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

[satyanash 14281]

Collecting post-game $9.95-er articles from the Colorado State game here:

(Gerald Goodridge) No. 4 Texas blasts Colorado State: Three things we learned

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The Texas Longhorns did everything you wanted in an opener. They kept the offense vanilla, blew out an inferior team, and did it without suffering any injuries. There were questions to answer on both sides of the ball and the Longhorns answered many of them with the lopsided win over the Rams.

The running backs will be fine

After the preseason injuries, there was concern that Texas would struggle to move the ball. The Texas running backs kept the pace from the ground game a year ago, with Jaydon Blue starting the game strong, Quintrevion Wisner serving as a tough change of pace, and freshman Jerrick Gibson finishing as the game’s leading rusher.

While the Colorado State front will not be the toughest front they will face all year — especially with Michigan looming on the horizon — having three backs that can carry the load will go a long way. While the margins remain thin with injuries and the grind of SEC play, having three backs with three different running styles allows the offense to be multiple. Texas was able to pull Blue along with the other starters early, but they still managed to get multiple backs double-digit carries, with both averaging more than five yards per carry.

Texas will spread the ball around more than years past

Xavier Worthy and Adonai Mitchell were the top two targets a year ago and dominated the stat sheet, so Texas went to the portal to bolster the room through the transfer portal. Isaiah Bond was the top man of the first unit, catching five of his seven targets for 61 yards and a score. Ryan Wingo took advantage of his time with the second unit, turning in 70 yards and a score, with homegrown talent Johntay Cook, II not far behind.

Transfer Matthew Golden showed why Texas went hard to get him out of the portal, bringing in two touchdowns on three receptions and 50 yards. Quinn Ewers having multiple targets, spreading the ball around, and doing it efficiently as he did is a good sign for the offense.

The defense started hot and should be ready for Michigan

When Texas started pulling the first team in the third quarter, the Rams managed just 145 total yards on an anemic 3.4 yards per play. Colorado State, an air raid team, managed just 59 passing yards through three quarters and really couldn't find much success anywhere. Conversely, Texas was wildly efficient and managed 8.4 yards per play through the same point in the game. The talent gap won’t be nearly as wide when Texas goes to Ann Arbor next week, but the tone they set in the opener should carry them in the future.

(Joe Cook) 3-2-1: Texas shuts out Colorado State 52-0 to start the 2024 campaign

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The Texas Longhorns entered the season ranked No. 4 in the country. They played like a top-five team and a College Football Playoff contender on Saturday, demolishing the Colorado State Rams 52-0 to set up a top-10 matchup next week in Ann Arbor against the Michigan Wolverines. Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning added touchdown passes, the three transfer wide receivers all found the end zone, and the Longhorn defense pitched a shutout with several forced turnovers.

Here are three plays, two players, and one moment that stood out from the game.

Three Plays

Play No. 1

Ewers threw an interception on the Longhorns’ third drive of the game, but it was one the Rams could do little with as a failed fake punt attempt on the ensuing possession resulted in a Bert Auburn field goal. The next time Texas had the ball, Ewers flipped the field with a long pass to Matthew Golden and worked the ball into the red zone.  The red zone was a house of horrors for Texas last season, at least for a team of Playoff quality. There simply were not enough six-point successes in 2023 even though the Longhorns won 12 games and a Big 12 Championship.

That was little issue on Saturday as the Longhorns were 4-for-4 in the first half in the red zone and 7-for-7 in the game. The second of four first-half scores was the type of impressive throw fans have come to expect from the former five-star in Ewers. He had a small, small window to hit to get the ball to Golden and he put it right on the money. It was reminiscent of the dropped touchdown pass intended for Xavier Worthy at Alabama last year.

This time, it was converted and indicates that the Longhorns may have a considerable amount of trust in their quarterback to operate in the red zone in tight spaces, especially if opposing defenses are focusing on the run.

Play No. 2

Texas was ahead of CSU 10-0 with 10:56 left in the first half when David Gbenda made sure the Rams did not take any sort of momentum. Rams running back Justin Marshall picked up seven yards on first down before Gbenda and Jermayne Lole corralled the CSU back. On second down, Marshall again rushed to the left side and was once again stuffed by Gbenda. Third down? Same result. Marshall rushed right and Gbenda darted through the line to make a hard-hitting tackle and force the Colorado State punt team on the field.

Gbenda, Anthony Hill, and Jahdae Barron spearheaded a stifling defensive effort in the first half. Pete Kwiatkowski’s defense surrendered only 78 total yards, including 25 passing yards to an Air Raid offense. Gbenda was all over the field and made a number of other hard-hitting plays. Hill racked up three tackles with one for loss. Barron recorded an important interception.

The Texas offense got into gear after a little bit of a rocky start, but the Texas defense brought it early and often. Gbenda’s three-tackle was the best evidence of that attitude, an attitude that kept Colorado State under 200 total yards.

Play No. 3

It had to be Arch Manning’s first career touchdown. Had to be!

Manning’s first pass was a completion for Johntay Cook that the sophomore took 40 yards. A few more plays got Texas in scoring position, position Manning salvaged by leaping on top of a live ball that hit a man in motion at the snap.

On third down, after flushing out of the pocket, Manning found Bolden with a casual flip and Bolden makes the most un-casual dive into the end zone. All three transfer wide receivers in Bolden, Bond, and Golden scored a touchdown in their Texas debut, and Bolden had the honor of hauling in Manning’s first career touchdown pass. The first of many? He added a rushing score later on a sneak. Dual threat.

Two Players

Quinn Ewers

After an early mishap the Longhorns quarterback was fantastic. He finished 20-for-27 for 260 yards and three touchdowns after his interception. His misthrows were few and far between. Not only was he successful on play action, he showed progress in progression passing that makes life significantly more difficult for opposing defenses.  After the Longhorns scored a touchdown on their first possession of the third quarter, Ewers went over to Steve Sarkisian, shook his hand, and exchanged large smiles after a quality day. Throws like this were the norm on Saturday, but there was one stood above the rest. More on that later.

Michael Taaffe

Taaffe wasn’t the leader in tackles for the Longhorns, nor did he log a TFL. No turnovers were caused by the junior safety, though he did log a pass-breakup. However, Taaffe could be seen all over the field before every single snap. He was the lead communicator in the secondary even though other players had the helmet communication device. Thanks to that effort, plus strong showings from the aforementioned Hill, Barron, and Gbenda, the Longhorns allowed just 164 total yards to the Rams.

Colorado State quarterback Brayden Folwer-Nicolosi managed to just go 10-for-18 with one interception. The Rams didn’t break 100 yards rushing until the score was already 52-0. All three levels put together a strong day, and Taaffe’s constant communication in the back end put players in the right spots to indicate the Longhorn defense is more cohesive than it was last year when much of the focus was on the exploits of Byron Murphy and T’Vondre Sweat.

One Moment

For some reason at the end of the first half, Colorado State head coach Jay Norvell elected to try to gain some yards instead of running the clock to force the Longhorns to use timeouts or head into halftime down 24-0. A rush of no gain and two incompletions put the ball back in Texas’ hands, and the Longhorns were in business after Bolden returned the punt 35 yards to the CSU 33.

A few plays and a fourth down conversion later, the Longhorns were set up with 1st and 10 at the 11. That’s when Ewers decided to pull this move out of his bag of tricks.

The no look pass! The Ram middle linebacker almost runs into the ball because he’s so intent on watching Niblack… like Ewers is. But the Longhorn signal caller finds Golden for his second scoring connection with the Houston transfer of the day. Ewers was 18-for-25 in the first half for 248 yards and three touchdowns, along with one interception. He found 10 different receivers in the first 30 minutes.

Kirk Bohls: Quinn Ewers and Texas blast Colorado State in season opener

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AUSTIN — In what amounted to a dress rehearsal, fourth-ranked Texas pounded Colorado State 52-0 behind Quinn Ewers’ spectacular 2024 debut with 248 yards passing and three touchdowns in a season opener. And that was just in the first half.

Ewers threw two touchdown passes to Houston transfer Matthew Golden and another to Alabama transfer Isaiah Bond on consecutive first-half possessions as the Longhorns showcased a tremendous passing attack. The junior quarterback’s weapons were on full display from the very outset as he had a dominant performance with 260 yards, playing just one series in the third quarter and throwing only two passes before giving way to the most famous backup in college football.

Arch Manning, who completed just two of five passes as a true freshman a year ago, scored his first two touchdowns as a Longhorn, one on a pass and another on a 1-yard sneak in relief of Ewers. The crowd of 99,171 went crazy with every positive Manning play. He took the Longhorns on a 49-yard scoring drive on his first possession late in the third quarter. He rifled a bullet to Johntay Cook for 40 yards on his very first pass and two plays later connected with Silas Bolden on an improvised play, scrambling and then flipping a pass to the Oregon State transfer, who dived into the end zone.

Texas scored on four straight series and five out of six possessions in the opening half, failing to put up points only when Ewers was intercepted on a tipped pass in the red zone. That scoring explosion grew to six consecutive touchdowns in as many series and seven straight scoring drives as Texas easily routed the 32½-point underdog at Royal-Memorial Stadium.

It marked as solid an opener as Steve Sarkisian could imagine against an offensive-minded CSU team that is picked to finish fifth in the Mountain West but hasn’t had a winning season since 2017 and only six in the last 20 years. Now Texas starts the heavy lifting if it hopes to return to the College Football Playoff. The Horns will play defending national champion Michigan in Ann Arbor next Saturday.

For anyone worried about Texas passing, those doubts were diminished quickly. Even though the team was without last year’s top five receivers — two of them running backs — that combined for 266 receptions for 3,490 yards and 19 scores, the Longhorns compensated in quick order. Ewers found 10 different receivers in the first half alone, including freshman Ryan Wingo and newcomers from the portal Amari Niblack, Bond and Golden.

The lone drawback came with the home team’s ground game. Texas had trouble denting a tough Rams defensive front, running for just 61 yards in the first half. Starting tailback Jaydon Blue had 11 carries for 57 yards before limping off late in the third quarter. True freshman Jerrick Gibson relieved him and ran for 67 yards on his first 10 carries and a 5-yard touchdown.

Edited August 31 by satyanash

[satyanash 14281]

Chip Brown: Snap judgments and helmet stickers from Texas football's 52-0 shoutout of Colorado State

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AUSTIN, Texas — Snap judgments and helmet stickers from Texas football's 52-0 season-opening shutout of Colorado State Saturday:

— Texas running back Jaydon Blue left the game with 9:45 left in the third quarter and went to the sideline and fell to the ground in some discomfort. Even though Blue didn't return to the game, he was up walking around on the sideline and appeared to be OK. Blue finished the game with 11 carries for 57 yards (5.2 ypc) and three catches for 37 yards.

— Texas' red zone offense got off to a good start on Saturday, scoring touchdowns on all seven trips inside the CSU 20 after scoring TDs on only 50.82% of its red zone trips in 2023.

— Quinn Ewers had a pass batted and intercepted in the first quarter, but he completed 20-of-27 (74%) passes for 260 yards and three touchdowns with the one pick before giving way to Arch Manning with 4:04 left in the third quarter.

— The Texas defense scored its first shutout since a 49-0 victory over Oklahoma in 2022. The Longhorns held Colorado State to just 78 total yards in the first half, allowing the Rams to cross midfield only once (to the Texas 49) while holding CSU to 1-of-6 on third down. CSU finished with 194 yards and was 5-of-14 on third down.

— The four-man D-line for Texas on obvious passing downs against CSU seemed to be Trey Moore and Colin Simmons at end with Barryn Sorrell and Vernon Broughton at DT. Let's see if that's the case next week at Michigan, when I could see Ethan Burke subbing for Simmons, considering Burke is the highest rated returning run defender for the Horns, according to Pro Football Focus.

— Granted, it was against a tiring CSU defense in the third quarter, but freshman running back Jerrick Gibson showed signs of being a potential short-yardage and goal-line runner with three straight, physical runs of 4, 22 and 5 yards - with the 5-yarder being a TD run putting Texas up 38-0.

— Texas had 10 different players catch a pass in the first half - Isaiah Bond, Matthew Golden, Jaydon Blue, Ryan Wingo, Gunnar Helm, Tre Wisner, Johntay Cook, Juan Davis, Amari Niblack and Ryan Niblett.

— Silas Bolden didn't have a single target in the first half Saturday (maybe saving something for Michigan), but he had an impressive 35-yard punt return in the second quarter and then became the 11th Texas player to catch a pass when Arch Manning flipped Bolden the ball for a 5-yard TD late in the third quarter.

— How about Arch Manning's entrance into the game with 4:04 left in the third quarter? He gets a huge ovation and then hits Johntay Cook for a 40-yard completion. Now, that's an entrance.

— On Quinn Ewers' 1-yard touchdown pass to Matthew Golden in the second quarter, giving Texas a 17-0 lead, Ewers saw that CSU corner Elias Larry had his back turned while chasing Golden and did a great job of putting the ball exactly where it needed to be for Golden to make the catch.

— Isaiah Bond, who was in the starting lineup along with receivers DeAndre Moore and Matthew Golden, got off to a bit of a rough start, dropping two passes, including one on third-and-13 that would've gone for a first down. But then Bond settled in, finishing with five catches for 61 yards, including a 7-yard TD pass from Quinn Ewers, as well as a 25-yard run in the third quarter that helped sustain an eight-play, 80-yard touchdown drive.

— Defensive end Colton Vasek and Amari Niblack did a nice job of making CSU punter Paddy Turner pay for mishandling a snap and trying to run for it on fourth-and-5  from the CSU 33 in the second quarter. Vasek made first contact and dropped Turner for a 2-yard loss.

— Linebacker David Gbenda showed great anticipation in knifing through the CSU line and dropping running back Justin Marshall for a 1-yard loss on third-and-2 midway through the second quarter.

— Senior cornerback Gavin Holmes had a nice pass breakup on a third-and-5 deep ball intended for former Longhorns' commitment Armani Winfield. On the next play, CSU punter Paddy Turner bobbled the snap and tried to run for it only to get gobbled up by Colton Vasek.

— Safety Michael Taaffe helped set the tone early for the Texas defense, sniffing out a screen on third-and-10 and blowing it up for a 1 yard gain, forcing a punt on CSU's first offensive possession.

— Until the final minute, when Jordan Johnson-Rubell was called for a horse-collar tackle, Texas had only two penalties in the game, and they were both false starts on center Jake Majors (for moving the ball slightly before snapping it). One of those false starts came on fourth-and-1 from the CSU 22 early in the second quarter, causing Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian to take the offense off the field and settle for a 45-yard field goal by Bert Auburn, giving Texas a 10-0 lead.

— Freshman punter Michael Kern only had one punt on Saturday - for 39 yards.

Helmet stickers to:

LB Anthony Hill Jr.

Hill was always around the ball and violent as ever. He was only credited with five tackles, including one tackle for loss, but it seemed like more.

WR Ryan Wingo and WR Johntay Cook

They caught all of their targets on Saturday. Wingo had four grabs for 70 yards, and Cook had three catches for 56 yards.

DT Vernon Broughton

Broughton played the most snaps of any interior D-linemen in the first half and capped off the first two quarters with a batted pass on third-and-10, resulting in a punt that Silas Bolden returned 35 yards to the CSU 33 with :58 left in the second quarter.

CB Jahdae Barron

Playing cornerback on Saturday, Barron did a great job of ball hawking on a second-quarter interception that he returned 30 yards to the CSU 43 with 3:32 left in the first half. After the turnover, on the sideline, the defense appeared to pull out a sword and deflate the ball.

Star/nickel corner Jaylon Guilbeau

Guilbeau led the team in tackles with eight and did a nice job of consistently being in the right position.

CB Wardell Mack

The freshman DB made a spectacular toe-tap interception in the end zone with :46 left to play to preserve Texas' shoutout victory.

Sam Khan Jr.: Arch Manning scores first TDs of college career as Texas dominates Colorado State

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Texas redshirt freshman quarterback Arch Manning threw his first touchdown pass and rushed for the first score of his collegiate career Saturday in Texas’ 52-0 win over Colorado State. Manning, the No. 1 recruit in the 2023 class and nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning, entered Saturday’s game late in the third quarter with the Longhorns leading 38-0 and led two scoring drives. It was his third career appearance. Manning finished 5-of-6 passing for 95 yards. Manning was pressured on third-and-goal from the 5 and scrambled into the middle of the field before finding transfer receiver Silas Bolden near the right sideline. Manning flipped the ball laterally to Bolden, who scored to give Texas a 45-0 lead.

Manning added a rushing touchdown with a quarterback sneak on fourth-and-goal to give the Longhorns a 52-0 lead with 10:10 remaining in the fourth.

Quinn Ewers, Texas’ third-year starter, guided the Longhorns to their commanding lead. In two-and-a-half quarters of action, Ewers completed 20-of-27 passes for 260 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said Thursday that Manning is “light years ahead” of where he was entering last season, when he was a true freshman and third on the depth chart.

“His understanding of what we’re trying to do offensively, the nuances of the scheme, the timing of certain throws, the protections, all of those things. And I just think his overall comfort level and confidence is much higher, than it was a year ago at this time,” Sarkisian said. In 2023, Manning didn’t make his collegiate debut until the regular season finale, a 57-7 win over Texas Tech. He entered that game in the fourth quarter and completed 2-of-5 passes for 40 yards and ran for 7 yards. He moved up to second on the depth chart after Texas’ 2023 backup, Maalik Murphy, transferred to Duke in the winter.

 

[52-80 19093]

My expert analysis:

 

[satyanash 14281]

Hank South: Texas QB Quinn Ewers goes viral with no-look touchdown pass in win over Colorado State

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Less than a week after going viral in a Dr. Pepper Fansville commercial, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers broke the internet again on Saturday with a no-look touchdown pass to UT wide receiver Matthew Golden in a 52-0 win over Colorado State. It was one of two Golden touchdown catches on the afternoon. Ewers toss three in total, to go with a tipped-ball interception, going 20 of 27 for 260 yards before being relieved by Arch Manning in the third quarter up 38-0. Check out the viral touchdown pass to Golden below: 

"That was cool," Ewers said after the game. "I was going to throw the flat, and then I saw everybody run out. So, I kind of just - it's that shortstop background, I guess." Ewers was then asked if he practices that kind of pass: "I mean every now and then, but not a whole lot because I don't want to miss it and get my butt ripped. But I guess some things fall your way." Texas coach Steve Sarkisian didn't even realize it was a no-look pass at the time.  "Was it a no-look pass?" Sarkisian said after the game.

The No. 4-ranked Longhorns looked every bit the billing for most of the afternoon in Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, taking care of business against a Rams team that has proven very proficient on the offensive side of the ball in recent years. Texas will travel to Ann Arbor next Saturday to face the defending national champion and No. 9-ranked Michigan Wolverines in what will be an early season test for the Longhorns. 

Joe Cook: Texas football announces players of the game for the Longhorns' 52-0 win over Colorado State

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The Texas Longhorns announced six players who were awarded internal player of the game honors via X on Monday. On offense, Gunnar Helm and Cam Williams were the players of the game on Steve Sarkisian‘s side of the ball. Jaylon Guilbeau and Michael Taaffe earned defensive player of the game honors. Bert Auburn and Gavin Holmes were rewarded for their efforts on Jeff Banks‘ special teams.

Helm, a senior tight end, had two receptions on three targets for 42 yards. He had an early 37-yard reception that set up Texas’ opening score of the season where he rumbled 34 yards after the catch. Helm had a 57.7 grade from Pro Football Focus bolstered by a 71.2 pass blocking grade. Williams, a junior right tackle, received a PFF grade of 73.9 on Saturday which was fourth highest on the offense behind Ryan Wingo, Arch Manning, and Quinn Ewers. He was responsible for helping Jerrick Gibson into the end zone for his first career score.

Guilbeau, a junior who plays Star for the Longhorns, tallied a 67.7 grade for the Longhorns on defense. He had a tackling grade of 81.7 according to Pro Football Focus and a 73.5 grade for run defense. Guilbeau led the team in tackles with eight. Taaffe, a junior safety, had the second highest grade on defense among regular contributors with an 81.6 defensive grade on PFF. He tallied three total tackles and added a pass-breakup.

Auburn, a senior kicker, converted all seven of his extra point attempts and nailed a 45-yard field goal in the second quarter. Holmes, a senior cornerback, logged two total tackles including 0.5 TFLs and a pass breakup. According to PFF, Holmes logged a 62.4 grade on special teams across nine kick coverage snaps and six punt return snaps. He also dived on top of Silas Bolden‘s muff punt to help preserve the shutout late in the contest. Texas heads to Michigan this week to play the defending national champion Wolverines in Ann Arbor.

 

[LTtxfan 48977]

 

[DigglerontheHoof 21062]

Helm looks more athletic now than he did a couple of years ago, imo.