changing at Texas.

James -
 
Mack didn’t have a vote. The players put themselves in.

Given the limitations in our passing game, I would imagine Harsin will be at his creative best over the next few weeks trying to mix up the run looks to keep defenses guessing. Our line is making progress as run blockers, and we have quite a good stable of play makers to carry the ball. We have power, speed, power and speed, straight ahead smash mouth, misdirection, the ability to attack the edge, just about anything we need.
In other words, our running game is getting good. If we can have some successful play action early on in games, no one will be able to key on the run too much, particularly with the variety we can throw at them.

Off the subject, but in the You’ve-got-to-be-kidding department, check out the following:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/high-schools/scores-schedules/boxscores/?ID=197255&Sport=1&SearchDate=10/28/2011&Season=

Luke Poehlmann move was really great…it showed the coaches are thinking. Cochran’s enthusiasm seems to be catching on with the whole line and Mason Walters is becoming the beast we want . Another freshman leader. Malcolm is very good about going north and south and for those that have yet to see Gray…start smiling. I’ve seen marked improvement from Jeffcoat, maybe he is just now really coming back from his injury…let’s hope.

@lurker — I can’t imagine rushing for 630 yds and LOSING the game…by 30 points!

It was nice to open a game with a scoring drive, followed immediately by another, putting us up 14-0 and placing our defense exactly where Diaz is most comfortable.

I think I understand what you were getting at, but wouldn’t every DC be comfortable with a 14-0 lead?

The win over KU was great tonic for both the team and Longhorn fans in general. Did feel a tad bad for Gill’s Jayhawks, however; if they keep this up, FCS teams may start paying to schedule KU as an out-of-conference season opener I noticed Mack doing his copyrighted belly rub pat (a.k.a. the kiss of death) on Gill following the post-game handshake. I believe Gary Barnett got fired shortly after the Buffs got pasted 62-3 by Texas in the Big 12 CCG game in 2005 when Mack did the same thing (belly pat).

I thought Malcolm received a few too many carries because it seemed his head, heart and body just weren’t excited to play any more by the 3rd quarter. In contrast, it was great to see Bergeron bowl over KU defenders in relief action. The dude is a rambling beast and it was great to see him finally get some major action. It’s almost like Harsin rummaged through his toy box during the bye week and pulled out Buzz Lightyear.

Anyone see how Darius White did on the field? I noticed him in the huddle several times, so I assume he was mainly relegated to blocking. But the fact he was out there at all makes me think he still has a chance.

Gratified to see Luke at TE (was hoping that Harsin would move an OL guy to TE to improve the blocking). Glad that Harsin is building Ash’s confidence with the short passing game (was hoping that Harsin would do that). It also helps moving the chains. Glad to see Mack running so much (was sure he would). Before the game, Mach showed the kids one of Stanford’s big rushing games.

Harsin has to get Darius White on the field. To get him blocking right, give Darius plenty of Oklahoma blocking drills and keep doing it until he gets it right. Re: running pass patterns right, forget it, it isn’t critical. Have Darius run either fly patterns or stop patterns that don’t require a sharp cut. Run plenty of drills where you have Darius fighting somebody like Mykk for the 50-50 pass. Keep it simple and challenge his manhood in one on one drills with his teammates looking on and cheering/jeering. For the deep passes, Ash needs a WR like Darius who is tall, fast, physical, and will outfight the DB for the ball (or at least keep it from getting intercepted). Forget getting wide open, just win the 50-50 deep ball into single coverage. Ship and Davis just aren’t big and physical enough to reliably win 50-50 balls.

Like to see Shead given a chance at flex TE rather than TE. He has the speed to go deep and the physicality to block a DB or OLB. You can pass it to him short and he’ll get lots of yac. He should be great blocking on screen plays. Flex TE should be much easier to learn than TE because the blocking is much easier.

“I think I understand what you were getting at, but wouldn’t every DC be comfortable with a 14-0 lead?”

Not if you are an aggie.

- When Poehlman was brought in, it looked like they had Trey Allen come in as a TE on the other side.
- I thought it was pretty crappy of the Godzilla-tron operator to focus the camera on Trey Allen after Bergeron’s 1st TD run was called back b/c of his hold.
- The home crowd has an unnatural love of all things McCoy/Shipley.
- Also, enjoyed the video montage of great hits that would all be personal fouls now.
- Love what Bergeron brings when he gets to the second level. Great balance.
- RB screens were great. Nothing like getting the opportunity to execute those a few times in live game action. Very dependent on timing and feel.
- Hales saw some action, made a nice grab with his hands.
- Snow hobbled off at some point, not sure if he returned.
- Ash deep ball to Mike D was a pretty good ball. Davis didn’t adjust well and overran it.
- 9 places to get ice cream, 1 for hot chocolate.

“Bergeron has a natural lean in his posture that translates well when he comes into contact with a tackler and he is nifty as he showed on the longer TD run, limp legging a LB at full speed.”

Jake, that’s called down hill running and Bergeron does that well!

Since I’ve been clamoring for Harsin to get Bergeron on the field somehow for a few weeks, it was gratifying to see Joe do so well. It is amazing that he also had 5 tackles on special teams! Why not move Foz to the jet sweeper/WR position? He is an outstanding WR and would give us a guy with power/pop/speed/shake for short passes while still running routes well and catching well. Malcolm and Joe could split the TB snaps. Foz would still do his wild Foz thing and kickoff thing. This would let Foz operate in space and reduce wear and tear on him by reducing hits from the big guys.

If you run 3 times as much as you pass, and you pass short quick passes (flares, screens, quick stops/outs/slants) 3 times as much as long passes then only 1 play out of every 16 plays is a non short pass. That works out to 4 or 5 plays/game where route running matters, where you need a classic WR. The implication is that on the vast majority (15/16) of plays you are far better off with a physical WR (maybe even a flex TE, fast TE, big RB, explosive runner) with little WR skills beyond the ability to catch a pass but who can be an effective blocker and short pass catcher who can get some yac.

Brown getting 12/13 carries in the 1st quarter alone was a load to start with for the inside running game. Now that Burgeron got his feet wet in extended play, it would be good to spell Brown at times through the game to keep him fresh and healthy for 4 quarters and beyond . Tired players tend to get hurt.

I would have liked to have seen that game in its entirety but the stream i was watching was starting and stopping like a rented mule. Craig Velvet Voice on the radio kept me up with the details.

Kafta, i agree Fozzy should be running the jet sweep, his cuts up field are much better than Shipley or Goodwin, plus he runs full speed. Something Goodwin doesn’t always do.

1. We’re starting to develop a quick passing game in the offense and Ash furthered his development by changing the calls a few times to get us into the right play. However, he’s still got a long way to go. Timing is still an issue.[/QUOTE]

100% agree with this statement. Hard to blame a true freshman for not processing the game more quickly … but a couple more delayed throws and/or slow decisions and Shipley or Davis might not be walking off the field afterwards. Saw several spots where the ball could have/needed to be out 0.5~1 sec faster. Ash is still waiting for his receiver to get open … not anticipating the break. All in due time, I guess.

Surprised that Harsin didn’t test the deep ball a little more. I lost count of how many times Davis or Goodwin had single coverage on the outside, with the safety cheated up. Ash could use the reps there too. :p

I agree with Kafka in the sense that we’ve got to find a way to get Fozzy more touches.

- Love what Bergeron brings when he gets to the second level. Great balance.

I agreed with everything you said, especially Mike D over-running that deep ball and laughing at the personal foul compilation, but… Didn’t Joe stumble and force his own fumble while running through the second level? It looked like he fell onto his own knee with the ball.

What’s with our players tripping themselves in the open field? ha

Hey fellas….
Relax about Malcolm B’s amount of reps. Harsin wanted to see what kinda “pitch count” he had in him (check previous games).
Joe B. will be used earlier & more in the future.
not surprised at Luke being used in a two tight end (jumbo package)… just look at Boise State the last couple years and you can see where Harsin is headed with this team… run first and then run again and then let the DC guess what’s coming next.

This is gonna be a fun team to watch grow &the serious entertainment next year…. just not so for the opposition.
Hook’Em

That goat video was pretty funny. They will do that. We had a small herd of pigmy goats. The little billy was fearless and had a big rack. The neighbors chow came up to the fence one day while i was in the pasture , the billy walks within about 10 feet of the fence and stops. the chow pushes his head up to the fence mesh, the billy charged the fence at full gallop lowers his head and damn near kills that dog. Funniest thing i ever saw.

55f100tx,

Great point. BTW, having Goodwin and Foz at the same position would be great for Goodwin because Foz could be Goodwin’s personal coach. My main point is that this team has little need for classic WRs like Ship and Davis since there are very, very few non short passes (about 1 per quarter). Goodwin and Foz will more than suffice for those few downfield passes and will be much better than Ship or Davis as jet sweepers and getting yac in the short passing game. Monroe will also be better as a jet sweeper and yac guy on short passes (though he won’t be a downfield WR).

Harsin is just “playing” with the tune of this hot rod offense he’s building.
Once UPS shows up with his 2012 parts order, there’s gonna be hell to pay in who ever lines up against us next year…….
Cause next year when Harsin gets all the new parts matched up with the existing ones and the “tree” goes green Harsin’s gonna mat the gas and NOT lift till the smoke clears.
This post was for the whole thread but especially for 55f100 & texasengr.

It’s great to see all the players being used properly for a change. It Is taking some time to figure out where everyone fits but the coaches are working it out and I think it will pay big dividends here on out. Mack seems to be finding out where he fits as well. When the first team defense put themselves back in in the fourth quarter he let them go. That was a wise move for the team. This team is really bonding.

Thanks for the link, lurkerinthedark. Cris McCarty is the son of a friend. Cristi was telling me he was doing well but I didn’t know he was this good — 20 carries for 255 yards (12.75 avg) and 5 tds. Too bad they still lost.

He speared him with a trident.

As Scip promised:

wwwDOTyoutubeDOTcom/my_videos?feature=mhee

if that posts, you can check out the slow mo on the shipley play. Crazy that he didn’t tear his knee apart.

That big set didn’t even have a WR in it, Scip. 3 TE, 2RBs. That was a “you can’t even field 4 defensive linemen, so have fun dealing with this set” lovenote from our staff.

scratch that. Here’s the correct url:

wwwDOTyoutubeDOTcom/watch?v=U8oA6r69Zqo

Been trying not to hold my breath waiting for HarsinWhite to roll one of the big dogs outta the interior lines and into the Big TE spot, particularly after watching block after block after block either mis-played or just flat busted by every warm body at TE. Was sort of expecting Whaley, but Luke seems to be a damn nice alternative. Shead has looked like a TE/HBack guy to me all year, haven’t heard his name called a lot – didn’t look like physical problems, so what is it? Can’t / won’t learn to block effectively, can’t catch, or what?

According to AAS, Luke was the blocking tight end on 27 plays. That’s a lot of snaps.

Shipley flipped that knee right in front of me. I’ve seen a lot of knee injuries, and I had already started texting that he was out for the year. Then the son of a bitch started trotting and doing side stutters. Impressed the shit out of me. Clearly it’s loose now, but he’s got to just take care of it.

As for Ash, everyone knows he just needs an offseason to develop some chemistry with the receivers. In the red zone, Kansas was ripe for the fade, but Ash can’t do timing yet. He’s also a half step behind in seeing the field. One thing that improved over the last two weeks was his blitz reading and getting the ball away quicker. It wasn’t always pretty, but improvement is coming.

What has me sold on the kid is that he can throw on the run decently while scrambling. That’s only getting better. We saw this a few times because the O-line is still C- in pass blocking. His decision making is only going to get better as the game slows down for him, and he’s got the chops to do improv.

Scip, why do some people insist on forgetting how much VY sucked as a freshman? The potential was there, and I see similar potential in Ash.

“Scip, why do some people insist on forgetting how much VY sucked as a freshman? The potential was there, and I see similar potential in Ash.”

Pretty funny, especially the part where you foresee Ash’s potential as being similar to Vince’s potential. Let’s see, Vince was one of the greatest college players of all time. Are you saying that Ash has similar potential to that?

" . . . and it’s still not clear what Irby is offering."

How about inspiration?

I finally watched the game tonight, after downloading a 1.5GB bittorrent stream here:
h t t p ://thepiratebay DOT org/torrent/6782276/ Once I figured out to click on the avi file, I was off and running. YMMV.

Hasn’t been mentioned here, but Samantha Steele is very talented, too.

People might be forgetting about Vince as a freshman because Colt was so good as a freshman. At least that’s how I remember it.

Colt played as a redshirt freshmen, not a true freshmen like Ash or Vince did. He was on the 2005 championship team so he got to see Vince up close and what it takes to win at UT.

Scott,

Creepy looking video. With the DB pinning his heel like that, Ship’s entire body weight rolled counter to the trapped joint. Like a heel-hook with all of his own weight torquing behind it. Unreal he didn’t tear connective tissue.

Doesn’t that 1 WR, 3 TE, 2 RB power set put us at 12? No wonder we were running it down their throats…

Scipio
Thanks for the report since I’ll never see any of what you described but that $300 million is really helping me.
“We have a number of unique and effective options at RB …”
What a remarkable statement given where we were in August.

Lurkinginthedark
Thanks for the high school link. Now I know where Kansas recruits thier defensive players.

One of my HS teammates had almost the same exact thing happen to him. Difference was that when the defensive player let the pressure off the pinned foot it didn’t turn back around the right way because it had been just shy of ripped off at the ankle. He still walks with a limp.

JLS -

Vince redshirted, not that the comparison to Ash needs any support. Ash has a long way to go, but I see potential. I’m not going to start comparing him to anybody though.

Just replace one of the WR’s with DJ Grant or Darius Terrell in the 3TE set, along with Brown/Bergeron in the backfield, and my dream “4TE Acres & a Mule” package is finally a reality.

I was fortunate enough to sit three rows behind the O-line bench at this game. I can say without a doubt that Walters and Cochran gave everything they had out there for all four quarters, and Walters in particular appears to be the vocal leader of the unit. I was really impressed with the effort and intensity.

Additionally, Searels is a real hard ass and if you make any mistakes on the field then you’re getting more than an earful on the sideline.

"Scip, why do some people insist on forgetting how much VY sucked as a freshman? The potential was there, and I see similar potential in Ash."

This is not apples to apples. Our leader and his OC were bound and determined to fit a round plug into a square hole with VY. It wasn’t until midway through his jr. season that they let VY actually have his head, as it were.

Oh, and by-the-way, Ash is no VY nor will he ever be!

VY looked like the best athlete on the field on his very first play.

I was at the game with an Aggie friend of mine. After the play I said holy shit, it looks like we’ve got the next Michael Vick. He said, meh, let’s see him do it against a decent team. A few weeks later Nebraska happened.

Horncasting – Nobody said VY wasn’t talented – hell yeah he was. That was the problem. GD and Mack wanted VY to fit THEIR offense and were too damned dumb or stubborn to realize they needed to build an offense around HIM! This is all well documented – look it up.

Comparing what one player does as a true freshman to another, well, that’s pretty pointless.

If you want to say “I think this player has upside and I think they will end up being good” well ok. But bringing up VY is a pointless act.

Kansas has the worst (not second to worst) defense in the United States.

The Kansas defense is dead last in points allowed per game (49.5). By way of comparison, the third-from-last-place Rice defense allows just 37.6 points per game.

The Kansas defense is dead last in in yards allowed per game (555.8). By way of comparison, the third-from-last-place Rice defense allows just 495.4 yards per game.

This year’s Kansas defense is so non-existent, that trying to grade our offense based on what they do against Kansas is pointless. In fact, it’s even dangerous. Here is what teams did this year the next game after beating Kansas:

Tech — lost to A&M in Lubbock
OU — lost to Tech in Norman
K St — lost to OU in Manhattan
Texas — ______ at Iowa St

Snide that would be the middle of Vince’s SOPHOMORE YEAR that Mack and GD turned him loose.

I seem to recall the offense his junior season pretty much rolled from the start. This is well documented, look it up.

Snide – I’m not sure exactly what you inferred from my post, but it appears you completely missed the point….which was that the comparison of potential in Ash, who looks like a decent QB and above average athlete, to VY who looked like a below average QB and absolute freak of an athlete, is silly. And also that the term “sucked” for VY’s freshman year is way off.

So basically I was completely agreeing with your post above mine.

What does this tell me about our offense? Points scored on the Kansas defense:

70 — Okie St
66 — Ga Tech
59 — K St
47 — OU
45 — Northern Illinois
45 — Texas Tech
43 — Texas
42 — McNeese St

Doesn’t tell me much of anything. Should it?

Our coaches better squash any euphoria our offensive players are feeling after last week’s performance. Or Iowa St will deliver said a$$e$ on a silver platter.

T Man, I don’t know who UT plays next, but I know it’s already played ISU.

Iowa State?

We play Tech next…..the victims of the latest ISU beatdown.

Wow, so muc h misinformation in this thread. VY redshirted, for one thing. He was clearly a beast as a RSFR for another. Ash is to VY as my wang is to John Holmes’s. Texas already exorcised the Iowa State demon this year. The Horns play Tech this week. Some of our fans are clearly not in mid-season form.

Horncasting – obviously my comprehension skills are suffering – sorry. I have no excuse other than I am sitting at home with a raging cold.
Davey O’Brian – you are correct – his SOPH season (he red shirted his Freshman year).

Texas — ______ at Iowa St

Say what? You ARE agy, ain’t’cha?

Difference is, while I dunno who agy plays next, I also don’t give a shit… but if I did, I wouldn’t go post on Squealing Ewers or whatever your forum’s name is…

Ooookay – shoulda knowed someone’d already jumped on it. Sorry, just couldn’t resist – just too damn agy.

Granted, scoring 43 vs KU isn’t an impressive accomplishment. There were still a few QB mistakes that cost 17 points (bad sack taking Texas out of FG range, poorly executed QB sneak that cost a TD, bad pick that cost a TD).

Counter balancing that downer perspective are several schematic/personnel improvements that occurred in the KU game:

• advent of short passing attack, taking the load off of QB and OL and reducing effectiveness of stacking the box to stop the horns running attack
• very effective run blocking by Luke Poehlmann at TE, a great solution to a season long vexing problem of deficient interior blocking by UT TEs
• very effective power running by Bergeron, giving the horns another power runner to spell Malcolm Brown and maintain the inside power prong of the horns’ inside/outside running attack.

These improvements are synergistic. Luke at TE and the addition of Bergeron as a power runner makes the horns’ power running game significantly more effective. It also permits the horns to keep a power runner at TB all game, which means the horns can run their balanced inside power/outside speed running game all game long. It also frees up Foz to play jet sweep WR. Foz at jet sweep WR makes the very short passing game much more effective with his good hands and great YAC.

This ability of the horns to run inside with power and outside with elite speed really stresses the D front 7 (or 8) and forces the DC to make painful no win decisions. If the DC chooses to play real LBs at OLB, then they are vulnerable to the outside run by the ultra speedy horn jet sweepers. Those power run stopping OLBs now also have to tackle Goodwin, Monroe, and Foz in space after short passes and have cover Goodwin and Foz down field as pass receivers. Short pass fakes will set up down field passes very nicely (another form of play action passing). It will be difficult to play true LBs at OLB vs the horns.

If the D puts in safeties at OLB, the horns will attack them with power running. Those safeties will have to routinely tackle (head on) Brown and Bergeron running off tackle, a prescription for broken tackles and broken safeties. The horns will go jumbo blocking and just grind down the D until the D is forced to substitute in larger run stoppers at OLB and maybe even larger safeties. At which time the horns attack outside.

The horn O is improving. Tech should be a good test to see how much our O has improved. Tech is not good at stopping the run so there is a good chance that the horns will run efficiently vs Tech. It will be interesting to see how Ash plays vs Tech. If he can eliminate his turnovers and avoid sacks, the horns should be in good shape.

Come on, ye colonists! Let’s dump all this tea into the harbor and show those Mexicans they can’t have taxation without representation.

Why does our fan base insist on starting the He’s-no-Vince crap so early? We were subjected to this crap when Colt was a RS freshman and Sophomore. It’s lame. Please stop.

I hear Tech has 2 Db’s out with injuries. If thats the case. Tommy T might as well add 2 linebackers, because were not going to beat them passing.

If Lil’ Shipley is out we might face 10-man fronts.

I don’t know, I think if we play that game 10 times, each team probably wins 5.

I don’t know, I think if we play that game 10 times, each team probably wins 5.

Yeah? Hell, you’re better off than I am – I don’t even know which game is “that” game.

Well played, Hip. Total coin flip.

You know what would be better than X-mas Hiphop? If y’all beat A & M.

Toad, talk about ruining a season…. that’d do it.

Hey T Man you ginormous pussy,

Don’t think I haven’t forgotten that you tucked tail and ran on the other thread when I posted a response to your “facts” about conference foes and alignment.

You can’t just poke your head out of the sand now without repercussion.

You ginormous pussy.

Fight! Fight!

Internet Tough Guy narrowly edges out Strip Mall black belt in tae kwon do in my annual People Whose Threats I Roll My Eyes At Rankings.
 
Recent mover with a bullet: Occupy Wall Street Protester!

>>
70 — Okie St
66 — Ga Tech
59 — K St
47 — OU
45 — Northern Illinois
45 — Texas Tech
43 — Texas
42 — McNeese St
>>

….Northern Illinois actually had 42, and McNeese State had just 24….but the information still conveys a similar message.

UT-Ravv:
“Why does our fan base insist on starting the He’s-no-Vince crap so early? We were subjected to this crap when Colt was a RS freshman and Sophomore. It’s lame. Please stop.”

Actually this started when somebody said that Ash has similar potential to the potential that Vince had.

55f100tx:
“I hear Tech has 2 Db’s out with injuries. If thats the case. Tommy T might as well add 2 linebackers, because were not going to beat them passing.”

Tubbs normally runs a 4-2-5. I think he brings a couple of his safeties down and runs a 4-4-3 vs the horns. You might be right, he might roll with 4 LBs to stop the horns’ power running game and make it tougher to run wide, daring the horns to run wide. It seems like with the horns combination of power/speed that you would want your OLBs to be safety fast to maintain contain vs Foz/Goodwin/Monroe. If you split your OLBs wide enough to maintain contain, then it will be hard for them to contribute vs inside running, which negates the value of playing a true LB at OLB. It also leaves a true LB responsible for pass defending Foz (if Harsin moves Foz outside to jet sweeper WR) and Goodwin.

I think Tubbs goes 4-4-3 but at least one of the OLBs (the one on the wide side of the field) will be a safety.

Toadvine:
“If Lil’ Shipley is out we might face 10-man fronts.”

10 man fronts might be a bit excessive but it is extremely likely that Tubbs is going to pack the box and try to force Ash to throw the ball.

When does John Harris come back? I liked what i saw from him as a blocking WR before he got hurt. I’ve given up on D-Money.

If Bergeron’s power running effectiveness does lead to Foz being moved outside to jet sweeper WR, Foz would immediately be the best (by far) short pass target for Ash. Foz can function as a bona fide WR. He has excellent hands, is explosive, has power, can run WR routes, has excellent vision, is an awesome broken field runner, can figure out where to sit vs a zone, and has the speed to fly by an LB or safety on a down field route.

When Tubbs packs the box, throwing short quick passes to Foz will be Ash’s security blanket.

Goodwin has a lot of the same attributes as Foz but doesn’t have the YAC ability of Foz. Still, Goodwin has world class speed/explosiveness, excellent hands and is an actual WR (can run routes, understands where to sit in zone, can read a defense somewhat, etc) so he is the second best short passing target for Ash.

Is packing the box effective versus the jet sweep?

Ash is fine and I really like his effort, his problem in HS and now here is turnovers. I think given time to develop he could be a pretty good QB but not the guy that will get you to the promised land. We have a QB coming next year that has all the tools and is not turnover prone that I think can get us there. I like Ash and wish him good luck but think we have better coming.

DKR:
“Ash is fine and I really like his effort, his problem in HS and now here is turnovers. I think given time to develop he could be a pretty good QB but not the guy that will get you to the promised land. We have a QB coming next year that has all the tools and is not turnover prone that I think can get us there. I like Ash and wish him good luck but think we have better coming.”

How do you think Ash will do vs. Tech?

I think we should handle Tech with ease. Our run game should set up play action and they are without 2 DBs. David is a good kid that works hard and I am not disrespecting him with my comments. Harsin is working to keep him playing within his skills. If Brewer was not going to be here, I think he would be the anointed one.

Play action is usually available for the horns but the horns have had great difficulty in converting these opportunities. Part of the problem is Ash but also Ship and Davis are really possession receivers at this point in their careers. Neither guy is a big physical specimen who is good at winning the 50-50 battles.

Kafka is correct. Tuberville brought in Glasgow from TCU to put in the 4-2-5.

I will defer to Ded Fischer on Tech, but it seems that they don’t quite have the players at safety you truly need to have in the defense to make it work. They were the key for TCU’s defense the past two seasons and it is the reason why the defense is struggling this year.

If you don’t have the safeties to handle all the blitzing you better have some size up front and unfortunately Tech does not have a starting defensive linemen over 270. I think they only have 3-4 seniors on the entire 2-deep on defense so they are small, young, and don’t quite have the people needed to truly be effective in the defense.

Texas needs to pound their ass back to the proverbial stone age with the running game regardless if they have 10 men on the line or not. Take their will away from them and keep their offense on the sideline.

I was kidding about 10-man fronts, but I bet we see 8 or 9 in the box. That’s what I would do. We can still run on it I think.

Kafka
You know what your talking about. I keep hoping Darius will show his head but thus far nothing. This cat was a real player in HS and possesses what the others do not size, reach and leaping ability. We have hope coming from Austin High but for now???Still, If Tech gives us problems, we are not as far along as I would have hoped.

Texas needs to pound their ass back to the proverbial stone age

Well, it surer’n hell worked for ISU – but was that because it’s what works, or because Tceh was looking toward playing The University? Or perhaps a bit of both?

All things considered – and particularly the emergence of Pöhlmann at TE – our run game looks to be good and getting better with every practice. Add just enough passing, and we roll two or three of our last five opponents. The 7-5 is in the bag, imo. The 8-4 very likely. The 9-3 definitely doable. 10-2, however unlikely, is plausible. Let’s get past Tech first, though.

Toadvine,

I want to see Texas come out from the beginning and tell Tech and Glasgow regardless of how you line-up on we are going to line-up and run on your asses all night long.

Anyone who has played a sport knows that one of the most frustrating things an opponent can do is tell you what is coming and you can’t do anything to stop it. Likewise one of the most empowering things is when you get that feeling your opponent can stop you at all.

Longhorn Scott has done a great job describing why the power running game is so important to what Harsin wants to do offensively, Kafka has done an equally fine job relating how a strong run game can not only take the pressure off Ash, but aid his development.

I think this game is a huge step in the formation of an identity for this offense and this team. Not just a team that strings two wins together, but a team that from the get go physically dominated an opponent. Take that step in maturation/ development and I believe this team finds itself not only in a great place to win out those last games, but set itself up for a very strong run in 2012.

Fong,

I think it was a combination of the Sooner victory hangover, looking ahead to Texas, and ISU playing to their strength. One thing I like about Rhoads is he is not a guy who gets cute. The strength of his offense is running the ball and they ran it over 60 times and threw less than 30. ISU also was playing a freshmen red-shirt quarterback who is about more mobile and put the offense on the backs of the line and not the quarterback position. Sounds like a good game plan for the Horns Saturday morning to me.

If you are undersized at DT and you are playing interior power run defense, then the best approach is to submarine (getting as much penetration as you can) the OL and take his legs out so there are a couple of bodies on the ground getting in the way of the runner (one of the reasons you see runners hurdling at the LOS sometimes). This submarine and grab legs approach is common for a nose tackle on goal line defense. No point for the DT to stand up and get pushed around if he is physically outmatched. Obviously, if the offense runs wide or passes then submarining was the wrong approach.

Tubbs is a good traditional D coach, has decades of experience stopping the run, and will probably sell out to stop the run. It is nice to hear that Tech is undersized up front on the DL.

Looking all the way back to Rice, there have been multiple plays in every single game where a single missed block was the difference between a short gain/loss and anywhere from ten yards to six points, and more often than not that missed block was by a TE, either bad technique or just not knowing where to go. There were definitely some OL screwups, but more TE it seems to me. If in fact Pöhlman does solve that part of the equation, we may get well really fast. Plus, if he can actually catch a pass or two per game, it will be a huge net positive.

I hope we go with Davey’s approach and just try to kill their will. I would like to think we can do it. Hopefully we just cram and cram and give Harsin plenty of time to figure out what their DBs are doing. Hopefully he will see an easy deep call for Ash on play action that will drive the dagger home.

DKR,
Can you illustrate better Ash’s turnover problems in HS? It looks to me like he threw 3 interceptions per 100 attempts in his three years as a starter at Belton. This is the same number that Brewer threw in his sophomore and junior seasons. (It looks like he is at 2 ints/100 attempts so far this year.) Belton is a 5A school in Texas. I doubt Brewer faces the same level of competition in Arizona.

Davey, great point about not over thinking the O strategy. Don’t get cute, do what works until the D proves they can stop you. My impression is that OCs who are ex QBs tend to get a little fancy. Nice to see Harsin focusing more on the power running. I actually believe that Mack is also a proponent of power running. If you can power run, everything else (running outside, all types of passing) gets a lot easier.

Moving Luke to TE and playing Bergeron at TB is a sign that Mack and Harsin are focusing on the power run game and are much more concerned about getting efficient blocking from the TE position than down field receiving. This is a reality based approach. The horns’ QB, OL, and WRs were never likely to be an efficient stand in the pocket down field passing attack this season. Best to recognize your limitations and work within them.

+1 for the umlaut on Poehlman.

Ricky
Last I knew the count fumbles as turnovers, also. I think you have seen a few here. I do not have all the game charts but turnovers were the biggest knock on David. Harsin is working hard to keep him within himself and that may help. I like him but just think we have the real Prince headed to town. You never know, I hope he quits turning it over here and goes on to be the best ever. Brewer has a special quality that imo will land him in the starting role anywhere he went. I think they will work him in and either by injury to Ash or just out performing will gain the job. Just hope we have 2 really good ones.
Anyone that thinks McCoy is a capable backup is not being realistic and I loved Colt. Just hope we have 2 really good ones.

Ricky
Also the speed of the release is what keeps you from getting the ball slapped out of your hand. There are none that I know of that believe that there is a question about who has the better release.
I am not trying to make anyone mad, I really hope we have the real answer coming. I am not big on 2 loss seasons.

QB rating on Connor Brewer as a Jr 136.
QB rating David Ash as a senior 106.

As you noticed Brewer is improved over last season.

Kafka,

I have a friend who has had a very successful career as a high school coach who basically runs an offense that consist of 8-10 core plays. He will add things off it be that suit his personnel and gives the impression of being more diversified by using a variety of formations and some motion.

He will tell you that he is never going to be the keynote speaker at many coaching clinics because no one will ever accuse him of being some type of offensive genius, but he will tell you that by the time his kids get to the varsity level they can execute those 8-10 plays with a high degree of efficiency and the offense works because it depends upon execution and not overwhelming talent. When they have had that special talent they have made some very successful play-off runs, but the reason why they are in the play-offs year in and out is that on 3-4 most everyone in the stadium knows what they are going to run and he knows they are going to execute more times than not.

One of his favorite stories is during one game they are absolutely destroying this team by basically hammering away with the same 2-3 plays that can’t be stopped. They are up big and he hears someone from the stand yell “don’t you guys know any other plays”. He and the coach near him almost lost it laughing.

Just curious DKR, but using those numbers is there anyway to factor in any deviation in the level of competition.

I am not Huck nor will try to claim to be a numbers expert, but it would seem to for the numbers to provide an accurate gauge the baseline would have to be consistent for each quarterback right?

Davey
You are right. I am an old horse player and if I was handicapping which 1 would win, I would lean towards Brewer. That does not make me right or wrong. The progress they make after they leave HS is what really determines who will rise to the top.

Was looking at some player comments on the Mack Brown website and it was all about running the ball. Mike Davis was talking mostly about blocking downfield. Cody was talking about his favorite play is the iso block where he blocks a big LB. Looks like the Texas O culture is definitely changing from passing to running.

If the horns are in the following running oriented personnel: Ash at QB, Brown at TB, Cody at FB, Luke at TE, Foz at WR/Jet sweeper, who is the 6th skills player? Presumably it would be a small TE such as Barrett Matthews or Dominique Jones, somebody who can block in space and also catch a pass.

If big TE becomes a fixture of the Harsin O, a guy who could sub for Luke at big TE would be Tray Allen (now that Josh Cochran is playing so much at LT).

A quick tip DKR is to bet on the younger, faster horses.

Horrible joke borrowed from my first boss whose family raised race horses. I was watching someone the other day talking about Andrew Luck and they asked this person why it is so hard to accurately gauge which college quarterbacks will be successful in the NFL. Their answer was that unfortunately there just isn’t a way to determine how fast the prospect processes what they see on the field, makes a decision, and then reacts or in this case throws the ball. Other factors such as arm strength, acccuracy, physical stature can be gauged, but not the speed of processing and acting on what they see and that was critical with the difference in speed of the average NFL defense and the defenses they face in college.

It would seem to me that it would be the same situation in recruiting quarterbacks. Who can process and act upon what they see the fastest. An example is Chris Simms who it always seemed to me to be half a count behind on some reads. That sped up during his career in Austin, but there still seemed to be just that lag and it followed him in the NFL. Not a case of he didn’t know where the ball was to be thrown or if he had the physical tools, but the speed to go through the read and act were just not quite quick enough against the better defenses.

Kafka,
They need Allen to sub for Cochran as they have been doing. Cochran plays his heart out and he is a guy that really was forced into action before his upper body was totally ready. He is really going to be a force 2 years from now and a scrappy and good player now.

and women Davey!

I am headed out but you guys were great and knowledgeable. I had fun!

The progress they make after they leave HS is what really determines who will rise to the top.

This seems to have been an issue with a LOT of our talent evaluations. It looks like we have a nasty tendency to eschew the rawer players with huge upsides in favor of the already-polished players who have been trained and coached much better… but in too many cases are already close to having maximized their physical potentials.

Lemme see some fotos of a kid’s family members at the same age – Pop, uncles, grandpas – and lemme see ’em at 20, and today. Excuse me? This silver-haired giant is your Opa Fritzie? Sign here, son.

One thing that surprises me a bit is that the Texas TEs remain so light. Harsin was picked as OC Jan 7, 2011 (about 10 months ago). Presumably Harsin knew that he wanted TEs who could block a DE and that all the Texas TEs were too light to block a DE by themselves. I would have thought that some of the Texas TEs would have packed on 10 to 15 pounds of muscle in those 10 months but all but 1 are still listed at less than 240 pounds.

Now that Texas has Luke at TE, he can block a DE by himself. That leaves 5 OL to block 3 DL, meaning the OL can double team 2 DL if necessary. If no double teams are necessary, that leaves 2 OL free to block LBs. Plus the horns have a FB and another TE to block LBs or help out in a double team on an OL. With that many big blockers, the horns should run block well.

Kafka,

I can’t say with any real accuracy or authority as to whether or not the players listed on the Texas roster at TE were told to target a certain weight or just can’t carry/gain any more weight on their frames. One of the very reasons Luke is seeing time at TE is that he has struggled to gain the body weight needed to truly be effective at the tackle position. Move him to TE and a tackle a bit on the light side because one very good sized TE. We saw the same thing with Neale Tweede.

Just looking at the Texas roster we find this mismash of TE’s.

- Irby was recruited to be a true TE, looked to be the successor to DT, and then we know the rest of the story. Guy has worked his ass off, but he is a shadow of what he was before the injury.
- Terrell and Grant are high school receivers who were signed with the hope they would “grow” into the position.
- Graham was recruited as a true TE, but for a variety of reasons never seen the field on a regular basis.
- Howard and Jones were players in my mind signed for their size and athletic ability and were projected as either DE/TE prospects. Neither is really explosive enough to play DE, really haven’t gained much size, and only Jones has shown much in the passing game.
- Matthews was also recruited as a hybrid type player, I just have the feeling he is closer to 6’ than 6’2’ and GPNS does not exactly run an advanced high school passing offense
-McFarland is young, raw, didn’t face much true competition in high school and most of his highlights were of him split out in the spread against a 5’6" cornerback with a Hispanic surname.

By my count that is three true tight end prospects, two receivers recruited to grow into the position, one hybrid, and two guys who were basically swing prospects.

Howard is done after this year, I am interested to see if Irby comes back, who knows about Grahams future, Matthews isn’t the answer as a blocker, neither is Grant, I have heard Terrell really isn’t too excited about being that close to the line play (and you know as a former TE that blocking in the line is much like tackling. you can’t do it half-heartedly).

Right now McFarland is the only new person to the mix next year who isn’t playing as I don’t see a tight end currently committed to Texas.

Davey,

Great summary.

Maybe the staff differentiates between big TEs (a guy who can block a DE by himself) and fast TEs (a guy with some speed, hands, is a down field threat, can block an LB by himself, and can help in a double team block on an OL).

The problem with converting HS WRs to TE is that star WRs don’t tend to be blue collar types who are willing to do the dirty work of blocking. Also, WR blocking is hardly blocking. It is nothing like the kind of blocking that the OL does.

I understand the philosophy of converting a HS DE to TE. The DEs have the speed, size, physicality, and aggressiveness you need at TE (but not always the intelligence or hands (but you can test for intelligence and catching ability)).

Kafka – Scott Chandler went from a WR at SL Carroll to WR at Iowa to TE at Iowa, and now plays TE for the Bills. So it does happen – takes a hard working kid and a patient, teaching staff.