burdine

It's hard to be successful in recovery without developing a fair amount of introspection and humility. Identifying the problems is the first step. Mission accomplished. Fixing problems can be harder. He has to get it done. If we play Utah in the bowl game, they have a pretty good D. It will be interesting to see if anything seems different in a good way.

I thought this week's press conference had some good stuff. Sark was pretty reflective and voiced many of the concerns we have all had on here. I can't remember Herman or Mack approaching things that way. He took the blame for not running the ball better late in games. Also said more development of the passing game would be the focus of bowl workouts. Saying it doesn't mean it will get fixed but it does seem like he recognizes most of the same issues we worry about here and isn't afraid to voice them as needing to be fixed.

Count me with @jimmyjazz as well.

Hudson Card’s improvement is a pretty strong counterpoint to your “possibility.” IMO freshman-itis is the most likely explanation.

Agree there was real pressure on the staff and players and they responded. It’s not everything but it’s encouraging.

A lot of this discussion is different frames of reference. If you are looking at this season in relation to Texas’s potential as a program, then this season probably looks pretty poor. If you are looking at this season in relation to where we have been as a program (2nd best season since 2013, 3rd best season since 2009), then this looks like progress and a step forward. Given we are in Year 2, then I think the second frame is more applicable. In a couple of years, then it should rightfully shift to the first frame.

In grading Sark might want to grade on a small curve. this purgatory of between conferences seems to be a real thing. this was the same crew that called zero penalties against OSU. One yesterday for 5 yards

Pretty sure we are about to have our best draft day in like a decade. A lot due to player development. we are about to get a lot harder to negative recruit.

Overconfidence on small sample size. That’s a bold move Cotton.

I get that we lost some games that it looked like we could have won, looking at you Tech and Ok State. I get we had some persistent issues. Still this was a pretty young team - 67 of 85 schollies were frosh or soph. Ewers is some form of freshman and 2 OL were true freshmen. And this is our conference record since Colt McCoy was our QB. 6-3 is our 3rd highest conference win total and win% since Colt. I like conference wins because it's probably one of the best measures over time in CFB. I know we are Texas but our conference record says we haven't been that Texas for awhile. I would also say this was not a down year for the conference. No real easy outs. Sark wants to build around a dominant OL and hard running game and, while all the pieces aren't quite there on the OL, we took real steps in that direction. This is not to say the season is some huge success on an absolute basis. But empirically, we took a step forward. I think that needs to be acknowledged.

Hiring Kyle Flood is probably the single best decision Sark has made as head coach at Texas. We have been in the OL desert for so long that it feels amazing. I know Sark has lost some games we probably shouldn't have so all is not perfect, but this hire alone makes me want to be patient and see if those other areas can come around.

On the plus side, I really like that we have a modern, attractive offensive identity and I really like what I see on the OL. On the negative, we have lost 2 very winnable games and we definitely seem to struggle with malaise in the 2nd half. Your view of Sark and the program probably depends on which you think is more predictive of our future. I am believer in the possibility of change, and by getting sober Sark has proved he can learn and change for the better. Yet there is a timeline that it has to happen in.

Some positive things: several older players are playing at a much higher, talent development is happening the O-line while not great is showing to be pretty good even with 2 true freshmen starting overall, we have prioritized and improved the OL in both coaching and recruiting in ways we have all dreamed of we have a pretty strong recruiting narrative going, especially on offense the Big 12 is actually pretty good this year, if we can go 6-3 or better in it then that is solid evidence of positive trajectory game preparation seems top notch all this while being an objectively young team - 67 of 85 schollies are frosh or soph. no blowout losses Some negative things: we aren't getting a lightning in a bottle reboot Tennessee style 2nd half underperformance continues the Defense is frustratingly bad at getting off the field quickly while not being objectively terrible at the same time while having some dominant stretches of play, we only have one dominant overall win (ou). all 3 losses were very winnable which calls into question decision-making I am still in the camp that Sark is a reasonable but unproven bet as a Head Coach. This is a loaded but young team in a program that has underperformed for more than a decade. I have a hard time teasing out culpability. Also, the opportunity cost of another coaching staff reboot is not small. I don't know if he is the guy or if he is not the guy. I know some feel they have seen enough and I get it. I have just been following CFB a long time and I have seen many fan bases overreact to losses and seasons. Look at the K-State screenshots yesterday ripping Kliemann as not the guy. My vote is for humility in knowing what I don't know and to try and enjoy the process of the season. The chips will fall where they fall, I just don't think they have fallen either way yet.

We need more of the OL performance in the running game we saw in the 4th qtr against ISU. That plus a fully operational Ewers deathstar could be filthy. That would go a long way to changing that road record of Sark's. A dominant running game can suck the life out of opposing crowds.

QBs get special treatment most of the time when they are passing as defenseless players and fans are conflating that scenario with Dekkers run.

There is a reasonable chance that the ISU performance was typical post big game against rival let down. But with this program's history we cannot know yet. This Saturday is an opportunity to show which it might be.

The next 3 games probably define our season (OSU, KSU, TCU). If we go 2-1 in those then we just have to beat an improved but injured Kansas and Baylor in Austin to go 9-3. We are very close to being dominant on offense - need a more experienced OL and a QB with more than 3 starts I think. Defense is much improved but can't really be counted on to win games though Cook sort of did just that last Saturday. The most hopeful thing I have seen this season is the way the offense ended that ISU game by physically imposing their will on the best defense in the conference. That was a thing of beauty. Hook'em!

Putting a lot of guys into the league, especially that show recent development, should unlock recruiting to another level.

Hell it may end up being completely accurate. Who knows at this point! My ability to pick out who is going to be a great coach in year 1 went out the window with Gary Barnett back in the day. Find a way to enjoy the ride if you can. There are good moments even in tough seasons.

It's dawning on me that we are about to have our best NFL Draft Day in a long time. Pretty sure: Bijan, Coburn, Sweatt, Overshown, Whittington Probably: Jamison, RoJo Maybe: Cook It has been one of the biggest indictments of the Texas program and I think it is about to take a big turn for the better.

As somebody who had a very close family member struggle with addiction and seeing how it just plain wrecked their life for a time, I have no trouble thinking recovery could lead a person to achieve very different results. I'm also beginning to think we are about to have our best NFL draft day in a loooonnnnng time. Several players have really elevated their game and look very draftable to me. Just one more bright spot and wonderful for recruiting.

Agree this team could be a fraud and Sark might not be the guy. But IMO there is not enough out there to know definitely. And I can see bright spots - defensive improvement, actual player development, Manning approval, very good offense - that make me okay with being patient and waiting on more evidence. Given all that, I find it a lot more enjoyable to root for the team and the coaching staff with a glass half full approach during the season. The end of a season is a good time to reflect on "is he the guy" or "can he become the guy". If I approached every game as an "accountability game" for the staff I would be miserable. There is too much emotional up and down in season for me. As to the Tech loss, Mack Brown had a ton of those bad losses (NC State 99, Stanford 00, WSU bowl game, Tech 98 + 02) yet he was elevating the program and putting us on our best footing in decades. I'm not reading much into the Tech loss or the OU win either. I think OSU, TCU and KSU will tell us how good this team is. With ISU, we will have probably played the 4 weakest Big 12 teams this year. The back half of the season should tell us a lot.

Not a terrible hypothesis. Maybe stated with more conviction than the data supported. Middling HC as untreated alcoholic seems more fair. TBD in recovery with some finishing school time with Saban. Also, I would say that now more than in the past, starting as a fantastic OC is a pretty good place to start if you want to place bets. I think the modern game favors offense and the trip from fantastic OC to solid to very good HC is pretty short nowadays. Not a given for sure but not a huge reach either. Also, I don't think we should read too much into this OU result. If we beat OSU and TCU that should be a lot more informative. Also, if the Mannings think he is a good bet maybe you should consider updating your thoughts as well. Hook'em.

I think Kentucky counts as a pretty good win. However, that out of conference schedule is pure trash.

regarding Kiffin, he may be a good coach but I wouldn't use "10 win" seasons to justify that. Look at his out of conference schedule this year. it's just not comparable to the way UT schedules so season win totals are not informative. Probably should use conference or P5 record. It still might look good but I bet it's much less impressive. 35-27 win over Tulsa in Oxford. Hmmm. Great win over Kentucky for sure.