SB Nation - DeSean Hales

If College Football Had a Playoff: #15 East Carolina Pirates @ #2 Texas Longhorns

Jeremy Mauss — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 17:02:43 -0000

More photos » by Harry Cabluck - AP

Before we get to game four the previous matchup of #13 LSU against #4 TCU was a back in forth matchup with LSU leading by as many as 60 votes early this morning, but then the TCU fans came out and won by 150 votes. This matchup has the most votes with just under 800.

For the previous results go check out the section "If College Football had a playoff."

This should be as simple as the Troy vs. Alabama matchup with Texas mopping the floor with the Pirates. Had Houston won C-USA then they would at least make this game interesting.

Who knows maybe East Carolina could get a good pass rush on Colt McCoy and make this game interesting for a half. I would expect Colt McCoy to have a field day over ECU.

Now for the somewhat scientific view by using What if Sports to simulate this fine matchup. As expected What if Sports predicts a 43-14 blowout in favor of Texas. Texas was able to run and throw all over ECU with a balanced attack with 304 passing yards and 273 rushing yards.

Stop by to vote and comment on this matchup. Light hearted trash talk is highly encouraged.

Texas Stats

Passing

		Passing									Rushing					Sacks
	G	Rating	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	Y/G	Y/A	TD	INT	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Sack	YdsL
Garrett Gilbert	8	60.0	15	26	57.7	124	15.5	4.8	0	0	6	11	1.4	1.8	1	-	-
Colt McCoy	13	103.0	330	468	70.5	3512	270.2	7.5	27	12	128	348	26.8	2.7	3	-	-

Rushing

		Rushing					Receiving
	G	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD
John Chiles	11	7	29	2.6	4.1	0	34	319	29	9.4	3
Antwan Cobb	2	1	3	1.5	3	0	0	0	0	0	0
Garrett Gilbert	8	6	11	1.4	1.8	1	0	0	0	0	0
Marquise Goodwin	11	2	8	.700	4	0	25	209	19	8.4	1
Sherrod Harris	1	1	4	4	4	0	0	0	0	0	0
Jeremy Hills	2	9	86	43	9.6	0	0	0	0	0	0
Cody Johnson	13	84	333	25.6	4	12	7	42	3.2	6	0
Colt McCoy	13	128	348	26.8	2.7	3	0	0	0	0	0
Vondrell McGee	9	56	300	33.3	5.4	2	8	37	4.1	4.6	0
D.J. Monroe	9	20	110	12.2	5.5	0	0	0	0	0	0
Tre' Newton	11	102	513	46.6	5	6	12	106	9.6	8.8	0
Jordan Shipley	13	1	0	0	0	0	106	1363	104.8	12.9	11
Foswhitt Whittaker	10	52	207	20.7	4	4	13	51	5.1	3.9	0

Receiving

		Receiving
	G	Rec	Yds	Y/G	AVG	TD
Dan Buckner	12	44	445	37.1	10.1	4
John Chiles	11	34	319	29	9.4	3
Marquise Goodwin	11	25	209	19	8.4	1
DeSean Hales	1	1	2	2	2	0
Cody Johnson	13	7	42	3.2	6	0
James Kirkendoll	12	48	461	38.4	9.6	6
Vondrell McGee	9	8	37	4.1	4.6	0
Tre' Newton	11	12	106	9.6	8.8	0
Philip Payne	1	1	7	7	7	0
Jordan Shipley	13	106	1363	104.8	12.9	11
Foswhitt Whittaker	10	13	51	5.1	3.9	0
Malcolm Williams	12	38	546	45.5	14.4	2

Kicking

		Field Goals								PAT
	G	0-19	20-29	30-39	40-49	50+	FGM	FGA	PCT	XPM	XPA	PCT	pts
Hunter Lawrence	13	-	-	-	-	-	22	25	90.0%	62	63	100.0%	128

East Carolina Stats

Passing

		Passing									Rushing					Sacks
	G	Rating	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	Y/G	Y/A	TD	INT	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Sack	YdsL
Josh Jordan	3	70.0	5	7	71.4	61	20.3	8.7	0	0	4	6	2	1.5	0	-	-
Rob Kass	3	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	-	-
Patrick Pinkney	13	60.0	242	407	59.5	2738	210.6	6.7	14	10	41	101	7.8	2.5	3	-	-

Rushing

		Rushing					Receiving
	G	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD
Darnell Ballard	2	2	4	2	2	1	2	18	9	9	0
Justin Brockmeyer	2	2	23	11.5	11.5	0	0	0	0	0	0
Darryl Freeney	10	2	2	.200	1	0	42	622	62.2	14.8	3
Dwayne Harris	13	31	149	11.5	4.8	5	79	914	70.3	11.6	6
Brandon Jackson	8	84	316	39.5	3.8	3	6	75	9.4	12.5	0
Josh Jordan	3	4	6	2	1.5	0	0	0	0	0	0
Dominique Lindsay	11	206	1029	93.5	5	5	18	138	12.5	7.7	1
Patrick Pinkney	13	41	101	7.8	2.5	3	0	0	0	0	0
J.R. Rogers	1	5	6	6	1.2	0	0	0	0	0	0
Justin Ruffin	2	15	95	47.5	6.3	1	0	0	0	0	0
Giavanni Ruffin	10	56	169	16.9	3	4	5	26	2.6	5.2	0
Norman Whitley	2	3	2	1	.700	0	1	9	4.5	9	0
Jonathan Williams	5	14	38	7.6	2.7	0	3	7	1.4	2.3	0

Receiving

		Receiving
	G	Rec	Yds	Y/G	AVG	TD
Darnell Ballard	2	2	18	9	9	0
Andrew Bodenheimer	3	4	72	24	18	0
Jamar Bryant	7	21	200	28.6	9.5	2
Darryl Freeney	10	42	622	62.2	14.8	3
Dwayne Harris	13	79	914	70.3	11.6	6
Brandon Jackson	8	6	75	9.4	12.5	0
Jacobi Jenkins	2	2	12	6	6	0
Dominique Lindsay	11	18	138	12.5	7.7	1
Korey Reynolds	1	1	12	12	12	0
Giavanni Ruffin	10	5	26	2.6	5.2	0
Alex Taylor	11	35	367	33.4	10.5	0
Norman Whitley	2	1	9	4.5	9	0
Jonathan Williams	5	3	7	1.4	2.3	0
Reyn Willis	6	6	107	17.8	17.8	1
Joe Womack	6	12	141	23.5	11.8	0

Kicking

		Field Goals								PAT
	G	0-19	20-29	30-39	40-49	50+	FGM	FGA	PCT	XPM	XPA	PCT	pts
Ben Ryan	3	-	-	-	-	-	0	2	0	4	4	100.0%	4
Ben Hartman	12	-	-	-	-	-	19	25	80.0%	32	32	100.0%	89

Poll

Who wins?

Texas Longhorns

37 votes

East Carolina Pirates

11 votes

48 votes | Poll has closed

Afternoon Brewsky Goes Rotational

GhostofBigRoy — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 18:02:33 -0000

More photos » by Harry Cabluck - AP

Texas coaches expect Earl Thomas to make a big leap this season as a playmaker and leader. (AP Photo/Harry Cabluck)

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Longhorns now looking for eight receivers. Ever since the spring, I've been talking about the Longhorns wanting to trim their receiving rotation down to six players. However, Mack Brown mentioned during his Thursday press conference that Texas actually wants to have eight reliable players at that position to go two deep at every position in the four-wide sets. It may be that Texas was searching for that many players all along, but I suspect that the loss of all the tight ends increases the need for the receivers to step up. Most of the receivers will probably now find themselves in the rotation, though don't expect eight to play on any given Saturday. Here's a possible list:

Jordan Shipley
Brandon Collins
James Kirkendoll
Malcolm Williams
John Chiles
Dan Buckner
Greg Timmons
DeSean Hales or DJ Monroe

Even with all the receivers on the Texas roster, that's still a substantial number of them, with only Brock Fitzhenry, Marquise Goodwin, and Phillip Payne not making the cut, along with the loser of the Hales/Monroe battle. Though Goodwin impressed during the first day of open practice, Greg Davis didn't mention him as a freshman likely to play on offense after the scrimmage on Saturday, making it an uphill battle for Goodwin to make the team this season. The fact that he will not count against the scholarship limit until he steps onto the field in a game compounds the situation.

Speaking of Monroe...Mack Brown sounded determined on Thursday to find a way to get Monroe onto the field as a redshirt freshman. Since Monroe didn't practice in the spring, he lost those valuable reps at wide receiver, with Brown mentioning his route-running as a significant cause of concern. According to Brown, Monroe does already excel in the screen game, but the coaches want to get the ball in his hands, trying to make use of his playmaking ability and they will try to give him some looks at the already-crowded running back position, as Monroe played there in high school and doesn't need as much practice time to acclimate to that position as he does wide receiver.

Last week, PB spun the move as the coaches showing a commitment to "getting the most out of the roster." The unspoken accusation there is that the coaches haven't always done that and it's probably a fair critique, but it's certainly heartening that they are finally working hard in that direction. Whether it's Monroe, DeSean Hales, or Marquise Goodwin, the coaches have some small, extremely quick players they need to get on the field this season in large part to start determining how they can best contribute to the program down the road, especially in 2011 after Kirkendoll and Collins depart, and possibly Malcolm Williams as well, dependent on how he develops. Besides simply looking to the future, one or two of those three need to have the ball in their hands simply because they have the ability to score from anywhere on the field.

Looking for five inside. Will Muschamp wants five defensive tackles this season upon whom he can rely, the necessary number to keep the playres fresh throughout the game. The top three spots are not of great concern, locked down by Lamarr Houston, Ben Alexander, and Kheeston Randall, with Randall drawing praise for having a strong camp. Even though the top three have gained separation, Alexander and Randall are still a long way from demonstrating that they can make plays on a consistent basis against Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and even Colorado, a team that should run the ball exceptionally well this season.

The next two spots are still up in the air, even more than two weeks into fall camp. Right now, Calvin Howell, Tyrell Higgins, and possibly Tevin Mims or Tray Allen are the most likely candidates, with Derek Johnson still lagging behind in conditioning and technique and now a likely to use his redshirt year to improve in those areas. Muschamp also mentioned that Sam Acho will see some time inside in obvious pass-rushing situations. It's not exactly a revelation at this point, but expect Muschamp to tinker with the defensive line from down to down and throw a lot of different looks at opposing offenses.

Expect some frustration with Malcolm Williams. With the possible exception of the games following the loss at Tech, Malcolm Williams did not face much in terms of expectations from Texas fans last season. Any production was basically a bonus for the receiving corps. This season, however, much of Longhorn Nation, myself included, expects a break-out season from the immensely-gifted receiver. According to Greg Davis ($), Texas fans may get a little bit of everything from Williams this season -- spectacular big plays, dropped passes, and some blown routes:

He's a guy I know the defense hates, which means you have to look at him hard. Any time Will (Muschamp) comes over and says, ‘I hate when that guy's out there,' that's a good thing.

He just needs to be more consistent. Malcolm will be a really good player for us because he works so hard. The kids love him. And he is a tremendous worker. He makes two or three plays a scrimmage that you think no one else can make but Jordan (Shipley). Then he'll go through a spurt where he's not as consistent as he needs to be.

The statement from Davis jives with other reports from this fall essentially saying the same thing. The good news is that Williams does work hard, as Davis mentions, from asking McCoy to stay late after practice last season to work on catching jump balls, to staying late working on improving his hands. Now entering his third season in the program, Williams should make a major leap from last season, but he still may be feast or famine at times. Let's just hope those drops don't happen at a turning point of the season.

Thomas opens door. Earl Thomas may contend for that Thorpe Award sooner rather than later. A major candidate to emerge as the leader of the defense this season as only a redshirt sophomore, count Will Muschamp as one of the leaders in singing the praises of the soon-to-be star safety:

He's a grinder in the weight room. He pays attention. He watches film, and he constantly asks questions of Duane (Akina) and myself about other positions in the defense, so he can better understand what other people do and why we're asking those players do other things within our scheme. He's trying to learn the big picture. He's seeing through the whole door and not the keyhole.

The last statement says a lot about the growth of Thomas. Instead of being directed by Blake Gideon, as he was throughout most of last season, Thomas is now beginning to understand how the defense works as a whole, allowing him to operate as the quarterback not only of the secondary, but of the whole defense as well. While he probably won't have to remind Roddrick Muckelroy where he needs to line up, younger players and more inexperienced players like Keenan Robinson, Emmanuel Acho, and Christian Scott could benefit greatly from the direction of Thomas. Though his number of interceptions will probably make a huge leap this season, the box score likely isn't going to be the only place where Thomas makes contributions.

Bullet time.

Chris Whaley carried the ball during the scrimmage on Wednesday after returning from his hamstring injury. No word on how he looked, unfortunately, but there is increasingly speculation that he might redshirt because he's buried on the running back depth chart right now behind McGee, Whittaker, Johnson, and possibly even Tre' Newton.
Tre' Newton may be the new third-down back, as he provides very similar versatility to the departed Chris Ogbonnaya. On the first day of open practice, Newton also showed some power in the running game by picking up freshman Eryon Barnett and throwing him back down into the turf a la Earl Campbell.
The guys Texas is looking at as kick returners: Jordan Shipley, Aaron Williams, Malcolm Williams, Christian Scott, DJ Monroe, and Marquise Goodwin, with John Chiles and Chykie Brown possibly getting a look as well.
Dominique Jones and Dravannti Johnson are both cross-training at defensive end and tight end.
Lamarr Houston will replace Roy Miller as the jumbo package fullback, with Barrett Matthews or Antwan Cobb at the h-back "mover" position that Chris Ogbonnaya played last season. Tackle Britt MItchell will play one of the tight end spots in the package, while Greg Smith and Ahmard Howard battle for the other. Don't underestimate the importance of the jumbo package, a successful unit since 2007 -- the lack of success in goalline situations led to McCoy's injury against Kansas State in 2006, competely derailing that season. If the Longhorns can continue to efficiently score touchdowns when facing goal-and-short, it will go a long way toward helping the 'Horns return to Pasadena.
Brown said that Barrett Matthews is "really stepping up and making some plays," both as a tight end on the line of scrimmage and flexed out as well. After the Saturday scrimmage, Greg Davis essentially echoed those sentiments -- the Barrett Matthews era may begin as soon as this season.
Mason Walters will almost certainly play this season as the second or third interior lineman off the bench, depending on whether Tray Allen ends up playing more at defensive tackle.

SB Nation Big 12 Preview: Texas Longhorns Team Capsule

Peter Bean — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 20:02:25 -0000

More photos » by Harry Cabluck - AP

Before he hands Will Muschamp the keys to the machine, Mack Brown wants another national title at Texas.

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The SB Nation Big 12 preview will post on Friday at The Ralphie Report. The following is the Texas team capsule for the conference-wide preview piece.

When Texas has the ball: Texas returns 8 starters (Lost: RB, Chris Ogbonnaya, WR Quan Cosby, RG Cedric Dockery) from an offense a year ago that averaged a healthy 6.5 yards per play. The name everyone knows is ~~deserving~~ Heisman ~~winner~~ runner-up Colt McCoy, who led the team in rushing attempts and rushing yards in 2008. He also did a little passing: Following an up-and-down sophomore season, McCoy transformed into a robot last season, setting the single-season NCAA record for completion percentage in a season (76.7%), throwing a school record 34 touchdowns against just 8 interceptions. If there's a legitimate critique of last year's outstanding offense, it would have to be the razor thin margins on which the Longhorns relied; looking forward to this fall, Texas would like to rely less on McCoy being a superhuman by bolstering the running game and finding more big plays.

The running game: Texas wasn't a poor rushing team a year ago, but the rushing attack was inconsistent and prone to disappear, necessitating McCoy's otherworldly performances to keep the engine humming. The offensive line is experienced, if not spectacular, returning four starters (LT Adam Ulatoski, LG Charlie Tanner, C Chris Hall, and RT Kyle Hix) who, combined with RG Michael Huey (3 starts in '08) enter the fall with 90 career starts between them. Both starting tackles are excellent in pass protection, but the question for this line will be their ability to create running room in the rushing offense. To that end, Texas offensive coordinator Greg Davis appears committed to introducing more plays under center and more man blocking, but for the offense to truly reach its fullest potential, the unit will need to open holes in the running game when McCoy is in its favored 11-personnel, with McCoy in the shotgun, flanked by a tailback. Like last year, a triumvirate of tailbacks will rotate situationally, with Vondrell McGee the likely nominal starter, Fozzy Whittaker the do-it-all Ogbonnaya role, and Cody Johnson the short yardage specialist.

The passing game: Replacing departed WR Quan Cosby won't exactly be a cinch, but if Texas fails to do so, an impressive number of promising candidates would have to fail. In the spring, the speedy James Kirkendoll (now also having a great fall camp) got the starting nod at the Sub-B wideout position formerly occupied by Cosby, but fans are watching fellow junior Brandon Collins closely as well, particularly after Colt McCoy commented at Big 12 media days that Collins was poised to break out for a tremendous season. Behind those two, a small army of unproven young talents will compete for playing time, among them converted QB John Chiles, as well as the speedy DeSean Hales (RS-Fr), DJ Monroe (RS-Fr) and Marquise Goodwin (True Freshman). Returning to man the flanker position is The Roommate, Jordan Shipley, a 1000-yard receiver in 2008 with 11 touchdowns. On the outside, Texas expects big things from third-year sophomore Malcolm Williams, whose football skills are catching up to his outrageous athletic talent. (Expecting an update on the tight end position? It's cursed, thank you very little; we decline to name names.)

When opponents have the ball: If Texas is on your television screen on January 7th in Pasadena, this unit will be the reason. Don't get us wrong: Colt McCoy deserves all the attention and accolades, but it's the potential of this defensive unit that makes us most confident in Texas' chances to roll through the conference unblemished.

Rush defense: The Longhorns held opponents to a paltry 3.05 yards per rushing attempt last season, but they lose three starters -- DT Roy Miller and DEs Brian Orakpo and Henry Melton -- to the NFL. Texas faces serious questions about the viability of the DT position in particular this fall, with only the exceptional Lamarr Houston returning. Vying for viability alongside him will be the senior situation space eater Ben Alexander, unproven sophomore Kheeston Randall, and recently converted offensive lineman Tray Allen. None of them needs to be spectacular, but at least one needs to prove himself capable of solid, block-eating play for 30-35 snaps a game. The rest of the work can be done by the talented, probably underrated, group of defensive ends and linebackers who will rotate heavily to keep everyone fresh. Everyone knows about Sergio Kindle, but by November, expect ends Eddie Jones and Sam Acho to be names every Big 12 quarterback knows as well. As for the linebackers, Texas has four players we absolutely love ready to lead what will prove to be the best tackling team in the conference: Rod Muckelroy, Jared Norton, Keenan Robinson, and Emmanuel Acho,

Pass defense: Two words come to mind: Un. Fair. The secondary may not prove as statistically dominant as Will Muschamp's 2003 title-winning LSU squad (too much help in run support for that, we suspect), but they'll make just as many big plays, and give top receivers in the conference more than a few forgettable nights. Both Earl Thomas and Aaron Williams look like First Team Big 12-level performers, Chykie Brown's not far behind, and Blake Gideon, Christian Scott, Curtis Brown, and Deon Beasley would comfortably start for at least 9 schools in the conference. This group is damn good.

The schedule: You could call it a two-game schedule (vs OU in Dallas, at Oklahoma State) and wouldn't draw much argument from the gallery. Beyond those two monsters, Texas's next three toughest tests all come at home: Texas Tech, Colorado, and Kansas. A road trip to Missouri on their homecoming might be a potential trap game (sandwiched between the two Oklahomas), but with a new quarterback and a questionable defensive line and secondary, an upset would be truly stunning. As for the non-conference schedule... well... maybe Texas just wanted to welcome home Bill Snyder? Yeah, that's it.

The outlook: Anything short of a 12-0 trip to the Rose Bowl will disappoint Texas fans, and for good reason. The talent cycle hits a peak this year, there's experience, skill talent, depth, and a favorable schedule. And some bitterness, too. Texas rightly felt hosed by the BCS system last season and will approach this season with a sense of focus, urgency, and more than a little hostility. That's a good thing for a program under Mack Brown that struggles when it's comfortable. All eyes on Dallas, then, for one of the biggest regular season football games of the last decade. We predict a Texas win and, two months later, a return trip to Vince Young Stadium West.

Poll

Predict Texas' losses in 2009.

None -- See you in Pasadena.

554 votes

1 -- Oklahoma

35 votes

1 -- Oklahoma State

64 votes

1 -- Other

18 votes

2 -- OU and Oklahoma State

19 votes

2 -- Other

7 votes

3 or more

1 votes

698 votes | Poll has closed

Final Open Practice Report

Horn Brain — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 05:16:29 -0000

Yes, you read that right... Horn Brain is back, dear followers, after a long exile in the desert of S*** I have to do - launching rockets and writing computer models and healing my broken freakin' leg. I understand that there's a lot of catching up to do - how are the kids? The wife? Oh, I'm sorry to hear... Really? But isn't that more than half of-? Oh, I see... Oh... I never thought of her as one of those... A crying shame, no doubt - but I'll dispense with the pleasantries and distend my lips toward the mouth of an open bottle of Shiner, that I may better cut to the chase and the bone with my oh-so-lightly edited musings on tonight's final open practice...

While much of the Great Gnashing of Teeth and Spitting Whilst Speaking of the Summer of 2009 was directed towards our lack of depth at the defensive tackle position (and more recently at the fact that anyone who shows promise at the TE position will immediately and with extreme prejudice be cut down for the season with an acrimoniously-timed knee injury), I have maintained the position that, for Texas to become immune to "that one game" in which all passing game players will perform with the grace of the guy who played Newman on Seinfeld when he's running from that dilophosaurus after it spits in his eye on Jurassic Park, the offensive line must learn to execute a blocking scheme which, in some form or fashion, allows for holes to open up. A hole being defined as a space on the field which no one but the ball carrier is allowed to occupy, which is oriented in such a way that the carrier may proceed through that space while not a.) being on the ground or b.) being in two pieces.

So off I went, hobbling down to the fields in the shadow of the Great Bubble, in search of men who could open holes at will (The Michael Scott in you is just bubbling over right now)...

... But instead I found the same lip service paid to the running game as we'd seen last season. I say last season and not last year because we actually appeared to put more emphasis on the running game in last year's open practices. I remember last year we were able to bust holes occasionally through a defensive line that by the end of the year played like a brick wall mounted to the grill of a speeding Mack truck. Well, the cornerstones and foundation of that wall graduated and now our "experienced" offensive line can't put a dent in it.

Certainly if anything is proven by the disparity in success between last year's open practice and the production on the field it's that open practice is just open practice, but nonetheless, color me a deep shade of unimpressed when it comes to our offensive line play in the running game. Every significant gain was on a sweep, speed option, or otherwise outside run, while the middle may as well have been a heavily forested mud flat for all the chaos exhibited there. A final note, though: Call me a hater, but I'm only saying this because I think that it needs to be said. One area Mack Brown's almost always excelled in is redirecting critical statements into motivation for his players. I'm thinking Vince Young after 2004 OU, Colt McCoy between 2007 and 2008, Jamaal Charles in the second half of 2007, Brian Orakpo, Roy Miller, and the Texas defense of 2008, heck, even all the way back to the 1998 team that wasn't supposed to be good enough to help Ricky Williams win the Heisman. I may be pessimistic, but really I'm just filling up the O-Line's Water Boy mental vault of enraging memories to help them focus on knocking the snot out of the Sooner DL in October. Respect.

Rapid Fire thoughts on tonight's practice -OR- I use bullets in place of writing more BS:

I was disappointed that I didn't get to see much of the linemen on either side of the ball. The DL mostly did their thing down at the far end of the lower field, while the OL held a ballet recital in a corner of the upper field that didn't lend their pliets and pirrouettes to much critique. The receivers hung out in prime view, and that's mostly what I got to see, though that's been beaten to a pulp on every site recently.
In what little action I saw of the OL drills, David Snow looked much smoother and better equilibrated than his counterparts on the second team. I like this guy. It's unfortunate that everyone else does as well and it will appear as though I'm riding the bandwagon because I can't evaluate an OL for beans, but no... I really like him.
Sherrod Harris looked to be the clear second-string QB, which I gathered mostly from his occasional work with the first string and not ever having to throw into a herd of walk-ons in the middle of the field. Garrett Gilbert handled those duties almost exclusively.
On the other hand... Gilbert throws the prettiest spiral of all the QBs. It's like the ball is on a zip-line, and it must be so easy to catch. That said, he needs to work on his accuracy. Hopefully he earns some PT this year so we don't have to choose between throwing him to the wolves and wasting another year of his development. Interesting note: Gilbert tossed an awkward ball to either Chris Whaley or Tre Newton (memory fails me) and none other than the "running backs coach" was within 2 feet of him telling him exactly what he did wrong on that particular attempt. Applewhite FTW.
There are two groups of receivers. One includes guys like Jordan Shipley, the other includes someone named Ryan Zych. DeSean Hales, DJ Monroe, and Marquise Goodwin were on the latter. Calm down about them.
Of the newer receivers, the guy who had the best night was clearly Greg Timmons. He showed real ball skills in making a couple of "Are You Serious?" catches - one of which appeared to involve the ball passing through the chest of a DB. He actually appeared to have the best hands of any of our receivers in "contested situations" tonight.
Malcolm Williams and Dan Buckner are both just huge. Buckner was lining up at the flex tight end position vacated by DJ Grant's cursed knee, and Malcolm took over the split end, of course. This arrangement looked beautiful until you saw them slapping balls around like a drunken Matthew McConnaughey in his trailer. Buckner had a few "hit-him-in-the-chest" drops, while Williams was consistent in both beating his man down the field as well as coming impossibly close to catching the ball without ever actually managing to do so. I think that it could be mostly rust, though, and Coach Kennedy seemed willing to take care of the butterfingers one way or another.
Fozzy Whittaker was taking drill reps with the receivers. This excites me, as it alludes to the possibility of defining Fozzy's role as Ogbonnaya with wheels. He looked natural catching the ball.
I think the reason that some people were so high on Kirkendoll over Collins in yesterday's practice may have been that Earl Thomas flat out picks on Collins. Earl always seemed to be assigned to #5, and managed to make a very nice interception on a deep ball that goes for 35+ yards if he doesn't turn around and adjust. Earl and Brandon thereafter spent the night jawing at each other after each play they made on their rival. Collins had a few good catches, but Thomas is just too damn good for him. I really thought that Chykie or AJ Williams would be our best DB by this time, but Earl is just so quick and fast, and now he gets it. Any QB that throws the ball in his direction is just begging to lose their starting job.
I didn't see Beasley at all. Was he held out today? I was hoping to see him running around trying to decapitate fools now that he realizes he won't play if he doesn't want to hit. Did anyone see him?
Alex Okafor lined up on the line of scrimmage, but way out wide over the top of a slot receiver, whom he promptly tried to shove all the way to the boundary on the snap. Maybe Muschamp will get him on the field as an LB since he's pretty undersized for a DE right now. What little I saw of him looked like the hype: He's an athletic guy with a huge motor that really just tries very hard to make a difference in each play. I look forward to his growth.

So there it is.

Wednesday Practice Report

Peter Bean — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 07:19:04 -0000

While I was tied up here in California doing EDSBS LIVE, the Longhorns were busy in Austin practicing in front of fans. An old friend was nice enough to give me a call after the practice and share with me his thoughts. After the jump, I'll share with you the notes I took from our conversation. I wasn't there, but this is from someone whose judgment I value; I'd certainly be interested to hear the thoughts from others who made it out to DKR.

"This is the 12th straight year I've gone to open fall practices and I'm more excited about this team than I have been any team in memory -- even the 2005 team. Maybe because we'd lost five straight to OU back then, I was afraid to believe. I believe in this team already."
"It looked to me like DJ Grant had his leg catch on the ground while he took a little pop from Earl Thomas. The body went one way while the leg stayed still. I suspect the knee popped, but who knows. We can hope it was just a strain."
"Everyone around me was impressed by Barrett Matthews. Texas isn't going to have an all-conference guy like Pettigrew out there, but we don't need one. We just need someone to keep defenses honest. Matthews' athleticism and versatility surprised me. I'm hopeful he can fill the role we need in the passing game."
"For all Colt's summer gushing about Brandon Collins, it was James Kirkendoll who looked like his new BFF. At least tonight. I've seen enough of these not to read too much into the small sample, but I like that we have some competition for the Quan Cosby role."
"The #2 QB battle is more interesting than I thought it would be. Sherrod Harris looked 100% healthy to me, which is great, but I was pretty wowed by what it looks like Garrett Gilbert will become -- and quickly. It's an interesting short-, medium-, and long-term strategy problem for the coaches to ponder. I'll be curious to hear your thoughts on how you'd handle it." [PB: I'll devote a post to this, but I'd get Gilbert going now. There are good arguments on both sides, though. More later.]
"I'm with you on thinking Vondrell McGee can be a successful tailback for this team. Guy is solid in all the right ways, and more explosive than people realize. Like you, I think he's the nominal starter. Anything we get from Fozzy Whittaker is a bonus. He's intriguing, but he may need more space than our offense creates. We'll see."
Asking about Colt and any other receivers he noticed: "McCoy is sharp, but what I really love is watching him lead the team. You need that to win 12 straight games. He's a man out there. As for receivers, I don't have much more to add. I like our depth and think the group will produce more than enough playmakers. Malcolm Williams is close, real close. He's not thinking with the ball in his hands anymore, which is huge. The new burner -- Marquise Goodwin -- can play ball. Neither DJ Monroe nor DeSean Hales looks ready to be a regular contributor; both are a year away."
"The defense showed a lot of different looks, including a bunch of sets from the 3-4, with Roddrick Muckelroy, Jared Norton, Emmanuel Acho, and Keenan Robinson out there together at times. Given our situation at DT, it makes sense -- all four are playmakers. You wonder how Texas would fare against a team with a power rushing attack, but then you look at the Big 12 and shrug. Who f***ng cares? Both Texas and OU have better defenses than anyone outside the conference will ever realize."
"This isn't Mack Brown's strongest defensive line, but it may be his quickest. I think it's enough for Muschamp to get by. We'll see. An injury to Lamarr Houston would be catastrophic."
"The secondary is just unfair. We've talked about this before, but Aaron Williams is the best true sophomore DB Texas has ever had in the Mack Brown era. And we've had some good ones. Chykie Brown is healthy and is just so long, both in his strides and in his arms; when he concentrates with his footwork, he's not getting passed on. Curtis Brown has the raw athleticism but isn't there fundamentally yet. He had trouble with Kirkendoll tonight. Still, I'd rather have him than anyone on, say, Oklahoma State. Earl Thomas is All-Conference, and Blake Gideon and Christian Scott will do a great job competing with one another for top minutes."
"I didn't focus on the line play too much, but if I'm able to make it to tomorrow's practice I'll look in. The main thing for me is while I don't want to put too much into player notes on one practice, the way I saw everyone out there working made me 100% believe this team is what we think it is. All the hype will be about the Texas and OU offenses, but the real story is the defenses. The Sooners are much better on D than anyone in the mainstream media will talk about, but so is Texas. In fact, if you made me draft any defense from the MB era, I'm not sure I wouldn't choose this group #1, depth at tackle be damned. My love for the LBs/DBs is that strong."

Texas: Beyond the Box Score Preseason Offensive Preview

Bill C. — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 17:00:12 -0000

Confused? Catch up with the BTBS Primer.

It's time to take a look at the best team on Missouri's 2009 slate. Strengths? Weaknesses? Statistical red flags? We've got 'em all in the offensive preview.

2008

Record: 12-1 (7-1 in the Big 12)
S&P+: 270.9 (5th in the country, 2nd in the Big 12)
Scoring Margin: 551-244 (+307)
Conference Scoring Margin: 329-180 (+149)
Wins (S&P+ Ranking in parentheses): #3 Oklahoma, #8 Ohio State, #10 Missouri, #14 Oklahoma State, #20 Kansas, #38 Arkansas, #40 Baylor, #47 Rice, #82 Colorado, #90 Florida Atlantic, #96 UTEP, #98 Texas A&M
Losses: #15 Texas Tech

Just think of all we'd have been deprived of had Blake Gideon just held onto Graham Harrell's pass with nine seconds left in last year's Texas-Texas Tech game. Crabtree's shining moment, Big 12 Tie-Breaker "controversy" (in quotes because there is no such thing as a good fifth tie-breaker--somebody's going to feel screwed no matter what), 45-35, 62-21, etc. That play, and the one that followed, defined a good portion of both the last two months of the football season and quite a bit of the offseason that has followed.

Without once again diving into why the tie-breaker wasn't "controversial" at all, and why, really, the correct team was selected for the Big 12 title game (and, therefore, national title game), all of the drama distracted us from one impressive storyline: that Texas arrived a year earlier than expected. Heading into 2008, I remember reading a post from Burnt Orange Nation (can't find it now) that suggested everybody look at 2008 through the prism of 2009, coaches included. The Longhorns were young and dangerous, but they were probably still a year away from being a true national title threat.

And then they went and beat OU. And rocked Missouri. And crept by a game Oklahoma State. They showed up in Lubbock on November 1 well ahead of schedule. And while they definitely suffered a high-level gut punch of a loss there, two months earlier nobody was really expecting them to get quite as far as they did. Hell, before the season we thought it was a perfect time for Missouri to have to visit Austin, and that Mizzou would have a legitimate chance of knocking off the 'Horns. Whoops. The 2008 Texas season, however, does go to show that you truly never know when something special is going to happen--if you try to predict it, you're almost always wrong--and you better not look away, else you might miss it.

So here's the question: can Texas possibly be better than they were in 2008? I realize they have strong experience in most units, and on paper they probably should be better, but...well, on paper Missouri should have been better in 2008 than 2007. They weren't. Near-perfection is hard to duplicate, even with great recruiting classes. So let's see what we can derive about Texas in 2009.

Coaching

Is this the year Mack Brown adds Title #2 to the resume?

Head Coach: Mack Brown
Career Record: 201-100-1
Record at Texas: 115-26 (conference: 72-16)
Pythagorean Wins since 2002: 70.2 Pythagorean wins versus 77 real wins (+1.0 per year)

As I've played around more with Pythagorean wins, I've learned that top teams will almost certainly have a Pythagorean win total higher than their actual win total for one simple reason: blowout wins skew the projections, and top teams usually have more blowout wins. So the fact that Texas has actually over-achieved by about one win per year speaks volumes, I think, about the job Mack Brown has done, not only in recruiting (for which he has always received plenty of credit), but also in both game-coaching and staff-building.

Mack Brown has had quite an interesting career, and it stems back much further than just Austin, or even Chapel Hill. His playing career took him first to Vanderbilt, then to Florida State, and he ended up at Southern Miss for grad school (he was WRs coach while getting his graduate degree). Naturally, his first coaching job outside of grad school came in...Ames, where he was first WRs coach in 1979 and then Offensive Coordinator in 1980-81 under Donnie Duncan. In his first year as Cyclone OC, ISU's scoring average improved from 12.5 points per game in 1979 to 22.3 in 1980 (fun fact: ISU was 1-2 versus MU in Brown's time in Ames). When he left to become QBs coach at LSU in 1982, Iowa State fell slightly to 4-6-1, and Duncan was done.

Ever the mover, Brown stayed in Baton Rouge for just one season before accepting the head coaching job at Appalachian State, which he held for just one season (they went 6-5). Passed up for the LSU head coaching job, he ended up in Norman, of all places, where he was OU's Offensive Coordinator for (you guessed it) one year. Finally, he landed in a place long enough to justify buying a house--he was Tulane's head coach for three seasons, leading them to a 6-5 regular season record and a rare bowl bid in 1987 and then immediately jumping to Chapel Hill (he was succeeded at Tulane by his future Offensive Coordinator, Greg Davis).

In Chapel Hill, he inherited a North Carolina squad that had fallen off from Dick Crum's early-1980s heyday, when Lawrence Taylor was becoming one of the most exciting college players ever. UNC had little talent, and apparently what talent they had didn't mesh well with Brown's system. The Tar Heels started Brown's tenure with back-to-back 1-10 seasons. But from there, things picked up. UNC went from 6, to 7, to 9, to 10 wins from 1990-93, then upped the ante with a 20-3 record in 1996-97. And then, naturally, Brown hopped to a bigger lily pad, The University of Texas.

Texas won nine games in each of Brown's first three years in Austin (1998-2000)...and they haven't won less than 10 since. You know the story from here. Snuffed out by OU for a series of consecutive seasons, Texas broke through with Vince Young in 2005 and has, to a slightly lesser degree, been snuffing OU out since then.

Alright, since we're already almost to 1,000 words, on with the offensive preview.

Offense

Overall Stats

S&P+: 124.6 (#10)
Success Rate+: 117.8 (#12)
PPP+: 134.1 (#9)

Standard Downs S&P+: 114.4 (#24)
Passing Downs S&P+: 152.8 (#2)

Redzone S&P+: 135.6 (#4)

Q1 S&P+: 138.3 (#6)
Q2 S&P+: 129.6 (#9)
Q3 S&P+: 128.1 (#14)
Q4 S&P+: 102.6 (#60)

1st Down S&P+: 120.9 (#14)
2nd Down S&P+: 121.8 (#20)
3rd Down S&P+: 140.6 (#10)

Rushing Stats

Rushing S&P+: 115.4 (#29)
Rushing SR+: 109.5 (#38)
Rushing PPP+: 125.2 (#26)

Standard Downs: 105.6 (#50)
Passing Downs: 138.2 (#11)

Redzone: 130.8 (#11)

Line Yards+: 100.5 (#64)

Passing Stats

Passing S&P+: 133.3 (#9)
Passing SR+: 127.3 (#10)
Passing PPP+: 141.7 (#8)

Standard Downs: 126.4 (#11)
Passing Downs: 163.1 (#3)

Redzone: 151.7 (#7)

Adj. Sack Rate: 5.8% (#59)

A few interesting things to note here.

Texas lost or came close to losing three games in 2008--Oklahoma, Texas Tech, and Ohio State. In all three, the offense was relatively iffy early (decent against OU, atrocious against Tech) and came on late for the win or almost-win. Despite this, the Texas offense got statistically worse in each proceeding quarter in 2008. Now, the fourth-quarter numbers I can forgive since the starters didn't play in much of the fourth quarter about half the season. But still, kind of odd.
You see some teams with an S&P+ carried by either Success Rate (efficiency) or PPP (explosiveness), but Texas was equally good at both in 2008, especially in the passing game. Rushing, Texas made up for only-decent Success Rates with slightly-better-than-decent PPP figures.
I usually gauge line play with two figures: Line Yards+ and Adjusted Sack Rate. Texas fared well in neither. I realize they're stacked with 4-star recruits and all, but...how good was the Texas OL in 2008?
Note the crazy disproportionality of success on Standard Downs and Passing Downs. We'll come back to that below.

Quarterback

Can Colt McCoy possibly be any better than he was in 2008?

2008 Unit Ranking: #5 in the nation (#2 in the Big 12)

Projected Depth Chart
Colt McCoy (6'3, 210, Sr.)
Sherrod Harris (6'3, 215, Jr.)
John Chiles (6'2, 215, Jr.)

In both of his first two seasons starting for Texas, Colt McCoy completed over 65% of his passes and threw over 20 touchdown passes. But his decision-making was quite shaky in 2007--his 22 TDs were marred by his 18 INTs, and his QB rating fell from 161.8 in 2006 to 139.2, still a decent mark, but a very clear step backwards in development. With the typical Texas level of talent, the 'Horns managed only a #26 overall S&P+ ranking.

Heading into the 2008 season, really, not a ton was expected from him, at least not in comparison to other Big 12 QBs. (In last year's Texas Week roundtable, two unnamed RMN'ers picked UT to go 8-4! I'd like to pound my chest on my own prediction, however, even though I got the loss wrong.) Of course, McCoy responded by setting a national record with a 76.7% completion rate in 2008, posting a career-best 34 TDs to only 8 INTs, with a ridiculous 173.8 QB Rating. Oh yeah, and he led UT in rushing, with 561 yards (4.1 per carry). He led Texas to a 12-1 record and a victory (45-35!!!!!!1!!!) over OU at the Texas state fair. He staked about as big a claim to the Heisman Trophy as Sam Bradford did, though Bradford--with a host of more experienced weapons--clearly scored some major voter points when OU went out and scored at least 58 points in six straight games to end the regular season.

Can Colt McCoy possibly approach his 2008 numbers in 2008? I say no, and I have one major reason why: Texas actually did better on Passing Downs (1.01 S&P) than Standard Downs (0.97 S&P) in 2008. Think about that. They were a better offense on 3rd-and-7 than 2nd-and-4. That makes no sense, and while I don't have enough year-to-year data to show what happens to teams with disproportional success like that, how in the world can you maintain that?

In a lot of ways, this disproportionality reminds me a lot of a baseball measure that has significantly grown in popularity recently: BABIP (Batting Average on Balls In Play). Over time, most players and pitchers produce roughly the same BABIP. It can vary depending on the ratio of ground balls to line drives and fly balls, but over time, most BABIP will regress to the mean of around .290. When a pitcher gives up a BABIP of .350 or .220 one year, it's probably pretty quickly going to revert back toward .290. Therefore it can be used to spot flukes, seasons that were particularly good or bad depending on whether ground balls tended to sneak between 3B and SS or go straight at a defender.

To me, disproportional success on Passing Downs might end up being a lot like BABIP in picking up on some amount of fluky success. Texas certainly had a good offense no matter what in 2008, but I think it may have been a little too good to maintain in 2009. Especially considering McCoy will be playing without two major third-down bailout options, Chris Ogbonnaya and Quan Cosby, I'm thinking Colt may end up having a year where Texas struggles at times, and there's no clear explanation why (kind of like when you're hitting a ball hard, but right at the shortstop). A few more 3rd-and-7 passes fall incomplete, and the Texas offense could slow down in a hurry.

(That said, their schedule is so damn easy that they should pretty easily reach 10 wins, struggles or no struggles.)

So in summary, Colt McCoy is a damn good quarterback, but in the end he was probably a little too good in 2008. I see his numbers regressing a bit in 2009.

Running Backs

If he can stay healthy, Fozzy Whittaker has the highest ceiling of any Texas back.

2008 Unit Ranking: #33 in the nation (#4 in the Big 12)

Projected Depth Chart
Cody Johnson (5'11, 255, So.)
Vondrell McGee (5'10, 205, Jr.)
Fozzy Whittaker (5'10, 190, So.)

Of course, McCoy's numbers will be allowed to fall a bit in 2009 if Texas running backs can pick up their game a bit. The Longhorns have a host of talented-yet-flawed athletes in the backfield. Cody Johnson is an awesome short-yardage back, but can he see every-down success? Can Fozzy Whitaker stay healthy enough to live up to the massive promise seen by Burnt Orange Nation readers over the last couple of years? Can Vondrell McGee, UT's most well-rounded overall back, assert himself a bit more in 2009? Can any number of other highly-recruited options break into the rotation? Even with the flaws, and even with Chris Ogbonnaya's low (relatively speaking) ceiling, this unit certainly wasn't bad in 2008, ranking 4th in the Big 12 and 33rd overall. But most see this unit as the Longhorns' most pronounced Achilles Heel heading into 2009, and there's no arguing that the unit could do well in finding a go-to guy.

For reference, here were the Points Over Expected (POE) figures and rankings for UT's 2008 running backs:

Cody Johnson +10.2 POE (46th in the country, out of 267 eligible rushers)
Chris Ogbonnaya +6.6 POE (73rd)
Vondrell McGee -2.1 POE (158th)
Fozzy Whittaker -5.5 POE (198th)

Not great.

Wide Receivers / Tight Ends

Jordan Shipley: Sooner killer.

2008 Unit Ranking: #14 in the nation (#3 in the Big 12)

Projected WR Depth Chart
Jordan Shipley (6'0, 190, Sr.)
Malcolm Williams (6'3, 220, So.)
Brandon Collins (6'0, 185, Jr.)
John Chiles (6'2, 215, Jr.)
Dan Buckner (6'4, 215, So.)
James Kirkendoll (5'11, 180, Jr.)
DeSean Hales (5'11, 175, RSFr.)
Montre Webber (6'3, 215, Jr.)
Philip Payne (6'2, 215, Jr.)

Projected TE Depth Chart
Blaine Irby (6'3, 235, Jr.)
Greg Smith (6'4, 270, Jr.)
Ahmad Howard (6'4, 250, So.)

How important was Quan Cosby? His longest reception last year was only 40 yards--in comparison, Jordan Shipley's was 68, Malcolm Williams 91, Dan Buckner 51, and Chris Ogbonnaya 65--but he caught more passes than anybody else in the burnt orange jerseys, especially on third downs: Cosby caught 16 passes on third downs last year, and all 16 went for first downs. If Texas can replace Cosby's reliability (and Brandon Collins--10 of 12 third-down catches moved the chains--looks like he could be up for the challenge), then this receiving corps could be one of the best in the country. Jordan Shipley returns for his 17th year (what? only his 6th?), and the rest of the depth chart is simply littered with big-time recruits. Malcolm Williams awed everybody in the country with his 91-yard touchdown catch at a key moment against Texas Tech, but he only caught 19 passes all season. Dan Buckner passes the eyeball test...but only caught five passes. With Cosby gone, it is time for at least a couple of these guys to become reliable, every-down receivers.

The wildcard here could be John Chiles. For two years, Chiles served as Colt McCoy's backup, showing both outstanding running ability and a decent arm. With McCoy back for one more season, Chiles has been at least temporarily moved to WR. Not only will this open up the door for some nice double-pass-style trick plays, but it could give UT a nice, shifty option underneath coverage. I also listed Chiles on the QB list, as I'm just not sure what happens if McCoy were to get hurt or something.

Offensive Line

Chris Hall leads an experienced line that probably needs to do a bit better in 2009.

2008 Unit Ranking: #63 in the nation (#9 in the Big 12)

Projected Depth Chart
C Chris Hall (6'4, 300, Sr.) ***
T Adam Ulatoski (6'8, 306, Sr.) ***
G Charlie Tanner (6'4, 305, Sr.) ***
T Kyle Hix (6'7, 320, Jr.) ****
G Michael Huey (6'5, 320, Jr.) ****
T Tray Allen (6'5, 315, Jr.) *****
T Britt Mitchell (6'5, 305, Jr.) ***
C David Snow (6'4, 300, So.) ****
G Steve Moore (6'5, 300, Jr.) ***
G Mark Buchanan (6'6, 310, RSFr.) ****

So here's something interesting: while Texas is known for signing as many four-star recruits as they can stomach, of the four returning starters on the offensive line, three--Hall, Ulatoski, Tanner--were 3-star recruits. Now, Missouri has proven that there's nothing wrong with loading up on 3-stars, but there isn't quite as much high-end talent here as in most units for the Longhorns, and it possibly showed last year. While Colt McCoy was one of the nation's best QBs, and the UT receiving corps was Top 15, the line struggled, both in run-blocking (64th in Line Yards+) and pass protection (59th in Adjusted Sack Yards). For those who follow recruiting rankings, there is a silver lining for the 'Horns, as Michael Huey, Tray Allen, David Snow, and Mark Buchanan were all given at least four stars by Rivals (Allen was a 5-star), so there is decent depth of talent here, and if this unit can do its job a little better, maybe McCoy won't have to come through on nearly as many Passing Down situations.

Something else to note: true freshmen Aundre McGaskey, Thomas Ashcraft, and Mason Walters were all in for the spring and landed on the third string; with three seniors and five juniors on the two-deep, it wouldn't be a surprise to see at least one or two of these guys to break into the rotation and get a little growth for the future.

Summary

In a nutshell, a Top 5 quarterback and a top 15 receiving corps combined with only a decent running back corps and iffy offensive line to produce a Top 10 offense by succeeding at possibly an unsustainably high rate on Passing Downs. First of all, give massive props to Colt McCoy for everything he did in 2008. He was an absolute magician. And if guys like Fozzy Whittaker, Malcolm Williams, any tight end, and a couple of offensive linemen all live up to their potential, then he won't have to pull quite as many rabbits out of quite as many hats in 2009.

Texas fans better hope McCoy has some more help, because it's my opinion that no QB in the country would be able to do what he did last year, for two straight years. Clearly Texas is likely to win at least ten games again, but there are more holes and unproven areas on this offense than one would expect, and if UT is to go 12-0 instead of 10-2 (certainly a distinct possibility), guys other than McCoy will need to step up. This is Texas--you know the potential is there; but some of this potential will need to turn into production by the time September turns into October.

Big 12 Freshmen I Look Forward To Seeing In 2009

Beergut — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 09:33:01 -0000

There are always a few 5-star, can't miss recruits who are the talk of the nation around signing day, but end up redshirting during their freshman season, so we're left to wait a year before seeing if they are worth the hype. The usual players to merit a redshirt are offensive linemen, because time to develop in the weight room and learn the system will do them some good, but every once in a while, a stud skill position player is redshirted.

Jermie Calhoun of Van HS is one such player. A 5-star RB recruit, Calhoun was a Parade All-American in HS before redshirting with Oklahoma last season. I am interested to see if he cracks the two-deep this season, and what, if anything, he does when given a chance to play.

Another 5-star stud from Texas who signed with OU but ended up redshirting was Keller Fossil Ridge DE R.J. Washington. Washington was also a Parade All-American, and was ranked the #2 defensive end in the nation by Rivals, and the #13 recruit overall. Given that Auston English, Frank Alexander, and Jeremy Beal are returning at DE, it will be interesting to see if Washington cracks the depth chart.

texas didn't have any five-star students in their 2008 recruiting class, but they did have two intriguing prospects. DeSean Hales was a four-star ranked multi-purpose back coming out of Klein Oak High School. texas has moved him to WR during his redshirt season. It will be interesting to see how Hales does at receiver, because I think they'll feature him at the B-receiver position. texas' other intriging prospect is former Austin LBJ wide receiver D.J. Grant. texas' coaches moved Grant to TE during Fiesta Bowl practices, and I'm wondering if he'll see significant action at Y in 2009. Anyone else want to see if Tre Newton is the answer to texas' problems at RB?

Oklahoma State has a stud RS freshman RB in Kye Staley, a 4-star recruit who was considered the top football player in Oklahoma in 2008. Staley was recruited as an "athlete", but will now try to break into a lineup that includes Kendall Hunter and Keith Toston at TB.

Nebraska's only 5-star stud recruit is also the only 5-star recruit to ever come out of the state of Nebraska, OT Baker Steinkuhler. Since arriving in Lincoln, Steinkuhler has switched to the defensive side of the ball, and is now listed at DT. He should be fun to watch this season, if only to hear announcers refer to his father, former Outland Trophy winner Blake Steinkuhler, every time he is on television.

These are only seven redshirt freshmen I am interested in seeing during the 2009 football season; who will you be watching for?

Pre-season Superlatives

miketag — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 03:19:28 -0000

After reading countless preseason magazines (still have one to go) here are some of my preseason superlatives:

Team most likely to remind you of Clemson '08: Ole Miss

Every year there is a team in the preseason top 10 that does not belong. Last year it was obviously Clemson. The prognosticators chose to overlook the fact that Clemson had a poor OL in '07 and had to completely replace it in '08. I think that Jevan Snead is a heck of a QB and will be a better pro than Colt McCoy. However, I cannot ignore the fact that Houston Nutt teams tend to be up and down. Also, you do not lose first round picks like Michael Oher and Peria Jerry and not feel it. I expect Ole Miss to win 8, maybe 9 games. That does not make them top 10 though.

Player who tv announcers will make me sick of hearing about: Colt McCoy QB tu

Let's all say it together, "Colt McCoy is roommates with Jordan Shipley. In college, their fathers were roommates too." We get it. We realize McCoy is a heck of a player and has done big things at tu. However, I do not need to hear again about what a great leader he is, how he saves lives etc. I am willing to bet money much will be made of how McCoy has done religious mission trips in the summer. texas has other good players with good stories. They have mothers too. I am sure that their families would like for them to get a little air time also.

Most overrated player: Jordan Lake S Baylor

I understand, the guy is a good hitter. Last I checked though, DBs were supposed to be able to cover someone. Lake could not cover my grandmother. Just because you are an undersized LB does not mean you are a great safety. If you want to see the best safeties in the Big 12, go watch tu play and concentrate on Blake Gideon. Watch an A&M game and observe Trent Hunter. Those are the top two safeties in the conference.

Most overrated team: USC

SC did not have a difference maker on the field last year other than Joe McKnight. They still do not have a bigtime WR who can stretch defenses. The dominant SC teams had two or three. Aaron Corps may end up proving me wrong and be a great QB, but I think this is the year to beat USC. I see Ohio State, Cal, and Oregon taking down the Trojans. UF gets honorable mention because I still think a lot of people are overlooking how disjointed their offense was last year.

Most underrated team: OU

Everyone and their dog is picking tu to beat the Sooners. Maybe they forget that OU was up by double digits in that game when Ryan Reynolds got injured and their defense became a sieve. I know they have to replace 4 of their OL. It is not like they have been recruiting stiffs over there though. Travis Lewis is the best LB they have had since The Boz. Their DL is as stacked as I have seen in a long time. OU's front 7 is as good or better than anyone's in the country. So maybe their offense will not be quite as good as last year. Maybe they will only score 40 per game. Still should be good enough to take down tu and win another conference title.

Most overlooked glaring weakness by the pundits: tu running game

Everyone just glosses over the fact that even though no one in the Big 12 played defense last year, tu could not generate a consistent running game. The sips are hoping that their 250 pound power back from last year can carry them. A lot of people are hyping Adam Utaloski and Chris Hall for post season honors. That is a lot of hype for a line that could not run the ball when it had to last year (safety vs. Tech anyone?). tu may have the best collection of WR talent in the nation (Jordan Shipley, Dan Buckner, Malcolm Williams, Desean Hales), but if you cannot run the ball and stop the run, you are not going to run the table, even with their friendly schedule.

Glad he is getting the attention he deserves: Joe Pawelek LB Baylor

I think it is funny how everyone tries to claim he was too small and too slow to play in D1 when he was in high school. He was a man among boys in the state title game against SLC. I assumed he had already committed to some out of state power. That said, Pawelek is a bigtime player and it is nice to see the media recognize it with all the pre-season hype he is getting.

Future Star that no one is talking about: Jacory Harris QB Miami

The guy oozes poise. After getting his feet wet last year as a true freshman, I expect Harris to have a breakout year as a sophomore. I expect Miami to look more like the Miami of old this season. Nine wins should be the expectation. Anything less, and you have to wonder if maybe Shannon was not the right hire.

Sleeper to finish in the top 10: North Carolina

Butch Davis has had two years to put the pieces into place. He was been recruiting as well as anyone in the country. Now we will see the fruit of his labors. I expect the Tar Heels to win the ACC. There is no way they can suffer as many injuries as they did last season. Marvin Austin should have a monster year on the way to the NFL.

Do not be surprised if they play for the MNC: Alabama

Nick Saban can flat out coach. His defense will again be one of the best in the nation. His offense should be better than last year because Greg McElroy is a better QB than John Parker Wilson. Bama may have the best DT in the nation in Terrence Cody. As long as he stays healthy, everyone will struggle to run on Bama. If you can run the ball and stop the run.....

Most interesting team to watch: Tennessee

We will either watch a train wreck, or a return to greatness for a former SEC power. I for one cannot wait to see what will happen when Lane Kiffin and his Vols take the field in the fall. If Bryce Brown lives up to the hype and the Vols can block for him, they might have something. I just have a hard time seeing the Tennessee defense picking up Monte Kiffin's scheme in a year and applying it on the field. Like I said, should be fun to watch.

Searching For Six -- The Wide Receiver Position Battle, Part II

GhostofBigRoy — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 16:09:13 -0000

The Wildcard

John Chiles – Garrett Gilbert’s commitment to Texas in February 2008 did more than secure the Longhorns’ quarterback position for years -- it also put the writing on the wall for John Chiles at the quarterback position. In essence, it was the beginning of the end. Though it took Chiles nearly a year to accept the necessity of his unavoidable move to receiver, he finally experienced his overdue epiphany the week before the start of spring practice, informing coaches that he was willing to move to receiver full time.

Unfortunately for Chiles, the receiving corps is the most crowded group on the roster, with 12 players competing for the six spots in the rotation. As described by Greg Davis, Chiles was in quarterback shape entering spring practice, but not in receiver shape, leading him to give up fast food and late-night snacks to lose weight and drop nearly 10 pounds since the start of spring practice, with the goal of losing another five or so.

His previous experience playing quarterback at Texas and receiver in high school has helped quicken the transition for Chiles, though he was not able to show off his progress during the Spring Game, as he did not have any passes thrown in his direction and Colt McCoy often did not even seem to look to Chiles’ side of the field at all. It may be that Chiles and McCoy need more time to develop chemistry during the summer. The most disappointing aspect of Chiles not catching any pases during the game was that he did not have an opportunity to support Greg Davis' assertion that Chiles can make opponents miss in the screen game, an ability that he did not show at quarterback or in the aborted Q Package.

There was some speculation early after the move that Chiles could use his redshirt season in an effort to distance himself from the other junior receivers (Collins, Kirkendoll, Webber, and Payne) and refine his receiving skills. Mack Brown, however, is increasing unwilling to allow players to redshirt who can contribute, making it extremely unlikely that Chiles would redshirt, especially given that he has impressed coaches at the new position. Currently, having received significant playing time with the first unit in the Spring Game, all signs point to Chiles being in the six-man receiving rotation in the fall.

Though he will have relatively little practice time to refine his receiving skills, his junior season will be a defining one for Chiles. Can he finally live up to the monumental expectations that accompanied him to the 40 Acres? One apt comparison might be Sergio Kindle, who struggled during his first two seasons out of position, then exploded onto the national scene with a spectacular sophomore season. Longhorn Nation asks you this, John Chiles: How would you like to define your legacy at Texas?

The Wait-Your-Turn Crew

DeSean Hales – "The Run" was perhaps the most recognizable highlight from the 2008 recruiting class, leaving Texas football fans drooling for the diminutive Hales and his big-play possibilities. After a redshirt freshman season, Hales is undoubtedly closer to contributing, though the rotation in front of him and his continued adjustment to running routes inside and across the middle suggests that he will see only limited playing time in 2009 as he remains outside of the six-man rotation.

Desean Hales 71 yard TD run vs Klein Forest 2007 (via sessamoid)

However, with so many potential blow outs in the early part of the season, Hales may see important reps on the field, most likely a situational look in the I formation, providing a threat coming in motion on the end around, a play the Longhorns showed repeatedly during the Spring Game.

The most likely scenario for Hales is that he plays a little in blowouts for his first two seasons before stepping into a starting role as a redshirt junior in the year after John Chiles, Brandon Collins, and James Kirkendoll graduate.

Brock Fitzhenry – Set back by a hamstring injury suffered late in spring practice, Fitzhenry missed the important opportunity to see the field in the Spring Game. In addition, the loss of reps from practice could keep him from seeing the field for another season.

Fitzhenry seemed likely to battle with DeSean Hales for playing time, but the word out of the program now is that Hales is playing in the slot, while Fitzhenry has been talked about at Jordan Shipley’s flanker position that receives the majority of screen passes in the Longhorn offense. His ability in the screen game will be the skill that gives Fitzhenry the best chance to see the field in 2009 and in the future.

DJ Monroe – For young receivers, repetitions are everything – necessary to develop a comfort level with the quarterback, develop route-running abilities, or learn to make tough catches in traffic. As a result, the time missed by Monroe this spring to focus on his academics will set him back significantly.

Whatever setback he experiences, though, will remain a secondary concern to that of his grades – if Monroe doesn’t turn his academic situation around this spring, he will never see the field at Texas and potentially waste his prodigious playmaking talent.

Greg Timmons – Most famous (infamous?) for his since-departed high-top fade, Timmons has the size to play in the controlled passing game Texas employs, but repetitions will be hard to come by in fall practice and Timmons did not enroll in the spring to get a head start at the position. Timmons probably won’t get a chance to see the field for any significant number of snaps until at least 2010, though it could be 2011 when he really gets a chance, after Brandon Collins and James Kirkendoll graduate. Most likely is that Timmons redshirts for a season before competing for Jordan Shipley's vacated spot in the rotation as a redshirt freshman.

The Don’t-Let-The-Door-Hit-You-On-The-Way-Out, Not-So-Dynamic Duo

Montre Webber – You will always have the Lightning Package from 2007. Why are you still here, again?

Phillip Payne – Good luck at your next stop. Texas needs your scholarship and you need a chance to play. Win-win.

It's likely that one or both of Payne and Webber will leave the program in the spring, though it's surprising that neither one left before the start of spring practice. It's clear that neither one will ever see the field for significant playing time at Texas and the Longhorns could use their scholarships.Good luck on your next stops, fellas.

Morning Coffee Talks Spring Storylines

GhostofBigRoy — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 14:00:12 -0000

John Chiles at Texas. Nearly dead? I wrote last week that I thought Connor Wood's commitment gives the Texas coaches more reason not to redshirt Garrett Gilbert. John Chiles is basically dead to me at this point as a Texas quarterback, unless he shows me three things during spring practice: 1) That he can consistently make accurate throws, 2) shows some ability to make defenders miss running the football, and 3) doesn't make decisions like bracing himself with the football. With Gilbert not enrolled in the spring semester, there won't be a direct competition, but Chiles will be competing against himself throughout the spring to earn the back-up quarterback job. Besides the defensive ends battling for playing time, following Chiles is a top storyline.

While Chiles has undeniable speed, he has struggled at Texas running the football, often seeming like he wants to break a huge gain on every play. Besides pressing, Chiles also hasn't shown the feet that define great runners, actually demonstrating little ability to make defenders miss, limiting the effectiveness of his excellent speed.

To compound the problem, Chiles has been making poor decisions in the option game, likely a big part of the offense if he ever takes over the quarterback position full time. As a corollary to his pressing with the ball, Chiles hasn't made the pitches that he should and often keeps the ball when he should pitch it. Such poor decision-making won't help him get on the field and could cost him the back-up job, regardless of what he does throwing the football.

Speaking of which, Chiles showed immense improvement passing the ball over his freshman season. He still didn't throw the football much, attempting only 12 passes, but completing 11 of them, a huge difference from his one completion on nine attempts as a frosh. The current offense puts a premium on accuracy and getting the ball out quickly -- if Chiles can do both of those things, then he will have a chance to contribute as a quarterback. Chiles also threw the ball well down field on his only attempt, hitting Dan Buckner in stride on a deep route late in the blowout against Missouri.

Spring practice this year will be the defining moment for Chiles in burnt orange. Impressive performances in practice and at the spring game will go a long way towards securing the back-up quarterback job and put him in good position to start for a year in 2010. If Chiles plays poorly in the spring, he could take his remaining two years of eligibility and play them out at another program.

Separation at receiver. Jordan Shipley isn't participating in spring practice, giving more practice reps to the likes of Malcolm Williams, Brandon Collins, and James Kirkendoll -- the receivers with some game experience. Fighting for the two vacated spots in spring are a variety of players, from a big, outside receiver like Dan Buckner to smaller, inside receivers like DJ Monroe and DeSean Hales.

For the first group, the coaches and fans have a sense of what they provide. Williams may help stretch the field and demand a safety over the top, which wasn't possible last year. That frees up Collins and Kirkendoll on the other side of the field or isolates Williams one-on-one. Ask Tech how that works.

Both Monroe and Hales have the ability to fit into the offense in a versatile way unmatched by the pure receivers. Hales and Monroe could maximize their abilities by occasionally motioning into the backfield to run the option or provide misdirection. The positive about using them as decoys is that it imposes constraint plays on the defense, making them pay for committing serious resources to stopping the passing game.

The Predator unleashed, version 2.0. Prior to the start of the season, Sergio Kindle was a happy football player -- Will Muschamp was about to unleash him. In a moment of brutal honesty with Inside Texas last fall, Kindle admitted that his assignment in high school was, "See ball, hit ball." In his own words, if he was backpedaling, something was really wrong. Taking that lesson to heart, Coach Boom unleashed Kindle as a pass-rushing machine, allowing him to play down hill and finally showcasing the talent that took the expectations for Kindle into the stratosphere when first recruited.

With Brian Orakpo lost to graduation, Kindle will play an even more important role than last season as the best pure pass rusher on the defense. Using the off season to work on his pass rushing technique will only help Kindle, who returned to school to make himself a pile of money by giving NFL scouts a much longer look at his ability to be an impact player in a 3-4 defense.

Wanted: defensive tackle depth. Dominant play along the defensive line allowed the youngsters in the secondary to slowly work themselves into good college football players. That dominant play also kept teams from running the football effectively, making them one-dimensional and much easier to defend. Had the Longhorns not held the middle of the field to the extent they did, the season could well have ended with another loss or two.

Whether or not the Longhorns can come close to controlling the line of scrimmage nearly as effectively will be a decisive factor in the Longhorns stepping onto the Rose Bowl field at the end of the season. Lamarr Houston is the only known commodity along the line, with a group of players like Michael Wilcoxon, Jarvis Humphrey, Kheeston Randall, Calvin Howell, Derek Johnson, and Ben Alexander fighting for spots in the rotation. Early word has Houston playing some zero technique as a nose tackle -- the position played by Roy Miller last season. Coach Boom will expect Houston to command double teams at the nose tackle position and then rely on the other players in the group to win their one-on-one battles.

The undersized Alexander isn't expected to contribute much as a senior, but he could spell Houston at the nose tackle position, as eating space is Alexander's best attribute, perhaps making him a critical component of the plan against Oklahoma State, probably the best running team on the schedule in 2009. Alexander will also likely spell Houston on running downs in the middle.

The question with the freshmen and Kheeston Randall is the ability to play with good pad level to maintain position. All three struggle with their leverage, which could cause significant problems in stopping the running game. The lack of proven depth heightens the value of Lamarr Houston, who is the most indispensable member of the team after Colt McCoy.

It's difficult to overstate how important the play of the defensive line will be in vaulting the Longhorns to the Rose Bowl in 2009. With the narrative setting up perfectly for Colt McCoy's senior season, losing a chance at the national championship game because of difficulties getting to the quarterback or stopping the run would be absolutely devastating. Time for some guys to step up.

Mr. Versatility. I wrote about the open competition at the tight end position until Blaine Irby comes back and the name that stands out is freshman Barrett Matthews, who is not enrolled this spring. Even though he won't participate in spring practice, what makes Matthews appealing and worth talking about is his ability to play multiple positions -- fullback, tight end, and h-back. Cue Mack Brown:

He has the ability to stretch the field and catch. But he's also a very good blocker. Very tough. Since fullbacks are so hard to find, we're really looking at finding the person that can play both.

With Texas focusing on a more power-based running game, particularly late when trying to kill the clock, Matthews figures to play a prominent role. Mack Brown is committed to running more plays from under center and incorporating the fullback, not only in an effort to become a more physical team, but also to take advantage of the skills of Vondrell McGee and Chris Whaley. Matthews helps make a lot of that happen because he becomes a match up nightmare in a base package. Part of playing with increased tempo relies on being able to gain yards with your base personnel to keep the defense from being able to substitute.

None of the other tight ends have the versatility to keep the scheme multiple -- that's why Greg Smith kills me. No ability to provide multiplicity for the scheme. Just the back up center running into the flat or failing to play the tackle position adequately. See Texas Tech game. Because he's not a tackle. Or a tight end. I digress.

Since teams will continue to blitz the Longhorns, pass protection from the running backs remains as crucial as it was last season. Without OG, another player must step forward. The coaches like Tre' Newton because he has experience playing a similar role to OG, which means that he could be used when the Longhorns want to accelerate tempo and show some 0 personnel looks. Newton has also drawn raves from coaches about his ability to pick up the blitz -- something McGee has struggled with despite spending three years in the program.

With the lead, using Matthews as a fullback, h-back, or splitting him out wide as a receiver creates match-up problems for the defense and allows Texas to become a physical football team that still has some explosiveness. When Matthews plays h-back, I would love to see the Longhorns run the shovel triple option that Florida uses to get the big guy the ball and let him run some people over. Known as a player with the nasty streak every blocker needs, giving Matthews the ball would only increase his aggressiveness and possibly provide the team with a strong emotional lift, too.