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2024 Week 17 - Cotton Bowl CFP Semifinal Texas vs Ohio State


Wulaw Horn

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Need some help from the ball knowers in here. Is this an RPO? The way the OL doesn't fire off the ball it makes me think there might be an option for Ewers to pull it and throw? Am I wrong there? Not criticizing anyone if so, just genuinely curious. I finally found a few minutes to sit down and start looking through the ASU game.

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The Pate podcast was a pretty depressing listen and hard to argue with much of it.  People try to compare this to the Texas/USC game but it's not remotely the same.  Sure, the media talking head predictions may be the same but for those of us that watched every snap that season there was a ton of confidence based on actual X's and O's.  That Texas team flat out dominated damn near every week including destroying Colorado in the Big 12 championship game.  If anything USC was similar to Texas in that year in that they underachieved much more frequently despite winning (although they, along with Texas, played their A game in the Championship).

This Texas team hasn't put a complete game together really since Michigan (well UTSA/ULM if you want to count poor competition).  Starting with MSU we fucked around and have done it every game since.  Florida was the best performance and even that took a 4th down conversion inside our own 25 YL to wake the damn offense up.  I think it's absolutely fair for talking heads (and everyone) to wonder if Texas has an "A" game in them at this point as it really isn't "recency bias" as much as wondering if this is just who Texas is.   That being said, for OSU, I think the jury is definitely still out whether they really are the team we saw the last 2 weeks (i.e., as Josh Pate stated, have they turned into LSU 2019 buzzsaw that is just that much better than anyone) or will they revert to the mean. 

 

I'll be fascinated to see how Sark coaches this game given the dynamics in play and given that we don't have a ton of matchups on paper that we love.  There is absolutely still a path for Texas to win but going to need to somehow put it all together for 4 quarters.  I don't disagree with Pate's assessment that we either have to be able to run the ball consistently or win the turnover battle by 2 or more to win.

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4 minutes ago, ATLLonghorn said:

Need some help from the ball knowers in here. Is this an RPO? The way the OL doesn't fire off the ball it makes me think there might be an option for Ewers to pull it and throw? Am I wrong there? Not criticizing anyone if so, just genuinely curious. I finally found a few minutes to sit down and start looking through the ASU game.

 

based on the receivers running actual routes I would think it is. It also appears as if wisner misses the hole on the left side if he is just a tad more patient. My guess is he see's the linebacker and decides he doesn't trust the left guard getting to his assignment. 52 even gets upfield and picks up the middle LB too. He hits that hole on the left and it's 8 yards easy.

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22 minutes ago, Ojo Rojo said:

I'm worried about the kicking game, especially in a game that could be close and decided by a kick, and I'm worried about Muhammad on Egbuka.  Muhammad got picked on against Arizona St.  Other that that, I like the matchups everywhere else.

Did he? Arizona State's leading receiver was Skattebo with 99 yards, and 62 of those came on a single play against Taaffe (with OPI).  The next highest receiver was McClain who had the one catch from Scattebo against Muhammad for 42 yard TD . I don't really remember Muhammad having to do much else.  

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4 minutes ago, Dahobbs said:

Did he? Arizona State's leading receiver was Skattebo with 99 yards, and 62 of those came on a single play against Taaffe (with OPI).  The next highest receiver was McClain who had the one catch from Scattebo against Muhammad for 42 yard TD . I don't really remember Muhammad having to do much else.  

It feels like it because he gave up the most important play of the game against ASU and was completely abused in the previouys game. 

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8 minutes ago, Skipper said:

That being said, for OSU, I think the jury is definitely still out whether they really are the team we saw the last 2 weeks (i.e., as Josh Pate stated, have they turned into LSU 2019 buzzsaw that is just that much better than anyone) or will they revert to the mean.

They lost the last regular season game they played. To a team we smoked.

Could they win? Of course, but a two game win streak is not a buzzsaw. Maybe they've figured out the magic formula, but two games is not remotely conclusive on that.

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15 minutes ago, Tex Pete said:

They lost the last regular season game they played. To a team we smoked.

Could they win? Of course, but a two game win streak is not a buzzsaw. Maybe they've figured out the magic formula, but two games is not remotely conclusive on that.

I wouldn’t use OSU’s Michigan game as a barometer for anything - it is a season outlier more often than not.  But generally you’re right…OSU fans are as shocked as everyone else about the last two games, since the team had never really looked like that all year, even in comfortable wins.  Two games is not enough of a trend to bank on, so most assume we’ll come back down to earth somewhat now.

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16 minutes ago, Skipper said:

The Pate podcast was a pretty depressing listen and hard to argue with much of it.  People try to compare this to the Texas/USC game but it's not remotely the same.  Sure, the media talking head predictions may be the same but for those of us that watched every snap that season there was a ton of confidence based on actual X's and O's.  That Texas team flat out dominated damn near every week including destroying Colorado in the Big 12 championship game.  If anything USC was similar to Texas in that year in that they underachieved much more frequently despite winning (although they, along with Texas, played their A game in the Championship).

This Texas team hasn't put a complete game together really since Michigan (well UTSA/ULM if you want to count poor competition).  Starting with MSU we fucked around and have done it every game since.  Florida was the best performance and even that took a 4th down conversion inside our own 25 YL to wake the damn offense up.  I think it's absolutely fair for talking heads (and everyone) to wonder if Texas has an "A" game in them at this point as it really isn't "recency bias" as much as wondering if this is just who Texas is.   That being said, for OSU, I think the jury is definitely still out whether they really are the team we saw the last 2 weeks (i.e., as Josh Pate stated, have they turned into LSU 2019 buzzsaw that is just that much better than anyone) or will they revert to the mean.

I'll be fascinated to see how Sark coaches this game given the dynamics in play and given that we don't have a ton of matchups on paper that we love.  There is absolutely still a path for Texas to win but going to need to somehow put it all together for 4 quarters.  I don't disagree with Pate's assessment that we either have to be able to run the ball consistently or win the turnover battle by 2 or more to win.

Keep in mind we played Georgia to OT and they absolutely had help from the refs. Give ASU some credit here too, because their coaches had three weeks to prepare and scouted us to perfection. Likewise, it wasn't just Skattebo that made life difficult. Leavitt is one hell of a QB that people understimated. Indeed, I see most here on this board still talking about Skattebo and few mentioning Leavitt's contribution to that game. They don't make it happen without him. It takes a tremendous amount of defensive energy to stay on top of a QB as slippery and twitchy as he is. He is more evasive than Milroe. So, said another way, ASU was no joke. Also, multiple no-calls allowed them to make their comeback and yet still Texas managed to grit it out and win the game. Our guys never gave up like they would have in the past.

Sark and Flood need to fix the OL blocking though. Georgia and ASU cracked our code and they need to fix that problem. Other thought is, we have tended to play to the level of our competition. If that still holds, our play will elevate with the perceived threat faced. Our D is going to be a step above what OSU has faced. Our offense just has to produce and to do that, Quinn must be protected. I just hope the ACC crew is better than Big12, Big10 and SEC refs have proven to be this season. If they call it even, we should be good.

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9 minutes ago, sith_horn said:

Keep in mind we played Georgia to OT and they absolutely had help from the refs. Give ASU some credit here too, because their coaches had three weeks to prepare and scouted us to perfection. Likewise, it wasn't just Skattebo that made life difficult. Leavitt is one hell of a QB that people understimated. Indeed, I see most here on this board still talking about Skattebo and few mentioning Leavitt's contribution to that game. They don't make it happen without him. It takes a tremendous amount of defensive energy to stay on top of a QB as slippery and twitchy as he is. He is more evasive than Milroe. So, said another way, ASU was no joke. Also, multiple no-calls allowed them to make their comeback and yet still Texas managed to grit it out and win the game. Our guys never gave up like they would have in the past.

Sark and Flood need to fix the OL blocking though. Georgia and ASU cracked our code and they need to fix that problem. Other thought is, we have tended to play to the level of our competition. If that still holds, our play will elevate with the perceived threat faced. Our D is going to be a step above what OSU has faced. Our offense just has to produce and to do that, Quinn must be protected. I just hope the ACC crew is better than Big12, Big10 and SEC refs have proven to be this season. If they call it even, we should be good.

What a reasonable post. 

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44 minutes ago, Tex Pete said:

They lost the last regular season game they played. To a team we smoked.

Could they win? Of course, but a two game win streak is not a buzzsaw. Maybe they've figured out the magic formula, but two games is not remotely conclusive on that.

I don't disagree.  But we haven't even put one complete game together since September so the national narrative for this game isn't unreasonable.  We need to prove we are capable of actually playing 4 quarters of solid football.  I do think this team has it in them and that playing as an underdog could be what unlocks it.  

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6 minutes ago, BurgleBro said:

I'm optimistic our OL will live up to it's reputation all 4 Qs this game.  

 

Play with a giant chip on the shoulders. 

We need Cam back in the run game. I love Goose and think he will be special, but he isnt the maller that Cam is and  we need a bit more nasty in the OL right now.

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The Pate podcast was a pretty depressing listen and hard to argue with much of it.  People try to compare this to the Texas/USC game but it's not remotely the same.  Sure, the media talking head predictions may be the same but for those of us that watched every snap that season there was a ton of confidence based on actual X's and O's.  That Texas team flat out dominated damn near every week including destroying Colorado in the Big 12 championship game.  If anything USC was similar to Texas in that year in that they underachieved much more frequently despite winning (although they, along with Texas, played their A game in the Championship).
This Texas team hasn't put a complete game together really since Michigan (well UTSA/ULM if you want to count poor competition).  Starting with MSU we fucked around and have done it every game since.  Florida was the best performance and even that took a 4th down conversion inside our own 25 YL to wake the damn offense up.  I think it's absolutely fair for talking heads (and everyone) to wonder if Texas has an "A" game in them at this point as it really isn't "recency bias" as much as wondering if this is just who Texas is.   That being said, for OSU, I think the jury is definitely still out whether they really are the team we saw the last 2 weeks (i.e., as Josh Pate stated, have they turned into LSU 2019 buzzsaw that is just that much better than anyone) or will they revert to the mean. 
 
I'll be fascinated to see how Sark coaches this game given the dynamics in play and given that we don't have a ton of matchups on paper that we love.  There is absolutely still a path for Texas to win but going to need to somehow put it all together for 4 quarters.  I don't disagree with Pate's assessment that we either have to be able to run the ball consistently or win the turnover battle by 2 or more to win.
Agreed. We had VY that year, who could take over any game at any time. Something he did constantly. Quinn isn't even close to that. Especially when it came to keeping a play alive or turning a broken play into a big gain, especially on the ground.
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19 minutes ago, Skipper said:

I don't disagree.  But we haven't even put one complete game together since September so the national narrative for this game isn't unreasonable.  We need to prove we are capable of actually playing 4 quarters of solid football.  I do think this team has it in them and that playing as an underdog could be what unlocks it.  

I agree with you. We all have seen the struggles. But at the same time, what if we DO put together a complete game? This team has a ton of potential and has left a lot of meat on the bone...and we are playing in the national semifinal.

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All

the criticism is warranted. Until this team puts together a complete game to include the 3rd qtr fucking shit show meltdowns on both sides of the ball (defense gets a pass from being on the field an entire qtr every game). They deserve all the negative press.  Even if we squeak out a win we will prob hear the same shit in the natty unless we put together 4 qtrs of butt fucking and that includes scoring the first fucking TD since the Florida game and one TD since 10/19 ga.   If not we better be up by 30 at half 

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4 minutes ago, Sgt Hulk said:

All

the criticism is warranted. Until this team puts together a complete game to include the 3rd qtr fucking shit show meltdowns on both sides of the ball (defense gets a pass from being on the field an entire qtr every game). They deserve all the negative press.  Even if we squeak out a win we will prob hear the same shit in the natty unless we put together 4 qtrs of butt fucking and that includes scoring the first fucking TD since the Florida game and one TD since 10/19 ga.   If not we better be up by 30 at half 

*natty? dude

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PFF guys are saying Ohio State essentially ditched Chip Kelly’s run concepts after the Michigan game and installed a superficial version of Mike Norvells Memphis/Florida State offense on the three week layoff they had. It makes sense why Tennessee looked super unprepared against an Ohio State team that looked pedestrian running the ball all year. Good news is we seen a bunch of those concepts against ASU. It’s just hard to predict what’s coming because they could just keep adopting layers to diversify an offense that already looks dangerous. 

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1 hour ago, Borrominion said:

I wouldn’t use OSU’s Michigan game as a barometer for anything - it is a season outlier more often than not.  But generally you’re right…OSU fans are as shocked as everyone else about the last two games, since the team had never really looked like that all year, even in comfortable wins.  Two games is not enough of a trend to bank on, so most assume we’ll come back down to earth somewhat now.

Yes, yes, we should conveniently leave out the loss to the chief rival at home for a chance to play for a conference championship, oh and by the way the only common opponent between the two teams. Makes perfect sense.

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3 hours ago, ATXhorn17 said:

Unsurprising, but when talking about our defense Danny made sure to emphasize that we’re REALLY lucky to have Taeffe for the first half. And proceeded to bitch and moan about the injustice of the targeting non-call. 

That whole targeting discussion drives me crazy. If it was targeting, then they missed the attempted decapitation of Bond a few plays earlier. If it wasn't, then they got them right. The two calls were both reviewed and the outcomes were consistent. Any notion that the Taafe call tarnished the outcome for one side is fucked. But the media loves an underdog and seems to relish piling on big bad Texas. Embrace the hate. 

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3 minutes ago, Longhornlove said:

Yes, yes, we should conveniently leave out the loss to the chief rival at home for a chance to play for a conference championship, oh and by the way the only common opponent between the two teams. Makes perfect sense.

No, it’s just the transitive property is worthless in CFB and you probably all know that.  I wouldn’t bank on OSU beating TX just because ASU took you to double overtime, even though I think OSU is a lot better than ASU.

The last time we lost a game like that to Michigan was almost 30 years ago…in the 1996 game a 4-loss M team cost OSU a national title with a win in Columbus by nearly the exact same score (13-9).  OSU subsequently beat Jake Plummer’s ASU in the Rose Bowl costing THEM a national championship.

This Michigan game was an outlier like our last two games have been, just in the opposite direction.  It could simply be that our true identity is inconsistent.

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36 minutes ago, Hank Kingsley said:

The silver lining with the placekicker situation is it will force Sark and Quinn to be more aggressive.  

If we have a 4th and 2, let's hope that means hitting Wingo on a very quick slant and not a predictable and slow-developing run up the gut. 

7 minutes ago, Hagbard Celine said:

what constitutes a complete game?

10 points (or more) in the 3rd quarter. 

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1 minute ago, Borrominion said:

No, it’s just the transitive property is worthless in CFB and you probably all know that.  I wouldn’t bank on OSU beating TX just because ASU took you to double overtime, even though I think OSU is a lot better than ASU.

Good, Texas was probably a couple of plays away from boat racing them. That QB was a slippery fuck and anyone else we played at QB gets sacked 8 times in that game. They pulled out all the stops and we shot ourselves in the dick multiple times. For instance, we don't run into the punter we are up 17-0 at half. What if we managed to score another TD. You put them down 24-0 there is a damn good chance we win by 30 or more. They wouldn't have been able to stick to the run and wear us out IMO. 

Talent wise, these two teams are close. I see why OSU is a favorite but that probably wasn't the case 3 weeks ago or maybe even a week ago. 

The Clemson game wasn't really an outlier IMO. Great QB play and our own mistakes let them back in the game but we controlled that game outside the first possession.

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