Barking Carnival: FanPosts

SB 15 Stalled in Committee: Corpus Christi Longhorns Please Help

2013-05-03T20:32:26Z

SB 15, which will establish a statutory framework for the actions of the Board of Regents, and which is supported by Texas Exes, is currently stalled in the House Calendar Committee. The bill must clear this committee to be considered by the full House of Representatives. Many of us are familiar with this bill from recent articles here; it is designed to protect the University of Texas from the destructive actions of the current overreaching Board of Regents that was appointed by Rick Perry.

Representative Todd Hunter of House District 32, which is centered in Corpus Christi, is the chairman of the House Calendar Committee. I received an email from Texas Exes today, asking me to call and email Chairman Hunter to express my support of SB 15 and to encourage him to move it forward for consideration by the House. I am passing this along to all Texas Exes and supporters of the University who are constituents of Representative Hunter, that we might do what we can to support this bill and prevent its death in committee.

From the Texas Exes statement:

SB 15 will increase preparation and accountability for regents, and institute governance guidelines for the boards of our treasured institutions of higher education. Currently, there are no checks on the policies and procedures governing boards place on themselves. It is critical to enact statutes that spell out governance practices and provide better transparency for the public.

Representative Hunter's Capital office can be reached at 512 463 0672.

He can be emailed at http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/member-page/email/?district=32&session=83

Obviously, messages from the chairman's constituents will likely have the most effect. As for Longhorns located elsewhere, I leave it to you to think and act for yourselves, which is something at which many of us excel. This is a good time for all of us to contact our state Representatives and Senators to express support for those measures that will protect UT in its role as a leading academic institution, and to thank those who continue to do so. Obviously, all communications with an elected representative should be expressed in a respectful manner.

I believe this is one victory that we truly need.

Hook Em.

From the Texas Exes statement:

Representative Hunter's Capital office can be reached at 512 463 0672.

He can be emailed at http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/member-page/email/?district=32&session=83

I believe this is one victory that we truly need.

Hook Em.

What would YOU like to see on LHN? Poll Included!

2013-05-02T06:49:46Z

Lately I have noticed quite a bit of repeat programming on The Longhorn Network, probably due to offseason of football and basketball. I would like to find creative ways for ESPN and LHN to fill some of that time with original programming and grow the brand and attract new audiences.

LHN and ESPN need to work out some sort of deal with the Circuit of the Americas to broadcast any events that are not being covered or broadcast on any other stations, F1, MotoGP, V8Supercar, LeMans, Indycar, etc. Race qualifiers, stunt/trick riders, practice rounds, Austin360 Amphitheater shows.... (X Games possibly?) The same could go with Frank Erwin Center events that are not currently broadcast anywhere else.

I would also like to see them sign some sort of deal with the local "Pro" teams. Express, Torros, and Stars all have plenty of content available but are hardly ever on TV. Maybe they could just start with games against Texas/Oklahoma/Louisiana teams and expand from there. Player profiles would be cool as well, especially for RR as many of those players will soon be in the majors.

The Univerity of Texas System is more than just Austin, UTEP, UTSA, UTA, etc. would love to have games broadcast more often, lets meet those teams, players and coaches, get to know them, and watch their games.

How about highlight reels and recruiter breakdowns for recruits who have signed a LOI but have not been seen in a Texas uniform or in practice yet? What do the recruiters look for in the highlights/in person.

There should also be way more coverage of Texas Relays Weekend, if you have never witnessed this event it is AMAZING. Olympic Athletes, Pro, College, High School Stars all competing in various track and field events at elite levels.

I would also like to see more live coverage of the non big-3 sports. Particularly Golf and Tennis where UT tend to do especially well. Swimming and Diving, Track and Field, Rowing Crew, etc.

What about cheerleading/drill team practice? That would seem to interest a lot of sports fans.

How about a reality show based on dorm/frat/co-op life on campus? Or one about producing the Daily Texan student publication?

Also, when can they start broadcasting Texas summer football camps? And what about UIL events (playoffs, theater competitions, marching band competitions, etc.) There is also lots of club-sports activity they are missing out on. How about coverage of the Men's soccer club team, or lacrosse club? Our Quiddich team won the MNC for Pete's sake!

How about great lectures by the best professors in the university on interesting subjects? How about visiting lecturers? UT pays big money to have big people come in. I would like to see the best commencement speeches, etc. I would like to see the Young Republicans and Young Democrats debate issues as well.

I ~~would like~~ demand to see the Board of Regents meetings aired publicly (no more smoke filled back room dealmaking). Also CAMPO meetings or any conferences that take place on campus, student government meetings, etc.

OK that is my rant for the day.

What would you like to see The Longhorn Network Program Directors add to the lineup?

What about cheerleading/drill team practice? That would seem to interest a lot of sports fans.

How about a reality show based on dorm/frat/co-op life on campus? Or one about producing the Daily Texan student publication?

OK that is my rant for the day.

What would you like to see The Longhorn Network Program Directors add to the lineup?

The 1st Annual LHN Awards

2013-04-30T17:55:24Z

"Hi everybody, and welcome to the 1st annual LHN awards. I'm your host for the evening, Bill LIttle."

(wild applause)

"Whoa whoa there, save some for everyone else!"

(wild laughter... dies down approximately 90 seconds later...)

"OK let's go ahead and get things started... To present the first 'Hornie' Award, welcome back former coach and associate athletic director, Cleve Bryant! Cleve Bryant.... (realizing)... presenting a Hornie Award. No wait this isn't righ--"

"Hi everyone, I'm back! Now, the first award of the evening is Best College Football team. And the nominees are... The Texas Longhorns".

(applause)

"OK, and the winner is.... The Texas Longhorns!"

(wild applause)

Little returns to the stage. "And as with every award this evening, I will be accepting on the winners' behalf. Now, to present the award for Best Basketball Player in the World, please welcome the voice of the LHN, Mister Kevin Dunn!"

"HI everyone, great to be here. And the nominees for Best Basketball Player in the World are, Jevan Felix" (applause) "Johnathan Holmes" (applause) "Cameron Ridley" (applause) "Prince Ibeh" (applause) "Ioannis Papapetrou" (applause) "Demarcus Holland" (applause) "Connor Lammert" (applause) "Julian Lew--- wait he's still here right? Yes? Ok, Julian Lewis then" (applause)

"And the winner is.... (sigh)... all of them. They all won." (Dunn dejectedly hands the award for Best Basketball Player in the World to Little, and is then escorted from the stage)

"Ok we only blocked off five minutes of time for this so that we don't interrupt the sixth showing of the softball match against Lamar from a few weeks ago, so let's hurry things up.... Alright let's see here.... (shuffling through envelopes)... Best basketball coach at a Central Texas University with Longhorns as a mascot, and the winner is Rick Barnes... do dee do dee do, what else, what else.... Ok, Best Hitting Coach in the World, Tommy Nicholson... Best MMA Fighter in the World, winner is Caleb Jones.... Best Football Coach in the World, hahaha like I need to read that one.... what else, what else.... Oh here's a good one, Best Offensive Lineman in the World. And here to present it is Texas legend and current LHN commentator, Ricky Williams!".

"Hey everyone. And the nominees for Best Offensive Lineman in the World are, and for Christ's sake please hold your applause... Mason Walters, Dom Espinosa, Trey Hopkins, Donald Hawkins, and Josh Cochran. And the winner is.... (looks at Little off stage)... I can't read this."

"Haha, sure you can Ricky."

"No Bill, I really don't think I c--"

"READ IT"

"(sighing)... Ok, the winner is... all of us. That's right. We're the winners, because we're able to watch all of these guys play every Saturday. Seriously, that's what the card says. (turns card around) Look for yourself if you don't believ--"

"Ok thanks Ricky. Well, that just about does it for the 1st Annual LHN Awards! See you Wednesday for number two!"

(wild applause... which is eventually turned off by Little, unplugged, and taken to the trunk of his car)

(endless promos of the event begin airing the second you finish this sentence)

"Hi everybody, and welcome to the 1st annual LHN awards. I'm your host for the evening, Bill LIttle."

(wild applause)

"Whoa whoa there, save some for everyone else!"

(wild laughter... dies down approximately 90 seconds later...)

"Hi everyone, I'm back! Now, the first award of the evening is Best College Football team. And the nominees are... The Texas Longhorns".

(applause)

"OK, and the winner is.... The Texas Longhorns!"

(wild applause)

"And the winner is.... (sigh)... all of them. They all won." (Dunn dejectedly hands the award for Best Basketball Player in the World to Little, and is then escorted from the stage)

"Haha, sure you can Ricky."

"No Bill, I really don't think I c--"

"READ IT"

"Ok thanks Ricky. Well, that just about does it for the 1st Annual LHN Awards! See you Wednesday for number two!"

(wild applause... which is eventually turned off by Little, unplugged, and taken to the trunk of his car)

(endless promos of the event begin airing the second you finish this sentence)

Why you should watch every game Durant plays and why the Thunder will still win the West

2013-04-27T18:52:03Z

Kevin Durant is pissed off right now. His point guard and partner in crime will be out for at least 2 weeks in the middle of the playoffs. The Spurs and Clippers start 2 of the 3 best point guards in the NBA, and the majority chance says that OKC will need to go through both of them. LeBron James is playing with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, Durant has Serge Ibaka and Kevin Martin. But that's not why he's beside himself. KD is listening to the doubters. The oddsmakers in Vegas. The dissenters. The bandwagon fans who have fallen off. The analysts and experts who are assuring him the Spurs or Clippers will be playing the Heat in June. Durant is not okay with it, and he wants everyone doubting him to understand a few things.

He wants you to understand that OKC right now is a better version of the LeBron era Cavs. That you haven't seen him as the sole leader, the alpha alpha, the guy who will be blamed for every loss and praised for every win. He wants to assure you that you don't know what it will be like without Westbrook. He wants to let the scorekeepers and statisticians know that he will be a 40-10-10 waiting to happen, and a 35-8-8 the rest of the time. That he's going to have a 40+ usage rate. That he's a 50/40/90 shooter who's going to be shooting 30 shots a game. He wants to sit down with the hall-of-famers and legends and tell Magic that he's going to play point guard at 6'11", tell LeBron that he's going to play 4 positions better than everyone in the league besides CP3 and the King himself, tell Jordan that he's going to play 45 minutes a game and might just break that 63 mark that's remained unchallenged. He wants to tell Oscar Robertson that he might drop 17 dimes, or 18 rebounds, or 15 each in the same game. KD wants you to understand that he remembers when Nowitzki tamed the Heat, when Boston took them to seven, when the Spurs swept LeBron in the Finals. He remembers when a scrappy group of first timers gave the juggernaut Lakers all they wanted in 2010. He remembers when the Thunder were down 2-0 in the Western Conference Finals and he remembers who won that series. He remembers when he hit an impossible game winner over Sean Marion, a baseline runner over Pao Gasol with 18 seconds left, a cold blooded 3 in the face of Metta World Peace. He knows that you know that he's been here before and he doesn't want you to forget it. He knows that this time it's different, but not because of what the talking heads have to say. This time it's different, because Kevin Durant has nothing to lose.

DeLoss Dodds Interview, April 23, 2019

2013-04-24T02:25:30Z

Barking Carnival Global Enterprises Incorporated: "Thanks for sitting down with us today Mr. Dodds."

Dodds: "Don't mention it."

BC: "Now, we've got a lot to cover, so let's just hop right in. Football: Can you give us some thoughts on where we are?"

DD: "Couldn't be happier. Are we in the midst of a brief rough patch? Sure. But is there anyone I'd want in charge of bringing the program back, more than Mack Brown? No. Is it crazy to suggest otherwise? Of course."

BC: "Are you hearing any grumblings from the fan base? Any from the so called 'big donors'?"

DD: "Of course not. Why?"

BC: "It has been rumored that in light of the 98-3, 92-7, and 88-0 losses at the hands of the Oklahoma Sooners over the past few years, that the time may have come to possibly suggest some changes."

DD: "Why I've never. Look, around here we don't--"

BC: "Oops, almost forgot the 118-2 game of 2016 that set new standards on how we treat head injuries ."

DD: "Whatever. Anyway, a few games here and there don't determine who runs the Texas football program. I do."

BC: "Agreed. However, the program's last bowl appearance was after the now-legendary season of 2012 (which saw the last real dogfight against Oklahoma). And the team hasn't won a game of any kind since the 2017 opener, a 21-20 victory over the newly FBS-christened Lake Travis HS."

DD: "Like I said, a rough patch. And if I could choose one human in the history of humankind to get us back on the right track, Mack Brown would be that human."

BC: "Do you feel like he's earning his new 10 year, $450 million dollar contract?"

DD: "Every penny."

BC: "Great. Let's move on to basketball... For the fifth consecutive season, Texas will field a team entirely of true freshmen. Are you troubled by this trend?"

DD: "Not at all. The game is changing, and we're having to adapt. I feel terrible for Rick Barnes, having to coach in this era."

BC: "But the last four national champions have all started five seniors."

"DD: "Yep, different era."

BC: "And it is now mandatory that all high school seniors spend four years in college before going pro."

DD: "I know. Gotta be tough for Rick. But he is the only man for the--"

BC: "And he's had 26 players over the past five years transfer within three months of arriving on campus. Seven of those have filed assault charges, and most are still in therapy."

DD: "I hear you. Thank goodness we have Rick Barnes to lead us through these tough times."

BC: "Well, let's wrap up with baseball. Augie Garrido showed up to yesterday's game wearing just a diaper."

DD: "I know, right? He's a character."

BC: "Does it concern you that the team is currently 4-36, in light of their nation-leading 0.45 ERA?"

DD: "Nothing concerns me, as long as Augie is sitting in that dugout."

BC: "Are you concerned with the performances of new co-hitting coaches Connor Rowe and Tim Maitland?"

DD: "We had two hits yesterday. What more do you want out of life?"

BC: "Touche. Thanks for sitting down with us today Mr. Dodds."

DD: "Don't mention it Mr. Nordberg. Congrats on the success of your company."

BC: "Wish I could say the same."

FIN

Barking Carnival Global Enterprises Incorporated: "Thanks for sitting down with us today Mr. Dodds."

Dodds: "Don't mention it."

BC: "Now, we've got a lot to cover, so let's just hop right in. Football: Can you give us some thoughts on where we are?"

BC: "Are you hearing any grumblings from the fan base? Any from the so called 'big donors'?"

DD: "Of course not. Why?"

BC: "It has been rumored that in light of the 98-3, 92-7, and 88-0 losses at the hands of the Oklahoma Sooners over the past few years, that the time may have come to possibly suggest some changes."

DD: "Why I've never. Look, around here we don't--"

BC: "Oops, almost forgot the 118-2 game of 2016 that set new standards on how we treat head injuries ."

DD: "Whatever. Anyway, a few games here and there don't determine who runs the Texas football program. I do."

DD: "Like I said, a rough patch. And if I could choose one human in the history of humankind to get us back on the right track, Mack Brown would be that human."

BC: "Do you feel like he's earning his new 10 year, $450 million dollar contract?"

DD: "Every penny."

BC: "Great. Let's move on to basketball... For the fifth consecutive season, Texas will field a team entirely of true freshmen. Are you troubled by this trend?"

DD: "Not at all. The game is changing, and we're having to adapt. I feel terrible for Rick Barnes, having to coach in this era."

BC: "But the last four national champions have all started five seniors."

"DD: "Yep, different era."

BC: "And it is now mandatory that all high school seniors spend four years in college before going pro."

DD: "I know. Gotta be tough for Rick. But he is the only man for the--"

BC: "And he's had 26 players over the past five years transfer within three months of arriving on campus. Seven of those have filed assault charges, and most are still in therapy."

DD: "I hear you. Thank goodness we have Rick Barnes to lead us through these tough times."

BC: "Well, let's wrap up with baseball. Augie Garrido showed up to yesterday's game wearing just a diaper."

DD: "I know, right? He's a character."

BC: "Does it concern you that the team is currently 4-36, in light of their nation-leading 0.45 ERA?"

DD: "Nothing concerns me, as long as Augie is sitting in that dugout."

BC: "Are you concerned with the performances of new co-hitting coaches Connor Rowe and Tim Maitland?"

DD: "We had two hits yesterday. What more do you want out of life?"

BC: "Touche. Thanks for sitting down with us today Mr. Dodds."

DD: "Don't mention it Mr. Nordberg. Congrats on the success of your company."

BC: "Wish I could say the same."

FIN

Football Researchers Create an Ultrathin Invisibility Cloak

2013-04-11T16:46:50Z

March 26, 2013 AUSTIN, Texas — Until now, the invisibility cloaks put forward by scientists have been bulky devices — an obvious flaw for those interested in Harry Potter-style applications. However, researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have developed a cloak that is just micrometers thick and can hide three-dimensional objects from microwaves in their natural environment, in all directions and from all of the observers’ positions.

Presenting their study in the Institute of Physics and German Physical Society’s New Journal of Physics, the researchers from the Mack Brown School of Texas Football’s Department of Applied Football Engineering have used a new, ultrathin layer called a "metascreen."

The metascreen cloak was made by attaching thin strips of copper tape to a flexible polycarbonate film, which is a fraction of a millimeter thick, in a fishnet design. It was used to cloak an 1.8 m walk-on defensive back from hot routes and showed optimal functionality when the opposing quarterbacks operated from the shotgun formation. In field testing, the walk-on intercepted 7 passes in 31 pass attempts with an additional 15 PBUs.

The researchers also explained that because of the inherent conformability of the metascreen and the robustness of the proposed cloaking technique, oddly shaped and asymmetrical objects can be cloaked with the same principles. Objects are detected when waves — whether they are sound, light, X-rays or microwaves — rebound off their surfaces. The reason we see objects is because light rays bounce off their surfaces toward our eyes, and our eyes are able to process the information. Unlike previous cloaking studies that have used metamaterials to divert, or bend, the incoming waves around an object, this new method, which the researchers dub "mantle cloaking," uses an ultrathin burntorange metallic metascreen to cancel out the waves as they are scattered off the cloaked object.

"When the scattered fields from the cloak and the object interfere, they cancel each other out, and the overall effect is transparency and invisibility at all angles of observation," said Dr. Akina, a co-author and an assistant professor in the Department Defensive Backs and Man Coverage. "The advantages of the mantle cloaking over existing techniques are its conformability, ease of manufacturing and improved bandwidth," Akina said. "We have shown that you don’t need a bulk metamaterial to cancel the scattering from an object — a simple patterned surface that is conformal to the object may be sufficient and, in many regards, even better than a bulk metamaterial."

Ultrathin Invisibility CloakFour years ago, the same researchers were the first to successfully cloak a football player during high profile events— described in another paper published in New Journal of Physics — using a method called "plasmonic cloaking," which used more bulky materials to cancel out the scattering of waves. "In retrospect grafting the materials to DJ’s skin was perhaps a shortsighted use of the technology." Akina added. Moving forward, one of the key challenges for the researchers will be to use "mantle cloaking" to hide an object from visible light. "In principle this technique could also be used to cloak light. In fact, metascreens are easier to realize at visible frequencies than bulk metamaterials, and this concept could put us closer to a practical realization," Akina said. "However, the size of the objects that can be efficiently cloaked with this method scales with the wavelength of operation, so when applied to optical frequencies, we may be able to efficiently stop the scattering of micrometer-sized objects.

"Still," Akina said, "we have envisioned other exciting applications using the mantle cloak and visible light, such as improved pass rushing and disguised secondary coverage."

(ht - http://www.utexas.edu/news/2013/03/26/researchers-create-an-ultrathin-invisibility-cloak/)

"Still," Akina said, "we have envisioned other exciting applications using the mantle cloak and visible light, such as improved pass rushing and disguised secondary coverage."

(ht - http://www.utexas.edu/news/2013/03/26/researchers-create-an-ultrathin-invisibility-cloak/)

Help from someone

2013-04-10T00:51:08Z

I have the SB Nation app for my iphone and its great. I routinely enjoy BC, BON, and other blogs on a daily basis. Recently I acquired an ipad as well and can't seem to find the SB Nation app there. Can one of the BC SBN guys let me know if I'm doing something wrong or let me know what I can do to get the app on my ipad. Thanks guys and Hook'em.

What We Talk About When We Talk About Winning

2013-04-09T18:48:34Z

I cannot be the only one who thinks frequently these days of the "Pony Excess" 30 for 30 every time recruiting time rolls around. Also every time SEC homerism emerges from its hollars and backwater holes. The recent news about Auburn, on top of the Cam Newton saga, on top of the Hugh Freeze recruiting coup, on top of the Oregon recruiting juggernaut, on top of the Lane Kiffin bandwagon, on top of USC, leads me to believe that much of what is currently celebrated as winning culture in college football is nothing so much as a wink/nod return to the early 1980s, only now with a more toothless NCAA which is deathly afraid to repeat the enforcement actions that crippled SMU.

This is not a defense of Mack Brown. And I do recognize that there are some coaching and practice wrinkles that are somewhat new to the game along with enough Boise State/Air Raid anomalies to make credible arguments that coaching ability and Oakland Athletic-type counter recruiting logic can still turn out success that outpunches Rivals ranking recruiting prowess. But I grow more and more convinced that college football is once again a world where the dirty succeed at the expense of the clean.

I think it's time to face the facts and acknowledge that the NCAA lacks the wherewithal or desire or both to actually clean house. It strikes me that the best way to return to equilibrium in the college football world is to sensibly allow schools to openly pay college athletes (or at least those in serious revenue sports) in a manner that neuters the worst offenses propagated by those schools that are already doing so illicitly.

When a school whose mascot is the "Rebels" and whose name includes "Ol" next to that of a state associated in most minds with some of the most egregious acts of racial degradation ever (and certainly vestigial sharecropping in a manner that survives nowhere else in the US) reigns over recruiting then the time has come to re-evaluate things. We are in a world at least as rotten as the one that netted Eric Dickerson that Trans-Am.

These are the thoughts bothering me today. I'm not suggesting death penalty sanctions -- I think we are past the point where the vinegar can solve the problems. I'm suggesting another reason for looking at the honey. It's the same reason I'm for legalizing marijuana -- when you get to the point where the wrong-doing is so rampant that criminalizing is useless you have to look for more creative ways to contain the harm. Let's start with reasonable pay and health care.

Breaking Down Swoopes & the Spring Game

2013-04-06T17:47:56Z

I've spent several hours breaking down the spring game to see what I can learn about the players' development and the coaches' plans going into the 2013 season. I'll have more to say later, but for now I wanted to share what I've discovered about Swoopes and his much-discussed performance in the game. Before I begin, I should warn you of two things. First, if you can't handle bad news in any form, stop reading. Second, this is going to be long and detailed for those who haven't seen the game (Note: It'll be shown on ESPN U the night of April 8), so I'll bold the key stuff and provide a summary at the end.

Disclaimer: I've been around the game for a long time, but I don't know everything. There might be errors below; indeed, some of my own initial thoughts about the spring game have proved to be wrong upon further review. If I've gotten anything wrong, please bring it up so we can discuss. I am, first and foremost, a curious and passionate fan of Texas football and football in general.

Physically, Swoopes is everything we thought he was. He's big, strong, fairly elusive and relatively fast. (He's faster than he looked on TV, I suppose because there are more reference points in person. I would still estimate his 40 time is around 4.75.) He threw only two passes so there isn't much we can glean about his passing abilities except that he definitely has a powerful arm — perhaps the strongest we've seen at Texas in a while — and his mechanics have improved. I can't fairly judge his accuracy, but both of his throws were on target.

Aside from the measurables, Swoopes looked mostly comfortable. He has a "commanding presence" and he didn't seem rattled at any moment. He also made the right reads on nearly every play. He looked mostly at home running the inside zone read play.

I've seen several comparisons but haven't found one that truly fits. One person he is not is Vince Young. That idea needs to be quashed immediately. If VY was a gazelle, Swoopes is a moose. Perhaps the closest recent comparison would be JaMarcus Russell, though Russell was considerably more refined as a passer at this stage in his career. All that to say, Swoopes has a pretty high ceiling.

Moving on to specific plays, I'm first going to break down the pass plays he ran. There isn't much more to say about the zone reads except that he read them well (with one exception that's hard to pin on him), and I'll get into his runs in the next section.

Passing

Swoopes' first pass attempt came on a 1st and 17. The offense lined up in a 2x1 split shotgun set, with Joe Bergeron and Malcolm Brown flanking Swoopes in the backfield. There are two things to note about the route concept: It was very simple, and it was "mirrored" (which means the routes were reflections of one another so that the quarterback must only pick a side before the snap; he doesn't have to determine the coverage to decide which concept to look at). The concept in question was the Slant-Flat combination, where the outside receiver runs a slant and an inside receiver, in this case the running back, runs a flat route. The slot ran something downfield, probably a seam route. Swoopes decided to look to the right, probably because it was the wide side of the field. Had the protection held, he would be reading the nickelback, Quandre Diggs, and his read would have directed him to throw to Brown in the flat. But before Swoopes could even complete his drop, defensive tackle Malcolm Brown had used a swim move to get past walk-on junior left guard Drew Russo. On the other side of the line, Cedric Reed was beating sophomore right tackle Garrett Greenlea around the edge. (Both of these were common themes throughout the game.) Feeling the pressure, Swoopes drifted back and to his right. Keeping his eyes downfield, Swoopes threw a pretty accurate ball to Brown in the flat with a startling amount of zip considering he was falling away from the throw. Diggs was on Brown before he could gain any yardage, but the takeaways were that Swoopes didn't panic in the face of pressure and delivered a surprisingly good ball considering his body position.

The formation on the second pass play was the same as the first except Bergeron lined up behind Swoopes in a pistol look and the slot switched sides (again to the wide side of the field). The play itself was a double screen: Bergeron went in what I'll call a swing motion to the left (the field and two-receiver side) for a bubble screen, while Brown slipped through the right side of the line for a slow screen. The quarterback will decide which screen to throw based on the pre-snap alignment of the flat defender to the bubble-screen side; in this case it was the nickelback, Diggs. Because Diggs slid outside with Bergeron's motion, Swoopes would go with the screen to Brown. The only problem was Chris Whaley recognized the screen and grabbed hold of Brown, preventing him from getting into position. Swoopes saw this, felt pressure coming from Shiro Davis on the left side and wisely tucked the ball to run. In sum, Swoopes made the right pre-snap read, made the smart decision not to force the throw to Brown and then used his athleticism to turn a would-be disaster into a successful play.

The third pass play came on a 2nd and 18 after a failed QB Lead Draw. (Initially, I thought that play was some sort of screen, but I've watched it at least 50 times and can come to no other conclusion but that it was a QB Lead Draw that didn't get to develop because of a blitz. I'm open to other ideas.) The offense lined up with one back next to Swoopes in the gun and two receivers split to each side. This play had two things in common with Swoopes' first pass attempt: It utilized basic route concepts, and the concepts were mirrored. The concept was what's called Smash, where an outside receiver runs a short route, typically a hitch, while the inside receiver runs a corner route. Swoopes' job here is to pick a side — he chose to throw away from Diggs — and read the cornerback, in this case Carrington Byndom. If Byndom dropped to take away the corner route, Swoopes would throw the hitch; if Byndom stayed on the hitch, Swoopes would throw the corner route over Byndom's head. Byndom dropped, so Swoopes fired a strike to Marcus Johnson on the hitch route. The ball was on time and on target, and Johnson turned it into a 12-yard gain with a little work after the catch. Swoopes made the correct read and made it quickly, even if he didn't have to be Tom Brady to do so.

Swoopes' fourth called pass play was on the next play, a 3rd and 6. The formation was the same as the last play, but the concept was more complicated. To the left, the outside receiver ran a hitch while the slot simply ran a few yards downfield and starting blocking the nickel, Diggs. I won't lie and say I know exactly what the objective was, but this was probably a man-beater (i.e., designed to defeat man coverage), a sort of quick-hitting downfield screen. It's not how I would do it — and it's illegal — but to each his own. On the other side, the outside receiver ran a short square-in while the slot ran a deep out. Like the Smash concept, this is a "vertical stretch" or "hi-lo" concept meant to confuse the assignments of zone defenders. The point is this was a more complicated pass play than the others Swoopes had run. Because the camera cut off the secondary, I can't tell exactly what the coverage was, but it doesn't really matter. (If anyone has an idea, let me know. I thought maybe it was Cover 6, or Quarter-Quarter-Half, with Byndom and Turner playing the Quarters side, Phillips playing the half and Sheroid Evans in the flat.) Swoopes looked to the right and, long story short, there really wasn't anything there. (I'd blame poor route running, personally.) We can see that Johnson, the outside receiver to the left, was open on the hitch, but by this point it's too late. Sensing that the pocket was collapsing around him (Reed beat Greenlea again), Swoopes tucked and ran — probably a wise move.

Swoopes' final pass play was on 3rd and Goal from the eight-yard line. Brown lined up next to Swoopes in the shotgun. One receiver was split left and three were split right. Johnson, alone on the left, ran a man-beater: a simple out route. To the right, the offense ran a Double China-7 concept, which just means the two outside receivers ran short in-breaking routes and the third receiver ran a corner. Here's where it gets a little ugly. Based on his pre-snap read, it should have been obvious to Swoopes that the defense was in Cover 0 — meaning there's no deep safety and every receiver is covered by one defender in man coverage — which means a blitz is coming. An experienced quarterback would have called a hot route, most likely a quick slant and/or a fade on the outside. In fact, Swoopes had a great potential matchup for a fade here, with 6'4" Myles Onyegbule lined up one-on-one against 5'10" Quandre Diggs on the outside. Swoopes did not make any changes. The result was that Peter Jinkens and Jordan Hicks were in his face before he had even completed his drop. Swoopes managed to run for six yards, but as I'm about to explain, that run wasn't exactly blemish-free.

Running

The stat that needs to be corrected immediately is Swoopes' rushing numbers. Swoopes had four carries for 26 yards, but a closer look at those plays reveals that those numbers should be considerably lower. On Swoopes' first and longest run, the double screen that the defense sniffed out, Swoopes shook off an attempted arm tackle by Shiro before racing around the left end behind a great downfield block by John Harris. This run was the best demonstration of Swoopes' top speed; he looked good. But there's one problem: Safety Josh Turner had a terrific angle on Swoopes about a yard past the line of scrimmage but clearly pulled up, thinking he would not be allowed to hit the quarterback. Swoopes ran another 20 yards after that. Now, it's possible that Turner would not have been able to drag Swoopes down, but he could have slowed him enough for the nearby defenders to get in position to force Swoopes out of bounds. This play needs to be seen as, at best, a five-yard run, not a 21-yard run.

Swoopes' second run, an eight-yard loss, was what I said above looked to be a busted QB Lead Draw. We can't really learn anything from it. His third run was a seven-yard gain and was completely legitimate. This was the play where Johnson ran the hitch on the left, Swoopes looked right and no one got open.

Swoopes' fourth run, on the surface, might be as impressive as the 21-yarder. This was the one where he shook off Jinkens and ducked under Hicks in the backfield before scrambling down the sideline to the two-yard line (where he trucked Adrian Phillips). Upon closer examination, it's almost certain that Hicks, like Turner, pulled up. He slowed down, changed his angle and reached out with his arms as though he were playing touch. When Swoopes evaded him and took off again, you can see Hicks gesturing, asking why the whistle wasn't blown. Swoopes legitimately shed Jinkens' tackle, but I see very little reason to think he could have avoided a serious tackling attempt by Hicks.

When you adjust these numbers, even giving him the benefit of the doubt on the first run and assuming he would fall forward on the last one, Swoopes had four carries for -8 yards (5, -8, 7, -12). We can't know how the drive would have ended up, but the offense likely would have faced a 3rd and 15+ before moving the chains even once — and would have been out of field goal range.

WTF, Manny?

There was one thing that I found odd that needs to be brought up. Before Swoopes' drive early in the second quarter, there had not been a single called blitz. During Swoopes' drive, the offense was blitzed three times, including one of Manny Diaz's famous Fire Zone blitzes. The Fire Zone was called on the play immediately after Swoopes' 21-yard run. Later, facing a 2nd and Goal at the five-yard line, Diaz dialed up Cover 0 pressure — the entire front seven closed in on a futile attempt to run the zone read. Finally, on 3rd and Goal from the eight-yard line, Diaz called his last blitz. This time, the defensive ends engaged the tackles momentarily before peeling off and dropping straight back to "spy" Swoopes. All three linebackers blitzed, with the outside guys — Jinkens and Hicks — unblocked.

Why did Diaz decide that his first, second and third called blitzes should be against the true freshman who is fighting to be the second-string quarterback? I have two theories. The first is that Diaz was embarrassed by Swoopes' performance against his first-team defense. That would explain why the first called blitz came immediately after Swoopes' big run. It should also be noted that Swoopes' was the first drive by the second-team to reach the defense's side of the field, so perhaps Diaz was feeling pressure to keep the second-team offense off the board.

My second theory, the one the optimists will want to hold onto, is that the coaches are excited about Swoopes' potential and wanted to see how he'd handle the pressure.

Summary

Physically, Swoopes showed in the spring game that he is who we thought he was, even if he's not VY. He looked comfortable executing the zone read and carrying the ball. However, had the defense been going full speed, his rushing numbers would have been not only unimpressive, but even a bit concerning. In the passing game, he did well with very simple, mirrored concepts and made smart decisions with the football. However, he also failed to recognize obvious blitzes and didn't throw on any of the more complex pass plays. I still believe he has a high ceiling, and considering how the coaches handled him, it's possible they do, too. But based on the spring game alone — since I can't see how he looks in practice or hear him in meetings — I do not believe he is currently the second-best quarterback on the roster.

Passing

Running

WTF, Manny?

My second theory, the one the optimists will want to hold onto, is that the coaches are excited about Swoopes' potential and wanted to see how he'd handle the pressure.

Summary

Reviewing the numbers: David Ash is pretty good

2013-04-03T16:52:38Z

He's actually extremely good, based on the stats. That is, at least when he is not bad.

If you ignore the OU, Kansas, and TCU games, David Ash’s stats over the other 9 games he played are:

Completion rate: 72.6%
Yds/Attempt: 9.6 yds
Yds/Rush: 3.6 yds
Pass yards/Gm: 269
Run yards/Gm: 15
Passing TDs: 19
INTs: 2
Rush TDs: 2
Games with a comp over 40 yds: 7

He did this pretty efficiently over those 9 games, throwing only 28 attempts/game. He had a passer rating of 153 for the year, and that includes his 3 bad games.

Of course those 3 games happened, but I’ve never seen a supporting cast implode more than this offense did against OU, he was still somewhat injured in Kansas game (and the play-calling was uber-conservative), and he aggravated an injury early on in the TCU game. Some will say that these are ultimately just excuses, but, at the end of the day, he was still an underclassman. Even Colt had really bad games his soph year, and that was actually his 3rd year in the program.

Analyzing his season apart from statistics, he improved at least as much as anybody expected him to improve in most areas, most importantly confidence, decision-making, and leadership. He even showed the ability to make big plays in a couple of crucial clutch situations last year. Reports out of practices this year is that he is continuing to progress in those areas. His deep-ball accuracy was just a little bit off on a lot of throws last year, so it is not unreasonable to expect him to hit more of those as a junior. Also, he has all but one receiver returning, and he seems to be developing excellent chemistry with several. Overall, I think most rational observers agree that he hasn't hit his ceiling yet, physically, and the other "intangibles" seem to be on a good trajectory, even if they remain cautious in projecting his future career.

He’s definitely not Vince or Colt, not yet at least, but he was a pretty darn good QB in those 9 games, and I think it is safe to be optimistic about the future.

In comparison:

Returning Big 12 QBs:

- Trevone Boykin wasn't a good passer last year. 57%, 7 YPA, 126 passer rating. He actually wasn't even that great of a runner (3.3 avg, 3 TDs, 45 yds/game). He wasn't a world-beater against us, and that was his best game on the ground. Of course, he was just a freshman, but he also redshirted before that.

- JW Walsh's stats were really good actually. Overall, they were pretty comparable to Ash's 9 good games. Lower completion %, same YPA, not many INTs, and better running stats (5.8 avg, 7 TDs) over approx. 6-7 games. If Ash doesn't end up being the best QB in the conference this year, Walsh is the best candidate to claim that title. That is, if he even starts.

- The other 2 OSU QBs had decent seasons, but I'd be a little surprised if Walsh didn't start (although I'm not very well informed). Wes Lunt's accuracy was alright (60%), and he struggled with INTs when he played. His passer rating was 137. Clint Chelf was pretty good, but his completion % was also only 60%. His passer rating was 147, and he was also a decent runner when he actually ran. Walsh looked the best, according to the numbers at least.

- Blake Bell is still an unknown. We know that he can throw a football, and that he is a hammer in short-yardage, heavy-running situations, with 60 carries, 3.3 YPC, and 11 TDs last season. We also know that OU likes to throw the ball a lot, and he only has 10 comp on 20 attempts in 2 years. Who knows.

- Casey Pachall (who knows what will happen with him this year) had incredible stats through four games this past year, but that was against really, really bad competition. His stats the year before (158 passer rating as a 3rd-year sophomore) were somewhat better than Ash's over 12 games, and somewhat worse than Ash's over the 9 good games. It was also against MWC competition (they weren't in the Big 12 yet). He also does a lot of drugs.

Graduating Big 12 QBs last year (who mattered):

- Landry Jones's stats were actually a little worse than Ash's overall stats (if you account for the fact that he threw 50% more attempts/game). Landry's stats were much worse than Ash's stats in the 9 good games.

- Geno Smith definitely had a better season than Ash, but he also might be the #1 pick in the draft. His completion % was about the same as Ash's 9-game stats, and his YPA was lower. The real place he excelled was his TD:INT ratio. 42:6 is pretty unreal (although I suppose Ash's 9-game ratio of 19:2 compares relatively favorably). His passer rating for the year was 163. But his Junior and Soph passer ratings were 152 and 145 respectively. Ash actually surpassed both of those numbers this year, even including his terrible games. That's not a bad trajectory as a 2nd-year sophomore. Ash's running numbers were actually slightly better, considering Smith had a lower YPC avg.

- Nick Florence's stats were about the same as Ash's over these 9 games. Florence had a surprisingly low completion rate (61.6%) for a Baylor QB, but he still had a high YPA (9.3). His passer rating for the season (157) was actually only a few ticks above Ash's passer rating for the season, including Ash's 3 bad games.

- Seth Doege's stats were about as good as Ash's over the course of the entire season (both had a 153 passer rating for the year), but Doege was a senior. Ash's good 9 games were much better.

- Collin Klein is tough to compare. Ash was clearly the better passer, especially over his good 9 games. But Klein was pretty good (144 passer rating, 65%, 8.7 YPA). Of course Klein was a dominant force running the football. Over the past 2 seasons, he averaged 250 carries, 1000 yds, 4 YPC, and 25 TDs each season. He's really hard to compare to Ash.

He's actually extremely good, based on the stats. That is, at least when he is not bad.

He’s definitely not Vince or Colt, not yet at least, but he was a pretty darn good QB in those 9 games, and I think it is safe to be optimistic about the future.

In comparison:

Returning Big 12 QBs:

Graduating Big 12 QBs last year (who mattered):

Spring Game Recap Video (x-posted from BON)

2013-04-01T00:34:51Z

Hey folks, shot this yesterday in case you missed the game. Seat wasn't the best so there were a few spots where I couldn't cover. Thought Ash looked alright, it was fun to see Swoopes out there, obviously a lot of potential. I also really enjoyed seeing Overstreet play. I wonder if he will get a real shot this year. I tried to condense it as much as possible but most of it's there. Hope you enjoy!

Colt McCoy to Speak at FREE Event on Tuesday March 26th at Texas Union

2013-03-23T03:37:58Z

Longhorn legend and former Texas Football player Colt McCoy will be the guest speaker at Caring for Camo’s second meeting on Tuesday, March 26th at 5pm. The event will be held in the Ballroom of the Texas Union, is free to attend, and is open to all students as well as the general public. Due to the limited capacity of 800 people, the doors will open at 4:15pm on Tuesday. Parking is available in the Co-Op garage located at 2214 San Antonio Street.

Caring for Camo is a new student organization on the University of Texas campus, started in part by current football player, former Green Beret Staff Sergeant, and Disney Spirit Award Winner Nate Boyer. The organization was founded for the purpose of sending care packages and letters to deployed troops; an act which is immensely appreciated by the troops, according to Boyer.

The event on Tuesday will be Caring for Camo’s second general awareness meeting. Anyone interested in hearing Colt McCoy or learning more about helping our deployed troops is encouraged to attend. For up-to-date information regarding the event, please follow Caring for Camo on Twitter (@CaringforCamo).

Be a Hero. Help a Hero.

For more information, please see the link to the Facebook event below.

https://www.facebook.com/events/549212935124143/

Be a Hero. Help a Hero.

For more information, please see the link to the Facebook event below.

https://www.facebook.com/events/549212935124143/

DeLoss Dodds Updates The Statesman

2013-02-12T15:42:07Z

Guys, I think he really gets it. I mean, quotes like:

Our bad years are not that bad. Take a school like Missouri. Our bad years are better than their good years.

and

Football is fine,” Dodds said. “Nine wins are not the end of the world. But we want 13 wins.

Guys, I think he really gets it. I mean, quotes like:

Our bad years are not that bad. Take a school like Missouri. Our bad years are better than their good years.

and

Football is fine,” Dodds said. “Nine wins are not the end of the world. But we want 13 wins.

and

Next year we will be having a different conversation. Look at the programs that made changes: Lloyd Carr at Michigan, Phil Fulmer at Tennessee, R.C. Slocum at A&M. They all had great runs and then two or three average years and have been through two or three coaches since. Mack’s our coach. He’s the best person we can have in that position.

and

If you win all the time, it’s not good for the coaches or the kids. You’ve got to learn to appreciate it. Our coaches care about the kids, and I feel we’re on an upward spiral.

go a long way toward restoring my faith in the direction of Texas athletics.

Read the full article here. You may want to disassociate yourself from all feelings regarding UT sports first, though. It seems like it could infuriate someone who wanted to see athletic success in the big 3 sports again in the near term.

Pair of Longhorn Teammates in All-Star Game(s)

2013-02-08T20:40:43Z

Kevin Durant and LaMarcus Aldridge will represent the Western Conference in this weekend's All-Star Game in Houston.

Cory Joseph and Damion James will represent the "Prospects" team in the D-League All-Star Game, also in Houston apparently.

I don't know if it will make it better or worse when considering the frustrating and disappointing season we are in the midst of, but it is always fascinating for me to think about the "what could've been" for the 06-07 season.

Aldridge, Durant, James, D.J. Augustin, Daniel Gibson, AND P.J. Tucker? Goodness. At least 1 National Championship, surely.

How would Barnes have messed that up? Thoughts?

Kevin Durant and LaMarcus Aldridge will represent the Western Conference in this weekend's All-Star Game in Houston.

Cory Joseph and Damion James will represent the "Prospects" team in the D-League All-Star Game, also in Houston apparently.

Aldridge, Durant, James, D.J. Augustin, Daniel Gibson, AND P.J. Tucker? Goodness. At least 1 National Championship, surely.

How would Barnes have messed that up? Thoughts?

Can somebody tell me what happened to these players?

2013-02-07T01:11:59Z

I used to get excited about recruiting and NSD, but over the past couple of years I have learned not to buy all the hype surrounding recruits too much - especially on this board where 95% of our commits are "studs". We all know these kids are really good. It takes tremendous talent and athletic ability to play Div I football, especially at Texas. It takes even more than that to come in and supplant the guy ahead of you on the depth chart and play right away.

With that said, I have some players on my mind who I've expected to see on the field at some point but never did (discounting the spring game). I understand player attrition - some players get in trouble, can't make the grades, transfer, etc. And since I don't have the same insight to Texas football as some of you, I just want to know where the following players went (if they're even still on the team).

2010

Taylor Bible, DT

Chris Jones, WR

Aaron Benson, LB (I saw this guy at the spring game.. never saw him again)

Greg Daniels, DE

John Harris, WR

Traylon Shead, RB

Darius Terrell, WR

Adrian White, DB

DeAires Cotton, DT

2011

Quincy Russell, DT

Taylor Doyle, OL

Miles Onyegbule, WR (heard he was being switched to TE)

Marcus Hutchins, OL

2012

Timothy Cole, LB

Orlando Thomas, ATH

Alex Norman, DT

Bryce Cottrell, DE

Caleb Bluiett, DE

I've left out the names of 2012 players that I think redshirted this season. Considering we pretty much blew it on recruiting defensive linemen this year, preventing attrition from those positions is critical.

2010

Taylor Bible, DT

Chris Jones, WR

Aaron Benson, LB (I saw this guy at the spring game.. never saw him again)

Greg Daniels, DE

John Harris, WR

Traylon Shead, RB

Darius Terrell, WR

Adrian White, DB

DeAires Cotton, DT

2011

Quincy Russell, DT