Friday Night Countdown – Promo Video
https://www.facebook.com/TexasSportsMonthly/videos/187527141936669/
Author: Russell Dowden
Longhorns Improve in 2018
The Longhorns will have a chance to play for a Big 12 Championship this season and possibly boast a 9-2 Record overall. At least that is the hope for this Texas Fan. But, the Horns will be better by a few wins this year due to an improved offense and a defense that is young and building a foundation. As Hunter Cooke pointed out the other day on this site, the Big 12 is the weakest conference out of the Power 5 in 2018.
Herman’s young team needs to improve on the offensive side of the ball this year if they are to get to double digit wins and his pair of young QBs will have to settle down sand have some composure in the pocket for this to happen this fall. The Texas class this spring was #3 in the nation and Herman’s quote from national signing day gave hope for the fan base on the 40 acres.
Key Quote: “There’s going to be a lot of competition on the defensive side. On both sides of the ball really. But I think we all can see, whoa, that side of the ball just got real in a hurry,” Herman said of the defensive outlook on National Signing Day. “To sign the three best safeties in the country (Caden Sterns and B.J. Foster), as well as what we think are the two best corners in the country, Jalen Green and D’Shawn Jamison, then the two best defensive tackles in the state in Moro Ojomo and Keondre Coburn, then the best pass-rusher in the state with Joseph Ossai, then Mike Williams and Daniel Carson as well.”
The defense led by Todd Orlando should be the a nice surprise in 2018. Brandon Jones is a big factor since the loss of DeShon Elliot to the NFL. DBU boast seniors Davante Davis, PJ Locke , & Kris Boyd, along with a several freshman defensive backs in Jalen Green, Anthony Cook, and Caden Sterns, along with Turner Symonds & BJ Foster. While we are optimistic this year after Herman’s first season going 7-6 with a bowl win, Horns fans are hungry for more than a mediocre season after some hard years under Charlie Strong. We think that the record will vastly improve this season and the record in 2018 will go up a few wins.
Our prediction is that Herman’s sophomore year will earn a few more wins in 2018 and gain back fans loyalty at Texas. The Horns should improve to a 9-2 record based on conference strength and a better looking offense and a young defense with several players returning.
Hook Em!
Longhorns Gearing up for Maryland
Despite much of the headlines on Maryland following the recent death of offensive lineman Jordan McNair. Practice sessions have been shortened to less than two hours, with time for breaks. “The focus of our player’s health and safety is No. 1, and our players are feeling that and understanding that,” Canada said before leading the team onto the field.
Back home here in Austin Texas freshmen Ayodele Adeoye and DeMarvion Overshown will not play against Maryland as both players are diagnosis with respective knee injuries, UT trainers announced Wednesday. Both these injures will slow the linebacker spot for the Horns this week, even though Overshown is listed as defensive back he’s been practicing the LB position.
It is still unclear if these Freshman will perform against Maryland two and a half weeks from today.
Coach Dodge Reloads Chaps 2018
TSM: I know as a coach, you all like taking it one game at a time, but how sweet would it be to bring Westlake its first state championship since Drew Brees was quarterbacking back in 1996?
Coach Dodge: Oh gosh, it would be awesome. It would be something that obviously this entire student body would carry for the rest of their lives, not only the football team. We were basically 15 seconds away two years ago and that was a heartbreaker. To miss a field goal to win it with about 15 seconds left in the game, that’s how close we were to getting the second one. But now you got to start all over again. But it absolutely would be a thrill and something we’re always striving for. Our goals our to win a district championship, and then to be playing Thanksgiving. That means you made it to the final 16 in the state, and once you get there, you can really just let everything fly and see if you can’t go make a run at it.
What can you say about the job Eanes Independent School District does in giving you the resources you need to run a successful high school football program?
I think that we get everything that we need, between our budget from our school district and obviously the great facilities that we have. Our school district has really dedicated itself to turf fields. That’s a big plus. We have four 100-yard turf fields on campus, so that’s a real benefit to us, all of our sports. And then we got a tremendous booster club, a lot of hard-working parents that really support us. I’m very, very pleased.
Rivalries are one of the funnest aspects of sports. Y’all got a pretty good one with this Westlake/Lake Travis deal, which many consider the biggest game in Central Texas. What are the benefits of having a rival like Lake Travis?
Oh, I just think it’s just special for high school football players in schools. It’s part of the whole high school experience. I mean, I think everybody can remember back to their high school days what the big rival was. It’s just part of the great history of Texas High School football. There’s always a lot of memories that are surrounding those, so I think it’s really good for the kids.
How do you feel about what y’all return on offense going into the season?
Well, right now I have a lot of confidence in our four returning starters on our offensive line, so we got some guys up there, and that’s not the norm. You usually don’t have that many coming back in an offensive line, and then, obviously, our running back, Nakia Watson, those are the proven factors in our offense. Everybody else, all the other skill position people, I’ve really been pleased and excited about what this group can be. We’re just really, really young and inexperienced in a lot of places. We’re not alone. There’s a whole lot of people who are like that, but I’m very, very optimistic about our young receiving core.
How do you feel about the state of the defense with the season-opener right around the corner?
That’s got to be the strength of our team right now, is our defense, because of all of the veterans that we have on that side of the ball. We got seven bonafide returning starters. We got probably four or five other guys that have played quite a bit. So that’s really, really going to have to be our strength. We expect our defense to play well. We’ve played really good defense since we’ve been here, and we expect for it to continue.
If you could challenge Coach Carter to a game of anything not football-related for a charity of your choice, what game would you choose and what charity would you like the funds donated to?
I would challenge him to a game of washers. Either washers or horseshoes, either one. The charity that I would send the money to would be the Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Austin, that organization. I think that’s awesome to be mentors for young kids.
Why we like Sam OVER Shane!
When it comes down to the big question, who will start at quarterback for Texas, the answer is as clear as day. It’s Sam Ehlinger, full stop.
Look, Shane Buechele isn’t a bad guy, or even a bad quarterback. Tom Herman is in a great position here, he has to pick between two solid quarterbacks.
Sam is more than a statline, but his statline is great. He threw for 380 yards on a Bill Snyder coached Kansas State team. That doesn’t happen every day. And in the same game, he rushed for 107 yards, and had a highlight moment truck of a K-State DB.
He nearly led the Longhorns to victory in overtime against USC, and he finally accomplished the overtime win. Statistically, by wins and losses, Ehlinger leads Buechele on the season, 2-1 vs. 1-2.
It’s not merely a statline though…Ehlinger has “it”.
It’s the it you talk about with a capital I, the it that stands for pure moxie, swagger, whatever you want to call it. He’s simply a leader on the field, in a way that comes naturally. With Shane Buechele at the helm, it feels possible that Texas comes back. With Sam Ehlinger leading the charge, it feels inevitable that Texas returns to glory.
And that’s all it will take, is time. The Longhorns are insanely young, the two young men we’re talking about aren’t juniors yet.
It’s not a hard call for Herman. You play the hot hand, the guy that gives you the best chance to win, the chance to finally make it back to the limelight. That man is Sam Ehlinger, and he’ll prove it time and time again.
The Longhorns have Oklahoma next, and if Sam Ehlinger doesn’t trot out to take the first snap, it’ll be a colossal mistake on Herman’s part. He’s got the stats and he’s got the guts. The only thing missing is the go-ahead from the boss.
What did the USC game teach us about Tom Herman’s Young team?
What did the USC game teach us about Tom Herman’s Young team?
By Hunter Cooke
Texas very nearly pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the season when they traveled to USC and lost to the Trojans in double overtime. With everything that went on, what did we learn about this Texas team?
They have a good situation at quarterback – Tom Herman has a good decision ahead of him. Does he start Sam Ehlinger, the young freshman who dazzled in California? Or, does he go with the veteran, Shane Buechele, who was solid for them last season?
It’s a good problem to have, even if he makes the wrong call he knows he has a quarterback that can fill in adequately. Herman just has to make sure he doesn’t platoon them, he’ll need to clearly define those roles, and know that he can change it if things go south.
Todd Orlando’s defense is for real – Orlando’s defense fought hard against Sam Darnold and the Trojans. They had some very impressive plays against USC, and it started with the resurgence of Malik Jefferson, the wunderkind linebacker.
Texas has long had the talent to compete on a national level, but that talent has finally metastasized into a team, something that has long been missing on the 40 Acres. Texas will still have to play Baker Mayfield and Mason Rudolph, so there’s a major chance that they can steal a few games here and there if this defense can keep the pace they’re on.
Collin Johnson can absolutely ball – Texas desperately needs to start force-feeding Johnson the ball, because he can do incredible things when he actually gets his hands on it. The sophomore is on track to have a breakout season, and there’s little doubt in anyone’s mind that he can do serious damage in the open field.
Give him the ball more, Tim Beck, and do it sooner rather than later.
TEXAS vs. USC – ROUND II
Texas fought valiantly but fell short in a 27-24 (2OT) loss to No. 4 USC at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA on Sept. 16. Head coach Tom Herman said he doesn’t believe in moral victories, but there are positives to take from the Longhorns going on the road and almost beating the highly-ranked Trojans.
The defense played lights out. No, they couldn’t seal the deal when USC was down by three with the ball at its own 35 and 39 second left, but this game never would’ve got to that point if it wasn’t for a phenomenal effort by the unit as a whole. USC running backs Roland Jones II and Stephen Carr managed only 75 yards on 27 carries (2.8 avg.) after going for 235 yards on 34 carries (6.9) the week before against a Stanford defense that has long had a reputation as one of the best run-stuffing units in the country.
The Longhorns did a great job at plugging gaps and setting the edge, making it impossible for the Trojans to establish a ground game and leaving their offense completely one-dimensional. Todd Orlando’s crew stepped up with three 4th down stops, including a 4th & inches at the goal line, and even scored a defensive touchdown when junior Dashon Elliot intercepted a tipped pass and took it to the house. Linebackers Malik Jefferson and Anthony Wheeler combined for 23 tackles and 5.5 for a loss.
Sophomore wide receiver Collin Johnson showed up in a big way. The 6-foot-6 California-native repeatedly made big plays and ended up with seven grabs for 191 yards. On Texas’s first offensive snap, Johnson shoved down the cornerback giving him press coverage and hauled in a pass down the right sideline for a 48-yard gain. He also made a spectacular catch late in the first half by going practically through the cornerback to catch a ball thrown behind him.
There was also a diving grab for 24 yards early in the third quarter to help set up Texas’s lone field goal, and 47-yarder on the Longhorn’s final drive of regulation that led to the go-ahead touchdown. Johnson accounted for more than half of UT’s total yardage, and for parts of the game was all Texas had going on offense.
There was one big negative, however, that could have giant ramifications on the rest of the season. That was the injury to junior left tackle Connor Williams, who reportedly tore his meniscus and will be out for a significant amount of time. Williams was a preseason All-American who many scouts had already tabbed as a top-10 NFL draft pick. Without him in the lineup, it’s going to me much harder for Texas to get the pass protection and run blocking it needs to keep up in high-scoring Big 12.
Should the Big 12 be concerned about the Longhorns?
Should the Big 12 be concerned about the Longhorns
By Hunter Cooke
The Texas Longhorns just put on a show and a half against USC.
No one in the nation outside of the most brutal homers thought the ‘Horns could pull off the victory, and they took the Trojans, who are still ranked in the top 5.
So, the Longhorns had an embarrassing opening loss, a solid blowout win, and looked much improved in another loss. The question remains — what should the Big 12 at large make of this resurgent Longhorn team?
The answer isn’t easy, and it’s multifaceted. Yes, the Longhorns looked improved, but they’re not back on top yet, not by a longshot. However, the rest of the Big 12 isn’t exactly dominant, in fact, most of them look extremely vulnerable.
Baylor still hasn’t won a game yet, and will probably lose to Oklahoma. Kansas is doing normal Kansas things. Iowa State looks improved, but is still at the bottom. Texas Tech has found a defense somehow, but it’s still not a great one, and might not even be a good one. Kansas State is looking vulnerable after a loss to Vanderbilt. Oklahoma State still has yet to play anyone, TCU struggled a tad against SMU, only Oklahoma has proven themselves as dominant in this conference so far.
Texas will have their shot to beat all of those teams and more. It’s all about how many of these shots they can pull off. If their defense plays like it did against the Trojans, this is easily a team that can win a bowl game, if not make some serious waves in the Big 12. Texas isn’t completely and totally back, and it might not ever be back to the level it was from 2005-2010.
They’ll still win some games, though. Should the Big 12 be worried? Some teams should. Should Texas celebrate finally having a team that can compete with anyone? Yes, absolutely.
