Jump to content

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


satyanash

Recommended Posts

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

Quote

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

Quote

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.

 

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

Quote

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

Quote

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.

 

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...