Game Week Thread Week 2, 2023: Texas @ Alabama

[Vertigo 20285]

1 hour ago, Red Five said:

Things sure went quickly from "We have 8-9 guys we're gonna play" and "How do we get all of them on the field" to "Um who do we have on the roster that we can put on the field in the interior?". 

I honestly think much of what we saw on Saturday was just a function of Rice throwing the kitchen sink at us while we stayed pretty vanilla. That comment in FCBs article about the Rice coaches throwing a bunch of NFL blitzes at them is enough for me to believe they will be better this week. Bama tends to play more straight up, and we will be able to solve some of the line issues on the inside with scheme. 

[LTtxfan 49187]

SIAP

 

[BachelorTrek 2976]

7 minutes ago, Vertigo said:

I honestly think much of what we saw on Saturday was just a function of Rice throwing the kitchen sink at us while we stayed pretty vanilla. That comment in FCBs article about the Rice coaches throwing a bunch of NFL blitzes at them is enough for me to believe they will be better this week. Bama tends to play more straight up, and we will be able to solve some of the line issues on the inside with scheme. 

I heard it said on different outlets that Fried-rice practiced/gameplanned for 6-7 MONTHS for last Saturday's game.  Lulz.

[closetojumping 62725]

6 minutes ago, Vertigo said:

I honestly think much of what we saw on Saturday was just a function of Rice throwing the kitchen sink at us while we stayed pretty vanilla. That comment in FCBs article about the Rice coaches throwing a bunch of NFL blitzes at them is enough for me to believe they will be better this week. Bama tends to play more straight up, and we will be able to solve some of the line issues on the inside with scheme. 

Some of the guys like @Fud or @Burt Macklin or myriad other guys who really dig into scheme can say otherwise, but I've always thought that Steele's rep is to be blitz heavy. He isn't known for getting really exotic or creative, but he likes to bring pressure with more than just a front 3 or 4. I can't say I saw anything blitz heavy against MTSU, but that wasn't necessary and I was on my third Manhattan by that game's second quarter.

[LTtxfan 49187]

1 hour ago, Codaxx said:

I know i should have more patience, but Connor still floundering around is killing me. I can give Campbell and Neto some slack, because they have next to 0 experience and have higher ceilings.

Yeah, Hayden was not physical or athletic vs Rice...  hopefully he plays adequately against bama.  Wish we had an experienced upgrade at left guard.  

[4th and 5 4914]

Here's all you need to know.

Quinn's balls are going deep.

And I'm not talking about in South Austin's mom.

 

[Getafix 28621]

 

 

 

[Red Five 40858]

1 hour ago, Atticus said:

The only saving grace is that it is game 1, but Conner isn’t gonna magically become more athletic. Throwing Neto in there could create cohesion issues, especially on the road. Whichever lineup presents the most consistency overall should be played, even if the “average performance” is a bit lower. 

Last year's line, if I had to bet. 

[Chili dog 1787]

32 minutes ago, Vertigo said:

I honestly think much of what we saw on Saturday was just a function of Rice throwing the kitchen sink at us while we stayed pretty vanilla. That comment in FCBs article about the Rice coaches throwing a bunch of NFL blitzes at them is enough for me to believe they will be better this week. Bama tends to play more straight up, and we will be able to solve some of the line issues on the inside with scheme. 

 

23 minutes ago, BachelorTrek said:

I heard it said on different outlets that Fried-rice practiced/gameplanned for 6-7 MONTHS for last Saturday's game.  Lulz.

It may have been posted earlier on the thread - I am just now checking in and have only read the last two pages - but I highly doubt we watched any Rice film last week. We looked unprepared in the first half. Then we made adjustments at halftime, got an insurmountable lead, and called off the dogs. I’m sure we’ve been preparing for Alabama for three weeks. 

 

26 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

Some of the guys like @Fud or @Burt Macklin or myriad other guys who really dig into scheme can say otherwise, but I've always thought that Steele's rep is to be blitz heavy. He isn't known for getting really exotic or creative, but he likes to bring pressure with more than just a front 3 or 4. I can't say I saw anything blitz heavy against MTSU, but that wasn't necessary and I was on my third Manhattan by that game's second quarter.

I’m sure Bama/Steele were being just as cagey and vanilla as we were last week. Neither team put anything on film that wasn’t absolutely necessary and intentional. 

[Chili dog 1787]

1 hour ago, Vertigo said:

 

57 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

 

Edited September 7, 2023 by Chili dog
Double post.

[ztejas 43449]

1 hour ago, Vertigo said:

I honestly think much of what we saw on Saturday was just a function of Rice throwing the kitchen sink at us while we stayed pretty vanilla.

Sark said that they did a ton of stuff on D that he hadn't seen on film. 

[Atticus 3973]

If he blitzes, he’ll be exposing the D (phrasing) way more than Saban would like. 

Quinn/Sark is also good against the blitz. The worst case scenario is where they are able to consistently get pressure with 4 or fewer rushers. That was one of the bigger issues against Arkansas 

[Had Enough 2081]

Sark said that they did a ton of stuff on D that he hadn't seen on film. 

I’m gonna go with this on the short yardage/Helm screwed up play. Ultimately, I think we were confused. Or at least 1 or 2 guys were.

Sark said that they did a ton of stuff on D that he hadn't seen on film. 

I’m gonna go with this on the short yardage/Helm screwed up play. Ultimately, I think we were confused. Or at least 1 or 2 guys were.

[Bodacious Bevo 3584]

58 minutes ago, Chili dog said:

 

It may have been posted earlier on the thread - I am just now checking in and have only read the last two pages - but I highly doubt we watched any Rice film last week. We looked unprepared in the first half. Then we made adjustments at halftime, got an insurmountable lead, and called off the dogs. I’m sure we’ve been preparing for Alabama for three weeks. 

 

I’m sure Bama/Steele were being just as cagey and vanilla as we were last week. Neither team put anything on film that wasn’t absolutely necessary and intentional. 

Y’all, they definitely prepped for Rice. Teams don’t just completely skip opponents. 
 

Look at it another way: prep is a skill in and of itself. There’s a routine to game week. Watching film, installing the game plan, practice, etc. The game vs Rice is practice for Bama and prepping for Rice is practice for prepping against Bama. They’re not going to sacrifice that, especially when Bama has two news coordinators and a new QB, so all that prep work last week could have been a waste depending on what Bama does in week 1. 

[Red Five 40858]

Reeks a little in here of the Greg Davis "We didn't know they'd blitz" Holiday Bowl comments. 

Hopefully in a couple of months we're laughing about how stupid this all was.

[cmontexas 3271]

Rice at least had a coach who was able to make it 4 whole quarters without an embarrassing public emotional breakdown

[Codaxx 5739]

53 minutes ago, Atticus said:

If he blitzes, he’ll be exposing the D (phrasing) way more than Saban would like. 

Quinn/Sark is also good against the blitz. The worst case scenario is where they are able to consistently get pressure with 4 or fewer rushers. That was one of the bigger issues against Arkansas 

I would guess that Bama doesnt get too exotic on early downs, especially early. They also saw Quinn and Worthy get past them deep last year. The only advantage Texas has on offense is at receiver. Why risk it, when you have the superior athletes upfront. God help Quinn and the OL, if they get into predictable situations. It is why I think 1st down is going to be huge for the offense. They need to stay on schedule. 

Edited September 7, 2023 by Codaxx

[Josef Pwag 1738]

49 minutes ago, Atticus said:

If he blitzes, he’ll be exposing the D (phrasing) way more than Saban would like. 

.....especially with 1 safety out and the other playing hurt. If we score 2+ TDs on deep throws I will expose my D right there in the sportsbook. 

[closetojumping 62725]

12 minutes ago, cmontexas said:

Rice at least had a coach who was able to make it 4 whole quarters without an embarrassing public emotional breakdown

What is this in reference to?

[BachelorTrek 2976]

1 hour ago, Chili dog said:

 

Yep, something's lagging today and replies are taking a long time to post, so I wouldn't be surprised if the "Submit Reply" button is being clicked multiple times.

Paging @immamac. Lulz.

[cmontexas 3271]

10 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

What is this in reference to?

Butch Jones

[babysdaddy 2724]

10 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

What is this in reference to?

the coach against OU?  Butch or something crying like a bitch

[closetojumping 62725]

2 minutes ago, cmontexas said:

Butch Jones

 

2 minutes ago, babysdaddy said:

the coach against OU?  Butch or something crying like a bitch

Ha. I didn't know this happened. We were watching that game on a tv, but we had 6 other games going and the TCU/CU game got most of our attention. We made a lot of fun of Butch Jones during those games, so I wish I had also seen him meltdown. 

Napier, Jones, Venables. These are coaches at risk of very, very short tenures at their schools if things go poorly this year. Could be funny.

[cmontexas 3271]

OU looked good and all but not sure what you can take away from a game against something like that

[Duane Moore 5237]

7 minutes ago, cmontexas said:

Butch Jones

I thought you were referring to Kevin Steele from his Clemson days

[Mason Ramsey 3373]

9 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

 

Ha. I didn't know this happened. We were watching that game on a tv, but we had 6 other games going and the TCU/CU game got most of our attention. We made a lot of fun of Butch Jones during those games, so I wish I had also seen him meltdown. 

Napier, Jones, Venables. These are coaches at risk of very, very short tenures at their schools if things go poorly this year. Could be funny.

hahahahahaha

 

Edited September 7, 2023 by Mason Ramsey

[Js1 85337]

I thought it was about Tom

[LTtxfan 49187]

Which QB has the better game ??  Lot's of doubt about Quinn Ewers.

Recently it's hard to beat bama in Tuscaloosa unless you are Joe Burrow...  52-1

Will Jalen Milroe prove himself as Alabama's starting QB? | Joel Klatt Show

 

 

 

Edited September 7, 2023 by LTtxfan
I suck editing

[NoName 16351]

11 minutes ago, cmontexas said:

OU looked good and all but not sure what you can take away from a game against something like that

they better vs the #130 FEI Defense...

they went 30/33 for 422 yards and 3 TDs

this is not repeatable.

[HuntinHorn 975]

Yeah, Hayden was not physical or athletic vs Rice...  hopefully he plays adequately against bama.  Wish we had an experienced upgrade at left guard.  

Soft as a cotton ball. I rewatched the game keying on the interior oline and damn that dude doesn’t have an ounce of Kasey Studdard junk yard dog in him. He leans on guys in run plays and catches or O-les folks in pass protection. Doesn’t maintain blocks long either. Hopefully Neto can unseat him soon.

[gmr548 16580]

If he blitzes, he’ll be exposing the D (phrasing) way more than Saban would like. 

Quinn/Sark is also good against the blitz. The worst case scenario is where they are able to consistently get pressure with 4 or fewer rushers. That was one of the bigger issues against Arkansas 

Blitzing Texas would be stupid. There’s zero reason to rush more than four. Disguise your 4th rusher a bit and run some basic twists and stunts. Anything else is unnecessary exposure of the secondary without much additional upside, until Texas proves otherwise.

Y’all, they definitely prepped for Rice. Teams don’t just completely skip opponents. 
 
Look at it another way: prep is a skill in and of itself. There’s a routine to game week. Watching film, installing the game plan, practice, etc. The game vs Rice is practice for Bama and prepping for Rice is practice for prepping against Bama. They’re not going to sacrifice that, especially when Bama has two news coordinators and a new QB, so all that prep work last week could have been a waste depending on what Bama does in week 1. 

They definitely prepped Rice during game week and anyone suggesting otherwise has never been around organized football past the junior high level.

I would however to be willing to bet they were prepping Bama during fall camp, even if they weren’t calling it that.

[NoName 16351]

4 minutes ago, LTtxfan said:

Which QB has the better game ??  Lot's of doubt about Quinn Ewers.

Recently it's hard to beat bama in Tuscaloosa unless you are Joe Burrow...  52-1

Will Jalen Milroe prove himself as Alabama's starting QB? | Joel Klatt Show

 

 

• Joel thinks the line is too high
• Milroe didn't have to do anything vs MTSU but run it. early on when they needed to establish dominance they had him making easy/simple throws and he missed a couple of them
• i trust his legs, obviously...the ability to threaten the defense with your legs is important
• "the game really is about Quinn Ewers"
• he's why Texas was in the game last year, if he stays healthy it's a different story...but he didn't
• Ewers is 1-4 against ranked teams, has to change
• "Sark has the team that should win this game..."
• if Texas can put the game on the arm of Milroe they will be in a great spot
• points out that Milroe isn't Tua, Hurts, Mac Jones, Bryce Young so it's a different Bama team
• "i want to pick Texas, but you don't overcome that (the top 5 teams at home over last like 5 years). i think the line is too much" picks Bama in a close one, maybe by 3

[Rickylovesweed 14316]

I would be surprised if Texas runs the ball much in this game. With the secondary injuries and moving parts my guess is Texas will throw the ball a lot. 

 

 

[Red Five 40858]

Pass to set up the run here. If we're running on every 1st and 10 we're gonna see a bunch of 2nd and 10.

[NoName 16351]

some film study on Milroe from a Miss St dude who looks like does some SEC film study

• running the ball: "if you give him any space he's gone"
• arm strength isn't his issue - which is known
• made a good throw up 21-0 on the like 48 yard passing TD but he just threw it out in front of his dude. it was a good pass but he never puts his eyes on anyone else during the play - it's a great throw.
• 28-0 - just kind of flips it up to the guy on the outside but it is "catchable" (not thrown out of bounds and not zipped at 92 miles per hour lol) - kind of uses his eyes to look off a CB then actually throws it deep. the throw isn't great and he didn't overthrow the guy but it wasn't perfect. it was the opposite of Ewers where its underthrown but at least gives his guy a chance to catch it vs throwing it 2 yards OOB
• 35-0 and like a 30 yard TD. it's a 7 man protection, and the TE and RB didn't do a great job of covering/blocking so he had a guy in his face. TE just runs behind everyone and it's a TD.

there wasn't much at all going on route wise on any of those TDs. basically he had a "throw it to the inside guy if the DB drops to cover the deep guy or throw it to the deep guy if the DB drops down" plays.

I don't think Milroe can beat Texas passing the ball and haven't seen anything that makes me feel any differently. dudes going to make a bad throw/turnover mistake in the game.

[Rickylovesweed 14316]

Middle Tennessee had some success in the short passing game against Alabama. 

I think the offense will be the short and intermediate passing game to challenge Alabama on the perimeter. The running game will focus on sweeps with Robinson and Worthy. Then hopefully some off-schedule yards from Ewers in the run game. 

Our advantage is on the perimeter. 

Edited September 7, 2023 by Rickylovesweed

[6th Street 6403]

21 minutes ago, HuntinHorn said:

Soft as a cotton ball. I rewatched the game keying on the interior oline and damn that dude doesn’t have an ounce of Kasey Studdard junk yard dog in him. He leans on guys in run plays and catches or O-les folks in pass protection. Doesn’t maintain blocks long either. Hopefully Neto can unseat him soon.

Chris Hall 2.0

[Chili dog 1787]

1 hour ago, BachelorTrek said:

Yep, something's lagging today and replies are taking a long time to post, so I wouldn't be surprised if the "Submit Reply" button is being clicked multiple times.

Paging @immamac. Lulz.

Glad it’s not just me 

[Longhornlove 4829]

54 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

 

Ha. I didn't know this happened. We were watching that game on a tv, but we had 6 other games going and the TCU/CU game got most of our attention. We made a lot of fun of Butch Jones during those games, so I wish I had also seen him meltdown. 

Napier, Jones, Venables. These are coaches at risk of very, very short tenures at their schools if things go poorly this year. Could be funny.

 

45 minutes ago, NoName said:

they better vs the #130 FEI Defense...

they went 30/33 for 422 yards and 3 TDs

this is not repeatable.

That is hard to do against air much less a defender.

[texastroubadour 1210]

Some goober named Mike Griffith on Finebaum expects we lose by 2-3 tds. Ok

[ChickenNuggets 1626]

14 minutes ago, Rickylovesweed said:

I would be surprised if Texas runs the ball much in this game. With the secondary injuries and moving parts my guess is Texas will throw the ball a lot. 

 

 

Satan's gonna force Texas to throw, Sark's not just gonna bail on it, but he'll end up having to. Short passes probably will become our run game - YAC gonna be an important stat (Yards after Catch, not the sound South Austin's mom makes gobbling dick (sorry SA)... Anyway... that's what I think..

[Hermanator 7050]

If you have a few minutes go back and watch every offensive snap from the first half. The good thing to me is the issues that stopped drives were almost all technique/assignment stuff by the offensive line (especially that last drive of the half), missed blocks by Mitchell, and overall just sloppy ass plays. Stuff like Whittington running right to the sidelines into Sanders instead of back to the QB on scramble drill, and Worthy stepping out of bounds when coming back to the ball. Just sloppy play from the first game of the season. 

Once the 3rd quarter started they tightened up and it was 3 TDs and game over. 

The defense was impressive in their run fit consistency, ability to push the pocket back, and the coverage from the secondary the entire game. They were absolutely locked in with very few missed assignments or sloppy play. 

I have a feeling the offense worked itself out during the game, the line will play better, and this will be a team ready to take advantage of the opportunity on the road. 

[Longhornlove 4829]

Just now, ChickenNuggets said:

Satan's gonna force Texas to throw, Sark's not just gonna bail on it, but he'll end up having to. Short passes probably will become our run game - YAC gonna be an important stat (Yards after Catch, not the sound South Austin's mom makes gobbling dick (sorry SA)... Anyway... that's what I think..

 

2 minutes ago, Hermanator said:

If you have a few minutes go back and watch every offensive snap from the first half. The good thing to me is the issues that stopped drives were almost all technique/assignment stuff by the offensive line (especially that last drive of the half), missed blocks by Mitchell, and overall just sloppy ass plays. Stuff like Whittington running right to the sidelines into Sanders instead of back to the QB on scramble drill, and Worthy stepping out of bounds when coming back to the ball. Just sloppy play from the first game of the season. 

Once the 3rd quarter started they tightened up and it was 3 TDs and game over. 

The defense was impressive in their run fit consistency, ability to push the pocket back, and the coverage from the secondary the entire game. They were absolutely locked in with very few missed assignments or sloppy play. 

I have a feeling the offense worked itself out during the game, the line will play better, and this will be a team ready to take advantage of the opportunity on the road. 

I have said some of the same things, it wasn't near as bad as all these chicken littles we have in here made it out to be. Fear porn rules the world.

[Hermanator 7050]

36 minutes ago, Red Five said:

Pass to set up the run here. If we're running on every 1st and 10 we're gonna see a bunch of 2nd and 10.

The quick passing game needs to be part of the running game plan for this one. Good thing Ewers excels in this part of the game and also the RPO game. Texas didn't run many RPOs against Rice and I'm thinking that was by design to hold a lot back because they're going to pump them out this game. Ewers was money on the few they did run. He's an RPO beast. 

One slightly concerning thing is how will Ewers react to being schemed against. Last year Saban schemed to stop Bijan and if the rookie inexperienced QB can torch him then he'll adjust, and Ewers took advantage of that and would have forced an adjustment if he didn't go out. This time Saban is most definitely scheming this game to stop him. 

[Hookem2147 21283]

1 minute ago, Hermanator said:

If you have a few minutes go back and watch every offensive snap from the first half. The good thing to me is the issues that stopped drives were almost all technique/assignment stuff by the offensive line (especially that last drive of the half), missed blocks by Mitchell, and overall just sloppy ass plays. Stuff like Whittington running right to the sidelines into Sanders instead of back to the QB on scramble drill, and Worthy stepping out of bounds when coming back to the ball. Just sloppy play from the first game of the season. 

Once the 3rd quarter started they tightened up and it was 3 TDs and game over. 

The defense was impressive in their run fit consistency, ability to push the pocket back, and the coverage from the secondary the entire game. They were absolutely locked in with very few missed assignments or sloppy play. 

I have a feeling the offense worked itself out during the game, the line will play better, and this will be a team ready to take advantage of the opportunity on the road. 

We had 254 yards in the first half. On pace for a 500 yard game. Like you mentioned, it wasn't as if Rice was lining up and winning play after play against our offense. Brooks catches a walk-in touchdown and/or one of those field goals turn into a TD and we likely look at that game pretty differently overall.

Now that you bring it up I didn't love the way we managed the clock on that final drive of the first half. We got into FG range fairly easily but we took our sweet time early in the drive and left a timeout or two in our pocket unnecessarily in my opinion. 

[Luv2win 27]

Pass or run OL has to execute and own the line of scrimmage from first to last possession for Horns to enjoy trip to Bryant-Denny. Defense has to contain Milroe meaning Watts can not blow coverage and miss tackles in critical situations.

Horns  31

Tide     27

[honolulu horn 6158]

3 hours ago, Getafix said:

 

 

 

some dipshit on the game thread caused several posters to have aneurysms when he reported C4's injury as a broken clavicle. Asshole. 

[Rickylovesweed 14316]

38 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

On pace for a 500 yard game.

Texas had what.....453 yards through 3 quarters? They were on pace for 600 yards with the starters in the game. 

Anybody that thinks Rice controlled the offense is simply a moron. The issue was not finishing drives in the 1st half. 

[Davis Lane 5584]

[Bama Llama 1450]

8 hours ago, ousux said:

23 hours ago, Bama Llama said:

This weekend I have to drive my wife, daughter, and two of my wife’s best girl homies to a family wedding, mandatory attendance by me or life as I know it ends

Wow, which of the 4 will be toting your balls in their purse? Out of all the games this season, this one should be non-negotiable.

Yeah, yeah. You have to trust me on this one. Some things even trump football. I assure you, my chi will be there in spirit.

I’m still dog cussing the back judge in the ‘65 Orange Bowl for waving off the linesman’s TD call on Joe Namath’s 4th down run.  
 

BTW, kudos to Texas for sending the traveling pep band. Bama punked out last year rather than sit the pep band up high at DKR. That was a pussy move. Horns fans and players will get to hear The Eyes and Texas Fight! in Tuscaloosa.  I’ll be watching somehow.