Friday Scrimmage Report From the Asset

Thanks in advance, Asset

great report. Thanks.

From reading the UTSN twitter accounts of the Scrimmage, it appears that Gilbert threw 3 TDs and 0 INTs (with 2 of the TDs being called back for holding). Two TD passes were to Shipley and One to Cody J. Also, saw on twitter that Case threw 1 TD pass and that Ash did not throw a TD but threw a tipped ball INT (the only one of the night). Im not sure how 3/0 TD/INT ration vs. 0/1 = no separation… ? sounds like Gilbert easily played the best to me.

Awesome news to hear about the 6 ypc average for our running game against what I consider to be one of, if no THE best front 7 in the Big 12. Kudos to Searles and Applewhite for getting their kids ready to play. Not thrilled to hear about the whole QB situation, not because I’m a GG hater, but because it seems that separation was a goal not achieved in this scrimmage. Bummer.

Overall, good stuff from JS and the Asset as usual. Us diehards are loving the plethora of information coming from BC, Cosm, BON and 24/7, and this is even without LHN being launched yet. We are truly a very lucky fanbase.

Thanks for this.

Love the news that the running game is on the up-tick. That will definitely help take some of the pressure off of GG if he is the one who ends up under center.

Thanks for the report! I have been waiting all evening for this, hitting refresh every ten minutes. I am really excited to see Bergeron and Brown in action, toting the pigskin. I also know that there will be growing pains for Ash and if we start him from game one, eight wins this year could be on the high side. I am really beginning to become concerned about our run defense. I am going to the UCLA game and haven’t forgotten what happened last year. Is Cotten still around? Sounds like we need a big run stuffer at tackle.

Thanks JS (and to the Asset). In the absence of clear separation amongst the QB Musketeers, it stands to reason that GG will retain the starting job. If LTAlum’s report was accurate, it seems the “come to Jesus” talk with Harsin and Mack has helped GG to see the light. And that’s good news, as long as Ash still gets his package plays. I’m going to be bummed if Ash redshirts this year (or hear Mack/Harsinwhite indicate anything to that effect).

Using Kheeston as the reference point since he has the best resume in run defense, I have to think it’s less likely that he has taken a step back rather than the run game, both O-line and the back, have taken a large step forward. Can’t wait to see it in real action.

Thanks, JS. You’ve saved me from Texas football obscurity yet again.

Running game? I don’t believe it.

Damn fine/detailed report…well worth the wait Sir! Very disappointed about how the Staff held Ash back…They are just trying to give GG every opportunity to keep the job…No QB depth chart up until now….MY ASS!

JS, just wanted to make sure you edited this before your crash tonight. No reason to get the Asset yelled at again for certain specifics.

Maybe it’s the “dad” in me but I like to think our run defense experienced a “teachable moment” tonight against real-live legit backs, as opposed, say, to the UCLA nightmare like last year.

Coach ’em up!!!

Awesome report! Glad to hear GG did well, but it seems like GG is getting all the chances to win it, hence the first three or four possesions. I am not sure what to think about this scrimmage though, it is much easier for me to believe that we have an elite defense rather than elite offense. So to hear that our defense was run over, makes me think we are improving on offense and the defense isn’t quite what we thought it was. Please tell me I am wrong

thanks so much JS!! Cant sleep at night without reading these reports!!!

BYU. the positive is that by the time we play Ou, we will have played a good passing team(BYU) and a good running team(UCLA) so we should have some experience under our belts.

Take care of the ball GG!!!
Cant wait till Sept 3rd!!!! LHN better up on every TV !!!

What the he’ll is this running game you speak of? Is that the play where we throw it 3-5 yards behind the line and pray to god all the opposing players fall down?

Don’t care who plays QB as long as they win. That being said if Ash is the future, why waste time with GG?

Is Bergeron currently what we all thought MB would be this season? Did the injury really hurt MB progress that much.

Sounds like the LBs got pressure tested tonight. Step 3 Complete!

For years hearing about “separation” it seems like it never occurs if it hadn’t early on. GG and DA sound like the top 2 QBs. They both bring different things to the table. Both will have up and down days. Based on this I would expect exactly what Shuttlesworth has stated from the beginning: Gilbert will start, Ash will play, poor performance will be not be tolerated.

LBs still need to work better against power running. Now we see how it will open up the play action pass. One question is where was Steve Edmond? Did he play? Sounds like they wanted to see how Hicks, Robinson, Acho can handle it. Same goes for the DL. Howell hasn’t held up well during camp. Didn’t hear anything about Jackson or Bible or Dorsey. Out of those I would only expect Bible to have any success against the run.

My take away is that all the groups are competitive against one another. D wins one day. O wins the other. One week the OL looks shellshocked. The next week the DBs are leaving people open. All in all, I think this is good and I put my trust in the coaches’ hands.

Can’t wait to see this team play against Rice.

Thanks for the fix. Much appreciated. Can’t wait to see if they use some power I formation type runs against bruin, sooner and just shove the run down their throats and out the arse. I would buy that for a dollar. GG starts vs arroz. Think the qb duel may be settled in macks mind. It seems the running backs and lb may be game ready soon?

It seems as if the staff has determined that Ash and Gilbert are the two best options. I’m comfortable with that assesment. If Gilbert and Ash both get playing time, they will stay and Brewer will come in and be able to redshirt. If McCoy and Wood transfer, then so be it.

I would question the running game in previous years, but honestly, we’ve never heard that the running game ever looked good in practice, just that we were “working on it”. The fact that Harsin knows what a running game is and the fact that Diaz just came from the SEC makes me hopeful that for the first time since the early 80s, we might have a running game that is not predicated on having an all world talent at RB or QB. That is what I look most forward to seeing. If it comes to fruition, I’ll be the 40 something year old crying tears of joy in section 4.

This is what happens when you trade Davis and McWhorter for Harsin and Searles. Freedom at last.

Malcolm Brown looked fantastic tonight. He’s got more burst than Bergeron, but Bergeron is a really good back in his own right. Both showed really good vision. AS did Fozzy.

I don’t know if it came through in the report because I was scrambling to get the notes inputed, but the Asset was glowing in his description of GG’s play. If GG had played like that all camp he’d be a cinch to start. But he hasn’t played like that, not even close. But no one’s selling GG’s performance short. He played well and he had a running game to lean on which is right in his wheel house.

If Kheeston was getting mauled, the depussification procedure on the O-line is almost complete. Well done Searels.

Frustratingly inconclusive.

1. Still no definitive QB. I know Mack wants to find out what the running game can do, but apparently finding separation between the QB was not on the agenda tonight.

2. Is our OL really that dominant? Or is the DL still a weakness? Getting concerned about Jeffcoat’s vulnerability in the run game as well as whoever they stick at the other tackle position. Randall also not projecting as dominantly as expected. Am I focusing too much on the negative or is our DL a concern for others as well?

3. If our DL is as vulnerable as last season to the run, how do we get Edmonds in the game to help stop it…and what do we lose with him in there in pass coverage? Is brining the safeties up tighter an answer? But then we expose our young corners.

4. No mention of the kicking game but previous reports have been less than stellar…is it coming around?

Thanks JS and the Asset for the quick update.
It’s great hearing about the running game becoming a formidable weapon. Is that legal?
I’m expecting GG to start and Ash to get his set of packages.
Although a bad day for the D front 7 I’m not doubting we still have the best in the conf.

I doubt Kheeston got mauled. He is getting trapped and sealed and comboed. I didn’t see the scrimmage but my educated guess is that the O kept him off balance and the OL was able to keep their body in between him and the ball carrier just long enough to make the play.

Also just wondering about Jeffcoat. The notes are that he is not doing so well when the play is to his side. Is he getting pushed out of the hole or is he standing his ground? That is a key. As long as he is keeping contain and not getting pushed around, he is probably making the play. Not the tackle but the play. The LBs on those plays have to get across the face of the OL and meet the RB in the hole. Sounds like it was a tough night for the LBs. They probably need to give them a strong dose of power running again before the season starts.

The Asset says this was the best run blocking performance he’s seen in a couple years,

Considering we haven’t had a coherent running game since 2005 this would not be a comforting statement in and of itself. Maybe he means some other team that he saw a couple of years ago.

Good to hear about GG having a good night. However, if all it took was a come to Jesus meeting like they supposedly had at practice yesterday I have to ask the question. Why in the hell did they not do that sooner? Like maybe in the midst of the abomination of last season, or maybe during Spring practice, or maybe at the start of Fall practice? Did it really take that long to have a heart to heart meeting with him about his issues?

Let’s hope that the big talk with Gilbert yesterday made something click. JS, does it sound like he was trying too hard/uptight previously, or was it purely inadequacies in mechanics/one-read hs system, etc.? Lest we forget, Colt pressed too much sophomore year after that fantastic freshman season and was much better when he settled down junior year. If Gilbert can move the chains and play error-free, I’ll take that in combination with an Ash package everyday. It really would be best to progress Ash slowly, if at all possible.

Also, thank you very much for the report JS. It is a an oasis in this desert we call Austin.

It confirms what I’ve been saying about Gilbert. It is too early to throw him out with the bathwater. He is only a true junior. In QB years that is a child. He at least has the size, mobility and arm strength to develop. What’s between the ears may or may not come around, but there is only so much you can do with a kid that can’t throw it 30 yards or that can’t hit a 6 foot window with any reliability.

We are trying to win a national championship in the near future, not 8 games. You have to roll with the guys that at least have the physical tools to become very good. Gritty and scrappy doesn’t cut it.

I’m so confused. Why do I feel that Mack Brown is controlling EVERY piece of information coming out of these practices and scrimmages? I think I’m going to bed until September 3rd.

Not really sure what to make of these reports. 247 reported that the scrimmage was kind of run like the Spring Game - there was a mixing of ones and twos and at times you couldn’t tell who was out there. They also reported that Diaz didn’t pressure like he did the last scrimmage. It is good to hear that the run game has improved.

Seems like our defense has struggled against the run the entire camp. I know we brought in an oc that seems to know what he is doing, but given the struggles last year it has to be a concern. May want to come down off of that best front 7 in the conf bit, because I sure as he’ll don’t think we have the top OL in the conf.

I can’t believe anyone uses the paysites with Jesus and his resources here. Thanks for taking the time to take the time to gather the info and spread it to the masses.

The possibility of a bruising O line and rushing attack is enough to make me quit sniffing glue. More importantly our foes won’t know what the hell hit them. Long overdue on both accounts.

Thanks JS! You rock!

It’s “gang tackling”, not “gain tackling”. Also, what kind of sentence is “Gilbert moved the ball really well only had one bad throw”? That either needs a semicolon or to be broken up into two sentences. Also, I’m not sure anybody knows what a PBU is.

I appreciate the Asset, and the speedy reporting, but proofread his shit, yo. It takes like half a minute.

“Also, I’m not sure anybody knows what a PBU is.”

I’m pretty sure every single person who reads the Cosm knows what that is…

PBU stands for poster bitches; is unappreciative. Or maybe pass broken up. Definitely one of those, depending on context.

I’m hoping that the run attack tonight is the obverse side of the coin that featured the pressure attacks by the defense in practice a few days ago. Each side keeps turning up the heat on the other side. As a poster said above, these challenges provide teaching moments in practice instead of on the sideline of a losing game. That’s my hope.

My fear is that the defense is soft against the run.

Syndic - Considering Jesus provides this wealth of info out of sheer goodness and tries to get it out as quick as possible for our enjoyment it hardly seems that he deserves to be taken to task over a couple of spelling and grammatical errors. Especially when the meaning wasn’t lost by any of them.

BTW, PBU = passes broken up.

Syndic -
 
JS is throwing up the info real time while he’s talking on the phone to The Asset. Because people want to see it ASAP.
 
But since you don’t know what a PBU is, we’ll give you a pass since you’ve revealed you’re a girl.

“Because people want to see it ASAP. "

Scipio, I understand this is the “Blogosphere,” but please try to placate those of use with delicate grammatical palettes—this should obviously either be part of the first sentence or include a preceding couple of words such as “That is” in order to not be a fragment.

I am offended.

For the achronymically challenged:
BTW= By the way
ASAP= As soon as possible

“PBU stands for poster bitches; is unappreciative. Or maybe pass broken up. Definitely one of those, depending on context.”

This, LOL.

It sounds like Mack’s maternal instincts might have taken over tonight. I guess we can sort this shit out in October, as usual.

Loving the detail and expediency with which these reports get posted. Papa Shuttlesworth would be proud (even though you and him are one in the same, no?)

I’ll take the sunny side up here and say that it looks like we’ve got some really solid blocking and scheming going on. I mean, there’s a reason Boise didn’t lose too many primetime games with this offense.

We’re not hearing about Diaz flipping out on his players which suggests that there is something expected about what’s going on. I wouldn’t go so far as to say they’re sandbagging, but I don’t think Diaz is whipping up the full froth that we will see on gamedays. On the flipside, I’m wondering if it’s the OLinemen that have been the biggest immediate team beneficiaries of Bennie Wylie.

Fozzwhit, Brown, and Berge. 3 is the magic number. Synergy, elevation, YAC.

I’m Glad to hear Gilbert had a mistake free night. Whatever it was the coaches said and did, it might well have made contact. People live their whole adult lives and whiff on their potential due to elusive self imposed obstacles. It usually takes a skilled outside observer to move them past it. If it happens that Gilbert shines this year, I’m not giving Gilbert all the credit for it, but I will be genuinely happy for him.

Thanks, Syndic. Humor is always appreciated, especially the self-inflicted kind.

I was a bit disappointed that the quarterbacks weren’t given more opportunities to separate, but pleased to see the running game is coming together. Hearing that the OL was asserting itself makes the heart go pitter-patter, especially after the abortions we’ve witnessed under McWhorter for the last several seasons.

On the OL, two things stood out for me. First, Espy (great nickname, BTW) coming on is fantastic news. Snow is obviously the starting center, but if people start going down with injury, Espinosa’s ability to play at a high level and make the line calls at center gives Searels the luxury of swinging Snow to guard and then Hopkins or Walters out to tackle.

Since he’s gotten here, Searels has been doing a great job of cross-training along the line. I’m much less worried about OL depth than I was three months ago.

Second note on the OL: I couldn’t be happier for Tray Allen. I hope the kid has a great year.

Pix are up on MBTF. Pic 21 has Case and GG celebrating what looks like a Fozzy TD. Were they in on the same play? And on pic 25, is Ash punting rugby-style? Thanks in advance.

“Running game” and “dominant” in the same sentence and not referring to
the other team.

That makes me want a Peanut Butter ©Up.

*Just to clarify my earlier post; the depth issues along the OL were at tackle. The guards appear pretty well set.

Interesting. I wonder if Mack told the coordinators to go with their preferred gameplans. That’s how I would do it anyway - spend the week trying new stuff and then tell the coordinators at the end of the week, “play to win”. Because at least from the offensive end, this report sounds like exactly how this group of players can maximize their effectiveness. Sic our stable of RBs at em, send blockers from everywhere so the defenders don’t know what’s coming or going, then gash the D with some deep play action. With Gilbert at QB especially, that’s our ticket.

And on the defensive end, whatever Diaz tries schematically I don’t think our starting D personnel can stop this kind of ground assault without overcommitting resources to the problem. Not yet anyways.

Any specific word on the performance of Edmond, Dorsey, Bible? If we’re going to stop the inside zone we could really use those guys.

Also, regarding this: “The outside backers were getting out-leveraged from motion and the Texas counter game.”

Um, this is awkward? I’m not sure I know what this looks like. I’m imagining it, sure, but it’s kinda the football equivalent of being told Scarlett Johansson is waiting for me in bed. Exciting to think about…but experience leads me to believe it’s fantasy until I see it in person.

Two weeks, kids.

" Snow is obviously the starting center, but if people start going down with injury, Espinosa’s ability to play at a high level and make the line calls at center gives Searels the luxury of swinging Snow to guard and then Hopkins or Walters out to tackle."

Huh? Espinosa is the starting center. These moves have already been made.

I may be wrong, but I think that’s not correct. My understanding is that Snow is starting at center.

Not to dog pile on a dead horse beating, but why can you call someone a girl for saying something stupid and get away with it? I’m fairly certain I’ve trained my wife and 7 YO daughter well enough to know this one.

I’d be more inclined to use a term that would get you banned, but I guess that’s why we wouldn’t use it then, right?

P.S. YO = years old

I for one am sticking with the half empty mindset about the team. 2 conf titles in 13 years with our talent advantage does that to you. I drank the best defense ever talk last year and watched far inferior talented teams have their way with us. That was disappointing. It sounds like the OL is starting to meet expectations, but depth is thin. The Defensive front seven is inconsistent at best and still gets abused inside. Number one goal, stop the run. At least try not to look like pussies against the likes of ucla, ksu and isu. Damn.

Thanks, Jesus but watch your gramer and speling from now on. What does LOL mean?

Thanks, JS and Asset for the info. Manna in the desert.

I’ll go half-full with Roma and others that the back and forth between offense and defense means both are improving by rising to the other’s challenge.

On offense, Scipio is right that the benefit of actual schemes is incalculable. Real offense is going to be a lot of fun to watch.

Defensively, I suspect we are vulnerable to a strong power running attack and therefore to UCLA, K-State, etc. Call it the legacy of speed defense under Muschamp in a pass-happy league. Sounds like it will take time to develop a second DT and work Edmond into the rotation.

I now fully expect 400 to 500 yards of rushing against Rice….in the 1st quarter.

PBU= Paul Bettany’s unattractiveness. He’s really unattractive

Fear what the best offense in the nation, The Fighting Texas A&M Aggie offense will do to this D. The Supreme Commander Mike Fucking Sherman has been greenlighted by Prez Perry to access the entire offensive arsenal at his disposal. Whoop, double up, whoop whoop!

This site sucks shit through a straw. Quick, edit more comments!

Fbomb,

The insinuation (means subtle, indirect accusation) was that syndic was likely a girl, because a girl would be less likely to know football related acronyms. A girl with no interest in football can be smart but not be familiar with football related acronyms. Therefore, your comment was a non sequitir (that’s an illogical statement in which the conclusion does not follow from the premise. Literally translated from Latin it means “it does not follow”)

I wonder about Ransom’s take re: is the OL massively improved or the DL actually weaker than expected?

HAve to love a running game. It is amazing how it can make a qb gain confidence. Sounds to me that the most important players on defense maybe Jeffcoat and Edmond. Need Jackson to step up in the run game and a stout MLB. Wondering what the DL looks like. Is Keeston lined next to Jackson or Ocho? Guessing Keeston and Ocho are on the strong-side leaving the weak-side, well weak. Hopefully, this was a lesson to the defense. Little nervous we may need to bring the safties up to mask running issues. That will not be good vs OSU.

If the running game is impressive it bodes ill for our run defense. I like it not.

Thanks for a great report. The zero sum game is like being a masochist. There is a strange mixture of pleasure and pain. As soon as one side does well, there are deep concerns about the other side.
I think we are going to have a kick-ass running game. There I said it. I don’t care if others are going to have to see it to believe it. It is going to happen. On the other side we do have some of the leftover weakness from last year’s inept attempts to stop the run. But I do think we are better than last year. Ultimately, we will probably need to see more of Edmond. and Bo is going to have to have a come-to -Jesus meeting with Howell, Bible, and Jackson.
The historic Come to Jesus meeting with GG. probably seals the deal for first string against Rice. The deck seemed a little stacked to me but congratulations to GG.

Scrimmages remind me of the joke of the Jewish son who opens a present from his mother on his birthday. In the box are two ties. He thanks his mom and starts to try one on. His mother looks at him and says, “What? You didn’t like the other one?”

Burntorangejuice,

Not to beat the dead horse even further, but when you try and insult someone and flaunt your vast epeen/intellect, it’s a good idea to use the correct spelling of the word you just found on dictionary.com five seconds ago. For a NON SEQUITUR….

Bro fives to celebrate having a real O-line, and does anyone else find it odd that Bible and all of his girth couldn’t stand out against an offense that was by all accounts dominant in the run game?

When did the ’Cosm turn into the Shag?

lCardinaltex…

“Sharper than a hounds tooth”

Cardinaltex,

You’re absolutely right. I misspelled non sequitur. I’ve known the word since 5 years ago when I worked with a neurosurgeon who loved to use it. Notice that on any qwerty keyboard the ‘u’ and ‘i’ keys are right next to each other. Also, perhaps we can agree that when typing a tiny smartphone keyboard the probability of accidentally striking the key right next to the key you were aiming for is relatively high.

Furthermore, I never made any claims of vast intellect.

By the way, I did look up “epeen” and it was not listed in the dictionary.

Now, let’s stop this foolishness, together bow down to our supreme masters Scipio and Jesus, and continue celebrating our new found running game. Bro fives, indeed.

Rejoice!

Don’t get too wrapped up in how well or poorly the defense playing vanilla stopped the run. You will never see the same defense in any 2 games this year. Don’t conclude you can foretell this defense based on 2nd hand news from a scrimmage.

Let the hearts of Longhorns fans match the hearts of our players - expect no losses this season! None! This year is not the comeback of a 5-7 team. This year is a team of lions - last year it was a team of pussy cats. This year’s team is lead by lions raised by Machiavelli - last year’s by tired and demoralized wussies lacking in Testosterone. Expect this year’s coaches to surgically dissect every team they play. Expect this year’s team to assault every opponent as has not been seen in the modern era.

Blare the trumpets! Bring on the war! Bring me my spear. Oh, clouds unfold!

The Horns will drive their enemies before them and listen to the weeping of their women!

Regarding Jeffcoat’s inability to shutdown plays to his side. LHS just wrote a long article about how Harsin’s offense targets the DE. Could it just be that this offseason has rendered Jeffcoat passive rather than active vs. this new offense?

@Snide Aside

Like running a WR screen every damn play last year and expecting that maybe THIS time it could work.

If you’re worried about how our defensive line/defense looked in the scrimmage, checkout longhornscott’s post about how Harsin attacks in the running game.

http://barkingcarnival.fantake.com/2011/08/11/a-quarter-with-kawika/

^^^^^^^^
That’s what I said!

To plug the middle against the run, could we not just tell Bible to do nothing but stand near his gap and if anyone tries to get past him pretend they are fleeing his home with his last slice of pizza?

encouraging report. great to hear about a real running game rearing its ugly head. it’s about time.

nunna, when i first was out of school i was employed several years at a very good place that worked with troubled youths. they did good things for the youngsters, but, as you can see, nothing for me. i can tell you that you don’t have a ‘come to jesus’ meeting with a kid when it’s convenient for you. you have it when the kid is ready for it. when you work with youth for a while you can sense when it is appropriate, and if you do things right, you can make extraordinary headway. i liken it to swinging in a gym set. if you’ve done it a while you know when to kick your legs out and lean back.

this report does tend to back up what the lt guy said. looks like harsin sees a lot of potential in garrett and sees him as the surest route to what he wants to do right now. this would give the staff time to round out the games of the others before having to lean on them.

i’m big time impressed with this staff. just wish i hadn’t gotten old watching something else.

Simms, good call!

iPhone auto-correct is funny as he’ll!

With a running game that keeps the chains moving and runs clock, we should improve TOP (that’s “time of possession”) this season. The defense will probably get burned for some big plays, but with Diaz’ aggressive style we can hopefully 1) limit sustained drives, and 2) create more turnovers. I can see us winning the shootouts this year, where last year we ran out of gas…

@boj

I sincerely apologize and applaud your fandom; I too could not wait to get home to read the report and similarly recognize the perils of the tiny keypad.

Let us unite and rejoice in this news and the prospect of a bleach-free season.

Purely speculating but…

It sounds like the defense played a lot of base from report. Against our offense that is going to be really tough to do because the best way to combat this offense is to keep your front really active.

Went to the Missing Person Bureau and no one was there.

Sounds like the running game will be light years beyond what we’ve been used to,
and the “conference’s best front seven” might not be quite that, at least just yet.
But now it seems we have a real chance to beat the teams we should beat (through having
more talent), and will be competitive with the team(s) with equal talent.

Scheme, attitude, talent, experience.
Sounds like we now have the schemes and the attitude.
Talent and experience could stand some improvement in areas, but I get the sense that THESE coaches are determined to maximize what talent and experience we do have.

Come ON, season!

@cardinaltex,

Fancy talk is fun. Also, I did not mean to insult Fbomb. I was playing along with the whole pedantic, internet tough guy meme that everyone seemed to be having fun with.

Sorry, Fbomb, if you took it another way.

Love those cynics. I am sure you are right. Mack wants to hand GG the job even though he does not give us the best chance to win. After a 5-7 debacle. I am sure there are other $5 large per jobs out there for him next year.

scott, i suspect you suspect what i suspect, and that is the staff is manipulating things for effect. the fire drill the other day served a purpose. base last night served a purpose. these guys are working together to a common goal, whatever it is.

when the stories came out about the defense fire-drilling the offense, my first thought was how they do it in the army to break down a kid before building a stronger one.

staylucky, the lady who wrote up the down staircase was working on a new novel when she died. it was to be called on the off ramp.

It also occurs to me that the focus of this scrimmage was picking a QB, so maybe the defense was playing a more standard scheme to replicate what the QBs will actually run against during the season.

While a zero sum game - I am encouraged and excited.

1. The QB situation is fine. You give GG the ball to start the season and Ash his experience and packages. No down side. You will either have GG handing a well season Ash the ball after his senior year - or you ring in the Ash era. Trust me - if GG starts - he gives us the best chance to win now - period. Mack cannot afford to build for the future, he needs at least 8 wins to feed the Belmont wolves.

2. I love the way the youth is contributing to this team. This will prolly be the youngest 2 deep published in the Mack Brown era. We demonstrate that we got our chit together - put a finishing touch on the 2012 class (Peat), and we are set for a 3 year MNC window.

3. The running game is back is not hollow. For seemingly 5 years we have been talking about Cody and Fozzy. Look at the depth and array of talent this year. Bergeron, Brown, Monroe - and it is certain that Hairsin and Searels are a monumental upgrade.

Not relevant to 2011 but since this is the most recent active thread I’ll post it any way … Connor Brewer is on FSAZ (Fox Sports Arizona) tonight as his Scottsdale Chaparral team plays Bishop Gorman (Nevada).

Both teams are ranked in the pre-season Top 25, with Gorman ranked higher, so it should be a good test for Connor. 7:30 PM Arizona time. Possibly some of the other Fox Sports outlets are carrying the game as well?

Thanks JS and the Asset. Keep passing around the baskets of fish.

Give and take btw the O and the D. Now it’s Diaz’s turn for a sleepless night. Better to learn in practice. I still have to see the new schemes and running game to believe.

Any thoughts from your sources about how the O and D coaches work together? has self-scouting and tendency recognition improved from the prior regime?

GG probably looked good because the running game was clicking. We should expect this after facing Alabama in the NC game. They had an average QB and a badass run attack. The news about our power run game is VERy good IMHO; I’d be happier, though if we’d through deep a few times. Have we seen this (done successfully) in the scrimmages?

McCoy - the potential downside I see is that if Gilbert struggles in the first few games, but UT still wins, Mack will be hesistant to make a change, which in turn could limit the upside of the offense. Sticking with good instead of going for great.

If Jesus says something, it is correct grammatically by definition.

My guess is that the O is blocking better and the D needs to improve against the run. Steve Edmond and the run stopping DTs are going to be playing sooner rather than later.

Gilbert doesn’t need to separate, he just needs to avoid getting left behind. I remain convinced that he will be starting QB to start the season.

Another great thing about Joe Bergeron is that he pushes Cody to be his best (especially WRT conditioning). Love having skilled big guys like Joe and Cody at FB and H back at same time with Malcolm at TB. It is a great combination of powerful blocking, power and speed running, and excellent receiving, providing a cornucopia of possible options for the OC.

Thanks for the great report. Looks like we have a pretty good idea of our starting O-line (Allen, Snow, Espinosa, Walters, Hopkins). Any word on what the back-up situation looks like right now?

yes, i rather think the cooperation between harsinwhite and diaz is probably light years ahead of the bond between coach blood and coach sideways.

agree with what realmccoy said. i think we are watching harsin build his qbs, not mack dictate, and i applaud harsin, applewhite, and searels, particularly, for the signs of life within their areas of responsibility.

anyone know if the Connor Brewere game will be available in Texas.

horncasting, i’m going to try several sports bars in the austin area to see if they can pick it up.

kafka, i think the cornucopias took the train to big ten country. excellent post from you as usual. i think you are dead on.

The first game August 20th ( ck date) is supposed to be on ESPN wit Vegas Bishop gorman.

ps, i have to do that. i have no tv.

i’ll report back if i get a thumbs-up [no, not that silly-ass aggy thing] from anybody.

Causes for hope re: DL and the running game….

UCLA replaces four OL this year. They’ve got a new scheme. They inherently suck.

Let’s hear no more about a repeat of last year — for schematic and other reasons, they aren’t really what should worry you when it comes to the run game.

As for other schools (aTm, K-State, et al.), pay close attention to a fact already in the heads of everyone on this site: TEXAS does not run the same kind of ground attack as anyone else in the country. The plays may be the same… but the pressure Harsin places on the defense is fundamentally different. “We don’t have an offensive scheme” you may recall a Boise player saying; “We run plays.” The reasons why the committee of running backs described by The Asset were able to find space against our D had more to do with Harsinwhite than anything else.

Does that mean there is no reason to worry? No. It doesn’t mean that at all. But I think you’ll find that there is less reason to worry than is evident when speaking to all the shell-shocked TEXAS fans who still can’t believe how badly we got gashed last year.

I for one am anticipating that Cyrus Gray and Christine Michael will be far less of a concern by November than Aggie fans are hoping or TEXAS fans are fearing.

Why?

For the same reason SEC teams couldn’t care less about Aggie delusions of grandeur — their run game is based on the same spread philosophy as that of the rest of the Big XII, and that is not a “power” running game like what you’d see from ‘bama or Auburn, even in the case of K-State. Watch where the blocking surfaces are coming from, and you’ll see that TEXAS is not going to face any team this year with as complicated a set of variables to deal with as they are facing right now.

Forget traditional zero-sum evaluations of practice; I’m thinking the glass is at least 2/3rds full.

Because at none of those times was it so blindingly clear that he could and would be replaced by someone better, lickety split, unless things changed.

Put yourself in Gilbert’s place. He is now looking into his future and realizing that losing the starting job as a junior, at Texas, to a true freshman quite possibly means not being a millionaire NFL QB, but instead selling used cars in a bad jacket.

That’s an inspirational thought.

Mack is meddling. What is new?

Good for Gilbert. Hopefully it was not an aberation and he can build on it. I did previously say that I’m off of the GG bandwagon but if he is truly the best QB and gives us the best chance to win, great. Start him.

However, with Brewer coming in, let’s get Ash in the game early and often and with a real set of plays and packages—not the GDGD hand-off machine backup QB offense. If his weakness is reading and progressions in real time and you’re wondering how he will take the hits, send him out there to the wolves and let him learn under fire. Don’t redshirt him. We’ll redshirt Brewer and then get a year separation between those two.

The brightside of the freshmen playing with the 1s and looking to be starters or key contributors already is that we can definitely sell this to recruits. The days of Mack not playing freshmen no matter what are hopefully over. The days of the best player seeing the field and starting are here. Recruits will respond.

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/preps/ne/articles/2011/08/19/20110819chaparral-high-school-football-preview-2011.html

Brewer game is on 9:30 CDT on FSAZ for anyone and anywhere that has DirecTV and the sports package.

Horncasting - very good point - definitely a troubling scenario. But for this year - I will really trust Mack for starting the guy that gives us the best chance to win now - every game of the year. He just has too much money and legacy at stake.

Brewer ESPN game is September 30. See link

http://www.espnmediazone3.com/us/2011/08/18/2011-geico-espn-high-school-football-showcase-featues-16-games/

Great series of reports.

Well, hell, I don’t know what to think. I mean, we’re playing our own. I can’t tell if our O is coming around or if our D suffers from the runs like last year.

I suspect our OL is significantly improved, but then, last night, apparently Diaz laid off the blitz packages. The O obviously had some success, but would that success have occurred if we were really playing our full D package?

Like RomaVicta, I get this bad feeling about our run D. Our D may have trouble on 2nd and 4, and 3rd and 3 situations. Especially up the middle. Is Edmonds ready? Oh, yea, he’s a true freshman, sorry

Well, the O looked good, apparently. Such as it is. I guess we take that and roll. If the OL is average or better, and if the WR can actually hold onto the ball when it hits them in the gd hands (unlike many times last year), I think we’ll score some points.

I just hope to god young Mr. Gilbert has had his “come to Jesus” moment. Because I can’t tell if this team has had an epiphany or not. And I suspect we’re not going to start a true freshman QB right out of the gate.

Again, thanks JS. Great job as usual.

I don’t mind if GG starts (though i am one of those “the guy on the bench should be starting” type of thinkers). I will just cry though if the only experience Ash gets is to hand off the ball off in the last three minutes of the game. MACK PLEASE LET HIM COME IN AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SECOND QUARTER NO MATTER WHAT THE SCORE. Let him play the whole 2nd quarter then go back to GG at the start of the third quarter. I am confident we will still beat Rice. Ash will need the experience if something should happen to GG later in the season. And follow this pattern whe whole season.

I agree with ptlandy

Although the second quarter for Ash sounds good to me, I think the parlance of our day is “situational packages.”

I agree with LS, if the defensive front wasn’t stunting as much that isn’t a great reflection of how strong they will be against the run. Additionally, I was curious about accurate our perception of Robinson’s weakness against the inside running game and taking on guards, so I watched Keenan’s draft evaluation tape on youtube that features a lot of run fills against OU and Texas A&M.

He isn’t James Farrior, but he isn’t bad either. And if Snow-Espinosa-Walters are pushing Randall around then they are better than any other interior-OL combo in the conference and it isn’t close.

All that to say, we may not be overwhelmingly dominant against the run but we are going to be above average and more than capable of handling what this conference gets up to in that phase.

Connor Brewer & chaparrals will also be on direct TV fox sports Midwest (FSMW) 9:30 CST

Interesting re: the report on Gilbert’s performance, especially in light of yesterday’s episode of CFB Live - they basically said no QB has distinguished himself in camp, which of course, contradicts the practice reports. They also seemed to be pumping Gilbert the entire segment.

Thoughts?

Wait, how did that one running play work, you know, the one where the QB takes the ball, waits for the TB to stand still (in a single back set), while the O-line kind of fattily jaunts to the side, then after coming to a complete stop the TB tries to go full speed towards the sideline looking for a hole?

You know, the only running play we’ve had for the last five years, other than the one where Cody Johnson runs straight into the DT without a lead-blocker?

Oh wait, we have guards pulling???

Seriously, our offense needs more work than our defense as we are top to bottom instituting a new system. I wouldn’t expect to see a lot of wrinkles out of our D-line — I’d expect them to be running base and reacting during the plays, which means they will struggle against anything new. It’s OK. I’m just excited to hear that we are doing some things.

Joetx—Like Aggy says, ESPN is in Texas’s (Bellmont’s) pocket.

Only half-way kidding with the comment.

Well played on GD’s “running scheme,” Toadvine.

“Oh wait, we have guards pulling???”

Miraculous isn’t it? I was going to be satisfied with guards merely blocking this year.

For those of you saying Gilbert gives us the best chance to win…What on earth could you be basing this on?

It certainly isn’t his demonstrated ability as a QB. It isn’t the glowing practice reports we’ve gotten before this scrimmage.

If you want to say he’s the most talented, have at it. But saying he gives us the best chance to win is a pretty difficult opinion to support with reason and evidence.

The fact is that a QB that throws interceptions by the boatload makes things exponentially harder for his team, if their goal is winning. That is who Gilbert has been.

He may become something else, and we as a team may benefit from it, but the meme that Gilbert gives us the best chance to win is pure hootenanny.

We don’t have the slightest clue which QB gives us the best chance to win. If we did, we wouldn’t be having all this internet consternation.

I have always hoped that the new staff would be able to “fix” Gilbert. To me, it says a lot more about their coaching abilities if they can get in his head/alter his mechanics to get the results out of a JR rather than settling on starting a freshman. I love what I hear about Ash, but I’d like to start a rotation of JRs getting 2 years as the top guy.

Glad to hear that may actually be what happens.

“It was a weird practice because he (Ash) only got around 20% of the reps with the ones.”

Like we ever had a QB competition. Oh well. Moving on, the question is how short of a leash does Gilbert have in each game he starts. Or will there be a leash, regardless of expectations to the contrary?

Thanks JS and the Asset.

It’s amazing how everyone quickly forgets the Chris Simms era. GG has the same characteristics as CS. GG doesn’t have it nor will he magically get it from a closed door meeting. If Mack wants to use the same flawed strategy to select GG as QB, then so be it. OU will play GG like they did CS, INT after INT, and he’s back to another QB controvesy. Move on Mack. Build for the future. Stop making excuses for this kid.

Gilbert’s biggest problem has been turnovers, especially picks. If he avoids throwing into double coverage (especially across the middle) and throws to the safe, open target rather than the high risk/high reward target, he can cut his picks way down. My guess is that we mostly run with 2 WRs and that the opposition D will double cover the WRs to force Gilbert to check down (or throw into double coverage). If Gilbert is sufficiently disciplined to reliably check off to a safety valve receiver rather than try to jam it into a small window downfield, he will do fine. Obviously he will thrive on play action passing.

I am excited about Ash. But more than that I am excited about the new offense. If Harsinwhite picks Gilbert I am going to support their choice. If Gilbert does or doesn’t perform I am sure Ash will still get plenty of opportunities to show if he is ready to drive the Ferrari offense we are installing.

agree, jinx. if they can reclaim garrett, their star is going to get notice all over the country, even more so than effectively starting a true freshman at the position.

i cannot imagine that our reputation as coaches able to retrain a damaged qb is at all on our staff’s collective mind, however. they want to win games now, i feel certain, regardless of nearly anything else.

young wms, the upside for harsin, if he can get garrett flowing in the right direction, is that he is the most like what harsin is familiar with, and the ability to throw the long ball is important to bryan. both ash and mccoy present somewhat different skill sets, and not only would david, for example, need to come up to speed on our game, but bryan would need to adjust on the fly, as well. if garrett can mold to the game harsin is familiar with, he buys us very precious time.

this site is weird. for example, kafka’s post was at 11:28 and mine just now went in at 11:40, but i did not see his post until i hit ‘submit’. i’ve seen this numerous times. you don’t see everything when you bring up a thread.

It won’t surprise me if the horns run well, if they have more big guys (i.e. TEs, FBs, and H backs) and fewer WRs blocking. The trick is to be able to pass effectively with these big guys in the game. Given that we have such skilled big guys (such as Cody, Bergeron, Irby, Grant), they should be productive receivers if Gilbert can get it to them (a big if since he has preferred going downfield to short passing).

“I have always hoped that the new staff would be able to "fix" Gilbert. To me, it says a lot more about their coaching abilities if they can get in his head/alter his mechanics to get the results out of a JR rather than settling on starting a freshman. I love what I hear about Ash, but I’d like to start a rotation of JRs getting 2 years as the top guy.

Glad to hear that may actually be what happens."

I’m with ya, jinx. I confess that part of me wants to see GG moved aside because he played horrible last year and didn’t seem to improve any as the season went on. But he also led his H.S. to state championships and was clearly one of the most highly touted QB recruits since VY. It would be a terrible indictment on Mack if he became known for “coaching down” top recruits at Texas instead of “coaching them up” as great coaches are able to do. If GG starts, I want it to be because he can and does lead Texas to victories, not because of blind seniority or nebulous “experience”.

If Harsin can help GG to correct his deficiencies and re-become a top caliber QB again, that would say much more about Harsin’s coaching ability than simply writing GG off and handing the reins to an up-and-coming freshman. Perhaps (hopefully) we will get to see exciting 2-year eras of Gilbert-Ash, Ash-Brewer and Brewer-???, where the first guy is the team leader/winner while the second guy is simultaneously groomed and developed as a quality backup until his own reign begins.

Young Williams - you are right on all your points - it was an abysmal 2010 for GG and the Horns. While I personally would not say GG gives us the best chance to win - I will stand by my statement that Mack will support Hairsin and start the QB who gives us the best chance to win. There just aren’t that many jobs that pay north of $5 million. He has a lot of personal pride and is driven to leave on his own terms and protect his legacy. He just will not risk the 2011 campaign on mamby bamby stuff. He made the decision to fire his best man from his wedding - sitting GG or Case will not be an issue.

regarding the game tonight.

it is said to be at 7:30 ariz time. the world time zone site shows that most of ariz, including the phoenix area where scottsdale is, does not participate in daylight savings time, so they are two hours off central daylight time.

so the game kicks off at 9:30 our time tonight.

http://www.worldtimezone.com/time-usa12.php

Gorman-Chaparell game listed on DTV Ch. 669. May be on Fox KC as well.

Also on Ch. 671.

Kind of funny. People deride others for saying Gilbert can win. Let’s face it, the kid can make all the throws and has enough mobility to play at a high level. Only thing stopping him is his head. We can hope Harsin is to Gilbert what Chow was to Palmer. On the flip side they say Ash is the guy who can do it. Why? I haven’t seen Ash throw. Nobody on here has been him compete against college athletes. Kid is the Easter bunny as far as we know. Some magical creature bringing the longhorn fans gifts. Perhaps we should wait to judge until we see them in the new system. Until then we are all just Internet jerk-offs talking out our collective asses.

Gorman-Chaparall definitely on DTV Ch. 659 at 9:30

It’s funny how people who say we forgot the Chris Simms era can’t remember it themselves. He’s one of the most accomplished passers in Texas history and got us one game away from a MNC appearance. Granted, he was terrible in that game, but he got us there.

Bevobvutt - thing the heartburn with Simms was more based on the fact that people felt Mack picked him over Applewhite and that Major was the better college QB. I actually agree that Major was a better college QB than Simms. But, I understand Mack’s decision, Simms had the edge in talent, as evidenced he was a 3rd round (?) pick in the NFL draft. I think most coaches feel - “I can teach him to be a better decision maker but I can’t teach him to throw a ball 70 yds”, and that is why Mack made the choice. I think Mack learned from that - and in 2006 used those experiences to go with McCoy over Jevan Sneed.

There’s also quite a bit of revisionism going on about GG’s fall camp. Go back and look at the practice reports, folks - he’s generally had a good camp, except for the first scrimmage and the fire drill (and everyone looked like sh*t against the fire drill).

If we emphasize the run game and give Ash significant time in situational packages, I don’t see the problem in letting GG (or Case) start games and seeing how things develop. We’re not going to be putting the team on his back on an every-down basis the way we did last year.

found the game at the first sports bar i tried, so i think it is going to be easy to get.

for sure it will be at bikini’s on the northbound access road of i-35 in austin between 290 and 183 intersections, one block south of st john’s. the guy was nice enough to run a check to be sure they get it, and they do.

i almost didn’t check on it, because the cute girl i spoke with first said for me to look for a guy in a bikini top. of course, i headed for the nearest exit on hearing that, but fortunately i spotted the guy she meant before i got to the door. he was wearing a golf shirt with the sports bar logo on it. that’s what she meant. ohhhh . . .

also, does it occur to you that a lot of austin red lights should come with a pillow?

realmccoy, what a lot of people don’t know is that major was all heart and no body by that point. two serious knee injuries had left him incapable of throwing the ball like we all remember.

i was somewhere distant that season and subscribed to the longhorn game tapes so that i could at least know what had happened. i vividly recall numerous times with roy williams standing downfield, slapping his helmet and hopping up and down in frustration because he had been open and major couldn’t get the ball there. you gotta have decent wheels to get behind the throw, and for a couple of years, there, major just didn’t have the knees for it.

Scipio Tex said:
August 19th, 2011 at 10:56 pm

Syndic -
But since you don’t know what a PBU is, we’ll give you a pass since you’ve revealed you’re a girl.

BEST response of the entire thread***

Quit splitting hairs and bitching about FREE content!

Fozzy, Brown & Bergeron = Flash, Bash & Bludgeon!

“In my view, it’s not that Mack personally likes GG above all others. It’s about not wanting to fail at developing the top QB recruit in the country that year. I have no doubt that when Mack recruited GG and Simms, he promised them that our program would maximize their potential and get them ready for their inevitable NFL career by being a multi-year starter at Texas. Mack won’t give up on that easy, even if another, less-hyped QB performs better and gives the team a better chance to win. That would be tantamount to admitting that he failed a kid that could have gone anywhere but chose Texas. By contrast, the less-promising kid should just be happy to be at Texas, in his view. If Perrilloux had come to Texas and didn’t flame out off the field, I bet Colt would’ve had a hard time seeing the field even though four years of playing time showed how good he actually was.
 
That’s why, IMO, the whole “open QB competition” thing has been a joke. The job’s always been Gilbert’s. Giving first-team reps to Ash and McCoy has always been about trying to put a fire in Gilbert. The first good practice he reportedly has, he’s back getting the first three drives in the next scrimmage. There was never any way he wasn’t the starter; it was promised to him. And it will take a lot for Mack to pull him during the season, as last year’s 5-INT debacle proved beyond any doubt."
 

From Major Texas Fan at the Shag. This is the way it is my friends.

you’ve been saying from early on that our interior line is a strength. in this zero sum game, I like the way that is playing out, even if it does expose a disturbing weakness.

If we can move chains, wear down opponents in the trenches and have a fresh defense on the field, our deficits on D can be hidden.

The worst news out of this scrimmage would have been ‘Gilbert looks like crap and we can’t run between the tackles." This being the exact opposite of that is good news.

I’m hungry for rice.

The torre re-post makes a lot of sense.

I don’t really believe Gilbert can do it, but if he can, we could have the following situation set up fairly nicely:

’11 Gilbert JR
’12 Gilbert SR
’13 Ash JR
’14 Ash SR
’15 Brewer JR
’16 Brewer Sr

And if you play your cards right…

’17 Swoopes JR
’18 Swoopes SR

That’s obviously based on some significant "if"s.

Whoops. My math was off by one. Swoopes would be a SR by ’17.

I hate it when I get our starting QB wrong 6 years into the future.

In another off-topic but hopefully interesting post, Lache Seastrunk has been granted his release from Oregon and is now free to move about the country …

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/6880477/oregon-ducks-lache-seastrunk-granted-release-amid-ncaa-review

QB situation just got little weird for me but we’ll see. I am glad that our running game is coming together because that is how we were going to win this year and it’s mostly how we will be winning in the future.

How do you pronounce “Bergeron”? I sound French when I say it — which is to say, I sound gay. If there is some way properly avoid this, I would like to know.

Hope DirecTV considers signing a contract with the Longhorn Network (LHN) so that I can see the first game. DirecTV customer service doesn’t know any details.

Mack pronounces it Bur-jer-on

Ain’t heard him say it, but if he was from cajun-land or maybe even fraintz, it’d be BEAR-ZHUR-ON

I think that Torre hit the nail on the head. I don’t think there has ever been a true open competition for QB. This has been GG’s from the start.

I had a similar experience during college. I was a tennis player at UT (insert joke here). I was more of an Ash type of recruit - good but not great - coming out of high school. As a freshman, I thought that I had a better off-season than a 5th year senior that was slotted ahead of me and I consistently beat him in practice. Unfortunately, the only way I was ever going to land the starting job was if someone got hurt or kicked off the team. Turns out someone did and I got in the starting lineup and lost 1 match all year long. It took an entire year of going nearly undefeated before the coach began to have confidence in me. The problem was that he saw me as a three star recruit and we had 4 or 5 five star recruits on the team. It was hard for him to put me ahead of those other guys, even when I was consistently outperforming them. I think that Mack sees Ash this way as well. He was not the prized recruit and so Mack has to change his mind about pecking order before Ash will move ahead of GG. That is a really hard thing for a coach to do as they will often times remain nervous with their unproven commodity.

My story had a happy ending, as I got to play and went on to All-American status later in my career. Let’s hope this story ends as well.

Thanks. Joe B. it is!

good hearing that Benson is doing something in the defense. He’s kind of the forgotten guy in most posts but if he comes on strong, it’s a great bonus. Question for the board: Is Benson capable of becoming a Kindle type linebacker or who fulfills this role? Serg had a lot of versatility which maybe Acho actually fulfills. Would like to hear more though.

who are all these people i’ve never heard of who pop in here and want us to think that this is mack manipulating the situation?

Kemit . . . Kindle was the top player in the state in 2006, and a high pro draft pick. I don’t know that anybody can do what he did. Cobbs seems to be the blitz specialist on this team, but I’d guess Hicks is the most skilled linebacker. Love our talent and depth at LB. Only thing we may be lacking is that run-stuffer at MLB.

One potentially huge upgrade by replacing GD by Harsin is a more efficient exploitation of mismatches. GD stated that when he called a play, he didn’t actually know the specific personnel in the game for the horns, let alone the opponent’s specific personnel. That lack of knowledge made it difficult to know where mismatches existed (or might be created), let alone exploit those mismatches.

Presumably Harsin will be more modern/organized, more knowledge based in realtime tracking of personnel and figuring out how to recognize and exploit the actual mismatches on the field. If the horns run the ball well this season, opponents are going to be forced to optimize their tactics and personnel to stop the run. The horns should be able to pass efficiently against this run stopping personnel, especially if they identify specific defender weaknesses in size, speed, or ability to cover and attack those vulnerable defenders with horn players that have the specific attributes to exploit those weaknesses..

Thanks EDSP. Really like our LBs too. Really, my main concern is inexperience at corner and the thinness at tackle.

“GD stated that when he called a play, he didn’t actually know the specific personnel in the game for the horns, let alone the opponent’s specific personnel. That lack of knowledge made it difficult to know where mismatches existed (or might be created), let alone exploit those mismatches.”

In other words, GD’s offense relied on his Magic 8 Ball, with the outcome of each play determined by whatever the defense was willing to give up. Awesome.

Easy boys.

Let me redirect your energy. Would it surprise you to know we have two Wildcat QB’s? One for power and one for speed, according to the big cigar. Would it surprise you to know our play packages are so specialized that it would embarrass Adam Smith and his theory on division of labor? More in the morning, stay tuned.

I’m glad Chris Simms was/is a Texas Longhorn. My agenda: Thanking Chris for picking the University of Texas.

Oh, and by the way, neither wildcat QB is actually a QB by depth chart standards.

Gorman is out muscly Brewer & company

Quandre played QB in high school and ran the ball quite often and well. Sheroid could have the best wheels on the team. Either way, the freshman class is pretty legit

Also, love how the reports are all over the place. If bad guys happen to be listening in I’m sure they are confused as hell

M. Thompson - speed
Cobbs - power

Sounds to me like Harsin is like a kid in a candy shop when he looks at all the athleticism on our roster.

Would it surprise you to know our play packages are so specialized that it would embarrass Adam Smith and his theory on division of labor?

This doesn’t seem like a good thing to me. Once you’ve run it one time that opponent and future opponents from film know what play package is coming based on personnel.

Nunna -
 
Greg Davis is gone, dude.
 
We want opponents to seek tendencies. That’s the whole idea. We’re going to change things up once we reel them in.
 
And we want their film time wasted on nonsense. That’s the whole point. Their prep time is finite.

What’s funny is that Greg Davis tried to establish tendencies and then exploit them on a regular basis. He would bring DJ Monroe on a sweep to decoy for an outside zone, or show looks against an opponent with vanilla results precisely so that he could do something more extravagant against OU or a tougher opponent.

The difference is, like Scipio has said, Harsin does it with loads of formations and motion. Look complicated-be simple is a principle GD pursued but Harsin has mastered. Greg Davis would be like, “hey gonna sweep Monroe here and…NOT! haha, 3 extra yards for Fozzy on that run. Suck it, Bob! What am I gonna do now? Hahaha, now watch this, I go back to our 11 personnel and I motion Kirkendoll and…oh God…touche Bob. Touche”

He never put enough information on tape to confuse coordinators who had grown used to watching him for 11 years. Disinformation is a lifestyle for Harsin, not a goal.

Had we actually had anything in our playbook last season that was threatening to opposing defenses though you might have seen us catch people with their pants down from time to time.

We want opponents to seek tendencies. That’s the whole idea. We’re going to change things up once we reel them in.

And we want their film time wasted on nonsense. That’s the whole point. Their prep time is finite.

And all the people said, “Amen.” I am SO looking forward to what the anti-Greg Davis can do with Texas talent. Free at last, thank God Almighty, we are free at last.

from the pretty limited scrimmage video on MBTF, Gilbert looked, for the first, comfortable and aware. really, really hope that continues. also, CoJo looks like a truck, bergeron and brown are beasts, and fozzy is so damn fast. real excited, man

From the practice videos and press coverage, such as they are, it seems like Fozzy is emerging as a vocal leader for the O, like Gideon and Acho the Younger on D. If (there’s that word again) he can stay healthy, I think he will pleasantly surprise us all this season.

Good interviews with DC and OCs on MBTF.
http://www.mackbrown-texasfootball.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/082111aab.html

he will pleasantly surprise us all this season.

He has looked to have that ability for his entire career, but he has been miserably used in prior years, and he has had that injury bug.

I believe he will show how good he could have been all along, provided his body doesn’t let his spirit down. I’m hoping to see DJ Monroe running the same general plays, too. Speed back.
.
.
.
“We don’t have a play for fourth and 18, and we’d been working to get to the hook-and-ladder the whole game, so…” - B. Harsin, Boy Genius

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