Glass Half Full.....

When the season began, I thought we would beat Maryland, but lose to USC, OU and OSU. I thought Kansas State was iffy, based on history.

So, I thought we would be 4-3 or 3-4 at this point.

We are.

After Maryland, I felt like we had made no progress...and that USC, OU and OSU would score 50 apiece on us....and that KSU was a definite loss.

and that was BEFORE we lost our 2-deep offensive line.

Well...we are 3-4...where I thought we would be. But, it does not FEEL like 3-4. We lost to three top 12 teams by a total of 11 points. Two of those games in OT, and all three were winnable. I believed we would lose those three games, but I never believed they would ever be winnable.

The attitude of this team has turned. No longer are we out of every game. No longer are teams hanging 50 on us (excluding an odd Maryland game).

Last year, I believed we would get beat by a good high school team. This year, I believe we can beat anyone. We are a few plays from being 6-1. THAT is an improvement.

We are on the right track. With our starting line, we could be 6-1 or 5-2. Injuries are an issue. No an excuse.

This team is laying the foundation.

Hook em

 

Well said. I'm pretty much on the same page as you. The culture has changed around the program, and while it hasn't resulted in the wins we all want to see yet, I fully believe we are on the right track.

 

As another thread opined, yesterday felt like a kick in the balls, but I agree. I feel much better moving forward than I ever did the past three seasons.

"We lost to three top 12 teams" will need to be adjusted after the beating ND gave USC last night, but I agree, we are on the right rack, IMO.

 

I would have agreed steve at the beginning of the season. In fact, my prediction was 7-6. However, after seeing the total turnaround of the defense expectations should have been raised, but we've been held back by the total incompetence of the offense.

I really like what Tom has brought in toughness, never giving up and effort, but no one can deny some of his in game decisions have cost us a couple of games. Yes, it's good to know we're finally headed in the right direction, but how far can we go when our coach is still learning on the job?

 

Hard to judge coaching when decisions are made own the fly due to losing your entire offensive line.

Let's see next year how he does with his true starting O-Line

 

Good post. Herman has said he is building a program and I like to think he can and will do it well

 

There is merit to what you say, no question. I think my dissatisfaction is that our defense has kept us in all the games except Maryland and that We could have and should have beaten usc and osu.

And that TH's decisions about going for it on 4th downs rather than attempt field goals, a couple of personnel decision errors, imho; and Beck's inability to create offense (even with injuries, we should have scored more than 10 against osu) cost us those games.

It turns out that the cake was better baked than some thought when Herman got here. But he and Beck haven't demonstrated that they know how to ice the cake when its right in front of them.

 

Interesting isn't it ...

One guy doesn't get supported with the staff he wanted & was available ... result was turnover with secondary/tertiary selections and ... the result of that was ... mediocrity at best ... and then a buyout barely half-way through the first contract.

Next guy gets the staff he wants ... to every position if I understood correctly ...

result ... well on our way to another 6-7 year. Will he get more than barely half of his contract?

I wanna be a Tom Herman guy ... and if the results are there, I will be.

Also interesting ... my "feelings" about moving forward go back farther than 3 years ... but before someone throws-down that horse whipping emoji on me ...

 

If Herman has 3 consecutive 6 win seasons, he will be shown the door too. I have no doubts.

 

If that's true then why offer a contract of longer duration? Is there no limit to the money UT will throw at people to accept a job as HC? Why not make it a 10 year contract?

I am also cautiously optimistic about the direction as the OP says .... it'd be nice if we could acknowledge TH didn't enter the same circle as CS and avoid castigating the guy. CS's circle was WAY tighter. Perhaps we might even acknowledge CS's effort has greatly aided TH ... but that might require another plate of crow.

We acted poorly in our business deal with Strong and that will never change.

If Herman is bought-off in a 3rd year of similar performance ... it will be evident we haven't improved in our dealings either.

 

2018 verbal

 

At the end of the day W-L is all that matters

 

To recruits?

 

No that was coach directed if it was all abut wins to recruits man I would think we really have been paying guys the last few years under Charlie

 

In year three I would agree but the changes in the program we are all seeing transcend just wins and losses.

 

At 3-4 I don’t see many changes sorry I don’t get me wrong I see better defense but I’m not ready to commit to a change until we get more than 5 wins. I think we get 6 possibly 7 depending on our bowl match up and that will be change for me.

 

I don't see a lot of changes either. It's not like we were getting blown out last year.

 

Maybe you should respond to his post and tell him that.

 

Who Ingram???? If so naw I don’t tweet or follow recruits I don’t even think we are allowed to as far as foundation members but I could be wrong on that but as far as Tweeting it to Herman I’m sure he knows that already. He wouldn’t have this job if that was the case

 

My point was that I would think you'd be thrilled that a commit of ours is NOT just looking at wins and losses, but sees improvement and still wants to be a part of it. Maybe he's not our kind of player? Maybe his priorities are out of whack and he'll come in here and not be a real winner because he doesn't care about wins and losses?

 

Agreed that’s why when joe asked me who it was directed to I said coach.

 

Hardly. There is no one on the offensive side of the ball that impresses or even makes me think CS knew a damn thing, except for Sam, only CS did not recruit Sam, Sam recruited Sam. The O-line is horribly awful, historically so, is that part of the baked cake you are talking about? If so then CS mistook salt for sugar.

 

This thread has many twists and turns, but in 2017 it sure appears Texas is a much better coached and more disciplined team than in 2016. I would be absolutely shocked to see us give up the last 3 games at least like we did last year. This team is hungry and plays with passion and effort we have not seen since Mack Brown was in his prime. I think TH is a great recruiter and motivator. He may not be the greatest X and O's coach, neither was Mack Brown. Once he gets two recruiting cycles on the field and I mean full recruiting cycles so this year does not count. This team should be competing heavily for the Big 12 title every year. He has no offensive line right now, he can do nothing about that until Conner Williams comes back. He will build back missing depth at that position in 18' and 19'. We will be a smashmouth football team as OSU was and to some degree UH in Conference USA.

Even Nick Saban went 7-5 in 2007, his first year at Alabama. Tom Herman will grow up to be a great coach. I have been around this game long enough to know a good one, and TH appears very much to be a rising star. Look how young he is. Treat him well, we will be rewarded for years to come. BTW, Charlie Strong was a good coach as well. I just don't think Texas was a good fit for him. He should not have taken this job and we should have kept Mack Brown back then. I know, hindsight. Anyway, I lived through the 80's and early 90's drought and I believe this one will be much shorter lived.

 

My thoughts exactly.

 

247 is saying Herman is moving the wr coach ( didn’t feel like googling the proper spelling of his name ) into the booth to help beck with calls

 

Well said AC I'm still excited about this team and Tom Herman.

 

I am so tired of losing.

 

I am talking primarily about the defense which is stocked with very decent talent and Orlando knows how to use it. He's coached them into top ten play.
On offense the O line that CS had the first year was also poorly stocked, horrible in fact after our starting center went down about the same time Ash went down in the first game never to return. O lines are about the same now as in CS's first year. But the other positions and the defense are clearly better.

Just saying that with Shane and Sam are better at QB now, the receivers are much better and the running backs are comparable.

And the coaches on defense are miles better now. Orlando is icing the cake very well thank you.

I think Beck is clueless about how to get the best from what he now has. And TH's in game decisions are questionable, at best. Beck doesn't know how to ice a cake. TH is an improvement over CS, no question. But the refusal to kick field goals has hurt us, imho opinion. So TH's jury is still out re: icing the cake. If he were a great cake icer, we would have won one of the three games we've lost since Maryland.

 

I don’t think we can blame Charlie for the line, we have a lot of injuries and a few guys transfer that happened after he left. It all starts up front and even with that patch work line we were still in position to win at minimum 2 more games though I see us easily being 6-1 with a better kicker. Terrible play calls and mistakes turned an upset into an upsetting ending.