Reasons Why I’m Pumped About the 2008 Longhorns
As one of the Award-Winning Barking Carnival’s resident curmudgeons, it will probably come as a surprise to some of you that I’m actually excitedly looking forward to the upcoming football season. Yes, I expect this to be a bit of a down year for Longhorn football, and yes, I think the season’s most likely outcome is a regular season record of 9-3 or 8-4 and a berth in the Cotton or Alamo Bowl. And yet…
And yet, I see many reasons to anxiously look forward to the start of the season, and anticipate that this year’s Longhorns will be a very exciting and rewarding team to watch in many respects.
- the advent of the renovated North Endzone. It really looks like an entirely new stadium, if that makes sense. I suspect it’s going to sound that way, too, much to the chagrin of our opponents.
- an improved offensive line. The OL is the single most critical key to the game of football, and the better this one gets, the better our team will be.
- the prospect of Colt McCoy getting back into 2006 form, playing behind an improved offensive line. Running for your life every other time you go back to pass will lead to more INTs. I suspect this year’s line will be improved enough to give Colt more time to get rid of the ball. I also suspect the coaches have spent much time with Colt – and will spend more time in August – working on his urge to try to throw a touchdown every time he scrambles out of the pocket, and convincing him that it’s often better just to throw the ball away or dump it to a back than to scramble at all. Colt’s never going to be Petyon Manning or Vince Young, but he did a pretty good imitation of a hell of a Division IA quarterback in 2006. I see no reason why he can’t perform at that level again in 2008.
- Five words: Will Muschamp and Major Applewhite. We have nowhere to go but up on the defensive side of the ball after the last two disastrous seasons, and Muschamp will almost certainly take us in that direction. The only real question is how big an improvement he can bring with a relatively inexperienced bunch in his first season. I’m also extremely interested to find out what if any impact Major will have on the direction of the offensive game prep and strategy leading into the games with OU,
Missouri, Arkansas and Tech.
- Fozzy Whitaker. We need him to be the real deal to reach that ten win level in the regular season. My view is that the Greg Davis offensive scheme requires a back who can make gobs of yards on his own in order to be successful. Other than the zone/read series of plays, the rest of the running is grind it out between the tackles with zone blocking, which means your back either has to break tackles or make people miss to move the chains. Thus far, I have not become convinced that Vondrell McGee possesses either attribute in any big way, so I think we have to hope that Fozzy does. Given the unlikelihood of the coaches giving a freshman a ton of playing time over an upperclassman, we also need to hope Vondrell has attributes he’s yet to show on the field at the collegiate level.
- New linebackers. I won’t go in to the cluster you-know-what our linebacking was in general last season, other than to say it was the team’s Achilles’ heel. This year’s group has the physical ability to become the most dominant set of LBs Mack Brown has put on the field at
Texas. We’ll see if they have the heart and coaches who can put them into position to succeed. I’m fairly optimistic about the latter, and hopeful about the former.
- The defensive line. This group should be able to dominate most opponents. Other than a general lack of experienced depth, the only big concern in my mind is tackles who are a bit undersized. Things will get real exciting for this team if these guys are able to pressure the QB with a four man rush, something we haven’t had in this program in awhile.
- A full season for Jordan Shipley (knock on wood). On a team with no obvious real difference-making offensive talent, Shipley and Whitaker stand out as the two most obvious candidates to step up to that role.
- Seeing if the philosophy for game preparation that led to the outstanding showing against AZ St. in the Holiday Bowl carries into the 2008 season. This to me is the biggest key to the season. If what we saw from Mack and his staff leading into the Holiday Bowl was the advent of a fundamental change in philosophy, then a 10 win regular season is well within reach for this team. If it was just an isolated, one-off deal, then we’re looking 8-4 square in the face.
- Beating the freaking Aggies. No matter how upset we fans were after last year’s brain dead performance in
College Station, it was pretty obvious that Mack Brown was even more upset. Regardless of what else happens this season, you can bet your ass he will make damn sure this team is ready to break its inexcusable 2 game losing streak vs. the jr. varsity.
- Hell, I’m so pumped up at this point I’m eagerly waiting to see how the Longhorn Band changes up its pregame entrance, given the north endzone’s new configuration.
This year’s Longhorns will not be the best team Mack has put on the field at
July 9, 2008 at 5:56 pm
I approve of this message.
July 9, 2008 at 6:43 pm
Allow me to add to your list
-Finding out “who we are” on offense.
-Watching Stanley Richard-like improvement of “the youngest secondary since we’ve been here” during the year.
-Charting the battle of the explosives (I fear an even or losing tally)
-Seeing how Akina is praised for returning the special teams to excellence without crapping on the guy who “voluntarily left”.
-Seeing if anyone can punt it more than 35 yards.
-Hoping we can find a center who does not get driven into the backfield by DT’s from the likes of Central Fla and Texas Technical.
July 9, 2008 at 6:55 pm
The Arkansas game will tell me everything I need to know about this season. There is no doubt how Arkansas will approach the game, but Mack’s record of preparation for those backward hillbilly’s leaves a lot to be desired.
It had better be different this year.
July 9, 2008 at 8:54 pm
Re: Arkie-saw
You can also bet that new coach Petrino is spending a good bit of summer, and a good bit of the fall practice time focusing on the game in Austin. He knows that he is not likely to do a lot in the SEC, but he’s smart enough to know that a win against UT, in Austin, will buy him piggie fans and a secure job for at least 3-4 years (it sure didn’t hurt Nutt). He will be pulling out all of the stops in that game.
Hook ‘em!
July 9, 2008 at 10:52 pm
Hater.
July 10, 2008 at 6:19 am
Arkie scares me the most. Mack as usual, treats it as any other game unlike our opponent who treats it like the super bowl.
July 10, 2008 at 6:22 am
You’ll beat Arkansas. They’re going to suck this year. No playmakers. Even with Petrino, they don’t win 6 games.
Crazy sounding, I’m more interested in your game at UTEP because it’ll answer whether or not you can still “dominate the teams you’re supposed to dominate” which Mack’s teams have always done until last year. (You’re better than my bunch at that, which has developed the ability to have an inexplicable loss every year against a mid-level team).
I see you getting through September clean, but don’t look past pre-Dallas Saturday at Boulder. My team learned that one the hard way last year (see previous inexplicable loss comment). If you take care of biz there, it’s 5-0 in the CB against us, who should be 5-0 also. Both in top 10, at least, the way it should be. (When will ABC stop fucking with this series with it’s bullshit 11am starts?)
This is where I think you run into problems. OU, Mizzou, and, yes, Taco Tech. I’m buying the hype on them. They’re this year’s Kansas. Hope I’m wrong on that, but I see them getting to you undefeated. And you play them there.
8-4, yeah, 9-3, maybe, 10-2 if the stars align. But it wouldn’t be such a bad thing to play the last Cotton Bowl in the Cotton Bowl. You’ve got more history there than anyone.
Let’s play! Damn, I’m jones-ing for some college football. Hell, I’ve already set the DVR for the Rice-SMU game on the first Friday night!!!! Time for my medicine……..
July 10, 2008 at 6:36 am
Count me among the legions who are not believing in the ‘new tougher Mack’.
July 10, 2008 at 6:44 am
I have coached a team to one conference title in over 20 years as a head coach. That is not a typo.
But, yeah, I’m still choked up about that last aggy game. And the one before that. And those asswhoopings from Kansas State. And that pot roast Sally made last night.
July 10, 2008 at 8:09 am
So, according to this preview, what does it do to the Mack clap count? Does it go up because of the shitty linebackers and OL, offering them encouragement? Or does it go down because of the shitty linebackers and OL?
July 10, 2008 at 8:34 am
You all do know that you still have Greg “they allow the running back to carry the ball?” Davis as OC. That can’t be a comfortable feeling. Hopefully for your sakes you can keep Coach Mack from fiddling with the defensive personel. A hell of a recruiter but not so much a game day coach.
July 10, 2008 at 8:38 am
coach Callahan - Could you expound on your thoughts? We hadn’t heard those sentiments before.
July 10, 2008 at 8:45 am
I would but I’m still in shock that I got fired.
July 10, 2008 at 10:05 am
coach callahan’s been busy doctoring up websites to “rile” up OU fans and in turn give Stoops bulletin board material. Nice move.
July 10, 2008 at 11:01 am
it’s a living
July 10, 2008 at 11:14 am
I ask all of you, when is the last time anything changed? Vince.
We are going to see the same shit we always do, and it makes me sad.
July 10, 2008 at 8:01 pm
In lieu of a Greg Davis brain transplant, more of the same with fewer playmakers and slightly less talent.
July 10, 2008 at 8:28 pm
We won’t play anyone this year that is all that much better than ASU. Missouri maybe, and OU will of course be tough.
My only point is that if we put the best players on the field and get them to play hard, we can beat anyone in the country.
The different between good and elite is Colt at this point.
July 10, 2008 at 8:30 pm
“I ask all of you, when is the last time anything changed? Vince.
We are going to see the same shit we always do, and it makes me sad.”
Robinson and Tomey. McWhorter. When we started coaching up our 3 and 4 star players so the great ones had a supporting cast worthy of them.
Our problem last year was 40% Davis and 60% personnel. We’re going to be young but so, so much better defensively. It’s not even a contest as this point.
July 10, 2008 at 9:33 pm
man, some of y’all need some Prozac in a bad way.
July 11, 2008 at 5:29 am
I chuckle when I hear people worry about our lack of talent on offense, and how 98% of the rest of college football would love to be “worrying” about how to get by with Vondrell McGee, Malcolm Williams, John Chiles, Jordan Shipley, etc.
July 11, 2008 at 6:16 am
the problem here, nordberg, is that we worry, because our OC is Alfred E Newman, who has no worries about how he is going to use McGee, Williams, Chiles and Shipley.
None of them will be on the field together at the same time.
McGee will be on the ground, spinning on his side going “WOOB WOOB WOOB WOOB WOOB” like one of the three stooges, Malcom Williams will be successfully fielding 3 yard outs, Chiles will play never and the only when everyone in the stadium knows what the play is, and Shipley is going to have his right thigh amputated.
July 11, 2008 at 6:36 am
I know. Sorry, I didn’t phrase that very well. It’s funny to me that we have to worry when we don’t have NFL starters at every virtually position. Meanwhile, teams like Kansas and Missouri would gladly trade offensive personnel, straight up.
Well, funny in an “I don’t know how much longer I can watch and support this without blowing my fucking head off” kind of way.
July 11, 2008 at 6:48 am
Count me in the legions that think last year’s Colt McCoy is much closer to what we’ll get this season than the 2006 version of Colt McCoy
July 11, 2008 at 6:54 am
9-3. 9-5. 9-3. 11-2. 11-2. 10-3. 11-1. 13-0. 10-3. 10-3.
Take Vince Young out of the equation (bolded), and Mack’s teams lose an average of exactly 3 games per season, with a pretty low deviation from that average. I don’t see any reason to expect better than the non-Vince average given the level of talent on this year’s team, so I predict 3 losses. Could be more, could be less.
July 11, 2008 at 7:04 am
My pessimism is fueled by: 1. sheer distrust of Mack and our OC and their lack of one iota of creativity 2. the lower level of proven talent. I’ll dance a naked clog if we lose only 4 games.
July 11, 2008 at 7:19 am
“Our problem last year was 40% Davis and 60% personnel. We’re going to be young but so, so much better defensively. It’s not even a contest as this point.”
That means 40% of your problem is back this year to continue being 40% of your problem.
As for the defense, there’s Roy Miller and who else at DT? I’m not being facetious. Great DE’s can be completely neutralized if there’s no interior rush, and I haven’t heard anything about the replacements for Okam and Lokey.
July 11, 2008 at 7:22 am
DT is my worry as well. I fear we’ll get pushed around in the 4th quarter by OU’s line.
July 11, 2008 at 7:25 am
HenryJames - I agree with that concern. We’ve lost about 70 lbs of bulk at the DT positions from last year - that’s a lot.
July 11, 2008 at 7:29 am
HenryJames - I agree with that concern. We’ve lost about 70 lbs of bulk at the DT positions from last year - that’s a lot.
Solution: strap a 35 lb. disc weight to each of our starting DTs in the fourth quarter.
July 11, 2008 at 7:41 am
“Hedley” Lamarr Houston is going to be a good one. Miller is solid. Alexander and Wilcoxin will provide serviceable depth. The two freshmen are wild cards.
Andre Jones is really fucking us here.
July 11, 2008 at 7:43 am
Andre Jones is really fucking us here.
We’re not getting it any worse than his cellmate.
July 11, 2008 at 7:46 am
Oh, and those freshmen wild cards? They’d better turn out, or 09 is going to be scary as shit at DT. We lose Miller, and Houston could leave early with a big year.
July 11, 2008 at 8:07 am
O-Line still worries me more than most. Hix may be a AA in waiting, but this is still a team that will start Tanner, Hall and oft-injured Dockery. Good kids with decent abilities, but nothing that will stop a great D-Line. Still have doubts about McWhorters performance as a recruiter and developer at Texas.
If anyone reaped the benefits of Vince, it was McWhorter not Davis.
DT is actually not a concern for me until the injury to either Miller or Alexander occurs. If Orakpo is a good as advertised, then it will help them. I don’t think some of our recent supposed underachieving DTs have gotten a fair shake considering they have had underperforming DEs. Of course, 2 of them are in the NFL right now so scheme is definitely the bigger issue.
Muschamp’s scheme is probably the biggest reason why I am not as concerned about the DTs and the overall D as I should be.
July 11, 2008 at 8:08 am
Houston not Alexander on the DT injury issue.
July 11, 2008 at 8:15 am
I think Alexander is a pure NT and needs to play shaded over the center to be effective. I watched Wilcoxin in the spring game, and he needs to get a lot stronger at the point of attack before he can contribute.
July 11, 2008 at 8:31 am
Melton and Lewis can help here too.
July 11, 2008 at 9:52 am
I’m counting on Stevie Lee and Marco Martin to get healthy and contribute.
July 12, 2008 at 9:59 am
who is going to replace J Charles as far as getting the majority of the blows?
July 14, 2008 at 6:44 am
I’m seeing a lot of Jordan Shipley and Fozzy Whittaker talk on a lot of different websites. Really?
An oft injured white WR and a youngster who has yet to produce anything are the hopes we are resting this team on?
Again, Really?
Count me as pessimistic. The three loss average for no VY years is not an aberation. I’m inclined to say 8-4, as this is the least talented Mack Team since 99.
July 14, 2008 at 10:28 am
When does the rest of your B12 team overview series start? It was the best preseason review I saw last year.
July 21, 2008 at 8:31 am
We’ll compete for the B12 South title. Wouldn’t be surprised for us to lose only one or two games.
Not a bad read from a chowderhead.
July 28, 2008 at 10:46 am
“…the only big concern in my mind is tackles who are a bit undersized.”
I’m actually hoping a downsized DL works to our advantage against the offenses we play, assuming the loss of bulk translates into much-improved quickness.