Texas Football 2021 In-Season Thread: Can we get a redo?

[Doc Reeves 6434]

3 hours ago, CurlyDumps said:

So, hindsight bias on top of an article that retroactively ranked him as the biggest name relative to other offseason hires.

The collective reaction to the hire was "WTF?" There was literally one guy in the Urban thread saying he was hearing it's Sark, and from what I recall, pretty much everyone hated the idea and wanted to believe he was full of shit. I disagree that we just went after the hot name a la Herman.

 

[Codaxx 5588]

Some stats i think illustrate the issues with the offense. 

8th in the nation in OTD (percentage of offensive drives that result in a touchdown).. excellent

14th in ODE (Offensive drive efficiency).. very good

118th in OBD (Busted drive rate is the percentage of offensive drives that gain zero or negative yards).. WTF!!!

The offense is literally all or nothing. I think that goes to the fact that the offense is really outperforming itself. They are 2nd in the Big in scoring (41.6, OU is 41.8). The offense and Sark can scheme well when they are ahead of the chains, but as soon as they get behind it is basically a death sentence. Without great OL and QB play, you are going to really struggle when you get behind the chains. OL is 109th in Sack rate and 122nd in standard down Sack rate (this likely the times Sark is calling the "shot plays"). Casey is 8th in total QBR in the Big 12.

[LTtxfan 48928]

Cross-post...  

Steve Sarkisian Press Conference      [Oct. 25, 2021 Monday]

[Tex Pete 20136]

2 hours ago, Codaxx said:

Say what you want about the defense, but really hard to get on Sark and his ability to scheme up an offense. 

His offense was complete shit in 2 second halves. Stats don't mean a thing, wins do.

[jinx 2635]

2 minutes ago, Tex Pete said:

His offense was complete shit in 2 second halves. Stats don't mean a thing, wins do.

Plus he is HC, not OC. So it isn't really hard to get on Sark at all.

[oldhorn2 430]

For what it is worth.....The National Sports media is saying that play calling is a continuing issue at Alabama. At least we know that Sark knows his business on one side of the ball anyway.

[jinx 2635]

Man, he seems like the right guy for the job by the way he talks about the game and carries himself. I hope he gets it figured out.

[Codaxx 5588]

1 hour ago, Tex Pete said:

His offense was complete shit in 2 second halves. Stats don't mean a thing, wins do.

I figure when talking about the offense and its schemes, Offensive stats might be interesting. I guess that doesn’t apply to everyone.

[VinyVango 677]

Frustrating not to have a well-polished, consistent machine running 7 games into the season.. absolutely.  But, every hire needs a couple years to get his/her parts in place and her system engrained.  If you can't give it that long before the sky is falling, I recommend the women's tennis or volleyball teams... they're as close to expectations as the national championship or guillotine crowd will find.

[USNALonghorn 5024]

I’m not too worried about the offense. Dark will probably figure out the offensive line recruiting and hopefully will portal a “band-aid” or two. I’m worried about the defense. I’m not convinced that aloud athletes are as bad as our defensive ranking. I would’ve expected us tanked in the 60s or 70s at worst. De-emphasizing the DL in favor of LB seems ass-backwards considering Texas in state talent. I think we’ll know if he’s capable of managing that side of the ball by next season/season’s end.

[dcar00 14023]

22 minutes ago, VinyVango said:

Frustrating not to have a well-polished, consistent machine running 7 games into the season.. absolutely.  But, every hire needs a couple years to get his/her parts in place and her system engrained.  If you can't give it that long before the sky is falling, I recommend the women's tennis or volleyball teams... they're as close to expectations as the national championship or guillotine crowd will find.

or you know basketball where our coach hit the portal hard with less time.

[TreatyOak 16147]

On 10/23/2021 at 7:52 PM, Bullneck said:

1950    NC State (assistant)
1951    Tulsa (assistant)
1952    Mississippi State (off. backs)
1953    Edmonton Eskimos
1954–1955    Mississippi State*
1956    Washington**
1957–1976    Texas

*The 1955 Mississippi State Maroons football team represented Mississippi State College during the 1955 college football season. The team was led by second-year head coach Darrell Royal and compiled a 6–4 record, sixth in the Southeastern Conference.  (They were 6-4 in 1954 as well).

**Darrell Royal was retained and led the 1956 team to a 5–5 record, before leaving to coach at Texas where he won three national championships, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983, and had the school's football stadium renamed in his honor as Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium.

I'm not saying that I'm old, but damn, the '53 Edmonton Eskimos had a helluva offense! 

[Augustus 3061]

There were reasonable people here and there on Surly and other Texas message boards prior to the season, but there's been a lot of forgotten confidence/predictions that were nothing but wishcasting.

I tried to comment that Texas had an enormous, glaring, difficult-to-overstate problem along the offensive line, and that the hype the defensive line was getting before the season was ridiculous, and in response my brother told the entire family that I literally fucked a goat at our uncle's farm when we were in elementary school.  My trans-nephew actually believed this and secretly told me not to be ashamed, I was just a kid.  

Every fanbase goes crazy with the optimism upon a new coaching hire, regardless of any relevant history.  And then they do it again each August afterward.  It's in our DNA as cfb fanatics.

If Texas is smart, they'll keep Sark well beyond 5-7 years.  You badly need some stability and some very real patience.  

[WinningIsHard 4016]

4 minutes ago, Augustus said:

There were reasonable people here and there on Surly and other Texas message boards prior to the season, but there's been a lot of forgotten confidence/predictions that were nothing but wishcasting.

I tried to comment that Texas had an enormous, glaring, difficult-to-overstate problem along the offensive line, and that the hype the defensive line was getting before the season was ridiculous, and in response my brother told the entire family that I literally fucked a goat at our uncle's farm when we were in elementary school.  My trans-nephew actually believed this and secretly told me not to be ashamed, I was just a kid.  

Every fanbase goes crazy with the optimism upon a new coaching hire, regardless of any relevant history.  And then they do it again each August afterward.  It's in our DNA as cfb fanatics.

If Texas is smart, they'll keep Sark well beyond 5-7 years.  You badly need some stability and some very real patience.  

[Augustus 3061]

1 minute ago, WinningIsHard said:

We go hard in the paint in my family.

[Scooter Monzingo 820]

2 hours ago, oldhorn2 said:

For what it is worth.....The National Sports media is saying that play calling is a continuing issue at Alabama. At least we know that Sark knows his business on one side of the ball anyway.

Uh, that is on BoB. I’m a better OC than BoB.

[El Hornarino 367]

10 minutes ago, Augustus said:

 in response my brother told the entire family that I literally fucked a goat at our uncle's farm when we were in elementary school.  My trans-nephew actually believed this and secretly told me not to be ashamed, I was just a kid. 

And from that day on you knew A&M was the right school.

[burdine 522]

I'm encouraged by:

• the attempt to build an impressive staff with developmental chops esp. compared to Herman and Strong staffs
• the quick starts in games show strong preparation focus and knowledge of opponents and not just going "to do what we do"
• the consistent attempts to feed playmakers on offense
• the use of motion to help the QB
• seeing the defense seriously attempt to course correct by playing more single high and actual 3-4 this past game
• the aggressiveness to go get Xavier Worthy at a position of need
• the overall level of recruiting success in 2022 
• the demonstrated ability to be explosive on offense in spite of our limited weapons
• special teams has been a net plus

I'm discouraged by:

• the stubbornness on defense to run a scheme that pretty obviously didn't fit our best talent
• the whole dang Arkansas game, they are decent but they whipped us
• the slow start to OL recruiting, our biggest position of need
• the inability to craft a Big 12 average OL during the offseason
• we have one of the best players in all of CFB and we are 4-3

 

I guess overall my expectation is that coaches will make mistakes along the way and their tenures will mostly be defined by their ability to course correct quickly and reliably (think Saban having Major as his first OC in 2007).

We have not had a "magical" first season which was semi-possible with a bit of luck but I am now watching to see what changes Sark makes to address any mistakes and take this team forward.

I think Sark is a reasonable bet to succeed here but no sure thing.

To my mind, I like what he has done to this point more than what Herman and Strong had done to this point specifically I like this staff much better than either of those coach's first staffs. 

The offense, Sark's specialty, is markedly more explosive even with mostly Herman's players.

But there have clearly been missteps as well.

Just have to see how it plays out.

 

[elguapo 4583]

This thread is hilarious. Strong was a total disaster his first season at Texas and basically no one was writing him off yet. Sark is halfway through a season where he should have beat 2 highly ranked teams and folks are ready to bail. Not sure what that says about our fanbase but it is what it is.

[USNALonghorn 5024]

1 hour ago, elguapo said:

This thread is hilarious. Strong was a total disaster his first season at Texas and basically no one was writing him off yet. Sark is halfway through a season where he should have beat 2 highly ranked teams and folks are ready to bail. Not sure what that says about our fanbase but it is what it is.

This bears repeating.

Strong 7 games into season: 3-4

Losses:

7-41 BYU

17-20 UCLA (backup QB)

7-28 rape

26-31 OU

Losses to close out that year:

0-23 K State

10-48 TCU

7-31 Arkansas (developed a new unit of measure)

 

[VinyVango 677]

2 hours ago, dcar00 said:

or you know basketball where our coach hit the portal hard with less time.

Sark's staff pulled in quite a few portal players... we got a star WR, a very good backup RB, a good backup CB, and a LB who may end up being pretty good... and we took a shot at several defensive ends/edges who came from big name schools (and were apparently let go from those schools for good reason) and have not really impressed.

The portal is not a starter farm unless you are a downstream school like Rice or SMU getting kids who played at bigger power schools.  It's rare to find a star lineman (offensive of defensive) and not very common even finding a Power 5 starter in the portal.  I think the portal is better for locating skill players who are stuck behind superstars.  Things may change with the NIL cash in years to come, but in the past most linemen in the portal are usually too injured, too dumb, too moody, or too damn average to step in and start for a team like Texas.  If the rumors about Donovan Jackson or the Brocks are true, the portal may be better for o-linemen this coming year and I guarantee you that Texas will be in the bidding.

Beard did a great job with the b-ball portal.  I'm pumped to see how he puts all the new pieces together.  But basketball is a different beast than football.

I'm not happy with the inconsistency, and hate our oline and defensive end/edge play currently, but gotta give Sark a reasonable amount of time before you throw the rope over the tree limb for him.  I suspect any portal WRs, O-linemen, and defensive ends worth a look will be getting one... we'll see how it pans out for 2022.

[Surly Bevo 24692]

It's gonna come down to recruiting on the lines.  We have and get plenty of skill players.  Hell Casey could be a Big12 champion maybe even CFB caliber QB easily behind an above average O line.   In the CFP his deficiencies might get exposed as it seems most champions do have great QBs but there are lots of average to slightly above average QBs who have won this conference and or commandeered other teams to the CFP....they just have a lot fucking better O lines.

Can we not roll out this kind of NIL deal.  Figure out 3-4 O line recruits that will really make a difference.  Each one is approached and told sign with Texas you will get $X but if you, lineman 2 and lineman 3 all sign with Texas you each get $5X.....let em fucking recruit each other.  

Edited October 26, 2021 by Surly Bevo

[UDontKnow 10439]

23 minutes ago, longhornmatt said:

On a more serious note, Calvin Anderson and Parker Braun were probably our two best portal additions before Worthy.  OU has had multiple transfers play on their OL over the last few years.  Notre Dame, A&M, TCU and countless other schools are starting transfers at OL.

The idea that offensive linemen aren’t, or won’t be, available in the portal is nonsense and just revisionist history for people who don’t want to admit our coaches screwed up by not adding anyone to the OL this year.  

In fact, one IOL from Wisconsin entered the portal today and was discussed in the 'Portal Kombat' thread in the Recruiting forum.

[XYZ 2154]

3 hours ago, Augustus said:

There were reasonable people here and there on Surly and other Texas message boards prior to the season, but there's been a lot of forgotten confidence/predictions that were nothing but wishcasting.

I tried to comment that Texas had an enormous, glaring, difficult-to-overstate problem along the offensive line, and that the hype the defensive line was getting before the season was ridiculous, and in response my brother told the entire family that I literally fucked a goat at our uncle's farm when we were in elementary school.  My trans-nephew actually believed this and secretly told me not to be ashamed, I was just a kid.  

Every fanbase goes crazy with the optimism upon a new coaching hire, regardless of any relevant history.  And then they do it again each August afterward.  It's in our DNA as cfb fanatics.

If Texas is smart, they'll keep Sark well beyond 5-7 years.  You badly need some stability and some very real patience.  

Well, did you?

[dcar00 14023]

3 hours ago, elguapo said:

This thread is hilarious. Strong was a total disaster his first season at Texas and basically no one was writing him off yet. Sark is halfway through a season where he should have beat 2 highly ranked teams and folks are ready to bail. Not sure what that says about our fanbase but it is what it is.

uh, after TCU I was pretty much writing him off.  Arkansas was just icing on the shit sundae.  he had no chance after that.

wrote Herman off after Maryland 2 Electric Boogaloo.

I don't think he's the guy but if he goes and gets a real DC after this season he might have a chance.

OU and OSU are highly ranked because they play in a shitty conference.  they are completely flawed teams.  we just happen to suck worse.

[MaybeACoordinator 8349]

9 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

Someone did this on another thread.  Tons of attrition, what's left is JAGs.  The 2018 class didn't have nearly as much attrition, supplies many of today's starters, but you can't help but think most of them are pretty much JAGs, but might have been better with better coaching/development.  Very few/no sure-fire stars.

I bet you can do this all day with our "top ranked" classes for the last 10 years or so.

Can we admit that maybe Charlie was a better talent evaluator that Herman? Think of the other guys that would be in the league he managed to get through three years at UT who were total stoners -- Holton Hill and that other dude --  and flamed out of the NFL for that reason. Given time, we were headed toward being DBU again, but that was not going to happen because of Charlie's other shortcomings and the roster he'd been left behind. 

1 hour ago, USNALonghorn said:

This bears repeating.

Strong 7 games into season: 3-4

Losses:

7-41 BYU

17-20 UCLA (backup QB)

7-28 rape

26-31 OU

Losses to close out that year:

0-23 K State

10-48 TCU

7-31 Arkansas (developed a new unit of measure)

 

It also bears repeating that the OL Charlie was left by Mack, after Espinosa went down in the first game of the season, makes this bunch of chucklefucks look like a Vincent Lombardi road grader unit. 

And the difference between Tyrone Swoopes and Casey Thompson is not small. I've had respected posters on this site tell me that having David Ash at QB would not have helped Charlie win 8 in his first year and maybe nine in his second. The recruiting would have been better than it was under Herman. I highly doubt there would have been a USF style implosion because of sheer talent. He probably would have been fired in year five or six for not winning conference or losing some games he should have won, but the program would not be in as bad a shape as it is right now, because he would have left a more talented roster behind for Sark to rebuild from. His track record at Louisville proves that. 

Y'all -- you still don't seem to get we are still digging out from the fucking smoking crater of a program Mack left behind. Look at who is in the NFL now. Look at who went to the NFL from Mack's last half dozen or so classes. Who on this roster seems destined for a long NFL career aside from Bijan? 

Nobody.

We've been having to throw out raw and green DBs and OL for a decade now, and you can't win at an elite level with one of those against you, much less both. 

It's about talent evaluation first and foremost, scheming around that talent second, talent development third. And yes it's about stability of coaching so that the elite talent wants to sign with you, so you can scheme around it and develop and then win some fucking football games. 

Sark does not excite me too much, but I don't believe he is a fraud, either, and I do think he is capable of taking us back to a Mack-like level and if he finds another elite QB of VY-like stature, he is as capable of winning an NC as, um, Gene Chizik was, so long as he gets out of his way. His doctrinaire "I don't like running QBs" stance seems stubborn, though, especially at the college level. 

[dcar00 14023]

1 hour ago, VinyVango said:

Sark's staff pulled in quite a few portal players... we got a star WR, a very good backup RB, a good backup CB, and a LB who may end up being pretty good... and we took a shot at several defensive ends/edges who came from big name schools (and were apparently let go from those schools for good reason) and have not really impressed.

The portal is not a starter farm unless you are a downstream school like Rice or SMU getting kids who played at bigger power schools.  It's rare to find a star lineman (offensive of defensive) and not very common even finding a Power 5 starter in the portal.  I think the portal is better for locating skill players who are stuck behind superstars.  Things may change with the NIL cash in years to come, but in the past most linemen in the portal are usually too injured, too dumb, too moody, or too damn average to step in and start for a team like Texas.  If the rumors about Donovan Jackson or the Brocks are true, the portal may be better for o-linemen this coming year and I guarantee you that Texas will be in the bidding.

Beard did a great job with the b-ball portal.  I'm pumped to see how he puts all the new pieces together.  But basketball is a different beast than football.

I'm not happy with the inconsistency, and hate our oline and defensive end/edge play currently, but gotta give Sark a reasonable amount of time before you throw the rope over the tree limb for him.  I suspect any portal WRs, O-linemen, and defensive ends worth a look will be getting one... we'll see how it pans out for 2022.

eh, he failed in recognizing his OL was shit.  you could get 2 decent OL from the portal that would be better than Karic, Jones for sure and potentially Majors/Okafor.  I'm not saying Majors has done a bad job at all but he's a RS Frosh.

I'll give you Worthy and Krobinson(if we actually give him the ball).

he's gonna get his chance to fix the OL because he will be here 4 years at least.

[dcar00 14023]

2 minutes ago, MaybeACoordinator said:

 

Sark does not excite me too much, but I don't believe he is a fraud, either, and I do think he is capable of taking us back to a Mack-like level and if he finds another elite QB of VY-like stature, he is as capable of winning an NC as, um, Gene Chizik was, so long as he gets out of his way. His doctrinaire "I don't like running QBs" stance seems stubborn, though, especially at the college level. 

Charlie took the smoking crater and lobbed in another MOAB.

I am kind of hoping his scheme comment was a bit about himself as well.  He needs Casey to run when the pass plays break down to extend drives, or maybe call a draw/delay run.  Its the one thing the D can't really account for when they utilize their resources to stop Worthy and Bijan and make adjustments in the second half.  I am not saying Casey needs to go VY at all.

IMO, it is no coincidence that our one TD in the second half against OSU came after Casey ran for a first on 2nd and 10(I think).  that drive goes nowhere if we end up 3rd and 10(or worse with a sack).

Casey running doesn't depend on a WR to catch the ball or Casey to make a good throw.  I also believe it opens up the field as well for the receivers when the D has to at least think about it.

you get a real OL and Arch in here sure have it, for now, work with what you got.

 

[Had Enough 2054]

There’s several things at work here.

One, Anderson and Braun were graduate transfers. They were transferring for different reasons. Both coming from solid academic institutions. Both mature, both experienced and neither transferring due to lack of playing or disputes with coaches or other potential character considerations. That’s very different than a mass exodus including an OT from Tennessee. Morris hasn’t exactly set the world on fire either. That’s also different than some Wisconsin dude hitting the portal mid-season.

Now Saban May have been the brains of the operation, but that does not preclude Flood and our offensive staff from gaining an understanding on the physical and mental traits necessary and whether in their opinion the current guys meet their standard.
So maybe they were justified standing firm with what they have.

Cohesion and continuity are important. Not only from a personnel but a scheme standpoint. We’re still somewhat young in spots. And we’re not 5 stars across the board, but our guys aren’t drooling and rubbing shit in their hair either. We were improving then Okafor went down. We’ve been moving guys around ever since which just happens to coincide with two solid opponents.

There also might be a culture consideration. Every portal guy we brought in had some ties to our staff. Worthy was simply a recruit so I’d consider him a different situation than guys typically available in the portal. This staff likely wants to win now, but they also are concerned with building a culture.

When we were putting up points versus OU and OSU, the Oline was very much on point. And at times, they’ve been very not so good too. Vs Tech and Rice they were damn good for much of the game. And here’s a screenshot of a 3 and out in which it was very much not their fault that we didn’t convert on this particular play. It’s not the QBs fault we lost to OU, but I don’t think Thompson made a single off schedule play. That’s pretty uncommon.




So as we roll into this final part of the season I think we’ll have a good indication of where we’re headed. The bye week should allow us to regroup and potentially get some more consistency. They’re capable of being a solid unit. But y’all go ahead and focus on the 5 (maybe it’s 1 or 2 more) really shitty plays they have each game and act as though they don’t do much worth a damn. And no, those 5 plays are not acceptable, but they do some damn good stuff and do it often.

[jetsfan76 697]

So, you're saying Baylor, 38 - 20?

[Enemy07 281]

Bros. Its not about stars and schemes. Its about recruiting hogs on the line. Are we recruiting Casey Studdards or Chris Halls? Hehe

[Enemy07 281]

Texas needs some more dogs in the fight. Not some dam meows. 

[A’Dam Psycho 1469]

Is bringing a winless team to 8 wins in 5 years a bad thing? I don’t really understand the 8-9 wins is his ceiling crowd. He won 9 games year one at probation stricken USC program. Making snap decisions just by looking at his overall record without context is lazy and short-sighted imo

[jetsfan76 697]

I think the reason for the snap decision is that we're all sick and fucking tired of, "next year is our year!"

[Hermanator 6916]

Might need to reassign Pete if there's a defensive coach worth elevating. The defense has been so poor in 2nd halves. Might also signal a need for change at S&C

[Thatguy 8478]

16 hours ago, torre said:

Yet these undersized, walkon misfits you describe led OU and OKSt by substantial margins only to lose - and you say we don't have cause to question a defensive coordinator who is apparently married to a scheme over the players on his roster ?     Whose defense set a record for permitting the greatest comeback in the Texas/OU series ?

The defensive coordinator who had a OU freshman QB with a 3rd and 19 and chose not to pressure with even a corner blitz  ? 

  I will say it til I am blue in the face. What DC you know changes schemes? They run what they know. They may call different plays, but PK isn't suddenly going to change into Patterson.

[Thatguy 8478]

5 hours ago, dcar00 said:

Charlie took the smoking crater and lobbed in another MOAB.

I am kind of hoping his scheme comment was a bit about himself as well.  He needs Casey to run when the pass plays break down to extend drives, or maybe call a draw/delay run.  Its the one thing the D can't really account for when they utilize their resources to stop Worthy and Bijan and make adjustments in the second half.  I am not saying Casey needs to go VY at all.

IMO, it is no coincidence that our one TD in the second half against OSU came after Casey ran for a first on 2nd and 10(I think).  that drive goes nowhere if we end up 3rd and 10(or worse with a sack).

Casey running doesn't depend on a WR to catch the ball or Casey to make a good throw.  I also believe it opens up the field as well for the receivers when the D has to at least think about it.

you get a real OL and Arch in here sure have it, for now, work with what you got.

 

   I think Sark means he doesn't call QB runs. I am sure they are just fine with a QB tucking it when there is nowhere to go.

[Thatguy 8478]

21 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

This is kind of an interesting concept.  We've been frustrated in the past both by coaches that stuck to a scheme seemingly without regard to talent or the opponents (Herman, several coordinators) and by those with seemingly no schematic preference (Mack, except for a partiality to the run game).  At times, like these, we've pined for the coach that can "make chicken salad out of chicken shit."  And, we thought Mack would have been a better coach if he picked a scheme and recruited to it.

On the one hand, the adaptability of the "chickenshit" coach seems desirable; on the other, it does seem that some of the best coaches have their schemes, use them pretty rigidly, and recruit to them.

However, should a HFC be that rigid?  

    This is just who coaches are. Greg Davis ran a pro style offense when he got here. When they got VY all they did was basically stay in 11 personnel and then ad zone read to it. The blocking schemes and protections largely remained the same. Tweaked it a little for Colt as far as the routes we ran out of it, and going 4 wide. That was the adjustments after all the years he was here. When Mack really wanted to change schemes he brought in a different coach. Saban has been at Bama for 14 years and run his 3-4 base the entire time. The only tweaks he has made has been to get slimmer at LB to handle the spread and run more nickel. Urban Meyer ran the same shit from BG, through Utah and UF, all the way to OSU. QB run heavy power spread. Patterson has run his 4-2-5 for pretty much his entire career.

  If any of those coaches came here we wouldn't see them change schemes. What we would see is a shitty first year or two followed by them filling out the roster with the kind of guys who fit what they do and pushing on. The difference is THOSE coaches are successful so the trust that they would get it righted would be there.

[Thatguy 8478]

18 hours ago, jinx said:

I'm not calling for anyone's head, but I am significantly less interested in following this season.  Mainly due to the horrific ways in which we have decided to lose games this season. That gives me major concern that we have hired the wrong guy once again.

Your last paragraph is spot on, and one of the best reasons for joining the SEC. The SEC as monopolized the game on recruiting in the trenches, with the Big 10 being the only other conference in the same neighborhood.

I do have to say it has been tough to watch Rhule and now Aranda turn Baylor into a tough fundamentally sound team to contrast the soft baby shit that we put on the field. Baylor / Okie State / Iowa State does not have better talent than us. They are just better coached.

But there is something to be said for continuity. Let's hope Sark and crew have the ability to turn this thing around. 

    One of the things I would like to remind you guys is this. Baylor and Texas are two different kinds of programs. Baylor gets a guy he is there all 4 years, sometimes 5 depending on the redshirt. Texas gets a guy and if he is playing well he is gone year 3. So those programs have much more continuity than we do. I want you to think about something. How much better would we be if Sterns, Eagles, Black, Ossai, Graham, Epps, Cosmi, Ehlinger were here? Because all of those guys could've played another season. The O-line would be competent with Cosmi there. Sam doesn't fold late in those games. Receivers wouldn't get muscled at the line of scrimmage. Our D-line would be a highlight again, and safety play would be good. We would likely have 1 loss instead of 3, and be undefeated in the conference. Something to be said for upperclassmen and continuity.

 

[Thatguy 8478]

18 hours ago, dcar00 said:

you are correct.  Sark hired the wrong Pac12 DC.

   That is entirely possible

[NoName 16271]

3 hours ago, Hermanator said:

Might need to reassign Pete if there's a defensive coach worth elevating. The defense has been so poor in 2nd halves. Might also signal a need for change at S&C

[Burt Macklin 18988]

13 hours ago, burdine said:

I'm encouraged by:

• the attempt to build an impressive staff with developmental chops esp. compared to Herman and Strong staffs
• the quick starts in games show strong preparation focus and knowledge of opponents and not just going "to do what we do"
• the consistent attempts to feed playmakers on offense
• the use of motion to help the QB
• seeing the defense seriously attempt to course correct by playing more single high and actual 3-4 this past game
• the aggressiveness to go get Xavier Worthy at a position of need
• the overall level of recruiting success in 2022 
• the demonstrated ability to be explosive on offense in spite of our limited weapons
• special teams has been a net plus

I'm discouraged by:

• the stubbornness on defense to run a scheme that pretty obviously didn't fit our best talent
• the whole dang Arkansas game, they are decent but they whipped us
• the slow start to OL recruiting, our biggest position of need
• the inability to craft a Big 12 average OL during the offseason
• we have one of the best players in all of CFB and we are 4-3

 

I guess overall my expectation is that coaches will make mistakes along the way and their tenures will mostly be defined by their ability to course correct quickly and reliably (think Saban having Major as his first OC in 2007).

We have not had a "magical" first season which was semi-possible with a bit of luck but I am now watching to see what changes Sark makes to address any mistakes and take this team forward.

I think Sark is a reasonable bet to succeed here but no sure thing.

To my mind, I like what he has done to this point more than what Herman and Strong had done to this point specifically I like this staff much better than either of those coach's first staffs. 

The offense, Sark's specialty, is markedly more explosive even with mostly Herman's players.

But there have clearly been missteps as well.

Just have to see how it plays out.

 

His nickname is Seven Win Steve for a reason. The guy has 6 years of being a P5 HC at very good programs and he’s shown everyone he’s mediocre at best and 8 wins is his ceiling.
 

Stop trying to put Charlie Strong levels of spin on this and just accept the University of fucking Texas thought Seven Win Steve was the best they could do. 

[Pig Bellmont 8679]

17 minutes ago, Burt Macklin said:

His nickname is Seven Win Steve for a reason. The guy has 6 years of being a P5 HC at very good programs and he’s shown everyone he’s mediocre at best and 8 wins is his ceiling.
 

Stop trying to put Charlie Strong levels of spin on this and just accept the University of fucking Texas thought Seven Win Steve was the best they could do. 

you know I think you’re right. No coach has ever achieved different or better results over the years. Once you have a sample size of a few seasons that’s all you ever need to accurately predict their future win totals. 

[burdine 522]

30 minutes ago, Burt Macklin said:

His nickname is Seven Win Steve for a reason. The guy has 6 years of being a P5 HC at very good programs and he’s shown everyone he’s mediocre at best and 8 wins is his ceiling.
 

Stop trying to put Charlie Strong levels of spin on this and just accept the University of fucking Texas thought Seven Win Steve was the best they could do. 

Anything specific you want to add or subtract from my list other than his record at Washington and USC?

I guess I see improvement on offense, Sark's area of expertise, despite limited OL and WR play.

Defense has been a pretty big disappointment and is the biggest negative so far I think.

[Nivek 16807]

Dirty martini with Bombay Sapphire  

Utah, gimme 2

[Jester 382]

34 minutes ago, Burt Macklin said:

His nickname is Seven Win Steve for a reason. The guy has 6 years of being a P5 HC at very good programs and he’s shown everyone he’s mediocre at best and 8 wins is his ceiling.
 

Stop trying to put Charlie Strong levels of spin on this and just accept the University of fucking Texas thought Seven Win Steve was the best they could do. 

Not saying you’re wrong, but shit. You know who had 43 wins in their first 6 seasons as a HC?  Saban. And he wasn’t a raging alcoholic at the time.

It’s not Charlie Strong levels of spin here to give some time before jumping to a “Sark sucks and will always suck” conclusion.  Same as using my above ‘stat’ to say he will be as good as Saban. 
 

let’s see what the guy does in the portal and his staff during the off-season. 

[Nivek 16807]

  You guys can get quite ridiculous at times. Change schemes? What OC or DC you know changes schemes?

Greg Davis

[Hermanator 6916]

3 hours ago, NoName said:

Maybe not mid season unless this completely implodes but after the season I'd look at who's available. He has underachieved big time and his defenses fall apart once opponents adjust to them. He's gotten shredded by backup QBs multiple times already this season. He's a small time west coast guy who doesn't appear to be a good fit here much less in the SEC if it happens after this season. 

[burdine 522]

More support for our offense being improved.

We rate by this guy's metric as "efficient, likes to run"

 

[Dbeasy 14953]

It’s too premature to label Sark as an average coach, because of his drinking problem at previous head coaching stops. We will know by middle of next year what we’ve really got. It certainly doesn’t look great so far. 

Im curious who LSU and USC pick up and whether they will have immediate success. If they do, that will be a major dick punch. I’m still pissed Strong didn’t go after Lincoln Riley as OC. He was discussed on this board extensively as a potential option. If Strong and UT had done just a small bit of research they would have discovered how talented he was.