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2022 Season Team News and Notes(Between Games Thread)

BurntOrange&White

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Damor
Damor

Wait, did this board really somehow miss this moment?

LTtxfan
LTtxfan
kwood4408
kwood4408

The game is also indoors.

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ousux

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Among the biggest and best things the Bama game did for us was to prove to all of us - fans, coaches, and most importantly, the players - all understand that it's no longer mere faith, it's FACT: we DO belong on the field with the cream of college football.
My take on that game is that we beat those fuckers. We know it and they know it. Errbody know it, including a lot say they don't... deep down, they know.
Doesn't mean we can't do stupid shit and drop games we should win, but we're better than that, and now we know.
I'm the past 5 seasons we've beaten Georgia, almost took down the best LSU team ever, did the same with #1 Bama still coached by the goat. So yeah, not scared of the SEC SEC
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BurntOrange&White

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BobbyBurton

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9 minutes ago

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With the Horns at 2-1, Texas completed the non-conference portion of its season exactly how most people thought they would.

I’m guessing 95-percent of Horns’ fans expected Texas to beat ULM and UTSA and lose to Alabama. Raise your hand if you didn’t.

Yet in those three games we’ve learned more about this Texas team than what their record only tells us.

Such as:

- The Texas defense is much more sound than a year ago. And they seem more multiple in their approach.

- The talent of Quinn Ewers exceeds all reasonable expectations.

- The young offensive lineman are as advertised.

- Texas still has issues at edge.

- The kick and punt personnel are settled.

- Hudson Card has become a solid game manager. No turnovers!

- This team appears to have more backbone, a stronger will than a year ago. Fighting Bama to the final gun and then beating a solid UTSA team with the backup QB shows that.

Yet there are still many questions that linger, like:

- Is the pass defense going to hold up long term? We’ve seen some holes exposed at corner.

- When can Ewers return, and how badly does Texas need him?

- Are there any defensive players who can make some “wow” plays other than DeMarvion Overshown?

**

The number of open questions, at least for me, are fewer than the answers.

And that’s a particularly good sign because it means this Texas team is developing an identity, a consistency that we can expect from week to week. That consistency has been woefully lacking for almost 10 years now.

It’s also how you build a program the right way. Get consistent effort and results and build upon them.

**

I’m sure the conference schedule will have its ups and downs. But I also feel this Texas team is more prepared to handle the waves that come at them.

They seem better coached and they seem to have a clear understanding of who they are and what it takes to win games.

That bodes well for the remainder of the season.

**

My preseason prediction for this team was 7-5. And with a bowl win, Texas would push up to 8 wins. That would be a significant turnaround from 5-7 a year ago.

But I’d be insincere if I didn’t admit that I’m thinking Texas has a real chance to outpace my previous expectations. Because I really like what I’m seeing from Texas on multiple fronts.

Now, as conference play starts, the Horns just have to go out and prove it.

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Three-count: Christian Jones, Pete Kwiatkowski on the field, almost 300-yards rushing

Joe Cook•7 minutes

Article written by:Joe Cook

josephcook89

(Will Gallagher/Inside Texas)

After the Texas Longhorns’ 41-20 win over UTSA on Saturday, there were a few things Steve Sarkisian’s team put on the field that I found worth unpacking further.

[Get ONE MONTH of Inside Texas Plus for $1!]

How about Christian Jones?

Entering the 2022 season, there was an expectation that several offensive linemen from Texas’ 2022 recruiting class would enter the starting lineup as early as Week 1. Kelvin Banks and Cole Hutson made that ring true at the left tackle and right guard positions.

There was also an expectation that more would join the first five as the season went on, with right tackle highlighted as one of the places a freshmen could take over.

Christian Jones had something to say about that.

Back home on the right side after a tough 2021 at left tackle, Jones believes he is playing the best football of his career, and his play on the field 100 percent backs that up.

“I’m definitely having fun,” Jones said postgame Saturday. “I’m just overly confident about what I’m doing. No second-guessing. Just see the play, line up, try my best. I definitely feel like there’s been a big improvement.”

According to PFF College, Jones has 106 pass blocking plays this year. He has only surrendered three pressures (a sack, a hit, or a hurry), and committed just one penalty. After his pass protection was a liability last season, it is undoubtedly now one of his strengths.

His play along with Banks’ on the left side has given Texas a formidable tackle tandem.

Pete Kwiatkowski is with his troops

An underreported story from this season is defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski’s presence on the field. Last year, Kwiatkowski called the defense from the press box. This year, he moved down to the field level to work with Jeff Choate, Terry Joseph, and Bo Davis.

“I think it’s good for PK to be down there for a couple of reasons,” Sarkisian said postgame Saturday. “It gives him a sense to feel the game. I’ve always been an on-the-field play-caller my entire career. I think there’s something about looking in your players’ eyes and getting a feel for the game. We trust the people that are upstairs for him, and I also think it helps from a substitution standpoint with our EDGE players of getting really good substitutions done.”

“All in all, I think it’s been a good switch.”

Pete Kwiatkowski (Will Gallagher/Inside Texas)

Though Kwiatkowski was on the field, Joseph and Choate were still the ones signaling the defense. Whether the move to the field is the reason behind the improvement is unknown, but it’s worth highlighting as the Longhorn defense has played well through three games with Kwiatkowski there to rally the troops.

So close to 300 yards rushing

The Longhorns were on the cusp of recording their third 300 rushing yard game of the Sarkisian era on Saturday, but fell two yards short.

If not for one late kneel-down and a late four-yard loss from Keilan Robinson, the UTSA game would have joined the Rice and Texas Tech contests from the 2021 season as 300-yard games on the ground for the Longhorns.

Last year, Texas carried the ball 41 times for 427 yards and six scores against the Owls with both Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson tallying over 100 yards on the ground. The Red Raiders failed to adequately defend 52 carries for 336 yards and four scores one week later.

Saturday against UTSA, Robinson and Johnson once again performed well. Robinson rushed for 183 yards on 20 carries with three touchdowns, while Johnson added 81 yards on the ground on 11 carries.

Those types of games help offenses dictate the terms of the contest. It took a little time for the Longhorn rushing attack to do that, but once Robinson rushed for a 78-yard score in the third quarter, the Texas offense began to tell the Roadrunners how the game was going to go.

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