Texas Longhorns
Texas CB Jahdae Barron vs Arkansas:
— PFF College (@PFF_College) November 17, 2024
🤘 19 Yards Allowed (5 Targets)
🤘 1 INT | 1 PBU
🤘 28.3 Passer Rating Allowed
🤘 1 Sack | 3 QB Pressures@TexasFootball pic.twitter.com/Nes28oiY8s
Illetve a bye week-rol eme remek művel rukkoltak elő:
Orbit Sweep + Spinner G/H Counter + Bluff Reverse 🥵 pic.twitter.com/MQDahJYiQf
— Coach Dan Casey (@CoachDanCasey) November 9, 2024
A vedelmunk top, ez nagy segitseg lehet, akárcsak tavaly a michigan-nek. Az offense-nek és inkább ewers-nek össze kell kapnia magat. A Georgia tanitando példaként felkészült e a merkozesre ellenunk, am kétség kívül ewers sem érezte a zsebet, van nehany elemzes, ahol ezt alatamasztjak.Tartottam tőle, hogy csak lufi az egész és igazam lett. Kár érte.Vandy, Gators, Hogs, Kentucky és a Falusiak az upcoming schedule, azért az SEC döntő még meglehet.
🤘 gaben 🤘
Dzsokijuing
No.5 Texas vs. No.25 Vanderbilt: Four Matchups To Watch
Texas takes the show on the road this weekend to Nashville to take on Vanderbilt in a top 25 showdown that many didn’t have pegged entering the season. The Longhorns are looking to rebound after their loss to Georgia last week in Austin and they will to take down a very plucky opponent in the Clark Lea’s Commodores.
Vanderbilt has long been a doormat program in the SEC, but their 2024 iteration of the team is anything but that. They flat out took it to Alabama earlier this season to give themselves a program changing win and they will now try to take down another top 5 opponent in the Longhorns this week.
The Commodores won’t be sneaking up on anyone this week with how their season has played out and with the Longhorns having the taste of blood in their mouth. Lets take a look at some of the key matchups for this week’s game.
Quinn Ewers vs. Vanderbilt’s Defense
Ewers is in need of a big rebound game after struggling considerably against Georgia last week. Fortunately for Ewers, nobody left on the schedule will be able present the same issues defensively like the Bulldogs did last week in Austin from a personnel standpoint.
Clark Lea will certainly try to throw some of same looks that Kirby Smart and Gen Schumann did, but he won’t have guys like Jalon Walker and Mykell Williams screaming off his defense’s edges. The Commodore defense ranks 68th in passing yards allowed and is 40th in total defense. Certainly improved by Vanderbilt’s standards from years past, but they’ve allowed 27 points to Virginia Tech, 36 points to Georgia State in a loss, 30 to Missouri, and 35 to Alabama. They can certainly be had and Ewers playing confident and key will be the key.
If Ewers starts slow and displays some of the same issues we’ve seen in recent weeks then Texas is going to find itself in a rock fight with a team that is looking for another top five upset.
Vanderbilt loves to play keep away with the football offensively, so the Texas signal caller will need to keep the Texas offense ahead of the chains and be sure to convert on opportunities in the red zone when they present themselves.
Texas’ Offensive Line Vs. Vanderbilt’s Defensive Front
Similar situation for the Texas offensive line like with Ewers in the previous section. They had their roughest outing by far last week against the Georgia defensive front and will have to play a much better game against a Vanderbilt defense that will likely try to duplicate the same game plan to try to bust their protections.
Kelvin Banks fared better than I thought watching live, but it was still a legit dogfight for him from snap to snap.
Communication, execution, and cohesion will have to be much improved this week for Kyle Flood’s bunch in Nashville. The best possible way for Ewers to have a bounce back game on the road this week is to make sure he has time to execute the offense from the pocket and not feel as sped up like he did last week.
The Texas Wide Receivers vs. Vanderbilt’s Secondary
Texas’ depth at wide receiver is going to be tested this week in Nashville, as Isaiah Bond was downgraded to doubtful for the matchup. Bond had an early exit against Oklahoma and was ineffective last week against against Georgia despite grabbing a touchdown and a two point conversion in the second half.
With Bond out, Inside Texas has reported that true freshman wide receiver Ryan Wingo is slated to get his first collegiate start on the road in Nashville.
Wingo is 4th on the team in receiving yards with 308 and leads the team in yards per catch at 19.3. Wingo has been a big play waiting to happen every time he touches the ball, and now he will have a chance to get a full load of snaps against the Commodores on Saturday.
Texas will trot out Wingo, Matthew Golden, Deandre Moore, and Gunnar Helm as their top receiving options and it will need to be a group effort as usual. Vanderbilt is ranked 52nd in scoring defense (22.1 points per game) and is ranked 68th in passing yards allowed (215.1 yards per game).
There will be opportunities for the Texas receiving group as a whole, but they will need to make the most of those opportunities when they are presented to them.
Diego Pavia vs. Texas’ Defense
Diego Pavia is a lot of fun to watch and is easy to root for as long as he isn’t on opposing the team you root for. He’s a former high school state wrestling champion who didn’t get a single FBS football offer out of high school. He went the JUCO route and led New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI) to a national championship in 2021 before eventually landing at New Mexico State where he led the Aggies to a 10-win season and their first ever victory over an SEC opponent at Auburn.
He’s confident, plays fearless, and he takes care of the football. He has only tossed one interception on the year with 154 pass attempts on the books, so he hasn’t been reckless with the football. He is a threat with his feet and isn’t shy about pulling the ball down to run with it. His decision making at the helm of Vandy’s offense has led the Commodores to being 11th in the country in time of possession, as they specialize in paper cutting defenses to death and shortening the game.
Their style of play was on full display against Alabama, where they were 12/18 on third down conversions with 26 first downs on the night. They didn’t turn the ball over that night and sat on the ball for 42 minutes and 8 seconds of the game. Texas can’t allow them to get comfortable on offense and has to get off the field consistently when they get them into third down situations. Vandy’s offensive style requires good eyes and discipline much like any other triple option attack you will see across college football. Best way to limit them is to keep them behind the sticks by inflicting negative plays and making them become more dependent on the pass.
You know Pavia is chomping at the bit to add another notch in his belt in the form of the Longhorns. Texas will have to show up ready to play from the jump because Pavia and the Commodores most certainly will be.
Texas wide receiver Isaiah Bond is expected to miss Saturday’s game at No. 25 Vanderbilt, multiple sources tell @On3sports.
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos_) October 25, 2024
He was downgraded from questionable to doubtful on Thursday's SEC injury report.
More: https://t.co/mDjjFIu8xu pic.twitter.com/JJvly53iiC
Tartottam tőle, hogy csak lufi az egész és igazam lett. Kár érte.Vandy, Gators, Hogs, Kentucky és a Falusiak az upcoming schedule, azért az SEC döntő még meglehet.
🤘 gaben 🤘
Nézz egyenesen előre. Mi van ott?
Ha annak látod, ami,
Sohasem hibázol.
(Bassui Tokusho zen mester tanácsa a Line of Scrimmage-en)
" Szeretem a jeget, hagyjál békén. "
szomorúan konstatáltam, hogy ewers a második játékhéten hagyta képességét, sajnos szintén gyengére értékelem amit felmutatott a sérülése után. olyan pontatlan volt, mint egy walk-on. aztán a második negyedtől kezdve sarkisian variált a játékhívásban (meg is tehette, a védelemnek és a soonersnek köszönhetően), így QE kezdett visszatérni a ritmusba. na ezt reméljük sikerült is átmenteni ma éjszakára:
hajnali 01:30-kor kezdőrugás az egyik legfontosabb mérkőzésen a SEC-ben, de liga szinten is.
utoljára 2019-ben találkozott a két csapat a sugar bowl-on, ahol érdekes módon szintén 5. kiemelt volt a gerogia bulldogs. a kulcs momentum már a kezdőrugást megelőzően röpke egy órával megtörént (
🐂💥🦮 www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jyFNKxH3xg
tehát a valóságban sam ehlinger vezette győzelemre a csapatot (aki egyben a kedvenc játékosom mai napig, mert habár nem tudott nagyot alkotni, ám a csapat iránt mutatott "tűz és lelkesedése" megismételhetetlen volt , longhorns-ként nevelekdett már születése óta és meglátszódott a pályán). itt megtekinthető a mérkőzés 11 percben:
🏈 www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA8nIpyxbz0
No. 1 Texas vs. No. 5 Georgia: Five matchups to watch
Big-time players make big-time plays in big-time games. [/i]
The games don’t get much bigger than this. These are the kind of matchups that you were highlighting on the schedule the moment they became public. The Texas Longhorns vs. the Georgia Bulldogs. Austin vs. Athens. No. 1 vs. No. 5.
This is a box-office bonanza on Saturday night and all eyes will be on this matchup. Both programs possess boatloads of talent on their rosters. Both possess quarterbacks who will likely be selected early on next spring in the NFL Draft. What more could you possibly want?
The winner of this matchup will on the tip of every tongue across the college football world and will put themselves in a strong position to make a run towards Atlanta and ultimately the college football playoff. A lot is on the line and everyone involved in this game knows it.
This is a game I could see going either way, so let’s take a look at some of the matchups I will be keeping a close eye on when this game gets teed up in Austin on Saturday night.
Texas’ defensive front vs. Georgia’s offensive line
Can’t wait to see this matchup unfold on the field on Saturday. Pure unadulterated violence will be taking place in the trenches on Saturday and it is going to be must-see TV. The Texas defensive front has been one of the best in the country so far this season and they are coming off a performance against Oklahoma where they tallied double-digit negative plays along with five sacks.
With that said, the Georgia offensive line will be the stoutest challenge that has been put in front of them thus far and it might be the best group that opposes them during the regular season. Georgia’s best offensive linemen Tate Rutledge is listed on the injury report as questionable after missing multiple games leading up to this matchup. If he suits up for the Bulldogs that will make an already good unit even stronger and more imposing heading into the biggest game of the year.
The Texas defensive front has been fantastic thus far, but many have wondered if that was a byproduct of the offenses they have played thus far. A disruptive performance on Saturday could potentially swing the matchup into Texas’ favor and would go a long way towards quieting the doubters.
No 1. Scoring defense: 6.33 ppg allowed
No 1. Total defense: 229.7 ppg allowed
No 1. Fewest redzone opportunities and TDs: 7 rz opps / 1 rz TD
No 1. Allowed fewest total TDs: 3 total allowed TDs
Georgia’s defensive front vs. Texas’ offensive line
Time to flip it around in this portion. The Georgia defensive front has been an assembly line for NFL players since Kirby Smart arrived in Athens and they will roll into Austin looking to harass Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers.
Opposing them will be one of the best pass blocking offensive lines in the country that includes potentially two early draft picks at tackle in Kelvin Banks and Cameron Williams.
If you have been here long enough, you know I am homer for the big fellas in the trenches. I am absolutely GEEKING about watching this matchup on Saturday. I am petitioning to have a Sky Cam directly over the tackle box, so that we can watch every rep of Banks and Williams against guys like Mykell Williams, who will also be cashing checks on Sundays at some point.
This is a prime opportunity for some guys to make millions of dollars in a game where dozens of scouts and NFL executives will be in attendance.
Texas hasn’t had group this seasoned and talented upfront in a longtime. If they can put together a dominant performance then I would have to think they will be in the drivers seat for the Joe Moore Award
Texas’ secondary vs. Carson Beck and Georgia’s WRs
Big test on deck for the Texas secondary on Saturday night. Just like with the Texas defensive front, many have said they have feasted on bad quarterbacks to this point and now they will be tested by a guy who will likely be one of the first quarterbacks off the board next spring. Beck has had some tough times this year, but then he also goes off like he did this past week against Mississippi State and throws for 400-plus yards.
Beck can most certainly spin it and he has just enough athleticism that will allow him to improvise and buy time, so defenders will need to be alert to scramble drills. Beck does have two solid receiving options in guys like Arian Smith and Dillion Bell, but they don’t necessarily have the absolutely DUDES that they’ve had in the past.
I’m not saying their wide outs are JAGs by any means, but you can certainly tell the difference this year without guys like Ladd McConkey and Brock Bowers putting DBs in blenders.
Texas boasts two good cover corners in Jahdae Barron and Malik Muhammad and has a very veteran group at the safety spots. The thing I will be watching closely is how the rotation shakes out at safety with Derek Williams being declared out for the year. Texas has depth on the back end, but having to replace his snaps will pose a challenge moving forward.
Quinn Ewers vs. Georgia’s secondary
Alright, lets discuss Mr. Ewers. No. 3 made his return to the starting lineup against Oklahoma and all and all it was a pretty lackluster performance for Ewers. He looked uncomfortable early and he misfired on more than one occasion with one resulting in an ugly interception.
Early on, Ewers looked like a guy who was rusty and not comfortable with what he was seeing in the Oklahoma defense. That resulted in a slow, stagnant start for the Texas offense that they were eventually able to overcome. Needless to say, Ewers is going to have to be a lot sharper this coming Saturday and he is going to need a much quicker start given what will be rolling into DKR.
Oklahoma didn’t have the personnel to make Texas pay for Ewers’ early shortcomings, but Georgia won’t have that issue. When it comes to big games, Ewers has shown up and played well. We saw it against Alabama the last two years. We’ve seen it against Oklahoma the past two years. We saw it against Michigan this year. This is a huge stage for Ewers and he will need to be at his best. Like several other guys in this game, he has a chance to make a lot of money and help his draft stock with a good performance against the Bulldogs.
HC Steve Sarkisian vs. HC Kirby Smart
Just like last week, I am ending this with the battle on the headsets. You have a prime-time matchup between two of the best coaches in college football and both guys have lengthy resumes being elite coordinators on their respective sides of the football. Both Sark and Smart parlayed very successful stints in Tuscaloosa under Nick Saban into jobs at Texas and Georgia, and now they are meet head to head on the field for first time with a lot on the line.
Neither of these guys got to where they are by luck or by accident. They are both damn good at what they do and it is going to be a high stakes chess match with high level football players being the pieces on board. I know I probably sound like a broken record, but the matchups don’t get much better than this.
Clear your Saturday schedule and get your popcorn ready. We have a dandy on deck and I am foaming at the mouth already.
Szerkesztette: Ventura
GO LONGHORNS! @TexasFootball is officially #BowlBound 🎉#BowlSeason #ThisIsTexas #HookEm #collegefootball #cfb #college #football #texasfb pic.twitter.com/SpgZO2k0en
— Bowl Season (@BowlSeason) October 12, 2024
a szezon elején a legfontosabb kérdés az elkapók pótlása volt, hisz mindhárom top idén a draftra ment:
xavier worthy - 1/28 kansas city
adonai mithcell - 2/52 indianapolis
jordan whittington - 6/213 baltimore
természetesen a tight end pozíció is nagy űrt hagyott maga után (jatavion sanders 4/101 carolina), hisz mögötte gunner helm limitalt szerepet kapott; míg az irányító pozíció már alapvetően is bizakodásra adott okot korábbról, pusztán a kérdés az volt, hogy ewers-t miként veti vissza a teljesen megújult elkapósor, és meddig bírja sérülés nélkül. manning-et pedig húzta a neve, és ewers sérülése esetén tudja e folytatni azt a szintet,
személy szerint én tavaly jonathon brooks-t nem tartottam olyan sokra (2/46 carolina), inkább cj baxter - jaydon blue-t szerettem nézni, és vártam. nos az előbbi az egész idényre lesérült, utóbbi pedig inkább visszább esett. ennek nyomán keletkezett űr ezen a poszton váratlanul, azonban mint eredetileg 3-ik és 4-ik számú csere, wisner és gibson (tőle a jövőben sokat várok) szépen kitöltik azt amennyire lehetséges.
Grading the Texas offense position by position through five games
- Evaluating how every group has performed so far this season given preseason expectations, injuries, and talent -
Through five weeks, the Texas Longhorns (5-0, 1-0) have looked like a dominant team with enough talent and maturity to make a deep postseason run. Behind a high-octane offense that is averaging 45 point per game and a defense that only gives up an average of seven points per contest, the Longhorns have reached as high as No. 1 in the polls and project to return to the top ranking on Sunday.
With the first of two bye weeks on the schedule, Texas will look to get healthy and shore up some issues that have arisen through the first five games, a period to reflect and correct. In this article, we’ll move position group by position group and rank their performance.
Quarterback
Grade: A
The expectations for this group could not have been higher. For starter Quinn Ewers, people wanted improved decision making, deep-ball accuracy, and durability. Many expected him to end the season in New York at the annual Heisman Ceremony.
During his time on the field this season, Ewers delivered. The undisputed leader for the Longhorns completed 73.4 percent of his passes for 691 yards with a touchdown/interception ratio of 4:1. He’s taken just one sack on the year.
Ewers looked smart, decisive, and talented and his ability to make off-platform throws was on full display against top-tier talent in Ann Arbor during the 31-12 win over Michigan.
Unfortunately, Ewers suffered a non-contact oblique injury against UTSA that forced redshirt freshman Arch Manning more directly into the spotlight with his first two career starts. Once again, the expectations were sky high. While Manning has not been perfect, he has done more than enough to allow Texas to win comfortably — Manning has demonstrated his athleticism, rocket arm, and swagger over and over again.
Manning has completed 70.5 percent of his passes for 901 yards. He has thrown nine touchdowns and two interceptions while taking four sacks.
While neither quarterback has been perfect, they have each performed at a level that is well within the expectations of talent and experience. Each quarterback has put Texas in a position to win games by large margins. The efficiency in managing the offense has shown a strong command of the playbook by each quarterback — the strength of the offense undoubtedly runs through the ability, confidence, and leadership of the quarterback room.
Running back
Grade: B
Taking stock of this position group is a struggle, given the injuries and inconsistency after projected starter CJ Baxter, a sophomore, and freshman Christian Clark both suffered season-ending injuries during preseason camp. Heading into the year with just a handful of scholarship running backs spelled for a letdown performance from the group headed by Tashard Choice. While the running back room hasn’t underperformed by any means, the inconsistency and lack of explosive plays hasn’t performed up to standard, earning a B grade.
Through five games, the Longhorn coaching staff has had to deal with a very little depth, injuries, and a lack of a do-it-all back. Junior Jaydon Blue is the elder of the group and most talented of the three-headed trio that includes Quintrevion Wisner and Jerrick Gibson, but hasn’t been able to get the job done week to week, suffering an ankle injury in the win over the Wolverines and then fumbling twice in the SEC opener.
Blue is the best pass catcher of the group, as his ability out of the backfield has created positive yardage check downs and gives the screen game an added threat. He has 11 catches on the year, which is tied for fourth most on the team, even though he missed one game for injury and was benched. He also has two receiving touchdowns. Wisner and Gibson have a combined eight receptions with no touchdowns,
Blue also possesses elite speed and has the ability to turn every touch into a trip to the end zone. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen that home-run skillset so far with Blue’s longest rush just 21 yards on the year.
Beyond the big-play threat, Blue’s talent and role as the lead back have been complicated by injury. He was forced to miss a game after the victory against Michigan. He would score four touchdowns in his return against ULM, but that was followed by a two fumble performance against Miss State. This three-game stretch of injury, four touchdowns, and two fumbles is precisely why this position group has earned a B grade – inconsistency.
The inconsistency doesn’t solely fall on the shoulders of Blue. The injury to Baxter pushed Wisner and Gibson into bigger roles even as Wisner dealt with an undisclosed injury sustained against UTSA that caused him to miss the ULM win. Gibson in particular has struggled in specific scenarios such as the pass catching and protection.
Gibson has three catches on the year and has been routinely subbed off during pass-protection scenarios — it seems that head coach Steve Sarkisian and Choice don’t trust the freshman to protect the quarterback. Their skepticism seems to be based in some truth as Gibson has graded at a 9.6 in PFF pass blocking. While this is abysmal, it does take time for any player to adjust to the speed of the game. In an ideal scenario, Gibson would be working on this skillset during practice, not in scenarios that matter. For better or worse, that is a luxury that the Longhorns don’t have.
All in all, this group has performed in a manner that demonstrates the struggles that come with so many injuries and such little meaningful experience. More consistent play is required for the remaining games on the schedule.
Wide receiver
Grade: A+
Normally, losing all three starting wide receivers leads to a drop in production. For Texas, the production has not only been replaced but spread around. The wide receiver room this year has some of the most athletic and versatile route runners in the country and the talent isn’t just isolated to the starters, it’s distributed throughout the entire room.
Six different wide receivers have caught eight passes or more and at least one touchdown. Five receivers have multiple touchdowns. Five receivers have a reception of 40 yards or more. The stats go on and on.
This position group is elite. The home-run ability of sophomore Johntay Cook and frehsman Ryan Wingo stretches a defense. The sure handedness and after-catch explosiveness of junior Matthew Golden and junior Isaiah Bond are enough to help any offensive coordinator sleep at night. Sophomore DeAndre Moore Jr. and senior Silas Bolden fly under the radar at times, but can open up any route.
Six different wide receivers have caught eight passes or more and at least one touchdown. Five receivers have multiple touchdowns. Five receivers have a reception of 40 yards or more. The stats go on and on.
This position group is elite. The home-run ability of sophomore Johntay Cook and frehsman Ryan Wingo stretches a defense. The sure handedness and after-catch explosiveness of junior Matthew Golden and junior Isaiah Bond are enough to help any offensive coordinator sleep at night. Sophomore DeAndre Moore Jr. and senior Silas Bolden fly under the radar at times, but can open up any route.
“We kicked off on Aug. 31 and we’re hoping to play on Jan. 20. So, we’re going to need all the depth that we have.”
Beyond just the depth, this group provides versatility. Bond has shown he can run the ball or use the screen game. Golden knows how to find spots against zone coverage extremely well. Wingo can outrun anyone, whether that’s on a deep route or end around. This group gives Sarkisian the ability to draw up creative plays no matter the situation.
It will also need to continue being aggressive in blocking scenarios. While the group hasn’t been poor in this area, there have been multiple misses blocks on the perimeter. Most recently, a poorly blocked screen resulted in Wingo suffering a minor ankle injury.
Nonetheless, this group is performing and performing well.
Tight end
Grade: A-
The tight end position group features senior Gunnar Helm, senior Juan Davis, and junior Amari Niblack. While Niblack hasn’t seen the field much in meaningful scenarios, thanks in part to three total penalties committed offensively and on special teams, the combination of Helm and Davis have been a pleasant surprise in production this year.
After losing Sanders, Texas recruited Niblack through the portal from Alabama and it was somewhat unclear how the room would shape up in terms of position and snap count with Ja’Tavion Sanders moving on to the NFL, but through five games, Helm has emerged as a extremely viable replacement for Sanders and Davis has proven himself to be more reliable over Niblack in the blocking game.
For Helm, the year has gotten off to a fast start — he is currently third on the team in receptions (16), fourth in yards (220), and scored a touchdown. He shined against Michigan with seven catches for 98 yards and a touchdown in the best performance of his college career.
The production of Helm isn’t just as a pass catcher, as he has also been a superb pass protector.
Meanwhile for Davis, his role has predominately been as a blocker, catching two passes for 18 yards, but his production stems as a blocker.
“He had a really good summer. He had a really good training camp. He’s playing good football for us right now. He had a really good summer. He had a really good training camp. He’s playing good football for us right now,” Sarkisian said before the season.
For the tight end group as a whole, the ability to serve as an added blocker is the most critical role that needs to be performed because Sarkisian likes to employ heavy personnel packages with two tight ends. While this group has blocked well, the surprising athleticism and route running from Helm has pushed this group into a place where defensive coordinators must prepare for the possibility of tight ends catching meaningful passes from Ewers and Manning.
Offensive line
Grade: A-
The Texas offensive line has been good this year. Arguably even great. However, the expectation was excellent for this group. Returning four starters, junior Cam Williams was the sole new starter in the trenches.
So far, the group up front has looked strong. The Longhorns are averaging 5.0 yards per carry and have given up only five sacks on the year. In addition, some of the individual performances of the offensive line have been downright elite.
Left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr has been the seventh-highest PFF graded lineman so far in the season. He was awarded SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week this past week as well. Williams earned the same honor in the season opener against Colorado State.
The individual performance of the line has been undoubtedly strong. However, it has also come with issues.
Texas has struggled to establish a consistent ground game at times. At halftime against Mississippi State, Texas had 10 rushing yards. The best offensive line in the country, or one that aspires to be, doesn’t allow this to happen. In addition, the offensive line has been penalized regularly during the season.
A reliable stream of false starts and holdings are a recipe to kill drives. Against Michigan, Texas had false starts and holdings with Moore having a touchdown wiped off the board in that game thanks to a holding on Williams. Against Mississippi State, the offense was penalized for both penalties, including a Wisner touchdown run called back for holding.
While the offensive line is a strength of the team, it does need to clean up some aspects of its performance — while this group has shown flashes of greatness, they need to cut out the penalties to achieve greatness.
az MS run heavy offense-el fárasztotta a védelmünket, és azt gondolom, hogy egyébként jól állták a sarat a srácok. offense oldalon már bőven akadtak problémák, amit én nem a játékosokban látok, hanem a sarkisian-ban. egyszerűen nem jó gameplan-el készült és sokszor ugyanazt a gyenge játékot erőltette (pl. screen), amit bizony a bulldogs szépen le is védekezett.
tavaly a rb jaydon blue jobban tetszett - idén mintha kevésbé lenne olyan robbanékony, talán némi tömeget is felszedett (cj baxter kiesésével vette át a kezdő szerepet), illetve ezen mérkőzésen két elvesztett labda is a nevéhez húzható: az eddigi karrierje során 131 kísérletből 4 fumble-e van, és összeshasonlításképp bijan robinsonnak volt hat az 539 kísérletből, míg r. johnons & brooks duónak kombinált 631 labdacipelésből mindössze 1(!). ennek nyomán padra is került és helyét wisner vette át, akit én agilisebbnek, és jobb field vision-al rendelkezőnek gondolok.
sajnos igen sok volt a szabálytalanság, összesen 8 (5 OL, 2 TE, 1 WR) 65 büntetett yardétrt, ennek nyomán buktunk egy TD-t és egy másik FG-t, ahol végül sarkisian döntött úgy, hogz inkább mégis neki megy 4&3-ra. természetesen incomplete lett - ahelyett, hogy pontokat szereztünk volna.
manning, a második kezdő mérkőzésén (habár már ewers tudott volna játszani), fantasztikus volt. rendkívülien jól érezte a nyomást, és a hosszú passzokban jeleskedett ismételten (persze ha elkapó nem hibázik). 31 kísérletből, 26-ot sikerült átadnia sikerrel (86.8% - újonc rekord) 3 total TD mellett. amiben még fejlődnie kell véleményem szerint, hogy a játékot megnyújtsa és bátrabban próbáljon megiramodni.
épp jókor érkezik a bye week, hogy kiküszöböljük a hibákat, októberben az oklahoma-val nyitunk és a georgia fogja követni. mindössze másodjára fordult elő az elmúlt 50 esztendőben, hogy back-to-back 5-0-val rajtoljunk.
Penalties and miscues plagued Texas on Saturday
Oh me, oh my, where did I even begin with this section?
This was easily the sloppiest game thus far this season when it comes to instances of this team shooting itself in the foot and making things harder than they needed to be. False starts, holding calls that wiped away big plays, bad ball security, missed tackles, and bad run fits. Those are things that will get you beat by more quality opponents down the road and it will be something the coaching staff will for sure be highlighting over the bye week.
Eight penalties for 65 yards for the day and while they didn’t cost Texas the game, they were responsible for hindering the offensive operation at times and leading to drives stalling out. If Texas cleans that stuff up they probably score 45-plus points again on Saturday.
Jaydon Blue... Bro, brother, broham... This was supposed to be a showcase year for you. Putting the ball on the deck twice and giving the opposition short fields is not how you reward your coaches in your expanded role. You could tell how the coaches felt about the case of fumbleitis, because we immediately saw increased usage by Quintrevion Wisner and Jerrick Gibson. Speaking of Wisner, that kid runs with some anger and I like it.
I wouldn’t want to be some of these guys in film session tomorrow. There is going to be several feet being applied to asses collectively on Sunday afternoon.
Colin Simmons might be him
Texas might have them one in Colin Simmons. We had already seen the flashes leading into this matchup, but he was an absolute menace on Saturday. No. 11 was flying around the yard all afternoon and he absolutely stuffed the stat sheet for the Longhorns with seven total tackles, three TFLs, two sacks, and a forced fumble for the true freshman from Duncanville.
The Metroplex has produced some monsters off the edge over the years — guys like Myles Garrett and Von Miller immediately come to mind. Simmons might be in the same mold as his predecessors by flashing game-wrecking ability five games in and he is only going to keep getting better.
Speaking of Miller and Garrett, Miller had two sacks and four TFLs as a true freshman at Texas A&M, while Garrett went super nova with 14 TFLs and 11.5 sacks. Simmons is already ahead of Miller’s pace and now he will look to track down Garrett.
The defense piled up sacks and negative plays
It wasn’t the most sound game by PK’s defensive unit, but one thing that can’t be debated is the amount of times the Texas defense created havoc in the offensive back field.
My guy Vernon Broughton had some big shoes to fill this year and he has responded accordingly. His hat trick (strip, sack, and recovery) of Michael Van Buren was one of the plays of the game and it returned momentum back to Texas after the fumble by Blue just before.
The Texas defense notched six sacks and 11 TFLs on the afternoon and that was despite Lebby trying to play keep away with the football and running ball 50 (!!!) times during regulation.
The Texas defense needs to tighten some things up over the bye week when it comes to run fits, but they definitely made life hard all afternoon for whoever the Bulldogs put under center.
For better or for worse Sark is always aggressive
One thing you can never accuse Sark of is lacking aggression. That was never more clear than when he opted to take points OFF the board on Saturday and try to convert a fourth down.
I am all for being aggressive pushing the envelope at times, but this particular instance seemed a tad too aggressive for my liking considering you already had points on the board and the offense had been a little inconsistent.
On top of being very aggressive in that moment, I wasn’t in love with the particular play call/read that was made by the quarterback. If you are going to go for it in that moment, I would have liked to see something a little more high percentage dialed up there.
This could be a quibble for some, but this was something I noted in game that stuck with me until now.
=========================================
No. 1 Texas wins ugly against Mississippi State: Three things we learned
Texas can shore things up on both sides of the line
One of the biggest questions about Texas when the move to the SEC was first announced was its ability to play in the trenches of the SEC. While it appeared that the Longhorns had made the requisite moves to prepare themselves for the conference, their debut gave them plenty to coach going into the bye week.
Offensively, Texas surrendered two sacks, seven tackles for loss, and had just 10 yards on the ground through the first quarter. The line also struggled with the little things that turn out to be big — getting flagged for false starts/illegal snaps, plus three holding calls that erased chunk plays. Defensively, the Longhorns struggled with some of the looks and quick adjustments from Jeff Lebby’s offensive scheme and gave up six rushes of 10 yards or more, including the Bulldogs’ only touchdown of the game, a 12-yard scramble by quarterback Michael Van Buren in the fourth quarter.
Texas has options in the backfield
Jaydon Blue, the explosive playmaker who ran for 124 yards and three touchdowns a week ago, lost two fumbles and struggled with consistency. When Texas needed to grind out yards, Quintrevion Wisner received the lion’s share of the carries. Twelve of his 13 attempts came in the second half and seven came in the first quarter — three of which converted for first downs.
The former consensus three-star prospect finished the game with 13 carries for 88 yards, both career highs, averaging 6.8 yards per carry and seeming like the featured back when the Longhorns needed one. Blue, despite his struggles, averaged six yards per carry and a score, with plenty of room to work in the bye week.
Texas can create true havoc in the backfield
Texas finished the game with 11 tackles for loss and six sacks in the matchup, led by freshman Colin Simmons, who once again appears to be ahead of schedule. Six sacks is the most by a Texas team under Pete Kwiatkowski and the most since recording eight against Iowa State in 2016.
In the contest Texas nearly doubled their sack total on the year and were one off the season-high 12 tackles for loss against UTSA two weeks ago. If the Longhorns can continue that trend, it will lead to success for them as they continue through SEC play.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hi-_4icByIU
16 év után AP poll #1What the world looked like the last time Texas was #1
zacknorb
(2008)
😁
Nagyon várjuk...😉😁16 év után AP poll #1És Manning lesz a kezdő QB, bár Ewers sérülése nem súlyos
zacknorb
r.baggio
ETO, A.C. Milan, Winnipeg Jets, Liverpool F.C., SF Giants, Chicago Bulls, Vale 46, MvG, Senna, Lance Armstrong, Stephen Hendry, Mike Tyson, Boris Becker, Tiger Woods FAN!!!
16 év után AP poll #1És Manning lesz a kezdő QB, bár Ewers sérülése nem súlyos
zacknorb
---
"Nincs igazság és nincs emberiség. Csak igazságok vannak és emberek." - Szerb Antal
fun fact: utoljára 2004-ben volt shutout, akkor a north texas ellen győzdelemeskedtünk 65-0-ra. és igen, az évben a michigan ellen is diadalmaskodtunk a rose bowl-ban 38-37-re. 😛
következő mérkőzés: szeptember 7., ann arbor, michigan. 5,5 pontos favoritkét vagyunk az no 9. wolverines ellen.
néhány game note:
Texas dominated all phases of the game
This game played exactly the way you wanted if you are Texas fan. The Longhorns were the superior team in every way and it played out like that once the live bullets started flying. Texas controlled this game from start to finish and they were never once threatened by Colorado State.
The offense marched up and down the field and finished drives, the defense frustrated Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi and the Ram offense and forced two turnovers, and aside from one hiccup the special teams took care of business.
Much like we saw last year, this team played hard from the opening whistle and until triple zeroes hit the clock, and you could see the urgency from the reserves to try to preserve the shutout late.
Overall, I was very pleased with how Texas went about their business on Saturday as they get tuned up for their matchup in Ann Arbor.
Texas is in great shape at the quarterback position
We got to see plenty of both Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning on Saturday, so Longhorns fans were able to see both the present as well as a glimpse of the future of their quarterback room.
Ewers and Manning combined to go 25-of-33 passing for 355 yards through the air with five total touchdowns between the two gunslingers. That’ll work.
Ewers did have one hiccup early in the contest when he tried to make a late decision to throw when climbing the pocket and it resulted in a tipped pass and interception. From there on he was locked in and in control of the offense and was able to get an early shower once the lead was in hand.
Texas has two legit quarterbacks that can operate this offense. Having some insurance in form of a guy like Manning is big plus both for this season given that Ewers has missed in both seasons as a starter. If Manning had to log significant snaps, I think offensive brain trust would be very comfortable with No. 16 under center.
Texas was perfect in the red zone
This was a big issue for the Texas offense last year, so this was definitely something I was watching closely today.
The Longhorns made SEVEN trips into the red zone on Saturday and all seven trips resulted in a touchdown. I know it is only Colorado State and that the competition will get much stiffer, but that is much improved efficiency for the Texas offense in the red zone and a very encouraging early sign this season.
I am not expecting them to be perfect in the red area every week, but if they are consistently finding ways to finish they will be in the catbird seat in their fair share of ball games this year.
Texas’ depth at the offensive skill positions were on display
Texas had to reload at the offensive skill positions after graduating majority of their production from 2023. Coming into this season, Sarkisian and his staff had to answer how they were going to replace guys like Xavier Worthy, Adonai Mitchell, Ja’Tavion Sanders, and Jonathon Brooks.
Texas had a lot of new faces make their Longhorn debut on Saturday and what stood out the most to me was how everyone up and down the depth got in and contributed in some way, shape or, form. Eleven different receivers recorded a reception on Saturday from Ewers and Manning and the trio of Jaydon Blue, Tre Wisner, and Jerrick Gibson fared well to open up the season in their increased roles following the injury to CJ Baxter.
Isaiah Bond got the most targets amongst wide receivers on Saturday, but it was Matthew Golden who found the end zone twice in his Longhorn debut. One game in, it looks like Texas may have done well once again in the transfer portal.
Texas may not have that big-body receiver like they had in Mitchell last year, but they have dudes who can run and most importantly separate. The Texas skill has a chance to have another big year despite heavy turnover.
Texas was able to get reserves plenty of snaps and kept their starters healthy
For awhile it seemed like Texas could never put teams away that would allow them to get their reserves and younger players valuable live reps. They are finally getting back to where they are able to impose their will on opponents and guys experience that will prove valuable down the road.
Players like Manning were able to get almost an entire half of snaps on Saturday because of how they were able to consistently manufacture offense and the defense continuously held up their end of the bargain and got the ball back to the offense.
On top of getting guys up and down the roster chances to play, Texas exited this matchup without any injury issues. Blue caught a cramp and was held out for the remainder of the game, which was the right call given that you fly to Ann Arbor next week and you didn’t need to get him hit anymore at that point.
NEXT STOP: ANN ARBOR FOR TEXAS-MICHIGAN‼️@TexasFootball | @UMichFootball pic.twitter.com/QTAneg5l1c
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) August 31, 2024
Szerkesztette: Ventura
Hook’em! 🟠\m/🐂
www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVKtGWMVB3g
Szerkesztette: Ventura
Blue flashed last season in a row that increased following the injury to Brooks, breaking off a 69-yard touchdown run in the blowout win over Texas Tech and finding the end zone again against Washington in the Sugar Bowl. The 65 carries by Blue in 2023 racked up 398 yards and three touchdowns in addition to 14 catches for 135 yards and a touchdown.
Sources: Texas sophomore tailback CJ Baxter injured the LCL and PCL in his right knee and will require surgery. He will miss the 2024 season after suffering the injury in camp on Tuesday.
zacknorb
Szerkesztette: Ventura
Dia Bell, the No. 2 QB and No. 9 overall prospect in the 2026 class, commits to Texas.
— Eli Lederman (@ByEliLederman) June 17, 2024
The 6-foot-3 pocket passer attended Longhorns camp in Austin earlier this month. He is the son of former 12-year NBA veteran Raja Bell. https://t.co/isQPtiYwJ2
2023 - bijan Robinson (Atlanta falcons) (1/8)
2024 - jonathon brooks (carolina panterhers) (2/46)
🐂🟠\m/
Draft weekend was great for @TexasFootball, who saw a school-record 11 players hear their names called 🔥 pic.twitter.com/KLynTlG0fv
— NFL (@NFL) May 2, 2024