Media/$9.95-er postgame analysis articles (Week 13)

[LTtxfan 48986]

18 hours ago, Burt Macklin said:

Herman’s been giving Jones 0 help even though he has a shitty TE on the field 95% of the time all season. Why stop now? Like Scipio pointed out, we’re running empty with a RB and TE who aren’t good receivers, instead of giving Jones any help at all.  This is obvious shit we’ve been pointing out all year, yet Mensa still can’t figure it out even when his career is on the line. Absolutely incredible. 

BAD COACHING WITH NO ADJUSTMENTS -- anyone arguing that Mensa should return for the 2021 season is an idiot!!! 😠

[satyanash 14281]

28 minutes ago, BigHorn'13 said:

@satyanash any chance you can post some of the coaching search/team stuff here while shit's crazy? Think I speak for a lot when I say the 2 main threads are unreadable. 

(Eric Nahlin) Domingo: Speculation on Timing

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Keep the word speculation in mind as I’m not reporting anything here. We’re currently monitoring the opt out situation. We’d be surprised if Sam Cosmi is the only player to do so but we don’t know for sure. We’ve heard other players are considering it. If more opt outs occur, nothing would underline what we’ve been saying for 6 weeks now: we can’t find traces of support for Tom Herman.

Could more opt outs speed up the process? I’m not sure, but I lean towards ‘no’. The timeline is dependent on finding a successor, imo. There’s a chance the Kansas game doesn’t happen. It’s slated for December 12th. If that game is canceled (it sounds like KU has little interest in playing it) that would make next Saturday’s tilt versus K-State the last of the season. And the last of the Tom Herman era.

Next weekend and perhaps the following Monday is what I think is the most likely timing for significant program changes. Although I can’t rule out sooner. I haven’t heard anything concrete there. The fact a move hasn’t been made yet tells you there is no positive resolution on Scenario 1 at this time. Gerry makes a good point here: every day Urban isn’t announced drops the percentage of landing Urban just a little bit.

I agree to an extent, however, for all we know the timing could be perfect to solidify an agreement while Herman finishes out the season. If major news hasn’t broken by next Monday....gulp. Urban would want as long a runway as possible ahead of early signing day on December 16th. Every day that passes thereafter with no news drops the percentages considerably. We’re not to that point by any stretch.

 

[satyanash 14281]

Jeff Howe: What can Texas do to make up for Samuel Cosmi's departure?

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There don’t appear to be any clear answers on the surface for how Texas head coach Tom Herman, offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich and offensive line coach Herb Hand will replace left tackle Samuel Cosmi, who a source told Horns247 is expected to opt-out of the final two games of the regular season and begin preparing for the 2021 NFL Draft. When the Longhorns (5-3, 4-3 Big 12) take on Kansas State (4-5, 4-4) in Manhattan on Saturday, someone other than Cosmi or current Denver Broncos lineman Calvin Anderson will start at left tackle for the first time since Elijah Rodriguez replaced NFL draft early entrant Connor Williams for the team’s Texas Bowl win over Missouri in 2017.

The problem now is that there isn’t a veteran waiting in the wings to step in in a pinch.

Due to how much Hand prefers to cross-train linemen, the move for Texas in the past has been to promote the next best available player off of the bench and shuffle the lineup accordingly. The problem with that is the Longhorns are without two players who were expected to be the sixth and seventh men in the trenches in 2020 — Willie Tyler opted out of the season in August due to COVID-19 concerns and Isaiah Hookfin underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in October.

If Texas were to replace Cosmi with a tackle on the depth chart, they’d be doing so with a play lacking experience in spades. True freshman Andrej Karic hasn’t played since he got some work late in a blowout win over UTEP to open the season and redshirt sophomore Reese Moore has seen action in only one game after undergoing a knee operation for the second consecutive preseason.

The best option from purely a personnel standpoint is to move Denzel Okafor from right guard to either left or right tackle with a move to right tackle shifting Christian Jones to the left side of the line. To do that, however, Hand and Co. will need to trust one of Rafiti Ghirmai, Tope Imade or Tyler Johnson to adequately fill the hole at Okafor’s guard spot.

If the staff wanted to roll the dice, and with the Longhorns no longer in control of their own destiny for a trip to the Big 12 title game, there’s every reason in the world to think unconventionally down the stretch, which means they could give Jake Majors his first career start at center. A true freshman and a 2020 Under Armour All-America selection, Majors passed Ghirmai on the depth chart in the preseason and was said to be making a strong initial impression once he hit the practice field, sources told Horns247.

Getting Majors in the starting lineup at center might cause the least amount of disruption since current starting center Derek Kerstetter is a 24-game starter at right tackle. Additionally, Kerstetter might be the best fit to take over for Cosmi considering how good he was on the outside of the line and how versatile he is with his 36 career starts coming at three different positions.

None of the available options for Texas are particularly enticing, but that’s typically the case when faced with replacing a 34-game starter who suddenly exits the lineup. With nothing to lose down the stretch, however, it’s time for the coaches to get creative.

 

[phdhorn 6224]

1 hour ago, satyanash said:

Jeff Howe: What can Texas do to make up for Samuel Cosmi's departure?

Bring back jetpack guy?

I mean really, seriously? Anyone who spends more than 10 seconds on that burning issue needs to get a life.

[Helobious 9482]

21 hours ago, ClubWhatever said:

You forgot one of the most egregious.  His first year against tech where Sam threw the INT when  the correct play would have been to run the ball and pin them deep.

One of the more infuriating losses I’ve seen as a Texas fan. I remember that game. 

[LTtxfan 48986]

Tom Herman’s crumbling façade  (Inside Texas)

JJoe Cook     Nov 30, 2020 

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Tom Herman typically wears a good poker face during his post-game press conferences. His consistency in messaging and demeanor is a mark of a decently skilled public speaker. His words may be repetitive, but they are for those within the program more often than they are for those outside of it.

When that poker face breaks, it is indicative of other broken things. It broke in 2019 when Texas was thrashed by Baylor in Waco. The consequences of defeat rolled over Herman during his media interrogation after his offense mustered three points in the meaningful part of the game. The 2019 season, his third at Texas, was not going to culminate in a chance at a conference title. As a result, he overhauled his coaching staff after three years espousing the benefits of alignment.

It broke again on Friday. Even over a Zoom call, it was evident. The consequences of a third conference loss to a peaking Iowa State program were evident on Herman’s face and in his voice when his messaging shifted. Texas was no longer playing for a chance to win a conference title. Instead, Texas was playing for a season with a winning percentage of over .700.

“We will lick our wounds and wipe the tears out of our eyes, and understand this is not our last game,” Herman said. “I know it feels that way on senior day with everything on the line, but we’ve still got two regular season games to play for an opportunity to have a .700 winning percentage, much like the .714 winning percentage we had in ‘18, to send these seniors out with two of the best records in the last dozen years at the University of Texas, and they deserve that.”

Herman tries to be savvy with messaging. Even on the Monday before Texas’ matchup with Iowa State, he mentioned one of the remaining carrots on the stick in front of the program was the chance to have a winning percentage greater than .700.

The introduction of a new talking point would have been well-timed had it not been so easy to see through. A win over the Cyclones and Herman could have continued his messaging with regards to a pathway toward Arlington. The .700 winning percentage carrot remains in front of the program, but it is tough to believe that carrot carries much meaning for a team with sights originally set on championship opportunities.

The carrot being dangled was not enough for team captain Samuel Cosmi, who opted out of the 2020 season’s remaining games on Sunday. The man holding the carrot, Herman himself, likely sealed his fate with the 23-20 loss to Iowa State according to sources.

The cloud of strong speculation regarding Texas’ interest in free agent head coach Urban Meyer dominates most current discussion about Longhorn football. There are two games remaining on the schedule. After everything that took place during this calendar year, most importantly Texas’ shortcomings against Big 12 teams it expects to handle, it may be the last two games for Herman as Texas’ head coach.

Herman was asked if he is the right person for the job after his 23-20 loss which ended with a game-tying 58-yard field goal attempt from Cameron Dicker sailing wide left in its final yards of flight. He said it was not for him to decide but tried to emphasize improvements he believes he has made to the program.

“I feel like where we have the program right now compared to where it was when we took over, the future is very bright,” Herman said. “We’ve won a lot of big games in our time here. Didn’t win the conference championship two years ago when we made the game. Played for an opportunity to go to that game today and lost in the last couple minutes. I feel great about the trajectory of our program, where we’re headed, and the things that are on the horizon.”

Recruiting joins the on-field results in disagreement. After several consecutive seasons of top 10 recruiting classes, Herman’s 2021 class is barely in the top 20 and is unlike to break into the top 10. His 2022 class, which started with immense promise with a commitment from Southlake Carroll QB Quinn Ewers, has no momentum at all following Ewers’ exit and eventual flip to Ohio State.

When programs reach this point, players are often asked what their opinion of the head coach is, and that was the case for Ta’Quon Graham and Sam Ehlinger on Friday.

Graham said answering whether Herman should remain was “a hard question.” Ehlinger said how Texas could not string together complete games is the “million-dollar question everybody’s been trying to figure out for the last 10 years.”

Pressed on the subject, Ehlinger said he believes Herman is “the right guy,” but for as important a figure Ehlinger is in Texas football this century, his words will not make much of a difference.

The players will not decide Herman’s fate and their opinion will be valued little. Herman’s future as head coach at Texas will be decided by UT president Jay Hartzell and athletics director Chris Del Conte with the advice and consent of boosters ready to be able to brag about football in the board room again.

The same fans and boosters who Herman questioned the character of during a June interview with the Austin American-Statesman, who saw one of their most cherished UT traditions in The Eyes of Texas come under fire among other pragmatic, reasonable, and practical requests from Texas student-athletes, and who saw the lasting image of one member of the program standing next to the athletic director during the school’s alma mater following Herman’s fourth loss in five tries to Oklahoma.

Those boosters, along with every Texas fan, want a winner with few distractions. No name on a marquee screams ‘winner’ like that of Meyer’s, with distractions to be determined.

Should Herman be dismissed, it will be a result of his limited on-field success. Herman’s foray into the political sphere with indirect shots at some of those who pay his salary, his program’s missteps in handling the school’s alma mater, and his coarse public personality that matches his private persona will not provide any pause for those who decide to pay a generous buyout to 1-0 Culture LLC.

Herman’s greatest fault at Texas is failing to deliver upon his earned reputation as an offensive whiz. Braxton Miller, JT Barrett, Cardale Jones, and Greg Ward all seemed to indicate great things were ahead for the Longhorns offense under Ehlinger’s control.

After masquerading as an efficient offensive strategy throughout the many close contests of 2018, Herman’s pro-spread offense lost that efficiency in 2019 and 2020 even though statistical production may have increased. Original assistant coaching hires, as well as new ones, have not done enough to rectify issues UT offenses have faced since Colt McCoy left the field in Pasadena, CA in 2010.

The combination of all those aspects has Texas looking at Meyer, who left his previous head coaching stops at Florida and Ohio State far, far earlier than he would have liked. Meyer comes with a risk, if a coach has left his previous two stops earlier than he would have liked because of his own actions, what is to prevent that taking place a third time for someone whose system that caused those early departures is plated with championship gold?

Those are questions Hartzell and Del Conte will have to answer should they make the move to hire Meyer. A more pressing decision is in front of them now with their current head coach.

The image of a successful program is not there, like Herman’s poker face on Friday. Herman’s motivation is to reach a .700 winning percentage in two of his four years. That is not the motivation of a program which believes it should be in the playoff hunt, let alone the hunt for the Big 12 Championship.

Whether he achieves .700 or not likely matters little. How the next two games finish, if they are even played, matters little, too. What matters is Texas has fallen short in Herman’s fourth season. The façade is broken. How will it be remedied?

 

https://insidetexas.com/tom-hermans-crumbling-facade/

[pacman 7331]

22 hours ago, LTtxfan said:

BAD COACHING WITH NO ADJUSTMENTS -- anyone arguing that Mensa should return for the 2021 season is an idiot!!! 😠

Unfortunately, this has been a known issue with Herman since he first lost to Maryland.

Edited November 30, 2020 by pacman

[LTtxfan 48986]

 

[phdhorn 6224]

1 hour ago, LTtxfan said:

We’ve still got two regular season games to play for an opportunity to have a .700 winning percentage, much like the .714 winning percentage we had in ‘18, to send these seniors out with two of the best records in the last dozen years at the University of Texas, and they deserve that.

He needs to put this on a ring and give it to the players like the Mack Brown "Best Team in Texas!!!11!1!!" rings.

Edited November 30, 2020 by phdhorn

[Monahorns 34]

In the middle of all the Urban Meyer articles, Scipio put out his Defense Post-Mortem.  I need some more of that crack.

[taybo20 2815]

4 hours ago, LTtxfan said:

 

Yeah middle tier in a conference that he should be top tier even in down years. Baizer can fuck off with that shit

Edited December 1, 2020 by taybo20

[satyanash 14281]

Bobby Burton: Tuesday

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I think we can all agree that Sam Ehlinger has endured a pretty rough and tumble four years as the starting QB at Texas. Not just riding the roller coaster of emotions of wins and losses, but physically, he has given his body to the game and his team. So when Sam Cosmi, a team captain, elects to opt out and go pro two or three games early, thereby leaving Ehlinger theoretically more exposed than before, I’m sorry if I don’t clap for Cosmi on his way out the door no matter how he performed in his career.

Nor do I clap for Caden Sterns. Another captain who wasn’t really a captain after all.

By no means am I denigrating their play on the field. Even though I think Cosmi never quite reached the level of All-American, I think he came as close to maximizing his ability as any talented Texas OL has in years. He should be applauded for that. And while Sterns has his deficiencies, especially against speed and quickness in space, he too is a mostly solid player.

Yet I feel strongly that neither captain is actually acting as a captain. The captain goes down with the ship, he’s the one everyone else looks to for guidance in times of tumult. Either they do that or the captains shouldn’t have agreed to be captains in the first place. I know not everyone will agree with this opinion, and that’s fine. But football, at its core, is a team sport. Your actions impact those of your teammates.

So on Saturday, as we watch the left-side of the Texas pocket collapse earlier than usual because a true freshman is thrust into service at left tackle and Ehlinger takes a hit he might not have otherwise taken, I ask everyone to realize that all choices a person makes can not be about themselves, no matter how justified or financially motivated. Choices impact others. Especially the choices of “captains”.

**

I spent some time looking into possible hires of Urban Meyer at Texas. One name was brought to me from an Ohio State reporter that was interesting. UCLA offensive coordinator Justin Frye was a GA at Florida and worked for close Meyer friend Steve Adazzio at Temple and Boston College. Frye also coaches the offensive line which would more naturally allow Meyer’s son-in-law Corey Dennis to take the QB coaching position. Does this mean Meyer to Texas is definitely happening? No, of course not. But it’s a peek into what Meyer might be thinking.

 

[satyanash 14281]

13 hours ago, Monahorns said:

In the middle of all the Urban Meyer articles, Scipio put out his Defense Post-Mortem.  I need some more of that crack.

(Scipio Tex) 2020 Iowa State Postmortem: Defense

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The Texas defense limited Breece Hall to his first sub 100 yard rushing game of the season (Hall carried 20 times for 91 yards, but went for 30 yards and a touchdown on his last three carries of the game), made WR Xavier Hutchinson irrelevant (1 catch), and limited surprise slot starter Tarique Milton to just over 5 yards per reception on 6 catches. In fact, ISU wide receivers totaled a puny 112 yards receiving on 14 catches. Considering that 35 of those yards came on a busted play to Sean Shaw up the sideline for a cheap touchdown when a Texas safety didn't replace the cornerback on a blitz (or later make the tackle) and you're looking at the Texas cornerbacks pretty much dominating outside to the tune of 13 catches for 77 yards to ISU's non-TE pass catchers.

If you'd told me that before the game, I'd have wondered how ISU was going to break 13-17 points unless Breece Hall went nuts.

Unfortunately, Brock Purdy (25 of 36 for 312 yards and no turnovers) started throwing it elsewhere and the ISU tight ends repeatedly gashed Texas in the seams to the tune of 11 catches for 200 yards combined by big Charlie Kolar (6-131) and the even bigger Dylan Soehner (5-69). Kolar and Soehner were both low 3 star recruits ignored by their local schools (Kolar is from Norman, OK, Soehner is from Pine Bluff, AR) but the Cyclones identified their traits in the bargain bin and developed them into the best tight end combo in the Big 12. Unfortunately for Texas, this was the duos best performance of the season. Even more unfortunately, Texas coverage played a direct role in that.

That inability to halt the ISU tight ends or get a slippery Brock Purdy on the ground when the Texas pass rush got there was enough to get 23 Cyclone points on the board and negate an otherwise spirited, if imperfect, Texas defensive effort.

DL

ISU smartly chose to double at the point of attack on nearly every play and help in run blocking and pass protection with 12 and sometimes 13 personnel to help deal with the strength of the Texas defense. The Texas DL did a good job of making a mess of it and allowing other Texas defenders to get the clean up. Keondre Coburn had a fantastic play in the second half in the red zone on a 3 man rush, scraping flat to the line of scrimmage, going inside-out, and then using the boundary as his friend as he notched the game's only sack on Brock Purdy.

I hope the Texas linebackers were taking notes. That's what it's supposed to look like. Joseph Ossai was strong against the run and got some pressures, but Purdy did an excellent job of getting the ball out quickly and moving in the pocket. Campbell also schemes it up pretty well to negate the pass rush - ISU's OL doesn't give up many sacks and it's not because they're all dominant pass blockers.

Ta'quon Graham had a really nice series in the second half where he nearly corralled Purdy for a sack (Brock had margarine on his pads and spun out). On the next play, Graham drew a holding call bull rushing the same OL into Purdy's face. A Jacoby Jones personal foul was costly in the 1st half, extending an ISU scoring drive after he took a half-hearted swing at an ISU TE. We needed a little more from both Jones and Ojomo in this game.

The DL did its job against the run, but the pass rush wasn't going to get home unless the Longhorn secondary and linebackers could do a better job of taking away easy throws to the seam to the ISU TEs, forcing Purdy to hold the ball and get off of his timing.

LB

Overshown had a gorgeous PBU in the 1st quarter on Charlie Kolar, his 7th of the season. In retrospect, I wonder if Chris Ash would've preferred to singly task Overshown with attacking Kolar or Soehner instead of varying responsibilities based on the coverage. Juwan Mitchell had 10 tackles, primarily in clean up, and was largely unblocked for most of the game. Unfortunately, I can't give him a passing grade after watching Breece Hall's last three carries of the game. Mitchell hesitantly accepted blocks while peering into the backfield.

DB

Good games from the Texas cornerbacks. They more than did their jobs. Any productive ISU passing game ran exclusively through their big tight ends.

Jalen Green had a big hit on Breece Hall 1 on 1 and you won't see a better example of form tackling a bigger man when both are squared up evenly. Green also added great coverage in the late first half in the end zone, boxing out an ISU WR while getting his head around on the ball. He got shaken up later, but good stuff from Jalen.

Josh Thompson was physical outside and derailed some Hutchinson routes before they even started. He finished with 3 tackles, a QB hit, a tackle for loss on a screen, and a nice pass break up on a sideline route. D'shawn Jamison did his job for four quarters - the only negative on his play was getting there a tad early for a PI in the second half. They tried to attack Jamison in the screen and short game and he responded with six tackles.

The safeties had a rough outing getting a read on ISU's play action game. They also allowed a layup touchdown to WR Sean Shaw when no one replaced a CB blitzer and a late closing Caden Sterns made a poor diving tackle attempt at the 7 yard line with the boundary about one foot to the receiver's right. Shaw ran through Sterns and ISU got an easy 6. Most of the ISU success in the passing game came against them and whether you want to blame the scheme or their lack of recognition is up to you. Caden Sterns finished with the quietest 13 credited tackles I've probably seen in a football game - a fair number of them pushing a guy out of bounds on the boundary.

Adimora was given a tough task of reading run-pass on the ISU TE's in some man coverage situations. When it turned out to be pass, he was always a step behind. Nice tackle in the early first quarter on a swing pass and a good clean up tackle for loss on a 3rd and 1 penetration by Ossai. Chris Brown was beaten deep by Milton late in the 2nd quarter, but Purdy missed. BJ Foster was quiet with five tackles.

It's hard to tease out who was supposed to either turn and run with the ISU TEs in the seam or help more aggressively over the top on any given down, but given the play of the Texas corners in the passing game and the Texas DL against the run, the Horns were just competent LB/S coverage on two players in the middle of the field away from holding the Cyclones to 10-13 points.

Overall

The Texas defense played capably, but there were too many dangling threads in the Longhorn seams. The Cyclones pulled on them and the defense unraveled just enough.

 

[satyanash 14281]

(Chip Brown) Morning Brew: Flirting with change at Texas?

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— Texas is now dealing with that really awkward stage in a relationship where one side is thinking about breaking up and might be spending a little time at the bar - or now that we're in a pandemic - spending time perusing Facebook looking to be blown away by a powerful, new connection. No, this isn’t about the latest Netflix Christmas rom com. Keep paying attention…

Deep down, the point of the online perusing is to actually be blown away by one specific, powerful, new connection. But since when are relationships - at any stage - easy to predict or manage? So it might take time for that new possible connection to feel the same way. There might be complicating issues, such as one's current level of health and happiness? So, what do you do?

Do you go ahead and separate from the relationship you feel has definitely lost its spark? Do you keep daydreaming or searching Facebook for other possible new, strong connections? Or do you try to reconcile with your current relationship? To put it in football terms: You wait until the end of the season to evaluate a coach right? Well, I bet if you read the really fine print - there might be an exception to that timeline if that one, specific, powerful new connection starts showing genuine interest.

— After Kansas State played its last two games without its two starting interior linebackers - Justin Hughes and Elijah Sullivan - due to COVID-19 issues, KSU coach Chris Klieman said he expects Hughes and Sullivan to be back for Texas on Saturday. KSU (4-5, 4-4 Big 12), which has lost four straight games, lost at Iowa State (45-0) and suffered a last-second loss at Baylor without Hughes, the team's second-leading tackler (43), and Sullivan, the team's fourth-leading tackler.

Against Baylor Saturday, K-State led the entire game until giving up a game-winning drive to a 30-yard field goal, putting the Bears up 32-31 as time expired. Klieman said Hughes and Sullivan will be among five players he expects back on the field for the Wildcats against Texas.

"At least five, and a number of really good special teams players," Klieman said Monday. "We hope to get our two inside linebackers (Hughes and Sullivan), because they've missed the last 16-17 days. And so we should be able to get both those two guys back to at least provide some depth in there with Cody (Fletcher) and Daniel Green that have been playing really well, but having to play 70 to 85 snaps a game."

— A reporter on the Big 12 coaches' weekly teleconference asked Kansas State coach Chris Klieman what Texas team he expects to see Saturday in Manhattan after the Longhorns "had to be emotionally devastated on being pretty much eliminated from the Big 12 race."

"We can't be concerned about that," Klieman said. "We've got our own, emotionally devastated (team), you could say, losing the game (at Baylor) at the buzzer. In a game that we had plenty of opportunities to win, and we're leading the whole game and lose on the last-second field goal. I have got to worry about what Kansas State is in our mindset. And we haven't had the players in. We'll have them in this afternoon, and we've got to get our guys back. That's our focus is what Kansas State is going to show up. And we've got to do a great job as coaches and as leaders and get these guys ready to roll."

 

[satyanash 14281]