2024 Game Week #1- Texas v Despondency

[Wulaw Horn 19,151]

Well, it was a fun year in a lot of ways and now it’s over and we lost and everything is awful and terrible and there’s 9 full months until we play another game. 
I expect the 2024 team to be more talented than the 23 team provided we get a top notch WR, TE and Safety in the portal. 
I’m not sure about the coaching staff on the headsets yet, but I am incredibly confident in Sark the talent acquisition guy and program builder. 
Thanks for coming along on the ride all year, next year should absolutely be fun with trip to Ann Arbor along with year 1 of the SEC. 

[BigOrange1 6,470]

243 days till colorado state

[ousux 5,601]

If nothing else tonight's loss lights a fire under the asses of guys coming back and new arrivals for winter workouts. At least we know we're close...couldn't say that about any other Longhorn team the past decade+. With the 12 team playoff it will be very doable to get another chance very soon.

[LateAughtsHorn 588]

Disappointing end to an awesome season. Good news is we should be even better on the o-line next year and the defense should be better at almost every position except the interior d line. 

[lilMAC25 3,814]

Why would anyone be despondent? That was an incredible season. The future looks extremely bright.

[Rickylovesweed 14,540]

There's a lot to build around assuming everyone on offense is returning that we are expecting. 

OL (Banks, Campbell, Majors, Connor, Williams), QB (Ewers), and then 2 RBs out of (Brooks, Blue, and Baxter). We were gashing teams in the run game to end the season. The run game should give us a really high floor next season. 

 

 

 

[gofuckyourself 8,381]

Agreed.

Far from despondent. Disappointed in the outcome of the game, but overall optimistic with the path ahead.

Clearly Sark has built something. Anyone who says it's a three year plan and then delivers on that instills respect and confidence.

While it was often a needlessly harrowing season, it was also a successful middle finger to the Big 12 on the way out.

Next year it can, and should, be a giant middle finger "hello" to the SEC.

And fucking beat OUsucks for god's sake.

[Horn Dogg 3,964]

2023 was great - let’s fucking go for next year!  Hopefully Quinn takes a lesson from VY on how to rally your team in the summer for a big game 2 against a big 10 team.

[Pimphand 5,868]

43 minutes ago, lilMAC25 said:

Why would anyone be despondent? That was an incredible season. The future looks extremely bright.

Not despondent as much as pissed off at how stubborn our coaches were. Sark kept sticking to his script when it was obviously not working very well but that doesn't even hold a candle to how fucking stupid PK was in getting zero pressure on Penix for the first 3 quarters. He finally woke up from his moribund coma in the 4th quarter but the damage was already done and it turned out to be too little too late.

[hornmpa96 2,620]

2023 was a great season. Time for the coaches to grind in the portal and address some needs. The team needs to put in the work during the off-season and continue to improve. 2 fumbles and drive-killing offensive penalties were the difference last night against a great offense.

Quinn needs to take a page from the greatest:

”Whoever wants to beat Michigan in 2024, offseason workouts start…”

[Underdog 28,773]

Is this the game thread? 

[TexArcher 38,052]

1 hour ago, lilMAC25 said:

Why would anyone be despondent? That was an incredible season. The future looks extremely bright.

Yep.  We won the conference, made the playoff, and are landing another top 10 recruiting class.

I said more than once that 2023 felt a lot like 2004.  We got back to where we want to be, and we're built to stay there a while.

[The_Great_Hornsby 3,283]

3 hours ago, LateAughtsHorn said:

Disappointing end to an awesome season. Good news is we should be even better on the o-line next year and the defense should be better at almost every position except the interior d line. 

We better be, the O-line got fucking embarrassed last night.

[Rickylovesweed 14,540]

15 minutes ago, The_Great_Hornsby said:

We better be, the O-line got fucking embarrassed last night.

In pass pro they did. They dominated in the run game. 

[Texasrocks 2,149]

Sark showed in Washington and the last three years that he can build a team. Now we need to see if he can maintain what he's doing right (recruiting, navigating the portal, S&C, support staff, player development) and address weaknesses (secondary and game management).

[LateAughtsHorn 588]

1 hour ago, Rickylovesweed said:

There's a lot to build around assuming everyone on offense is returning that we are expecting. 

OL (Banks, Campbell, Majors, Connor, Williams), QB (Ewers), and then 2 RBs out of (Brooks, Blue, and Baxter). We were gashing teams in the run game to end the season. The run game should give us a really high floor next season. 

 

 

 

I'm hoping to have a far more consistent and dominant run game next year. Especially since Quinn will need time to gel with a talented but inexperienced WR core.

[Rickylovesweed 14,540]

3 minutes ago, LateAughtsHorn said:

I'm hoping to have a far more consistent and dominant run game next year. Especially since Quinn will need time to gel with a talented but inexperienced WR core.

I would say we were pretty damn dominant to end the year. 

180 yards rushing vs Washington, 211 yards rushing vs Oklahoma State, and 302 yards rushing vs Texas Tech. I think our run game will be really good next year if everyone returns that's expected. 

[troph 24,905]

23 minutes ago, The_Great_Hornsby said:

We better be, the O-line got fucking embarrassed last night.

 

10 minutes ago, Rickylovesweed said:

In pass pro they did. They dominated in the run game. 

Pass pro wasn’t championship caliber but I think the front seven confusion was more the problem. I don’t think Quinn was ever really comfortable knowing what they were doing. 20 year old sophomore…. Things like this happen.

[troph 24,905]

7 minutes ago, LateAughtsHorn said:

I'm hoping to have a far more consistent and dominant run game next year. Especially since Quinn will need time to gel with a talented but inexperienced WR core.

I’ll take this years running attack every year. Lost a starter and still grind. Ball security is a thing last night - but Blue is a soph, Baxter a frosh, I suspect with more strength and focus they will handle it better. The run game itself is already legit.

Edited January 2 by troph

[Wulaw Horn 19,151]

2 hours ago, lilMAC25 said:

Why would anyone be despondent? That was an incredible season. The future looks extremely bright.

The despondency comes with another 243 days until the next game. The void is deep and awful. We will be eating sand half way through June we will be so desperate for season to start. 
life is best during the college football season. It won’t be college football season for a long time. Thus- despondency. 

[troph 24,905]

Seems like we are a WR, DT, S and TE away from being markedly better next year. return the OL, QB, complete RB room, Cook at WR. Lose 2 DTs (at least), MLB but Hill coming on strong, half the secondary will be sophomores. Edge transfer plus Burke a year stronger. Etc. Etc.
 

I think the over under on losses is 1. Beat Mich or Georgia and don’t drop a silly game and Texas is probably playing for an SEC championship and a first round buy in the CFP.

Edited January 2 by troph

[TOR 5,813]

Damn good season.  Sure the team played like they partied for 3 weeks and did some walk-throughs with a beer in their hand, but still a good season.  Sark has the program where it should be, probably ahead of schedule.  Certainly not the sinking Titanic of despair that Strong left behind.  The future is bright and it would be almost impossible for the secondary to get worse, unless PK started playing paraplegics at corner.  

[Wulaw Horn 19,151]

2 minutes ago, troph said:

Seems like we are a WR, DT, S and TE away from being markedly better next year. I think the over under on losses is 1. Beat Mich or Georgia and don’t drop a silly game and Texas is probably playing for an SEC championship and a first round buy in the CFP.

I would settle for high level at 3 of those 4 (no DT) if Trill Carter or Alfred Collins comes back. A stud DT would be nice to have but not absolutely necessary to us being a great team. There is no doubt in my mind we need a top shelf WR, TE and S in the portal if we want to be great. 

[lilMAC25 3,814]

4 minutes ago, Wulaw Horn said:

The despondency comes with another 243 days until the next game. The void is deep and awful. We will be eating sand half way through June we will be so desperate for season to start. 
life is best during the college football season. It won’t be college football season for a long time. Thus- despondency. 

Fair. That is perfectly fair. 

[Catdaddyhorn 3,447]

If we could only win one of the 2 mentioned, I'd rather beat Georgia than Michigan. Oh, how great it would be to go undefeated in the mighty SEC in our first season. 

[gmr548 16,613]

Despondency probably takes an early lead until NSD 2. Texas takes control of the offseason with a big spring game victory. Despondency tries to come back with 105-110 degree heat indices starting in June and continuing for so long that it feels like summer never ends. It may never cool off in Texas but the Kool Aid will be flowing for the trip to Ann Arbor and provide some relief. We’ll see how it goes from there.

Ultimately I’m taking Texas, but despondency covers.

[The Original Greaser Bob 2,848]

Great season.  Already feel like it's "spring training" and sky is the limit.

[Rickylovesweed 14,540]

6 minutes ago, Wulaw Horn said:

I would settle for high level at 3 of those 4 (no DT) if Trill Carter or Alfred Collins comes back. A stud DT would be nice to have but not absolutely necessary to us being a great team. There is no doubt in my mind we need a top shelf WR, TE and S in the portal if we want to be great. 

Caldwell is a stud and it sounds like Texas is doing everything they can to get his grades in order. 

One of Trill Carter or Collins + Caldwell gives us a filthy interior DL again. Not as good as Sweat and Murphy of course but still really good. 

 

[troph 24,905]

4 minutes ago, Wulaw Horn said:

I would settle for high level at 3 of those 4 (no DT) if Trill Carter or Alfred Collins comes back. A stud DT would be nice to have but not absolutely necessary to us being a great team. There is no doubt in my mind we need a top shelf WR, TE and S in the portal if we want to be great. 

If pass coverage and Edge are notably better I agree. But in the “secsecsec” that run stopping 350 is a really nice to have. 

[Goredho 17,419]

Nothing at all to be despondent about.  The program is in a great position after Sark’s 3rd season.  A few things to address as others have noted, but we have set up a talent funnel for players that is as good as anyone in the country.  We are going to be in playoff contention for the foreseeable future.

Now we just need Sark to tweak the shit out of this motherfucker.

[Rickylovesweed 14,540]

4 minutes ago, troph said:

If pass coverage and Edge are notably better I agree. But in the “secsecsec” that run stopping 350 is a really nice to have. 

I would be shocked if Edge isn't notably better.

Moore and Simmons are more talented than anybody on the roster. 

[Mo Horn 8,854]

100% on feeling really good about where we are in year 3, and a very bright future. We got beat by the guy who got screwed out of the Heisman. Just gotta to your hat to him. Can't wait until next season. 

[troph 24,905]

8 minutes ago, Rickylovesweed said:

Caldwell is a stud and it sounds like Texas is doing everything they can to get his grades in order. 

One of Trill Carter or Collins + Caldwell gives us a filthy interior DL again. Not as good as Sweat and Murphy of course but still really good. 

 

I thought the expectation was Collins goes. I’ll admit to not knowing much behind Sweat Murphy and Collins. But if anyone can progress interior DL it’s Bo Davis. Last night made it clear our edge needs major improvement. Seems like a year of dev plus the portal guy and a frosh growing up as the season goes could be it.

Edited January 2 by troph

[Wulaw Horn 19,151]

16 minutes ago, troph said:

If pass coverage and Edge are notably better I agree. But in the “secsecsec” that run stopping 350 is a really nice to have. 

Sure. If we hit the S part and with all the edges we have coming in, plus Trey Moore my bet is that we are fine with edge. The Safety needs to be good and that should fix us in coverage with maturation of Williams plus Clemson transfer. 

[Wulaw Horn 19,151]

18 minutes ago, Goredho said:

Nothing at all to be despondent about.  The program is in a great position after Sark’s 3rd season.  A few things to address as others have noted, but we have set up a talent funnel for players that is as good as anyone in the country.  We are going to be in playoff contention for the foreseeable future.

Now we just need Sark to tweak the shit out of this motherfucker.

Again- despondency is just based upon 9 more months until next game. 

[mdmost 43,045]

[Dahobbs 17,683]

1 hour ago, Pimphand said:

Not despondent as much as pissed off at how stubborn our coaches were. Sark kept sticking to his script when it was obviously not working very well but that doesn't even hold a candle to how fucking stupid PK was in getting zero pressure on Penix for the first 3 quarters. He finally woke up from his moribund coma in the 4th quarter but the damage was already done and it turned out to be too little too late.

This is nonsense. We blitzed all game, it just never got home. Our actual best defense was a couple drives where we just dropped 8 in coverage. 

[Stunns38 3,555]

Caldwell is a stud and it sounds like Texas is doing everything they can to get his grades in order. 
One of Trill Carter or Collins + Caldwell gives us a filthy interior DL again. Not as good as Sweat and Murphy of course but still really good. 
 

Do yall think Sydir will take a big step?

[Grimas 671]

Great season that should have gone another week… Glad I’m a UT fan instead of an aggy/land thief fan going into the 2024 season…

Edited January 2 by Grimas

[bejezuz 329]

After watching both the Rose Bowl and our game, I think our 3rd seed ranking was dead-on accurate.  Washington and Michigan are a year ahead of us and it shows.  Ewers has the potential to be the best QB in CFB next year.  With some quality transfers and the continued development of our returning players, next year looks bright.   

[TwiceHorn 31,534]

1 hour ago, hornmpa96 said:

2023 was a great season. Time for the coaches to grind in the portal and address some needs. The team needs to put in the work during the off-season and continue to improve. 2 fumbles and drive-killing offensive penalties were the difference last night against a great offense.

Quinn needs to take a page from the greatest:

”Whoever wants to beat Michigan in 2024, offseason workouts start…”

Would that Ewers was that guy.  I just don't think he is and that actually may be one of the problems with this team.

As I keep saying, I think this team is a little bit mindfucked still and I think a fiery leader (who himself is not mindfucked) might have helped us move past that.

[LateAughtsHorn 588]

2 minutes ago, Stunns38 said:

Do yall think Sydir will take a big step?

Hoping his conditioning and technique gets up to speed over the offseason. His size would be great for SEC play. 

[hornmpa96 2,620]

Just now, TwiceHorn said:

Would that Ewers was that guy.  I just don't think he is and that actually may be one of the problems with this team.

As I keep saying, I think this team is a little bit mindfucked still and I think a fiery leader (who himself is not mindfucked) might have helped us move past that.

I’m really interested to see how Ewers responds. After his first year at UT, I never would have guessed that he would get his body in shape for the past season. He clearly put in a lot of work last offseason. Maybe he can lead the team into putting in that kind of effort?

[Frank Drebin 5,654]

I was in angst much of the second half of the season.  High stress against UH, K State, TCU, and first half of ISU.  I was remarkably calm last night.  Disappointed in the outcome.  But Washington played better and we just lacked any kind of speed in the secondary to deal with those stud receivers.  It was a great season.  Looking forward to next year.

[Stunns38 3,555]

Would that Ewers was that guy.  I just don't think he is and that actually may be one of the problems with this team.
As I keep saying, I think this team is a little bit mindfucked still and I think a fiery leader (who himself is not mindfucked) might have helped us move past that.

Yeah, we overrated Ewers and the O-line BUT both are young and we will hope to see drastic improvement next year simply from maturity and another offseason of S&C.

[troph 24,905]

I don’t think we really appreciate how much confusion WA brought in their pass defense. Honestly it was brilliant against a talented but young QB. He’s 20 and a sophomore who has missed nearly half a season over two years. He’s got tons of room to grow. Expecting he won’t get better is just silly. Like aggy level silly.

[Fudge Nuggets 19,220]

8 hours ago, BigOrange1 said:

243 days till colorado state

We gonna fuck their shit up.

[Helobious 9,464]

Ewers is just weird. Shaky start, then in the 4th he went out and made big throw after big throw all while looking depressed. 

[LateAughtsHorn 588]

3 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Would that Ewers was that guy.  I just don't think he is and that actually may be one of the problems with this team.

As I keep saying, I think this team is a little bit mindfucked still and I think a fiery leader (who himself is not mindfucked) might have helped us move past that.

Not sure what people are expecting from a qb that should be a true sophomore. I keep seeing people say he's not "that guy" but I'm not sure how that is supposed to be measured.

How many "that guys" are there playing qb in any given year?

JJ McCarthy doesn't strike me as a "that guy" but Michigan is in the NC; and we've seen what Georgia has been winning with at QB. 

[Horn Dogg 3,964]

46 minutes ago, Catdaddyhorn said:

If we could only win one of the 2 mentioned, I'd rather beat Georgia than Michigan. Oh, how great it would be to go undefeated in the mighty SEC in our first season. 

Why not both?