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Reese Bennett

By Reese Bennett
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chupacabradelrio
chupacabradelrio

is this real?  they have our punter they have drafted this year and no other Horn on the team.  If you check their roster there are a lot of ****** on that team. Hope we don't start taking a lot of cr

Hornius Emeritus
Hornius Emeritus

Here's a photo that has never been seen by anyone.  One of my readers was going through some slides taken by his father when he came across this photo of DKR on October 4, 1952, when # 5 Texas played

Elmer_Fudd
Elmer_Fudd

Brainiacs have confirmed Angilau will arrive for summer workouts and he's delayed his mission trip.

satyanash

satyanash 14529

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Chip Brown's Mailbag: Roy Miller, Breckyn Hager, DKR renovation, more

Former Texas defensive tackle Roy Miller was one of my favorite players on the 2008 team that probably should've played for the national title. It was a lunchpail group on defense under Will Muschamp that had a bunch of NFL stars, including Earl Thomas, Brian Orakpo, Lamarr Houston and Aaron Williams. But the heart-and-soul leader of that defense was Miller, who announced his retirement from a nine-year NFL career (Tampa Bay 2009-12; Jacksonville 2013-16; Kansas City 2017) over the weekend. I'm going to hope the domestic dispute between Miller and his estranged wife, Nicole, over custody of their children that made headlines last week can be resolved in the best interests of their children. Here's part of Miller's retirement post on his Facebook page:

Quote

The game of football is so important to me and my family it has literally consumed my entire life. From as far back as i remembered i dreamed of the place you have brought me. From the hills of central Texas to the sunshine state to the Midwest. You have shown me the world. Generations of poverty removed from swipes of a pen. It has been a heck of a ride. The fresh cut grass, the smell of mouth pieces, the stench of sweat, the countless workout attire, the cleats strapping me to the gridiron. My journey as a boy was to prove that I could be someone special football gave me that opportunity. To stand as a national champion, Fiesta bowl mvp, and an NFL player. There is a great song called Joy and pain, and it says “it’s like sunshine and rain”referencing the balance of both. Unfortunately the rain has a place in this story, the pains of the game have taken a toll on my body for those reasons I must retire.

I hate to say goodbye football. Football feels like a friend to me; a very special safe place. I used to get such a feeling putting on a uniform I felt safe as I did only experienced as a child in the arms of momma. A place where I could prove my doubters wrong Where I could cry through my pads where I could laugh with my teammates where we could stand as victors a place where i could bring glory to Gods name a place where I could make my family proud a place where I could make a living.

That place is no longer there for me and it hurts. My passion and desire to overcome pulled me through a career many said was limited. They said I “reached my ceiling” that I was “a back up at best”. I spent my life proving otherwise it was a waste of time. Truth of the matter is I was always somebody football gave me a chance to show this to myself. It has so many meanings to me. It literally makes me tear up as I write this.

I have always been able to hide to between those numbers. I have never felt like i belonged that much in one place in my life. on that field On any given Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday I mattered to those in my world i had a purpouse. I have my kids to watch grow up it’s their time to shine in life and i can’t wait to sit in the stands for them. I need to be the man they can be proud of not just on the field but in my life.

Here's to peace and contentment for Roy Miller and his family after a rewarding football journey for the kid from Killeen Shoemaker. Now, on to this week's Mailbag.

Q: What did you make of NFL.com calling Breckyn Hager one of 18 physical freaks in college football this season? — DentonHookem

Most of you know I've been all-in on Breckyn Hager from the jump. So to see him and his hard work finally being rewarded is great. Hager was named a freak by NFL.com, because he posted a 38-inch vertical jump at 250-plus pounds, something only two guys did at the NFL combine, including Cowboys' draft pick Leighton Vander Esch. But the real reason Hager is a freak is because of his passion. You think he likes having a mane of hair in 100-degree heat? Uh, no. He'd shave it all off right now if he hadn't said he won't cut his hair until Texas wins the Big 12.

Restoring Texas football to national prominence matters to him. He's the son of UT's all-time leading tackler Britt Hager, and Britt told me, of his four sons, including Rams' linebacker Bryce Hager, Breckyn is the most like him (Britt). "He plays with the same kind of passion and emotion I did," Britt told me. Go watch Britt Hager against Arkansas in 1987, when he had nearly 30 tackles and completely took over the game, and realize what that means.

What I loved most about Hager being named one of 18 physical freaks in college football by NFL.com is Hager's response to congratulations from Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger. Hager said he's working to get his vertical jump to 40 inches with a 400-plus power clean. Hager is my preseason Big 12 defensive player of the year and will be a long-time NFL player along the lines of Brian Robison.

Q: Not the usual but do you have any info as to the reason(s) Lexi Sun decided to transfer? We'll miss her, and the other major losses, but we still should be good. — hornybob

For whatever reason, Sun, the nation’s No. 1 recruit in 2017, didn’t see eye-to-eye with Jerritt Elliott by the end of last season, when Sun was benched briefly for a lack of focus. Sun’s numbers were obviously solid as she was second on the team in kills (337) and was a first-team All-Big 12 selection. It’s interesting Sun, who dated Mo Bamba last year at Texas, chose Nebraska and coach John Cook, whose program has won two of the last three national titles but who also has a reputation for being demanding and coaching players hard. I think Elliott was surprised by Sun’s decision, but he’s never struggled in recruiting. Freshman, 6-foot-2 outside hitter Logan Eggleston of Brentwood, Tenn., has been voted the preseason Big 12 Freshman Of The Year by league coaches.

Q: How do you think the 2018 class will transition to college compared to the past 3-4 classes? Do you expect the football team to make a drastic step forward by the end of the season? — blackshan

Thanks, blackshan. I think UT’s ballyhooed 2018 class is already transitioning well based on the nine early enrollees we saw in the spring, including future star safeties Caden Sterns and B.J. Foster, cornerback Anthony Cook, linebacker Ayodele Adeoye and quarterbacks Cam Rising and Casey Thompson. During summer workouts, I’ve heard a lot of praise for freshmen offensive lineman Junior Angilau, cornerback Jalen Green, running back Keaontay Ingram, defensive lineman Moro Ojomo, outside linebacker Joseph Ossai and cornerback D'shawn Jamison. Don’t forget about defensive tackle Keondre Coburn. (Sometimes, the big fellas don’t get a lot of love for summer workouts, which tend to favor speed and play-making in shorts.) But I’m also expecting kicker Cameron Dicker and punter Ryan Bujcevski to settle into starting roles as well. So a lot of the 2018 class should have a big impact right away.

Q: Hey Chip! My question is about the south end zone renovation to DKR. The renderings we all saw showed the south end zone will not connect with the rest of the stadium. I know these aren’t final renderings, but could this be subject to change? I don’t know, maybe I’m being picky. But I feel like a closed-in stadium helps keep crowd noise in and makes it look a thousand times better. Also when do you expect the product to be finalized and some pictures of the finalized product start being released to the public? — PudderTots

As you stated PudderTots, the renderings you saw were not final. Look for final renderings of what the south end of DKR will look like when work gets underway next spring by the end of 2018. And if you tweet your thoughts to Chris Del Conte, he’ll probably tweet you back with what he thinks! The guy’s been pretty accessible with what’s on his mind.

Q: Not actually about UT, but relevant to the conference and us indirectly. I recently read [an] article that said OU was on the upper side of $750 million dollars in debt and could hit $1 billion by next year in their quest to build a university the football team could be proud of. In light of that, how do you see this affecting their overall athletic program in the next few years? — UT71

I’m told Oklahoma athletics, like Texas, is self-sufficient and even contributes money to the central university. Former OU president David Boren was obviously very supportive of athletics (and spending on facility improvements, including a recently completed, $100 million renovation of the OU football facility). New president Jim Gallogly said the university’s expenditures are outpacing revenue by $36 million per year and need to be reined in before seeking help from the Legislature in cutting into the school’s nearly $1 billion deficit in bonded debt. So, it sounds like OU football got a facelift right before some belt-tightening.

While Boren said having nearly $1 billion in bonded debt is not uncommon for universities of OU’s size and stature (Boren said Oklahoma State is in a similar situation), it is formidable debt that must be addressed. The bottom line is, OU spent like crazy under Boren, and now Gallogly has to pay off the debts. Kind of sounds like my first (and only) marriage.

Q: I know it's a small thing but I always enjoy seeing which numbers the incoming players end up with. Could you make a list of all the incoming players we just signed and what numbers they'll be wearing next season or is it too early for that. — TrueHookem

Early indications are Keaontay Ingram will be wearing No. 26, Calvin Anderson No. 66, grad transfer Tre Watson No. 5, and on defense D'shawn Jamison No. 5.

Q: What's the outlook this season for Mikey Grandy? Fighting for a starting slot? In the rotation? Bench/redshirt? — OldestHorn

JUCO transfer offensive lineman Mike Grandy is fighting to make it back from long-lasting concussion symptoms. So, let’s start there and see how much progress he makes.

Q: Do you think Patrick Hudson will ever live up to his ranking? I’m disappointed that he hasn’t done more although he got hurt. But if he gives us massive junior and senior years, it will be worth the wait IMO.

I like Patrick Hudson as a person and hope he gets over his knee injury because the Hudson I saw at the tail end of spring football still has a long way to go to become the mauler many thought he’d be.

Crystal ball stuff here, who do you see our starting O-line being opening game in 19’?

2. Starting O-line in 2019? I’ll play along: 

LT — Denzel Okafor/Samuel Cosmi

LG — Tope Imade/Patrick Hudson

C — Zach Shackelford

RG — Junior Angilau

RT — Derek Kerstetter

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KYHorn

KYHorn 17081

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15 minutes ago, satyanash said:

Q: Not the usual but do you have any info as to the reason(s) Lexi Sun decided to transfer? We'll miss her, and the other major losses, but we still should be good. — hornybob

Yeah sure, hornybob, I'm certain you're incredibly concerned about what Lexi's departure means for the team. Probably stay up at night worrying about her.

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Bevo

Bevo 13579

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29 minutes ago, satyanash said:

Crystal ball stuff here, who do you see our starting O-line being opening game in 19’?

2. Starting O-line in 2019? I’ll play along: 

LT — Denzel Okafor/Samuel Cosmi

LG — Tope Imade/Patrick Hudson

C — Zach Shackelford

RG — Junior Angilau

RT — Derek Kerstetter

I bet this is half wrong.

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GotThatFire

GotThatFire 166

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Angilau intrigues me. Texas getting a kid from Utah is pretty random from my experience, so I wanted to know more about him.  Unless my research misled me, that kid is from a pretty rough gang family. 

  I could be mistaken but if not I am glad he got out of there and moved far away.  Also hope the coaches are aware of some of the influences in his life and do a good job mentoring him and keeping him on the right path...  because that kid is going to be a beast 

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ausjala

ausjala 101

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49 minutes ago, GotThatFire said:

Angilau intrigues me. Texas getting a kid from Utah is pretty random from my experience, so I wanted to know more about him.  Unless my research misled me, that kid is from a pretty rough gang family. 

  I could be mistaken but if not I am glad he got out of there and moved far away.  Also hope the coaches are aware of some of the influences in his life and do a good job mentoring him and keeping him on the right path...  because that kid is going to be a beast 

I seem to remember something, possibly from the Shag days, about this. And him feeling that Texas would give him the kind of family feel he had never had.

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Bevo

Bevo 13579

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59 minutes ago, ausjala said:

I seem to remember something, possibly from the Shag days, about this. And him feeling that Texas would give him the kind of family feel he had never had.

Glad he didn't go to PSU. Substituting Penn State for Texas into that quote would have made me cry.

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Slacks

Slacks 6821

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Do we have a TE/H that can block?
Can our OGs pull and put their hands on LBs and DEs?

These are the first improvements I think we will need to see better offense. If you tell me yes for both, I will say 'watch LJH and Heard make big plays in the run game.'

What? Yes. Run.

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TreatyOak

TreatyOak 16366

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15 hours ago, satyanash said:

Chip Brown's Mailbag: Roy Miller, Breckyn Hager, DKR renovation, more

 

  Hide contents

Q: What did you make of NFL.com calling Breckyn Hager one of 18 physical freaks in college football this season? — DentonHookem

Most of you know I've been all-in on Breckyn Hager from the jump. So to see him and his hard work finally being rewarded is great. Hager was named a freak by NFL.com, because he posted a 38-inch vertical jump at 250-plus pounds, something only two guys did at the NFL combine, including Cowboys' draft pick Leighton Vander Esch. But the real reason Hager is a freak is because of his passion. You think he likes having a mane of hair in 100-degree heat? Uh, no. He'd shave it all off right now if he hadn't said he won't cut his hair until Texas wins the Big 12.

Restoring Texas football to national prominence matters to him. He's the son of UT's all-time leading tackler Britt Hager, and Britt told me, of his four sons, including Rams' linebacker Bryce Hager, Breckyn is the most like him (Britt). "He plays with the same kind of passion and emotion I did," Britt told me. Go watch Britt Hager against Arkansas in 1987, when he had nearly 30 tackles and completely took over the game, and realize what that means.

What I loved most about Hager being named one of 18 physical freaks in college football by NFL.com is Hager's response to congratulations from Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger. Hager said he's working to get his vertical jump to 40 inches with a 400-plus power clean. Hager is my preseason Big 12 defensive player of the year and will be a long-time NFL player along the lines of Brian Robison.

 

There seems to be a misunderstanding of the Surly policy concerning Fuck Chip Brown.
Please print out and keep these instructions with you at all times. I am keeping them
vertically aligned, so they can be printed and affixed to the back of your smartphone.

1. Whenever referring to CowChip, always pair his name with the word, "fuck." Here are
suggested sentence structures:

Fuck Chip Brown. 
Chip Brown? Fuck him. (This is somewhat passive style, but is still effective at times.)
FUCK Chip Brown.

If you want to customize your expression, add a 
Oh, Fuck Chip Brown.
Well, Fuck Chip Brown. (Note: the initial caps are not mandatory) 

2. NEVER reprint a Fuck Chip Brown "authored" article. They are the most made-up,
worthless and available pieces of crap in college sports, and that's saying a lot. Odds are
even that CowChip wrote the reader's questions himself. Take a look at some of the
"insights from that "article."

"I’m told Oklahoma athletics, like Texas, is self-sufficient and even contributes money to
the central university."  Wow. Just like when they broke the Pentagon Papers. 

"I think UT’s ballyhooed 2018 class is already transitioning well based on the nine early
enrollees we saw in the spring,..." Thank God we've got Sherlock Holmes on the case.

3. It's concerning that people have access to Fuck Chip Brown's articles. I assume that you
actually subscribe to his website, but perhaps you do not. If you do, PLEASE cancel your
subscription and encourage others to do the same, as so many patriots on this website
have previously done.

4. If you see encounter Fuck Chip Brown in a supermarket or precinct, please share one
of the following:

"Are you Chip Brown? Fuck you!" (Points if you pause before delivering the coup de gras-
he'll think he is being recognized for his "celebrity" status)
"Fuck Chip Brown." I like it. It sounds a little crazy. 
"Hey, Chip Brown, fuck you!" Classic, American sentence structure.

I apologize for the length of this post, but we have made much progress in exposing that
fraudulent Quisling. (Look that name up, Millennials)

Never forget that our strength comes from unity.  

 

Fuck Chip Brown!        

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satyanash

satyanash 14529

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(Ian Boyd) Inside the Gameplan: The Gauntlet

Much like a year ago, the Texas schedule is set up for a tough middle stretch with a softer landing on the back half that should allow a strong finish. The season’s ceiling will be set by games four through six, which we are previewing today. The Longhorns host TCU, travel to Kansas State, and then take on Oklahoma in Dallas.

Technically the season’s ceiling is always set by what happens in the Cotton Bowl. Even if Oklahoma was down and not particularly relevant to the title hunt in a given year it would still matter whether or not Texas beat them. As it happens, the Sooners do figure to be contenders for the league crown once more and the Longhorns are going to be playing them immediately after two of the more important tests on the schedule though in 2018.

Tom Herman identified Kansas State early on as the main challenger to Texas’ chances at being the most physical squad in the league and they addressed them immediately with a 40-34 OT victory in round one but Bill Snyder’s K-State isn’t going anywhere just yet.

Since the Frogs joined the B12, Texas has scored 76 total points against Gary Patterson’s famous 4-2-5 defense over six games in which the Longhorns are 1-5. That’s an average of just under 13 points a game (to TCU’s average of 30) and the average margin of TCU victory in this series is 25 points. We’ll talk about the problems here and the specific 2018 matchup but clearly the Frogs are one of the main obstacles between Texas and a return to the top.

TCU

The Frogs are a popular pick to contend in 2018, mainly because they’ve gone 41-13 since they installed the Air Raid in 2014 (26-10 in the B12) with three seasons in which they’ve won 11 games and zero losses to Texas in that time. Last year their defense finally recovered and the offense leaned on a veteran OL to run the ball while Hill operated under strict “protect the football and scramble a few third downs for us” orders to allow them to play a ball control/defensive approach that put them into the B12 title game. The 2018 Horned Frogs figure to look pretty different. They’re losing four of their six best defenders while the OL is getting reworked after losing four starters.

Their breakthrough on defense in 2017 came partly due to the speed and experience they could field in the defensive backfield with LB/S hybrid Travin Howard and ultra rangy weak safety Nick Orr and then moreso from their DL which featured a DE tandem of Mat Boesen and Ben Banogu. Those two combined for 20 sacks and 23 run stuffs. The key was being able to man the middle with NT Ross Blacklock (6-4, 320) and MLB Ty Summers (6-2, 230) well enough to field the smaller DEs (Banogu is 6-4, 240 and Boesen 6-4, 230) and then Howard (6-0, 210).

They could attack and control the edges with DEs that had OLB skill sets and they had just the right balance of speed and sturdy size up the middle to allow Patterson’s classic 4-2-5 formula and schemes to choke out spread offenses.

It’s not obvious that the Frogs will nail the same balance of size, speed, and versatility on defense in 2018. For all the talk about their improved talent level as a team, much of it is focused on offense or in the underclassmen ranks that tend to need time to maturate. They are adding a nickel LB grad transfer from Northern Illinois named Jawuan Johnson that had five INTs, four sacks, and 24 run stuffs a year ago that they’ll probably plug into Howard’s role, so there is a chance this defense is still great and perhaps even as smart as the better Patterson units tend to be.

Beyond fielding lots of speed, what tends to set Patterson’s great defenses apart from typical units around the country is how much of his own considerable football knowledge and strategic insights they are able to absorb. The 2014 and 2017 units were loaded with multi-year starters that had mastered his wide array of anti-spread choke holds. Texas’ own limited techniques and schematics over the years as they’ve changed out OCs and offenses like Dollar General double AAs have made them into really easy marks for Patterson.

The main key to beating this squad is being able to avoid predictable down and distance situations where Patterson’s master of your formational tendencies and the flexibility of his 4-2-5 in sending numbers swarming to where the ball is likely to be focused becomes overwhelming. Short of just overpowering the Frogs with sheer talent, you gotta be able and willing to take shots down the field on early downs and loosen things up.

Also, RPOs such as these...

giphy.gif

giphy.gif

...would go a long ways toward getting the Frog DBs off the Texas run game. Those force secondary run supporters to show some hesitation before flying downhill, which in turn elongates the period of time in which Texas’ OL can work their double teams and climb up to TCU’s smaller back seven. Pounding the Frog defense is all about isolating size on speed and this Texas offense is best poised to do that with RPOs and spread sets that work Lil’Jordan Humphrey against their diminutive interior five in the backfield.

On the other side of the ball, TCU figures to be a much less consistent but much more explosive team. Shawn Robinson replaces Kenny Hill and brings much greater explosiveness to the run game and the pass game (he’s got a rocket arm) but also much less knowhow and consistency throwing the ball. That’s pretty significant because they’re going to surround him with sophomore Jalen Reagor, Kavontae Turpin, and probably a redshirted Omar Manning out wide, essentially a unit that’s very long on athleticism (fastest WR group in the league, perhaps) but less so on beating man coverage and moving the chains on big third downs.

The OL will be totally rebuilt as well, which matters because this team really needs to be able to execute a QB run game for a sophomore Robinson-led O to be particularly intimidating or else be able to protect if they turn to the Penn transfer (Michael Collins). For all the talk about TCU’s roster talent, this offense probably doesn’t fit together in a way that leverages all that talent unless they’re good at blocking the spread run game AND Robinson makes a leap in the Air Raid passing game. Both are possible, neither are close to guaranteed.

This is probably the game where we discover whether Texas’ LB corps and DeShon Elliott replacements are up to snuff or not. It’s hard to see TCU effectively punishing the Longhorns with their passing game for playing fairly shallow and tight at safety and nickel so if the Longhorns are executing their run fits and taking good angles on the ball then they should be able to make this game solely a referendum on whether or not they’ve learned how to score on Patterson.

@ Kansas State

The 2018 Kansas State Wildcats are probably going to be very similar to some of the other Wildcat teams we’ve seen this decade. Snyder is still there and he’s replaced some of his older, departing assistants like Dana Dimel (now HC at UTEP) and Tom Hayes (retired) with younger, former Wildcat players turned coaches. One area in which this team could be different is team speed, this unit looks more athletic than the squads Texas has been facing particularly in the middle of the field at QB, LB, and S.

They still haven’t resolved a QB battle between RS sophomore-to-be Skylar Thompson (think Jake Waters) and Alex Delton (think Daniel Sams) but you’d sure think that they’d turn to the guy who ran wild when healthy a year ago (Delton) given their strength on the OL and lack of go-to wideouts. Delton would be their most explosive running QB since Ell Roberson and is a savvy operator of their offense who “only” lacks arm talent. Imagine if Case McCoy had less touch on his fade routes but was a 4.6 sprinter and that’s basically what Delton offers them.

So on a concept like this...

giphy.gif

...if you leave Dalton Schoen largely uncovered (as both Texas and OU did a year ago) he can really hurt you. But if you force Delton to the last read on that concept (the third post route to Byron Pringle on the outside) then it’s really iffy if he’ll get there before the DBs arrive. Skylar Thompson can burn teams on plays like that but he’s less effective running the ball through traffic:

giphy.gif

Here you can see K-State perfectly blocking their QB iso play on a five-man box from OSU and Thompson tries to bounce the run outside only to be stuffed. He’s listed at 205 but looks smaller and currently isn’t a threat in the more terrifying K-State QB run schemes if you can tackle. If he can add strength and toughness as a runner that’s a game changer, as would be Delton adding strength and better timing to his passing.

Meanwhile on defense, the Wildcats are probably trotting out a LB tandem of Elijah Sullivan and Da’Quan Patton that is faster than any combo we’ve seen from the Wildcats this decade while they also return Denzel Goolsby and Kendall Adams at the safety spots. There are holes here and there in the backfield but they may very well prove to be more athletic and harder to isolate with precise calls in the coming season. The big question is the DL where they badly missed Jordan Willis’ pass rush in 2017 and basically lost their ability to end drives by pressuring the QB with a four-man rush.

Rising junior Reggie Walker, who had six sacks playing opposite Willis as a freshman, had just two a year ago. They’ll probably bring him back but pair him with fellow rising junior Kyle Ball, who’s been a solid participant in their third down packages but needs to become the next Ryan Mueller this offseason. Unless new DC Blake Seiler moves K-State out of their uber-familiar 4-2-5 this season into an odd front with a pressure package a la 2017 Iowa State, they look like they’ll be competent but navigable just like every other year since 2012.

The Red River Shootout

I’ve been carefully constructing a case for why Oklahoma could experience a serious decline in year two of the Lincoln Riley era for much of this offseason. The 2017 team was built around an interior group on offense that included five returning starters on the OL, an NFL-caliber flex TE, an ultra-versatile fullback, and then Baker Mayfield. The defense was horrendous and completely came apart without Bob Stoops around to offer quality control and all of the aforementioned offensive components are gone save for the two OGs and RT on the OL.

Beyond that, it was obvious that Baker Mayfield was the heart and soul of the entire team and his replacement is Kyler Murray, who’s been splitting time with baseball and is now taking a single shot at glory this year in the Riley offense before splitting off to go make $5 mill playing baseball. It’s not obvious to me that Murray is going to bring half of the things to the table that Mayfield brought every day of every week. Meanwhile the defense is losing a serious collection of physical talent, even if that talent resided in underachievers who never coalesced into a strong unit.

The defense is starting over with freshmen, sophomores, and a trio of juniors that need to have major breakthroughs in NT Neville Gallimore, Jack OLB Mark Jackson, Jr, and WILB Caleb Kelly. They finally moved Kelly from the ridiculous nickel LB position they were asking him to play at 230 pounds but unlike fellow five-star OLB turned inside-backer Malik Jefferson, this season will be Kelly’s first playing the position he was inevitably going to convert to. Additionally, OU’s LBs haven’t played the inside zone or spread run game in general very well with only a handful of exceptions over the last seven years (since Mike Stoops returned).

An OU recovery on defense looks like Kelly and sophomore Kenneth Murray each making considerable leaps as inside-backers, Neville Gallimore and a player to be named devouring blocks inside, Mark Jackson or else Addison Gumbs replacing Obo Okoronkwo’s considerable pass-rushing skill, another pass-rusher emerging, and then their three new starters at nickel and either safety spot all proving to be savvy spread defenders. In other words, this unit is probably going to suck pretty hard again despite a promising collection of CBs.

The floor on offense is much, much higher. Even if Kyler Murray were to take a hard knock and determine to get out of the gridiron game early it’s hard to see this team struggling to run the ball at a high level. They still have those three good OL returning and lots of depth developed by a very good coach in Bill Bedenbaugh besides and they still have a deep stable of backs led by Rodney Anderson. Here he is running their best scheme against a very effective defense a year ago:

giphy.gif

That GT counter play absolutely murdered Orlando’s D a year ago. It’s a good bet that was the play Malik Jefferson was writing up on the chalkboard for Orlando to solve during the RRS a year ago and while that was an inspiring story, the Longhorns never really figured it out.

It’s extremely challenging because the Sooners can run it in a wide variety of different ways and break all of their own tendencies by adding different QB keeper or pass options to the basic design or even running it for the QB himself. The heart of the scheme is the playside tackle crashing down on a DT and up to the backside LB, the center and playside guard blocking down, and then the backside guard and tackle pulling to kick out and lead.

It’s a tough scheme to blitz because it’s hard to be confident in where the read-side of the play will be and thus to call in the blitz so as to be sure to overload the read-side of the play. The only team I saw defend it well a year ago were the TCU Horned Frogs, who had OLBs to either end of the formation that were fast enough to attack the mesh point with enough leverage to force Mayfield to give the ball before chasing down the back from behind. With Murray in that probably gets trickier since he’s even quicker than Mayfield and Texas doesn’t play a pair of lightning quick ends in a four-down front anyways.

This year Texas needs to work on solving that play from the base defense, by spilling the ball with the LBs and relying on team speed and shallow safeties (daring Murray to throw down the field) in order to keep it corralled.

You may have noticed that aggressive safety play is likely to be a key next year with all of the running teams on the schedule, which makes Kris Boyd’s final metamorphosis into a lockdown corner a veritable cheat code for dominating the 2018 slate. The “Kyler Murray to Ceedee Lamb” connection would have to be operating at a high level to prevent this strategy from working out and indeed there aren’t many QB/WR connections around the league that look imposing enough to stop Boyd from freeing up who ever wins the free safety job from running amok in 2018.

If OU is terrible on defense again AND Texas can eliminate the blown coverages AND clamp down on OU’s excellent run game then they’ll win this game in a blowout. If not, the Longhorns should at least be confident about the fact that they looked to be by far the stronger, tougher, and better conditioned team a year ago. The Sooners pushed out Jerry Schmidt in order to hire Benny Wylie, who didn’t exactly oversee the development of a particularly strong, tough, or well conditioned Texas team back in the day so there’s good reason to believe Yancy McKnight can be a trump card in this traditionally hard-hitting and emotional game.

All three of these teams are pretty flawed, that’s been the case for most every Big 12 team since the merger. Texas is flawed too, but if they can develop in the key ways necessary to attack the limitations of this slate of opponents and be the deepest and toughest team then they have a chance to win in the later rounds against all three and send a resounding message that things have finally changed in Austin.

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satyanash

satyanash 14529

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Jeff Howe: Which position group needs the most work before the opener?

Every week the Horns247 staff tackles the Question of the Week where we provide answers to a Texas Longhorns-related question. This week, with 59 days remaining until the Longhorns begin the second season of the Tom Herman era, we’re looking at specific position groups and where improvement can be made. So, with that in mind, our Question of the Week is…

Which position group needs the most work between now and the season opener against Maryland?

Bobby Burton, Publisher

I’d be kidding if I didn’t say the single position that concerns me the most entering the 2018 season is quarterback. After last year’s roller coaster ride at the position, the spring game did nothing to assuage my fears. Sure, there looked to be some improvement. But there also looked to be way too much of the same: ill-advised passes, questionable decision-making and too little consistency moving the chains. Absolutely nothing will make me feel confident in the position until Maryland. So in that vein, I think the quarterback has to be the singular position to solidify before game one.

Chip Brown, Columnist

For most, the obvious answer would probably be either the offensive line or quarterback or maybe even kicking and punting. For obvious reasons. The success at quarterback and on the offensive line, in large part, hold the keys to success for the Longhorns in 2018. But with Gary Johnson coming off his hip (adductor longus) injury and versatile veteran Edwin Freeman, one of the few linebackers with starting experience for the Longhorns, announcing he'll be a graduate transfer, this group is painfully thin and critical to what could be the best defense in the Big 12.

Johnson, Malcolm Roach, Anthony Wheeler and Jeffrey McCulloch are suddenly the only linebackers with any game experience, and Roach played with his hand on the ground last season. Demarco Boyd is a veteran but hasn't played much linebacker in game situations. As long as they all remain healthy during the season (and Johnson makes a full recovery from his hip injury), this position in the heart of UT's defense will be fine.

But Todd Orlando has already said early enrollee freshman Ayodele Adeoye needs to be ready for game action against Maryland. For that reason alone, guys like Adeoye, Boyd, freshman Joseph Ossai and even walk-on Russell Hine need to make big strides over the next two months to ensure there is some depth at linebacker if a backup is called upon.

Jeff Howe, Senior Writer

Quarterback and offensive line are the obvious answers here. That said, I’m buying stock into the staff being able to manufacture a consistently competent offensive product if Sam Ehlinger is healthy for the majority of the season and it’s hard to imagine the offensive line being worse, especially with the arrival of Calvin Anderson and the return of Patrick Hudson from injury.

I’m more concerned with the strengths of the team being as strong as they could possibly be (i.e., Michael Dickson not just being good, but the best punter in the country in 2017 won games for the Longhorns). That’s why I’m focused on the secondary clicking on all cylinders with after losing not just DeShon Elliott and Holton Hill, but also Antwuan Davis and Jason Hall, two players who were very good in their roles in the Lightning package.

Consistency is the key with both Kris Boyd and Brandon Jones. If both are able to raise their play to the standard they’ve shown capable of being able to perform at, filling out the rest of the secondary becomes a much easier task. The talent is there, especially with the newcomers for the 2018 signing class, for the Longhorns to have a deep and productive group of defensive backs. But with Todd Orlando running a defense where he likes to blitz his defensive backs a lot, the talented youngsters and/or the experienced need to make sure the staff has quality bodies to put in those spots.

Taylor Estes, Managing Editor

There is no doubt in my mind that the offensive line remains the biggest question for Texas. The 2018 season will be my eighth covering the Longhorns, so I haven’t covered a team with a much better than average O-line unit while on the Texas beat. But last year was without a doubt the worst I have seen. There is clearly nowhere to go but up after the 2017 season, and the addition of Calvin Anderson should help a unit that will be more experienced from just one year ago. However, I am far from convinced that it will be light-years improved from the unit that took the field in the spring game. Herb Handdefinitely has his work cut out for him.

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Bevo

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2 hours ago, satyanash said:

Taylor Estes, Managing Editor

There is no doubt in my mind that the offensive line remains the biggest question for Texas. The 2018 season will be my eighth covering the Longhorns, so I haven’t covered a team with a much better than average O-line unit while on the Texas beat. But last year was without a doubt the worst I have seen. There is clearly nowhere to go but up after the 2017 season, and the addition of Calvin Anderson should help a unit that will be more experienced from just one year ago. However, I am far from convinced that it will be light-years improved from the unit that took the field in the spring game. Herb Handdefinitely has his work cut out for him.

This is the answer. Any other opinion shows the writer doesn't know football.

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pch

pch 1259

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On 6/15/2018 at 1:49 AM, Lhorn said:

Debating the relative suckiness of John Mackovic....has the off season ever seemed to bleak?

The best thing about the off season is going back and revisiting thujone's catalog.  But even that is depressing due to it not being continued on a weekly basis during the season.

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On 6/15/2018 at 1:49 AM, Lhorn said:

Debating the relative suckiness of John Mackovic....has the off season ever seemed to bleak?

The best thing about the off season is going back and revisiting thujone's catalog.  But even that is depressing due to it not being continued on a weekly basis during the season.

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kopp0e 1135

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On 7/2/2018 at 5:02 PM, Eggo said:

I see what they were trying to do with the consistent design, but "INCHES, HEIGHT, 6'3" doesn't make sense. This season is doomed.

Sheesh, don't put the fate of the season on the bad format of poster, this will be a great season...

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