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2018 Longhorns Fall Practice/Football Season Thread


Tex Pete

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51 minutes ago, Sgt Hulk said:

Some of yalls koolaid has been spiked with amnesia juice lol. I used to mainline double digit predictions not this year thank you AA

I'm not going to lie.  I love the koolaid this time of year but I'm going to conservatively go with 21 wins this year.  

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27 minutes ago, texifornia said:

I think we all need to panic right the fuck now

You're late if your panicking now.  If you start panicking with the press conference before the first practice then you're panic initiation is well timed.  If you wait to panic until s**t happens then you'll be well behind the curve with regard to online freak outs, breakdowns, anonymous missives written to the coaching staff and general mass hysteria.

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5 minutes ago, bschoolprof said:

Prediction: with our without Anderson, our run blocking will improve under Hand - that's his bread and butter.

With or without Anderson, our pass blocking will continue to be a giant goat fuck.  Buckle up fellas.  

If only there were some kind of play call where we could run block and still throw a pass.  Like a packaged play or advanced QB option.  Something a good OC could put together to foul up defensive keys and make the defense continually wrong post snap. F it, lets just run QB sweep.

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35 minutes ago, Bobby_Batronic said:

You're late if your panicking now.  If you start panicking with the press conference before the first practice then you're panic initiation is well timed.  If you wait to panic until s**t happens then you'll be well behind the curve with regard to online freak outs, breakdowns, anonymous missives written to the coaching staff and general mass hysteria.

*you're

**your

 

get you're shit together, bobby.

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calm down, 995 now reporting Anderson did practice with the 1s.  The fluid is situational.  

Spoiler

Offensive Linve (1s)

LT Calvin Anderson - LG Patrick Vahe - C Zach Shackelford - RG Elijah Rodriguez - RT Denzel Okafor

Offensive Line (2s)

LT Samuel Cosmi - LG Patrick Hudson - C Derek Kerstetter - RG Tope Imade - RT JP Urquidez

- Among the third group on the offensive line, we got our first look at newcomers like Christian Jones, Junior Angilau, Reese Moore and Rafiti Ghirmai. Of all these players, the most impressive looking specimen off the cuff was clearly Christian Jones (No. 70) in somewhat of a surprise, given his relative lack of pedigree coming in. Jones has nice feet and is already much bigger than I expected, he's an asset for the team in a big way as a developmental tackle and I'll be keenly interested on following his progression through camp. 

- I'd be remiss not to mention Reese Moore. Talk about nice feet in drills. That kid is put together like a big, slick tuna fish. With the 2019 crop plus developmental tackles like Moore, Cosmi and Jones, the tackle depth is starting to feel all the more plentiful and robust. Between Moore and Jones, one of those guys will push Urquidez for a spot on the two-deep sooner than later. 

- Calvin Anderson slotted right in at LT and after one short viewing window from one practice, I'm not sure I can say much about how the guy looked, other than he looked about like I figured. I don't think his feet are the best and in the reps I saw he was catching the dummies more than you'd like instead of attacking with his hands inside. Anderson was better in pass-pro at Rice than he was in the run-game and any improvement in this category is a plus for Texas. I'm not saying he won't be a good one, but I am saying that he didn't look like you'd imagine a surefire All-American OL would walking into a situation like Texas. 

- Among the returning guys, Denzel Okafor might win the Hassan Ridgeway "Green Mile" award for this year as the one who just looks like a giant out there, but Tope Imade has also had somewhat of a transformation with his body and is also looking like a humongous man out there. He's one to keep an eye on if he can get his balance right. 

- I don't know how long you can leave Derek Kerstetter wallowing at second center while Denzel Okafor and Rodriguez handle the load on the right side with the ones. Unless both of those guys improved dramatically through the offseason (which I'd be more inclined to believe regarding Okafor than Rodriguez) it is foolish to keep Rodriguez in the lineup as opposed to bumping Kerstetter out to tackle where he was the team's best OL outside of Connor Williams last season and let Okafor move inside to guard as many have been begging for for years. Hopefully we see that move at some point in camp. 

 

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I'm not saying he won't be a good one, but I am saying that he didn't look like you'd imagine a surefire All-American OL would walking into a situation like Texas. 

Jesus, dude, he was 2nd-team CUSA, we're shooting for mildly above-average here. The idea is we transcend "trash fire."

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11 minutes ago, bschoolprof said:

calm down, 995 now reporting Anderson did practice with the 1s.  The fluid is situational.  

  Reveal hidden contents

Offensive Linve (1s)

LT Calvin Anderson - LG Patrick Vahe - C Zach Shackelford - RG Elijah Rodriguez - RT Denzel Okafor

Offensive Line (2s)

LT Samuel Cosmi - LG Patrick Hudson - C Derek Kerstetter - RG Tope Imade - RT JP Urquidez

- Among the third group on the offensive line, we got our first look at newcomers like Christian Jones, Junior Angilau, Reese Moore and Rafiti Ghirmai. Of all these players, the most impressive looking specimen off the cuff was clearly Christian Jones (No. 70) in somewhat of a surprise, given his relative lack of pedigree coming in. Jones has nice feet and is already much bigger than I expected, he's an asset for the team in a big way as a developmental tackle and I'll be keenly interested on following his progression through camp. 

- I'd be remiss not to mention Reese Moore. Talk about nice feet in drills. That kid is put together like a big, slick tuna fish. With the 2019 crop plus developmental tackles like Moore, Cosmi and Jones, the tackle depth is starting to feel all the more plentiful and robust. Between Moore and Jones, one of those guys will push Urquidez for a spot on the two-deep sooner than later. 

- Calvin Anderson slotted right in at LT and after one short viewing window from one practice, I'm not sure I can say much about how the guy looked, other than he looked about like I figured. I don't think his feet are the best and in the reps I saw he was catching the dummies more than you'd like instead of attacking with his hands inside. Anderson was better in pass-pro at Rice than he was in the run-game and any improvement in this category is a plus for Texas. I'm not saying he won't be a good one, but I am saying that he didn't look like you'd imagine a surefire All-American OL would walking into a situation like Texas. 

- Among the returning guys, Denzel Okafor might win the Hassan Ridgeway "Green Mile" award for this year as the one who just looks like a giant out there, but Tope Imade has also had somewhat of a transformation with his body and is also looking like a humongous man out there. He's one to keep an eye on if he can get his balance right. 

- I don't know how long you can leave Derek Kerstetter wallowing at second center while Denzel Okafor and Rodriguez handle the load on the right side with the ones. Unless both of those guys improved dramatically through the offseason (which I'd be more inclined to believe regarding Okafor than Rodriguez) it is foolish to keep Rodriguez in the lineup as opposed to bumping Kerstetter out to tackle where he was the team's best OL outside of Connor Williams last season and let Okafor move inside to guard as many have been begging for for years. Hopefully we see that move at some point in camp. 

 

giphy.gif

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7 minutes ago, texifornia said:

Jesus, dude, he was 2nd-team CUSA, we're shooting for mildly above-average here. The idea is we transcend "trash fire."

This.  We expect him to know what the fuck his assignment is and to not shit himself every three or four plays.   Do that and it will be a big step up from where we were last year.

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12 minutes ago, texifornia said:

Jesus, dude, he was 2nd-team CUSA, we're shooting for mildly above-average here. The idea is we transcend "trash fire."

The OL reports probably aren't going to be great during fall camp to begin with because of the DL. Our DL projects to be good. 

The DL in fall camp is probably better than anyone this OL will see all year. Outside of maybe USC and TCU. 

Zero sum game and all. I would be more worried if our DL doesn't create some problems for this offensive line. 

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12 minutes ago, bschoolprof said:

I'd be remiss not to mention Reese Moore. Talk about nice feet in drills. That kid is put together like a big, slick tuna fish.

Very excited about watching Reese Moore develop. He's like a big slick tuna fish but with feet. I'm penciling him as a future first round pick and an exhbit in the natural history museum.

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11 minutes ago, texasstrong12 said:

The OL reports probably aren't going to be great during fall camp to begin with because of the DL. Our DL projects to be good. 

The DL in fall camp is probably better than anyone this OL will see all year. Outside of maybe USC and TCU. 

Zero sum game and all I would be more worried if our DL doesn't create some problems for this offensive line. 

how long till we get reports saying our OL is so good because they've been going against this DL in practice everyday? Like clockwork these 9.95ers are

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13 minutes ago, Red Five said:

It is quite possible that Kerstetter was at both RT and C at different points in practice.

You always want a few utility guys that cross train at multiple positions. We aren't exactly deep at any position on the OL so you can bet Kerstetter is getting reps at different positions. 

If Shack is injured I would be surprised if Kerstetter isn't the next man up. 

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On 8/2/2018 at 8:03 AM, Steamboat1874 said:

The o-line is always the key....

When they suck so will your RB's and QB's.

Joe Montana and Ricky Williams would have sucked behind the o-lines we have put on the field the last several years.

No they wouldn’t have. Just look at Colt in ‘09.  And Ricky would’ve been just fine behind that line. 

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9 minutes ago, Red Five said:

It is quite possible that Kerstetter was at both RT and C at different points in practice.

Which is ok when you want to cross train, but not when you're putting a starter as a starter and second string at another position. Especially when that starting center has yet to complete a year injury free. 

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9 minutes ago, texasstrong12 said:

You always want a few utility guys that cross train at multiple positions. We aren't exactly deep at any position on the OL so you can bet Kerstetter is getting reps at different positions. 

If Shack is injured I would be surprised if Kerstetter isn't the next man up. 

I think we've got plenty of depth at guard if they would quit screwing around with Okafor at LT. 

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9 minutes ago, BigHorn'13 said:

Which is ok when you want to cross train, but not when you're putting a starter as a starter and second string at another position. Especially when that starting center has yet to complete a year injury free. 

Its literally the first day of practice and the 995'ers reporting this only get to see a small portion of it.  We have no fucking clue who is actually 1/2/3 on the depth chart.

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IT team notes

Texas is coming off a season that both disappointed and gave hope for the future.

Tom Herman made two key off-season additions in offensive line coach Herb Hand and left tackle Calvin Anderson. The season's prospects on offense wouldn't be nearly as high without them.

Despite suffering significant losses to the NFL, there is a lot of optimism surrounding Todd Orlando's defense.

Camp has barely begun and we're already seeing things we haven't in years, namely schematic continuity and not just upperclassmen, but talented upperclassmen. This is actually an experienced team, especially on defense.

Given these factors it goes without saying there's a lot of excitement within the program, but since we seemingly hear that every year about every program, we'll save you the cliches.

In order to not leave you on too much of a high, we'll begin this Humidor with the defense and finish with the offense.

DEFENSE

We've asked numerous sources over various points of the off-season whether or not this defense would be equal to or greater than last season's. It was our early speculation early that it would be at least as good. Some didn't agree with us over the spring but in the coming months our sources have reached unanimity in believing the defense will be at least as good, but likely better.

Said one, "It'll be better because most of the same pieces are there and Gary will be better to make up for the loss of Jefferson, who he was already playing better than last season. Even with losing Poona they'll keep people off Gary to make plays."

Said another, "I've come around and I can see how it will be better. Omenihu and Hager will set the tempo up front and the secondary will be just as good if not better. If Orlando finds the right mix of players and scheme it will definitely be better."

There of course are some questions that we've been answering or trying to over the last few months, namely Orlando's plan for fitting all of his pieces. He can go in a number of different directions. 

Let's take a look at those pieces as we discuss what we believe is the most likely first team versus Maryland:

Defensive line: Breckyn Hager and Charles Omenihu will of course be the starting defensive ends. With Maryland wanting to run, we'll see Texas mostly in a four-man front. That means Gerald Wilbon is most likely to start along with Chris Nelson at defensive tackle.

Key depth: Ta'Quon Graham might be the third defensive end and third defensive tackle, and he'd probably play ahead of Wilbon versus different offenses. Marqez Bimage will back-up Hager. I imagine the staff will limit the bodies it uses to begin the season and then expand from there.

Linebacker: Gary Johnson will be a rover and Maloclm Roach will be at mac in place of Anthony Wheeler, who is suspended for the first half. Maryland likes to run downhill so expect Orlando to task Roach with playing the run straight up or just run blitzing him into a gap.

It's important to note that Johnson, Roach, and Jeffrey McCulloch have repped multiple linebacking spots. In fact, each player has repped every spot, save Roach who hasn't worked at f-backer (nickel). This becomes important immediately as there's a good chance McCulloch is the f-backer. Last year we saw the debacle with PJ Locke in run defense, I believe Texas will want to play that bigger and McCulloch is a big, athletic option.

Key depth: If one guy gets hurt, or suspended like Wheeler, the work-around won't be to elevate who is 2nd team but to re-configure the whole best 11. That means each of the aforementioned are backing up the other and are prepared to do so mentally thanks to Orlando cross-training them. Wheeler and Delly sound like the only two who are rigid to one position. We should hear good things on Delly once the pads come on. Said one, "I don't know where he'll be when he's 25 but if he's not in the NFL he's still going to be asked if he is." This source thinks he has a bright future as long as he's used within his limitations.

Secondary: That leaves four obvious starters at this point. Kris Boyd will be at field corner, we think, with Davante Davis to the boundary. Brandon Jones will return at field safety and PJ Locke will get the first crack at replacing Deshon Elliott at boundary safety. We mention Locke getting first crack because he's not, in fact, a lock to hold on to that spot. First in line to replace him would probably be Caden Sterns.

Key depth: Josh Thompson is the starter at nickel against most teams. John Bonney can play any position in the secondary. The early enrollee DBs have been called "amazing" with Sterns standing out a little more than Foster and Cook.

Note: Montrell Estell is staying at field safety and not moving to offense.

As you can see, Orlando not only has a lot of bodies to work with, but he has a lot of versatility at his disposal. Versus Maryland we expect him to keep it simple and play bigger personnel. If Maryland puts up points it will have to do it in the air.

A final note on defense; with Matt Canada being Maryland's new offensive coordinator one must wonder if Tom Herman has had any interesting discussions with his friend Dave Aranda.

OFFENSE

The defense will decide the floor for the season, the offense will decide the ceiling.

Herb Hand didn't come to Texas to not have a say in how the offense would operate. When he was hired we mentioned that he was a respected voice with Gus Malzahn and the same applies here. By all accounts, the three headed council of Herman, Tim Beck, and Herb Hand are all working well together.

It is almost 100% certain that Tim Beck will be the play-caller this season, at least to begin, but that could be as much for practical purposes as confidence in his ability. We know Herman doesn't want to do it and as offensive line coach, where adjustments and interaction with his players are constant, Hand has enough on his plate. Once it was decided that Beck was returning this was easily the most likely outcome.

The depth chart here is pretty predictable but we've been hearing some pretty interesting things of late.

Quarterback: This is Ehlinger's position and everybody knows it. Everybody also knows he still has a lot to work on. Herman mentioning he wanted to see Rising work with the 1s says more about how he feels about quarterback health than ability.

Key depth: Buchele, Rising, Thompson.

Running back: This is Daniel Young's position to lose. We've heard mixed things on his ability, largely because if you see him on one run he may not look amazing. But we know the more a 220 pound downhill back gets carries there's a compounding effect. We expect to see Young and Carter get 80% of the running back snaps. Those two are way out in front of everyone else.

Key depth: Tre Watson isn't 100% healthy but given his experience and the fact Texas has bodies he can be brought along a little more slowly. Add Kyle Porter to this three and you just might see Keaontay Ingram play four games and red-shirt.

Wide Receiver: Collin Johnson is at X, Lil'Jordan Humphrey in the slot, and Devin Duvernay at Z. The baseline talent here is really high. People continually rave about LJH. Example, "he could play WR, TE, or RB." Expect him to be a 3rd down safety blanket but also make his fair share of big plays thanks to his YAC ability. They'll continue to toy with the idea of motioning Duvernay around.

Key depth: There's a little more uncertainty here. X is thin with Brennan Eagles the primary back-up. Z has options with Jerrod Heard and John Burt. Heard will also play in the slot. Two to watch are Jordan Pouncey (reliable hands, good route runner, not explosive) and Davion Curtis (fast, good route runner, good hands). Each are inside or outside options. The freshmen, including Eagles, need to embrace the physical nature of the game. I expect Al'vonte Woodard and Josh Moore to red-shirt.

Tight End: Andrew Beck and Cade Brewer are the first two thanks to blocking ability and experience. We should get an idea of how good Brewer looks in short order. He's coming back from injury and Beck has had more than his share of missed time so developing depth is paramount.

Key depth: Reese Leitao has the upside people want and is probably #3. Max Cummins will be more of a short yardage blocker. After 7 on 7 there's excitement around Malcolm Epps but everyone understands it's a different ballgame when the pads come on.

Offensive Line: We checked once more and the starting unit we've been predicting since the spring is still most likely. Calvin Anderson will be the left tackle with Patrick Vahe to his right. Zach Shackelford returns at center with Elijah Rodriguez at right guard and Derek Kerstetter at right tackle.

Key depth: The staff desperately needs the light to come on for Denzel Okafor and Patrick Hudson. Even if they don't start, they need to become more trustworthy back-ups. Sam Cosmi is also vying to get into the circle of trust. The staff loves Rodriguez as a guy who can play all five positions, but that makes him the ideal sixth man because it limits disruption. If he's #6 only one position is affected by an injury rather than moving him an affecting two positions. One to watch: Junior Angilau. He's giant, and moves incredibly well. Physically and athletically he's been impressing. Part of his evaluation was that he'd be physically ready to play early. In the coming weeks we'll see how he takes to the mental side. The goal for camp is build continuity and cohesion and Hand finding 8 guys he can trust.

Camp is here and we can't wait to cover it. We'll be on the lookout for surprises, people ascending the depth chart, injuries, and any other interesting developments.

Welcome to 2018 Texas football.

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IT notes from the first practice:

Special thanks to Travis Hlavinka for pinch hitting for Inside Texas in these first few days of practice. Travis is a current student and covered baseball for The Daily Texan this season. Follow him on Twitter @travhlav

1st team:
QB Ehlinger 11
RB: Young 32
WR: Johnson 9
WR: Humphrey 84
WR: Duvernay 6
LT: Okafor 78
LG: Vahe 77
😄 Shackelford 56
RG: Rodriguez 72
RT:Kerstetter 68
TE: Beck 47

2nd team: 
QB: Buechele 7
RB: Watson 5
WR: Burt 1
WR: Heard 13
WR: Eagles 82
LT: Cosmi 52
LG: Hudson 73
😄 Allsup 69
RG: Imade 67
RT: Uriquidez 71
TE: Leitao 81

3rd team
QB: Rising/Thompson 3/8
RB: Carter then Porter/Ingram 30 then 21/26
WR: Curtis 16
WR: Joshua Moore 14
WR: Epps 85
LT: Anderson 66
LG: Ghirmai 74
😄 Rodriguez 72
RG: Angilau 75
RT: Reese Moore 76
TE: Cummins 89

It was a gorgeous first day of practice at the Denius practice fields where the 85-degree temperature started out the day, but steadily rose throughout it. There was not a cloud in the sky. 

At the quarterback position all looked a little uneasy outside of Ehlinger, who just looks physically, athletically and rhythmically head and shoulders above Buechele and the two freshmen. Ehlinger never missed a step and hit every receiver in stride throughout the portion I watched him. Buechele has put on some weight, but doesn’t share Ehlinger’s bulk. Buechele ran the second team and didn’t have a bad day. He was crisp with his short and intermediate routes but overthrew Burt on a go route and didn’t look quite comfortable airing it out and showing off his arm. Rising and Thompson, who split most of the third team reps evenly, looked pretty meh. Rising missed a couple of long out routes, but showed off his arm a couple of times down the middle and seems to have some touch on his throws. Thompson looked average throwing against air, but looks ready to put on the pads. Overall, Ehlinger looks like the man and seems to have “it.”

At running back, Daniel Young got all the first team reps. He was as expected and has the potential to be Texas’ go to option on 1st and 2nd downs. Tre Watson got all of 2nd team reps at the running back position. He wore a green non-contact No. 5 jersey and spent the entirety of the practice with the offense. He was as explosive as you’d expect and flashed his potential throughout the team and position drills. Following him on the third team was Toneil Carter who looked good throughout the first half of the 3rd team drills. His reps, however, were split with Kyle Porter and Keaontay Ingram, who just didn’t get enough touches to take anything meaningful away from.

The receivers’ day was highlighted by none other than Collin Johnson, who has the look of an NFL wide receiver. He ran smooth, crisp routes and caught the ball with ease. Duvernay also had a good day. He absolutely flew on the field and snagged every ball I saw thrown to him. Lil’Jordan Humphrey looks absolutely enormous and spent his day in the slot. He looks 10-15 lbs heavier than his listed 225, and it seems to be good weight. His hands didn’t fare as well as his physical appearance as he dropped an absolute dime that Buechele threw to him in the receivers drills. Heard looked like he has played the position all his life. He ran crisp routes and caught pretty much everything thrown his way. Burt looks fast as ever, but not many balls seemed to go his way. Eagles, like Humphrey looks gigantic and has the potential to have a fantastic freshman year. Other than that, all receivers seem pretty solid when Rising or Thompson could get them the ball. No glaring drops or problems that I saw.

On the offensive line, Calvin Anderson is on the third team as of now. He will likely stay there until he has truly grasped the offense. He is a large, physically gifted man. Okafor, who was in his place, looks as physically intimidating as he did last year. If he can finally couple his size with quality play, he will have a rotational spot somewhere along the line in 2018. Vahe and Rodriguez at the guard positions are men amongst boys compared to everyone else in the unit. Rodriguez has recovered from his injury well and played both guard and center during team drills. Kerstetter has put on some weight and looks like a formidable Division 1 tackle now. His technique is solid and getting better. 2018 Shackelford is larger than 2017 Shackelford. However, he is still the least physically imposing offensive lineman on the first team and it’s really not close. Hudson came into the fall looking quite in-shape. He looks to be slightly under his listed weight of 330 and is possibly in the best shape he has been in since his arrival to Texas.

The tight ends didn’t participate much in the team drills and spent more time by themselves on the sideline. Beck and Leitao look like carbon copies of each other in terms of size, but neither spent much time catching balls on the day. Brewer does not appear to be ready to participate in much contact. Whether his knee is still not recovered or he is just not comfortable in his brace is hard to tell. Either way, he still walked with a slight limp. He is probably Texas’ best option to catch passes at tight end, as evidenced by his 2017 production. At this point, though, he does not look ready to fully be back out on the field.

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