2019 Texas Longhorns fall practice thread

[LTtxfan 49,994]

For me, Kris Boyd and Davante Davis were disappointing last year.  Now hearing Cook may be struggling in Fall Camp.  Jason Washington has been a good recruiter... just ready to see some great play from Horns corners.

Curious on folks thoughts about cornerback development at Texas and why Cook might be regressing??

[Machinator 32,103]

Just now, LTtxfan said:

For me, Kris Boyd and Davante Davis were disappointing last year.  Now hearing Cook may be struggling in Fall Camp.  Jason Washington has been a good recruiter... just ready to see some great play from Horns corners.

Curious on folks thoughts about cornerback development at Texas and why Cook might be regressing??

Davis was good for a CB2. Boyd was a headcase across two different staffs.

Some players take more time to become elite than others, and development isn't always linear.

[VinyVango 708]

I think Cook deserves another season or two to be compared to Boyd or Davis of last year.  Most guys take a couple years to wrap their heads around college life and get physically/mentally acclimated to starting at the upper tier college level.  He should be fine, and if he doesn't improve during his time here, there will be plenty of hungry CBs roster ready to step over him.  We (die hard fans) and the twitter/social media knee-jerk universe get spoiled by the freshman/sophomores who get meaningful playing time... That's the exception, not the norm.

[futureman 22,694]

2 hours ago, texifornia said:

Attaway, Daniel

 

isn’t he a 2018?  ideally wouldn’t he have lost the stripe last year?

[texifornia 59,012]

Just now, futureman said:

isn’t he a 2018?  ideally wouldn’t he have lost the stripe last year?

It happened last year, too, where some of the redshirts took an extra year to lose their stripes.

[squeegeedegg 730]

6 minutes ago, LTtxfan said:

For me, Kris Boyd and Davante Davis were disappointing last year.  Now hearing Cook may be struggling in Fall Camp.  Jason Washington has been a good recruiter... just ready to see some great play from Horns corners.

Curious on folks thoughts about cornerback development at Texas and why Cook might be regressing??

Who says he's regressed?  He was behind Boyce last year as well.  It's been said his consistency isn't the kind where he goes up and down play to play.  Rather, he goes up and down from day to day.  Can't afford to start a player that may go flat for an entire game.  That being said, he very well may be actually progressing compared to last year, just not enough yet.

Again though, I'm only interpreting my opinion off of what others have reported here on this board.  

Washington has done quite well with development from my standpoint, keeping an athletically limited Davis from being too much of a liability in the B12, and significantly improving Boyd's eye discipline.  He was still a penalty machine of course, but that's the headcase showing through 

[Hook1997 5,509]

No practice today?  Saw that Whittington is in Philadelphia?

[Bodacious Bevo 3,691]

1 minute ago, squeegeedegg said:

Who says he's regressed?  He was behind Boyce last year as well.  It's been said his consistency isn't the kind where he goes up and down play to play.  Rather, he goes up and down from day to day.  Can't afford to start a player that may go flat for an entire game.  That being said, he very well may be actually progressing compared to last year, just not enough yet.

Again though, I'm only interpreting my opinion off of what others have reported here on this board.  

Washington has done quite well with development from my standpoint, keeping an athletically limited Davis from being too much of a liability in the B12, and significantly improving Boyd's eye discipline.  He was still a penalty machine of course, but that's the headcase showing through 

Cook passed up Boyce by mid season. He’s the one that started against Ok State and came in to the Sugar Bowl after Davis’s ejection 

This board needs to pull itself together about Cook. I put a lot more stock in what he did on the field last year than what practice reports are saying. He played well last year. I don’t think this is worth the attention people are giving it. 

[texifornia 59,012]

1 minute ago, Bodacious Bevo said:

Cook passed up Boyce by mid season. He’s the one that started against Ok State and came in to the Sugar Bowl after Davis’s ejection 

This board needs to pull itself together about Cook. I put a lot more stock in what he did on the field last year than what practice reports are saying. He played well last year. I don’t think this is worth the attention people are giving it. 

Everything else has been 100% sunshine. Surly's like an oyster, it needs to irritation subpar practice reports to make pearls content

[squeegeedegg 730]

7 minutes ago, Bodacious Bevo said:

Cook passed up Boyce by mid season. He’s the one that started against Ok State and came in to the Sugar Bowl after Davis’s ejection 

This board needs to pull itself together about Cook. I put a lot more stock in what he did on the field last year than what practice reports are saying. He played well last year. I don’t think this is worth the attention people are giving it. 

He also got himself ejected for absolutely no good reason in that limited time in the Sugar Bowl.  

 

Correct me if I'm wrong.  I remember Boyce being the one getting cooked (pun intended) by Wallace against Okie Lite.  Wasn't it Boyce and Cook starting that game?  Jalen Green being injured at the time and thus not in the running 

[Machinator 32,103]

14 minutes ago, Hook1997 said:

No practice today?  Saw that Whittington is in Philadelphia?

Based on the media availability on Saturday, I think the team is off today and they start game prep tomorrow.

[Tx_2_Sc85 348]

3 hours ago, Machinator said:

 

Put it on the wall aggy!

[BayouBill 835]

2 minutes ago, Machinator said:

Based on the media availability on Saturday, I think the team is off today and they start game prep tomorrow.

What a beautiful sentence.

[ztejas 44,226]

17 minutes ago, Hook1997 said:

No practice today?  Saw that Whittington is in Philadelphia?

He transferred to Temple. 

[Bodacious Bevo 3,691]

7 minutes ago, squeegeedegg said:

He also got himself ejected for absolutely no good reason in that limited time in the Sugar Bowl.  

 

Correct me if I'm wrong.  I remember Boyce being the one getting cooked (pun intended) by Wallace against Okie Lite.  Wasn't it Boyce and Cook starting that game?  Jalen Green being injured at the time and thus not in the running 

My point about the sugar bowl was just that he was first off the bench. The targeting was definitely dumb.

I went back and looked at Ok State and they were both there, forgot about Davis being in trouble too. 

[Machinator 32,103]

IT team notes

I caught up with a couple of more people regarding the team but I didn't unearth anything truly newsworthy. Much of what I'm hearing is similar to what I've been hearing. That means some themes that may play out well into the season may be developing. Most of those themes are good, but some are not.

The Saturday scrimmage was a good audition for players to make a move up the depth chart or cement themselves as a starter and a couple did just that.

Quarterback

Consistent themes: Ehlinger is looking phenomenal, Thompson has taken the next step in his game and should be a quality back-up, and Johnson is nowhere close to being ready. 

Ehlinger is no doubt aided by a solid line, but his decision making and ability to fit tight windows has improved. He already did a great job of protecting the ball last season, but he's much more decisive in where the ball should go. He's finding the open man.

Thompson had a good scrimmage from what I hear. He's come a long way in the previous six months. He hit some throws downfield, not just the short stuff.

Running Back

Consistent theme: Lack of depth.

This will be a concern all season. Ingram is going to have to learn to play through the bumps and bruises the position is known for. I still hear he'll be fine for the opener but will he be fine for LSU, OU, and the rest of the gamut? Hopefully the added size helps.

The problem with Whittington is his body is so tightly wound. When you're as explosive as him and move so well directionally, it puts strain on muscles and ligaments. I don't worry about contact injuries with him like I do with Ingram. 

I'm not sure what the percentage is of him motioning out but it's a lot. "He's a better receiver than running back, which shouldn't come as a big surprise." They're doing a great job of getting him on favorable match-ups -- if it's on a linebacker it's over unless it's McCulloch, and even then he wins his share.

Young is a known quantity. He'll get what the run is blocked for and then a bit more with leg drive.

Wide Receiver

Consistent theme: Easily the best and deepest position group

Texas fans need this to hold up throughout the season because it will somewhat justify the UT corners struggling this August. If the receivers are as good as we've been hearing, then they'll feast against less talented players.

Ehlinger spreading the ball out so well has everyone engaged.

Collin Johnson is using his size better than ever. He's playing strong, rather than just looking it. He's also running better than ever. Everyone behind the scenes is sky high on him.

Duvernay has been really solid and I've heard rave reviews about him getting open and making the first guy miss whether through quickness or strength. I'd like to see it with my own eyes but he seems poised for a big year too. We know his hands are reliable. He and Johnson provide Ehlinger with two reliable chain movers.

Jake Smith's name is starting to come up a bit more and will see his role expand as the season does. We saw the staff's vision for this role a bit last year, the problem was the plays were telegraphed because D'shawn Jamison was so one-dimensional. That won't be the case with Smith who can threaten every level of the defense.

Eagles *should* be back for the opener but I kind of suspect they'll hide him for a week.

I've heard perimeter blocking is the best it's been since the staff arrived in Austin. Having muscled up seniors helps.

Offensive Line

Consistent theme: Solid starters, need to improve depth

The starters are solid and aided greatly by Kerstetter's versatility. He's the starting right guard, the back-up center, and the back-up right tackle. He's able to move around because Junior Angilau is ready for snaps at guard. So while quality depth might be lacking, Herb Hand does have some flexibility. 

Fortunately Shackelford will be back for the opener. He's going to need to knock some rust off ahead of LSU. 

Kerstetter is a more than capable center but the continuity isn't quite there when he's in, plus you have to break in Angilau at the same time. This grouping, while not as good as the first one, is still pretty solid.

While depth isn't where the staff wants it, they can still credibly play guys like Tope Imade, Christian Jones, and JP Urquidez. We're a far cry from 2017. I mean that in the literal sense, I get choked up thinking about the overall differences across the o-line in just two short years. 

Tight End

Consistent theme: Blocking has dropped off from last year but receiving has improved

That's what happens when you exchange Beck for Brewer. Brewer is serviceable as a blocker and will fight. Leitao is borderline serviceable as a blocker. Both are good receivers.

The freshmen will likely red-shirt.

I think we may get to a point where Malcolm Epps plays a de facto flexed tight end. Or maybe he plays at X and Johnson does it.

Defensive Line

Consistent theme: Strong starting group, need to figure out the rotation behind them

The scrimmage was good for T'Vondre Sweat. He's now basically a second-teamer. I asked if he's just eating blocks or getting into the back-field and heard he's been disruptive. The giant freshman (6-foot-4, 320 pounds) plays 4i-and-in depending on the front (almost entirely odd front on Saturday). He basically passed Jamari Chisholm and is behind Graham.

Moro Ojomo is another August mover. I'm not sure if he's ahead of Wilbon just yet but he's going to play a lot. With Coburn's stamina not quite where it needs to be expect to see lots of rotation at nose tackle, especially against up-tempo teams.

Bimage is the other end. He's a steady, high effort player who ensures offensive linemen don't get a break when the very active Roach is off the field.

Roach is having a bit of a quiet August but I think that's because he's going up against Cosmi and Braun. That should prepare him for anything he sees this season. I still think he's going to have a big send-off. 

Linebacker

Consistent theme: McCulloch and Ossai are locks to start, Dele is getting close

Per multiple sources Dele had a good scrimmage on Saturday. Tillman played okay overall, but good for a freshman. He has more athletic upside than Dele but not the same grasp for the position. Dele seems to have gone from question mark to solid option. In recent weeks he seems to have planted a flag at Mac. 

Tillman won't red-shirt and I bet we'll see Caleb Johnson and Juwan Mitchell as well. 

Gbenda's red-shirt seems up in the air. He needs to add some size but they may want to get him ready for 2020.

What I need more clarity on is how much dime/nickel they intend on running and what that means for Mac and Rover. They haven't been in dime much while resting so many defensive backs.

Defensive Back

Consistent theme: Plenty of talent and depth but the starters need to stay on the field

I'd love to hear more about how Foster is doing in coverage at nickel but he didn't play in the scrimmage. Josh Thompson did show well in coverage.

Sterns, like Ingram, needs to stay on the field more. He should be fine for the opener.

Starters are still Sterns at boundary, Jones to the field, and Foster at nickel. That likely won't change unless they take another look at Jones at nickel which is sort of doubtful with the season nearing.

I mentioned Overshown in the post-scrimmage thread on Saturday. He's much more comfortable at Joker than boundary safety. 

Chris Brown would start for most schools in the country.

Cornerback

Consistent theme: Sticky coverage, poor ball skills

Here's an example where zero-sum could be skewing things but I think the receivers and Ehlinger are just that good. We're not hearing about poor coverage -- guys getting beat before the ball is even in the air -- or coverage busts/missed assignments. These guys just aren't finding the ball in the air. If it isn't fixed it will hurt versus Tylan Wallace, Jalen Reagor, CeeDee Lamb, et al.

One thing that will help the corners is pressure on the opposing team's quarterback. We heard more about effective blitzing after the first scrimmage. We haven't heard too much about sub-packages and exotic looks. The defense must get to the quarterback, not just confuse him with different coverages. 

We're less than two weeks from the opener and I'm still not entirely sure what Orlando's preferred defense is. I have heard they're comfortable in whatever defense they're in, but practice speed isn't game speed no matter how hard you simulate it.

[LTtxfan 49,994]

Thx @Machinator for IT updates (out of reps).

 

Also like the cornerback discussions @Bodacious Bevo,  @squeegeedegg,  and @texifornia  

IT:  Cornerback -- Consistent theme: Sticky coverage, poor ball skills

"Here's an example where zero-sum could be skewing things but I think the receivers and Ehlinger are just that good. We're not hearing about poor coverage -- guys getting beat before the ball is even in the air -- or coverage busts/missed assignments. These guys just aren't finding the ball in the air. If it isn't fixed it will hurt versus Tylan Wallace, Jalen Reagor, CeeDee Lamb, et al.

One thing that will help the corners is pressure on the opposing team's quarterback. We heard more about effective blitzing after the first scrimmage. We haven't heard too much about sub-packages and exotic looks. The defense must get to the quarterback, not just confuse him with different coverages. "

 

Edited August 19, 2019 by LTtxfan

[oldhorn2 444]

1 hour ago, Hook1997 said:

No practice today?  Saw that Whittington is in Philadelphia?

Thats what happens when you piss off the coaches....some guys run the stadium stairs, some guys get sent to Philadelphia

[Burt Macklin 19,230]

39 minutes ago, Machinator said:

IT team notes

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

I caught up with a couple of more people regarding the team but I didn't unearth anything truly newsworthy. Much of what I'm hearing is similar to what I've been hearing. That means some themes that may play out well into the season may be developing. Most of those themes are good, but some are not.

The Saturday scrimmage was a good audition for players to make a move up the depth chart or cement themselves as a starter and a couple did just that.

Quarterback

Consistent themes: Ehlinger is looking phenomenal, Thompson has taken the next step in his game and should be a quality back-up, and Johnson is nowhere close to being ready. 

Ehlinger is no doubt aided by a solid line, but his decision making and ability to fit tight windows has improved. He already did a great job of protecting the ball last season, but he's much more decisive in where the ball should go. He's finding the open man.

Thompson had a good scrimmage from what I hear. He's come a long way in the previous six months. He hit some throws downfield, not just the short stuff.

Running Back

Consistent theme: Lack of depth.

This will be a concern all season. Ingram is going to have to learn to play through the bumps and bruises the position is known for. I still hear he'll be fine for the opener but will he be fine for LSU, OU, and the rest of the gamut? Hopefully the added size helps.

The problem with Whittington is his body is so tightly wound. When you're as explosive as him and move so well directionally, it puts strain on muscles and ligaments. I don't worry about contact injuries with him like I do with Ingram. 

I'm not sure what the percentage is of him motioning out but it's a lot. "He's a better receiver than running back, which shouldn't come as a big surprise." They're doing a great job of getting him on favorable match-ups -- if it's on a linebacker it's over unless it's McCulloch, and even then he wins his share.

Young is a known quantity. He'll get what the run is blocked for and then a bit more with leg drive.

Wide Receiver

Consistent theme: Easily the best and deepest position group

Texas fans need this to hold up throughout the season because it will somewhat justify the UT corners struggling this August. If the receivers are as good as we've been hearing, then they'll feast against less talented players.

Ehlinger spreading the ball out so well has everyone engaged.

Collin Johnson is using his size better than ever. He's playing strong, rather than just looking it. He's also running better than ever. Everyone behind the scenes is sky high on him.

Duvernay has been really solid and I've heard rave reviews about him getting open and making the first guy miss whether through quickness or strength. I'd like to see it with my own eyes but he seems poised for a big year too. We know his hands are reliable. He and Johnson provide Ehlinger with two reliable chain movers.

Jake Smith's name is starting to come up a bit more and will see his role expand as the season does. We saw the staff's vision for this role a bit last year, the problem was the plays were telegraphed because D'shawn Jamison was so one-dimensional. That won't be the case with Smith who can threaten every level of the defense.

Eagles *should* be back for the opener but I kind of suspect they'll hide him for a week.

I've heard perimeter blocking is the best it's been since the staff arrived in Austin. Having muscled up seniors helps.

Offensive Line

Consistent theme: Solid starters, need to improve depth

The starters are solid and aided greatly by Kerstetter's versatility. He's the starting right guard, the back-up center, and the back-up right tackle. He's able to move around because Junior Angilau is ready for snaps at guard. So while quality depth might be lacking, Herb Hand does have some flexibility. 

Fortunately Shackelford will be back for the opener. He's going to need to knock some rust off ahead of LSU. 

Kerstetter is a more than capable center but the continuity isn't quite there when he's in, plus you have to break in Angilau at the same time. This grouping, while not as good as the first one, is still pretty solid.

While depth isn't where the staff wants it, they can still credibly play guys like Tope Imade, Christian Jones, and JP Urquidez. We're a far cry from 2017. I mean that in the literal sense, I get choked up thinking about the overall differences across the o-line in just two short years. 

Tight End

Consistent theme: Blocking has dropped off from last year but receiving has improved

That's what happens when you exchange Beck for Brewer. Brewer is serviceable as a blocker and will fight. Leitao is borderline serviceable as a blocker. Both are good receivers.

The freshmen will likely red-shirt.

I think we may get to a point where Malcolm Epps plays a de facto flexed tight end. Or maybe he plays at X and Johnson does it.

Defensive Line

Consistent theme: Strong starting group, need to figure out the rotation behind them

The scrimmage was good for T'Vondre Sweat. He's now basically a second-teamer. I asked if he's just eating blocks or getting into the back-field and heard he's been disruptive. The giant freshman (6-foot-4, 320 pounds) plays 4i-and-in depending on the front (almost entirely odd front on Saturday). He basically passed Jamari Chisholm and is behind Graham.

Moro Ojomo is another August mover. I'm not sure if he's ahead of Wilbon just yet but he's going to play a lot. With Coburn's stamina not quite where it needs to be expect to see lots of rotation at nose tackle, especially against up-tempo teams.

Bimage is the other end. He's a steady, high effort player who ensures offensive linemen don't get a break when the very active Roach is off the field.

Roach is having a bit of a quiet August but I think that's because he's going up against Cosmi and Braun. That should prepare him for anything he sees this season. I still think he's going to have a big send-off. 

Linebacker

Consistent theme: McCulloch and Ossai are locks to start, Dele is getting close

Per multiple sources Dele had a good scrimmage on Saturday. Tillman played okay overall, but good for a freshman. He has more athletic upside than Dele but not the same grasp for the position. Dele seems to have gone from question mark to solid option. In recent weeks he seems to have planted a flag at Mac. 

Tillman won't red-shirt and I bet we'll see Caleb Johnson and Juwan Mitchell as well. 

Gbenda's red-shirt seems up in the air. He needs to add some size but they may want to get him ready for 2020.

What I need more clarity on is how much dime/nickel they intend on running and what that means for Mac and Rover. They haven't been in dime much while resting so many defensive backs.

Defensive Back

Consistent theme: Plenty of talent and depth but the starters need to stay on the field

I'd love to hear more about how Foster is doing in coverage at nickel but he didn't play in the scrimmage. Josh Thompson did show well in coverage.

Sterns, like Ingram, needs to stay on the field more. He should be fine for the opener.

Starters are still Sterns at boundary, Jones to the field, and Foster at nickel. That likely won't change unless they take another look at Jones at nickel which is sort of doubtful with the season nearing.

I mentioned Overshown in the post-scrimmage thread on Saturday. He's much more comfortable at Joker than boundary safety. 

Chris Brown would start for most schools in the country.

Cornerback

Consistent theme: Sticky coverage, poor ball skills

Here's an example where zero-sum could be skewing things but I think the receivers and Ehlinger are just that good. We're not hearing about poor coverage -- guys getting beat before the ball is even in the air -- or coverage busts/missed assignments. These guys just aren't finding the ball in the air. If it isn't fixed it will hurt versus Tylan Wallace, Jalen Reagor, CeeDee Lamb, et al.

One thing that will help the corners is pressure on the opposing team's quarterback. We heard more about effective blitzing after the first scrimmage. We haven't heard too much about sub-packages and exotic looks. The defense must get to the quarterback, not just confuse him with different coverages. 

We're less than two weeks from the opener and I'm still not entirely sure what Orlando's preferred defense is. I have heard they're comfortable in whatever defense they're in, but practice speed isn't game speed no matter how hard you simulate it.

 

This is definitely the best roster we’ve had in a decade. We have a much shorter list of potential issues than in previous years.

-RB and LB depth will be iffy for sure, but the starters are good and we can scheme to cover up some of the lack of depth at both spots.

-CB is definitely going to have some issues this year. That’s just how it is when you’re relying on three second-year guys who have minimal college experience and a third-year guy whose experience is almost entirely negative.  I’m still not sure how much of a drop off that will be from Boyd and Davis last year, though. 

I hope I’m wrong, but I’m just not getting all the offseason hype for Roach at DL. He was poor there two years ago and seems to lack the length/explosiveness you’d want at the position. Hopefully it is just Cosmi/Braun being great. Either way, we have a lot of depth at the position and we won’t have anyone as bad as Hager was last year getting meaningful snaps.

 

[Machinator 32,103]

 

[ConferenceRoom 6,214]

 

That’s pretty neat.

[texifornia 59,012]

It would appear we're going to be talked about on Sportscenter tonight

 

[Bevo 13,870]

3 hours ago, Machinator said:

Ehlinger is no doubt aided by a solid line, but his decision making and ability to fit tight windows has improved.

That is absolutely of no use when facing South Austin's mom.

[Reese Bennett 3,663]

I was part of a solid line taking on South Austin's mom last night. She didn't have a tight window though.

[gmr548 16,695]

4 hours ago, LTtxfan said:

For me, Kris Boyd and Davante Davis were disappointing last year.  Now hearing Cook may be struggling in Fall Camp.  Jason Washington has been a good recruiter... just ready to see some great play from Horns corners.

Curious on folks thoughts about cornerback development at Texas and why Cook might be regressing??

1.) It isn't clear whether or not he's regressed. All anyone has now are the $9.95 crew's word. That's worth the same as about two snaps against LA Tech for the purpose of evaluation.

2.) He is a sophomore. 19 years old. Outside of OL and QB, CB probably has the steepest learning/development curve of any position. Way too early to come to a verdict on a guy that's barely played, even if he hasn't had a good camp (again - we don't know that's true).

3.) Washington hasn't had enough of a footprint on the position to really be evaluated in terms of development bc of the above. He inherited Hill, Boyd, and Davis. Hill was all world but I'm pretty sure that could have been done under anyone. Boyd progressed pretty well though he was still a flawed player when he left Texas. Still, he acquitted himself well enough given the monumental task asked of a #1 CB in the B12, and his 7th round draft position was low relative to his skill and potential. Davis underwhelmed a bit, though he was servicable as a senior, but that is the theme of his whole career. Hard to pin that on Washington. Too early to tell with the 2018 guys.

In short, r-e-l-a-x and let's maybe wait until the sophomore who hasn't played much starts to play some before we draw a conclusion.

[gmr548 16,695]

3 hours ago, Burt Macklin said:

This is definitely the best roster we’ve had in a decade. We have a much shorter list of potential issues than in previous years.

-RB and LB depth will be iffy for sure, but the starters are good and we can scheme to cover up some of the lack of depth at both spots.

-CB is definitely going to have some issues this year. That’s just how it is when you’re relying on three second-year guys who have minimal college experience and a third-year guy whose experience is almost entirely negative.  I’m still not sure how much of a drop off that will be from Boyd and Davis last year, though. 

I hope I’m wrong, but I’m just not getting all the offseason hype for Roach at DL. He was poor there two years ago and seems to lack the length/explosiveness you’d want at the position. Hopefully it is just Cosmi/Braun being great. Either way, we have a lot of depth at the position and we won’t have anyone as bad as Hager was last year getting meaningful snaps.

 

I think the drop off at CB against the run is flying under the radar and is going to frustrate some people in the fall. Kris Boyd was very good from the corner spot in that phase of the game. Unique blend of size, speed, and aggressiveness for the position. Part of why I think his NFL fit is nickel, long term. Last year, Davante Davis appeared to finally realize he was 6'2" 200+ pounds and showed some desire to hit people. He had 4 TFLs last year, which is pretty good for a corner. Cook, Davis, and Boyce are not as big/strong and, in the limited reps they've had, aren't as enthusiastic about tackling as Boyd/Davis were last year. Between that and losing Gary Johnson, I would absolutely be looking to test Texas to the outside.

In coverage there will definitely be a drop off from Boyd. He had his bad moments but he was All B12 and on the Thorpe list for a reason. All things considered, he acquitted himself pretty well given he was lining up against NFL talent at WR damn near every week. Davis was never great and inconsistent even as a senior. I'm not ready to say it's addition by subtraction there, ala Hager, because we've seen so little of the next generation in live action. But I don't imagine it will get that much worse. All in all, expect a fair amount of big plays in the passing game. That's life in the B12 in general, and it's sure as hell life in the B12 when your base defense includes four sophomore DBs, regardless of what they were ranked coming out of HS.

[Burt Macklin 19,230]

14 minutes ago, gmr548 said:

I think the drop off at CB against the run is flying under the radar and is going to frustrate some people in the fall. Kris Boyd was very good from the corner spot in that phase of the game. Unique blend of size, speed, and aggressiveness for the position. Part of why I think his NFL fit is nickel, long term. Last year, Davante Davis appeared to finally realize he was 6'2" 200+ pounds and showed some desire to hit people. He had 4 TFLs last year, which is pretty good for a corner. Cook, Davis, and Boyce are not as big/strong and, in the limited reps they've had, aren't as enthusiastic about tackling as Boyd/Davis were last year. Between that and losing Gary Johnson, I would absolutely be looking to test Texas to the outside.

In coverage there will definitely be a drop off from Boyd. He had his bad moments but he was All B12 and on the Thorpe list for a reason. All things considered, he acquitted himself pretty well given he was lining up against NFL talent at WR damn near every week. Davis was never great and inconsistent even as a senior. I'm not ready to say it's addition by subtraction there, ala Hager, because we've seen so little of the next generation in live action. But I don't imagine it will get that much worse. All in all, expect a fair amount of big plays in the passing game. That's life in the B12 in general, and it's sure as hell life in the B12 when your base defense includes four sophomore DBs, regardless of what they were ranked coming out of HS.

Eh. If we play with Overshown and Foster near the LOS, testing the outside isn’t going to go well for teams. Having Foster on one side and Ossai on the other will set some pretty stout edges. I doubt Green will be much of a drop off in the run game from either Boyd or Davis.

Any of Cook, Jamison, and Boyce will be a dropoff in the run game for sure, but I don’t think it will hurt too much, and Cook can probably provide better coverage than Davis did. 

[MillerEP 30,904]

Taking the pee charts to the nect level:

 

[BornOrange 1,441]

An improved pass rush should help the CB's in coverage. I am eager to see how Ossai does this year, I think he is going to terrorize QB's.

[Viper 12,219]

2 hours ago, Reese Bennett said:

I was part of a solid line taking on South Austin's mom last night. She didn't have a tight window though.

The only thing of her's that's tight is her schedule

[satyanash 15,586]

10 hours ago, texifornia said:

Lol the analytics haaaaaaate us

 

[sushihorn 3,249]

Quote

Longhorns are going to be an interesting case. Everyone casting a vote assumes they're on the verge of a playoff run but the systems built to look under the hood in the rear view mirror don't think so at all

FIFY

[George Clooney 378]

Looking at FPI, it's strange how Tennessee is 15th. Sure, they return a lot, but they are void of experience on both lines. If Aubrey Solomon isn't cleared, their d-line is going to be atrocious. They have two highly rated freshmen at the tackle spots, but that comes with growing pains. Additionally, the rest of their o-line looks like JAGs.

[jdhorn92 1,594]

15 hours ago, LTtxfan said:

For me, Kris Boyd and Davante Davis were disappointing last year.  Now hearing Cook may be struggling in Fall Camp.  Jason Washington has been a good recruiter... just ready to see some great play from Horns corners.

Curious on folks thoughts about cornerback development at Texas and why Cook might be regressing??

Throw Boyce into that description as well. Ready for him to be developed 

[Coelenterate Fuccboi 13,430]

10 hours ago, Reese Bennett said:

I was part of a solid line taking on South Austin's mom last night. She didn't have a tight window though.

I’d suggest going in through the back door.

[Pig Bellmont 8,885]

9 hours ago, satyanash said:

 

I can’t wait to prove all these geeks wrong. Texas will have the best defense in the BigXII and the offense will finally find that explosive element we’ve been missing. 

[Chrispy_ 105]

Epps somehow makes Collin Johnson look small. 

[Bevo 13,870]

Those algorithms are all fucked up because reporters suck at offensive line evaluation. Speaking of, what is our offensive lineup for the first game? Cosmi, Braun, Shack, x, y. Where is Kerstetter, guard or tackle? Who is the fifth starter?

[futureman 22,694]

8 minutes ago, Chrispy_ said:

Epps somehow makes Collin Johnson look small. 

he needs at least one target every single time we get in the red zone.  

[Bevo 13,870]

9 minutes ago, futureman said:

he needs at least one target every single time we get in the red zone.  

I don't get how the fade route works so often. It requires a perfect pass and defenses know it is coming.

[Burt Macklin 19,230]

12 minutes ago, Bevo said:

Those algorithms are all fucked up because reporters suck at offensive line evaluation. Speaking of, what is our offensive lineup for the first game? Cosmi, Braun, Shack, x, y. Where is Kerstetter, guard or tackle? Who is the fifth starter?

The “algorithms” aren’t fucked up, but as has been thoroughly discussed on this board, OL recruiting rankings are by far the least reliable. 

Based on practice reports, our starting OL will be Cosmi-Braun-Shack-Kerstetter-Okafor.

potential changes as the season goes on would be switching Kerstetter and Okafor or putting in Angilau at RG and then either Kerstetter or Okafor at RT. 

[Tylerocks 2,603]

1 minute ago, Bevo said:

I don't get how the fade route works so often. It requires a perfect pass and defenses know it is coming.

6’5”-6’6” WR vs 5’10 CB.

Pretty simple

[Burt Macklin 19,230]

2 minutes ago, Bevo said:

I don't get how the fade route works so often. It requires a perfect pass and defenses know it is coming.

You can’t put a safety over the top of that throw in the red zone so it’s 1 on 1 even if the defense know it’s coming. And it’s 1 on 1 with a smaller DB and it doesn’t take a perfect throw at all, all the QB has to do is put the ball high towards the corner and the WR can adjust.

 

[Eggo 4,026]

3 minutes ago, Bevo said:

I don't get how the fade route works so often. It requires a perfect pass and defenses know it is coming.

Because it's not a flat arc to the receiver. It's supposed to arc over where the defender can reach and only be catchable by the WR. There's probably not a single pass that's practiced more than the fade.

[sushihorn 3,249]

4 minutes ago, Bevo said:

I don't get how the fade route works so often. It requires a perfect pass and defenses know it is coming.

Single coverage.  And if the Corner stays over the top, the QB can just throw back shoulder.

[TommyGufano 6,023]

6 minutes ago, Bevo said:

I don't get how the fade route works so often. It requires a perfect pass and defenses know it is coming.

It doesn't.

https://athlonsports.com/college-football/why-does-fade-have-prominent-place-college-football

Quote

The red-zone fade isn’t an efficient play. According to Pro Football Focus, college teams had a success rate of only about 36 percent when attempting it during the 2016 season. That’s right in line with pro averages of about 33 to 35 percent.

 

[Dbeasy 15,588]

Hate the fade. Always have and always will.

[Bevo 13,870]

4 minutes ago, Eggo said:

There's probably not a single pass that's practiced more than the fade.

That's probably true. But I'm only 5'10" and maybe it was good practice for the QBs but having me practice it so much was kind of dumb. At the same time, if I was a DB, I would sit over the top of the wr and bait the qb to throw back shoulder and jump the pass. 

[Burt Macklin 19,230]

1 minute ago, Bevo said:

That's probably true. But I'm only 5'10" and maybe it was good practice for the QBs but having me practice it so much was kind of dumb. At the same time, if I was a DB, I would sit over the top of the wr and bait the qb to throw back shoulder and jump the pass. 

lol. That might work if the fade was the only throw they could attempt,  but if you do that, they’ll just complete a quick slant for 6 every single time. 

[Bevo 13,870]

6 minutes ago, TommyGufano said:

It doesn't.

https://athlonsports.com/college-football/why-does-fade-have-prominent-place-college-football

 

That is pretty much in line with what I would expect. Considering it is practiced so much, that isn't too efficient. I think it is an over used play. Having a wr who is 6'7" definitely helps with efficiency though.