Football Articles
Sometimes in football, you play poorly and look bad because of it. Sometimes, you play a real quality opponent that makes you look bad, even though you played well. For the Texas Longhorns, Monday’s Fiesta Bowl game with the Ohio State Buckeyes was a combination game, a contest in which the Longhorns played fairly poorly in an ugly first half that almost miraculously ended with Ohio State leading by only 6-3, and then struggled to the game’s final seconds despite playing very well in the second half.
In the end, the Buckeyes had no answer for the combination of McCoy to Cosby, and the Heisman runner-up QB hit his senior WR for a 26-yard TD pass with 16 ticks left on the clock to end yet another thrilling BCS bowl game victory for Mack Brown’s powerhouse football program.
Yes, friends, Texas is a powerhouse - don’t ever let anyone tell you different. Five years ago, Mack led a good program that was struggling to get to that lofty perch, and annually coming up just short. That all changed as of 2004, and despite a few heart-crusing setbacks to inferior opponents in 2006 and 2007, this program has been a powerhouse ever since. Five straight bowl wins, including three BCS games, and a national championship in five seasons tell the story. A likely top 3 national ranking to end this season and probable #1 or #2 going into the 2009 season put an exclamation point on it.
This was a great win for this football program. The Longhorns didn’t accumulate a lot of the “style points” the pinheads at ESPN and in the sports media nationally seem to value over substance, and they didn’t get the blowout victory that some had hoped might put Texas in line to win the AP poll for a split national championship (a real pipe dream, that).
But Texas won yet another huge game against yet another great football program. The Longhorns won ugly, they won with character, they won with tremendous courage, determination and leaders who stepped up their play when it mattered most. Guys like Colt McCoy, Quan Cosby, Jordan Shipley, Brian Orakpo, Roy Miller, Rodderick Muckelroy, Earl Thomas, Sergio Kindle and Henry Melton - all of them struggled at times during the game, but every of them stepped up to the plate and made plays when it mattered most. They left the field wearing torn and filthy uniforms, with bruised and battered bodies, knowing they had been in a battle with another group of warriors, and had come out on top.
Any fan who is not happy with this win is just too damn hard to please.
Let’s go to the G, B, and U.
First, the UGLY:
- Coverage of the game by Fox - I am buying drinks for everyone on the day the current BCS contract with Fox expires. Meet me in the bar of Austin Land & Cattle at 5:30. I knew we were in trouble when, early in the pregame show, we discovered that Fox had not one, but TWO completely worthless field announcers as a part of their coverage team. The play-by-play and color guys were, if anything, even worse than the dreck FoxSports rolls out there every Saturday during the regular season. I have no idea what any of their names were and could not care less. Seven minutes into the game, I had muted the TV and turned on Craig Way and Keith Moreland, who did their usual fine job of calling the contest.
- Officials - I got excited when this Big East crew actually called holding against a Texas Longhorn opponent early in the first quarter. I mean, it didn’t happen all year in our Big 12 games, so the novelty of it alone made my toes tingle. Here was a crew that had not been instructed to ignore the infraction. By the end of the game, I found myself almost wishing for a Big 12 crew. After all, Big 12 officials may not ever call holding, but they do call false starts. This crew missed at least three such infractions by the Buckeyes, two of which came on OSU’s final TD drive. They also missed at least one against Texas. This is the single easiest penalty to call. Trust me, there is just no way 6 officials failed to see it when a 320-lb guard moves half a second before ball is snapped. For whatever reason, this crew was chosing not to make those calls. I find that just bizarre, and don’t really know what else to say about it.
“Ah! Ah! My toes are tingling!”
Next, the BAD:
- First half Colt McCoy - this was the worst half of football Colt played all year. We can gripe all we want to about some of the mindless play calls by you-know-who (like the 2nd and goal from the 18 draw play to our slowest RB), but the reality is that we would have led at halftime had Colt been throwing the ball with the efficiency we perhaps unfairly became used to seeing during the regular season. He was just off on his throws, and it consistently killed drives. And of course, that last pass of the half was a good five yards short of the mark.
- Offensive Line play - was pretty offensive. Ohio State’s admittedly mediocre defensive line was able to apply consistent pressure with only sporadic blitz support, especially in the first half. This allowed the Buckeyes to sit back in their zone, which they execute as well as anyone in the country, and force Colt to throw the underneath routes. I won’t blame the line for the lack of a running game, because Greg Davis frankly never made the slightest effort to establish a running game until the third quarter. “Wait, we can run the ball? In this game? Ok, well, let’s try that in the 2nd half.” Yeesh.
- Offensive game plan, from either team - Seriously, if you can tell us what either team’s game plan was from watching this game on TV, you’re the 2nd coming of the Amazing Kreskin. Throughout the first half, it appeared to me that our game plan was to pay tribute to the slow, plodding teams of the Big 10 by focusing our offensive efforts on our slowest, ploddingest players. I am going to guess, though, that that was not really the plan. If anything, Ohio State’s offensive play-calling was even more mindless than GD’s. I mean, we have finally found an opponent at whom we can point fingers and shout, “Our offensive coordinator’s smarter than yours is, nah-nah-nah-nah-nah!” That, to me, is a source of great pride.
“2nd and goal from the 18, Greg will call a draw…”
- Texas first half LB play - there is no bigger fan of Rod Muckelroy than yours truly, but man, he just got destroyed in the first half. OSU’s tight end just mugged him repeatedly. But at least Rod was in the picture from time to time - the other LBs on the field were nowhere to be seen. Not the LBs’ most shining moment.
- Safeties - Earl Thomas was ok. Gideon had a very, very tough night. The secondary in general wasn’t too sterling. Does Akina just teach our guys to never turn and look for the ball? Seriously, is that a coaching thing? Because, they never look back for the ball. Just wondering.
Enough. Let’s go to the GOOD:
- Second half Colt McCoy - There was the Colt McCoy we’ve all come to know and love. Good decision-making, crisp and accurate throws, hitting guys in stride, all the stuff that had made him a contender for the Heisman. Had it not been for a mindless screen call near mid-field late in the 3rd quarter which we predictably failed to execute and which OSU predictably read, and blew up, resulting in a terrible sack, there is little doubt Colt and the offense would have put this game away at that point. Instead, the drive is killed, and OSU gets the ball and drives for a field goal to cut the lead to 17-9, setting the stage for all the 4th quarter drama that followed. That wasn’t Colt’s fault - he and his teammates were on the verge of winning the game going away. For the game, Colt’s stat line was amazing: a personal high 414 yards against the best defense we’ve seen all year, 2 TDs, and 41 completions in 59 attempts.
- Justin Tucker is a bad mother…. uh, he’s a heck of a punter. Riddle me this: why did it take 120 years for football coaches to figure out that these rugby-style punts work pretty darn well? Is this, like, football’s version of rocket science?
How did we miss this all these years?
- Second half LB play - was night and day compared to the first half. I thought much of the improvement was due to the fact that coach Muschamp cut out most of the blitzing and stunting he was trying in the first half, to little avail. In the second half, we stayed mainly in our base defense, held our lanes for contain on Pryor, and the LBs were able to fill holes and make plays. In this regard, this game was very similar to the Tech game, in which Muschamp came out doing a lot of gambling and stunting early, and then went into contain mode in the 2nd half. I think in both games, these LBs proved they can play their positions when they’re not busy jumping around and blitzing. Good for them.
- Roy Miller was a serious badass in this game. His stat line won’t show it, but he just plugged up the middle all night. Basically all of OSU’s rushing yards came outside the tackles, thanks to Roy. He was named defensive player of the game for a very good reason.
- Quan Cosby - what a way to close out a career. 14 grabs for 171 yards and 2 TDs, including the game winner. Mr. Clutch goes out in high style. We will miss this man next year.
You da man, Quan.
- Defensive Player of the Game - Roy Miller was the right, and obvious, choice.
- Offensive Player of the Game - Quan was nails throughout, and I thought the TV guys made the wrong choice. After the game, Colt said he thought so, too.
- Special teams Player of the Game - Tucker was great, but I’d give it to Keenan Robinson, who was just a monster on kickoff coverage.
This season has been a great joy to me, and I truly do hate to see it end. Few teams in this program’s history have exceeded pre-season expectations as overwhelmingly as this one did. Every person associated with this program, from Deloss Dodds and Mack Brown down to the lowliest non-scholarship squad man, should be extraordinarly proud of what they accomplished.
And every fan should be extraordinarly grateful they were around to witness it.
Hook ‘em, Horns!!!
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By srr50 on January 6th, 2009
Spider said:
January 6th, 2009 at 7:04 am
The weather in Columbus as the Buckeyes return:
Freezing rain, possibly mixed with sleet late this morning, then freezing rain and rain this afternoon. Around a tenth of an inch of ice accumulation possible. Highs in the mid 30s. East winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of ugly girlfriend 100 percent. Domestic violence variable.
Eskimohorn said:
January 6th, 2009 at 7:14 am
Add FOX’s director to the Ugly. “Let’s show insipid crowd shots instead of Texas’ hurry-up offense.”
sinless1 said:
January 6th, 2009 at 7:20 am
At least Fox got some great shots of Texas coeds all game, and the extensive 4th Qtr footage of crestfallen tOSU fans was a delight to see.
no rugby inside 50 said:
January 6th, 2009 at 7:36 am
While Tucker’s rugby style punts are incredibly effective at getting long punts off, they looked to be totally ineffective when we needed to down the ball inside the ten from midfield. Seems like we might have been better off trying to get some hang time to give our coverage guys a chance to down the ball deeper in their territory. Small gripes, nobody will remember the ugliness of the game by next year and Mack will be 3-0 in his last 3 BCS game appearances.
Mockingbird said:
January 6th, 2009 at 7:36 am
Stephen Colbert likes to invent new words on his television show. I’d like to propose my own for consideration to Fox’s lexicon.
My word is “zoomability”.
The ability to show more than 2 objects within a television frame. To give the audience a visual picture, which by helping them to understand what they are watching. Also incorporates sideways movements of camera angles.
If your camera shot only shows 1 or 2 players on the field, it is not only acceptable, but incumbent to demonstrate television production prowess by widening the frame and allowing say, 3, 4, or even 5 players within the vignette. When your zoomability increases and you become a proficient zooomer, your sports production crew will bring a whole new world of sites and sounds to the audience. An occasional camera shot including the quarterback of the offensive unit and a frame with the upper torso of the refs calling important game changing penalties.
Low zoomability is evident when audience is given multiple camera shots of idle sitting Gatorade coolers and parents of players.
KilgoreTrout said:
January 6th, 2009 at 7:37 am
Given the performances by Harrell and McCoy - I think 6 weeks off is too long for an offense that is very precise/timing related. Both threw more incomplete passes in the 1st half of their games than I’ve seen them throw all year. We’ll see if the off time affects Bradford on Thursday night.
Dunstan Pearl said:
January 6th, 2009 at 7:41 am
I was frustrated with Tucker all night. He hung one of his rugby punts up a little bit too much and the guy caught it on the fly, leading to a huge return as the coverage was nowhere near him. Also, why rugby punt when you’re kicking from their side of the 50? He rolled at least one kick into the end zone that way. I’ve been a fan of the rugby punt all year, but I thought there were several times where it was poorly executed last night.
Dunstan Pearl said:
January 6th, 2009 at 7:43 am
Another question on the rugby punts: Why don’t teams bring pressure from the side Tucker rolls out to when he kicks those? Seems like it’d be ripe for a block. Do we roll blockers that way or something? I’ve never really paid attention.
jonestopten said:
January 6th, 2009 at 7:45 am
I must have been watching a different Justin Tucker. I agree with the poster above. Twice he rolled punts straight into the end zone without a chance in hell for the coverage to down them (and both were unreturnable). He also shanked one out-of-bounds in the second half that would have rolled another 15 yards had it stayed in. I don’t get it.
His genuflecting before the snap makes me think God doesn’t care about field position.
Yassir Sanchez said:
January 6th, 2009 at 7:45 am
“They left the field wearing torn and filthy uniforms, with bruised and battered bodies, knowing they had been in a battle with another group of warriors, and had come out on top.”
When did Bill Little take over the ghost writing for GBU? };o)
hiphopopotamus said:
January 6th, 2009 at 7:47 am
As good as Tucker is rugby punting deep, weren’t you the least bit disappointed with his short field punting? If your line of scrimmage is on their side of the field and you choose to punt, you should at least attempt to pin them deep and really change field position. Easier said than done, I know, but it didn’t even look like he was trying to keep those in the field of play.
Tex Dog said:
January 6th, 2009 at 7:53 am
I thought Eddie George and Barry Switzer as “objective” Fox analysts fit under UGLY.
Say, what was the sponsor that provided the afore-mentioned camera shots? Oh that’s right, Direct TV. Fox was showing that moving camera (in lieu of the plays on the field) with the Direct TV logo so much I got sick of it. The second I saw that moving camera, I knew we were going to miss some game action.
Houstonearler said:
January 6th, 2009 at 7:56 am
I am very happy with the win. I did not expect a blowout. This Ohio State team was better than the one USC blew out.
EyesOfTX said:
January 6th, 2009 at 7:58 am
“When did Bill Little take over the ghost writing for GBU? };o)”
Actually, I was channeling NFL Films on that one.
Mysterious Package said:
January 6th, 2009 at 8:07 am
The rugby punting is bush league. WTF were we thinking rolling it into the endzone from inside the 50? I called it before it happened. It needs to go back to traditional punting. Sorry but rugby style is good for DII not here. Grow some balls and pin the mother inside the 20. Also Pryer has a chance to be as good or better than VY. He looked like VY in his third year and this is his first. He is amazing and time to give credit to the man, very impressive!
GD can suck it we had no business winning that game and neither did tOSU, they have a worse play caller than us. Why not jump every short curl and slant? And when we do throw it deep its to our RB? It worked only because its crazy and Ohio St. was mindfucked all night that our scheme makes no sense. Its like GD is so dumb it worked! Ohio St. is a top 15 team and we are top 10, not top 5. If we played USC or Utah we would be bent over backward. I actually think this BS sets us back and if I am Kennard I go to USC.
Phenomenal Smith said:
January 6th, 2009 at 8:08 am
Fox is terrible. It’s like they had no idea UT played fast - they missed snap after snap.
Mizzou brought rugby punting to college football. You can thank us later.
Yassir Sanchez said:
January 6th, 2009 at 8:08 am
Nice.
Thanks for the efforts you put in on this every season. Reading GBU is as just as much a part of my UT football experience as watching the games.
As you know I do not always agree with your comments regarding the abilities of our OC but I greatly appreciate what you do.
Thanks again.
DBH said:
January 6th, 2009 at 8:08 am
“I must have been watching a different Justin Tucker. I agree with the poster above. Twice he rolled punts straight into the end zone without a chance in hell for the coverage to down them (and both were unreturnable). He also shanked one out-of-bounds in the second half that would have rolled another 15 yards had it stayed in. I don’t get it.”
Yeah, I was cussing him on those three punts, as well. He’s been great most of the season, but I didn’t think last night was one of his better efforts. When you’re punting from around midfield, I’d prefer the old-fashioned coffin corner punt.
Bartholemew Switzer said:
January 6th, 2009 at 8:11 am
I don’t know if I can watch the game on Thursday. I can’t handle more inane, pointless Fox camera shots of band geeks awkwardly playing grab ass after each play.
Yassir Sanchez said:
January 6th, 2009 at 8:11 am
“GD can suck it”
If GD is so stupid please tell me just exactly how we put up just short of 500 yards of offense?
BEHorn said:
January 6th, 2009 at 8:17 am
Never thought I’d miss Dave Lapham, but last night’s crew had me pining for a few hundred comments about Terrell Pryor’s jackhammer feet. I’m not sure what the over/under was on plays that we wouldn’t see due to between-play “coverage”, but whatever it was the “over” bettors came away happy.
Still, that’s a great GB&U, and a fitting cap to a terrific year. I’ll whip out the old saw: If you’d asked me before the season, I’d have gladly — GLADLY — taken 12-1, BCS bowl win, 45-35 over blowU, blowout win over Aggy, Lombardi Award winner and the Heisman runner-up (who’s coming back!). I mean “gladly” taken it, as in, “in a hot second”.
Nordberg said:
January 6th, 2009 at 8:20 am
You need to add Colt’s girlfriend to the “Good” section. Very, very good.
DBH said:
January 6th, 2009 at 8:25 am
“If GD is so stupid please tell me just exactly how we put up just short of 500 yards of offense?”
If GD showed up for the first half, we might have put up just short of 1000 yards. Then, once the no-huddle proved effective and we started kicking their ass, he took his foot off their throats. The guy is an idiot. Thankfully, we managed to win in spite of him.
Nordberg said:
January 6th, 2009 at 8:28 am
“Also Pryer has a chance to be as good or better than VY. He looked like VY in his third year and this is his first.”
You’re insane.
dasmithjones said:
January 6th, 2009 at 8:41 am
Clarification: Justin Tucker was not genuflecting (bending of the knee), he was crossing himself. (Luther prescribed in his Small Catechism under the heading: “How the Head of the Family Should Teach His Household to Bless Themselves in the Morning and in the Evening.” He says, “In the morning when you rise (In the evening when you go to bed) you shall bless yourself with the sign of the holy cross and say: In the name of God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.” Again in his Large Catechism he recommends that parents should instruct their children to cross themselves for the purpose of recalling their divine Protector in moments of danger, terror, and temptation.)
Just saying.
CallKevin said:
January 6th, 2009 at 8:41 am
Comparing Pryor to VY at this point is silly. Very different players. Pryor did demonstrate two skills I didn’t anticipate-first, he’s a much better runner than I realized; second, he took care of the ball really well. I think OSU is very fortunate to have him, but comparisons to VY are unwarranted, akin to comparing Jordan Shipley with Ed McCaffrey.
bat said:
January 6th, 2009 at 8:42 am
Great read.
n-ea said:
January 6th, 2009 at 8:44 am
A 35.6 net punt average does not belong in the “good” category.
Good - The spot the refs gave on the 4th and 3 conversion. Originally, the ref nearest the ball (albiet a poor angle)was marking the ball short of the forward progress. Props to the ref that spotted it properly. Instant replay may have found it to be inconclusively a first down had the call on the field been ruled short.
Bad - The announcers listening and/or comprehension skills on the second “blow to the head” personal foul penalty on Ohio State. It wasn’t called for helmet to helmet moron. Also, whomever kept calling Quan…”Quab”
Good - I didn’t watch him on every play, but it seemed like Melton was very active all night and just missed finishing cleaning Pryor’s clock. Perhaps the best overall game I’ve seen him play.
Good - I thought Kirkendoll and Collins made some nice catches and turned up the field well. Shoe string tackles kept them from breaking a few big ones.
Bad - Maybe it was just me, but I would have like to have seen 1-3 more designed runs for Colt. Especially in the first half when OSU was bringing a lot of pressure seemingly every down up the gut. I think it would have made OSU play on there heels and opened up a few more big plays in the passing game.
chitwood said:
January 6th, 2009 at 8:51 am
jones,
I think you were wrong on the shank punt. The one he kicked out of bounds was a boomer:
Tucker, Justin punt 50 yards to the OHIOST27, out-of-bounds.
5 total punts, one excellent rugby that went for 58 yards and no return, the crappy one that was returned, two touchbacks and the one that went out of bounds for 50 yards.
chitwood said:
January 6th, 2009 at 8:53 am
Not sure why the hate for the rugby overall-I agree, should not be used inside the 50, but it has worked excellent all year from the rest of the field.
IIIHorn said:
January 6th, 2009 at 8:55 am
Great read, Eyes.
This was a year whereby the Horns exceeded all expectations and I am very proud.
All that aside … Greg Davis is horrible.
EyesOfTX said:
January 6th, 2009 at 8:56 am
“5 total punts, one excellent rugby that went for 58 yards and no return, the crappy one that was returned, two touchbacks and the one that went out of bounds for 50 yards.”
Looks pretty good to me. 3 of 5 started them at the 20 yardline or worse. One goes 50 yards and starts them at the 27. Only one is returned at all.
Sorry, but after suffering through the series of pitiful punters Mackovic and Mack have put on the field for the most part the last 17 years, I just marvel at how blessed we’ve been this year, not only with Tucker, but with Gold as well. I mean, Gold was the BEST punter Mack had ever had before Tucker came along with these rugby punts. That poor kid must just wonder what in the world he did to lose his job?
BatesHorn said:
January 6th, 2009 at 9:03 am
What an enjoyable season and I really appreciate the write up eyes. I’m happy we won. I’m not going to pat us too much on the back beyond that, because I think we have a lot of work to do for 2009: Finding some semblance of a run game and replacing Miller and Quan (and Orakpo).
kevwun said:
January 6th, 2009 at 9:15 am
Vince was capable of passing by his 3rd year. Pryor as a freshmen isn’t able to do that. They brought in Boeckmann on obvious passing downs and he sucks, but it still a better option than Pryor. Pryor is a better runner than I thought, but he shies away from contact. He’s got a long way to go before he’s anywhere near VY.
jonestopten said:
January 6th, 2009 at 9:28 am
Chitwood — nice catch, I stand corrected; thought it was a forty yard punt. I must have missed a couple of lines.
Nevertheless, three of his five punts were poor.
We had zero chance of downing either touchback when ten or fifteen yards of field position could have made a big difference.
jonestopten said:
January 6th, 2009 at 9:30 am
dasmithjones:
Thank you for the clarification. Genuflecting is what Wendell Tyler used to do in the end zone.
Nevertheless, still not sure God cares about field position.
Vasherized said:
January 6th, 2009 at 10:12 am
After watching our poor man’s Steve Smith dive in the endzone to ice the game, for some reason I immediately thought the day when Quan originally committed and the event sparked a literary tribute on Hornfans:
The Unbearable Lightness of Quan
The Old Quan & The Sea
Quan & Peace
Quan Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest
Are You There God? It’s Me, Quan
Quanimal Farm
The Quan, The Witch, & The Wardrobe
All The Quan’s Men
The Quan & The Fury
I’d like to think we were prophets forseeing greatness but I think we were just bored at work.
That finish was Quan in a million.
Nordberg said:
January 6th, 2009 at 10:17 am
Check out The Wrath of Quan by LSUFreak.
Vasherized said:
January 6th, 2009 at 10:24 am
Nice work as usual from the freek.
ChicagoTTU said:
January 6th, 2009 at 10:25 am
Colt McCoy’s Girlfriend anyone?
Gotta thank Fox for those shots…
Kafka said:
January 6th, 2009 at 10:38 am
Eyes: thanks for all the great write ups this year.
My high school football team employed the rugby kick on quick kicks over 40 years ago. The ball would roll forever. Since the D was up (i.e. no punt returner) and did not expect the punt, the play would turn into this mass herd of players from both teams roaring down the field in the same direction to see who could get to the ball first. Those plays were a lot of fun if your team was doing the quick kicking.
The OSU punt returner who caught that rugby kick on the fly (reaching way up over his head) made one helluva catch. Most of the time he does not make that catch and it turns into a huge play for the horns.
Inside the 50, the rugby kick makes less sense because it is hard to down the ball close to the goal line.
EyesOfTX said:
January 6th, 2009 at 10:45 am
“Inside the 50, the rugby kick makes less sense because it is hard to down the ball close to the goal line.”
Yep, although Tucker managed to do it several times in previous games. I’d like to see his overall percentage of getting it done in that situation, and compare it to traditional punters. I’m betting it would be comparable, if not better.
Calhorn said:
January 6th, 2009 at 10:54 am
My comments on the Fiesta Bowl:
1) FOX coverage was so bad it made me wince, from their director showing sideline shots instead of UT’s no-huddle offense to the Barry Switzer and Eddie George studio commentary, it was UGLY.
2) It was a terrific game in the second half with all the lead changes; a terrific college football game. That golden Fiesta Bowl trophy with the football on top is going to look nice in our trophy room at DKR Memorial.
3) Quan deserved the offensive player of the game trophy as he played great the entire game.
4) Colt should have gotten the Heisman. This is yet another come from behind win for him. Think about the OU game and TTech game where he did the same. Nothing against Sam Bradford, but I don’t think he has led his team in a 4th quarter come from behind win yet.
5) Ohio State is playing a lot better than they did earlier in the season. However, their offense is still terrible. They need to work on that our their BCS bowl record will continue to stink.
Calhorn said:
January 6th, 2009 at 10:56 am
Clarification:
TTech game was not a W for Texas, of course, but the last second Crabtree TD wasn’t Colt McCoy’s fault. He led a “Heisman” quality drive to take the lead but left just a little too much time on the clock at Lubbock, as you will recall.
scagnetti said:
January 6th, 2009 at 10:59 am
my beef with the kicking game is the complete lack of a kickoff going anywhere near the endzone…
when did we decide its ok to kick high and short?
our opponents this year consistently started their drives near the 30 yard line after kickoffs. when was this valued as competent?
thats TEN YARDS, aka another FIRST DOWN any team has to obtain and sustain on a drive.
beatsme
Dirk Diggler said:
January 6th, 2009 at 11:19 am
Another GOOD: Greg Davis apparently didn’t watch or didn’t take notes during the Utah game. (or TT/Ole Miss).
I was sure we’d see a flea flicker, or a double reverse QB/HB option sumthin-sumthin…but they never materialized. Thankfully, since the OSU DL was spending quite a lot of time in our backfield.
Newy25 said:
January 6th, 2009 at 11:41 am
Damn good win for Texas. Mack has now found a groove in preparing his teams for big bowl games.
That being said- I hope Gideon and Tanner do not start next year.
WhoooTex said:
January 6th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
“we are top 10, not top 5.”
Who are the five teams you think are better than Texas? And don’t say Oklahoma, we have empirical evidence to the contrary.
DBH said:
January 6th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
Five rugby punts for the record:
1. 58 yds to the 24 (out of bounds) Net 58
2. 47 yds to endzone (touchback) Net 27
3. 37 yds to 32 (16 yd return) Net 21
4. 42 yds to endzone (touchback) Net 22
5. 50 yds to 27 (out of bounds) Net 50
Avg: 46.8
Net Avg: 35.6
Davidrxy said:
January 6th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
I agree with Calhoun, Colt should’ve gotten The Heisman. Aside from that-your not living unless you got Football in your life. There are only so many restaurants, nightclubs and hotels you can visit, but nothing-and I mean NOTHING can ever take the place of the absolute HIGH u get when u see Historic figures like Colt play The Game.
jc25 said:
January 6th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
DBH: That’s just bad special teams coaching by the Horns. Aside from punt #3 (as already discussed in the thread), punts #1 and #5 were phenomenal. And punts #2 and #4 would’ve been…had we not been kicking from mid-field. Mack’s gotta know that unless you’re trying to angle the rugby punt, that sucker’s got a 95% chance (note: not scientifically proven) of taking a Texas roll straight into the endzone. Thus, the two horrible nets.
Mack had been going the dual punter route before with both Gold and Tucker in the game, and I’m not sure why he didn’t do the same for #2 and #4. Let Gold sky one with a fair catch inside the 20, or let him attempt a coffin corner kick. No need to just lollygag it into the endzone.
hopefulhorn said:
January 6th, 2009 at 2:24 pm
Thanks for these write-ups, Eyes. They provide an excellent snap-shot of key aspects of each game. As Yassir Sanchez said, the G, B & U has become part of the game-week ritual.
This was the rubber match in what has become a fine series with Ohio State. The two programs resemble one another-big-budget, prestigous programs with strong local recruiting bases that annually provide a number of NFL players.
The difference in all three games was quarterback play. Vince and Colt won games for us in ‘05 and last night while Troy Smith won for them in ‘06. The Buckeyes showed last night that they were an elite QB away from being an elite team this season.
I would also agree with your assessment of our status as a powerhouse. We are a legit top 5 program that can compete with anyone. This is all the more remarkable when you consider our lack of a coherent running game scheme as chronicled on this site.
Thanks again for taking the time for these missives. It will be a long wait for next season.
DBH said:
January 6th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
jc25,
I agree whole-heartedly that it’s bad coaching. And I agree that, on the whole, Tucker’s rugby punts have been very effective, this year.
I think those of us who are commenting on the matter take issue with Eyes’ contention that the rugby style punts in THIS game “work[ed] pretty darn well.” In fact, three out of five of them pretty much sucked and two of those were totally inappropriate to the situation, as you noted. Those came at times when we really needed to pin them back.
It’s not my aim to rag on the kicker, but I simply disagree that rugby punting was a particular highlight in this game. If someone wants to say that Tucker had two great rugby punts, I’ll buy that.
Davidrxy said:
January 6th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
I guess Ohio State was singing the song “Standing In The Rain” by Don Ray or “Strangers By Night” by CC Catch. Texas-you did it again, we’re thrillled!
thumper360 said:
January 6th, 2009 at 4:09 pm
Do they pay Switzer for his comments? Geeze…I think he had a few too many.
Drunken Rooster said:
January 6th, 2009 at 5:43 pm
The Pryor/ Vince comparisons here and in other places usually focuses on physical aspects like running and passing and too often leaves out the real discriminator-leadership.We have no evidence that Pryor, Griffin or any other johnny come lately can raise the level of play of his team mates while under duress like Vince did.
EyesOfTX said:
January 6th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
thumper - the best part about Switzer last night was the fact that the wardrobe people gave him a burnt orange tie and kerchief to wear with his brown suit. I thought that was very cool.
D Porter said:
January 6th, 2009 at 8:25 pm
Eyes, it is good to read The GBU again. I’ve been out of the loop for a bit, and it took some time to find this site.
The familiar ‘names’ and great posts make the season even better.
Thank you all!
DBH said:
January 6th, 2009 at 8:45 pm
Eyes and the guys offer the best writing on the Horns, anywhere.
mileslong said:
January 7th, 2009 at 12:35 am
I realized; second, he took care of the ball really well. I think OSU is very fortunate to have him, but comparisons to VY are unwarranted, akin to comparing Jordan Shipley with Ed McCaffrey.
um, don’t you mean that is “askin” to comparing Jordan Shipley with Ed McCaffrey?
upgrayedd said:
January 7th, 2009 at 6:43 am
Instead of treating myself to the halftime wisdom of Messrs George and Switzer, I switched over to Houston Public Access. It was much higher quality programming.
c.c.rider said:
January 7th, 2009 at 6:56 am
the “rugby punt” is nothing more than the old “quick kick”[field position tool] of the 40’s and 50’s
except they do it on 4th down now
and it’s not so quick now
and it’s 2009 now
and i’ll shut up now
bigguggly said:
January 7th, 2009 at 8:41 am
From someone actually at the game, The Fiesta Bowl Game was as poorly managed and presented as any game I have ever attended.
It seemed that between every play some group of kids was being given some useless award. The continuity of the football game (watching a game was why I spent the money to attend) was compromised horribly.
I loved the win, but there is a reason the Fiesta Bowl is considered the least desireable of the BCS bowls.
hopefulhorn said:
January 7th, 2009 at 8:49 am
“there is a reason the Fiesta Bowl is considered the least desireable of the BCS bowls.”
I’ve also heard that the Rose Bowl is the best. Would you all who have been agree?
Trips Right said:
January 7th, 2009 at 8:51 am
The rugby style kick does a few things to help your coverage teams get to where they need to be. First, the roll out portion gives the gunners an extra couple seconds and the actual ball rolling creates doubt in the returner that he can field the punt cleanly. Third, the rollout motion makes the defenders over the gunners respect a fake. What’s not to like?
Kafka said:
January 7th, 2009 at 9:19 am
Trips:
The rugby kick is pretty cool and it has the advantages you mentioned:
* top spin on the ball so that it rolls a lot
* unpredictability in bounces so that it is tough to catch
* can buy some extra time for the coverage to get down field
Plus it makes the D unlikely to try to block a punt because they don’t know where the ball is going to be punted from. Plus, it is more likely to produce the opportunity for the punter to run for first down.
What is not to like?
* it is more difficult to execute. It is tougher to kick a ball on the run at a 90 degree angle to the direction you are running than it is to execute a traditional punt.
To illustrate, which is easier to throw, the pass where you step into the pass in the direction you are throwing or the pass where you are running towards the sideline and then whip the ball across your body downfield? The same ideas apply in punting.
Because it easier to execute a traditional punt than a rugby style punt, it is easier to be precise on a regular punt than a rugby style punt. This means that the regular style punt makes more sense on short punts.
Rugby style punts are great when you have plenty of field to work with but not the best approach when you are trying to be quite precise on a short punt.
Rugby kicks are also more likely to get flubbed than a traditional kick.
FireFred said:
January 7th, 2009 at 12:24 pm
Valued thoughts:
No Rugby punts inside our 40 allowed.
GD went fetal the first half.
Our running game is the most predictable in the land.
tOSU played their best game of the season and is better than advertised.
Texas D did little to erase the Big 12 D stereotype.
Great teams learn to win ugly.
Blake Gideon is a gutsy kid but is not an every down player.
Gene Claude said:
January 7th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
Plus, you don’t need to do the rugby kick every time, just the threat of the rugby kick kills the punt rush.
Mizzou had the luxury of having a left footed punter and a right footed kicker that could each do a rugby punt from either side. OUtside of Maclin and Coffman, that was our only luxury.
Penalty Extended Drive said:
January 8th, 2009 at 10:29 am
I thought my name was called too often. Particularly on the drive where only one penalty occurred and it was declined.
But also on the drive where had the one penalty been declined, the next play would have been 2nd and 2 from the 30.
Please don’t call my name unless the absence of the penalty call would result in a 4th down.
Thanks in advance.