All I know about Texas Football
Pushing People Around
For years on his Austin talk radio show Jeff Ward former all American kicker for the Longhorns lectured listeners that football wasn’t about scheme as much as it was about pushing around your opponent. If you couldn’t do that, it didn’t matter what schemes you ran offensively or defensively.
This year Texas has the worst offensive line I can remember dating back to 1974 when I first watched most if not all the games each season. Couple that with a defensive line that is as bad as any of the historically bad defensive lines Texas has had over the past seven or eight years, and you have a football team that can’t push around their opponents.
Great Offensive Mind
Before the season started, I bought into the hype about Steve Sarkisian being one of the best offensive minds in football. Going back to point #1, maybe a great offensive mind can’t overcome the inability to push around your opponent. When Sarkisian was at Alabama, its offensive line was very effective at pushing around opponents.
Quarterbacks who are future first-round draft picks (Tua and Mack Jones) and are throwing to future first-round draft pick receivers (Jaylen Waddle and Devonta Smith) might make a lot of offensive coordinators seem like great offensive minds.
Can’t Connect
You do have to give credit to Sarkisian for scheming plays that are getting Texas receivers wide open 30 plus yards down the field. Casey Thompson and Hudson Card have failed to connect with these open receivers time and time again as the season has worn on. Would the Baylor and Iowa State games have turned out differently if Thompson and Card had connected with a wide-open Xavier Worthy for touchdowns? Definitely, maybe.
Rusty?
Obviously, Sarkisian is being outcoached during halftime and second halves during this four-game losing streak. Maybe he’s rusty. He hasn’t been a head coach for a full season since 2014.
The Rebuild
Texas Football has hit a new low with its third head coach in eight seasons. The only reason Steve Sarkisian isn’t about three weeks from being fired is because it’s his first season. Unless Sark and his staff hit it out of the park in recruiting and the transfer portal between now and February, it’s going to be a long couple of years for Sarkisian and Texas Football.
Chris Del Conte, UT Fans, boosters, and administrators need be prepared for a long couple of years. Let’s say the Longhorns finish this year 5-7, 7-6 next year, and 8-5 in 2023. Should UT you give Sarkisian another season? I say yes. Everyone involved has to be realistic about where Texas Football is. Firing a coach every three or four years isn’t the answer. This isn’t a two or three-year rebuild like it was for Alabama with Nick Saben or Oklahoma with Bob Stoops. This year Texas only has two All-Big 12 players, Bijan Robinson and Xavier Worthy. The franchise quarterback probably isn’t on campus yet and the offensive and defensive line require total rebuilds.
Of course, if Dabo Swinney walks through the door in January happy days are here again. Right?
Transfer Portal
Speaking of the transfer portal, why wouldn’t Bijan Robinson consider it?
Bo Davis
Evidently, Texas losing is no big deal not only to me but to some of the players as well. Seems like the last three coaches have been trying to root out that attitude with no success.
Maybe Bo Davis should be promoted from Defensive Line Coach to defensive coordinator or even head coach.
8-Ball
I asked my 8-Ball if Texas would win two of its final three games to qualify for a bowl game. The 8-Ball replied, “Outlook not so good.”
Paraphrasing the great Jimmy Webb, And that’s all I know.
Willie Earl’s Song of the Week
“GATOR!”
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