Fall Camp 2022

I assume he saw the writing on the depth chart's wall.

 

At least we have one now

 

McNeese State? He isn't mobile enough to play in Sam Houston's offense, but he could room there with BJ.

 

I kept waiting with high hopes for him to make a move. Good luck to him on where he lands.

 

I’d sorta like to watch games Manning style with football fans. But I’d probably end up whipping too much ***.

The narratives that people talk themselves into amaze me. Our Oline sucks but somehow Ewers is going to throw it 80 yards to Worthy. That really opens up the offense cause Card can only heave it 65 yards. C. Jones does some good work but that’s all ignored because of the one cluster a game. That dude moves people. We haven’t had many of those in years. Freshman next to Freshman next to Freshmsn is risking it so your best hope Jones is ready.

If Ewers mid range game is terrible, they’ll take away the long game. But Sark will find him some easy intermediate throws so I don’t anticipate that being an issue. And if Bijan is better this year, look out. You know what’ll open the playbook? Knowing where to go with the ball and when.

The number one key to the defense is the DBs making plays when they’re there. No group missed opportunities for negative plays or short gains that turned into big plays than this group. Then it’s maintaining discipline. I list those first because they are the most easily correctable. A pass rush would be great though.

The more I watch, the more the Jaylan Ford hype is ********. But he’s young with some skills so maybe we’ll get some confirmation bias this fall.

 

Good post.
Im not sure but I think a lot of the JFord hype is more just hoping/praying/wishing based on recognition of significance.
I personally will believe it when I see it.
I do fully expect Tucker Dorsey and 0 to do some wrecking though...and we'll see if Gbenda and Ford have grown.

I do think most on here put Ewers potential and oline play together and realize one will absolutely affect the other. I want to see him prove he can use that quick release in heavy traffic and still be accurate (ala Joe Burrow) if needed.

Not sure about Jones...Seems like he may be better on run downs or 50/50 downs than obvious passing downs??
Jury still out in my opinion. Hope you are right and warrant for concern has been exaggerated. We need protection on the right edge while the QB and other inexperienced lineman (Banks, Campbell/Williams, etc) grow.

I, for one, will be cheering them all

 

Sorry to hear it didn't work out for him. He had that nasty injury his high school senior year.

 

He was one I was really excited about after he committed. Hope he lands somewhere at this late stage.

 

This is probably my source of frustration because it is not for too many. That’s historically the case too. Card, Jones, Brockermeyer. Just on last years team, but there are always scapegoats. I mean Card got less than two games to prove himself. Not sure why, but this past year I’ve been very curious on how certain things have played out so I’ve watched every game at least twice, fast forwarding and rewinding certain things to see what’s happening.

There is no doubt Jones is better in the run game. He does hold his own often in the passing game, but it’s also rough at times. It does seem as though many would rather see him fail than succeed. I’m quite the opposite. You **** on him; I want him to whip ***.

On the LBs, it’s never been worse with respect to hatred for one and kiss *** of the other. Ford may be good, but he’s done little to prove that. Yet it’s gospel he showed improvement and is way better than Brock. If you ignored the jerseys and focused on the play results, there are many times you couldn’t tell which was each player. I know there are gradings out there in the pass game that reflect poorly on particularly Brock. I’ll reserve complete judgment, but I’m sincerely interested to understand how that is possible based on what I’ve watched.

And in actuality, and I will stand by it, that the Dline and DBs did such a poor job that we really don’t know what we have at LB. Probably none of them rank as physical but Brock makes an effort to take on blockers better than the others. All of them have to engage quite often. There are limited efforts to double our guys upfront yet we make few plays from those guys. And again the DBs were not effective at cleaning up or making plays when available. Or even allowing the LBers an extra half step to get there.

There are some oddities in LBer pass defense, but there’s more potential in this group than we’ve ever had. I think that’d show more if there’s a pass rush.

Ultimately, I’m more positive on the D than most. I think year 2 in the system will do wonders. If Ovie steps it up, it’ll be huge. Jamison can be huge. People will kiss Fords *** and less so Cook.

If you are ever inspired to watch some replays of last years good times, I’d suggest the 4th and 6 play versus BU. We’re up 21-10 getting laterish in the 3rd. Bu ball. Slant/inside route to Snead I think. Easy, easy completion. It appears for all intents and purposes that Cook was horrible. But if you watch Foster, he looks pissed at Ford. Enough to make you wonder who made it so easy for BU. It very well could be Cook thought Ford had the inside. An incredibly important play. There are two others in which i believe Ford made a terrible instinctive decision. Game changing plays in critical junctures that if he makes the right decision, he’s there to make the play or cause the QB to go elsewhere. Then watch the backside route Ovie takes on BUs long TD run. It wasn’t a read option. It was a toss and watch his path. Neither of these plays were physical issues. Again, year 2 should reasonably restrict so many mental failings.

I enjoy the game and am truly curious about what others see. Also curious on responsibilities and who’s freelancing, which of course we won’t know.

 

In case anyone missed it, Sark said in his recent presser that JT Sanders has the best hands on the team, “better than Bijan, Worthy or Whittington.” Wow.

I’m wondering if they will play mostly a 12 package against Bama, and have the tight ends chip their two projected first round OLBs. My guess is that Sanders — who said that he loves to block, and perhaps Helm — have been prepping for that assignment.

 

That’s part of versatility. Options. We didn’t do that much last year. But Sanders may be my number 1 to take this offense to another level.

Seems Sark was a bit like Herman and leaving his TE on the field to dictate some defensive personnel. Sanders presents a more favorable matchup than last years guys.

Bet we have quite a bit of quick hitting stuff to keep those guys from pinning ears back. Add some chipping on the edge would be great.

 

YW,

Are you thinking that we have seen the last of the double TE in the slot and trapping the DE that the OT couldn't handle? I rather like the formation even though having to use two TEs to trap what one good guard or OT would normally be able to do showed why we were 5-7 last year.

 

I prefer a 3 TE set so the options are simple for a young QB:
1. Bijan
2. Worthy
3. JTS

 

Sanders real value will be when he flexes into the slot as an H-back. That will take one LB or Safety out of the play and either create a lane for Bijan or RoJo or cross Worthy/Whit downfield.

 

I would think any good OC would use any and options at his disposal. That would include personnel groupings, formations and play calls. I think we are incredibly well suited for that. Based on his profile Sanders can be a mismatch for defense - inline or split out. I just found a little humor last year because I thought Brewer split out or flexed out more than I’d like. It was annoying to see when Herman did it on 3rd and long. If you have a TE that can block and run, that’s a great option because it can help dictate personnel groupings. That’s one thing that made Gronk so good. He could split out but he was so damn big that he’d just body single coverage out of the way. Brewer couldn’t. Sanders may not be as big bodied as Gronk but maybe he’s faster and big bodied as well. And he seemed to be a natural pass catcher. Billingsley is more a Jermichael Finley type and I fear a liability as a blocker. Then Helm is tbd but theoretically part blocker, part pass catcher. I feel we’re upgraded at TE. That’s a lot of versatility with some upside.

I didn’t feel we gave much TE help to the OTs last year, but I’m all for it on occasion. And chipping from the RBs too. One of the oddities last year was that our sack rate ranked significantly worse on standard downs versus passing downs, like 100s versus 49th in the country. So that provides hope. And with that hope, I would not fully dedicate a TE to helping the OTs. I’d also say that the Big 12 featured as good pass rushers as any conference/teams outside of Michigan and Alabama.

If we can use our weapons to put the defense on their heels, that to me would be most effective in slowing down the rush. At least two of our starting wideouts are threats with the ball in their hands. We are very capable at the RB spot. If Cain or Thompson or Milton are good players, then wow.

As of right now, what sticks out in my mind is our TEs getting beaten versus Baylor. But that’s probably not a fair as 2-3 plays is not a fair assessment. Obviously Baylor is good but I also thought that extra TE meant an extra defender in the box. Last year, it reduced the threat of a pass, which wasn’t necessarily a positive.

It’ll be interesting what we do versus Bama. I’d be surprised if Sark doesn’t have some creative plays and create some great opportunities. Last year one of my disappointments in the offense was the TE usage in the pass game. Not that they were great threats, but we could have better used them to help steal some first downs when we’d hit those walls. I suspect we’ll see that more this year whether it be single or multiple TE sets.

The offense could be an awesome show. We shall see.

 

Ethan Burke ready to make a big splash this fall

​

Among the newest emergences for the Texas football program throughout fall camp is... true freshman edge rusher Ethan Burke. This former underrated three-star recruit and towering 6-foot-7 and 240-pound edge rusher is making an impression on the coaching staff of late.

The first thing... to notice about Burke is his natural size at the edge rusher position. That long wingspan and 6-foot-7 frame give Burke some pretty insane NFL-caliber measurables.

A limiting factor for Burke... is the fact that he still sits shy of 250 pounds. For Burke to really maximize his length and efficiency moving in tight spaces, it feels like he needs to add more muscle mass to his frame.

But Burke is apparently proving us wrong of late in fall camp, as he’s still effectively getting after the quarterback in pass-rushing drills and the fall scrimmages in the last two weekends. In fact, he’s moved all the way up to getting second-team reps as of the latest scrimmage.

....[W]hat separates Burke from both Oghoufo and Finkley is his ability to efficiently move through tight spaces at the point of attack if he’s rushing the passer. Burke obviously has long strides, but what makes his physical tools special in this regard is how agile he is off the edge.

Burke effectively uses his smaller weight to his advantage at times as he’s able to quickly maneuver around some of the slower blockers he’s matched up with when rushing the passer.

And where Burke lacks for weight setting the edge when defending the run, he’s able to use his length and underrated lateral agility to still find the ball carrier and initiate contact.

The quick feet and dodging skills that Burke developed as a lacrosse star at [Austin] Westlake should translate well for him off the edge.

[More at Hook'Em]

 

I kind of figured Burke was a throw-in to try to get Vasek to switch from OU, but he really reminds me of Alex Okafor in how he played in HS. Lanky but not out-of-control. Always disrupting, whether near the QB or not. We could use a few more guys like that.

 

[QUOTE="Godz40acres, post: 1942462, member: 20075]

Ethan Burke ready to make a big splash this fall

​

But Burke is apparently proving us wrong of late in fall camp, as he’s still effectively getting after the quarterback in pass-rushing drills and the fall scrimmages in the last two weekends. In fact, he’s moved all the way up to getting second-team reps as of the latest scrimmage.

....[W]hat separates Burke from both Oghoufo and Finkley is his ability to efficiently move through tight spaces at the point of attack if he’s rushing the passer. Burke obviously has long strides, but what makes his physical tools special in this regard is how agile he is off the edge.

Burke effectively uses his smaller weight to his advantage at times as he’s able to quickly maneuver around some of the slower blockers he’s matched up with when rushing the passer.


The quick feet and dodging skills that Burke developed as a lacrosse star at [Austin] Westlake should translate well for him off the edge.

[More at Hook'Em][/QUOTE]
In that 4-second clip, you can completely evaluate Westlake football—watch every Westlake player compared to every player on the other team.

 

The most irritating part last year was when the offense needed first downs to rest the defense in late 3rd quarter and early 4th quarter. Stupid play calling and as you said no use of the TE to get 1-2 first downs. It was ALL GAS play calling when we hadn’t left the parking lot yet.

 

“Slower blockers” on our line is not encouraging.

 

This^^^^^^^^^!!
Lost count of the # of times the O flopped at key junctures of both first and second halves when we had a chance to solidify chances to win...and put the D in tight spots. I think Sark...in his defense...in his first year w the team... had a hard time identifying what our strengths were and what he could go to in those moments. I expect we will see a greater definition of our personality and strengths as a team this year and his ability to call them up when needed.
There were others, but the OSU and BU games we were in very good positions and looked like favorable positions to win only to see the offense really have some terrible stretches that flipped the games...and the season.
On the other hand, you might say the season got flipped when the D (+ special teams muff to be fair) decided to allow ou a historic comeback. But the offense did their part to torpedo the season much in the manner you described.

 

Actually it was mostly FALSE START...HOLDING...SACKED.
We consistently turned second and 3 into second and 8 or 13.
This really affects your game plan and play calling.
We need more disciplined play.

 

Agree. Or mix a little wildcat. A few more jet sweeps (think WVU as we couldn’t get a first to start the game but if I remember correctly we used one to get a nice gain) I can’t help but think one first down to jump start a drive gets it going again.

 

Duvernay minus the speed

 

OU game. They made some great plays. They got some calls/non-calls. The offense missed out on some chances too. Two very near misses on turnovers.

OSU. Pick 6. Two drives for OSU got points due to penalties on drive extenders. One was absolute *********. They scored their 25th point with less than 5 minutes to go.

BU. We could have been up 35-10. Awful throw to Worthy. Moore dropped TD. If that happens does BU change their game plan?

We could and should have been up 14-3 in the 2nd half versus ISU. I think emotions got us for the next 2.5 games.

If you don’t see hope in the defense for that, well, you’re choosing not to do so.

 

We didn't pick up a single first down the rest of the OK State game after we went up 24-13. Casey's thumb was a pass down culprit, but the line wasn't exactly providing run lanes like it had been before the big TD that Bijan got.

Started the WVU game with 5 straight 3-and-outs.

 

All true. OSUs run defense was very good so they likely adjusted but then we couldn’t beat them with the pass. I don’t remember the exact timing of the play, but Worthy missed a block that could have been a huge run. It got nothing. So there were quite a few instances in which the poor blocking was not Oline related.

So many different huge plays last year were the result of one guy missing. And it was often a different guy each subsequent play. That’s both offense and defense.

That’s one reason I’m very hopeful this year.

 

OL
If you are playing a true freshman on the OL, you've got a serious problem no matter how well that freshman played against high schoolers the year before. If you are playing multiple freshman, your OL sucks bad, period. Like Your Wrong, I am hoping Christian Jones made some miraculous development in the off-season. Our OL sucked last year and we lost Kerstetter and Okafor, arguably our 2 best OL last year. NONE of the younger guys who the coaches practically begged to take over a starting position were even near as good as the guys in front of them, who made up our bad OL. Kajrec (sp) just got beat out by a true frosh, Banks, who just got there in June. Andre, not trying to dog you, bro, but after 3 years in the system we need you to step it up and beat out a guy who just attended his senior prom a couple months ago because that dude needs a year or two before he can compete against the Dallas Turners and Will Anderson's of the college football world. Losing Jr was huge, and all the more reason we should have brought in portal help in the offseason - se la vie on that. Sark's O proved they could score points fast last year through the air, even with a crappy OL. I hated to see Bijan getting the crap beat out of him almost every play last year. Most plays he was avoiding or breaking a tackle of a defender in the backfield. Very few actual holes for him to run thru all year. But, that said, if Ewers can deliver the ball really fast to WRs who can get separation (why Neyor's injury is such a big deal), its been proven we can get production before the opposing DC makes adjustments. We couldn't hold on in the 2nd halves of games last year once those adjustments were made, nor make our own adjustments (or have the firepower to be able to) to win many of them and we were not equal with our OL (nor our DL) to be able to play zero sum to hold on.

I am hoping for a miracle season, but I think its a lot just as or more likely we all are going to need to buckle up for another rough ride.