Scrimmage Report From the Asset and Overall Thoughts From Another Source

Thanks for the info. Been waiting for this with baited breath all weekend.

if i was some big time booster aka “Mr. Red McCombs” type person, i would tell MB and Company to start Ash against Rice. If we beat Rice last year with Gilbert, what is there to lose!

Odds that anyone but GG starts against Rice? 5%?

Yeah, I was like WTF, where my practice report at? Thanks for the info. Sounds like the writing should be on the wall for the coaches with regard to GG.

We are a quality QB away from BCS again. Just play Ash now and get that process going.

I’m getting a little optimistic about the offense, well, about the running game anyway. To me the greatest test of whether Mack is willing to let his new coaches do their thing will be how he handles the QB situation. I have faith in Harsinwhite to determine who should play but I wonder if Mack will let them play their guy.

I had been feeling a little better about DT but now not so much. D. Jackson will do his thing within the limits of the gap-shooter he sounds to be, but “struggling to hold the point of attack at times” isn’t what I’d hoped for. Will Howell ever amount to anything? Seems our best hope is for Dorsey to get better quick and/or hope that Edmond runs the bleachers some more.

Great report, by the way.

Appreciate the writeup. Thanx.

Weeelll, how did Ship and Diggs look in punt return duty? Did they fair catch everything? Did either get a good return? Any muffs or near muffs?

There’s a clear favorite at QB, it would seem. Will he be trusted with it, though?
Good news on the running game so far.
Motion? What’s that?
Progress is being made, apparently.

Defense and offense both have strengths and work still to be done.

Can’t wait to see it!!!

The last two year Alex Okafor essentially had to play out of his best element and he never complained. I have seen this kid since he was a sophomore in HS and he is the complete student-athlete.

Good for him that he will finally get noticed this season.

2 WRs that will likely contribute as true freshman, one (Shipley) as a starter. Where the f*** was this the past years Bobby Kennedy?

I’m little troubled by the run defense. Jackson probably doesn’t have the mass yet to hold up against the run. Dorsey, Howell, Daniels, somebody step up. Robinson is not a middle linebacker, that’s not his game. You have to play capable seniors, but Robinson is best suited to play outside. Edmond has to step up as a true freshman. Get his body ready Bennie.

It’s plausible that the coaches ask true freshman to start or contribute immediately at QB and MLB. Not the best omen.

Great report. Excited about Ash. He simply has to be the starter.

I have faith in Harsinwhite to determine who should play but I wonder if Mack will let them play their guy.

We all wonder that. I’ll believe it when I see it. If we hit 0u with any losses attributable to GG missing reads, throwing INTs, and whatnot, GG starts, Mack could be in trouble, especially if we proceed to lose that one.

I dunno… I surer’n hell HOPE that Mack isn’t going to meddle, but I have a bad feeling about his ability to ignore the voices in his head.

I was looking at the practice photos pn MBTF, and Cobbs looks like a safety all the way. Why did they move him to LB. He just looks so much smaller than the other LBs.

I hope Walters going against Okafor helps set them both up for the year. They could each be top 3 at their position in the conference.

Very disappointing to here that our stud LBs still cannot hold up against a heavy run. I don’t know if Hicks is big enough to man the middle like that. Edmonds needs to get in the lineup asap. I though Chet moss did great in the spring identifying the holes early and stepping into them. I don’t understand taking a natural MLB like that and moving him when we’re so thin there. We cannot let teams run the ball down our throats again.

What are the odds of Ash starting against Rice? It seems like a no brainer to me.

Thanks, JS. This was easily the most detailed of the scrimmage reports that I have seen and well worth the wait.

We still have a ways to go (2 more scrimmages) until the opener. Conclusions are therefore premature. However, this certainly wasn’t what we were looking for from Gilbert. Ash’ momentum continues.

Ash has enjoyed some advantages in this QB competition that most true freshmen don’t. Aside from outstanding physical skills he seems precocious in his display of loads of leadership intangibles. He has also benefitted from all 4 QB’s starting from scratch in a brand new system. It seems like Gilbert’s baggage from last season remains.

Stunning re: Ash vs. Gilbert. If Ash consistently avoids mistakes and can handle the playbook how do we not start him over turnover-prone Gilbert? As improved as I expect us to be on offense I don’t think we can survive another 15+ turnover season from our QB and expect to reach 8 wins.

Fantastic report. Much appreciated.
 
- Des Jackson not being hold to point of the attack was something I mentioned in my DT preview and that won’t change until he gets older
 
- Same for our LBs and their ability to fill and plug. They’re pursuit LBers. That’s just how it is.
 
- The starting OL group is interesting and Snow > Ashcraft means that we want the ability to use our guards on the edge and in the boot game
 
- Edmond is unlike anyone we’ve had at MLB in a really long time. I was told by an insider that he stepped up on a counter a few practices ago and dropped the pulling guard to his knees then picked the running back up and quick whistles prevented a WWE suplex. He’s physically imposing, but his instincts are what separates him from the pack.
 
- QB is going to be a real conundrum if Ash continues his play and Gilbert continues to behave like he was born under a bad sign.
 
- You also have to appreciate that if we start Ash, Texas likely has three quarterbacks transfer.

Always glad for the info. Thanks, JS.

It’s important to remember that the interior defensive linemen are probably fighting tough angles against this scheme and this is a tricky scheme to consistently run fit against. Frankly I would be very concerned if the defense weren’t struggling sometimes in the 1vs1s matchup. The tackling from the second level is key… it sounds like we want to play Jackson in a higher risk reward scenario but we absolutely need someone who can play through a block cleaning up. Hicks is that guy for us at Sam and it sounds like Edmond needs to see the field some too. Robinson is in the middle for what he offers us in ability to protect the flats from the middle of the field and penetrate on the blitz in the Fire Zones. I would not be at all surprised to see emphasize more 3-4 slanting looks to try to leverage our quickness on the defensive line a little more. We are going to give up some big pops against the run… hopefully we will also be getting a lot of bodies in the backfield early.

ethorn -

The reason Chet Moss was moved to FB is named Steve Edmond.
 
And Cobbs is already on our 2 deep at LB. Why move him to safety?

if we start Ash, Texas likely has three quarterbacks transfer.

I hear the $EC might be looking for a Few Good Men…

Great write-up… thanks Heysuess!

ethorn said:
“I don’t know if Hicks is big enough to man the middle like that”.

I could be wrong, but I don’t think Jordan Hicks is running at mike… he’s running at Sam, isn’t he? I am disappointed to hear that there isn’t any separation between GG and the rest… maybe it will be D. Ash!

JS - I can’t tell you how much I enjoy you and the other guys work in gathering and presenting this info. I love catching up on good ol sports on the weekends. Between BON, BC and the Cosm, I get a good fill.

It sounds like we have some challenges, but we have made the transition and the players are embracing the systems. That is great. I have waited 11 years to see some mauling runs. I really like the move of Walters to RT and placing our best mauler at RG (Ashcraft or other) and having Hopkins pulling from LG. Damn that sounds like a 5-6 yard pop on first or second everytime. That is going to be hard to stop. Ohio State did that too us in the first half of the fiesta bowl with Beenie Wells. I think he got dinged up or he could have done that to us all game.

Line Play wins games. We gotta get tougher on both. I’m most concerned about the middle of the DL and MLB.

- You also have to appreciate that if we start Ash, Texas likely has three quarterbacks transfer.

An apocalyptic scenario from a depth standpoint, but seemingly not terrible in terms of talent lost. What are the chances that at least two of them stick around long enough to give us a three-deep for the year? Any?

Is it possible that HarsinWhite, recognizing what went on with MacGreg, are just giving GG all the rope it takes for Mack to recognize what appears at this point to be fairly legible wall-writing?

bigdukesix -
 
They’d transfer in the Spring.

thanks for the kind words guys, much appreciated. I’m just lucky to be given the information. Scipio was right there last night when our main guy called to give us the report.

As for PR and KR, I don’t know but I can ask.

One interesting thing Tipsy was told comes from a receiver on the team. He says Ash is a TRUE dual threat QB which is why they were entertaining a package of plays for the young man back in the spring. But if Gilbert continues to struggle Ash has a legit shot at winning the job.

If I was a gambling man, and I obviously am, I would say Gilbert gets the nod with a short leash with Ash coming in to run his package of plays—zone read, spread concepts, whatever it is. I was told it was a Tebow type package. Then, if Gilbert falters, they probably give McCoy the job as starter and go from there.

All that aside, Ash is the real deal. He’s the future.

Thanks Scip

Do we have another MLB that can play behind Edmonds? From the spring, I thought Moss fit that role better than anyone else. Did we ever look at Cobbs for safety? I’m sure he’ll make a great OLB,but his size seems to place him more in the DB model - was just curious why he wasn’t tried there.

If Ash gets the start, when would the others leave? If he doesn’t take over until second or third game, does that make a difference?

“- You also have to appreciate that if we start Ash, Texas likely has three quarterbacks transfer.”

Been thinking the same thing. There’s more difficulty with the decision of naming Ash as the starter for Rice game, then many anticipate. If he’s crowned the starter before the season officially begins, then we face the possibility of all three back-ups transfering. Then we’re stuck with who, if Ash goes down? Mack’s gotta play this one close to the vest, and hopefully keep at least one of those three around if Ash is indeed going to be the eventual starter, IMHO.

Thank Ya Jesus! It sounds like Edmonds is the physical punisher we need against the power running game. How did the second team OTs look? Anything on special teams or the other running backs and receivers? Heard any good Aggie jokes lately?

“They’d transfer in the Spring.”

Has their window already closed for them to transfer before the first game?

If Ash becomes the starter eventually, I can’t imagine 3 QBs would transfer in the Spring.

Even with Brewer coming in 2012, one of them would be an injury away from a lot of PT. One of the three has to be smart enough to realize the value of staying in a Harsin/Applewhite system and what it could mean for coaching potential down the road, if they’re so inclined.

Is there any way to find out during which downs Gilbert’s interceptions happened. I want to guess third down, but I’m not sure. If I remember correctly, it seems like GG doesn’t handle pass rush all that well and he tries to force something or rushes his reads instead of throwing it away or scrambling. If I’m not crazy and I remember tendencies correctly, perhaps we could use Ash on third downs for his ability to either throw or run for the first down in addition to the improved pocket awareness and decision making in the face of a pass rush.

Or, ya know, we could just start Ash. I’m just spitballing here.

Thanks for the report, Jesus! I hope your brain and liver have stopped giving you the old high-low for this weekend.

As for the reports, things are still early and I hold out hope that Gilbert can turn the corner and be serviceable at QB. However, it sounds like Ash is for real and knocking nicely at the door before he takes a fireman’s axe to it. Here’s to making it through the season and the Spring with only two transfers.

At MLB and DT, it’s a bit discerning to hear we haven’t found what we’ve needed. Again, there are two more scrimmages before Rice so I’ll hold off judgment until after Scrimmage Dos.

Jesus,

Thanks again for these amazing reports, and I would be very interested to find out how punt returns are looking considering how much hari kari we committed on those last year. I’m curious how well we are covering kickoffs, too. We gave up way too much field position last year.

Just got a text from the Asset and it appears I made a mistake.

On Gilbert’s first interception to the LB I transposed players and mistakenly attributed the pick to Hicks instead of Robinson. Sorry about that. I fixed the error in the article.

Somehow, I doubt McCoy transfers. He seems to be having a great time, fits well with the team and I wonder if he thinks he has a real shot at the pros. I’m just idly speculating, but my gut (and it’s formidable, my friends) says McCoy is here for the long haul.

“if we start Ash, Texas likely has three quarterbacks transfer.”

The workaround is to start Gilbert but give Ash most of the snaps (if warranted). I doubt Case will transfer if he is the 3rd string QB, given the legacy of the McCoy family. If Gilbert is the nominal starter, it isn’t clear that the junior would transfer before his senior year if he thinks he has a decent chance at winning the job. At 4th string, Conner might be gone sooner rather than later.

I’ve been convinced for a while that Ash will be the 2nd string QB when the season starts and that his “package” will include as much of the whole playbook as he has mastered. This will permit Ash to shine on play action passing on ostensible running downs.

Was going for some positive news ,perhaps a mention of malcolm brown. Hope he practices before the next scrimmage

I also don’t think Case is going anywhere.

He’s been around the game for an awfully long time and I suspect he has the self-awareness to understand that he’s not remotely in his brother’s league and never will be. He’s a competitor and will want a fair shot, but if he’s given that and gets beaten out, he’ll be content to have fun at a school he loves, take a few snaps in big games and graduate with a quality degree.

Garrett Gilbert is broken and will be gone, but not before Connor Wood. I’m surprised he’s still here.

If the QB performances are accurate I hope the coaching staff has the balls to name Ash the starter when it starts to count.

worth still remembering that the Asset is just one set of eyes… others have reported that Case looked the best of the bunch during the scrimmage.

GG will get the nod regardless of mistakes and Ashes success. Mack’s deep rooted behavior is to play the loyalty card (Simms). To not switch up the execution or technique gg has with all the other changes made to date is beyond me. A utilitarian approach to get wins is what Mack needs to turn the program around. Let the fans, cigars, and everyone else voice it so he may pay attention.

Big Ern, isn’t the report about Case very similar to his performance in the spring game?

An interesting dynamic for Major vs. Mack if a Gilbert vs. Ash battle develops.

Big Ern,

I think it’s worth nothing that The Asset mentioned Case’s performance along with the words “fool’s gold”. It would seem that Jesus’ eye is a bit sharper than the rest. Or more cynical.

I go with the group that say McCoy will never leave UT. He loves UT and where would he go? Where could he get a better education and better coaching? He could improve in the next couple of years, might think he could get a shot at backup in Cleveland if he improves enough.

Why start GG and wait for him to screw up? Start Ash. By the time OU comes around he should be experienced.

How did Shipley do? I guess he made a touchdown because I saw a picture of him celebrating with a team mate in the end zone and he was holding the ball. Who made the most receptions?

Forgot to say thanks for the report, very much appreciated.

I think it might just be me, but it seems some other sites have a vested interest in pumping up Case…Would there be “that” big of a shit storm if a True Frosh won the job outright?

The Case report does seem eerily similar to the Spring Game indeed, and I am not doubting it.

Thank you Jesus. (you and the Son of Light) I was dying for some good information and breakdown of the scrimmage. Your insider info always sounds legit in the way it is presented and the perspective delivered in the quotes. The possible roster moves sound very plausible from a good, strategic football perspective.

I’ve wondered the last two months why Hicks wasn’t at MLB? I’ve tried to convince myself of Robinson in the middle, but even after his increases in the weight room, I don’t think he can man the between-the-tackles area (BTT area) well enough for us to succeed with our second DTs. Hicks is slight for the middle, and next year I would play him outside for sure, but he looked really good against the run last year in limited snaps. I thought he looked far better than either Acho or Robinson against the run and BTT.

Interesting that Cody, the forgotten man in our new run game, is probably going to be a great HB for us. I think of HBs like Dave Thomas 6-3, 240. But an improving blocker at 5-11 250 could work too. With Cody/Bergeron at HB, Grant/Irby/Terrell at receiving TE, and B. Matthews/D. Jones at blocking TE, our double and triple TE sets should be very interesting. If Grant is healthy and keeps improving his blocking, oh my. Could really be a weapon and not too many people are talking about him.

Using DJ as a decoy on the jet sweep is another brilliant way to jack with the DE ala Longhorn Scott’s breakdown. All in all I am more pumped about this season than any in a long time. I still cannot believe that we have Harsin as our OC. I must be stuck in a dream. One that is compensating for the nightmare I just had involving GD.

Thank you Jesus. I thought you might be wandering around lost in the desert with your golf clubs and a hooker for 40 days and 40 nights. At least it felt that long waiting for your scrimmage report. But you didn’t disappoint us. Great report. I’m with those who believe that Ash is already written in with indelible marker as our second string. GG and Case you could put in a hat and draw one for the starter. But most likely it will be GG. QBs get injured too easily to risk a mass transfer. Ash will be the guy by the middle of the season.

Rice Depth Chart:

Gilbert OR Ash OR McCoy OR Wood

Everyone’s a starter. Problem solved.

Thank you for the report. Hope ya had a good time and dont remember most of the weekend.

If Ash continues to impress the remainder of the month, then it’ll be interesting to see what happens. Will Mack continue to make decisions out of his normal comfort zone? Wait and see..as always.

Our guys just need continuing practicing and improving… too early to make any solid decisions right now. Just hope visible improvements are steadily obvious to the coaching staff and we can stay healthy.

With the success of our TE play thus far, is there any chance we run some one-back 3-WR sets with Grant/Terrell flexed out to the slot and Irby/Grant in on the line?

I feel like we could have some tremendous matchups against both 4-3 and Nickel fronts in such a formation.

Gilbert will start. If he plays well, great. If he doesn’t, the crowd is going to turn on him ruthlessly. If he sucks, it won’t be bareable by the second game, Mack will have to pull him.

Thanks, JS and Asset, for the report.

Re Ash vs. GG, here’s another factor which Mack is undoubtedly considering but I’m wondering what weight he will give it: which starting QB the team will “pick” with their support. Clearly, especially at the end of the season, the team did not have confidence in GG (hell, he did not have confidence in himself). This helped erode team chemistry and cohesiveness. Mack in interviews this summer pointed to Colt’s success starting in 2007 as winning the team in his battle with Snead for the starting QB job.

If Ash is the clear winner, or close enough to be 1A, how will the team react if GG is selected as the starting QB—particularly if/when he starts to falter in the early contests against BYU and UCLA?

It’s also clear that GG is f-ed in the head and has not recovered. For all of the “we have to protect his confidence” while leaving him out there to throw pick after pick against KSU and others, Mack and GDGD seem to have done more harm than good. As someone else said, if a 5-7 record and a 10-17 TD-INT ratio are the production numbers from the veteran QB, why not start the true freshman?

At the very least, Mack should split offensive series during the 1H of Rice and let the “winner” come out to start the 2H. I’d like for an official decision at QB to be made before Rice, but it REALLY needs to be made before BYU.

The QB breakdown goes like this:

Ash - the real deal
Case - has good luck
Gilbert - has bad luck

Like so many above, I don’t think Case is going anywhere. Sounds like the best choice is to start Case and have Ash be the #2 with significant real PT.

But that’ll never happen. Instead, Gilbert will start, Case will be “backup” (but will never see the field), and Ash will run a white man’s wildhorn once or twice until it doesn’t work quite right. FML.

“The reason Chet Moss was moved to FB is named Steve Edmond.”

I get that Edmonds looks really good, but there has got to be more to it than that. We moved our only other “true” MLB so that we could go 4-deep at fullback.

Mikey,

I’d believe you if this were last year. Thank the Longhorn God that it’s not.

And Cobbs is already on our 2 deep at LB. Why move him to safety?

I can think of two very good reasons.

Scrimmage video is up on Mack’s site.

Shipley caught a laser from Ash for TD.

“Mack’s deep rooted behavior is to play the loyalty card (Simms).”

You know that Major was the established starter, and Mack made a move to go with the younger player he perceived as having the higher upside, right?

So pretty much the exact opposite of the point you are trying to make.

Unless he improves, I’d be shocked if Case is #2. He has good luck, but it sounds like every other pass he throws should have been picked off. He threw some ducks in the spring game, and it seems like that is continuing. In a real game, he’s not going to have receivers bail him out every time. I hope someone steps up. I’d like to hear of some separation in the next 2 weeks, whether it’s Gilbert or Ash. Someone win the job.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I just watched the video on Mack’s site and it looked as if Case was picked off by Gideon near the endzone at the 1:05 minute mark. Just sayin.

If it is “your first day at Texas” you grow a pair and start Ash.

The team has zero confidence in Gilbert.

Horncasting- contingent chronological assessment- meaning when Simms got yanked in that game we all recall.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but I just watched the video on Mack’s site and it looked as if Case was picked off by Gideon near the endzone at the 1:05 minute mark.”

Yep, that was Case.

good report. much thanks.

interesting about case. i recall many saying colt threw a lot of bad balls when he was starting out with us, but his receivers bailed him out. i think colt continued to throw ‘bad balls’ but after a while we just quit calling them that since his receivers kept catching them. as long as he had good receivers, anyway.

Nack has always hesitated to play true freshmen. I hope he will let Harsin choose the guy who gives the team the best chance to win as the starter.

Looks like UCLA might get to see a lot of Edmond.

Never count on Mack to admit the obvious until everyone else - assistants, players, fans, media, big cigars, Sally - has pointed it out to him. Bad feeling that he will ride GG all the way through the OU game, in spite of everyone begging him to play Ash. Case is a non-factor - he got his brother’s moxie but his mother’s arm.

What is this the NFL? You need a cannon of an arm and you need to “throw receivers open?”

I’m all for the best kid starting, but that actually could mean Case even if he’s the worst pro prospect of the bunch.

co, i wish mack would keep his advisers really close. bounce his opinions off them. i think it would do wonders for him.

Two thoughts after watching the video of the scrimmage:

(1) Whoever that was (Onyegbule?) that caught the pass near the endzone and landed in full on splits while retaining possession has my unconditional respect. Ouch.
(2) Fuck it. Start David Ash. He just looks like he has it. Dude found passing lanes when the pocket broke down. Is that legal?

As for playing freshmen, I suspect that Mack isn’t going to be the same old Mack. He changed his tune once before with the way he handled Vince, and I think he realized this off-season that he has to resist his impulses if he wants to make a quick recovery.

First, thanks for the information. It’s like football air.

I say name David Ash as the 1st teamer and give him the snaps the next week. Then reevaluate after each scrimmage. But make these performances mean something. Don’t make Ash (and the team) suffer because he is a freshmen. If he is winning the competition, then acknowledge it. If the coaches don’t you may lose the team eventually. Make this actually look like an open competition. Plus I think GG needs this too. He will either be motivated to improve and win the job or he will fold. Either way the team wins.

Good to hear that the DBs looked okay. Sounds like the D will still struggle against power rushing. I’m actually not that worried about though. If we are getting gashed up the middle rotate big bodies along side Kheeston and just have them make a pile. That will allow the LBs to run to the ball instead of fighting of Guards. Maybe that’s harder done than said, but honestly all you have to do is engage blockers. I bet Bible can play every couple of series if all he is doing is finding his blocker and diving at his feet. I’ve seen it work.

I am kind of surprised that Mike Davis isn’t turning heads. What’s up?

Great scrimmage report.

Tevin Jackson. I’m getting the feeling that he won’t see the field too often this season. I guess that makes sense, seeing as he’s been out of the game for a year.

I feel terrible for GG.

Gilbert has always struck me as highly emotional and not as mature. Coming in at a moment’s notice in the NC game was great for him….. no pressure. Last season he seemed to be pressing a lot. Now, the pressure he as put on himself with Ash doing well has to be huge. He’ll probably do better, actually, coming in as a backup; the kid’s got talent.

I agree with those who feel Case will stay. Also, I’d hope that Connor Wood, as a talented player, could be utilized in another position. Other QB’s have done so and flourished.

Gotta believe a NC in the 2013 or 2014 season.

Burnt OJ, ya that was Onyegbule. He really impressed me with that and his other catch going out of bounds. I thought he was going to show up on the scene 3 years from now, maybe, and while we will see about this year, I am REALLY excited to see what he does in the future. And that’s after playing QB last year. Harris with the great grab on the other sideline too.

I’m routing for Gilbert but Robinson’s pick was not NFL-quality according to the video. Receiver was nowhere in sight and he caught it waist level. Not good.

On some good notes - Shead was running like we expected him to coming in. Still looks very high but picks his holes well and will always be dangerous in the screen game.
-Benson is getting jacked. Wonder if he might not make a good MLB down the road.
-Reed looks to have a really good frame. He will be a manchild down the road imo.
-Tray Allen didn’t look too big to me.
-Terrell is getting some good weight down low but thin up top. He is going to be good down the road at TE I think.
-Ash just looks better than the other 3 in all of the clips and pics I have seen. That’s not a scientific observation, but I am sure Harsin will crunch his numbers.

God I love UT football!!!

I also think Case stays regardless of where he sits on the depth chart. The fact that he hasn’t already transferred to Abilene Christian tells me he’d rather keep fighting for playing time at UT than be the man somewhere else.

The old Mack starts Gilbert against Rice, period. In fact, the old Mack doesn’t really even entertain the possibility of naming Ash the starter for week 1. And while Ash might get meaningful snaps during the first few games, the old Mack wouldn’t elevate a true freshman to starting QB unless/until the entire season went into the tank.

That’s unfortunate, since the 2011 club will be one of the (blessed) few that can be considered successful without playing in a BCS bowl. If there was ever a time to exchange a couple of wins for valuable experience, 2011 is it.

Mack has surprised us before - the Diaz hire was a welcome surprise - but allowing his OCs to start Ash over Gilbert would represent a departure on a whole other level.

Hopefully Mack (even though he wants GG to be the starter) will trust Harsin/Applewhite to tell him who the starting QB should be. Mack has repeatedly told the press/public that whoever is the best QB will play and nothing else matters so i’m praying he practice what he preaches come the Rice game.

I’m hoping we start Ash and make GG our #2. If Ash struggles early, maybe GG can play the role of hero and come in and win back the job and gain some much needed confidence

After how often it seemed that GG got a ball tipped and intercepted in the past, I don’t consider it a fluke at all. He’s doing something wrong that’s getting these balls tipped. He is just not cut out for being a college QB.

Start Case, and make Ash #2.

Play Ash as much this season as you need to in order to insure he’s ready to lead the team to a BCS bowl in 2012.

Bench Goober, and let the whole team know in no uncertain terms it truly is a new day.

Wish Woods well on his way.

yea but why even start case? if Ash is indeed the future, might as well start him now and let him take his lumps now and get him ready in what could be very special ’12 & ’13 teams

what is going on with malcolm brown? Why havent i saw him in any of the practice reports? is he hurt or are the other backs just out performing him at this point?

@cordaddy

You’re the hundredth person to ask about Malcolm Brown. But no big deal. The answer is spained ankle, sitting out to be cautious.

HeyZeus,

Keep up the great work.

If Gilbert is replaced as starter, my guess is that Ash will be the replacement rather than Case. The reason is that there aren’t enough practice reps or game snaps to properly train 3 QBs with the first team, especially when you are installing a new offense with a lot of moving parts. Assuming Gilbert is the starter for Rice, the only other QB getting sufficient practice reps and game snaps to be properly prepared to take over at QB will be Ash.

Since Ash will be the run package QB and the QB on 4th down fake punts, he will be getting practice reps and game snaps. As running package QB, it will be easy to expand game snaps for Ash. If Ash (as the run package/2nd string QB) has access to the whole playbook, it makes it very difficult for the opposition D to focus just on defending the run when the short yardage team comes in, because it leaves the D quite vulnerable to the big play on a play action pass. With 2nd string QB Ash punting, the opposition D can’t focus just on defending the punt but must defend potentially against any play in the the whole Longhorn playbook. This impacts the oppositions’ special teams personnel and strategic choices and will make defending horn punts much more difficult.

Mack is probably serious about committing to a run package QB. He has always loved integrating the QB into the run game but the loss of the MNC game due to Colt’s injury has shown Mack that protecting his starting QB from injury in the run game is a good idea. The run package QB approach also facilitates training the 2nd string QB. Again, the MNC loss demonstrated that training the backup QB is vital. The MNC loss also demonstrated how critical it is to have an adequate run game to complement the passing attack.

The run package QB addresses all 3 issues (i.e. protecting the starting QB from injury, training the backup QB, and boosting the run game by incorporating a run oriented QB) so Mack should be highly motivated to commit to this approach. Preparing the 2nd string QB is particularly urgent this season because Gilbert is on a short leash. If Gilbert gets off to a poor start, the backup QB needs to be ready. The run package QB approach is an excellent way to make this happen.

Re: Gilbert’s tips:
-long standing habit
-stares down receivers while squinting fiercely
-long release
-doesn’t find a passing lane

Harsin is the kid who’s been tearing it up in AAA ball, and has gotten the call to the Show. Now, let’s see if his manager (who’s fighting for his job, make no mistake about that) lets him swing away, or has him laying down the sac bunts.

roy rogers just sent me a thinkagram that the next person on these boards to mention squinting is going to get a nasty nightmare visit from him.

kafka’s vision on the qb position is right alongside mine. the benefits he mentions for this approach are probably driving the idea with our staff. i think it is brilliant. if i ever get another bigtime opportunity as an o-coordinator, i’m going to keep that plan in mind for a right moment.

of course, my next opportunity will be my first one, but what the hey.

Jesus, thanks so much for the info. Mack Brown did not get to where he is today - perhaps the most popular and respected coach in the country, given a few exceptions - by being a liar. If he says that he is going to start the best qb, I take him at his word. Furthermore, the Simms affair, which cost us a MNC, is most certainly not lost on him. Major’s input will be, if not paramount, strongly considered. But I think the qb decision will be Harsin’s. If we take Mack at his word, he has turned the offense over to the new regime, and I gather that he is pleased with the results. Gilbert may catch fire during the next two weeks; Case may stop throwing ducks; the seniors my tell Mack that Ash has to be the guy. No one on this board knows Mack’s mind at this point. But, as a septuagenarian and long-time observer of Mack and The University football, I would bet my favorite UT shirt that the best guy starts at Rice.

For all of the people wondering about Malcolm Brown…..the news last night in SA had a quick segment on him saying he had really turned heads of existing players and that he was even better than they thought he would be coming in (given all of the hype during his recruitment).

Considering the source (WOIA) I take it with a huge grain of salt, but thought I’d pass it on anyways.

You also have to appreciate that if we start Ash, Texas likely has three quarterbacks transfer.

Which is why we’ll see the return of so-called “Old Mack.” Faced w/ such a possibility, although as others have said, given 1) McCoy’s probable awareness of the extent of his abilities; & 2) Gilbert’s Jr. class standing, making it unlikely there will be that much attrition at the QB position, Mack will meddle again.

Horncasting said:
August 14th, 2011 at 7:53 pm
"The reason Chet Moss was moved to FB is named Steve Edmond."
I get that Edmonds looks really good, but there has got to be more to it than that. We moved our only other "true" MLB so that we could go 4-deep at fullback.

I thought that as well. If the DT position alongside Randall is in that bad of a shape, why move 1 of your few run-stuffing MLBs to a position full of bodies (FB)? It’s almost as bad as moving every WR who hasn’t panned out to TE.

Horncasting said:
August 14th, 2011 at 8:01 pm
"Mack’s deep rooted behavior is to play the loyalty card (Simms)."
You know that Major was the established starter, and Mack made a move to go with the younger player he perceived as having the higher upside, right?
So pretty much the exact opposite of the point you are trying to make.

The situation here is different. Applewhite was one of Mackovic’s recruits, not Mack’s.

But there is one similarity - Mack bet the farm on Simms/Gilbert.

Love hearing the great comments on Miles Onyegbule - he’s a great young man and I had no doubt he was going to surprise some folks at some point with his ability.

Monahorns said:
August 14th, 2011 at 8:38 pm

I say name David Ash as the 1st teamer and give him the snaps the next week. Then reevaluate after each scrimmage. But make these performances mean something. Don’t make Ash (and the team) suffer because he is a freshmen. If he is winning the competition, then acknowledge it. If the coaches don’t you may lose the team eventually. Make this actually look like an open competition. Plus I think GG needs this too. He will either be motivated to improve and win the job or he will fold. Either way the team wins.

+1, especially the part about losing the team. And it wouldn’t be the 1st time, either.

David Ash !!!!!

mmmmmmmmmmm, good !!!!!

So let it be written, so let it be done.

Anyone but Garrett Gilbert. Start the youth movement now.

yes, hooked. it’s funny but last season while miles was tearing it up we were high on him, but as the off-season progressed we cooled and began to pigeon-hole him. it’s looking like our in-season assessment was the right one. great to see.

The “Simms decision” cost us the MNC? You could argue that we would have won the Big XII CG by starting Major, because Simms had a pitiful outing. By the way, Major turned in a few of those during his time as the starter, too, but let’s ignore that. But it cost us the MNC? I like your “can do” attitude, sparky.

Holy fuck. We would have been fondly reminiscing about the ’91 Cotton Bowl compared to the beatdown Miami would have given us in the MNC game.

I wonder what ASH has to do to get MB off of starting GG. C’mon Mack this is a “no-brainer”.
You said you wanted the BEST players to start. Mean it then and quit the standard pussyfooting
Also, if you want to keep these great coaches you hired then for gosh sakes let’em call ALL
the shots.

Late to the party but the update is a breath of fresh air. Cheers & Hook’em!!!

Have I missed something? Where’s Malcolm Brown?

Bevo -
 
As we’ve mentioned for the last week, Brown got tweaked and he has been held out of contact.
 
We expect him back.

yeh,

I saw Miles and talked to him a bit when he drove down to College Station during the state 7on7 tournament - he was already something of a man-child as a HS senior, but just the couple of months of summer workouts in Austin had transformed him to a new level physically from when I had last seen him just prior to his HS graduation. He’s going to tear it up as a Horn.

Mack bet the farm on Simms…

And when he lost the farm, he shoulda hadda at least dump GDGD, but he bluffed the BigCigs - faked ‘em right outta their jocks. Thanks to two of the greatest Quarterbacks ever to buckle up a chin-strap, it bought him another seven years, although he did hafta dump Greg the second go’round, which is, as we are all acutely aware, still goin’ ’round.

Has he learned his lesson? We’ll see… and we’ll get a pretty look in a coupla weeks. If we go with Gilbert and wind up going from first and goal on the three or four, to turning it over on downs, and we see Gilbert starting the next series, why, that’s a Good Thing, because we’ll know Mack is worried that Ash isn’t warmed up, and neither is Case or Connor… well, the warmup problem coupled with not damaging Gilbert’s self-confidence.

hooked, that is sweet music indeed. imagine him next year and the year after. ever since hearing how his senior season went i’ve been itching for him to make his mark here. very similar with mykkele except we never cooled off on him. i’ve been wanting to know what the real miles was going to look like. clearly both those guys are way better than their rep, and that’s who we want.

imagine two other kids exactly like them instead of them. only the other two kids came in with 5-star ratings. no. these two are hungry. i want the hungry ones, all else equal.

Yeh,

Yes, the squinting thing is overdone, but my main point was the staring down part- the squinting was just an afterthought. That being said, my overall point was that Gilbert still showed that he doesn’t have the best pocket presence and does all the wrong things to avoid intercpetions, whereas Ash seemed to show the opposite traits.

It could get better, later.

We might have Gilbert look like shit against Rice, have Ash come in and screw the pooch instead of the cheerleader, have Case come in and look fucking awful, but score enough to win. Now what?

Shit - every time I see “screw the pooch” I think of a cartoon my neighbor Gilbert Shelton (yeah, Wonder Warthog, Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, that guy) drew one Thanksgiving of ol’ Reveille the XXX (where XXX means “unknown”, not “thirtieth”), being impaled by a laughing Bevo (Taureau qui rit, oui?) and captioned SCREW the POOCH. Still laugh - too bad he didn’t publish it.

i have no problem with talking about the staring down, if that’s what he’s doing, or other job-specific issues, but to speak of squinting or any other physical trait doesn’t demean the subject. it demeans the speaker and it irks me no end.

ah, the hog of steel.

Comparing GG to Simms in any way is asinine.

Simms caused a couple of horrendous wrecks, but he brought it to Nebraska (at Nebraska), Aggy, and had us 1 win away from being MNC fodder. Give the dude his due. He’s also as tough as any QB you’ll ever find. Dislocated fingers on his throwing hand? Snap them back in place and watch him throw a TD. Busted spleen? That didn’t stop him from scoring. Just smoked a bowl? That won’t stop him from leading a drive.

I love Major, but why was everyone so quick to assume that we’d even be playing for a shot at the MNC with him as the QB?

That said, I hope GG wins the next two Heismans, Mack retires in 2013 with two more MNCs, and I have to have to return my 2012 Nobel Peace Prize due to killin’ it with the ladies.

Mack Brown threw GDGD under the bus when his reputation was at stake. He is still under the scanner and I think he will not hesitate to give the other QBs a chance if Gilbert continues to falter.

As a former - and occasionally current - squinter, I have no problem with speaking or writing about it. I squinted then and do sometimes now, because my eyes don’t focus all that well. Prescription glasses and contacts work fairly well, but there are times when my choices dwindle to two: squint, or don’t see clearly. Mostly that leads to a Vision Quest of sorts, but that’s another story entirely.

I noticed Gilbert squinting at the sidelines early last year, and given my many years of experience as a squinter, I immediately thought, “Holy shit, the sumbitch can’t see the signals on the sideline, thirty yards away… I sure as hell hope he can see well enough to throw.” Truth to tell, I ain’t real sure that vision has a hell of a lot to do with his throwing, but… what the hell, maybe it’s just a habit, or maybe it’s psychosomatillogical or something. Whatever… as long as he throws to one of our guys, I’m happy (as long as it’s the right guy)(and he’s an Eligible Receiver).

I’m with you, bevobackside! Best arm in UT history—-decision making, not so much

Off topic, but it’s good to see Ogbonnaya getting some snaps for Houston.

I think we can all agree that a post on August 15th, 2011 that re-starts the Simms/Applewhite debate is nothing but a good thing, in any context.

and we see Gilbert starting the next series, why, that’s a Good Thing, because we’ll know Mack is worried that Ash isn’t warmed up, and neither is Case or Connor

It’s excuses like those that make me question fans who think Mack is 1 of the best coaches in CFB.

bevosbackside said:

August 15th, 2011 at 1:38 pm

Comparing GG to Simms in any way is asinine.

Simms caused a couple of horrendous wrecks, but he brought it to Nebraska (at Nebraska), Aggy, and had us 1 win away from being MNC fodder. Give the dude his due. He’s also as tough as any QB you’ll ever find. Dislocated fingers on his throwing hand? Snap them back in place and watch him throw a TD. Busted spleen? That didn’t stop him from scoring. Just smoked a bowl? That won’t stop him from leading a drive.

I love Major, but why was everyone so quick to assume that we’d even be playing for a shot at the MNC with him as the QB?

1. Obviously, you didn’t understand the reason for the comparison. I wasn’t saying Simms didn’t have any success. What I was saying is that Mack favored 1 guy when it appeared to many the bias wasn’t justified. Therein lies the comparison.

2. The reason why Texas wasn’t playing for the MNC that year was precisely because of Simms. What did he have, 5 TOs against CU2? Weren’t 2 or 3 INTs returned for TDs?

3. Applewhite “brought it” against NU in Lincoln first.

4. Applewhite was precisely why Texas was even playing for a shot at the MNC after Simms imploded spectacularly. If that S (can’t remember his name right now) doesn’t run into the CU punter, thereby giving CU another 1st down to run more time off the clock, there was a good chance Applewhite could’ve lead the team to a game-winning score.

Spot on Joetx that’s how I remember it

Regarding the Cobbs at safety remarks:

I think Cobbs’ future is similar to Robinson’s present. Doesn’t mean he couldn’t play S, it just might not be attempted.

Tex Long:

Everytime I see Gilbert play, I ponder how recently he’s had his eyes checked. Maybe Rec Specs are in order, as they clearly never go out of style.

http://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&hl=en&source=hp&biw=1024&bih=617&q=rec+specs&gbv=2&oq=rec+specs&aq=f&aqi=g4g-m1&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=4433l5973l0l6172l9l8l0l0l0l0l202l1109l2.5.1l8l0

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