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2019 Texas Longhorns fall practice thread


Machinator

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7 minutes ago, pyrohornIII said:

Coming out of the spring, Malcolm Epps seemed to have the hot hand, but haven't seen his name mentioned as much.  Is he injured or still a work in progress? 

He's gotten a lot bigger and better to the point where he's probably CJ's backup. But he's still a backup, and that's ok for a redshirt freshman.

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1 minute ago, pyrohornIII said:

Coming out of the spring, Malcolm Epps seemed to have the hot hand, but haven't seen his name mentioned as much.  Is he injured or still a work in progress? 

He’s a slower Collin Johnson. It looks like he has reliable hands and can high point a ball, but who do you take snaps away from to get him on the field? Maybe on 3rd down situations?

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39 minutes ago, pyrohornIII said:

Coming out of the spring, Malcolm Epps seemed to have the hot hand, but haven't seen his name mentioned as much.  Is he injured or still a work in progress? 

He's a known quantity in a pretty defined role. What else is there to say outside of him improving his route running?

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Since Sam (wisely) can't be hit in practice, I wonder if it would be good to have him slide whenever he takes off running in a scrimmage. No matter what, as soon as a defender is near him, he slides. Seems like that might be good practice for him and give him a feel for doing it.

I'm no coach, nor do I know much about what they do in practice. Just an amateur idea.

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IT team notes from the weekend. They think Ingram and Sterns will be healthy by the opener.

TEAM/SCRIMMAGE

As Tom Herman mentioned in his post-scrimmage availability, the offense narrowly defeated the defense on Sunday. This is a positive sign because fans can be confident that this is a good, and perhaps very good, offense. If the defense can hold its own versus this offense they should be good against the upcoming slate.

The defense was able to stymie the offense at times thanks to forcing tackles for loss early in the series then getting off the field on 3rd and long. They were far from perfect, however, and the offense, particularly the first team made plenty of big plays down field. Encouragingly, there were no turnovers for the offense. This was not a sloppy scrimmage.

Ones versus ones made up about 50-60 snaps while the twos and threes fought over another 50-60 snaps. It was a long day for the players.

QB: Early indicators were Ehlinger's accuracy was improved over last year and that continued to be the case on Sunday. He struck deep to Collin Johnson, John Burt, and Brennan Eagles. He has ultimate command of the offense is sounds deserving of all the hype surrounding him. He's frustrating a defense that is often in position to make a play and he just makes a better one with the help of [choose your receiver here]. We know he frustrates with his legs and he did that during the scrimmage as he bought time and found Cade Brewer for 6.

Thompson had an 'okay' scrimmage -- could have been better, could have been worse. He hit Burt deep on one occasion. 

RB: The big news here is Keaontay Ingram was hurt. It sounds like he'll be fine for the opener but they'll be cautious with him until then. I don't know if it was reported but I don't believe Jordan Whittington scrimmaged due to a groin. That was just precautionary and Whittington is going to be fine. With Kirk Johnson out they're dangerously thin at running back. Daniel Young is the only healthy one as of right now. If they get in a big bind Devin Duvernay will get carries. 

WR: This group is loaded, even if they have a drop in the opener, Game Thread Man. There were very few drops on Sunday, a function of Sam's accuracy and the talent at receiver. There was no specific 'go-to' again for Ehlinger. He's doing a great job of distributing the ball to the open man. And if the receiver isn't open, they often still make the play. John Burt is playing better than he ever has. He caught two long ones (one versus 2nd team) and was also moved around some to the slot. "If he keeps this up he's going to have a monster year." I asked about Malcolm Epps who is having a quiet camp after a loud summer and heard that he needs to become a more versatile route runner. I also heard he'll probably fare better versus opponents who aren't used to defending his strengths. Jake Smith had about a 40 yard touchdown off a bubble screen against the twos. He's coming along but Herman and the coaches are on him about blocking. They tell him the amount of time he gets will be predicated on that facet of his game. His speed definitely shows.

TE: They were motioned around to wing and up-back but were still flexed out more often than not. These guys are running a lot of vertical routes (probably to clear space underneath). Brewer made a sensational one-handed catch in the end zone after Sam improvised. 

OL: The o-line starters are as good as the d-line starters, but the second team d-line wrecks the second team o-line. Health is a priority, especially at left tackle and center. The scrimmage exposed the o-line isn't quite as deep as the coaches had hoped. Right now they feel comfortable going to 6 players when they need at least 8. Fortunately Kerstetter and Okafor can both play tackle. The 6th o-lineman is Junior Angilau who can play either guard. The first unit is coming along, "moving as one" etc.

DL: Malcolm Roach had a good scrimmage. They stunted the d-line probably more than the o-line was expecting and Roach was a beneficiary. TQ Graham also had a good scrimmage as did Moro Ojomo who is strong and "twitchy." Ojomo looks like a huge change of pace from going up against Keondre Coburn. Marqez Bimage made a few plays too. Coburn did his job occupying players for others to register on the stat sheet.

LB: Solid scrimmage from this group. They should definitely be versed chasing down RPO's. Dele was solid, Ossai was good at B-backer (ran mostly nickel), and Juwan Mitchell was fine ("thumper" who runs okay). McCulloch had some tackles for loss. Herman spoke highly of Marcus Tillman after the scrimmage, and indeed we've heard positives dating back to the spring, but David Gbenda is the one to watch. He came in well coached -- he's just a little light in the ass. He's a smarter, more technical Gary Johnson. Maybe not as fast but plenty fast. Linebacker may not be as big of a question mark as we thought.

DB: Caden Sterns' injury was the big news here. Same deal as with Ingram -- they may miss some time but won't miss any game time. DeMarvion Overshown returned after a brief absence and worked 2nd team boundary safety. They worked BJ Foster, Josh Thompson, and Brandon Jones at nickel. Jones seems to do well there and I bet we hear more about it going forward. Foster does well at boundary safety but still has some coverage things to iron out. Obviously he's a stud versus the run.

CB: I'm not sure if ball skills are lacking or if Ehlinger and the wide receivers are just making incredible plays. Some of the back-shoulder dimes Ehlinger is throwing are impossible to stop but the CB's are having trouble versus some 50/50 balls as well. Coverage is good otherwise and they're solid versus the run.

CIGAR NOTE

Football season means a lot of things for a lot of people. For Chris Del Conte it means he'll be inundated with the dumbest, most minute comments imaginable concerning the fan experience. His accessibility on Twitter, as well as the much improved game day atmosphere, will remind everyone what type of guy is in charge of the Athletic Department. 

Here's another reminder. Currently Del Conte is overseeing seven (7!) facilities projects. Those are for football, basketball, swimming, diving, track and field, golf, and I believe softball. Eddie Reese was promised an outdoor pool even before the @wethorn years that he's just now getting. 

Those projects require money, which apparently isn't all that scarce. I've heard Del Conte and those whose job it is to do so, raised $100 million dollars in the last quarter. I'm not certain, but I believe this is in addition to the 8 founder's suites to be built during the DKR renovation that were sold at $10 million a pop. Those sold out in a few weeks. 

In typical modest fashion, Del Conte has coined his ability to raise money "The Herman Effect." Del Conte deserves much more of the credit than he'll take, but football being on the right trajectory is being noticed by wallets of all sizes.

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1 hour ago, Jojen said:

 He’s a slower Collin Johnson. It looks like he has reliable hands and can high point a ball, but who do you take snaps away from to get him on the field? Maybe on 3rd down situations?

Cade Brewer.

I know he just had a one handed snag in the post above, but him and the other TEs looked not good in the Spring game. Thats the only in-person time I've got to watch them play so I don't know much. 

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1 hour ago, Machinator said:

IT team notes from the weekend. They think Ingram and Sterns will be healthy by the opener.

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

TEAM/SCRIMMAGE

As Tom Herman mentioned in his post-scrimmage availability, the offense narrowly defeated the defense on Sunday. This is a positive sign because fans can be confident that this is a good, and perhaps very good, offense. If the defense can hold its own versus this offense they should be good against the upcoming slate.

The defense was able to stymie the offense at times thanks to forcing tackles for loss early in the series then getting off the field on 3rd and long. They were far from perfect, however, and the offense, particularly the first team made plenty of big plays down field. Encouragingly, there were no turnovers for the offense. This was not a sloppy scrimmage.

Ones versus ones made up about 50-60 snaps while the twos and threes fought over another 50-60 snaps. It was a long day for the players.

QB: Early indicators were Ehlinger's accuracy was improved over last year and that continued to be the case on Sunday. He struck deep to Collin Johnson, John Burt, and Brennan Eagles. He has ultimate command of the offense is sounds deserving of all the hype surrounding him. He's frustrating a defense that is often in position to make a play and he just makes a better one with the help of [choose your receiver here]. We know he frustrates with his legs and he did that during the scrimmage as he bought time and found Cade Brewer for 6.

Thompson had an 'okay' scrimmage -- could have been better, could have been worse. He hit Burt deep on one occasion. 

RB: The big news here is Keaontay Ingram was hurt. It sounds like he'll be fine for the opener but they'll be cautious with him until then. I don't know if it was reported but I don't believe Jordan Whittington scrimmaged due to a groin. That was just precautionary and Whittington is going to be fine. With Kirk Johnson out they're dangerously thin at running back. Daniel Young is the only healthy one as of right now. If they get in a big bind Devin Duvernay will get carries. 

WR: This group is loaded, even if they have a drop in the opener, Game Thread Man. There were very few drops on Sunday, a function of Sam's accuracy and the talent at receiver. There was no specific 'go-to' again for Ehlinger. He's doing a great job of distributing the ball to the open man. And if the receiver isn't open, they often still make the play. John Burt is playing better than he ever has. He caught two long ones (one versus 2nd team) and was also moved around some to the slot. "If he keeps this up he's going to have a monster year." I asked about Malcolm Epps who is having a quiet camp after a loud summer and heard that he needs to become a more versatile route runner. I also heard he'll probably fare better versus opponents who aren't used to defending his strengths. Jake Smith had about a 40 yard touchdown off a bubble screen against the twos. He's coming along but Herman and the coaches are on him about blocking. They tell him the amount of time he gets will be predicated on that facet of his game. His speed definitely shows.

TE: They were motioned around to wing and up-back but were still flexed out more often than not. These guys are running a lot of vertical routes (probably to clear space underneath). Brewer made a sensational one-handed catch in the end zone after Sam improvised. 

OL: The o-line starters are as good as the d-line starters, but the second team d-line wrecks the second team o-line. Health is a priority, especially at left tackle and center. The scrimmage exposed the o-line isn't quite as deep as the coaches had hoped. Right now they feel comfortable going to 6 players when they need at least 8. Fortunately Kerstetter and Okafor can both play tackle. The 6th o-lineman is Junior Angilau who can play either guard. The first unit is coming along, "moving as one" etc.

DL: Malcolm Roach had a good scrimmage. They stunted the d-line probably more than the o-line was expecting and Roach was a beneficiary. TQ Graham also had a good scrimmage as did Moro Ojomo who is strong and "twitchy." Ojomo looks like a huge change of pace from going up against Keondre Coburn. Marqez Bimage made a few plays too. Coburn did his job occupying players for others to register on the stat sheet.

LB: Solid scrimmage from this group. They should definitely be versed chasing down RPO's. Dele was solid, Ossai was good at B-backer (ran mostly nickel), and Juwan Mitchell was fine ("thumper" who runs okay). McCulloch had some tackles for loss. Herman spoke highly of Marcus Tillman after the scrimmage, and indeed we've heard positives dating back to the spring, but David Gbenda is the one to watch. He came in well coached -- he's just a little light in the ass. He's a smarter, more technical Gary Johnson. Maybe not as fast but plenty fast. Linebacker may not be as big of a question mark as we thought.

DB: Caden Sterns' injury was the big news here. Same deal as with Ingram -- they may miss some time but won't miss any game time. DeMarvion Overshown returned after a brief absence and worked 2nd team boundary safety. They worked BJ Foster, Josh Thompson, and Brandon Jones at nickel. Jones seems to do well there and I bet we hear more about it going forward. Foster does well at boundary safety but still has some coverage things to iron out. Obviously he's a stud versus the run.

CB: I'm not sure if ball skills are lacking or if Ehlinger and the wide receivers are just making incredible plays. Some of the back-shoulder dimes Ehlinger is throwing are impossible to stop but the CB's are having trouble versus some 50/50 balls as well. Coverage is good otherwise and they're solid versus the run.

CIGAR NOTE

Football season means a lot of things for a lot of people. For Chris Del Conte it means he'll be inundated with the dumbest, most minute comments imaginable concerning the fan experience. His accessibility on Twitter, as well as the much improved game day atmosphere, will remind everyone what type of guy is in charge of the Athletic Department. 

Here's another reminder. Currently Del Conte is overseeing seven (7!) facilities projects. Those are for football, basketball, swimming, diving, track and field, golf, and I believe softball. Eddie Reese was promised an outdoor pool even before the @wethorn years that he's just now getting. 

Those projects require money, which apparently isn't all that scarce. I've heard Del Conte and those whose job it is to do so, raised $100 million dollars in the last quarter. I'm not certain, but I believe this is in addition to the 8 founder's suites to be built during the DKR renovation that were sold at $10 million a pop. Those sold out in a few weeks. 

In typical modest fashion, Del Conte has coined his ability to raise money "The Herman Effect." Del Conte deserves much more of the credit than he'll take, but football being on the right trajectory is being noticed by wallets of all sizes.

 

 

I'm glad we have the talent at WR to demand blocking. I think it's really underrated. Duvernay is quite good at it and Collin has improved a lot as well. He made some big blocks on LJH and Ingram TDs.  It's nice that we can sit a guy for not blocking well and still have a quality receiving option take his snaps.

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Another site has a freak-out thread....

  •  "I hate to say it.... But we are done if Ingram is out for the season. Done.   I've scowered the roster. Jake Smith really might be the only option. All of our lbs are more DL type guys than RBs. Even at safety there isn't alot. You could maybe move bj foster there in a pinch. But I think we have too look at Smith."
  • "We used to have a poster with an avatar named “overthecliff” or “cliffjumping” or something along those lines. Yeah, I miss that guy.  But um, don’t be that guy. Thanks coach."

giphy.gif

 

Edited by LTtxfan
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6 hours ago, LTtxfan said:

Another site has a freak-out thread....

  •  "I hate to say it.... But we are done if Ingram is out for the season. Done.   I've scowered the roster. Jake Smith really might be the only option. All of our lbs are more DL type guys than RBs. Even at safety there isn't alot. You could maybe move bj foster there in a pinch. But I think we have too look at Smith."
  • "We used to have a poster with an avatar named “overthecliff” or “cliffjumping” or something along those lines. Yeah, I miss that guy.  But um, don’t be that guy. Thanks coach."

giphy.gif

 

What are you doing on TexAgs?

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