Search the Community

How many freshmen from Texas 2015 class redshirt. 5 seems to be least amount but no more than 9 barring injury redshirts. This class needs to produce lots of early playing time for basically entire class.

Despite how bad this recruiting season has seemed, maybe it's not quite as bad as everyone thinks. Here's the link: http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/college-sports/headlines/20140127-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-texas-longhorns-ahead-of-signing-day.ece

The score was very close to what many people were predicting but I’m sure this game was played out unlike many had predicted. After and abysmal first half, the Longhorn offense woke up as David Ash rallied the group to a late score on a touchdown pass to a streaking Marquis Goodwin. Though it was ugly in the beginning, this win was important for the Longhorns in order to show improvement from last season and enter the off-season on a positive note. 1. David Ash says “What QB Competition?”: This quarterback has been a guy that has been a roller coaster to watch all season long. He messes with my brain and I don’t like it. Ash has physical tools that allow him to have success at the college level. But the knock on Ash is his inconsistent mentality and confidence. When it’s there, he plays well: Good enough to lead an offense and make plays. But when his mentality and confidence are off then he is way off and plays very poorly. One big positive tonight was how David Ash rallied his team to victory over the Beavers. Tonight he showed that he has the ability to bounce back from a poor performance early in a game. But tonight was also the first time he wasn't benched in favor of Case McCoy. I’ll be very interested to see if Major can connect with Ash and get him rolling in a way Harsin couldn’t. Before tonight’s performance I was confident in saying the Longhorns should have another QB competition to find the guy who can lead the team, complete the passes, and make the plays necessary at the QB position. But now I’m hesitant in saying that. Sure it’s 1 game, but the fact that Ash was able to pick himself up after a poor first half and lead his team late in the game is a big step for the young quarterback. We should also remind ourselves that Ash was just a sophomore in his first year as the full time starter. Of course there would be growing pains for a young QB. Aside from Ash, I also wonder what Mack will want to do. He has been clamoring that this next season is the season his Longhorns will finally have the success they should be having. So with that in mind, will Mack actually risk putting the offense and team in the hands of a new starter? Especially after that starter just won him a bowl game in a come-from-behind victory? Had Ash played poorly tonight I would have thought there was no doubt that there would be a QB competition, but now I’m not so sure. With all of that said, I still think the Longhorns should have another QB competition and at least see what the other guys bring to the table because I think back to the games which Ash struggled in, like against OU, and cringe. I also look around the nation and see young quarterbacks having more success than what Ash has done. But David Ash definitely has the advantage over the other quarterbacks right now, there’s no question about that. 2. Major Applewhite: In his first game calling plays for the Longhorns Major won in Major fashion. He got snubbed early on in the game by the Beavers defense but he didn’t quit and came back and called some great plays in order for his offense to rally and win the game in the end. Whether he had come away with a good game or not, this game should not really be used as an assessment of Applewhite’s offense at all. I liked what I saw in the second half but he will need the entire off-season to really put his influence into the offense and mold it the way he wants it to look like. I’m definitely glad he got the win and am really curious to see if he can connect with Ash in a way Harsin couldn’t. Who knows, maybe Major’s personality is exactly what Ash needs from an offensive coordinator. 3. Marquis Goodwin: I have asked this question hundreds of times this season and not found an answer. Why was Goodwin not a larger part of the offense? (D.J. Monroe and Daje Johnson as well). Tonight Goodwin, the Alamo Bowl Offensive Player of the Game, showcased his skills by scoring a 64-yard touchdown and also had 4 receptions for 68 yards and a game-winning touchdown catch. I cannot figure out why Harsin/Mack did not utilize Goodwin more during the season, but Major figured it out in 1 game and unleashed the Olympian on the Beavers. This is another case of Texas confusing me by not using a player more than I would think they should. Hopefully Major will carry this change into next fall and use Daje Johnson in more ways where Harsin failed to. Great game by Goodwin though, and we will also be seeing him on Sunday’s in some fashion. 4. Where was the running game? Maybe the O-line knows: If you would have only told me the rushing stats for both teams tonight I would have thought Texas had lost this game for sure. Marquis Goodwin led the stats in yardage with his 1 64-yard touchdown run. Behind him David Ash was second with 22 yards and a touchdown off of 7 carries. The running backs totaled 37 yards of 19 carries and 0 touchdowns. Joe Bergeron didn’t even punch one in. I blame this performance largely on the poor play of the offensive line. They struggled to open holes all night. It also didn’t help that Texas was playing from behind for much of the game and had to throw the ball a lot in the second half. But a large reason they were playing from behind is because they couldn’t establish the run early on in the game. The offensive line is another area that needs major work this off-season. It’s great to have a handful of talented running backs and playmakers on offense that can move the chains but they become very handicapped without an offensive line that can block for them, let alone get a push off the line. This is another area of the roster that confuses me. Texas should be able to get the biggest and nastiest linemen in the state of Texas each year. There’s no reason why this group should be playing at this low of a level as a unit. 5. Defense got by but still needs improvement: Tonight the defense played well enough for Texas to win, and luckily the Longhorns got the win. But the performance wasn’t spectacular and they still have a lot to improve upon. If I were the defensive coordinator for the Longhorns my priority would be improving the ability of my unit to stop the run. The interior of the defense has been weak against the run all season long and it’s a big reason why the unit has had its struggles. Storm Woods ran for 118 yards and 2 touchdowns tonight. He deserves credit, but it’s not like Oregon State’s QB was really a threat to throw the ball so I’m frustrated Texas STILL could not stop the run. When teams can move the ball on the ground then it opens up their playbook and allows that team to have good control of the game. I think players will need to be shuffled around in the interior and the scheme needs a bit of a change as well. I’d start Malcolm Brown at DT and then have a competition for the DT that would be playing next to Brown. And Santos and Edmond are not the answers at middle linebacker. 6. Alex Okafor: 9 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and a forced fumble… Okafor just locked himself into the first round of the 2013 NFL draft. That performance was icing on the cake of the great season he has had. The Alamo Bowl defensive player of the game has been show casing his pass rushing skills all season long. In one sense I’m disappointed Okafor’s great season has been over shadowed by poor play of the defense as a unit. But you have to love how Okafor brought it each and every week, regardless of how the unit plays as a whole. We will be watching him on Sunday’s. 7. Steve Edmond/Dalton Santos: All season long I’ve been hoping one of these guys would take the next step into becoming more of a presence in the middle of the defense. But all season long neither has. Sophomore Steve Edmond and freshman Dalton Santos have great size and aren’t afraid to tackle anyone. But the problem is both lack the necessary speed and ability to read the plays in order to get to the ball carrier to tackle him. If I’m the defensive coordinator I immediately open the middle linebacker position up for a competition. My first thought would be to possibly move Kendall Thompson to the middle because I love having Tevin Jackson and Peter Jinkens on the field at the same time too. Texas has some other young guys to look at as well. But as of now I don’t think Edmond or Santos should be the starters in the middle. I want someone who can get to the ball carrier faster before he gets up field. 8. Justin Tucker, you’re needed back in Austin: I don’t exactly know why Mack hasn’t done more in recruiting to address this or why he didn’t have a better plan for the ‘Post Justin Tucker Era’ but what Texas currently has at the kicking position is not good. Kickoffs are fine, but if Texas ever has to kick a field goal over 40 yards to win a game then they are screwed. And I also don’t know why Anthony Fera has disappeared as a kicker once he got to Texas. The guy was pretty good for Penn State but he has done next to nothing while at UT. And Nick Jordan makes me nervous every time he attempts a field goal, and he doesn’t have the strongest leg either. Alex King has been killing it all season long punting the ball, but he is a senior so Texas will also need to find a replacement for the golden leg of Alex King. 9. Mack Brown can take a breather: It’s been somewhat easy to tell that this season has been unlike any season Mack has had at Texas. He has shown more stress and frustration than in any season before. But after tonight’s win, Coach Brown can take a breather and relax. He did a great job handling the situation with McCoy and Hicks earlier in the week and didn’t let that distract his team. I liked the energy from the team all night and Mack did a great job regrouping his team at half time and leading them in the second half as they rallied for their 9th win of the season. Sure the team isn’t back where Mack wants them, but I’m glad he got his bowl win. 10. Resilience: What happened tonight is something that had seemingly disappeared from the Longhorn football team for the past few years. Tonight the team was faced with a challenge in the second half and rallied together to succeed and win the game. I’m sure many fans thought Texas would eventually turn belly up and stall out in the second half to lose the game, but the Longhorns had something else in mind and fought to the very end to win the game. It was great to see and definitely a positive to build on going into the off-season. Wow, what a season it has been. Before the first game was played there were all kinds of speculation as to what type of year the Longhorns would have. Some of the expected scenarios happened, like the roller coaster ride at QB. And some unexpected scenarios happened, like the underachieving play by the defense. In the end the team did end up improving on their play from the previous year by finishing the season with 9 wins, 1 better than last year’s total. But this group still has many steps to make in order to bet back to being national contenders. There are a lot of question marks all over the roster. And as usual it will be fun sifting through the roster and learning about the new recruits to see how everything falls into place in time for kickoff next fall. Though I think I experienced every emotion possible with this Texas team, it’s what makes sports unique and fun, and I’m still proud to be a Longhorn and a fan of Texas. Hook’em Twitter: @WesKCrochet

10 Thoughts From the Texas vs. Oklahoma Game By: Wes Crochet Where do you start with this game? This was the worst loss I can ever remember the University of Texas football program having. This was more of a practice for OU than an actual game. The Longhorns looked like a 2A high school team trying to play against the Sooners. I said it earlier on Twitter, but this game alone will force a change to the program, and the change will be significant. The change could be one of two outcomes, if you ask me. Either the team, specifically the defense, turns things around and starts playing really, really well, or a change is made to the coaching staff and, if this is the case, I think the first to go is Manny Diaz. Regardless, this game was embarrassing to say the least and it still makes be absolutely sick. These are in no particular order. 1. Manny Diaz: Let’s start where I just left off. Manny Diaz was brought into the Texas program to replace Will Muschamp as the defensive coordinator for the Longhorns. When he was first hired on as D-coordinator, I honestly had not heard much about him. But as I read and learned more about him, I started to think this could be a good hire for Texas. Last season his squad had up and down performances but a lot of that was just chalked up to be the result of implementing new schemes, plays, and a new coaching style into his defense. This season, the defense is not only bad, but they have actually digressed from how they were playing last fall. There are only two options for Diaz. Either he somehow gets the defense playing at a high level where everyone thought they were capable of playing and at the standard expected at the University of Texas, or he needs to start looking for a new job. And I don’t think the first option will happen, especially with some unlucky injuries plaguing Diaz’s squad. But giving up 63 points and a total of 677 yards against any team, especially against the Longhorns’ biggest rival, is an easy way to get yourself a one way ticket out of Austin. And if anyone is crazy enough to debate this opinion of mine then go check out these numbers I crunched. http://www.hornsports.com/forums/burnt-orange-board-bob-57/number-crunching-stats-should-not-ever-happen-against-ut-1568/ 2. Defense is plain bad: Sure, the defense has played some of the top offenses in the nation the past few weeks. But before the season, there was a ton of hype about how good this defense could be. Well, after six games, it’s evident that this squad is plain bad. There’s no other way to say it. They have been one of the worst units in the Big 12 and I’m not sure that will change much this season. Manny Diaz should take a lot of blame for his poor schemes and strategies he’s been implementing, but the players have also been playing at a very poor level and have yet to find any consistency or strength in their play. They continue to make poor decisions, give up big plays, play flat-footed, and underperform. This group needs to turn things around to salvage what’s left of the season. The problem is I’m not sure they are capable of doing that anymore. 3. Tackling: Diaz’s failed scheme and the defense’s poor play leads me to my next point. The players on this squad continue to be out of position, slow, and as if they have completely had the concept of tackling erased from their brains, especially in the secondary. There is not currently one player in the secondary, other than maybe Quandre Diggs, who understands the concept of tackling. Even the defensive linemen and linebackers are struggling, and this is unacceptable for a program like Texas. Tackling is something you learn how to do when you first start playing football. I remember I understood the concept of tackling in 6th grade when I played Pop-Warner football. It’s not hard. And if 6th graders can understand this concept, then I’d expect players recruited to the University of Texas to understand how to tackle as well. I think now this has become more of a mental problem than anything else. They approach ball carriers with hesitation and take terrible angles. And they usually have more contact with their own teammates by running into one another than they do with the other team. I really am dumbfounded at their inability to take opponents down in open space. It’s terrible. 4. Adrian Phillips: I’m sick of watching Phillips play. He is the poster child of how not to play defense and how not to tackle. I almost couldn’t believe what I saw this weekend when OU’s Trey Millard broke open a 70-yard touchdown pass out of the backfield (A big play? Against Texas? That can’t be right…). During the play not only did he hurdle over Mykelle Thompson (who I had actually praised a week earlier…), but he also managed to stiff-arm and knock down Adrian Phillips while in mid-air. Below is a photo I cropped of what play I'm referring to. You’d think that normally the guy in mid-air would be the one getting knocked down to the ground. Oh no, not when Adrian Phillips is in hot pursuit! I’m ready to see some other defensive back take his place. Also, is it just me or has anyone noticed that Carrington Byndom has a knack for running into his own players? He’s done it so many times that you’d think it was his job. [ATTACH=CONFIG]148[/ATTACH] 5. Offense, or lack thereof: This game wasn’t lost just because the defense played terribly. This game was also lost because the offense actually forgot to get off the bus. This was the worst offensive performance the entire season. Texas ended the day with a total of 289 yards, much of these yards coming against OU’s second and third string players when the game was already over in the fourth quarter. It was also embarrassing to watch. I was talking with my dad earlier this week and he brought up a great point. If you take away the 8 points scored by the defense/special teams from the blocked extra point and the pick-six and if you take away the 13 points scored in trash time during the fourth quarter, you’ll realize the offense was outscored 56 to 0 when starters were playing. Wow. I never could have guessed that margin would have happened last Saturday in a million years. Add that to the fact that the offense gave up 3 turnovers, was 4 of 13 on third downs, 0 for 1 on 4th down, and did not receive their first 1st down of the game until the second half and you have yourself one of the worst offensive performances I’ve ever witnessed. But I’m not as low on Harsin as I am on Diaz. And that leads me to my next thought… 6. Offensive Line: I’ve harped on this group all season and, yet again, they have upset me. This could be one of the most frustrating offensive lines I’ve watched at UT in a long time. Before the season started, I did a rundown of each position and the players that would form the depth chart. I was excited to see many of the offensive playmakers, especially the running backs. But one of the last groups I previewed was the offensive line, and when I previewed them, I stated that they would be key to the offense’s success. And that was as true as ever last Saturday. You can have all the talent in the world on offense but if you don’t have an offensive line to block for the playmakers then your offense becomes stagnant, and trying to figure out plays that will work becomes that much harder. This is why I’m giving Harsin a little leeway with last Saturday. Don’t worry; I have a bone to pick with him too. But as I was saying, this offensive line continues to struggle. It’s most evident in the run game. The Longhorns accumulated an abysmal 74 yards on the ground. And when you are a balanced offense, like the Horns, an inability to run the football can easily lead to a poor offensive outing overall. Just ask my Houston Texans how that went last Sunday night against Green Bay when their running game was slower than normal. The Longhorns’ O-line cannot seem to get a push or open up holes consistently, and I’m not sure they have the talent in place to improve much on that. I like Hawkins and Walters, but aside from those two guys this line is average at best. 7. Playmakers: One of the strengths of this offense was the fact that there were many playmakers at Harsin’s disposal. Well, here’s a run down of the touches each player I consider a playmaker received against OU: Shipley – 1, Monroe – 0, Goodwin – 0, D. Johnson – 5, Davis – 5, Gray – 8, Bergeron – 4. The fact that Jaxon Shipley, D.J. Monroe, and Marquis Goodwin combined for ONE TOUCH on offense is unfathomable, unacceptable, and unexplainable. Shipley alone should touch the ball at the very least 5-10 times a game. And then to add that two of the Longhorns’ fastest players, Goodwin and Monroe, failed to get their hands on the ball at all on offense is beyond confusing to me. It’s a no brainer why Texas had its worst offensive performance of the season; the best players on offense barely touched the ball, if at all. Are you kidding me? Terrible. 8. David Ash: The biggest concern I had for Ash coming into this game happened. He choked, again. Last season this game was one of his worse performances. And, though he had been playing well (especially as of recent), I was very curious to see how he would handle being back in this hostile environment where he played poorly last year. Well, once again, he struggled. Ash threw for 113 yards, 0 scores, and tossed 2 interceptions before he was forced out of the game with a bad bone bruise in his non-throwing hand. Other than the fact that this was his worst game all season, this is also a reality check for all of us fans. Though Ash had played well before this game, he is still a young player continuing to develop and come into his own. There are still going to be growing pains with his play on the field and bad games here and there. The biggest, most important thing now is to watch how he responds after this game against another tough opponent. Poor performances on a national stage against a rival, like last Saturday, can really rattle players, especially younger ones. Mack knows this, that’s why he has been harping on having a positive attitude all week like a parrot that has been taught to say that. Luckily for Ash, he gets to take on one of the worst defenses, if not THE worst defense, in college football Saturday when he plays Baylor. Even with an injured wrist, this game could be another big confidence booster for him. 9. Mack Brown: There have been countless cries for Mack’s job and for the university to move in a new direction. Well whether you want Coach Brown gone or not, it’s not going to happen right now. And I’m not even really sure it would happen at the end of the season. The only way I see it happening at the end of the season is if Texas continues to lose and ends up 7-5 or worse. At 8-4 or better, you may see position coaches or coordinators go, but even then, I think Brown will remain as the head coach. Aside from whether it’s time for the University of Texas to go in a different head coaching direction or not, last weekend’s performance of his Texas Longhorns really makes me believe he doesn’t even know what team will show up on a week to week basis. And that’s scary. But I also hate how Texas has come into this game very flat, timid, and without a killer instinct more times than not. And that is something that Mack Brown should be held responsible for. I remember growing up watching the Texas/OU game when OU had another one of its winning streaks, and I remember hearing and reading that Texas was playing “not to lose” rather than playing to win. I touched on this before the game and Coach Brown could not get his players as fired up as Bob Stoops got his players. This has been one of Mack’s weaknesses as a head coach and I’ve never been able to figure out why he’s had trouble getting his players pumped up for arguably the biggest game on the Longhorns’ schedule each season. After listening to his press conference this week, it’s easy to tell that Mack Brown knows his team is dangerously close to losing many more games and that his team is walking a fine line between a disastrous season and one that can be salvaged. He has continued to emphasize being positive, staying the course, and getting mentally prepared for Baylor and the second half of the season. But a loss like this is often hard to shake. And the game right after a loss like this, in many cases, is a game that can impact the rest of the entire season in a positive or negative manner. Currently, the Longhorns are on a 2-game losing streak. If the Longhorns lose against Baylor this Saturday, then that will be 2 home losses and a blowout rivalry loss all in a matter of 3 weeks. For a relatively young team like this one, a 3-game losing streak like that could completely derail the rest of the season and also cause confidence, leadership, and mental problems that would he hard to correct. There’s no question Coach Brown is very aware of the impact this game could have and knows his season could ride on the way his team plays Saturday and if they bounce back from the worst loss I can remember Texas having in football. 10. Alex King: The rest of the team may have played some of the worst football I have ever seen, but starting punter Alex King kicked the crud out of the ball all game. He had 8 punts (another sign of Texas’s poor offensive outing) for 397 yards. That’s good for an average of 49.6 yards per punt (two of which landed inside the 20) and his longest punt was for 65 yards. But he didn’t just play well this game, the transfer from Duke has been playing well all season long and deserves some recognition. What happened last Saturday was the worst possible outcome that could have happened for Mack Brown and his Longhorns. It was embarrassing, frustrating, inexcusable, unexplainable, and not even close to the standard that any Texas Longhorns football team should play at. The West Virginia loss was tough to stomach because Texas was in it until the very end. This game was tough to stomach for a completely different reason. From the very beginning of the game, Texas was terrible and they got beat like a high school varsity team scrimmaging against the 9th grade B team. It was ugly and something I never want to witness again for the rest of my football life. According to Mack Brown, the game “is what it is” and that rubbed me the wrong way. Saying “it is what it is” is like accepting defeat. I understand that he wants his team to move on to focusing on Baylor, but I want him to show some tenacity and anger for how his team played. Do you think Muschamp or Saban would say “it is what it is"? They absolutely would not. But those two coaches consistently have that killer instinct and tenacity that seems to be inconsistent in the Longhorns' program. However, Mack also knows the importance of this game against Baylor. He knows he must quickly regroup his team and get them thinking positively or the season may be lost. Coming off this loss, Texas is 4-2. What’s important is the Longhorns can still finish the season strongly. But improvements will have to be made starting this Saturday against Baylor. Though Baylor’s offense is another prolific offense, their defense is one of the worst in the NCAA. That being said, Texas may have a fighting chance this week. Hook’em Twitter: @WesKCrochet Email: Wes.Sports@hotmail.com

10 Thoughts From The Texas vs. Ole Miss Game Score: Texas 66, Ole Miss 31 Who would have thought that the Longhorns were capable of scoring 66 points in any game this season? The score could have been even higher but to show respect the classy Mack Brown decided to pump the breaks towards the end of the game so the score didn’t break the 70-point mark. But regardless of the score there are a lot of positives and negatives that came from this game. The win was a big one but some of the stats skew the reality of how the game went and how certain players (Ash) played. 1. David Ash: I’m sure we are all thinking the same thing on this one. Go ahead and give Ash credit (keep reading) because he has yet to throw an interception and still managed the game well, (stick with me…) as he was 19 of 23 for 326 yards and 4 touchdowns (almost there) but WOW a lot of his deep passes (this>>>) were waaayyyyy under thrown and he should have been picked off 2 or 3 times. He still has a ways to go. Luckily his receivers always adjusted to the ball and somehow the defensive backs always seemed to get lost right before the ball made it to them. But his stats skew his actual performance and he would have had a much worse night against a secondary who actually could track the ball and defend better. I like that he was slinging it deep and had the confidence to do so, but he has to be better about leading his receivers and his accuracy. I give him a B- on the night… that may be generous. *Give Harsin/Applewhite some credit as Ash currently has the fourth best passer rating in division 1-A college football. He may still need work on his accuracy but his coaches know exactly what they can get out of him at this point. And a random note, the Big 12 has 4 QB’s in the top 5 and 6 in the top 10 in this category.* NCAA Football Stats - Full College Football Team Leaders and Player Stats - FOX Sports on MSN 2. QB Debate: So there it is folks. The Bo Wallace David Ash debate played out right before your eyes. Are you happy the Longhorns stuck with Ash? Or do you still wonder what the offense would look like had Wallace taken over? I’m still rolling with Ash over Wallace. Are you? 3. Defense: The Longhorns defense once again had an up and down night. They were able to create turnovers and even take one to the house. The defensive line also impressed with pressure on Bo Wallace. But at the same time tackling was often poor across the board and the secondary seemed out of place on some passes as they also allowed another receiver to have a big night, as Donte Moncrief had 7 catches for 144 yards and 1 touchdown (almost 2 TD’s before a video review reversed the call). But Quandre Diggs had two interceptions and Steve Edmond’s interception-touchdown was huge as it set the tone for the night and gave Ash and the offense a small cushion to start the game. Also give credit to the two defensive ends. I called them out, specifically Okafor, before the game and stated he needed to step up his play. He did just that by recording two sacks and applying pretty good pressure throughout the game. But the bottom line is this defense still has room for improvement and isn’t the defense we all think this unit is capable of being… As the Longhorns begin their Big 12 play after their bye week they will need to clean up their act if they want to help keep the W’s coming. 4. Ground Game: Malcolm Brown and the ground attack were strong all night. The Longhorns finished with 350 yards and 4 scores off of 54 attempts. Brown led all backs with 128 yards on 21 carries and scored twice. Bergeron added 48 yards on 11 carries but left with an injury (see point 10.) Once again the variety of the running styles the Horns have in their backfield showed why coach Brown wanted to shift his offense to lean more on the running game. I like it. 5. Home Runs: Marquis Goodwin, D.J. Monroe, and to some degree Jaxon Shipley and Daje Johnson are the home run threats for the Longhorns. Goodwin and Monroe both made the most of their carries/passes they got (Goodwin finished with a combined 182 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Monroe finished with 1 touchdown run.) on the night, but why on earth are they not touching the ball more? I feel like in the entirety of Mack’s tenure there are players throughout the years that have never gotten as many touches and they should have. I don’t understand it. Goodwin, Monroe and Shipley need the ball more. Daje too, but he’s a freshman and still is adjusting to the level of play. 6. Offensive Line: The line actually played pretty well. This unit is a work in progress but unlike the rebel’s offensive line they did a decent job of keeping Ash off the ground and provided him time to make his throws. Keep it up O-line. 7. Field Goals: The fact that Mack and his staff took a chance at recruiting Fera to UT and actually got him to come are incredible. Granted, we haven’t seen him kick in a game yet. But anything is better than what Texas currently has for field goals… 8. Blocked Punt: On the note of special teams, again the Longhorns were able get into the backfield and block a punt. Anytime your special teams unit plays this well & this consistently it often displays that your team has great talent and depth, and the Longhorns are finally at that point again where their depth is getting stronger and stronger with each recruiting class after a few down years. 9. 66 points? Huh?: Though it was definitely an up and down game, I was still blown away at how may points Texas was able to score. I honestly was very curious to see if this team could even break the 50-point mark this season. Though it was against a weak SEC opponent, it was still impressive and should give Longhorn fans everywhere some confidence. 10. Injuries: Jordan Hicks (Hip) and Joe Bergeron (Shoulder) left the game at different times and didn’t return due to injuries. Hopefully the injuries aren’t severe and they will be healthy after the bye week. No specific details of the injuries have been released yet. This bye week comes at a great time for Texas. They’re currently undefeated but still can improve everywhere across the board, and these two weeks should bode well for the team before they enter into conference play. There are 2 main points that keep coming back to me, though. The first is the defense and their up and down play. Individually I like the players all over the depth chart on that side of the ball. But collectively they still are making too may simple mistakes, not tackling well enough, and are giving up to many big plays. They are capable of being a stronger unit but will need to play better once they start playing tougher offenses in BIG 12 play. Second, I love how many different scoring threats the offense has. I harp on getting certain guys more touches, but I also realize that the Longhorns can spread the ball around and I love that Texas has the luxury of having about 8 players who have the potential to take it to the house anytime they touch the ball. It’s been years since any Longhorn team has had that. This entire team has the potential to be a 10+ win team but the play needs to be crisper and more consistent all over the field if they want to get there. Currently Texas is in a good spot but there is a lot of football to be played. Hook’em Twitter: @WesKCrochet Email: Wes.Sports@hotmail.com

What to Watch For Texas Longhorns vs. Ole Miss Rebels The last time the Longhorns played an SEC team in the regular season was 5 years ago in 2008 against Arkansas when Colt McCoy was nearly perfect in passing as he completed 17 of 19 attempts for 185 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. McCoy also led the team in rushing that day as he ran for 84 yards on 9 attempts and scored 2 additional touchdowns on the ground. After that day Mack signed Colt to a 10 year contract and locked up his QB position for the next decade… Well ok so that last sentence didn’t happen… But the Texas team that hit the field that afternoon in 2008 was built for and around it’s QB. He was the focal point of the offense and with out him the team would crumble. This season the Longhorns’ team is built much more like many teams in Ole Miss’s SEC conference. The focus of the offense is on the running game that Mack Brown has decided to shift to. Once again here are some things I’ll be looking for during the game on Saturday night. 1) The battle of the quarterbacks: Bo Wallace was once thought to be headed to the Forty Acres to suit up in burnt orange rather than being the Longhorns opponent. Now the entire Longhorn Nation can see how Bo Wallace will stack up against Texas’ own defense and how he looks compared to UT’s starter David Ash. So far Wallace has passed for 438 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 1 interception in his first two games. Comparatively David Ash has thrown for 377 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. I personally think Wallace will struggle against the Longhorn’s defense. I know the defense has been shaky at times these first two weeks but I think they bring it on Saturday. 2) The Running Game: Last week the running backs for UT had a drop off in production after monster games the first week. If the Longhorns want to win this game against Ole Miss then the running game will need to be strong all night. On the other side of the ball Ole Miss deploys a committee style attack, much like the Horns. I liked the way the defensive tackles and linebackers have played so far but they will need to step up their game because there will be fresh legs coming into the game all night. Also Bo Wallace has shown he is a threat to run out of the pocket too, as he has 135 yards and 2 scores on the ground this season as well. 3) Anthony Fera is currently listed as “out” for the game Saturday. Ole Miss may be one of the weaker SEC teams but in an away game like this scoring points on every drive is very important so the special teams, specifically the kickers, will be something to monitor. So far both Nick Jordan and Nick Rose haven’t done anything to show they are capable of hitting long, important field goals. I’m not saying they don’t have the potential… But when on earth will Fera get healthy? 4) Defensive Ends: Stopping Bo Wallace will be one of the main focuses for the defense this week. The defensive ends need to show up and get him on the ground at least a few times on Saturday. Even if they can’t get to him on many plays they should at least provide pressure to make him move around and feel uncomfortable in the pocket. I personally want to see more from Alex Okafor. 5) Get the ball to playmakers: After being big parts of the offense in the season opener last week Jaxon Shipley, Marquis Goodwin, and D.J. Monroe combined for 6 touches… Are you kidding me? Come on Harsin. I know you are more creative than that. There’s no reason why any of those players should have less than 5 touches a game. Heck, Jaxon shouldn’t have less than 10! It’s going to be a fun game Saturday night for everyone. Ole Miss may not be the best team in the SEC but they are still an SEC team and will be fired up to have the Longhorns in town. And you know that excitement will be there on the field for Ole Miss and in the stands throughout the crowd… And outside the stadium at the Grove. I think I’ve heard more talk about how crazy and fun the Grove will be than about the game on Saturday. Prediction: Honestly it’s a bit hard to project how exactly the game will go because of the limited action that Bo Wallace has had and the fact that the Rebels are playing under first-year coach Hugh Freeze. But I think the game will remain relatively close in the first half, and then I see the Longhorns taking control of the game in the second half. Ole Miss does have talent on both sides of the ball but the Longhorns team will still be too much to handle in the end. Score: Texas 27, Ole Miss 13 What will you be watching for? Hook’em Twitter: @WesKCrochet Email: Wes.Sports@hotmail.com

Latest reports our are he is considering 3 schools. Mizzou (his home state), Texas (of course) and Oklahoma (craphole). He is the best WR recruit in the nation and we need his talent in Austin. His specs: Height:6'6" Weight:220 lbs 40:4.43 secs Bench:295 Squat:385 GPA:3.1 If he goes to Mizzou he will win nothing. If he goes to Oklahoma he might end up marrying his cousin. If he comes to Texas the possibilities are endless.

Per his twitter acccount - "Texas fans I'm in the process of scheduling a visit. Most likely in July #hookem" We NEED to land Peat!