Media/$9.95-er postgame analysis articles (Week 1)

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Collecting post-game analysis articles regarding the Louisiana game here:

(Taylor Estes) FINAL: Texas handles business against Louisiana in 38-18 win

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No. 21 ranked Texas football makes its long awaited return to the gridiron Saturday afternoon when the Longhorns take on No. 23 ranked Louisiana-Lafayette in the 2021 season opener. Texas enters the game as a 9-point favorite over the Ragin' Cajuns and will look to start the Steve Sarkisian era off on the right foot Saturday inside Darrell K Royal - Texas Memorial Stadium. Horns247 is live on the scene and will provide in-game updates from Saturday's season opener throughout the day in this thread.

PREGAME

Texas appears to have all of the starters available for the game. One injury to note is true freshman running back Jonathon Brooks will not be available for Saturday's game.

FIRST QUARTER

8:08 left in Q1: Louisiana is the first to strike against the Longhorns. After the Ragin' Cajuns drove down the field, the Texas defense stopped the Louisiana offense and forced the Ragin Cajuns to settle for a field goal.

Louisiana 3, Texas 0 (Ragin' Cajuns' scoring summary: 8 plays, 42 yards, 4:16 used)

2:25 left in Q1: Texas is on the board. Sophomore running back Bijan Robinson scored the first touchdown of the 2021 season for Texas when redshirt freshman QB Hudson Card connected with Robinson on a left-side pass that Robinson took 18 yards for a touchdown.

Texas 7, Louisiana 3 (Longhorns' scoring summary: 11 plays, 70 yards, 5:43 used)

SECOND QUARTER

2:00 left in Q2: Texas has extended its lead over Louisiana. Card led the Longhorns on a 14-play drive that took 7:45 off the clock, which ended with the redshirt QB connecting with senior tight end Cade Brewer for a 6-yard touchdown.

Texas 14, Louisiana 3 (Longhorns' scoring summary: 14 plays, 72 yards, 7:45 used)

0:00 left in Q2: Louisiana cut the Longhorns' lead after the Ragin' Cajuns hit a 48-yard field goal as time expired at the end of the first half.

Texas 14, Louisiana 6 (Ragin' Cajuns' scoring summary: 9 plays, 44 yards, 2:00 used)

THIRD QUARTER

11:48 left in Q3: Texas has extended the lead over Louisiana. The Longhorns took the opening drive of the third quarter down the field on the Ragin' Cajuns on a drive that ended with RB Bijan Robinson running in for an 7-yard rushing touchdown.

Texas 21, Louisiana 6 (Longhorns' scoring summary: 8 plays, 65 yards, 3:12 used)

5:50 left in Q3: Louisiana has cut the Longhorns' lead. After Texas went up 21-6 on the Ragin' Cajuns in the third quarter, Louisiana answered when the Ragin' Cajuns ran in a 27-yard touchdown, which followed by a blocked PAT by Texas.

Texas 21, Louisiana 12 (Ragin' Cajuns' scoring summary: 12 plays, 79 yards, 5:52 used)

2:43 left in Q3: Card has answered the Ragin' Cajuns' latest touchdown. The redshirt freshman QB led the offense 48 yards down the field and capped off the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run to extend the Longhorns' lead.

Texas 28, Louisiana 12 (Longhorns' scoring summary: 6 plays, 48 yards, 3:06 used)

FOURTH QUARTER

12:24 left in Q4: The Longhorns are rolling. After Card went 14 of 21 for 224 yards and two touchdowns, Sarkisian decided to put junior QB Casey Thompson in the game and the quarterback answered. The Texas back field helped get the offense into Louisiana territory and Thompson took over from there when he connected with wide receiver Jordan Whittington for a 14-yard touchdown pass.

Texas 35, Louisiana 12 (Longhorns' scoring summary: 10 plays, 83 yards, 3:46 used)

9:31 left in Q4: Louisiana is back in the game. The Ragin' Cajuns drove down the field on the Longhorns' defense and capped off the scoring drive with a a 19-yard touchdown pass by QB Levi Lewis, though a failed two-point conversion made it a six-point scoring drive.

Texas 35, Louisiana 18 (Ragin' Cajuns' scoring summary: 9 plays, 75 yards, 2:53 used)

6:12 left in Q4: Dicker the Kicker is back in action. After missing an earlier field goal attempt in the first half, kicker Cameron Dicker helped extend the Longhorns' lead when he sailed a 49-yard field goal through the uprights in the fourth quarter.
1250COMMENTS

Texas 38, Louisiana 18 (Longhorns' scoring summary: 6 plays, 18 yards, 3:15 used)

FINAL: Texas 38, Louisiana 18

(Justin Wells) Post Game: No. 21 Texas 38, No. 21 Louisiana 18

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Behind the legs of Bijan Robinson, the hands of Jordan Whittington, and the arm of Hudson Card, Texas beats a scrappy Louisiana squad, 38-18. It was also Steve Sarkisian’s first win as head coach at Texas.

Cody Daniel: Initial thoughts from No. 21 Texas’ 38-18 win over No. 23 Louisiana

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The Steve Sarkisian era is officially started on a positive note, as the No. 21 Texas Longhorns had relatively few issues en route to a 38-18 win over the No. 23 Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns. Here’s a few early takeaways from Texas’ first appearance of the season.

Bijan Robinson is, indeed, still really good at football. Robinson entered the year with expectations of breaking out as a true star for the Texas offense, and so far, so good. After often being underutilized in 2020, Robinson turned a career-high 24 total touches — 20 rushing, four receiving — into 176 yards, including 103 on the ground, and two touchdowns. His burst and effortless rushing ability was evident time and time again, and as expected in Sark’s offense, his impact was felt in the passing game, as well, with 73 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown — the opener score for the Horns.

Hudson Card looked composed, impressive in starting debut. After an early 1-4 start for just nine yards, Card settled in as QB1 started to take command of the offense within his role. Save for a 34-yard strike to Xavier Worthy and a 41-yard catch and run from Jordan Whittington, Card didn’t light it up downfield, but that’s actually a key part of what made his debut performance noteworthy. He didn’t force the issue and try to prove he was Texas’ true starting quarterback, but rather, he worked check-downs and crossing routes and delivered crisp, accurate passes to move the chains, and generally just took what the defense gave him. The results, of course, were especially favorable. Following that first three-and-out, Card quarterbacked what should have been five consecutive scoring drives — save to Cameron Dicker’s missed field goal — to provide Texas with a 28-12 cushion before Casey Thompson took his place towards the end of the third quarter. Not to mention, he utilized his legs for a key fourth down conversion to spark Texas’ first touchdown, and later ran one in of his own from three yards out, all while taking care of the ball and committing no turnovers. All told, Card capped an encouraging debut as the starter by completing 14-of-21 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns.

After replacing Card towards the end of the third quarter, Casey Thompson completed 4-of-5 attempts for 41 yards and a touchdown to Whittington.

A healthy Jordan Whittington is a good Jordan Whittington. After entering the season with just 223 career receiving yards, Whittington got off to a great start, grabbing seven passes for a career-best 113 yards and one touchdown. But beyond the raw numbers, Whittington appeared to become Card’s security blanket early, snagging two first-down catches on a 3rd and 12 and a 3rd and 9 that allowed Texas to take a 14-3 lead, and later exploding for a 41-yard catch and run on 3rd and 11 that set up a Robinson touchdown run two plays later. A single game is such a small sample size, but the talent has always been there for the former five-star prospect. Now that he’s healthy, it appears he’s going to be a big factor.

Other general notes:

    Between Card and Thompson, Texas passed for 265 yards and three touchdowns without an interception.
    Headlined by Robinson’s 103 yards, the Texas backfield rushed for 170 yards. Roschon Johnson rushed for 27 yards, while Keilan Robinson added another 41 yards.

 

[Zeus 5950]

Fuck Chip Brown

[Hank Scorpio 17723]

We’re back?!

[The Beast 584]

7 minutes ago, Hank Scorpio said:

We’re back?!

Yes

[satyanash 14281]

(Joe Cook) Recap: Texas Longhorns 38, Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns 18

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No. 21 Texas opened up the Steve Sarkisian era of Longhorn football with a win over No. 23 Louisiana. Hudson Card passed for 224 yards and two scores, Casey Thompson passed for 41 yards and one score, and Bijan Robinson had 24 touches for 176 yards and two scores. Here’s how the game went down.

First Half

Both teams traded three-and-outs to begin the game, with the Ragin’ Cajuns three plays coming first. The Ragin’ Cajuns took advantage of their second drive thanks to chunk plays of 20, 16, and 10 yards, but Texas held up in the red zone after DeMarvion Overshown and Luke Brockermeyer recorded a sack when Louisiana was on the Longhorn 12. Louisiana kicked a field goal to take an early lead.

The ensuing possession was dominated by Bijan Robinson. Texas’ star touched the ball six times on an 11-play scoring drive, culminating in an 18-yard touchdown catch. Five plays prior, Hudson Card converted a 4th-and-6 with his legs to keep the drive alive. Texas held again on the following possession and were set up to score again after a 34-yard Card to Xavier Worthy completion on the second play of the drive. However, Cameron Dicker missed a 45-yard field goal attempt in the early portion of the second quarter.

The Ragin’ Cajun offense again failed to get much going in the Texas heat, going five plays and out. In response, Texas marched down 66 yards on its next possession, setting up a 3rd-and-6 for the Longhorns. Card found fellow Lake Travis Cavalier Cade Brewer in the end zone to make it 14-6 Longhorns with 2:00 left in the half.

Louisiana added another field goal as the half closed out on the leg of Kenneth Almendares. The drive was saved by Louisiana running back Montrell Johnson’s three-yard run on 4th-and-1 from the Ragin’ Cajun 34 with under a minute left. UL quarterback Levi Lewis helped the Louisiana offense reach the Texas 31, setting up Almendares’ kick. Texas led at halftime, 14-6.

Second Half

In contrast to the start of the game, both teams traded touchdowns to start off the second half. Card let an eight-play, 65-yard drive buoyed by a 41-yard completion to Jordan Whittington. The sophomore carried multiple defenders after contact to put Texas on the 11. Two rushes from Robinson later, the Longhorns scored to make it 21-6.

Louisiana followed up with a 12-play, 79-yard drive of its own. The Ragin’ Cajuns converted their first third down attempt of the game on the drive capped by a 27-yard rush around the right side by Chris Smith. The score remained 21-12 after Keondre Coburn blocked the point after attempt. But the Longhorns pushed the lead back to 16 points after a six-play, 48-yard drive. Louisiana tried to catch the Longhorns sleeping, but BJ Foster was ready for the trickery and recovered the attempt.

Texas drove to the Louisiana 10 thanks to an 18-yard screen pass to Robinson, but he had the ball stripped when fighting for yards. The pile-up of Ragin’ Cajuns folded him awkwardly, but he was able to walk off under his own power. Three plays later, Card scored his first career rushing touchdown with a three-yard rush. Texas held the Louisiana offense once again following the score. When the Longhorns took the field with 1:10 left in the third quarter, Casey Thompson entered at quarterback for his first series of the 2021 season.

Like his counterpart, Thompson coordinated a touchdown drive of his own. He had some help from Keilan Robinson on the drive, who rushed for 41 yards and had a 25-yard rush put Texas on the Louisiana 19. After one more 5-yard rush from Keilan Robinson, Thompson found Whittington on a screen pass. He evaded two defenders and followed a block from Marcus Washington into the end zone to make it 35-12.

Desperately needing a score, the Ragin’ Cajuns tried to move the ball through the air. They converted one 4th-and-1 attempt with a completion, then completed a 26-yard pass from Levi Lewis to Jalen Williams to put the Louisiana offense into plus territory. Several plays later, Lewis completed a short pass to Kyren Lacy, who spun out of several Longhorn tackles and made it to the end zone. The two-point attempt failed, making it 35-18 with 9:31 left.

Thompson received another series, beginning on the plus-49 following another failed onside. The Longhorns advanced 18 yards before calling on Dicker for a 49-yard attempt, which he knocked through. Louisiana fumbled in Texas territory on the next drive, but forced a Texas punt with two minutes remaining. The Ragin’ Cajuns could not score upon receiving the ball, and ran out of time thanks to a Jett Bush sack to finish the game.

 

[satyanash 14281]

 

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[satyanash 14281]

James Fletcher III: Bob Stoops painfully says Steve Sarkisian, Texas will get the job done

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There is nothing harder than addressing the success of a rival. Former Oklahoma head coach and current Fox Big Noon Kickoff analyst Bob Stoops painfully faced that situation on Saturday. During the college football show, Stoops talked about the trajectory of Texas football and the recent hire of Steve Sarkisian. “Yeah, this isn’t easy for me to say,” Stoops said. “It kind of pains me to say it. I believe they’re gonna have a strong year. I believe it’s going to start today against a really good Louisiana team.”

He continued: “They’re going to be a strong team. I believe [Sarkisian has] hired a strong staff. They have top-10 recruiting classes here for the last 10-20 years. And I look first to the defense. Their new coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski is a really strong defensive coordinator and is proven and has done well.”

Stoops expects the biggest difference to come on offense, where Sarkisian has made a name for himself. The former Pac-12 head coach and Alabama coordinator brings a group of Alabama coaches with him, including new offensive coordinator Kyle Flood and quarterback coach A.J. Milwee. “And you got Steve Sarkisian as an offensive coordinator, a play-caller, and as quarterback coach,” Stoops said. “He’s had great success and I believe with a couple of young quarterbacks, Hudson Card and Casey Thompson, he’ll do a good job with them.”

More comments from Bob Stoops

Stoops had compliments for Sarkisian, but not without taking a couple of jabs at the Longhorns. The former Oklahoma coach previously talked about Sarkisian on Fox Sports’ Big Noon Kickoff livestream in August.

“I think Steve Sarkisian is a heck of a football coach,” Stoops said. “For Texas, I feel like the biggest difference is you look at Oklahoma and we’ve won 90% of Big 12 championships. I equate it back to quarterback play. You look at coach Sarkisian’s history and background with quarterbacks, he’s been highly successful. You look at his offensive acumen when he was an offensive coordinator, highly successful. I think that’s been the biggest difference between OU and Texas over a good number of years: we’ve had the quarterbacks. At any level of football, that matters. That guy makes such a big difference.”

Since 1996, Oklahoma has won 14 Big 12 championships compared to three for the Longhorns. The Sooners have had four Heisman-winning quarterbacks in that span while Texas has none (running back Ricky Williams in 1998 is the last Longhorns player to win the trophy). Oklahoma nearly had three quarterbacks in a row win the award, but Jalen Hurts finished second in 2019. Stoops went 11-7 against Texas in the Red River Rivalry over 18 seasons as the head coach at Oklahoma. His replacement Lincoln Riley is 3-1 against the Longhorns in four seasons, including a four-overtime thriller in 2020.

 

[satyanash 14281]

(Ian Boyd) Five Quick Thoughts: Steve Sarkisian goes 1-0

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Texas had a great start to the year. Week 1 can be finicky, just ask the Longhorns’ rivals up to the north who had to sweat out a drive by Tulane after yielding an onside kick. The Sooners eked out a 40-35 victory. Similarly, Iowa State was up to their usual Week 1 nonsense, hanging on for a 16-10 win against Northern Iowa. Texas’ Week 2 opponent, Arkansas, had a nasty scare against Texas’ Week 3 opponent, the Rice Owls, before pulling away. Things are sloppy and a teams’ sense of themselves, how to win games, and simply how to execute their gameplan at a fundamental level is rarely worse than it is in Week 1.

For all those reasons, it was a positive sign for Texas to play a relatively clean game, whip the Ragin Cajuns, and cover the spread. Texas’ expected strengths looked like strengths and their feared weaknesses were apparent but not crippling. Louisiana was fairly sharp, they weren’t giving the game away to Texas, they were just overmatched by a team with superior talent who demonstrated said talent on the field.

Steve Sarkisian and his staff got a lot of their players on the field, including finding several drives for Casey Thompson with the game more or less in hand but Louisiana still playing to win it. There won’t be any quarterback controversies based on the events of this game but both played very well.

Quick thought no. 1: #DontCareGotBijan

The Texas run game wasn’t just astounding in Week 1. They had a slow start with Bijan Robinson getting only 38 yards rushing on 10 carries in the first half before the flow of the game and the Texas heat had drained the Cajun defense of the fight they needed to hold up in the trenches.

It was a much more varied run game than we’ve seen from Texas in quite some time. They had a few pin and pull outside runs, two different varieties in fact, some counter runs, and then the expected inside/outside zone combination. Kyle Flood’s crew majored in outside zone as expected and Texas flashed a lot of potential within the scheme but haven’t put it all together just yet.

Bijan is clearly deadly when he can threaten the perimeter of the defense and set up cutbacks, he got loose in the second half in the outside zone game and finished with 103 yards on 20 carries at 5.3 ypc with a touchdown run. Some of his most impressive work was actually as a receiver, he scored the first touchdown of the Sarkisian era on a well disguised mesh concept (running the wheel route) and also regularly flexed out. Hudson Card found him on a glance route from the slot and Bijan finished with four catches for 73 yards and another touchdown.

All told, Bijan had 24 touches, 176 yards, and two touchdowns. #BellCow

Quick thought no. 2: Fantastic opener for Hudson Card

The Texas O-line also had some issues early in pass protection. Nothing surprising, particularly in Week 1 with new schemes, but they weren’t playing clean early and Card saw a lot of pressure. He took a few sacks but also completed 14-21 passes for 224 yards at 10.2 ypa with two touchdown passes and zero interceptions. As the wise adage goes on quarterback play, pick two of the following three outcomes, high YPA numbers, low sack rate, low interception rate. You can’t achieve all three, either the quarterback is holding onto the ball and taking a sack when things aren’t going great or he’s forcing the ball and risking a turnover.

Card was able to make plays with his feet, scrambling or buying time to find a receiver, on multiple occasions and protected the ball well from turnovers while landing some real shots in the passing game.

His touchdown pass to Cade Brewer was a laser into a tight window, then he also added a touchdown run with his feet on a zone-bluff read play. The Longhorns appeared to be running split zone but Card read the backside end and instead of trapping the end, Cade Brewer lead around the edge for Card on for a score on the keeper read. After removing sack yardage (three sacks), Card had three carries for 13 yards and a touchdown. One of the other carries was a successful conversion on 4th-and-six when Card scrambled.

Thompson was also sharp, going 4-5 with 41 yards at 8.2 ypa with a touchdown pass when he hit Jordan Whittington on a bubble screen off split zone (again!) and J-Whitt overpowered a worn down Cajun defense for a touchdown.

Quick thought no. 3: Ovie Oghoufo is the top pass-rusher

The Notre Dame transfer end/linebacker, Ovie Oghoufo, got a lot of action in this game. He played at Sam linebacker in base defense and then regularly subbed in for Ray Thornton at “Buck” end (the weakside edge), particularly on third downs. He had a terrific sack on Louisiana quarterback Levi Lewis where he simply whipped his man around the edge and landed the big, blindside hit.

Overall the Texas pass-rush was really promising in this game against a very veteran offensive line. Defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowksi was working the 2-4-5 defense with all of it’s opportunities for “creeper” zone blitzes where the defense can overwhelm a weak spot in the protection while only sending four pass-rushers and leaving seven in coverage to execute a base coverage.

One of his best tricks in this game was taking advantage of how Louisiana had to double or triple team the Texas nose tackles to protect their smaller center Shane Vallot. PK would either bring or show double A-gap blitzes bringing Luke Brockermeyer and DeMarvion Overshown through the interior against a unit trying to get bodies on Keondre Coburn and the other nose tackles. Then he’d drop both edges back into coverage, leaving a seven man base coverage. Texas had three sacks on the game. One by Oghoufo, one by Brock and DMO in tandem on a double A-gap blitz (in the red zone, forcing a field goal), and then one more by Jack Jett Bush to close the game.

Quick thought no. 4: The defense met expectations. ULL<20 points

It was a great first game by the new Texas defense. When this scheme is working properly, what you’ll tend to see is endless check downs throw into the flats with offensive success determined by their ability to make tacklers miss in space and to work their way down the field. At the end of the day, for all the cleverness in personnel deployment, blitzing, and pattern-matching, at its heart this is an old school Cover 3 defense designed to keep the ball in front and go tackle. That’s exactly what Texas did today.

Levi Lewis was checking down early and often, leading to a final line of 28-40 for 282 yards, 7.1 ypa, and one touchdown to zero picks. The Cajuns were throwing early and often but they couldn’t land any kill shots in the process. Meanwhile, Texas thwarted multiple long drives with red zone sacks and a forced fumble from a big hit by cornerback Darion Dunn in the flat (check down). Those red zone stops allowed Texas to meet PK’s goal of holding the opponent under 20 points.

It wasn’t a perfect game, there will be issues to clean up, but they are playing sound football very quickly in this scheme. Jahdae Barron nearly had a pick from a deep 1/3 breaking on a pass and there’s going to be a lot of potential for this team to rack up sacks or interceptions (remember the adage on quarterback play) against less patient quarterbacks who don’t scramble or check down as well as Lewis.

Quick thought no. 5: Sarkisian goes 1-0

You could scarcely have scripted a better (realistic) opening game for Sarkisian and his staff. They won, and they won convincingly in a manner which allowed them to play a lot of players. The overall strategy in the game was very strong. Defensively they were keen to make the most of their matchup against the Louisiana center with some run fronts and blitzes designed to attack the Cajuns. Offensively they mixed in some pro-style passing sets which really tore up the Louisiana defense.

Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson’s comfort with flexing out, as well as the comfort level of the tight ends doing the same, allowed Sark to mix in some empty formations which matched up Jordan Whittington on the interior defenders for the Cajuns. Whittington torched the Cajuns on third downs, converting four as Texas went 8-15 on the day (ULL was 4-13). His ability to run crossing patterns and change direction was a real handful and Sark had him schemed into ideal spaces and matchups. It’s the same smart approach to maximizing the slot on third down Tom Herman brought, not lost in the coaching transition.

Texas was also good about rotating bodies early. When Billy Napier was chasing onside kicks in the second half it was much about keeping his defense off the field as it was an attempt to cut into the lead. The Cajuns ran out of gas trying to keep up with the Longhorns’ size and rotations in the heat. It was a complete victory in every phase against a solid opponent. Next week we’ll see if they can do it again in a SEC atmosphere.

 

[satyanash 14281]

 

[satyanash 14281]

Bobby Burton: Snap Judgments

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What a strong first-game performance. From Sark. From Kwiatkowski. From Bijan. From Card. This was a team win.

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Fact: The Horns not only scored more points against Louisiana than any team did a year ago. The Horns also allowed fewer points than any team that Louisiana played last year.

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Hudson Card answered the call. Any questions about his ability or Steve Sarkisian’s decision to make him the starter is out the window. Third-and-long no longer seems like the wing and a prayer that Tom Herman made it.

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Bijan’s TD reception was as wide open as any Texas player has been in the last 10 years.

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Roschon Johnson’s leap on a third-down conversion may have been the most outstanding individual play of the game.

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Jordan Whittington made multiple third-down grabs. Marcus Washington should get an assist on Whittington’s catch-and-run TD because of an excellent block.

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Texas was well coached on both sides of the ball. While there were some penalties, specifically too many holds on the OL, the team played solid football all around. Even on special teams, the Horns were ready for a squib kick in the third quarter after Louisiana had just scored.

**

I’m not saying this game was perfect. Far from it. But if you didn’t have a smile after you left the stadium or turned off the TV today, then I’m not sure what to tell you. Texas has a QB. They have reasonable talent overall. And they have a good coaching staff.

 

[Viper 12030]

2 hours ago, satyanash said:

(Ian Boyd) Five Quick Thoughts: Steve Sarkisian goes 1-0

 

Ian Boyd's "Quick Thoughts": 1581 words

[Acropora 856]

2 hours ago, satyanash said:

(Ian Boyd) Five Quick Thoughts: Steve Sarkisian goes 1-0

 

Quick thoughts: Ian Boyd::fast db: Leon O'Neal

[satyanash 14281]

Chip Brown: The Good, Bad and Ugly from Texas' 38-18 victory over No. 23 Louisiana

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Sure, there are things Steve Sarkisian and his coaching staff can get on the Longhorns about in practice this week, but there are also a lot of reasons to celebrate a 38-18 victory over No. 23 Louisiana in Sarkisian’s debut Saturday. Winning games Texas is supposed to win was a problem for the Longhorns last two coaches. So credit Sarkisian and his staff for handling that with another game UT will be expected to win next week at Arkansas.

"I loved it. There’s nothing like winning," Sarkisian said. "We put in a lot of work. Whether it’s the coaching staff, the players, the support staff - it takes a lot of effort to put on a performance like this. To have zero turnovers on offense. We had a couple penalties that I think we can clean up. We’re going to stay aggressive. The environment was awesome - especially with the heat - and we played a relatively clean football game. So for me, I’ll take that. We’ve got some things to build on, and hopefully we play better next week."

Redshirt freshman quarterback Hudson Card was solid in his first college start, finishing 14-of-21 passing for 224 yards and two touchdowns. "I thought he was great,” Sarkisian said. “I thought he was even-keeled, and that’s kind of how his personality to begin with. He’s not a big emotional, up-and-down kind of kid. He’s got an even keel about him. I don’t think the moment was too big for him. I’m sure there were some jitters and butterflies, naturally. I mean he wouldn’t really be a competitor if he didn’t feel that. But I never felt like he showed it. And he remained calm and made some really critical plays for us especially on third down."

Running back Bijan Robinson finished with 20 carries for 103 yards rushing (5.2 ypc) and a touchdown while posting a career-best 73 yards receiving on four receptions, including an 18-yard, catch-and-run TD. Most importantly, Robinson returned to the game after being folded up awkwardly on a tackle with 4:11 left in the third quarter. The Texas offense wore down Louisiana, scoring on touchdown drives on the Longhorns’ first three possessions of the second half, including a 14-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Casey Thompson to Jordan Whittington, who finished with seven catches for 113 yards and a TD. Thompson played from the 1:10 mark of the third quarter on - finishing 4-of-5 passing for 41 yards and one TD pass.

The Texas defense, which held Louisiana to two field goals in the first half, struggled to get off the field in two, time-consuming touchdown drives by the Ragin’ Cajuns in the second half. One was a 12-play, 79-yard drive that took 5:52 off the clock in which Louisiana converted fourth-and-1, third-and-2 and third-and-8. The drive was capped by a 27-yard touchdown run by Louisiana’s Chris Smith as linebacker David Gbenda got caught too far inside and lost containment.

The second Louisiana TD drive of the second half came in the fourth quarter and covered 75 yards in nine plays and also included a fourth-and-1 conversion as well as an explosive play for the touchdown. Levi Lewis hit Louisiana receiver Kyron Lacy in the right flat, and there were three Texas defenders between Lacy and the goal line, but Overshown, who played brilliantly most of the game, overran the play and missed the tackle, allowing Lacy to squirt free for the touchdown.

The defense finished strong, however, killing Louisiana’s final two drives by forcing a fumble (caused by cornerback Darion Dunn and recovered by Jerrin Thompson), and then killed Louisiana’s final scoring threat by getting sacks from Ray Thornton and Jett Bush on the final two plays of the game - after the Ragin Cajuns had gotten to the Texas 10.

There were costly penalties, including two illegal blocks (by Kitan Crawford and Keilan Robinson), which negated an 83-yard punt return for a touchdown by D’Shawn Jamison in the first half. Cameron Dicker hit a 49-yard field goal in the second half and missed a 45-yard field goal wide right in the first half. Dicker punted twice, averaging 51.5 yards per punt. But, overall, Texas took control of the game offensively, scoring on five straight drives from the middle of the second quarter through the middle of the fourth quarter. Texas scored on six of its nine drives in the game and got production from the players it expected to get production from.

An early coming of age moment for Card came in the second quarter as he converted four third-downs - all through the air - on a 14-play, 72-yard touchdown drive that took 7:45 off the clock. Card converted third-and-12 (on a 15-yard pass to Jordan Whittington); third-and-5 (on a 14-yard completion to Roschon Johnson, who hurdled a defender to get the final 10 yards); third-and-9 (on an 11-yard completion to Whittington after Whittington juked a defender into a rolled ankle); and on third-and-goal from the 6 for a touchdown to tight end Cade Brewer, putting Texas up 14-3 with two minutes left in the second quarter.

"I think, just for the offense in general, to be able to convert (third-down) that many times and keep the ball moving, especially early on, it as a big factor," Card said. "The third-down and fourth-down conversion rate was what was good today, and I think it was a big factor in today's game."

Texas was 8-of-15 on third down (53.3 percent) against Louisiana and 1-of-1 on fourth down as Card scrambled for 6 yards on fourth-and-6 to keep alive UT's first touchdown drive of the game (capped by an 18-yard TD pass from Card to Bijan Robinson, putting Texas up 7-3). Texas was 8-of-10 passing on third down with Card going 7-of-9 and Thompson 1-of-1 When asked about his confidence now heading into Texas' first road game - at Arkansas - next week, Card said, "Arkansas is gonna be a great team, and we're gonna dive in on them this week. Yeah, I think having this one under my belt is good. But each week and each game deserves everything in itself."

Card kept it going on Texas’ opening drive of the second half. After taking a 4-yard sack, Texas had third-and-11 from the Longhorns’ 47, and Card found Jordan Whittington for a 41-yard, catch-and-run to the ULL 12, which set up back-to-back runs by Bijan Robinson, including a 7-yard touchdown blast that put Texas up 21-6 with 11:48 left in the third quarter. Texas couldn’t establish the run like it wanted to in the first half, averaging just 2.8 yards per carry (18 carries for 51 yards) as Bijan Robinson did more damage catching the football (three receptions for 55 yards, including an 18-yard, catch-and-run TD that gave Texas a 7-3 lead in the first quarter) than he did running the ball (10 carries, 38 yards, 3.8 ypc).

But the Longhorns stayed committed to the run in the second half, and Robinson got it going, averaging 6.3 yards per carry on UT’s touchdown drive to open the second half, including a 5-yard run on third-and-2 and a 6-yard TD run to cap the drive.

After a failed onside kick by Louisiana, Robinson opened Texas’ second drive of the third quarter with a 19-yard run to the Louisiana 29 before catching a pass for 18 yards and getting folded up awkwardly on the tackle and leaving the game with 4:11 left in the third quarter. Robinson fumbled the ball on the play, and it was recovered by Joshua Moore at the ULL 10. Roschon Johnson replaced Robinson and ran twice for 7 yards before Card scored on a QB keeper on third-and-goal from the 3, putting Texas up 28-12.

Casey Thompson came into the game with 1:10 left in the third quarter and led Texas on a 10-play, 83-yard touchdown drive in which Thompson went 3-of-4 passing for 38 yards, including a 16-yard pass to Jordan Whittington on third-and-9 and a 14-yard TD pass to Whittington, putting Texas up 35-12 with 12:24 to play. Thompson also led Texas on a drive to a 49-yard, Cameron Dicker field goal with 6:16 left that put Teas up 38-18.

THE GOOD…

— Freshman receiver Xavier Worthy had a couple explosive glimpses in the game - on a 34-yard reception and 18-yard punt return - both in the first half.

— DeMarvion Overshown led Texas in tackles with 13, followed by Luke Brockermeyer (10) and Ovie Oghoufo (7).

— Texas finished with four sacks: Ray Thornton, Jett Bush and Ovie Oghoufo each had one, while Overshown and Brockermeyer combined for a sack.

— McNeese State transfer cornerback Darion Dunn forced a fumble by Louisiana running back Emani Bailey and was recovered by Jerrin Thompson at the Texas 13 with 3:36 to play.

—B.J. Foster did a nice job recovering an onside kick by Louisiana in the third quarter, when Ragin’ Cajuns’ coachBilly Napier tried to catch Texas off-guard.

— Ovie Oghoufo came off the edge for a huge, 6-yard sack on third-and-8, killing a Louisiana drive late in the third quarter.

— Keondre Coburn blocked Louisiana’s extra point attempt following the Ragin’ Cajuns’ TD drive that cut Texas’ lead to 21-12 in the third quarter.

— Bijan Robinson had four carries for 25 yards (6.3 ypc) on Texas’ touchdown drive to open the second half, including a 5-yard run on third-and-2.

— Hudson Card finished the first half 12 of 18 passing for 165 yards and two touchdowns and converted four third-downs (all by passing) on a 14-play, 72-yard touchdown drive, including his 6-yard TD pass to former Lake Travis teammate - tight end Cade Brewer - on third-and-goal from the 6 with two minutes left in the first half, putting Texas up 14-3.

— From the slot, Jordan Whittington faked a whip route and literally caused a Louisiana defender to roll his ankle as Whittington then cut back across the middle and caught a perfect pass from Card for an 11-yard gain on third-and-9 to the ULL 8 on UT’s second-quarter scoring drive.

— With Texas facing third-and-5, Roschon Johnson caught a swing pass from Card in the left flat, hurdled a defender and picked up the final 10 yards of a 14-yard completion to the ULL 20 late in the second quarter.

— Officials reviewed what was initially ruled a fumble by Card and declared it an incompletion with five minutes left in the second quarter.

— Derek Kerstetter was called for holding, forcing a first-and-18, but Texas overcame it wth a 15-yard completion from Card to Jordan Whittington on third-and-10 to the ULL 49 midway through the second quarter.

— D’Shawn Jamison cut through traffic defending a bunch route and tackled Louisiana receiver Errol Rogers for a 5-yard gain on third-and-8, forcing a punt after a three-and-out midway through the second quarter.

— On third-and-6 from the Texas 46, Bijan Robinson lined up in the slot on the right side (with Roschon Johnson lined up in the backfield) and ran a skinny post across the middle, and Card hit him in stride for a 28-yard completion to the ULL 26 early in the second quarter. That play helped Texas overcome a second-and-12 on the drive after Card was sacked for a 2-yard loss on first down.

— Xavier Worthy’s first catch as a Longhorn came on a 34-yard completion from Card on second-and-10 from the Texas 8 early in the second quarter. Worthy faked an in route and then broke up the left sideline for the catch.

— Moro Ojomo was credited with a pass breakup on second-and-9, and Louisiana quarterback Levi Lewis threw incomplete on third-and-9 as ULL receiver Peter LeBlanc dropped the pass short of the first down.

— On third-and-4 from the Louisiana 18, Card motioned Robinson from a pistol formation to set up next to Card on his left side. On the snap, Louisiana’s defenders went with Texas tight ends Gunnar Helm and Cade Brewer on double drag routes, leaving Robinson wide open in the left flat for a walk-in, 18-yard touchdown pass from Card.

— Steve Sarkisian went for it on fourth-and-6 from the Louisiana 40 with 6:01 left in the first quarter, and Hudson Card, dropped back, couldn’t find a receiver and ran for the first down.

— Texas blitzed both Luke Brockermeyer and DeMarvion Overshown on on third-and-9 from the Texas 12, and they combined for an 8-yard sack of Levi Lewis, forcing a 37-yard field goal with 8:16 left in the first quarter.

— Cameron Dicker’s first punt of the game went 50 yards, and Louisiana’s return was stuffed for no gain by Kitan Crawford.

— The Texas defense held Louisiana to a three-and-out on the Ragin Cajuns’ first possession, and kudos to Anthony Cook for sticking with the intended receiver on a third-and-1 pass until

THE BAD …

— The Texas defense held Louisiana to 2-of-10 third-down conversions, but the Ragin’ Cajuns were 3-of-3 on fourth-down conversions with two of those coming on second-half touchdown drives.

— Texas finished with seven penalties for 64 yards.

— Texas couldn’t overcome a holding call on freshman tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders on a drive that resulted in a punt with just more than two minutes left in the game.

— Josh Thompson was called for roughing the passer on a Louisiana drive that ended in a fumble recovered by the Longhorns in the fourth quarter.

— Texas was flagged for four penalties in the first half, including illegal blocks by Kitan Crawford and Keilan Robinson that negated an 83-yard punt return for a touchdown by D’Shawn Jamison in the first quarter; as well as a false start on Junior Angilau at the ULL 22 (that UT couldn’t overcome on a drive that ended in a missed 45-yard field-goal); and two holding calls (on Derek Kerstetter and Christian Jones), which UT was able to overcome on a 14-play, 72-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter.

— Derek Kerstetter was called for holding, forcing a first-and-18, but Texas overcame it wth a 15-yard completion from Card to Jordan Whittington on third-and-10

— Junior Angilau was flagged for a false start on second-and-6 from the Louisiana 22 early in the second quarter. Texas couldn’t overcome the penalty and ended up missing a 45-yard field goal on the drive.

— The Texas defense gave up a first-down pass of 20 yards, a second-and-7 pass of 16 yards and a first-down run of 10 yards on Louisiana’s second drive of the game, allowing the Ragin Cajuns to get into Texas’ red zone, connecting on a 37-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.

— The Texas offense went three-and-out on UT’s first possession - an incomplete screen pass from Card to Whittington, broken up by Louisiana; a run by Bijan Robinson for minus-1 yard and an overthrown deep ball to Joshua Moore.

— Kitan Crawford and Keilan Robinson were both called for illegal blocks which negated an 83-yard punt return for a touchdown by D’Shawn Jamison in the first quarter.

THE UGLY…

Seeing Bijan Robinson get folded up on a tackle late in the third quarter. (Fortunately, Robinson was OK and returned to the game.)

 

[satyanash 14281]

(Jeff Howe) Recap: No. 21 Texas takes care of No. 23 Louisiana, 38-18

Quote

The Steve Sarkisian era is off to as good of a start as anyone could've hoped for after No. 21 Texas took down No. 23 Louisiana in Saturday’s 2021 season opener, 38-18. A sun-soaked crowd filed into a revamped Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium to watch Sarkisian become the program's first first-year head coach to win his first battle with an Associated Press Top 25 opponent since Fred Akers in 1977 thanks to an offense that enjoyed a turnover-free afternoon and averaged 6.4 yards per play (435 total yards on 68 official plays from scrimmage), a defense that held the Ragin’ Cajuns to 77 yards on the ground (2.7 yards per attempt), recorded four sacks and got off of the field at a 4-for-13 clip on third down and a kicking game that didn't commit any self-inflicting wounds.

Texas (1-0) quarterback Hudson Card delivered a performance befitting a talented, high-upside redshirt freshman who won a hotly-contested position battle. Card provided a tremendous foundation for what has the potential to be a bright, prosperous career on the Forty Acres by going 14-for-21 through the air for 224 yards and two touchdowns with an additional score on the ground.

Bijan Robinson accounted for 176 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns and Jordan Whittington’s first career 100-yard receiving day (113 yards on seven receptions and a touchdown) lifted the Longhorns to their third straight win in a season opener. Louisiana (0-1) made Texas work for everything the Longhorns earned in all three phases of the game, but Sarkisian’s effort to get the program playing to a standard as opposed to up or down to an opponent took a significant step in the right direction on Saturday.

It was over when...

 

Casey Thompson found Whittington on a perimeter screen and the Longhorn wideout worked over the Louisiana defense, scoring from 14 yards out to give Texas a comfortable lead, 35-12, with 12:24 to go in the game. The 10-play, 83-yard scoring march came on the heels of a three-and-out forced when Ovie Oghoufo sacked Ragin' Cajuns' quarterback Levi Lewis to force a punt. Thompson's first series leading the offense in 2021 was highlighted by the quarterback's own 16-yard completion to Whittington on third-and-9 from his own and a 15-yard run one play later by Keilan Robinson, who fought his way through traffic and ripped off a nice gain down the Louisiana sideline.

Top Offensive Performer

Getting Bijan Robinson touches in Sarkisian's first game wasn't an issue. The sophomore running back carried the ball 20 times for 103 yards and a touchdown while hauling in four receptions for 73 yards and another touchdown, which was the first of the season for the Longhorns as he found himself on the receiving end of an 18-yard scoring toss from Card late in the first quarter. Card and Whittington deserve plenty of recognition for what they did in Saturday's win, but the high volume of touches for Robinson showed things indeed are going to be different for him under the new regime.

Top Defensive Performer

In his first career start at middle linebacker, Luke Brockermeyer delivered a solid performance and provided a glimpse of why he was the wire-to-wire starter next to DeMarvion Overshown at the second level throughout the preseason. The former walk-on finished the game with 10 tackles (four solos), 1.5 tackles for loss and he split a sack with Overshown (a game-high 13 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks). Brockermeyer's performance wasn't perfect, but like the defense as a whole, it's a good foundation Pete Kwiatkowski on which can build going forward.

Reasons to feel optimistic

— Each of the offense's scoring drives were at least six plays in length with three of them taking 10 or more plays to before ending in points. Card and Co. were patient and, more impressively, put up an 8-for-15 effort on third down with Card's third-down passing numbers (7-of-9 for 133 yards and two touchdowns) highlighting his afternoon.

— The defense's third-down performance has already been mentioned, but it should also be noted that 27 of Louisiana's rushing yards came on one play (a third-quarter touchdown run). Only three of the Ragin' Cajuns rushing attempts went for 10 or more yards, making for a good outing by Kwiatkowski's stoppers against an offense that averaged 5.5 yards per carry and 213 yards per game in last season's 10-1 campaign.

— The Longhorns had 119 of their 170 rushing yards (four yards per carry) in the second half. Sarkisian wants a club that knows how to execute when fatigue sets in the second half, which Texas did on Saturday.

Reasons to feel pessimistic

— Seven penalties for 64 yards is a slight improvement over how much the Longhorns were penalized last season on a per-game basis (8.1 penalties per game for an average of 77 yards). With that said, flags wiped out an 83-yard punt return for a touchdown by D'Shawn Jamison while multiple holding penalties forced Card and Co. to get behind the chains far too much.

— Jared Wiley was dealing with a shoulder injury coming into the game, which limited him and led to Gunnar Helm getting significant playing time. Junior Angilau was being evaluated for a knee injury after the game, which isn't good news for an offensive line that played a role in allowing three sacks five tackles for loss all while struggling to establish an edge on the line of scrimmage in the first half.

— The defense's tackling was horrendous on Louisiana's final touchdown, a 19-yard hookup between Lewis and Kyren Lacy in the fourth quarter.

Modest Proposal

It's the first game, so it shouldn't have been expected that Sarkisian would show everything that's in his play-calling arsenal. Nevertheless, Keilan Robinson and Xavier Worthy need the ball in their hands more to maximize the offense's big-play potential. Worthy had a 16-yard punt return and hauled in a 34-yard pass from Card on the only true downfield shot the offense hit on Saturday. Robinson averaged 5.1 yards per rushing attempt on eight carries, including a 25-yard gain that was the offense's longest running play from scrimmage on the day.

Drive of the Game

The 14-play, 72-yard drive in the second quarter that ended when Card found Cade Brewer for a 6-yard touchdown with two minutes remaining in the half. The offense had to overcome a pair of potential drive-killing penalties charged to the offensive line, but the Longhorns went 3-for-3 on third down with Card finding Whittington twice, including an 11-yard gain down to the Louisiana 8-yard line on a third-and-9. When Card fired his dart to Brewer in the end zone, it assured the Longhorns they’d have the lead going into the locker room with a chance to create some real separation from the Ragin' Cajuns by getting the ball to start the second half.

Best Offensive Play

 

A 41-yard catch-and-run by Whittington on the first drive of the second half. Card hit Whittington just beyond the line to gain on third-and-11 from the Texas 47-yard line, but getting the first down wasn't good enough for the sophomore. The former 247Sports Composite five-star prospect spun away from a defender and bullied his way down to the Louisiana 12-yard line. Two plays later, Bijan Robinson crossed the goal line from seven yards out to cap an 8-play, 65-yard drive to open the second half, which gave Texas a two-score lead, 21-6.

Best Defensive Play

It was technically a special teams play, but B.J. Foster’s recovery of a surprise onside kick attempt by Louisiana after Chris Smith’s 27-yard touchdown put an exclamation point on a 12-play, 79-yard drive kept the defense from facing a sudden change situation. The heady play by Foster combined with an offsides penalty committed by Louisiana set the Longhorns up with great field position at the opponent’s 48-yard line. On the sixth play of the drive, Card called his own number on third-and-goal with his 3-yard touchdown run giving Texas a 16-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, 28-12. The defense needed a breather and after the offense put the ball in the end zone, a recharged group of Longhorns forced a three-and-out and a punt when Oghoufo got around the corner and dropped Lewis for a sack on third-and-8 from his own 27.

Biggest question heading into the Arkansas game

Are the Longhorns prepared for the environment they’re going to face in Fayetteville? Arkansas pulled away from Rice on Saturday for a season-opening home win, 38-17. But it’s the next former Southwest Conference on the schedule that has Razorback fans bursting with anticipation as the Longhorns hit the road to face head coach Sam Pittman’s club on Sept. 11 (6 p.m., ESPN). Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium is going to be rocking for a night game with Texas coming to town, the first time the Longhorns have traveled to Fayetteville since 2004.

Unless you’re a Longhorn who played in the 2019 Red River Showdown, nothing you’ve experienced comes anywhere close to what you’re going to experience walking into a stadium with over 72,000 fans harboring few (if any) savor emotions toward your program. Sarkisian’s crew passed their first test of the season with flying colors. Take the same businesslike approach to Fayetteville and Sarkisian will join Akers in another exclusive club by becoming the first first-year Texas head coach since Akers to get off to better than a 1-2 start in his first season on the job.

 

[LTtxfan 48977]

12 hours ago, Zeus said:

Fuck Chip Brown

 

[Vito Andolini 9109]

I don’t read the Houston Chronicle, and perhaps shit articles like this one are the reason why. Who the fuck is this asshole?

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/texas-sports-nation/brian-t-smith/article/Smith-Steve-Sarkisian-starts-better-with-Texas-16436330.php

But it was only 14-6 Texas over a Sun Belt opponent at the half. And when you remember how much is always at stake for the Longhorns — the university, the program, the fanbase, the boosters, the football team — Sarkisian’s first big Saturday in Austin was … a decent start.

The new coach had the luxury of winning with several of the old coach’s players.

Herman was coldly tossed aside after four consecutive bowl victories, peaking in 2018 with a 10-4 record and a buzzing Sugar Bowl upset win.

Texas needs more.

Texas always wants more.

Texas, obviously, should be better than 7-6, 8-5, 7-3 and winning the Alamo Bowl (again).

All the money and all the change mean that Sarkisian’s Longhorns must be great in a world dominated by Nick Saban and the mighty SEC.

Dabo Swinney and Ryan Day are just behind Saban. Cincinnati, a rising American Athletic Conference team expected to join the conference that Texas is leaving, is No. 8 in the country and won its opener 49-14.

At the least, the Longhorns must be able to compete in-state with the Aggies, on and off the field.

Maybe the new, brilliant offense will arrive next Saturday.

Being great again, if it’s still possible here, is going to take time. Years, not months.

[BigHorn'13 3355]

8 minutes ago, Vito Andolini said:

Herman was coldly tossed aside after four consecutive bowl victories, peaking in 2018 with a 10-4 record and a buzzing Sugar Bowl upset win.

What an odd thing to say, especially following it up with this

8 minutes ago, Vito Andolini said:

Texas, obviously, should be better than 7-6, 8-5, 7-3 and winning the Alamo Bowl (again).

I mean...wtf?

9 minutes ago, Vito Andolini said:

Being great again, if it’s still possible here, is going to take time. Years, not months.

OK nevermind. Must be aggy

[GreenspointTexas 9567]

12 minutes ago, Vito Andolini said:

I don’t read the Houston Chronicle, and perhaps shit articles like this one are the reason why. Who the fuck is this asshole?

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/texas-sports-nation/brian-t-smith/article/Smith-Steve-Sarkisian-starts-better-with-Texas-16436330.php

But it was only 14-6 Texas over a Sun Belt opponent at the half. And when you remember how much is always at stake for the Longhorns — the university, the program, the fanbase, the boosters, the football team — Sarkisian’s first big Saturday in Austin was … a decent start.

The new coach had the luxury of winning with several of the old coach’s players.

Herman was coldly tossed aside after four consecutive bowl victories, peaking in 2018 with a 10-4 record and a buzzing Sugar Bowl upset win.

Texas needs more.

Texas always wants more.

Texas, obviously, should be better than 7-6, 8-5, 7-3 and winning the Alamo Bowl (again).

All the money and all the change mean that Sarkisian’s Longhorns must be great in a world dominated by Nick Saban and the mighty SEC.

Dabo Swinney and Ryan Day are just behind Saban. Cincinnati, a rising American Athletic Conference team expected to join the conference that Texas is leaving, is No. 8 in the country and won its opener 49-14.

At the least, the Longhorns must be able to compete in-state with the Aggies, on and off the field.

Maybe the new, brilliant offense will arrive next Saturday.

Being great again, if it’s still possible here, is going to take time. Years, not months.

Yuck

[Dewey 3280]

My main take is in line with Buton's, when the dust settled, all I could think was that this was a clean game, compared to seasons past. Coaches didn't make any bone-head calls,  players played smart, made some mistakes, but overall.... in the past, we have seen some weird play calls, odd timeouts, personal fouls, like a low budget circus, not yesterday. 

[Reese Bennett 3605]

Yeah, we just beat a Top-25 team and never let them get comfortable in any phase of the game while we were at ease and deliberate, dictating the flow of the game. Not a whiff of desperation or uncertainty anywhere.

This looked like the first game of a good team with good coaching that will continually get better and more confident mentally which will lead to the team getting better physically. If it plays out like we think and hope, we’ll have a feedback loop of competence and winning.

Hook ‘em!

[satyanash 14281]

Eric Nahlin: Sunday post-game thoughts

Quote

That was a very Mack Brown opener. It wasn’t the cleanest game, but it was an easy win despite Louisiana being a more difficult first opponent than you’ll often find (e.g., Kent State, Tulane). I always enjoy getting unsolicited texts from high school coaches. This one is from a buddy (and a Texas critic) at a talented school with a couple of UT targets. “This offense is impressive. I like the 3rd down play calling. ****’s poetry in motion. D looks good, too.” You win games by winning 3rd down tightening up in the red zone. Texas did that and if that becomes the established narrative for the year, 10 wins is certainly doable.

An exciting facet of the easy win is how much room for improvement remains. The o-line in particular still has plenty of room for growth on top of cleaning up the penalties. Depth on the defensive line was evident, but the group wasn’t nearly as dominant as one would have liked to see based on what we heard in August. Hopefully Saturday wasn’t the first signs of zero-sum not working in UT’s favor. A sure sign the d-line could have played better was how far off the line of scrimmage linebackers were making tackles.

It was apparent heading into the game the staff was confident in a win. That became crystal clear when we saw heavy defensive rotations in the first quarter. Of course it was hot, but you don’t make wholesale substitutions that early in the game unless you have confidence in the outcome.

Go to comments #3-5 to see some good guesses on Card’s stat line. He played true to practice reports but it’s exciting to know he has plenty of room to improve too. His accuracy, decision-making, and ability to buy time with his feet were all as advertised. I thought his anticipation on a couple of throws was very good too. His timing with the receivers was good. I do think he can speed up through his progressions which starts with quicker feet. If you’ve noticed that confident QB bounce in the pocket as they survey from one part of the field to the other, he lacks that. It’ll come as the game slows down, but I’d like to see a little quicker feet in the pocket.

Texas has two quarterbacks capable of leading this team to the conference title game. Casey Thompson looked good in his appearance.

— Ovie Oghoufo might be a 3rd down hero this year. A concern coming into the season was edge pass rushing. Ray Thornton and Jacoby Jones will be good versus the run, but can they turn the corner and close on the quarterback? It looks like Ovie can.

— Anthony Cook is going to be very good this year. I watched him quite a bit and he was physical against bigger players and fluid against smaller ones.

— I only saw Alfred Collins on one snap. We’ll find out why he didn’t play more but from my vantage it reads like coaches sending him a message.

— The starter we thought would be out was Jared Wiley. We heard he wouldn’t play from a couple of sources. He obviously did end up playing. Credit to him because he’s nowhere close to 100%.

I’m looking forward to a re-watch this week, and further improvement versus Arkansas in a hostile environment on Saturday.

Joe Cook: Longhorns answer several questions in 38-18 season-opening win

Quote

There is always a significant amount of uncertainty ahead of any head coach’s debut at a new program. New play callers, new players (new quarterbacks specifically), and new ways of doing things can lead outside observers to wonder what the on-field product will look like.

Against the No. 23 Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns, that uncertainty was accentuated for Texas. Not only did the No. 21 Longhorns have to answer all those questions for a fanbase hungry for a winner, but they had to do so against a ranked team that returned double-digit starters on both sides of the ball. They answered those questions in a comfortable 38-18 win to begin the Steve Sarkisian era 1-0.

“We knew this was a veteran team, very well-coached,” Sarkisian said after the game. “We wanted to possess the ball, we wanted to control the line of scrimmage. We felt the run game was going to take a minute because they were a veteran defense, they were good. Over time, if we could extend our drives and keep them off the field, that would be a huge component. Then getting off the field.”

Texas rushed for 170 yards on 42 carries, led by Bijan Robinson’s 20 attempts for 103 yards and one score. He also added four catches for 73 yards and a score – the first of the Sarkisian era. Robinson was the focal point of the offense, amassing 24 touches over the course of the game. Despite an awkward landing in the second half that inflicted what Robinson described as a stinger, he played the entirety of the game as Texas’ lead back.

“I feel fine,” Robinson said. “Whatever I can do to help this team the most, whatever kind of touches I get whether it’s receiver or running back, I feel that whatever can help this team the most I’m good with.” Sarkisian had set a target of around 20 touches per game for Robinson. Twenty-four touches for 176 yards and two scores? “That’s a good day of work,” Sarkisian said. “That’s utilizing him.”

Another major question Sarkisian needed to answer wasn’t so much related to the team, but to one player. Hudson Card received the start at quarterback, and his first drive ended after three plays and a punt. His second drive was an 11-play, 70-yard march that took 5:43 off the clock, ending with a touchdown pass to Robinson on a wheel route.

Card played well throughout the course of the game, protecting the ball and even converting a few third-and-long opportunities. His favorite target was Jordan Whittington, who caught several third-down conversions as part of his seven catches for 113 yards and a score. Card even rushed one in himself, a three-yard score in the third quarter that made it a two-possession game. He finished 14-of-21 for 224 yards with two passing touchdowns and the rushing score.

“It’s pretty special,” Card said about starting. “It’s something I’ve dreamed about ever since I was a kid. Just to be able to come out here and actually live it and take it all in, it’s pretty surreal.” Keeping his word, Sarkisian played junior quarterback Casey Thompson for much of the second half. He finished 4-of-5 for 41 yards with a touchdown pass to Whittington. Sarkisian spoke postgame about how important it was to get both quarterbacks experience.

“I thought both guys played very efficiently,” Sarkisian said. “I thought both guys, for the most part, took advantage of their opportunities when they got them and made their plays.” The defense and special teams, led by Pete Kwiatkowski and Jeff Banks respectively, answered their questions, too. Kwiatkowski’s unit held Louisiana to a 4-of-13 mark on third down and forced a turnover. Louisiana struggled to get first downs on offense, and their defense had trouble getting the Longhorns off the field on third down.

“We want the offense to keep the ball, we want the defense to take away the ball, and going out there and executing that against a good team like Louisiana, that’s big,” linebacker DeMarvion Overshown said. “Hopefully just keep it going all throughout the season.”

The only blemish for Banks’ unit was a missed field goal by Cameron Dicker. The special teams were quality elsewhere as they blocked one point after attempt and recovered two onside kicks, including one surprise kick. Overall, it was a first game with plenty for the Longhorns to learn from, but plenty to look at and be pleased about ahead of a trip to Arkansas to re-unite with an old Southwest Conference rival in the Razorbacks.

And for Sarkisian, it was an enjoyable experience for his first time walking the sidelines at Darrell K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium. “I loved it, man,” Sarkisian said. “There’s nothing like winning, I’ll tell you that much.”

 

[satyanash 14281]

UTexasFootball: Odds and End---Spits and Bits

Quote

Watching the replay this morning re-alerted me to a few choice morsels to share and another couple of opinions that probably won't be as well received as one would hope but it is what it is.

I think we all had negative thoughts (to some degree) about how the Oak (78) played yesterday and I let a few bad plays influence my original thought process and I knew better. It's not like Denzel is going to be cast in the remake of "Footloose" but he isn't the stumbling, bumbling whiffer either. Just watch his block on Bijan's first long run---yes, he had a couple of holding calls and missed a pass block but he had several really good blocks as well. I still think he's got a chance to be a solid with more consistency.

We still need a refresher course in special team punt returns because we have a real weapon at the back end (5---Jamison with Worthy (8) another pure solid). Repeat after me---the small numbers are in the front and contact is legal. The big numbers are in the back of the jersey and contact is not legal. Wash---rinse---repeat.

- Special teamer Kitan (21) made one heck of a play timing a huge hit/tackle on our punt. Appreciate good play, guys.

- Ovie played like a smaller version of Joe Ossai---he's quicker than a hiccup.

- Dunn (4) had a big hit turnover and looked the part as another solid corner for our group.

- We don't appreciate Cade Brewer (80) enough. Jack of all trades is making himself into a tremendous football player.

- Gunner Helm (85) blocked with spirit and effort but he needs some hello darkness my old friend time in the weight room.

- Wiley (18) must have shoulder problems---beat bad on pass block---he might need some recovery time to get himself right.

- Jake Majors reminds me of a former Dallas Cowboy named Mark Stepnoski---tenacious with quickness. He will lose a power play or two but he will cut off pursuit with body positioning regularly.

- Hope Junior (75) isn't lost for long---he was playing well.

- Kerstetter (68) and Jones (70) are quiet leaders that get the job done. Both had a hold call but played very clean.

- Moore (6) blocked better than ever. Quiet receiving day. J Whitt (4) had a great day receiving and also blocked with effort. Worthy (8) had a big catch and showed promise as a returner. Willing blocker.

- Coburn (99) had a good day (average for him) stacking furniture and clogging avenues. Sweat (93) was disappointing but maybe I expected too much. Murphy (90) had more goods than averages.

- Ojomo (98) had some sweet penetration but failed to make many actual tackles. Broughton (45) probably played his best game to date but he's capable of more. Warren (92) got a few snaps and was active.

- Thornton (46) was very active but never quite made a big play. Jones (3) made a few plays and provided some rush.

- Brockermeyer (47) had a big game. Overshown (0) had a strong game but did have one fly-by tackle attempt. Both stunted well and seldom missed a key or gap. Well coached---well schemed.

- Gblenda (33) and Ford (41) barely got their feet wet but there is a huge gap between the starters and backups. Richardson (30) had two good plays.

- The corners played well (all 5) with Kitan (21), Dunn (4), and Jamison (5) all having big plays. Josh (9) had a very quiet game and Barron (23) was active in limited duty.

- Foster (25) had a few chances and almost had an oskie. Schooler (14) had a few tackles and never broke down in coverage. I never found Adimora (1) but assumed he played. Cook (11) had a very good game.

- Saved the best for last. Bijan (5) pound for pound might be the best college player this year. Roschon Johnson had a great game with a terrific jump cut on 3rd down that dazzled the crowd. The other Robinson (Keilan 7) showed some mag wheels when he got his chance. Great room---we might see Brooks (24) added once he gets his chance. I wish Bijan would quit his versions of funny landing because it's kicking my worthless butt. The neck land last year was bad enough but yesterday he split from asshole to appetite and that ain't close to being natural. Be still my heart.

 

[WBT 20422]

2 hours ago, Vito Andolini said:

I don’t read the Houston Chronicle, and perhaps shit articles like this one are the reason why. Who the fuck is this asshole?

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/texas-sports-nation/brian-t-smith/article/Smith-Steve-Sarkisian-starts-better-with-Texas-16436330.php

But it was only 14-6 Texas over a Sun Belt opponent at the half. And when you remember how much is always at stake for the Longhorns — the university, the program, the fanbase, the boosters, the football team — Sarkisian’s first big Saturday in Austin was … a decent start.

The new coach had the luxury of winning with several of the old coach’s players.

Herman was coldly tossed aside after four consecutive bowl victories, peaking in 2018 with a 10-4 record and a buzzing Sugar Bowl upset win.

Texas needs more.

Texas always wants more.

Texas, obviously, should be better than 7-6, 8-5, 7-3 and winning the Alamo Bowl (again).

All the money and all the change mean that Sarkisian’s Longhorns must be great in a world dominated by Nick Saban and the mighty SEC.

Dabo Swinney and Ryan Day are just behind Saban. Cincinnati, a rising American Athletic Conference team expected to join the conference that Texas is leaving, is No. 8 in the country and won its opener 49-14.

At the least, the Longhorns must be able to compete in-state with the Aggies, on and off the field.

Maybe the new, brilliant offense will arrive next Saturday.

Being great again, if it’s still possible here, is going to take time. Years, not months.

He's a fucking idiot who didn't know there was a baseball team in town until they started making WS then he suddenly became an expert

[Bill Lumbergh 7170]

I don’t read the Houston Chronicle, and perhaps shit articles like this one are the reason why. Who the fuck is this asshole?
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/texas-sports-nation/brian-t-smith/article/Smith-Steve-Sarkisian-starts-better-with-Texas-16436330.php

But it was only 14-6 Texas over a Sun Belt opponent at the half. And when you remember how much is always at stake for the Longhorns — the university, the program, the fanbase, the boosters, the football team — Sarkisian’s first big Saturday in Austin was … a decent start.

The new coach had the luxury of winning with several of the old coach’s players.

Herman was coldly tossed aside after four consecutive bowl victories, peaking in 2018 with a 10-4 record and a buzzing Sugar Bowl upset win.

Texas needs more.

Texas always wants more.

Texas, obviously, should be better than 7-6, 8-5, 7-3 and winning the Alamo Bowl (again).

All the money and all the change mean that Sarkisian’s Longhorns must be great in a world dominated by Nick Saban and the mighty SEC.

Dabo Swinney and Ryan Day are just behind Saban. Cincinnati, a rising American Athletic Conference team expected to join the conference that Texas is leaving, is No. 8 in the country and won its opener 49-14.

At the least, the Longhorns must be able to compete in-state with the Aggies, on and off the field.

Maybe the new, brilliant offense will arrive next Saturday.

Being great again, if it’s still possible here, is going to take time. Years, not months.

It's the Houston chronicle.

He's following the billy luicci pander to your audience playbook.

My only gripe is can we not reward him by linking to his bullshit? Plenty enough aggy will be linking to this to feel better about struggling in their opener, no reason for us to help the cause.

[TwiceHorn 31276]

2 hours ago, Dewey said:

My main take is in line with Buton's, when the dust settled, all I could think was that this was a clean game, compared to seasons past. Coaches didn't make any bone-head calls,  players played smart, made some mistakes, but overall.... in the past, we have seen some weird play calls, odd timeouts, personal fouls, like a low budget circus, not yesterday. 

Yep, so many games under Strong and Herman just left you feeling  . . . dirty.

[satyanash 14281]

Eric Nahlin: Sark’s rough draft proof of concept

Quote

On the whole, yesterday couldn’t have gone much better if you’re one who follows recruiting. For all the talk of the California golden boy quarterbacks in the Clemson / Georgia game, the world was served up a cold dish of 11:00 a.m. Big Ten football. Final score, 10-7. Both schools are after Arch Manning with Clemson being UT’s greatest threat.

LSU lost to UCLA as the program degrades to the level you thought it would when Ed Orgeron was hired. Recruits might finally realize LSU won a national championship in spite of him, not because of him. With Terry Joseph, Bo Davis, and Cordae Hankton, Texas is better positioned than ever to recruit the Boot. OU gutted out a win over Tulane by the score of 40-35. A&M walked away from Kent State but it was close at halftime. A&M is recruiting well and that game won’t hurt them, but it won’t help them either.

It’s good for Steve Sarkisian to receive external help in recruiting for once, but in the end it will come down to earning convincing wins on the field. The types of wins that convince recruits Texas is finally, inarguably, on the way back.

Yesterday’s win over a well coached Louisiana squad was a good first step for the staff. Let’s no overdo it, it was just one small step, but Texas can’t return to national recruiting prominence without those types of steps taken in succession. One down, 11 to go. But, if you’re a recruit you have to like what you saw. Despite a veteran, experienced roster, the staff played a ton of young players and transfers.

If you’re Arch Manning, you like what you saw from the passing game and Hudson Card in his first career start. Arch doesn’t have to squint very hard to imagine himself in the same setting. While stringing convincing wins together is a necessary component to jump starting recruiting, landing Arch would be a cheat code. It would be instant momentum. Card playing well is important for now and four years down the road.

If you’re Evan Stewart, you like the shots downfield and the implied guarantee of early playing time. Not implied by Sarkisian, but implied by roster needs. Stewart assuredly sees Xavier Worthy out there getting snaps and punt returns and realizes the same will happen for him.

Jaleel Skinner — I can’t believe I’m typing his name but there is some momentum in the recruitment — will have noticed true freshman Gunnar Helm starting, albeit due to injury. He’ll see Cade Brewer’s usage and realize there will be a lot of snaps up for grabs after he departs.

If you’re a defensive back recruit, you probably noticed 10-12 different guys playing and many of them won’t be there next year. That’s opportunity knocking, whether at safety or cornerback. Similar to the secondary, a ton of defensive linemen were able to play. That’s inviting even if on paper the roster isn’t. After the season, Texas will likely need to extract an EDGE out of the transfer portal. Ovie Oghoufo getting after the QB was nice to see. Ray Thornton had a solid game.

Offensive line needs a talent infusion and Hayden Conner getting snaps in his first college game won’t go unnoticed by the Kam Dewberrys of the world. I’m confident the offensive line will continue to improve but it won’t be great. There will be early opportunity for high floor prospects like Kam Dewberry. All in all, it was a productive day for the program.

 

[Ricky Butler 2660]

3 hours ago, Vito Andolini said:

I don’t read the Houston Chronicle, and perhaps shit articles like this one are the reason why. Who the fuck is this asshole?

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/texas-sports-nation/brian-t-smith/article/Smith-Steve-Sarkisian-starts-better-with-Texas-16436330.php

But it was only 14-6 Texas over a Sun Belt opponent at the half. And when you remember how much is always at stake for the Longhorns — the university, the program, the fanbase, the boosters, the football team — Sarkisian’s first big Saturday in Austin was … a decent start.

The new coach had the luxury of winning with several of the old coach’s players.

Herman was coldly tossed aside after four consecutive bowl victories, peaking in 2018 with a 10-4 record and a buzzing Sugar Bowl upset win.

Texas needs more.

Texas always wants more.

Texas, obviously, should be better than 7-6, 8-5, 7-3 and winning the Alamo Bowl (again).

All the money and all the change mean that Sarkisian’s Longhorns must be great in a world dominated by Nick Saban and the mighty SEC.

Dabo Swinney and Ryan Day are just behind Saban. Cincinnati, a rising American Athletic Conference team expected to join the conference that Texas is leaving, is No. 8 in the country and won its opener 49-14.

At the least, the Longhorns must be able to compete in-state with the Aggies, on and off the field.

Maybe the new, brilliant offense will arrive next Saturday.

Being great again, if it’s still possible here, is going to take time. Years, not months.

Mac Engel has a new pen name. 

[satyanash 14281]

(Scipio Tex) 2021 Texas-Louisiana Post Mortem: Offense

Quote

This morning the coffee tasted better, the sun shined brighter, and the air had more oxygen in it.

Despite a new system, new coach, new culture, new freshman quarterback, and likely some opening game jitters, Texas was very efficient against a deeply experienced defense with some legitimate dudes and a solid defensive coordinator. With a constantly running clock and Sark content to let the seconds tick down while Card processed the Cajun defense, the Longhorns fielded only 9 offensive possessions. 7 of those 9 Longhorn possessions ended in points or attempted points (5 touchdowns, a field goal, a missed field goal) and the other two possessions were a poor opening drive and an end of game run sequence with the 3rd team running back with a 20 point lead. Texas hasn't seen that level of efficiency against a sentient opponent in a while. In a Big 12 accustomed to 13 or 14 possessions between each team, Sark's deliberative efficiency was interesting to watch. If this continues, the Kansas State game may take an hour and a half.

435 total yards at 6.4 yards per play is very solid production, but the more telling statistic that explains 38 points on the board is a Texas offense that went 11 of 16 on money downs (3rd and 4th down), at one point going 8 of 8 over a 2nd and 3rd quarter stretch. Money downs are play caller's downs and the Horns have themselves a play caller. And perhaps a game strategist. The early first quarter decision to go for it on 4th and 6 on the Cajun 40 yard line is playing the macro game correctly despite the potential for journo and fan 2nd guessing.

Hey, anyone want to see a coach creating points and yards via formation and personnel exploitation?

Touchdown by formation. Texas outnumbers the Cajuns late, the tight ends carry exterior coverage inside (and create seals on anyone trying to leak out) and Bijan jogs into the end zone.

This is how Texas will run Card. Judiciously. Solid job by Brewer on the kick out. Did you see Brewer's decision on who to block there? He bypasses the first open defender falling for the fake even though he's trained to hit first enemy jersey. Smart football player.

3rd and 7. Texas goes to a rare 5 wide with Bijan split out inside. Louisiana correctly brings pressure on the freshman QB. We see four verticals from the receivers and a little skinny post by Bijan. An accurate zippy throw by Card, but this is about isolating a Longhorn playmaker on an inferior athlete in space. I can post a few other examples, but that's putting play makers into favorable situations via formation and matchup. Texas also effectively stopped running offense in the mid 3rd quarter. You think Sark might have a couple more ideas left?

QB

Hudson Card started slowly with a janky opening possession, got traction, and impressed with his accuracy, zip, and elusiveness. He's ahead of where I thought he'd be, but given Sark's track record of QB tutelage, I shouldn't be surprised. In three quarters, Card was a hyper efficient 14 of 21 for 224 yards, with 2 passing touchdowns and another rushing touchdown. While the ball gets out quickly on his release, I think Hudson may be holding the ball a tick longer than he will be a few games from now. Right now he wants to be sure. Soon, he'll be sure. If you're hunting for a hickey to put on his A- performance, he's responsible for that backside cornerback blitz.

One of the least discussed aspects of good QB play is accuracy and decision making in the red zone. If a coordinator can trust the judgement of their QB down there, it opens things up:

That's the only place that ball can go. Nice catch Brewer, but that's perfect ball placement.

Sark saw exactly what he needed from #1, put him on ice, and then wisely handed the reins to Casey Thompson for a full quarter. Thompson did a nice job managing the offense with a 4 of 5 for 41 yard stat line and a touchdown of his own. Nice little throw stepping up in the pocket for a 1st down as well. Sark progressed the confidence of his young QB, kept his 2nd team QB engaged, and leaves the game knowing he could have shredded a pretty good Cajun pass defense for 350+ if he'd felt like it.

RB

Throwing to the running backs (especially Bijan) is one of my pet peeves and apparently Sark likes pets. Robinson's 20-103-1 td rushing stat line is solid work on the ground, but Bijan did his real damage through the air, totaling 73 yards on 4 receptions. Roschon Johnson added a spectacular 3rd down conversion on a swing pass where he stutter-leaped a Cajun defender, ran predictably hard on his 8 other carries, and we even got to see 8 touches distributed to the nimble Keilan Robinson (8-41 in late action).

I like this running back room. Looking for improvement? Bijan missed a blitz pick up.

OL

Work is needed here, but there's material. Be patient and let's see if Flood is the real deal.

The Cajuns have some real dudes on their DL and at OLB so I tried to keep that in mind as I evaluated some shoddier moments of play. Denzel Okafor struggled badly in pass protection, giving up a sack, another bad pressure and hit on Card on a matador swim move, and earned two holding calls, one of them declined. That's just not going to get it done. I can praise Denzel for doing an outstanding job leaking to the second level on some zone runs where he carried Cajun defenders 5-10 yards downfield. Derek Kerstetter got his sea legs over the course of the game after some early struggles, but also earned a holding penalty. Jake Majors was OK and he'll be fine as he works on his cut off angles. All of his snaps were good, which is a typical opening game struggle. Angilau was a good physical presence on inside zone, but the late knee injury is concerning for him and this football team, not only for what it means at guard but also at backup center. Christian Jones is a good run blocker and I see upside as a pass protector once he nails down some technical aspects.

General criticism: this group is trying to block with their arms instead of their feet. Their work will get easier when they get their feet where they need to be instead of trying to arrest penetration with a limb. I would work to get Andrej Karic into this lineup.

WR/TE

The greatest source of consternation for Longhorn fans before the season was wide receiver on offense and linebacker on defense. This game saw exactly none of those fears realized on either side of the ball. Jordan Whittington had a career day, grabbing 7 balls for 113 yards and a touchdown. He also did this:

I haven't seen that many Cajuns trampled since they offered at free crawfish tails at the Great Zydeco Riots of 1947. Given that play and his touchdown catch later in the game, it's pretty clear that Jordan Whittington isn't easy to put on the ground. He offers complementary physicality to his skinny starter counterparts and strong after-the-catch ability. His big plays allowed me to forgive him for taking an early game angle in the red zone that would make Euclid sob. Straight lines are still the shortest distance between two points, Jordan.

Xavier Worthy showed every bit of his promised speed and quickness on a 34 yard catch and flashed similarly on a punt return. There's more in store for Mr Worthy. Joshua Moore didn't put up many stats, notching 3 catches for 17 yards, but if you watch his effort recovering a potential fumble, I see a very engaged football player.

Cade Brewer caught a touchdown and was less involved in the overall passing game than I anticipated, but his willingness to attack defenders and be physical was noticeable. Brewer will never be a mauler, but he brought willing contact to every exchange. True freshman Gunnar Helm was pressed into emergency action and did his best in tough circumstances. I'm impressed the freshman lined up right given the amount of shifting Sark does with his tight ends. Jared Wiley had spot play with an injury and understandably struggled to be effective.

Final

Texas exceeded expectations. That was a prepared Longhorn football team. If the takeaway from that game was: "See, Louisiana wasn't that dangerous as an opening day opponent!" you're selling the Horns short. Let's hope the rest of college football is doing the same. On to Fayetteville, Arkansas.

 

[XYZ 2154]

Nice writeup by scipio. He misspelled Fayettenam, though.

[LarryMoeSurly 411]

4 hours ago, Vito Andolini said:

I don’t read the Houston Chronicle, and perhaps shit articles like this one are the reason why. Who the fuck is this asshole?

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/texas-sports-nation/brian-t-smith/article/Smith-Steve-Sarkisian-starts-better-with-Texas-16436330.php

But it was only 14-6 Texas over a Sun Belt opponent at the half. And when you remember how much is always at stake for the Longhorns — the university, the program, the fanbase, the boosters, the football team — Sarkisian’s first big Saturday in Austin was … a decent start.

The new coach had the luxury of winning with several of the old coach’s players.

Herman was coldly tossed aside after four consecutive bowl victories, peaking in 2018 with a 10-4 record and a buzzing Sugar Bowl upset win.

Texas needs more.

Texas always wants more.

Texas, obviously, should be better than 7-6, 8-5, 7-3 and winning the Alamo Bowl (again).

All the money and all the change mean that Sarkisian’s Longhorns must be great in a world dominated by Nick Saban and the mighty SEC.

Dabo Swinney and Ryan Day are just behind Saban. Cincinnati, a rising American Athletic Conference team expected to join the conference that Texas is leaving, is No. 8 in the country and won its opener 49-14.

At the least, the Longhorns must be able to compete in-state with the Aggies, on and off the field.

Maybe the new, brilliant offense will arrive next Saturday.

Being great again, if it’s still possible here, is going to take time. Years, not months.

That dumb ass Aggie can fuck right off. 

[satyanash 14281]

 

[pacman 7329]

7 hours ago, satyanash said:

(Scipio Tex) 2021 Texas-Louisiana Post Mortem: Offense

 

 

Quote

I hear you, but since I gave the Turtle Tom nickname (which Herman was not a big fan of

i could be wrong but pretty sure turtle tom came from surly a full two months before scip used it in print.

Edited September 6, 2021 by pacman

[Valmy77 13094]

6 hours ago, LarryMoeSurly said:

That dumb ass Aggie can fuck right off. 

I like how he didn't say anything about the game or the teams but just said conference narratives the whole article. How A&M is that?

[Enchubben 5509]

5 hours ago, satyanash said:

 

Really impressed with that coach after listening to him. I wonder though if he will stick it out or take an opportunity if it shows up this year or next.

Recent podcast I was listening to said he’s not money driven at all, but of course all homer’s say that when they don’t want their coach to leave. An offer of $15m guaranteed can change things.

[LTtxfan 48977]

Siap...     HORNSPORTS

Thoughts and Takeaways: Texas cruises past Louisiana to open the Sark era

By Jameson McCausland,

Quote

On a weekend where many preseason top 25 teams were upset or found themselves in nail-biters late in the 4th quarter, Texas did something they haven't done in quite some time: thoroughly beat a quality opponent. No one is going to mistake Louisiana for Alabama or Georgia, but the Ragin' Cajuns entered the season with the most returning production in the country and were coming off a 10-1 season. All the ingredients were there for an upset in Austin, but the Longhorns simply outplayed and out-coached Louisiana. There were a lot of promising signs to open the Steve Sarkisian era.

Here are some quick thoughts and takeaways on the 38-18 win to open the season:

Offense

Steve Sarkisian made it clear all offseason he was going to get Bijan Robinson the ball early and often. Sarkisian kept his promise as he handed the ball to the sophomore 20 times for 103 yards and a TD while Robinson also added 4 catches for 73 yards and a receiving TD. 24 touches is likely right around the number Robinson figures to be every week. It was interesting to see the ways Sarkisian used him in the passing game, including when he lined him up out wide and Card found Robinson for a big gain on a quick slant.

Roschon Johnson was Roschon Johnson. He did a lot of the dirty work in 2 running back sets but also had a big 14 yard reception where he leaped over a defender on a 3rd down to move the chains.

Keilan Robinson finally saw the field in the 3rd quarter and I bet Steve Sarkisian has some stuff up his sleeve to use throughout the season with #7. He is dangerous with the ball in his hands.

There were a ton of concerns at the wide receiver position coming out of camp, specifically around drops and getting in sync with the quarterbacks. For one game at least, the unit stepped up and quieted a lot of the noise. Joshua Moore (3 catches for 17 yards) and Jordan Whittington (7 catches for 113 yards and a TD) showed no signs of being slowed by the injuries they suffered during camp. Freshman Xavier Worthy got involved early with a 34 yard catch and had a nice punt return. Marcus Washington saw a decent amount of snaps as well and had a great block on the Whittington TD. The position group as a whole had no drops and will take some confidence into next week in Fayetteville. 

Texas ran a ton of 2 tight end sets throughout the afternoon. Cade Brewer played the most snaps and had a 6-yard touchdown on his only catch. Steve Sarkisian said after the game that Jared Wiley was dealing with a shoulder injury, which explained the lack of snaps for the junior. In his place, Gunnar Helm was thrown into the fire and did not look out of place. 

It was an up and down performance for the offensive line. Penalties were an issue and there were too many times where the Louisiana defensive line was getting significant push on the interior of the Texas offensive line. It was obvious early that Texas wanted to establish outside zone as their bread and butter but the offensive line was just never able to open up the big lanes. Sarkisian and offensive line coach Kyle Flood did do a good job of making some adjustments and not completely ditching the running game despite the lack of early success. They eventually found success as the Louisiana defense wore down.

Lastly, we have to touch on the quarterbacks. Hudson Card went 14/21 for 224 yards and a pair of touchdowns in his first start. More importantly, he did not turn the ball over and looked comfortable operating the offense. He does not get enough credit for his athleticism and was able to avoid several sacks. His touchdown throw to Brewer was a beautiful throw where he fired it in a tight window. Texas hasn't had a QB with his arm talent in a long time.

About halfway through the 3rd quarter, Sarkisian handed the reigns to Casey Thompson. Thompson completed 4 of 5 passes for 41 yards and a TD on a screen pass to Whittington. Thompson also had another nice 3rd down completion to Whittington where he stepped up in the pocket and delivered a good pass on the move. Long term, I am not sure how Sarkisian is going to manage the QB situation. It appears he wants to keep Thompson engaged and not have one eye on the portal, but it is not sustainable to split playing time at QB for the whole season. Maybe they are able to develop a package of plays for Thompson that the they can use situationally, but Hudson Card certainly did not do anything to lose the job in week 1.

Defense/Special Teams

The Texas defense gave up 358 total yards, but easily 100 of those yards came with the game in hand and the Longhorns getting snaps for the backups. It was a quality performance for Pete Kwiatkowski's group. They controlled the line of scrimmage (76 rushing yards allowed) and were not beat for any backbreaking big plays through the air. Kwiatkowski said before the season the goal is to hold the opponent to under 20 points every week, and so far they are 1 for 1.

Texas finished the game with 4 sacks, but the defensive line was unable to get into the backfield as frequently as many expected heading into the game. Ovie Oghoufo had a big sack and looks to be the best edge rusher Texas currently has. The Longhorns will need more push up front as they progress throughout the season. 

DeMarvion Overshown and Luke Brockermeyer combined for 23 tackles. Both played well. Brockermeyer in particular was a pleasant surprise and Overshown was flying around the field.

It was a quiet day for the DB's. Louisiana obviously had a game plan of wanting to control the ball and not ask Levi Lewis to take deep shots. The DB's for Texas had a good day of keeping everything in front of them and tackling, which has been in issue in past years. They will be tested more this upcoming week against Arkansas.

One of the biggest moments of the game was Keondre Coburn blocking an extra point to keep it a 21-12 game and then BJ Foster recovering the ensuing surprise onside kick. Sarkisian mentioned after the game that special teams coordinator Jeff Banks had a feeling the onside kick might be coming and alerted Foster. All-around great coaching and execution

 

[texifornia 56520]

53 minutes ago, Enchubben said:

Really impressed with that coach after listening to him. I wonder though if he will stick it out or take an opportunity if it shows up this year or next.

Recent podcast I was listening to said he’s not money driven at all, but of course all homer’s say that when they don’t want their coach to leave. An offer of $15m guaranteed can change things.

He wants LSU and it looks like it'll open up for him

[Texasrocks 2124]

11 hours ago, texifornia said:

He wants LSU and it looks like it'll open up for him

Napier would be perfect for LSU, which is why they'll probably hire Jimbo.

[Vito Andolini 9109]

Anyone have the ESPN+ article from Bill Connelly? I’m just wondering if we are included.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/insider/story/_/id/32155787/college-football-partial-answers-overreactions-more-week-1-takeaways

[gyroprotagonist 2591]

24 minutes ago, Vito Andolini said:

Anyone have the ESPN+ article from Bill Connelly? I’m just wondering if we are included.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/insider/story/_/id/32155787/college-football-partial-answers-overreactions-more-week-1-takeaways

Spoiler

Week 1 of the 2021 college football season was, as expected, a lot to take in. UCLA bullied LSU. Tulane nearly unleashed a late comeback against Oklahoma "at home" in Norman. Georgia-Clemson and Penn State-Wisconsin played defensive slugfests straight out of 2011 (or 1961). FCS' Big Sky Conference scored three wins over FBS teams and nearly made it four. Alabama destroyed Miami.

(OK, I got carried away there. That last one made plenty of sense.)

The days after Week 1 are prime, Grade-A opportunities for overreaction. We spend eight offseason months thinking we'll see one thing, after all, and then we potentially see something completely different. But even if we didn't get conclusive answers to our offseason questions, we still got some pretty interesting partial answers to which we can react or overreact. Let's talk about what we might have learned.

Are Chip Kelly's UCLA Bruins for real?
UCLA 38, LSU 27

Despite a string of tight defeats, UCLA improved significantly last season, from 79th in SP+ to 46th. Combined with one of the highest returning production percentages in the country and blue-chip transfers, like running back Zach Charbonnet (Michigan) and linebacker Ale Kaho (Alabama), it should have been clear that UCLA had a chance at another huge step forward in 2021.

The size of that forward step, however, was a mystery. And if we're being honest, it still is. Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson remains enigmatic -- he was just 10-for-20 against Hawaii in Week 0, and in 20 pass attempts against LSU, he managed to combine four sacks, an interception and completions of 23, 35, 36, 45 and 75 yards. Plus, the ultra-aggressive Bruins defense is going to get caught with counterpunches a good amount this year.

That said, it's undeniable that UCLA has some damn studs in the lineup. Charbonnet has 19 combined rushes and receptions for 272 yards and four touchdowns so far. Greg Dulcich, one of the nation's most explosive tight ends in 2020, juked and ran over multiple LSU defenders on a 75-yard catch-and-run. Kyle Phillips broke multiple tackles on his game-clinching 45-yard score. And in the trenches, UCLA pushed and schemed its way to 7.3 yards per carry for its running backs. LSU's backs averaged 2.3.

💥🏈💥 @Greg_Dulcich ‼️pic.twitter.com/gT256oOfbH

— UCLA Football (@UCLAFootball) September 5, 2021
It's too early to declare the Bruins the clear Pac-12 favorite -- they have five conference road games this year (including at Utah, USC and Washington), not to mention home games against Arizona State and Oregon. But they have certainly backed up their top-30 SP+ projection and then some, and they are ridiculously fun to watch.

What the hell happened to Washington?
In his four seasons as either Washington's defensive coordinator or co-coordinator, Jimmy Lake helped to shut down some serious spread offenses. The Huskies limited Mike Leach's Washington State to 4.4 yards per play and 14.8 points per game in that span, and they held Graham Harrell's USC offense to 14 points in 2019, Gus Malzahn's Auburn to 21 in 2018, etc.

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College football Power Rankings for Week 1
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Like many successful defensive coordinators who think they have theoretically solved the modern college football offense -- former Michigan State head man Mark Dantonio comes to mind -- Lake elected to go a little bit old school when he took over as head coach in 2020, hiring John Donovan as his offensive coordinator. Donovan had spent four years as an analyst and assistant for the Jacksonville Jaguars since getting fired as PSU's OC after a frustrating 2015 campaign. Lake probably hoped he was getting a combination of physical collegiate know-how and new-fangled, pro-style ideas.

It appears he has gotten the 2015 Penn State offense instead.

In Washington's brief 2020 campaign, the Huskies moved the chains with a mixture of rushes on rushing downs and short, quick passes on passing downs. But big plays were almost nonexistent, and predictable tendencies led to lots of stalled drives and field goal attempts. It wasn't a disaster, but there was certainly reason to worry about what might happen over a 12-game season.

Against Montana on Saturday night, the Huskies carved out a nine-play, 78-yard drive to start the game ... then averaged 3.5 yards per play and went scoreless over the final 55 minutes. Dylan Morris averaged just 8.4 yards per completion, threw three picks and took three sacks. Starting running back Richard Newton averaged 3.6 yards per carry.

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Montana is fired up after upset over WashingtonMontana head coach Bobby Hauck leaps over his team in the locker room as the players celebrate their upset win over Washington.
Granted, a couple of key Husky receivers were out, and Montana's a great FCS program. But with an excellent defense and solid recruiting, it was easy to view UW as a serious Pac-12 contender if Donovan's offense was up to par. "Seven points against Montana" suggests it is not.

Were Georgia-Clemson and Penn State-Wisconsin driven by good defense or bad offense?
Georgia 10, Clemson 3
Penn State 16, Wisconsin 10

Georgia has finished each of the past two seasons first in defensive SP+, so it says something that we just witnessed the best defensive performance of the Kirby Smart era in Athens.

Even when you take Clemson's own issues into account -- new starting quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei was facing an elite defense (that had eight months to prepare) for the first time, star receiver Justyn Ross was shaking off rust after missing 2020 -- this was staggering. The Tigers hadn't been held under 5.4 yards per play or 21 points in 42 games, and they managed just 3.0 and three, respectively, in Charlotte. Clemson receiver Joe Ngata caught six passes for 110 yards, but 54 other Clemson snaps gained just 70. Uiagalelei was sacked seven times. The Dawg defense even scored the game's only touchdown, a 74-yard pick-six from Christopher Smith.

Georgia's defense was so dominant that it's hard to know what else to take away from the game. Is Clemson's offense going to struggle this year, or was Georgia's D just perfect? How much of Georgia's own offensive issues -- 4.2 yards per play, only three offensive points -- was a product of genuine offensive struggle and/or elite defensive play from Clemson, and how much was because the Dawgs didn't have to take a single offensive risk? Georgia came into the game with a receiving corps severely limited by injury and threw mostly short and safe passes, but it was enough against a team that had little hope of scoring.

My initial guesses: Clemson's offense will be mostly fine but might play at only a top-20 level this year, Clemson's defense is a top-five unit that will still power an ACC title run, and Georgia's offense might still play at a top-15 level or so when it gets some of its receivers back. But that's all pretty inconclusive. The only thing we know for sure is that Georgia's odds of a third straight No. 1 defense are good.

As with Georgia-Clemson, we came into PSU-Wisconsin curious about what each offense might be capable of but knowing what each defense could do. The Badgers have ranked seventh or better in defensive SP+ for four of the past six years, while the Nittany Lions have ranked 15th or better for six of seven. That Saturday's battle in Madison was scoreless at half was only so surprising.

Things opened up a bit in the second half. New PSU offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich opened the big-play spigot -- quarterback Sean Clifford completed passes of 52, 49 and 42 yards, and Noah Cain broke off a 34-yard rush -- and the Nittany Lions scored 16 points. Wisconsin, seemingly in PSU's half of the field for most of the last three quarters, finally turned a couple of chances into points and gave themselves two different prime opportunities to win the game late.

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Penn State seals win at Wisconsin with last-second INTJi'Ayir Brown picks off Graham Mertz on the final play of the game to seal a 16-10 victory for Penn State.
Ultimately, Penn State won because its quarterback was more able to find his playmakers in key moments. Clifford connected with Jahan Dotson, Parker Washington and KeAndre Lambert-Smith 13 times for 220 yards. Wisconsin's Graham Mertz was 22-for-37, but wideouts Danny Davis III and Kendric Pryor caught nine passes for only 110 yards, and Mertz's overreliance on tight end Jake Ferguson (nine catches, 52 yards) was something PSU pounced on during late stops. Both defenses were excellent, but PSU's offensive upside won the day.

How worried should we be about Ohio State's and Oklahoma's defenses?
Ohio State 45, Minnesota 31
Oklahoma 40, Tulane 35

It wasn't just Clemson-Georgia and PSU-Wisconsin. More than two-thirds of FBS vs. FBS games in Week 1 hit the under, and while the national scoring average is generally around 28 points per game per team, it was only about 26 this weekend.

A couple of elite teams didn't get the "defense is a thing again" memo, however.

First, on Thursday night, Ohio State allowed 408 yards and 31 points to Minnesota. If you had told me beforehand that the Buckeyes would score on touchdowns of 71, 38, 56, 70 and 61 yards and score on a fumble return, I would have expected them to win by about 38 points. Instead, they were up just seven with five minutes left before the last of the long scores, C.J. Stroud to Chris Olave for 61 yards, put the 45-31 win away.

About 36 hours later, Oklahoma damn near coughed up a 23-point lead to Tulane. The Green Wave scored on four of five late possessions and recovered an onside kick with 2:17 left. But the Sooner pass rush kicked back in, a mad fourth-down scramble by Tulane's Michael Pratt came up a half-yard short, and OU survived.

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Oklahoma Sooners vs. Tulane Green Wave: Full HighlightsOklahoma Sooners vs. Tulane Green Wave: Full Highlights
Both teams' defensive performances created traumatic flashbacks for their respective fan bases -- Ohio State's because of how shaky the defense looked at times in 2020, Oklahoma's because of how much the Sooner defense held them back during playoff runs in 2017-19 -- but there might not be that much to worry about just yet.

For one thing, Minnesota's offense is good. The Golden Gophers have ranked in the offensive SP+ top 20 in back-to-back seasons, and Mohamed Ibrahim (30 carries for 163 yards) entered 2021 as one of the nation's most proven running backs. (Ibrahim suffered what might end up being a season-ending leg injury late in the game.) Minnesota passed the ball successfully at times despite missing top receiver Chris Autman-Bell, but Ohio State was missing its top two corners, too.

Tulane's might be good, too, but the Green Wave's success was also selective. Three of their five touchdowns came off of great field position (drives starting at their 45, OU's 42 and OU's 47), and after gaining 135 yards in their first 12 snaps, they averaged only 4.0 yards per play from there.

Honestly, you could almost draw as much concern from the OU and Ohio State offenses as anything. Ohio State indeed got five long scores from four different members of an incredible skill corps, but first-time starting QB Stroud was inconsistent, and his ability to handle pressure is still uncertain. And while OU still got enough from Marvin Mims (117 receiving yards) and Kennedy Brooks (87 rushing yards), their 5.7 yards per play was the fourth-worst average of their past 67 games.

Wait, if all these top teams are this vulnerable, does this mean we might be at the cusp of ... a CHAOS YEAR??
I spent part of the offseason attempting to will a 2007 repeat into existence, going so far as to create a chaos road map just in case. The level of vulnerability we saw from top teams, plus the number of "What the hell?" results that took place, both suggest we could be in line for some silliness.

That said, you get truly comprehensive chaos only if the No. 1 team is willing to help out. And while plenty of other teams looked shaky and uncertain, Alabama looked every bit as invulnerable as it did last season. You know, when it was fielding maybe the greatest team in college football history.

Alabama 44, Miami 13

With loads of new starters and a new offensive coordinator, the Tide played what could still turn out to be a rock-solid Miami team and dominated. New starting quarterback Bryce Young went 27-for-38 for 344 yards and four touchdowns. New starting receiver Jameson Williams caught a 94-yard touchdown. The Bama defense sacked D'Eriq King four times and picked him off twice. Bama had three touchdowns over 20 yards, and Miami had one play over 20 yards.

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Bryce Young lights it up with 4 TDs in Bama's big winBryce Young throws for 344 yards and four touchdowns in Alabama's 44-13 win vs. Miami.
It was a familiar-looking domination. And the only notes of encouragement I can give to the fellow chaos seekers out there are that (a) Miami did make 10 tackles for loss, and the right opponent could make life tough for Young and company if they're facing too many third-and-longs, and (b) 2007's preseason No. 1 team, USC, looked brilliant out of the blocks, too, before slipping up later on. But there's no question that one team stood out from the pack in Week 1.

What happened to North Carolina's passing game?
Virginia Tech 17, North Carolina 10

In Friday's Week 1 preview column, I talked about how some new talent needed to emerge for all-world UNC quarterback Sam Howell. Granted, this indeed turned out to be an issue -- Howell completed eight of 10 passes to Josh Downs for 123 yards but otherwise went just 9-for-22 for 85 yards with three interceptions.

The skill corps wasn't the biggest problem, however. Against a Hokie pass rush that ranked 14th in sack rate last year, Howell took six sacks in 38 pass attempts. (He was sacked just once in 24 attempts against Tech last year.)

UNC's offensive line was pretty average last year, and combined with Howell's own playmaking tendencies -- which is to say, he holds on to the ball too long sometimes, and some sacks are on him -- the Heels ranked 106th in sack rate allowed. He ran himself into trouble a couple of times on Friday, too, but a lot of the pressure Tech initiated was almost instantaneous. An experienced line didn't do its job, and when it did Howell didn't always have open receivers to target.

In theory, things will improve. Howell will get potential starting receivers Khafre Brown and Beau Corrales back from injury and will build a better rapport with the receiving corps overall. The line almost can't play worse, either. But each of the next two opponents, Georgia State (21st) and Virginia (10th), also ranked high in sack rate last year. If the Heels can't protect Howell better, he's going to take a lot more hits.

Exactly how high is Iowa's ceiling?
Iowa 34, Indiana 6

In last week's preview, I also talked about how ridiculously good Iowa became after starting 2020 with two tight losses. It pounded Minnesota, Penn State and Wisconsin by an average score of 35-12 and, over the course of just six games, charged from 32nd to 10th in SP+, the Hawkeyes' highest finish in 12 years. Quarterback Spencer Petras' play was uninspiring, but the Hawkeyes were so damn good at the things Iowa teams normally try to be good at -- line play, big-play prevention, punting -- that it didn't matter. Would the Hawkeyes threaten to hit the same ceiling in 2021 despite turnover on both lines?

The answer: a resounding, if partial, yes. Iowa RBs averaged 5.3 yards per carry to Indiana's 2.9, the Hawkeyes' defense allowed just three completions of greater than 12 yards, and Tory Taylor averaged a ridiculous 49.5 yards per punt. Thanks in part to a pair of Riley Moss pick-sixes, Iowa erupted to a 31-3 halftime lead and cruised, 34-6, despite intensely mediocre play from Petras (13-for-27 for 145 yards).

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Riley Moss runs back 30-yard pick-six for IowaIowa scores its second touchdown in the first three minutes as Riley Moss returns an interception for six.
Granted, you're probably not going to get 14 points per game from your defense all season -- call it a hunch -- and at some point you'll probably need more than five catches for 38 yards from your wideouts. But since a 21-20 loss to Northwestern last Halloween, the Hawkeyes have won seven in a row, and only one of those games has been even slightly close. As far as I'm concerned, this is a top-10 team until proven otherwise. (Note: This message will self-destruct if Iowa loses at Iowa State in Week 2.)

So ... Northwestern's pretty bad, huh?
Michigan State 38, Northwestern 21

Possibly, but not in the way we expected. After Pat Fitzgerald's Wildcats lost more of last year's production than any team in FBS, SP+ projected them to fall from 30th to 76th. The offense, so miserable in 2019, had lost most of the reasons for its 2020 improvement. Hunter Johnson, dreadful when called into action in 2019, won the starting QB job, while leading rusher Cam Porter was lost to injury in August.

Taking that into consideration, NU's offensive performance against Michigan State on Friday night might have actually been encouraging. The Wildcats gained 400 yards (albeit at just 4.9 yards per play) and drove inside the Spartans' 30-yard line six times. Two missed field goals and a turnover on downs limited the point total, but they still scored 21 points, more than projected.

They also allowed 38. MSU hadn't averaged more than 6.5 yards per play in 19 games but averaged 8.1 against a Wildcat defense that constantly took bad angles and seemingly blew quite a few assignments.

We might find out in the coming weeks that the Michigan State offense is indeed solid. Wake Forest transfer Kenneth Walker III (23 carries for 264 yards on Friday) had shown solid yards-after-contact potential last season, and the Spartans certainly flashed quite a bit of speed. But this was arguably Northwestern's worst defensive performance against a team not named Ohio State since about 2016, and the fact that it was also the Wildcats' first game without retired coordinator Mike Hankwitz -- Jim O'Neil replaced him in February -- certainly rings some alarm bells.

And what about Notre Dame's defense?
Notre Dame 41, Florida State 38

Generally speaking, Brian Kelly is more of a bend-don't-break guy. If Notre Dame's defense is going to be awesome in one category, it is going to be big-play prevention, and he's willing to sacrifice a little in the efficiency department to achieve it. But his recent Irish defenses have been a little more aggressive, and when he had to replace coordinator Clark Lea this offseason, he made a particularly aggressive choice: Cincinnati's Marcus Freeman. The Bearcats ranked fourth in success rate allowed last season, and while they occasionally got burned by a big play, it was worth it for all the three-and-outs they were forcing.

In his first game as Notre Dame DC, Freeman's Irish lived up to the all-or-nothing billing for a while. Florida State scored touchdowns on plays of 89 and 60 yards, but Notre Dame built a 38-20 lead thanks to three three-and-outs and three interceptions. Isaiah Foskey (two sacks) was awesome, as was all-world safety Kyle Hamilton (two INTs).

Justifiably, Freeman seemed to ease up on the pressure with the Irish up 18. That led to their near-downfall. Aiming to avoid handing FSU easy points, they instead allowed a 15-play, six-minute touchdown drive late in the third quarter and early in the fourth. It cut their lead to 38-28, but in the process it seemed to steal their legs. With the offense suddenly unable to move the ball, a tired and increasingly conservative Irish defense then fell victim to McKenzie Milton's late-game heroics. FSU drove 88 yards for a touchdown to cut the lead to three, then drove 46 yards to send the game to OT.

Notre Dame somehow defied the script-writers to win in OT, but FSU ended up with 442 yards at 6.0 yards per play. That's the most yards and points they'd given up to someone other than Clemson in two full seasons.

Is there a problem? I'm not convinced. The Irish didn't lose the plot until situational weirdness came around late in the game. They are still without five of last year's seven-or-so best play-makers, and that could catch up to them, but we'll give Freeman and this defense a pass for now.

 

[gmr548 16513]

Really impressed with that coach after listening to him. I wonder though if he will stick it out or take an opportunity if it shows up this year or next.
Recent podcast I was listening to said he’s not money driven at all, but of course all homer’s say that when they don’t want their coach to leave. An offer of $15m guaranteed can change things.

He’s already making $2mm annually at 40. Any big time job is going to double that, at least, with a buyout to can him. He and his family are already set for life. In that sense, it’s easy to buy that he’s not money driven because it comes with the territory of moving to a bigger job anyway.

[satyanash 14281]

(Scipio Tex) 2021 Texas-Louisiana Post Mortem: Defense/Special Teams

Quote

The Texas defense rotated players like it was a Spring game and they were being taught to play basic team defense out of the install packages. I counted at least 20 players playing major snaps early and another half dozen added to the mix as the score widened.

So what was that about? Finding out what the staff has? Program building? The best practical approach for depth? Or maybe Texas has a large number of above average defenders, many of them suited to certain roles, each with specific strengths and skill sets, so play them all, play them in the right situations, and throw them at the opponent in waves. Playing everyone was a depth builder and a sorting mechanism - who can execute what the coaches teach in game situations? Who emerges over time while the staff also builds an experienced roster that shrugs off graduation each year? Will Texas see a tighter rotation as the season progresses in the secondary? I'm curious to find out myself.

Texas held a veteran Louisiana offense under 200 yards for 3 quarters and the Cajuns were 0-6 on 3rd down attempts before compiling some yardage in the final quarter. Texas held Louisiana to 4 of 13 overall on 3rd down and 76 rushing yards. The longest completion from their 282 passing yards went for 26 yards. The game plan was pretty clearly about stifling big plays and avoiding risk. The result? 18 points on the board. Louisiana didn't score less than 20 in any game they played last year.

Texas played solid defense and the mistakes in player execution and coaching calls over the course of the game can be counted on a hand. I've watched some recent Texas defenses provide that on a single drive. A call Pete might like to have back was when Texas got outnumbered in the run game on Chris Smith's 27 yard TD scamper. Texas also played a bit more off coverage than we'll see in coming weeks, but I'm guessing that's a base call that Kwiatkowski is trying to teach his charges.

As for the worst combo of non-ideal call and very poor player execution, see below:

Those guys would like to have that one back. Also, Kyren Lacy is pretty talented.

DL/Edge

Louisiana doesn't have a Sun Belt level OL, but I was disappointed by the lack of game impact from the Longhorn interior DL. Keondre Coburn got a big paw up to block a low trajectory Cajun extra point, but beyond that he played high in pass rush, stopped moving his feet, and had no real plan once he got engaged or double teamed. Sweat, much the same. Heat? I don't know. But the big men need a wake up call and to spend some time working on a plan. Ojomo had a couple of nice pass rushes. Broughton brings good punch off of the ball, but he gets washed out against zone and he doesn't have much carry through after initial contact.

Jacoby Jones looks physically transformed and played the run well, but didn't add a great deal as a pass rusher on Saturday. Ovie is the most gifted natural pass rusher by a large margin and he'll be the ongoing nickel edge rusher. Great second half sack where he showed get off and controlled the tackle's hands. Ray Thornton is good against the run, shows some gap awareness, and has really strong hands. He cleaned up with a late flush sack. Jett Bush brought very good motor and effort, complete with a George Jefferson walk-off after another flush sack. Jett is a little too small to present ideal physicality setting the edge and he needs to work on getting off of the ball faster.

LB

I was very pleasantly surprised by their competent play. Overshown led the team in tackles with 13 and Luke Brockermeyer was flying around with 10 of his own. Overshown is much better coached now and Brockermeyer didn't look out of place to me at all. Just understand that they are finesse linebackers and pretty much the guys that TCU starts every year. Nice job from each running the crosser blitz that led to the sack above and Brock notched 1.5 tackles for loss including a nice pop on a Cajun back on a run stunt in the 1st half. Gbenda was the #1 substitute off the bench and he notched five tackles of his own. Jaylan Ford had three tackles, but the hierarchy feels like Gbenda is LB3 at the two interior positions.

DB

Texas played everyone on the two deep when the game was still being decided which likely informed the simple game plan and the Keep-The-Ball-In-Front approach. Overall play was solid. Josh Thompson had a few poor moments and I'm not talking about the personal foul. He needs to increase his play awareness and keep his feet. D'shawn tackled well and wasn't challenged much. Kitan Crawford and Jahdae Barron very much look the part and they look really quick to me. Probably the best cornerback play all day was Darion Dunn's hard 1 on 1 tackle where he got low and put his helmet right on the ball tackling a receiver in space, forcing a fumble. I understand why Anthony Cook got the starting nod at nickel. He showed good awareness and prevented some early read throws.

I didn't see the Horns drop Schooler or Foster into the box much at all. The plan was clearly to teach, keep it pretty simple, and play everybody.

Special Teams

What might have been. A marginal block in the back from (correction: Keilan Robinson, not Kitan) erased a 83 yard Jamison punt return touchdown. If you watched Kitan Crawford as a gunner when Texas punted, he did excellent work. Worthy had a nice punt return as well when Texas went to a two man return strategy to offset the Cajun punter's directional sneakiness. I think we'll make some hay in the return games soon.

Dicker went 1 for 2 on a pair of high 40+ yard field goals. One looked perfect and the other was terrible. He punted very effectively. The fat Cajun kicker was a never ending source of joy to me. Terrific football awareness and discipline from BJ Foster fielding the Cajun onside kick when they fell down 21-6. BJ kept his eyes on the kicker and fielded a high pressure kick very cleanly. Clean up a few things and Texas should have plus special teams this year.

Overall

Like the offense, the Texas defense and special teams looked prepared and pretty well coached. Unlike the offense, Kwiatkowski played everyone on the two deep. Let's see how that depth choice plays out over the course of the season. I'll preview the challenge that QB KJ Jefferson's legs and the Hog running game present on Saturday, but if the game plan is what I anticipate, expect a little ramp up in pressure and complexity in Fayetteville.

 

[Vito Andolini 9109]

1 hour ago, gyroprotagonist said:

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Week 1 of the 2021 college football season was, as expected, a lot to take in. UCLA bullied LSU. Tulane nearly unleashed a late comeback against Oklahoma "at home" in Norman. Georgia-Clemson and Penn State-Wisconsin played defensive slugfests straight out of 2011 (or 1961). FCS' Big Sky Conference scored three wins over FBS teams and nearly made it four. Alabama destroyed Miami.

(OK, I got carried away there. That last one made plenty of sense.)

The days after Week 1 are prime, Grade-A opportunities for overreaction. We spend eight offseason months thinking we'll see one thing, after all, and then we potentially see something completely different. But even if we didn't get conclusive answers to our offseason questions, we still got some pretty interesting partial answers to which we can react or overreact. Let's talk about what we might have learned.

Are Chip Kelly's UCLA Bruins for real?
UCLA 38, LSU 27

Despite a string of tight defeats, UCLA improved significantly last season, from 79th in SP+ to 46th. Combined with one of the highest returning production percentages in the country and blue-chip transfers, like running back Zach Charbonnet (Michigan) and linebacker Ale Kaho (Alabama), it should have been clear that UCLA had a chance at another huge step forward in 2021.

The size of that forward step, however, was a mystery. And if we're being honest, it still is. Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson remains enigmatic -- he was just 10-for-20 against Hawaii in Week 0, and in 20 pass attempts against LSU, he managed to combine four sacks, an interception and completions of 23, 35, 36, 45 and 75 yards. Plus, the ultra-aggressive Bruins defense is going to get caught with counterpunches a good amount this year.

That said, it's undeniable that UCLA has some damn studs in the lineup. Charbonnet has 19 combined rushes and receptions for 272 yards and four touchdowns so far. Greg Dulcich, one of the nation's most explosive tight ends in 2020, juked and ran over multiple LSU defenders on a 75-yard catch-and-run. Kyle Phillips broke multiple tackles on his game-clinching 45-yard score. And in the trenches, UCLA pushed and schemed its way to 7.3 yards per carry for its running backs. LSU's backs averaged 2.3.

💥🏈💥 @Greg_Dulcich ‼️pic.twitter.com/gT256oOfbH

— UCLA Football (@UCLAFootball) September 5, 2021
It's too early to declare the Bruins the clear Pac-12 favorite -- they have five conference road games this year (including at Utah, USC and Washington), not to mention home games against Arizona State and Oregon. But they have certainly backed up their top-30 SP+ projection and then some, and they are ridiculously fun to watch.

What the hell happened to Washington?
In his four seasons as either Washington's defensive coordinator or co-coordinator, Jimmy Lake helped to shut down some serious spread offenses. The Huskies limited Mike Leach's Washington State to 4.4 yards per play and 14.8 points per game in that span, and they held Graham Harrell's USC offense to 14 points in 2019, Gus Malzahn's Auburn to 21 in 2018, etc.

EDITOR'S PICKS

The fans, the bands, the drama: Week 1 in college football reminds us of what we missed in 2020
1dDavid M. Hale

College football Power Rankings for Week 1
1dESPN staff

Nick Saban's Alabama power machine keeps humming along
20hRyan McGee
Like many successful defensive coordinators who think they have theoretically solved the modern college football offense -- former Michigan State head man Mark Dantonio comes to mind -- Lake elected to go a little bit old school when he took over as head coach in 2020, hiring John Donovan as his offensive coordinator. Donovan had spent four years as an analyst and assistant for the Jacksonville Jaguars since getting fired as PSU's OC after a frustrating 2015 campaign. Lake probably hoped he was getting a combination of physical collegiate know-how and new-fangled, pro-style ideas.

It appears he has gotten the 2015 Penn State offense instead.

In Washington's brief 2020 campaign, the Huskies moved the chains with a mixture of rushes on rushing downs and short, quick passes on passing downs. But big plays were almost nonexistent, and predictable tendencies led to lots of stalled drives and field goal attempts. It wasn't a disaster, but there was certainly reason to worry about what might happen over a 12-game season.

Against Montana on Saturday night, the Huskies carved out a nine-play, 78-yard drive to start the game ... then averaged 3.5 yards per play and went scoreless over the final 55 minutes. Dylan Morris averaged just 8.4 yards per completion, threw three picks and took three sacks. Starting running back Richard Newton averaged 3.6 yards per carry.

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Montana is fired up after upset over WashingtonMontana head coach Bobby Hauck leaps over his team in the locker room as the players celebrate their upset win over Washington.
Granted, a couple of key Husky receivers were out, and Montana's a great FCS program. But with an excellent defense and solid recruiting, it was easy to view UW as a serious Pac-12 contender if Donovan's offense was up to par. "Seven points against Montana" suggests it is not.

Were Georgia-Clemson and Penn State-Wisconsin driven by good defense or bad offense?
Georgia 10, Clemson 3
Penn State 16, Wisconsin 10

Georgia has finished each of the past two seasons first in defensive SP+, so it says something that we just witnessed the best defensive performance of the Kirby Smart era in Athens.

Even when you take Clemson's own issues into account -- new starting quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei was facing an elite defense (that had eight months to prepare) for the first time, star receiver Justyn Ross was shaking off rust after missing 2020 -- this was staggering. The Tigers hadn't been held under 5.4 yards per play or 21 points in 42 games, and they managed just 3.0 and three, respectively, in Charlotte. Clemson receiver Joe Ngata caught six passes for 110 yards, but 54 other Clemson snaps gained just 70. Uiagalelei was sacked seven times. The Dawg defense even scored the game's only touchdown, a 74-yard pick-six from Christopher Smith.

Georgia's defense was so dominant that it's hard to know what else to take away from the game. Is Clemson's offense going to struggle this year, or was Georgia's D just perfect? How much of Georgia's own offensive issues -- 4.2 yards per play, only three offensive points -- was a product of genuine offensive struggle and/or elite defensive play from Clemson, and how much was because the Dawgs didn't have to take a single offensive risk? Georgia came into the game with a receiving corps severely limited by injury and threw mostly short and safe passes, but it was enough against a team that had little hope of scoring.

My initial guesses: Clemson's offense will be mostly fine but might play at only a top-20 level this year, Clemson's defense is a top-five unit that will still power an ACC title run, and Georgia's offense might still play at a top-15 level or so when it gets some of its receivers back. But that's all pretty inconclusive. The only thing we know for sure is that Georgia's odds of a third straight No. 1 defense are good.

As with Georgia-Clemson, we came into PSU-Wisconsin curious about what each offense might be capable of but knowing what each defense could do. The Badgers have ranked seventh or better in defensive SP+ for four of the past six years, while the Nittany Lions have ranked 15th or better for six of seven. That Saturday's battle in Madison was scoreless at half was only so surprising.

Things opened up a bit in the second half. New PSU offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich opened the big-play spigot -- quarterback Sean Clifford completed passes of 52, 49 and 42 yards, and Noah Cain broke off a 34-yard rush -- and the Nittany Lions scored 16 points. Wisconsin, seemingly in PSU's half of the field for most of the last three quarters, finally turned a couple of chances into points and gave themselves two different prime opportunities to win the game late.

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Penn State seals win at Wisconsin with last-second INTJi'Ayir Brown picks off Graham Mertz on the final play of the game to seal a 16-10 victory for Penn State.
Ultimately, Penn State won because its quarterback was more able to find his playmakers in key moments. Clifford connected with Jahan Dotson, Parker Washington and KeAndre Lambert-Smith 13 times for 220 yards. Wisconsin's Graham Mertz was 22-for-37, but wideouts Danny Davis III and Kendric Pryor caught nine passes for only 110 yards, and Mertz's overreliance on tight end Jake Ferguson (nine catches, 52 yards) was something PSU pounced on during late stops. Both defenses were excellent, but PSU's offensive upside won the day.

How worried should we be about Ohio State's and Oklahoma's defenses?
Ohio State 45, Minnesota 31
Oklahoma 40, Tulane 35

It wasn't just Clemson-Georgia and PSU-Wisconsin. More than two-thirds of FBS vs. FBS games in Week 1 hit the under, and while the national scoring average is generally around 28 points per game per team, it was only about 26 this weekend.

A couple of elite teams didn't get the "defense is a thing again" memo, however.

First, on Thursday night, Ohio State allowed 408 yards and 31 points to Minnesota. If you had told me beforehand that the Buckeyes would score on touchdowns of 71, 38, 56, 70 and 61 yards and score on a fumble return, I would have expected them to win by about 38 points. Instead, they were up just seven with five minutes left before the last of the long scores, C.J. Stroud to Chris Olave for 61 yards, put the 45-31 win away.

About 36 hours later, Oklahoma damn near coughed up a 23-point lead to Tulane. The Green Wave scored on four of five late possessions and recovered an onside kick with 2:17 left. But the Sooner pass rush kicked back in, a mad fourth-down scramble by Tulane's Michael Pratt came up a half-yard short, and OU survived.

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1:48
Oklahoma Sooners vs. Tulane Green Wave: Full HighlightsOklahoma Sooners vs. Tulane Green Wave: Full Highlights
Both teams' defensive performances created traumatic flashbacks for their respective fan bases -- Ohio State's because of how shaky the defense looked at times in 2020, Oklahoma's because of how much the Sooner defense held them back during playoff runs in 2017-19 -- but there might not be that much to worry about just yet.

For one thing, Minnesota's offense is good. The Golden Gophers have ranked in the offensive SP+ top 20 in back-to-back seasons, and Mohamed Ibrahim (30 carries for 163 yards) entered 2021 as one of the nation's most proven running backs. (Ibrahim suffered what might end up being a season-ending leg injury late in the game.) Minnesota passed the ball successfully at times despite missing top receiver Chris Autman-Bell, but Ohio State was missing its top two corners, too.

Tulane's might be good, too, but the Green Wave's success was also selective. Three of their five touchdowns came off of great field position (drives starting at their 45, OU's 42 and OU's 47), and after gaining 135 yards in their first 12 snaps, they averaged only 4.0 yards per play from there.

Honestly, you could almost draw as much concern from the OU and Ohio State offenses as anything. Ohio State indeed got five long scores from four different members of an incredible skill corps, but first-time starting QB Stroud was inconsistent, and his ability to handle pressure is still uncertain. And while OU still got enough from Marvin Mims (117 receiving yards) and Kennedy Brooks (87 rushing yards), their 5.7 yards per play was the fourth-worst average of their past 67 games.

Wait, if all these top teams are this vulnerable, does this mean we might be at the cusp of ... a CHAOS YEAR??
I spent part of the offseason attempting to will a 2007 repeat into existence, going so far as to create a chaos road map just in case. The level of vulnerability we saw from top teams, plus the number of "What the hell?" results that took place, both suggest we could be in line for some silliness.

That said, you get truly comprehensive chaos only if the No. 1 team is willing to help out. And while plenty of other teams looked shaky and uncertain, Alabama looked every bit as invulnerable as it did last season. You know, when it was fielding maybe the greatest team in college football history.

Alabama 44, Miami 13

With loads of new starters and a new offensive coordinator, the Tide played what could still turn out to be a rock-solid Miami team and dominated. New starting quarterback Bryce Young went 27-for-38 for 344 yards and four touchdowns. New starting receiver Jameson Williams caught a 94-yard touchdown. The Bama defense sacked D'Eriq King four times and picked him off twice. Bama had three touchdowns over 20 yards, and Miami had one play over 20 yards.

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1:54
Bryce Young lights it up with 4 TDs in Bama's big winBryce Young throws for 344 yards and four touchdowns in Alabama's 44-13 win vs. Miami.
It was a familiar-looking domination. And the only notes of encouragement I can give to the fellow chaos seekers out there are that (a) Miami did make 10 tackles for loss, and the right opponent could make life tough for Young and company if they're facing too many third-and-longs, and (b) 2007's preseason No. 1 team, USC, looked brilliant out of the blocks, too, before slipping up later on. But there's no question that one team stood out from the pack in Week 1.

What happened to North Carolina's passing game?
Virginia Tech 17, North Carolina 10

In Friday's Week 1 preview column, I talked about how some new talent needed to emerge for all-world UNC quarterback Sam Howell. Granted, this indeed turned out to be an issue -- Howell completed eight of 10 passes to Josh Downs for 123 yards but otherwise went just 9-for-22 for 85 yards with three interceptions.

The skill corps wasn't the biggest problem, however. Against a Hokie pass rush that ranked 14th in sack rate last year, Howell took six sacks in 38 pass attempts. (He was sacked just once in 24 attempts against Tech last year.)

UNC's offensive line was pretty average last year, and combined with Howell's own playmaking tendencies -- which is to say, he holds on to the ball too long sometimes, and some sacks are on him -- the Heels ranked 106th in sack rate allowed. He ran himself into trouble a couple of times on Friday, too, but a lot of the pressure Tech initiated was almost instantaneous. An experienced line didn't do its job, and when it did Howell didn't always have open receivers to target.

In theory, things will improve. Howell will get potential starting receivers Khafre Brown and Beau Corrales back from injury and will build a better rapport with the receiving corps overall. The line almost can't play worse, either. But each of the next two opponents, Georgia State (21st) and Virginia (10th), also ranked high in sack rate last year. If the Heels can't protect Howell better, he's going to take a lot more hits.

Exactly how high is Iowa's ceiling?
Iowa 34, Indiana 6

In last week's preview, I also talked about how ridiculously good Iowa became after starting 2020 with two tight losses. It pounded Minnesota, Penn State and Wisconsin by an average score of 35-12 and, over the course of just six games, charged from 32nd to 10th in SP+, the Hawkeyes' highest finish in 12 years. Quarterback Spencer Petras' play was uninspiring, but the Hawkeyes were so damn good at the things Iowa teams normally try to be good at -- line play, big-play prevention, punting -- that it didn't matter. Would the Hawkeyes threaten to hit the same ceiling in 2021 despite turnover on both lines?

The answer: a resounding, if partial, yes. Iowa RBs averaged 5.3 yards per carry to Indiana's 2.9, the Hawkeyes' defense allowed just three completions of greater than 12 yards, and Tory Taylor averaged a ridiculous 49.5 yards per punt. Thanks in part to a pair of Riley Moss pick-sixes, Iowa erupted to a 31-3 halftime lead and cruised, 34-6, despite intensely mediocre play from Petras (13-for-27 for 145 yards).

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0:39
Riley Moss runs back 30-yard pick-six for IowaIowa scores its second touchdown in the first three minutes as Riley Moss returns an interception for six.
Granted, you're probably not going to get 14 points per game from your defense all season -- call it a hunch -- and at some point you'll probably need more than five catches for 38 yards from your wideouts. But since a 21-20 loss to Northwestern last Halloween, the Hawkeyes have won seven in a row, and only one of those games has been even slightly close. As far as I'm concerned, this is a top-10 team until proven otherwise. (Note: This message will self-destruct if Iowa loses at Iowa State in Week 2.)

So ... Northwestern's pretty bad, huh?
Michigan State 38, Northwestern 21

Possibly, but not in the way we expected. After Pat Fitzgerald's Wildcats lost more of last year's production than any team in FBS, SP+ projected them to fall from 30th to 76th. The offense, so miserable in 2019, had lost most of the reasons for its 2020 improvement. Hunter Johnson, dreadful when called into action in 2019, won the starting QB job, while leading rusher Cam Porter was lost to injury in August.

Taking that into consideration, NU's offensive performance against Michigan State on Friday night might have actually been encouraging. The Wildcats gained 400 yards (albeit at just 4.9 yards per play) and drove inside the Spartans' 30-yard line six times. Two missed field goals and a turnover on downs limited the point total, but they still scored 21 points, more than projected.

They also allowed 38. MSU hadn't averaged more than 6.5 yards per play in 19 games but averaged 8.1 against a Wildcat defense that constantly took bad angles and seemingly blew quite a few assignments.

We might find out in the coming weeks that the Michigan State offense is indeed solid. Wake Forest transfer Kenneth Walker III (23 carries for 264 yards on Friday) had shown solid yards-after-contact potential last season, and the Spartans certainly flashed quite a bit of speed. But this was arguably Northwestern's worst defensive performance against a team not named Ohio State since about 2016, and the fact that it was also the Wildcats' first game without retired coordinator Mike Hankwitz -- Jim O'Neil replaced him in February -- certainly rings some alarm bells.

And what about Notre Dame's defense?
Notre Dame 41, Florida State 38

Generally speaking, Brian Kelly is more of a bend-don't-break guy. If Notre Dame's defense is going to be awesome in one category, it is going to be big-play prevention, and he's willing to sacrifice a little in the efficiency department to achieve it. But his recent Irish defenses have been a little more aggressive, and when he had to replace coordinator Clark Lea this offseason, he made a particularly aggressive choice: Cincinnati's Marcus Freeman. The Bearcats ranked fourth in success rate allowed last season, and while they occasionally got burned by a big play, it was worth it for all the three-and-outs they were forcing.

In his first game as Notre Dame DC, Freeman's Irish lived up to the all-or-nothing billing for a while. Florida State scored touchdowns on plays of 89 and 60 yards, but Notre Dame built a 38-20 lead thanks to three three-and-outs and three interceptions. Isaiah Foskey (two sacks) was awesome, as was all-world safety Kyle Hamilton (two INTs).

Justifiably, Freeman seemed to ease up on the pressure with the Irish up 18. That led to their near-downfall. Aiming to avoid handing FSU easy points, they instead allowed a 15-play, six-minute touchdown drive late in the third quarter and early in the fourth. It cut their lead to 38-28, but in the process it seemed to steal their legs. With the offense suddenly unable to move the ball, a tired and increasingly conservative Irish defense then fell victim to McKenzie Milton's late-game heroics. FSU drove 88 yards for a touchdown to cut the lead to three, then drove 46 yards to send the game to OT.

Notre Dame somehow defied the script-writers to win in OT, but FSU ended up with 442 yards at 6.0 yards per play. That's the most yards and points they'd given up to someone other than Clemson in two full seasons.

Is there a problem? I'm not convinced. The Irish didn't lose the plot until situational weirdness came around late in the game. They are still without five of last year's seven-or-so best play-makers, and that could catch up to them, but we'll give Freeman and this defense a pass for now.

 

Sorry it took so long to thank you, doing yard work.

[satyanash 14281]

(Bobby Burton) Monday: The next step for 2021 Texas

Quote

It was an impressive debut for Texas. No doubt. The Horns handled an experienced and ranked Louisiana team that had won 10 games two consecutive years. But, in this sport, you’re only as good as your next game. While the Horns won Saturday at home, Texas goes on the road to Arkansas this weekend. The Razorbacks were 3-7 a year ago and are coming off of a 38-17 victory over Rice this past weekend.

Arkansas scored 31 straight second-half points to overcome the Owls. Kendal Briles, the son of Art and former Longhorn player, is the Arkansas offensive coordinator. So Texas fans know well exactly what type of offense to expect. On defense, the Hogs’ coordinator is Barry Odom, which is who Steve Sarkisian kicked the tires on before ultimately landing on Pete Kwiatkowski to run the Texas defense.

These are two programs both hoping to take the next step in their progress. Texas needs to prove the Louisiana game was no fluke – not for Sarkisian, Hudson Card or the Texas D. Arkansas, meanwhile, needs to show it’s ready to compete at a higher level in the SEC. Even though the Hogs finished 3-7 last year, the season included two narrow losses to Missouri and LSU.

As with all Briles’ offenses, the quarterback is the focal point. QB KJ Johnson is an adequate thrower and a strong runner. Against Rice, the Razorbacks relied on his arm and legs to spark the team. They rushed the ball effectively overall, averaging more than five yards a carry on 44 attempts. Junior Trelon Smith was the top ball carrier with 102 yards on 20 attempts. In Fayetteville, the Horns must be ready to handle the Razorback run game.

As for Texas, the Horns will need to get other receivers more involved in week two. The Razorbacks’ Odom is a bright defensive mind and good strategist. He will almost certainly account for Jordan Whittington more than Louisiana planned and opted to. And expect Odom to put more mental pressure on Hudson Card than Louisiana was able to.

This coming week is a big one for the Texas program. Beat Arkansas, and Texas likely enters conference play undefeated, with momentum and getting some serious notice from recruits. Lose, and questions about the quarterback, the direction of the program, and all of those things will likely creep into the discussion. The Horns can’t be one-week wonders. Impressive debuts are nice, but it’s time to take the show on the road to see if the Horns are ready for that next step.

 

[Davis Lane 5553]

On 9/5/2021 at 9:23 AM, Vito Andolini said:

I don’t read the Houston Chronicle, and perhaps shit articles like this one are the reason why. Who the fuck is this asshole?

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/texas-sports-nation/brian-t-smith/article/Smith-Steve-Sarkisian-starts-better-with-Texas-16436330.php

But it was only 14-6 Texas over a Sun Belt opponent at the half. And when you remember how much is always at stake for the Longhorns — the university, the program, the fanbase, the boosters, the football team — Sarkisian’s first big Saturday in Austin was … a decent start.

The new coach had the luxury of winning with several of the old coach’s players.

Herman was coldly tossed aside after four consecutive bowl victories, peaking in 2018 with a 10-4 record and a buzzing Sugar Bowl upset win.

Texas needs more.

Texas always wants more.

Texas, obviously, should be better than 7-6, 8-5, 7-3 and winning the Alamo Bowl (again).

All the money and all the change mean that Sarkisian’s Longhorns must be great in a world dominated by Nick Saban and the mighty SEC.

Dabo Swinney and Ryan Day are just behind Saban. Cincinnati, a rising American Athletic Conference team expected to join the conference that Texas is leaving, is No. 8 in the country and won its opener 49-14.

At the least, the Longhorns must be able to compete in-state with the Aggies, on and off the field.

Maybe the new, brilliant offense will arrive next Saturday.

Being great again, if it’s still possible here, is going to take time. Years, not months.

TH pseudonym?

[LarryMoeSurly 411]

Don't think this one from The Athletic has been posted yet.  Mainly more of the same but some good quotes.

 

Spoiler

Grand opening of Texas’ Steve Sarkisian era shows off Bijan Robinson, Hudson Card as promised: ‘I loved it, man’

AUSTIN, Texas — After eight months of buildup to the dawn of the Steve Sarkisian era and repeated warnings of the treacherous challenge Texas’ first opponent would pose, the Longhorns can exhale.

There was no season-opening hiccup, no repeat of the Maryland debacles of 2017 and 2018. No postgame lamentations that “winning is hard” or glaring red flags of deficiencies that could cause future issues. Just a well-executed, drama-free opener that shows promise for the Longhorns under their new head coach.

“Things are different,” Texas defensive tackle Keondre Coburn said. “It’s a different style, different culture.”

It certainly looked that way, as the No. 21 Longhorns handled No. 23 Louisiana with relative ease, 38-18, in their debut under Sarkisian.

The grand opening of All Gas No Brakes wasn’t perfect, but there was plenty to like about the Longhorns. As Sarkisian promised, he fed running back Bijan Robinson the ball early and often. Starting quarterback Hudson Card played with poise, moved the offense consistently and took care of the ball. Receiver Jordan Whittington, who has long awaited his chance to be a fully healthy contributor, shined. And new defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski’s unit stifled the deep, experienced Ragin’ Cajuns offense for much of the day.

“I loved it, man,” a smiling Sarkisian said. “There’s nothing like winning, I’ll tell you that much.”

The most encouraging part of the afternoon for UT, aside from the result, was Sarkisian making good on his vow to use Robinson. After saying multiple times this offseason that the former five-star recruit would be the focal point of his offense, he backed it up with his play calling.

Robinson, who averaged just 10 touches per game last season — to the frustration of Texas fans — reached that mark in the second quarter and passed it by halftime. He finished with 24 touches, 176 yards from scrimmage (7.3 yards per touch) and two scores.

Sarkisian moved Robinson around, seating him next to Card, lining him up in the pistol and flanking him out at receiver. Early in the second quarter, Robinson parked in the slot and caught a 28-yard pass over the middle. In the third, he jogged out wide, Card whipped a quick screen pass to him, and tight end Cade Brewer and receiver Joshua Moore helped pave the way for an 18-yard gain. His receiving touchdown came as the result of him leaking out of the backfield and an apparent Louisiana coverage bust.

“Sark said to just prepare for everything, lined up at receiver, in the slot, wherever the team needs you the most for whatever mismatches that we do get,” Robinson said. “Whatever I have to do, whether it’s running back, receiver or slot, I’m good with it.”

Card, the former four-star recruit from local powerhouse Lake Travis High, managed the game effectively. Accurate, completing 14 of 21 pass attempts, and effective from the pocket, he made impressive throws while scrambling, one of his strengths. Sarkisian, who rarely uses designed quarterback runs, deployed him for a 3-yard touchdown in the third.

“He was very smooth,” Coburn said.

Said Sarkisian: “Hudson is very elusive … and he throws extremely well on the run. Previously where Hudson has gotten himself in trouble is he can drop his eyes and start to look at the rush. So that is something that we’ve worked on with him because we’re trying to play to his strengths. And I thought he did a nice job of that tonight, of keeping his vision, moving in the pocket and making plays.”

Whittington, a former five-star recruit who has suffered multiple injuries in his first two years on campus, had a career performance with seven catches for 113 yards and a score. On multiple occasions, he broke tackles and dragged defenders with him for large gains, including a 41-yard catch-and-run that drew appreciation from the crowd.

“There’s just a fire that burns inside of me that wants to do whatever I can to help this team win,” Whittington said. “That was on display right there.”

The defense performed solidly as well. Kwiatkowski’s mix of defensive fronts kept Louisiana guessing, and Texas’ linebackers, once a source of anxiety this offseason, served as a strength. The three starters at the position — DeMarvion Overshown, Luke Brockermeyer and Ovie Oghoufo — were the team’s top three tacklers.

Texas’ defensive line set up those three to run freely. Overshown’s burst allowed him to provide pressure and get to ball carriers regularly. Brockermeyer, a former walk-on who earned the starting job with his savvy and knowledge of the defense, got into the backfield a couple of times. Oghoufo, a transfer from Notre Dame, flashed the speed he can provide off the edge, picking up a second-half sack on third down to force a Ragin’ Cajuns punt.

“The schemes P.K. puts together are amazing, and he lets us just cut loose,” Oghoufo said. “That’s what the whole defense displayed today.”

Sarkisian even found a way to avoid drama with his quarterback situation, sticking with Card for 2 1/2 quarters before inserting junior Casey Thompson, as promised, late in the third. Thompson was also efficient, leading two scoring drives, including a 14-yard touchdown pass to Whittington. Thompson finished the game, and there was no rotation of the quarterbacks. Card played most of the way, but Sarkisian got both in, just as he planned.

There are things to clean up. The Longhorns had a first-quarter punt return touchdown by D’Shawn Jamison wiped off the board by illegal block penalties, part of seven fouls on the day. Card connected on only one true deep shot, a 34-yard pass to Xavier Worthy, so it remains to be seen how much this passing game can stretch the field, a key part of Sarkisian’s offense. The new coach wanted to ensure the team played a “clean” game with minimal mistakes, which translated to a careful approach at times.

But those are minor quibbles on an otherwise successful start to the Sarkisian era on the Forty Acres. The Longhorns passed their first test and have another next week: an SEC road game with future conference mate and old Southwest Conference rival Arkansas.

Coburn, who has been through Texas’ numerous ups and downs in his three years on campus, said starting the season with a win against an experienced Top 25 team is encouraging.

“To get that win in the first game and see us not fold, I mean really puts chills in me,” Coburn said. “But I want to take it week by week, day by day. So, now we got Louisiana off the table, and now it’s on to Arkansas. That’s all we can focus on.”

 

[texifornia 56520]

Ian Boyd on the run game. It's not short.

https://www.on3.com/teams/texas-longhorns/news/texas-run-game-vs-louisiana-bijan-robinson/

[SydneyCarton 47880]

32 minutes ago, texifornia said:

Ian Boyd on the run game. It's not short.

https://www.on3.com/teams/texas-longhorns/news/texas-run-game-vs-louisiana-bijan-robinson/

Nope. 

[sith_horn 2370]

I didn't think it was too long. One of his better articles and worth the read I thought.

[CurlyDumps 4439]

22 hours ago, Davis Lane said:

TH pseudonym?

Did the article start with, "Whilst chugging vodka, blowing rails, and mackin' on this Chicagoan lady entrepreneur..."