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in this issue
Welcome Mr. Ingram |
6
by Mike Blackwell
Kaeontay Ingram brings dynamic skills to the RB position.
Texas Drops Second Straight Opener to Terps
10
Game Story by Joe Cook On Second Thought by Eric Nahlin
The Wolf |
18
by Mike Blackwell
Caden Sterns doesn’t play like a Freshman.
22
Longhorns Outlast Tulsa Game Story by Joe Cook
26
Texas Wins Rubber Match with USC Game Story by Justin Wells 5 Quick Thoughts by Ian Boyd
38
Texas Wears Down Frogs Game Story by Joe Cook Post Mortem by Scipio Tex
52
Purple Curse No More Game Story by Joe Cook
Publishers -- Michael Pearle, Clendon Ross | Managing Editor--Clendon Ross | Editor-- Mike Blackwell InsideTexas.com Editor -- Justin Wells | Lead Writer -- Joe Cook | Contributor -- Ian Boyd Designer/Photographer -- Will Gallagher | Recruiting Analyst -- Eric Nahlin To Subscribe/Customer Service -- Phone: 512-659-8167 | Email: help@insidetexas.com September - 2018
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4
inside texas
insidetexas.com
WELCOME TO THE By Mike Blackwell
The play took just under seven seconds or so. Six-point-seven-eight seconds, to be exact. A simple handoff, like thousands of others you’ve seen. Ball is shotgun-snapped to the quarterback, quarterback hands ball to running back. Simple. And then, Keaontay Ingram happened. September - 2018
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E 40 MR. INGRAM!
September - 2018
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- keaontay ingram -
T
he Texas true freshman broke the line of scrimmage
is-on-offense running back that if he remains healthy can
heading due north, then quickly turned east. Just
leave a searing legacy on the Forty Acres.
as quickly, Ingram juked a defender, a move that was almost imperceptible to the camera’s lense. In a blink, he
Keaontay Ingram is happening.
stepped east again to the boundary, then punched his motor north up the sideline.
He first happened, technically, in the opener against Maryland, yet was held out late in the game as Tom Her-
A couple of poor Tulsa defenders appeared to have,
man chose experience over raw talent at running back in
ever-so-briefly, an angle on the freshman from Carthage.
going with Tre Watson.
And then, again, Keaontay Ingram happened.
But the true announcement of his arrival came for good with the run against Tulsa when he showed the gifts that
Cue Smokey the Cannon.
Texas fans hope will keep giving for another three years: vision, slippery feet, power to break tackles and break-
Texas fans have longed for a back like Ingram since Mr.
neck speed.
Jamaal Charles used to run the rock. Yes, D’Onta Foreman was awesome, but he played on a cursed team.
And he followed that introduction by solidifying his position as the best running back on the team when he
And Ingram is...different. Blazing fast, seemingly with
stepped off 68 yards on 10 carries, including several
eyes on the sides of his head, he’s a 205-pound home
when the Longhorns needed him in the fourth quarter to
run hitter, a don’t-you-dare-go-get-a-beer-when-Texas-
keep the Purple Wizard of Kansas State from beating the burnt orange yet again in Manhattan. In addition to his 68 yards rushing, he caught five passes for 27 yards. A wondrously-talented but limited-carry young back who couldn’t be trusted has transformed himself into a four-quarter stick of Keaontay Dynamite in the last month. “We felt like he would be really good at breaking the tackles of the extra guy,” a relieved Herman said after the game against the Wildcats, a 19-14 gut-wrenching win in which the Longhorns didn’t score at all in the second half. “He gave us the best opportunity to make the extra guy miss when they knew we were going to run the ball.” BJ Foster
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Ingram’s success is certainly no surprise,
- keaontay ingram considering how heavily he was recruited. His talents in high school were obvious and coveted. He was All-American and All-State in high school, had 76 career rushing touchdowns, stepped off a pair of 2,000-yard seasons, and finished his time there with over 5,000 yards. Oh, and he also won two state championships, so there’s that. His high school career was nothing short of legendary. He has followed that with what is, admittedly, a very small sample size of college work that has shown clear bursts of brilliance. What’s next for Ingram? Oklahoma. Anyone who knows anything about anything knows that to truly cement your place as a Texas running back, you must confront and conquer the Sooners. Think Earl Campbell in 1977. Think Edwin Simmons in 1983. Think Ricky Williams in 1998. Think Jamaal Charles in 2005. Ingram will walk down the tunnel for the first time Saturday at Fair Park. Texas fans are in “heavy like” with Ingram right now. He’s got everything Texas fans - and fans of all teams - covet. They know he’s got the ability. They want “like” to become “love.” But, Oklahoma. Tom Herman and your mom has won the same number
of games against the Sooners: big, fat zero. Texas folks LOVE to beat Oklahoma, except for the Texas folks who allow themselves to be kidnapped by the land barons so they can play football in Norman and ensure the crimson and cream can be competitive on the field. We see you, Keaontay. We like all of your gifts. We dream of who you can become, and what it could eventually mean for the Longhorns. We want to love you. But Oklahoma awaits. When your teenage self takes the walk down the ramp toward your destiny, realize that in order to truly - truly - make your mark at Texas, you need to run like hell against and over Oklahoma. You need to go swag-stepping down that ramp and brazenly believe you are the best player on the field. You need to see, and cut, and hold on to the ball, and sprint and find the end zone, preferable the red one surrounded by all of their fans. You need - we need - to make Keaontay Ingram happen.
September - 2018
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LANDOVER, MD – DESPITE OFFSEASON EMPHASIS, FAMILIAR FAILINGS FINISH TEXAS, 34-29 10
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REBOOT BY JOE COOK
Devin Duvernay
September - 2018
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- texas vs maryland -
D
evelop and finish.
added passing, rushing, and receiv-
first half.
ing touchdowns in the Terrapins’
Those two words were placed
34-29 victory.
The Longhorns took the lead with a
around the practice fields, inside the
Kyle Porter run late in the third, but
facility, and even on t-shirts for play-
“To end the game with three straight
Maryland took it right back in the
ers to wear in the offseason.
turnovers, it’s not good,” Herman
first minute fourth quarter on another
said. “It’ll get you beat.”
touchdown run.
year because they could not take
Texas battled back after falling 24-7
Right after that score, the game was
advantage of opportunities to get
through a quarter and a half. Jones
sent into a one hour and 26 minute
ahead before the final whistle. To
ran for the first touchdown, caught
delay. Texas had plenty of time to
open 2018, Tom Herman’s Long-
the second touchdown, and found
think about not only how to finish, but
horns had the same failing.
Tavion Jacobs for a 20 yard pass-
how to avoid losing to a team without
ing score after taking a handoff on a
it’s full-time head coach.
Texas lost several close games last
Sophomore Sam Ehlinger led an
sweep.
offense that turned the ball over in
“We relaxed,” Herman said. “We
each of its final three possessions,
Touchdowns for the Longhorns from
knew we only had 14:45left to play.
the last an interception trying to force
junior Devin Duvernay and fresh-
Your possessions are going to be
a play on 3rd and 10 with more than
man Keaontay Ingram brought the
limited. We did not get great field
a minute to go.
game within 10, and the Longhorns
position in that fourth quarter. I think
cut it down to a two point game with
we started at our minus-15 or our
a safety and a touchdown late in the
minus-10 a couple of those drives,
Maryland freshman Jeshaun Jones
Kaeontay Ingram
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- texas vs maryland -
Charles Omenihu
which is pretty disadvantageous
back with no timeouts. After driving
“Our last three possessions, down
when you talk about percentages of
to the Maryland 33, Ehlinger was
by one score, we turned the ball
scoring.”
faced with a 3rd and 10. He tried to
over,” Herman said. “A lot of people
force a ball into a window, but he
are going to want to say this feels a
Maryland added a field goal with
overthrew it into the arms of Antoine
lot like last year. It doesn’t to me.”
just under seven minutes left to
Brooks.
make it a five point game. Texas
Because of the failings in the area
took the ball over, and Ehlinger
“It’s awful to have three turnovers
the team worked so hard to ad-
followed a 10 yard rush with an
in the last three drives,” Ehlinger
dress, this one might have been
interception after a defender made
said. “The first one, arm got tipped.
tougher than any of the six losses
contact with his arm.
Second one, a fumble. Third one,
in 2017.
I had to take a chance. Obviously, Texas forced a punt and got the
we need to protect the football to
“It hurts,” said junior Collin Johnson,
ball back with 4:35. On third down,
win, but before that we should have
who had three catches for 59 yards
senior Tre Watson caught a pass
never been in that situation.”
and a score. “Finish was a huge
reached the first down marker.
word for us in all of the offseason.
Upon review, Watson was ruled
The offseason emphasis was
to have lost the ball prior to being
developing and finishing. Herman
Things didn’t turn out the way we
down and Maryland was given the
said after the game he didn’t think
expected it and the way we wanted
chance to ice it.
the team failed in the development
it to turn out, obviously. But being
area, but it was difficult to see
a mature team, we have to move
The Texas defense made one more
evidence of that with a late turnover
forward and not look back at it.”
stand to give the offense the ball
once again costing the Longhorns.
September - 2018
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TAKE 2
THOUGHTS AFTER MARYLAND by
Eric Nahlin
There is no excuse for the team no-showing versus Maryland. The total lack of readiness can only fall on the shoulders of Tom Herman and as far as I could tell he fell on the sword in the press conference. The team played incredibly slow and you could even see it in their timid movements early on. They were running in mud because they were thinking slowly -- again.
F
or the second year in a row the defense was ill-pre-
but not always. Again I felt the coordination was off. Texas
pared for the motion run-game. PJ Locke again had
was trying to throw into loaded secondaries and run into
his struggles, as did the linebackers. In the game thread on
loaded boxes. That’s backwards. Are we sure they’re count-
Inside Texas many lamented the quiet game of Hager and
ing numbers out there?
Omenihu, but they aren’t going to shine in this game, at least not with pressure on the quarterback.
Refusing to use the quarterback run game really put the offense behind the 8-ball. Obviously they have Sam on a pitch
While the front was struggling with the run, we saw some
count but he has no chance of being a difference making
familiar breakdowns in the passing game. Notably, true
quarterback if he’s not allowed to run. He may not even be
freshman BJ Foster got caught out of position. But that was
average if he can’t run. At least run it early and make them
a 3rd and long play where you might just want to play it
defend it.
more straight up and keep guys in front of the sticks rather than expecting a true freshman to rotate to help.
The negatives are obvious and there are more I didn’t list. Penalties -- egregious. Turnovers -- egregious (Watson’s
Coordination in the game will be much better dissected by
was a terrible call despite what some think they saw).
others, but one thing that irked me on offense was it seems
Tackling -- embarrassing. No wrapping up.
like Herman/Beck are too jumpy to capitalize on a play that works, rather than just keep running the play that works.
SOME POSITIVES
Make Maryland REALLY commit to stopping something
Brandon Jones was really good. That was an All American
before trying to punish them. The reverse to Jamison was
type of game. He was stellar as a returner -- he ran with
a drive killer. They also tried to hit some play actions off the
strength, quickness, speed, and determination. He showed
run game when they should have just kept running the ball.
range as a tackler.
I firmly believe the offensive line is improved over last year.
Keaontay Ingram showed the promise evident from his high
We saw that more clearly in pass protection. They were
school days. When Texas briefly grabbed momentum in the
sometimes aided by Maryland dropping guys into coverage,
2nd quarter he was a big part of it. He’s nifty on the cut-
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September - 2018
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back. Wait until he’s not running cautiously. Then wait until he’s doing all this at 215 pounds. D’shawn Jamison as a returner showed sparq. He’ll break one this year, but as he gets stronger with the ability to run through trash without losing much speed he’ll be even more dangerous. The offensive line in pass protection was good. I bet it looks better running the ball in the Big 12 than it did today. The line was absolutely horrendous last year versus Maryland. Offensive variation was much more than what we saw last year. It didn’t flow very well at times, or build sequentially, but there’s a lot more in the playbook than last season. A couple of players on defense seemed to play well. McCulloch missed a bad tackle in space, but for that being his first real action at linebacker since his freshman year? Not bad.
Join the Conversation
Taquon Graham did some things too. Even playing from 4i he was able to beat OT’s to the outside a few times. Davante Davis was playing well before he went out with what looked like a stinger. Last year after the disheartening loss to Maryland I blamed the coaches. This year one would be hard pressed to not do the same, but these players have to show up more mentally prepared. There’s no way that’s entirely on the staff. Following Maryland last year was San Jose State and USC on the road. This year it’s very similar with Tulsa and USC at home. Herman said in his press conference he knows this team is better than last year. We should already definitively know that answer but will have to wait a while to know for sure. Even then, how much better? Better isn’t good enough.
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September - 2018
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THE WOLF By Mike Blackwell
A wolf is usually not seen until it’s too late. He lives mostly in the shadows, and is highly intelligent. He sights his prey, then instinctively activates the guile he will need to hunt, to pounce, to devour.
September - 2018
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September - 2018
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- The Wolf -
A
wolf roams long distances with his pack during his
life. He has physical speed, for sure, but survives
primarily with his mind, which combined with his keen
earlier in the year, when asked if he had ever seen any defensive back make such a strong impression at such a young age.
sense of survival makes him one of the most feared and admired - of all predators.
“And you could see in the spring, the minute we put pads on that this kid was always around the ball. And there’s
Caden Sterns knows about the wolf. In fact, he has one
one thing to be around the ball. It’s another thing to make
tattooed on his arm, a lone wolf howling presumably at
plays on the ball and actually come away with it and
the moon. And he will know even more about the wolf
PBUs and all that stuff.”
now that he has been nicknamed - after less than onehalf of one season in his college career - the Wolf of
Sterns’ three interceptions are already tied with Kyle
DKR.
Richardson (1994) for the third-most by a true freshman in Texas history. And he needs just one more pick to tie
It’s a nickname that fits perfectly.
Quandre Diggs (2011) and Chris Carter (1993) for the most in Texas history for freshmen.
“They know how to lead,” answered Sterns when he was asked the inevitable question of what he feels about the wild dog breed. “They come together. They have teamwork to get the job done, which is to eat. As a defense, that’s what you’ve got to pride yourself on.” Sterns, who initially committed to LSU during his recruiting process, has already done plenty to make himself - and his defense - proud. He already has three interceptions and 18 total tackles, and has the team’s only blocked kick. His sideline interception against the
All of his early success is undoubtedly a surprise to plen-
TCU Horned Frogs was all wolf: he was stealthily unseen
ty of folks who understandably expect freshmen to arrive
in the secondary, then swooped in quickly at the last
and learn their way with patience and observation. But
minute, using his speed and grace to pilfer the ball and
a true wolf knows he must adapt immediately in order to
get his feet down quickly inbounds.
surprise. A wolf has to eat, and a wolf has to eat NOW.
The Wolf needs to eat.
“What do I remember about Caden?” Herman repeated. “Probably his maturity level is the one that sticks out. His
“Not that way. No way,” said Texas coach Tom Herman
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mother, Brandi, phenomenal woman. I think - and Caden
insidetexas.com
- The Wolf would be the first to admit that having an older brother that played Division I football was probably a big help to him in terms of his maturity level and how he approached the game. But he was a really, really mature guy that his mom - I mean all the moms - in that class fell in love with.” One of seven children, brother Jordan played for Oklahoma State and is now with the Kansas City Chiefs. Wolves, after all, pick up many of their traits genetically. The safety who was named Newcomer of the Week after his performance against the Horned Frogs, Sterns was also picked as the Jim Thorpe Award Player of the Week as well. Sterns appears to be more than a little worthy of returning the University of Texas to its rightful place as Defensive Back University (DBU). You’ll certainly get no argument about that from Texas defensive coordinator Todd Orlando. In addition to his obvious physical skills, Sterns - like a good wolf - is highly intelligent and a born leader. Enjoy him while you can. “That’s a lot of thinking back there at that position, and just a lot of communication,” says Orlando of Sterns, who is also a film wolf. “When you’re a young guy coming into it, especially with vets that have played in the system, you can be a little hesitant. He’s taken over. He’s got big speed and big range. We’re very, very fortunate to have him. “He’s a real good ball player. That’s the part that I see. He’s always had the tools, but in this system, to me the hardest position is at safety. There’s a lot of thinking and a lot of moving parts that go into it. During the spring, there was ‘what’s going on?’ Now, going into fall camp, he’s really picked it up. He’s one of the guys now. They’ve accepted him. They know how talented he is
and they’ve helped him along.” He arrived in Austin and made an immediate impact he’s shown an obvious willingness, and eagerness, to work. He watches film and already is respected enough to show his teammates - even his older teammates what he has seen in those many hours of film study. He’s even made verbal note of his personal reverence for those who have preceded him as proud alumni of DBU. He’s done every right. So far. But a successful wolf, of course, realizes that the most recent meal won’t last forever. Finding prey is good and all, but it must be done again and again. And again. Most folks are starting to believe that Sterns is much, much more than a one-hunt wolf. “ So the great thing about him is he’s always around the ball, run or pass,” Herman says. “And he will come downhill in the run game and he will hit you. “And I’m glad he’s on our team.”
September - 2018
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TEXAS HOLDS O BY JOE COOK
Three rushers with more than 50 yards, two total rushing touchdowns, and 241 total yards on the ground at 5.1 yards per carry?
Check.
21-of-27 passing with no interceptions for 237 yards and 8.8 yards per attempt? Check. Out-gaining the opponent, winning the turnover margin, and having the opponent miss all three field goal attempts?
Check.
Winning the time of possession battle by nearly nine minutes? Check. Doing all that and the result being a 28-21 win over Tulsa?
September - 2018
Check?
22
OFF TULSA 28-21
Sam Ehlinger
September - 2018
23
T
exas head coach Tom Herman’s team surged to a
in that first half, and I was really, really proud of that.”
21-0 lead at the halftime whistle thanks to rushing
touchdowns from Keaontay Ingram and Sam Eh-
Something changed drastically during halftime. Herman
linger, and a scoring connection between Ehlinger and
said he pressed the team to make sure they didn’t get
Lil’Jordan Humphrey.
complacent when they returned to the field for the second half. As a result, he believes the same symptom of
The Longhorns went back into the locker room looking
“trying too hard for each other” crept back into the team.
like they were doing all the right things against a Tulsa team that worked to beat Central Arkansas one week
“I wanted to make sure that we came out and played
prior.
hard,” Herman said. “I was pretty hard on our guys at halftime, and I think you sensed a little bit of that press-
“Was really excited about the way that our players
ing again. So I’ve got to remember what brought us to
responded to what we challenged them to do after last
that point of being up 21-0 and that was playing loose
week, which was to come out and have fun and they
and care free.”
did,” Herman said after the game. “They played loose. They played free. They played with a smile on their face
A sloppy Ehlinger fumble on the second drive of the half didn’t help. That drive was one of three beginning in the third quarter that ended in a Ryan Bujcevski punt, not all of which were high quality kicks. After Bujcevski’s second punt, a 24 yard effort, Tulsa capped off a 33 yard drive with a Shamari Brooks touchdown run. Texas stalled out once again early in the fourth quarter on a drive that lasted 1:56. Tulsa scored on the ensuing drive to make it a one possession game at 21-14. Texas then put together one of its best drives of the season. Ehlinger found Humphrey twice and Ingram once before handing it off to Ingram to set up third and three. With his receivers covered downfield, Ehlinger bowled over a couple of defenders for a pivotal first down. Without a conversion, the momentum would have swung in Tulsa’s favor. “I honestly wasn’t thinking that we needed a spark,” Ehlinger said. “I was thinking shoot, it’s third and four, no one’s open, this guy is coming down hill, and I need to get this first down.” The Longhorns moved the football, but were faced with another long third down in Tulsa territory. Ehlinger improvised again, rushing for 14 yards when he only needed
BJ Foster
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inside texas
seven. Two plays later, Ehlinger found Watson in the flat,
insidetexas.com
and the grad transfer scampered into the end zone to put Texas ahead 28-14. The Golden Hurricane didn’t give in there, scoring on the very next drive to make it a one score game once more. That lead to what was Texas’ best drive of the season. With 4:53 left in the game, Texas began the drive on its own 25. A screen pass started it off before Watson gained the first down on the ground. Watson rushed again, leaving Texas with one yard to go on third down. Failure to get it could have resulted in Tulsa getting the ball back with some momentum, but Ehlinger got three yards when he needed one.
Daniel Young
Then, Daniel Young came in. Young rushed for 39 yards over the next two carries and flattened a Tulsa player in the process. As a result, Texas was able to kneel the ball twice on the Golden Hurricane 11 yard line to close out the 28-21 victory. “In a one score game to get the ball back with 4:53 on the clock, your opponent with two timeouts, and to end it in victory formation, that’s a sign of a team that can finish,” Herman said. “Was really proud of that.” According to Herman, the same issues that plagued the Longhorns in Maryland to open the game plagued them upon their return to the field in the second half in Austin. Despite having a stat line that would have indicated an easy win, Texas had to grind this game out until the very end. He didn’t blame it on pressure. Rather, he once again said it came from an emphasis on players trying hard for
“I don’t think it’s the pressure of Texas. I think it’s more of the wanting so badly to play well for their teammates that we tense up a little bit.” The “wanting it so badly” resulted in Texas almost getting into full-on a scrap fest with a game they dominated on the stat sheet. Two dropped balls by Golden Hurricane receivers in the end zone and the three missed field goals are more evidence this game could have been a lot worse for the Longhorns despite the statistical dominance. If it’s a mental thing rather than a on-field thing, Herman has a tough psychiatric task ahead of him prior to welcoming the talented USC Trojans to Austin next week. “We’ve got a lot of lessons to learn and a lot of things to clean up, but those pills are a lot easier to swallow when you win.”
their teammates. “I think they know that they are prepared,” Herman said.
September - 2018
25
LONGHORNS THUM by
Justin Wells
Joshua Moore
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MP TROJANS 31-14
AUSTIN, TX — Following two uninspiring performances to open the season, Texas decided to turn it on. And did they ever. September - 2018
27
- Texas vs USC -
T
exas dominated in all three
When USC put up 14 points in the
thought we were going to need because
phases of the game as the
opening stanza, it would’ve been easy
of the structure of the defense to use the
Longhorns knocked off No. 22
for doubt to creep into the minds of the
quarterback in the run game and for our
Southern California 37-14 in front of a
players and staff. But this isn’t the last
defense to shut them out in the second
record 103, 507 fans on an electrically
few years’ Mack Brown team, or Charlie
half and score points on the blocked
charged Saturday night at DKR-Texas
Strong, or even the 2017 version.
field goal was — again, it was a great
Memorial Stadium. And Texas coach Tom Herman was all smiles.
team win.” “To go down 14-3, there was no hanging of heads, there was no discouragement,
Behind the arm and legs of Sam
“I want to start off by thanking our
no negativity on the sideline,” Herman
Ehlinger – 15 of 33, 223 yards, two
student body,” said Herman. “What an
said. “We started playing better, made
TDs and one rushing score – the Horns
unbelievable display of support by them.
a few adjustments offensively and
rattled off 34 consecutive points. Collin
That’s two weeks in a row that they have
defensively and we scored the last six
Johnson and Lil’Jordan Humphrey com-
showed up en masse and really had
scores. We scored the last 34 points of
bined for 163 yards on 10 catches with
a direct impact on the game. I want to
the game, obviously shut them out in the
one TD, while Tre Watson and Daniel
thank our fans. What an incredibly elec-
second half. We knew offensively that
Young added 129 yards on 30 carries on
tric atmosphere that DKR was tonight,
it was going to be ugly at times but that
the ground.
and our guys feed off that. Our fans
we needed to keep taking shots. They’re
have a direct impact on the game by the
a very aggressive defense. And you’re
“We’re just happy,” said Ehlinger. “We fi-
energy that they give our team, and I
not going to hit every shot. We knew our
nally proved ourselves right. We fired off
was really, really, really proud of the way
completion percentage was probably
on all cylinders, played good football on
that our fans and students supported us.
not going to be great but when we hit
both sides of the ball and special teams
It was really a good team win.”
they were going to be for big plays. We
for the majority of the game. Really just
did just enough in the run game that I
happy to see the confidence grow and everyone to understand that we can do this and we can be a really good team.” For Ehlinger, he’s played 12 quarters of football in 2018, with only the 4th period of Maryland viewed negatively. “I think it’s part of the development of the position, still learning and getting more experience every week,” Ehlinger said. But you can’t forget the defense, even though they had a first quarter to forget, giving up 14 points to the Trojan offense. Then Gary Johnson happened. And Caden Sterns. And Kris Boyd. “It was about finishing for us tonight,”
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said Gary Johnson. “The coaches have preached all spring, summer, and fall
- Texas vs USC camp about the importance of finishing. Last year, USC got up on us and we were in a dog fight. We knew we didn’t want to give up anymore after the first quarter. We told the offensive and defensive guys, ‘no more points, do your job, make plays, and execute.’ We were not giving up anything else and we didn’t.” Boyd noticed some changes during last year that made him more prepared for this final campaign on the 40 Acres. “There’s one thing I really started focusing on last year was watching film,” said Boyd. “I always asked the older guys Brandon Jones
‘what’s the most important thing I should do and what do you wish you’d have done different while you were here.’ They all said ‘watch more film.’ So I did.” Johnson played like a mad man. He tallied six tackles, four TFL, one sack, and one forced fumble. Sterns covers the secondary like a hawk. Apparently he blocks field goals like Dikembe Mutumbo, too. Brandon Jones, who is at the beginning of breakout tour, led the squad in tackles with nine and two TFL. Both were part of a defensive effort that allowed -5 rushing yards. And let’s not forget the freshman place kicker Cameron Dicker. He was 3 of 3, including two from 46 yards, and kept the Horns close in the first half. It didn’t take long for USC to get on the board. They opened with a nine-play, 75-yard drive that took under five minutes, and staked the Trojans to an early lead, 7-0. Texas answered with its own 12-play,
72-yard drive. Three first downs from
quarter, hitting Amon-Ra St. Brown for
Sam Ehlinger to Collin Johnson or
a 36-yarder inside the 10. But Brandon
Andrew Beck lead to a Cameron Dicker
Jones’ TFL on Stephen Carr’s 4th down
20-yard field goal, and a 7-3 mark.
carry gave Texas the ball and stopped the Trojan march.
USC came back when Daniels hit Velus Jones Jr. for a 35-yard seam. Then
With three seconds remaining in the first
Vavae Malepeai punched it in from three
half Dicker came through again, this
yards out giving the Trojans the 14-3
time from 46 yards, and gave UT the
advantage.
16-14 lead heading into halftime.
Southern Cal owned the first quarter.
Texas didn’t let up to begin the third
Texas took the next three.
quarter either. After a roughing the passer/targeting call on USC LB Porter
The Longhorns used their first posses-
Gustin, Ehlinger went back to the skies
sion in the 2nd half in style. Ehlinger hit
hitting freshman Joshua Moore for the
Humphrey on two big plays – 35-yarder
27-yard pitch-and-catch score. After 20
and a 47-yarder – with the latter hitting
consecutive points, UT’s lead increased
paydirt. UT went 75 yards on six plays,
to 23-14 at the 10:45 mark of the 3rd.
and got within four, 14-10. Then the UT defense made a play. After a Boyd interception, Texas went 22 yards in six plays before a Dicker
Freshman Caden Sterns blocked a
46-yard field goal and a 14-13 margin.
Chase McGrath field goal attempt, then
The momentum continued after USC
Anthony Wheeler picked up the loose
drove the field midway through the 2nd
change and went 46 yards to the house. Jean Delance
September - 2018
29
It marked 27 consecutive points by the
What was the first reaction after such a
“However we prepared, do it again and
Longhorns and a 30-14 lead midway
big win on a big stage in front of a big
keeping doing it. Other teams will see
through the third.Ehlinger added the
crowd at DKR tonight?
our tape and adjust. So that means you
final score on a 4-yard scamper with 1:42 left in the third.
have to put in that much more effort to “Do this again,” said Charles Omenihu.
keep it up. This is just a stepping stone to greater things. If you like this winning feeling, you’re going to have to put in more work.” With TCU coming into Austin next weekend and the start of Big 12 play, I asked Omenihu what needed to be done to use this momentum towards thwarting the Horned Frogs of Fort Worth. “Find what the good (film) was, multiply by 10, then subtract the bad and don’t make the same mistakes,” said Omenihu. Sounds like the beginning of a good game plan heading into next week. This game was a great start.
Sam Ehlinger
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thoughts
E
by Ian Boyd
vidently that was Texas’ 900th victory in program
Perhaps most important was that Texas didn’t have to
a lot of reasons. The Longhorns now have a lot more
but wrestled control of the game back from the Trojans
history. It was a good one and an important one for
confidence going into Big 12 play than they would have had if the record read 1-2 and they were dealing with
more questions about an inability to win for whatever reason.
The recruits that attended the game were treated to a big time, passionate atmosphere and a dominating win.
eek out a game and didn’t play down to the opponent before the half before pounding them into the ground
like a tent peg in the second half. It’s very satisfying
to end a game by protecting a sizable margin over a ranked (not for long, but still) opponent by running the ball down their throats and then lining up in the victory formation.
#1 Domination in the Trenches Texas won this game with their big men up front. The stat line
The domination by the defense in the trenches was clear and
for the Texas run game wasn’t amazing, they finished with
in no need of qualification or closer review. The Trojans ran
160 rushing yards on 48 rushes, at 3.3 ypc. Some of that was
for -5 yards in this game and most of the occasions in which
the gameplan for USC, which involved packing the line of
they tried to call runs in order to try and ease pressure from
scrimmage with all the usual suspects while also actively and
freshman QB J.T. Daniels were unmitigated disasters that only
aggressively involving a safety or two to swallow up any runs
served to put Daniels in even more dire situations.
that threatened to break through. More careful eyes than mine will have a good account for what The Longhorns were still able to run the ball effectively and
occurred but it was easy enough to see that Texas’ DL was
mostly avoid negative plays while regularly getting coverage
moving around a lot and generating a ton of confusion and
and push on the Trojan front. Now is as good a time as any
penetration against the Trojan OL. I don’t know what Breckyn
to mention the QB stretch play, which made a highly effective
Hager’s stat line was but he was a huge problem for USC,
appearance last week against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane and
Gary Johnson’s stat line was surely excellent and Daniels will
was wildly successful against the Trojans. Texas could get at
likely see him racing after him in his nightmares. From the
least four yards whenever they needed them running that play
goal line stand on, that was it for USC at the line of scrimmage
for Sam Ehlinger, it seems to be Tom Herman’s go-to play in
against this defense. They did nothing after that.
place of the QB split zone that was similarly automatic for Ohio
32
State with J.T. Barrett. Future opponents are going to have to
The Trojans didn’t play a great game in the trenches today but
craft their plan for third and five or less to make sure they can
they have a lot of big time players that will have their chances
handle that one.
in the NFL and Texas made them to look bad.
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#2 Texas stuffed the run in dime Cameron Dicker left the clear impression with his consecutive kicks of 46-yard field goals that Texas has a legit kicker. If and when Texas gets in a spot where they need those points it’ll be immensely valuable that they have a dude who seems to be close to automatic after crossing the 35 or 40 yard line. Texas completely dominated special teams tonight. Ryan Bujcevksi had a mixed game, he’s still not a guy that can be counted on to carry the team but he’s getting close to being a reliably solid college punter. Obviously the blocked kick was more or less icing on the cake in that game. Meanwhile USC was having big struggles, beyond the blocked punt they also several terrible punts, some of which bounced backwards for sizable chunks of yardage. USC and their coaching will be facing some tough questions heading back to Cameron Dicker
Los Angeles. For Texas though, it appears that they have the pieces to Dicker and dime their way through the upcoming Big 12 slate.
Chris Nelson (97) and Taquon Graham (49)
September - 2018
33
#3 Ehlinger on 3rd Down Ehlinger either threw the ball or ran it on 16 third downs and he converted eight of them while picking up another with a fourth down carry. While 15-33 on the day for 223 yards at 6.8 ypa with two TDs and zero INTs won’t blow anyone away, he was 6-10 on third down for 122 yards at 12.2 ypa with one TD occurring in that situation. He ran the ball on six other third downs and picked up two more conversions there plus the other when he picked up nine yards with a draw on third and nine and then picked up the fourth down immediately afterwards (on QB stretch for four yards). USC’s gameplan was daring Texas to beat them over the top in the passing game. Ehlinger did so at times, not to the extent that you’d like to see because either his pass or his targets’ hands were just a little off, but his ability to keep drives alive on third down was special. Texas needs to keep finding ways to get Li’Jordan Humphrey some space on third down since he’s such a reliable target and I imagine we’ll continue to see more of young Josh Moore who reeled in a 27-yard pass for a score when he beat a USC DB on a seam route. The Longhorn offense still needs to play tighter but they’re showing a lot of potential and they have a couple of aces up their sleeve for league play. One is the return of Keaontay Ingram, who will make a lot out of the improving blocking of this OL, the other is Ehlinger’s ability to keep drives alive with his unique ability on both third and long and third and short.
34
inside texas
insidetexas.com
#4 Targeting and Officiating Needs Some Adjustment
BJ Foster
I’m sure the major takeaway from USC fans,
him ejected for another clear violation of the rule.
egged on by Joel Klatt, will be that they were
The NCAA needs to figure out something akin to
robbed on the safety. At Colorado they taught
the NBA’s flagrant system or soccer’s red/yellow
Klatt that it’s physically impossible for a QB who
cards, then they can throw something else in
has a defender landing on him to keep his knees
that is largely trivial so it doesn’t seem like they
off the turf for however long would have been
are moving away from prioritizing player safety.
necessary to get the ball back across the goal
This game doesn’t work properly when defenders
line. It looked close but it’s understandable that
trying to make a play in live action can be thrown
the officials didn’t have enough to conclusively
out of the football game and even future contests.
say “when the knee was down, the ball wasn’t across” so they couldn’t overturn.
On a side note, it was interesting to see him put his helmet on Ehlinger’s chin without the
Whoever has been making sacrifices to the foot-
QB showing any effects whatsoever, he has a
ball gods so that Texas would finally benefit from
fighter’s jaw.
a review had a very good night. The reviews were not overly burdensome. The This is the second time in two years that Texas
review of Andrew Beck’s potential fumble on
didn’t have to face Porter Gustin down the stretch
Texas’ opening drive seemed totally needless
of the game (wouldn’t have mattered this time)
and allowed the Trojans to catch their breath
and in this case it was because of a targeting
and regroup on the goal line. Overall I don’t think
call. It was a blatant foul and an easy flag, but
officiating was the difference in this game, Gary
the rule needs to be changed. I’m sure Texas
Johnson and Todd Orlando were the difference in
fans are sympathetic after losing B.J. Foster for
this game.
the first half of the TCU game when a big shot Sam Ehlinger
he landed on a player running down the field got
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35
#5 The Todd Orlando Defense is Back Nothing like a pro-style team with a pocket passer to fill a Todd
If you try to handle this team and Gary Johnson’s improving timing on
Orlando defense with confidence. Perhaps my favorite moment of the
the blitz by having the QB drop back 40+ times, God help you. Their
game occurred when B.J. Foster was ejected and Texas brought in
ability to cover windows and generate pressures from the dime pack-
Chris Brown to play dime and immediately blitzed him and got a sack
age could be the most dominant facet of a lot of games this season.
on Daniels. Daniels was lethal early, connecting with HS teammate at Mater Dei Amon-Ra St. Brown and fitting some third down throws into tight windows that Texas was struggling to close. They won a few 50-50 plays early but Daniels also has elite arm talent. But Texas stayed calm, the offense helped them out some, and then the pressures started to really dial in. Before long Daniels couldn’t even hit his check downs because he was so hurried and out of sorts running for his life. The offense still isn’t good enough to win shootouts against the best teams in the Big 12 and the punting isn’t going to dominate any games, Texas needs to play great defense to have a chance to win the league. That looks plausible after the unit picked up some needed confidence with this dominant win.
Breckyn Hager
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Kraken_Texas_mechanical.indd 1
5/19/11 2:17:09 PM
HORNS HANDLE HO
AUSTIN, Tx — In its last two home games, Texas went into halftime against ranked opponents in a close game where the second half would determine the outcome. 38
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Tre Watson
RNED FROGS 31-16 by Joe Cook
September - 2018
39
Photos by Will Gallagher
- TEXAS vs TCU -
A
nd on both occasions, UT (3-1,
Texas safety duo of Caden Sterns (2 INTs)
the second half, taking a 16-10 advantage
1-0) earned decisive victories,
and Brandon Jones (INT, FR) led the
with 8:44 left in the third. That was before
only this time it opened Big 12
Longhorn defense to its first win over TCU
Robinson threw two interceptions, and
since 2013.
ended coach Gary Patterson’s attempt at
play and ended a four-game skid against the TCU Horned Frogs.
topping UT five consecutive years, most “This was going to be an ugly, hard fought,
since 1930.
Last week it was due in large part to an
physical game as all games against TCU
excellent run defense. This week against
are, and the defense kept us in it when we
The Longhorns responded with a drive
No. 17 TCU, it was big plays en route to a
were finding our way a little bit offensively,”
down the field and got within range for
31-16 win at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium
Texas head coach Tom Herman said after
Cameron Dicker, but he missed his second
on Saturday.
the
attempt of the evening. That moment of
game. “I can’t credit the defense or the of-
disappointment was left in the past.
Texas forced TCU QB Shawn Robinson
fense enough for responding.”
into three turnovers in the second half, with the Horns capitalizing on the latter two.
Two plays later, Jones intercepted RobTCU scored on its second possession of
inson and brought it back to the TCU 45. Texas orchestrated a seven-play, 45-yard drive capped off by an outstanding diving touchdown catch by Collin Johnson. Quarterback Sam Ehlinger stepped up in the pocket and fired the ball between two defenders to find Johnson in the end zone.
“They gave me a post,” Johnson said. “I was like ‘I’m not the fastest but I’m just going to lay out and try to make the play.’ I was happy just to make the play for the team and help the team out.”
That gave UT a 17-16 lead they wouldn’t surrender and although Herman claims momentum is an illusion, it appeared to loom around the Longhorns for the remainder of the game.
If it had simply tipped on Texas’ side at that point, the very next play made it go fully in the Longhorns’ favor. Robinson dropped back on a 1st and 10 and fired a ball in the heart of UT’s defense. It was there Sterns snagged his second INT of the game, as his intended receiver Sam Ehlinger
40
inside texas
appeared to give up on the route, and the
insidetexas.com
- TEXAS vs TCU -
freshman phenom returned it to the TCU 2.
One play later, Ehlinger pulled the ball from Tre Watson’s stomach and waltzed into the end zone with a smile on his face, and a 24-16 lead with five seconds remaining in the quarter.
The Horns held the ball for more than 10 minutes in the third quarter, tiring out the TCU defense. The Horned Frogs had one more opportunity late, but a missed field goal by Jonathan Song ended any hope of a comeback, especially considering what Texas did next.
In the style of football Herman prefers, Texas went on a 10-play, 76-yard drive. The Longhorns converted two 3rd downs with
Texas defense stops TCU QB Shawn Robinson
the latter being another big play, a 38-yard pitch-and-catch to Lil’Jordan Humphrey,
three consecutive games since Colt McCoy
some players, and a sign for members of
who raced to paydirt sealing the win.
in 2008.
the program that progress is being made at a steady pace.
“We were expecting that because we
Johnson was the only receiver in the game
wanted to control the game and control the
to break 100 yards, with 123 on seven
“This is important to us,” Sterns said. “The
game on the ground,” Watson said of the
receptions and one score.
culture is starting to change, and we’re just
drive. “Our o-line was getting great push off
starting to put all the little pieces together.
the ball and they were competing the entire
“I think we were confident in the way that
game. In that fourth quarter, we knew we
we prepared and that were were confident
were going to have to handle the ball on the
that if we just went out and continued to
Texas goes on the road next week to
ground. We did pretty well.”
stick to the game plan, the plays would start
face Kansas State. The Longhorns have
going our way,” Herman said. “We did that.
struggled in Manhattan over the years,
Watson finished as Texas’ leading rusher
It’s just amazing to see.”
lasting leaving with a win in 2002, but Her-
with 60 yards on 15 carries. On the whole,
Texas notched its first victory over TCU
man’s team is ready to continue to change
the Longhorns rushed for 112 yards and
since 2013 with today’s win, and also
the direction of the program.
two scores at 2.5 yards per carry.
achieved its first three-game win streak since 2014.
The sophomore Ehlinger delivered another
“We went 1-0 against a really good opponent and we’re going to have to wake
efficient performance going 22-of-32 pass-
“I really like the grit of this team and the
up tomorrow and take another step and do
ing for 255 yards and two scores, adding
tenacity that they have shown especially in
it on the road against another really good
one on the ground. He was the first UT
the last couple of weeks.”
opponent,” Herman said.
signal-caller to rush and throw for a score in
It’s a black cloud off no longer hanging over
September - 2018
41
POST-MORTEM | TCU
O F F E N S E
by Scipio Tex
T
he Texas offense had three performances in one game.
that yielded 3 touchdowns and another missed field goal.
One solid, one horrific, one excellent.
31-16 - Texas
In the first third of the contest, Texas moved the ball well running tempo offense. The first four drives of the game totaled 30
WHAT HAPPENED TO TURN THINGS AROUND?
plays for 163 yards and featured drives of 51, 65, 17 and 30 yards. Collin Johnson dominated TCU’s single coverage and the
On Texas’ first productive possession of the second half, they
Longhorn running game was just effective enough. Three of the
stubbornly ran Keaontay Ingram four consecutive times at
four drives ended in scoring opportunities and Texas converted
tempo for 8, 7, 2 and 9 yards. That four carry 26 yard outburst
on two of them (TD, FG, missed FG). At the end of Q1, Sam Eh-
seems marginal in the big picture, but it got TCU out of their
linger was 8 of 10 for 101 yards. CJ had 4 catches for 78 yards.
scheme and it made their LB, DE and S run forces play honestly. Texas began throwing the ball effectively again. That 14
10-6 - Texas
play, 69 yard drive also reset the Texas defense. That the drive ended in a missed field goal proved immaterial. Texas was back
In the middle third of the contest, Texas played as putrid a level
on track.
of offense as you’ll find in the Herman era. Ben Banogu and LJ Collier dominated on the edge with honest pressure and Sam
Success begat success as TCU began to tire. Banogu slowed
Ehlinger was repeatedly sacked and hurried as TCU dropped 7
down just enough against a hobbled Calvin Anderson and big
or 8 into coverage on most downs. The seeming bane of our of-
LJ Collier flat tired out. TCU’s quick LBs had to react rather than
fense. Over five possessions spanning the 2nd quarter into the
dictate. Suddenly, the weak links in the TCU secondary were
middle of the 3rd quarter, Texas ran 14 plays for...wait for it...-2
exposed again. Just like in the first quarter.
yards of offense. Texas stayed stuck on 10 while TCU added 10 of their own. Texas fans started to get that sick feeling of how
Virtuous circles ensued. The play of the Texas offense helped
this was going to play out...
the Longhorn defense. With some time to adjust, the Texas D set up the Longhorn offense with short fields of 2 and 45 yards.
42
16-10 - TCU
Both resulted in Texas touchdowns.
But it didn’t play out that way at all. Texas found its feet again.
Up 24-16, the coup de grace was a gorgeous 10 play 76 yard
Over the final four meaningful drives of the contest beginning in
drive that ate up over 6:00 of late 4th quarter clock and ended in
the mid 3rd quarter, Texas ran 32 plays for 192 yards (69, 45, 2,
a Sam Ehlinger 38 yard touchdown pass to LJH that seemed to
76) at 6 yards per pop that resulted in four scoring opportunities
encapsulate the game’s flows and ebbs: Ehlinger had six sec-
inside texas
insidetexas.com
LIL’ JORDAN HUMPHREY
onds in the pocket against TCU’s three man rush, LJH broke off his route instead of accepting coverage, and an exhausted Frog
#1
The 4th and 1 call in the 2nd quarter was bad. Real bad. I liked going for it near midfield (your D playing
D tapped out. Before that, heady plays from Devin Duvernay
well is a reason to go for it, not to shell up as fellow fans so
and Tre Watson showed them purposefully fighting to stay in
commonly urge) but running a pitch toss to Danny Young to the
bounds to burn clock. It was smart football.
short side of the field against a defense you know you can’t run on horizontally and you know we’re not very good at moving
A Texas offense that had been 0-9 on 3rd downs converted 5 of
the edge is football strategy of the “We know, but you know
their last 6.
we know, but we know you know we know, so we know that you know we know you know and...wait, what were we talking
I’m not sure how to characterize a Texas offensive performance
about?” variety. I mean, c’mon. “Hey Khabib, you should only
that ranged from competent, as bad as I’ve ever seen, and
fight Conor McGregor standing up! He’ll never expect it!”
finally will-imposing, but that’s why we have scoreboards. And Todd Orlando’s defense.
#2
TCU decided that LJH was more dangerous than CJ. So they doubled him early and blitzed. We threw to CJ
No Festivus or post-mortem is complete without an airing of
and he killed TCU in the first quarter. So TCU dropped 7/8 and
grievances, so here are two things to examine critically.
bracketed both of them. They did it with the corner in a loose trail position and the safety just hanging on the top. It took us
September - 2018
43
five possessions to have our receivers stop jogging into the
with some big passing plays if we were more inclined to use him
safety and have them run option routes, which is a fancy way
there and #11 could hit his upfield shoulder in stride. 15 carries
of saying that we asked them to run to green grass between
for 58 yards and a touchdown isn’t winning any fantasy champi-
or outside of the coverage. That’s about three possessions too
onships, but in a reality contest, he’s a very useful runner for us
long.
and I’m glad he’s here.
Beyond that, lots of good to call out.
Keaontay is the best talent in the stable and that’s obvious. He needs to learn, however, than on a 3rd and 1 when our blocking
QB
scheme is to cover up the DL and leave LBs unblocked, you
I think we all see the inaccuracy on some lay-up throws (Tre
can’t run parallel to the LOS hoping to spring the corner. He got
Watson lost out on about 30 yards of receiving because of
submarined by sprinting TCU LB and Texas had to punt. Ingram
Ehlinger’s lack of ball placement), but please see with very clear
has to lower his pads and get small for 1.5 yards and a fresh
eyes that Sam took a beating for five straight frustrating pos-
set of downs. He’ll learn. Obviously, if healthy, he represents
sessions and just kept plugging away, not shying in the pocket
significant upside for this running game.
when he started delivering strikes. On the other side of the ball, TCU’s QB - facing a less withering pass rush - tapped out
WR/TE
mentally and physically. Sam finished 22 of 32 for 255, 2 TDs
Finally, both primary Texas WRs played well in the same game
passing, 1 rushing and no turnovers. On the season, he has a
and used their size and route running in ways that created
4:1 TD/INT ratio and has protected the ball. We can win a lot of
mismatches. LJH scored his 3rd consecutive TD (4-78, 38 yard
games with this version of Sam Ehlinger.
TD) of the season and CJ dominated single coverage 7 catches for 124 yards and a spectacular diving TD catch on a post route.
44
RB
Duvernay had two catches and played smart. We really need
Under appreciated Tre Watson gave us yards after contact
him to punish teams more when CJ and LJH draw attention, but
again running bigger than his size and could’ve had topped it off
that’ll involve getting on the same page deep with Sam.
inside texas
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SAM EHLINGER battled through an injury out there while drawing arguably the We’ve significantly reduced our WR rotation and I think that’s
best speed rusher in the Big 12.
paying off with the players learning and having a better feel for how they’re being covered. Further, if we can create some un-
Overall, there is a clear difference in this unit four games in. Not
derstanding between Ehlinger and our WRs that cloud coverage
really even arguable anymore. Like their QB, they’re not perfect,
means option routes and adjustments to green grass (paired
but they’ll certainly battle for four quarters.
with an effective running game) then we can punish defenses appropriately for the Drop Errbody approach.
OVERALL
I’d like to see more contact from Beck driving through a smaller
Overcoming TCU is a big mental boost for this football team.
defender and less screening. Brewer isn’t being physical
TCU may be in a bit more of a transitional phase than many
enough and I wonder how much his knee bothers him.
expected or we might care to admit (The Frogs going 5-4 in the Big 12 looks far more likely than 7-2 right now), but beating
OL
them is an important step. Texas was the more physical team on
They really struggled against TCU’s speed outside for a stretch
Saturday and if they can continue to show better execution and
(TCU had 3 sacks during that time and 4 tackles for loss) when
adjustments in the passing game while tapping upside in Ingram
Ehlinger had to hold the ball against coverage, but they acquit-
in the running game, there may be more big plays available to
ted themselves well against the blitz and asserted their will late
complement the current grinding approach.
in the game. Not many outright busts and the negative plays that TCU inflicted in the running game were either good guesses
Now it’s time to put our next Purple demon to bed.
on stunts or just really good individual plays from the TCU defender. TCU is legit quick - it’s part of the deal. Anderson clearly
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45
46
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POST-MORTEM | TCU
D E F E N S E
Here’s a little industry knowledge that’s likely of no interest to
I boldly assert that defense represents 50% of the football team.
you: offensive recaps always garner 20-50% more reads than
When you add in special teams, you’ve got the majority of your
a defensive recap. On all platforms, at all levels, almost without
game performance. So consider this your vegetables and lean
exception, because that’s how most fanbases relate to the
protein and I’ll do my best to be generous with the garnish, but-
game. Credit touchdown plays, glamorous QBs, and everyone
ter and cheese. Dessert comes later.
having an opinion on play-calling (i.e. any play that doesn’t work
The Longhorns are 3-1 for the first time since 2012 and have
is a de facto bad play call).
beaten ranked opponents back-to-back for the first time since 2008. The Longhorn defense is the primary reason why.
September - 2018
47
CADEN STERNS
As expected, Shawn Robinson hurt us running the ball in the
show off.
first half. He had 7 carries for 42 yards at halftime with some key conversions on money downs that allowed TCU’s TD drive (he
DBs
had carries of 17, 11 and 7 yards, including two money down
Kris Boyd had a rough first half, as TCU WR Jalen Reagor
conversions on the drive that gave TCU a 13-10 lead). He only
notched 6 catches for 81 yards and a touchdown. He had 3
carried twice for the remainder of the game after the Bimage
catches for 79 yards in the first quarter, including a 50 yard
strip fumble (which was a great effort by #42). The TCU coaches
scorching that set up a TCU score. He also mesmerized #2 for
lost some confidence in him and Robinson just got plain beat
a half-ending fade route TD where everyone knew TCU had to
up. Orlando played the long game and traded yards for punish-
throw it immediately to a spot and Kris didn’t get a jam or play
ment. It worked.
off and drive on the ball, but sort of just hung out. He also didn’t seem to grasp that a PI in that situation is a 4 point differential in
Against TCU, the Horns forced four turnovers, knocked TCU’s
play result.
QB out of the game and dominated the second half, surren-
48
dering one field goal on TCU’s seven second half posses-
Reagor was also robbed of a long score by Caden Sterns on the
sions. While there’s no question that TCU’s domination of the
Turpin pass when Boyd bit on a double move. While I appreci-
Longhorn offense has been the story of the last four years of
ate the REAGOR IS BETTER THAN ANTONIO BROWN crowd,
Purple Reign, the larger script being written for this season post-
once you stop waving pom-poms for TCU’s wide out, it’s notable
Maryland is all about the Texas defense and their ability to keep
that Reagor disappeared from the game (2nd half: 2 catches,
acronym opponents (USC, TCU) largely stuck on their first half
15 yards) after Orlando had Boyd play off coverage, gave him
point total while the Texas offense plods along and wears down
a little safety help on the back half, and Kris stopped getting
the opposing D. It’s winning football. If we could get the offense
caught in the no-man’s land of squatting in “on” coverage while
playing with a significant lead earlier, this defense might really
not attempting to get a jam and stopped jumping everything
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without a safety cover over top. Basically, from a technique and
the ball on a parallel pattern scored him some points for game
scheme standpoint, he got unf***ed. That helped Jerry Rice
awareness. BJ Foster played a very good half of football. When
crossed with Odell Beckham Reagor become mortal again and
he tackles, you can hear it. PJ didn’t play consistently well and
Robinson lost his single read security blanket.
Chris Brown brings aggression but he was caught a little flatfooted at times in his first start.
Caden Sterns has the highest football IQ on the entire defense. He’s a true freshman and that was his third interception of the
LB
season (along with a blocked field goal). Safeties who turn over
Gary Johnson is terrific at see-ball, chase-ball and blitzing. As
the other team - whether through interceptions, forced fumbles,
long as we continue to use him that way, he’s going to keep
or special teams value add - are as game-changing as any
having game impact. He led Texas in tackles with 11. I think his
player on the field. Enjoy him for 2.8 more years. He’s as in-
effort level when he’s in that mode is terrific. Anthony Wheeler
stinctive a football player as I’ve ever seen. The hesitation move
had a great pop on Robinson in the pocket on a second half
he put on Reagor on his interception return was sweet as well.
blitz, but what little running game TCU mustered was attribut-
He should have just fallen to the ground being in his presence.
able to him getting caught up on blockers.
In the name of balance, I will point out that he missed an open field tackle. Inexcusable. BENCH HIM.
Jeffrey McCulloch has come into his own at B-Backer. While he moves well for a 250 pound man, the thing that distinguishes
Brandon Jones had his best tackling game as a Longhorn.
him is his strength and ability to shock and control bigger OTs.
PJ LOCKE
ATNHONY WHEELER
While he was rewarded with a gift interception and hustle
His remarkable - 7 yard TFL in the red zone when TCU had it on
fumble recovery to round out the box score, his tackling work
the Texas 4 yard line and was seemingly headed for 6 demon-
in the open field is what really impressed me. Davante Davis
strated just how much punch #23 packs. He’s a junior, but he’s
had a really good game overall, giving up only one hickey on a
just now starting to get it.
double move. Seeing him come off his man to make a play on
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CHARLES OMENIHU (90) AND BRECKYN HAGER (44)
DL
SPECIAL TEAMS
Winning isn’t always expressed in sacks or tackles. Orlando
Problematic. Dicker missed two field goals and had a bad
repeatedly played light boxes so that the Texas secondary could
kickoff. The punter continues to struggle and isn’t demonstrating
play multiple coverages, jam up the middle of the field and run
an awareness of when to take his time and boom it and when
some exotic blitzes; the 3 DL were asked to take on 5 OL at the
to kick it quickly. Jamison probably needs to be fired as a kick
point of attack and win. They did that much more often than not.
returner until he can show better decision-making. Returning a kick from three yards deep to “make something happen” and
TCU’s losses in the OL were evident from last year and Nelson
forcing a hold by Josh Thompson so that the Texas offense
and Wilbon did a great job controlling the C-G gaps, making
starts on the 5 isn’t the happening we’re looking for. Fortunately,
Darius Anderson irrelevant (8 carries, 18 yards) and taking away
TCU didn’t hurt us much with their own ST performance as their
any credibility in TCU’s play action game. TCU got pretty pre-
punter also struggled, their return game didn’t hurt us, and Song
dictable in the second half and became a conventional offense.
missed one of his 4 field goal attempts.
Not good for them.
OVERALL Hager hit us with two off-sides but he played big inside and
Texas played smart D for the most part. Very few penalties
didn’t give up ground. Same for Omenihu. Graham continues to
and once the coverage approach on Reagor was corrected at
play really good football and he drew a hold that saved a TCU
halftime, Robinson lost his single read security blanket. I wrote
skill player from a decapitation.
about the importance of making TCU turn to Page 2 in my preview and when they were forced to do so after Texas took away
I think these guys are getting a little too much grief from what
their inside running game and misdirection “Texas beaters”, and
I’ve read on the boards. The game plan was to beg TCU to run
put the game on Shawn Robinson’s shoulders playing behind an
on favorables boxes and alignments (sometimes we got a little
inexperienced OL, he broke.
carried away there with the 5 men in the box stuff) and use speed and bodies in the back 7 to turn over Robinson. Hard to
Kansas State on the road will present its own unique challenges
argue with the results.
next week, but by way of quick preview, the purple plague in Manhattan ain’t what it used to be.
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HORNS BREAK P BY JOE COOK
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52
PURPLE CURSE
MANHATTAN, KS — It was almost purple misery. After the No. 18 Texas Longhorns shut out the Kansas State Wildcats in the first half, KSU head coach Bill Snyder made the decision to switch from singlewing runner Alex Delton to passer Skyler Thompson at quarterback.
D’SHAWN JAMISON
The decision almost paid off, as Thompson helped organize drives leading to 14 unanswered points in the second half. However, he needed one more score he never got, and Texas won in Manhattan, 19-14, for the first time since 2002. September - 2018
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T
exas controlled the game in the opening 30
Thompson trotted out with the Wildcat offense under
minutes, specifically on the defensive side of
center to begin the second half, and when the stadium
the ball. The Wildcats managed just 64 yards
public address relayed that he was under center to the
of total offense, while Texas put up 191. That defensive
crowd, most of the 49,916 let out a loud cheer.
effort paid off on special teams, as freshman D’Shawn Jamison returned a punt 90 yards for a touchdown to
Snyder’s decision immediately paid dividends, Thomp-
give Texas an early lead.
son led a 10 play, 82-yard drive to the end zone, running it in from seven yards out for the score. That drive was
Sophomore Sam Ehlinger found junior Collin Johnson
18 more yards than the Wildcats amassed in the entire
for a second quarter score to make it 14-0, and junior
first half.
Charles Omenihu sacked Delton in the end zone on the ensuing series to make it 16-0.
“The kid was playing really good,” Texas head coach Tom Herman said of Thompson’s performance. “We
“They were rolling out, and I recognized it pretty quickly,”
had guys in position. I remember one out route that PJ
Omenihu said. “On those kind of plays just try to get
(Locke) had. He was right on the guy’s hip and he put it on the perfect shoulder. He eluded pressure well. I don’t think it was any slowness to adjustment. I think their quarterback played really, really well.” After a good first half, the Longhorn offense struggled mightily in the second half. It went four and out on its first drive, and it could have been worse. Freshman Ryan Bujcevski had to jump to field a deep snap, and was forced to quickly get off a punt in the face of pressure that only went 17 yards. Texas’ next drive ended with a missed Dicker field goal. After that kick sailed right, Texas had at that point undertaken two of its four second-half drives. Kansas State scored on its drive that spanned the third and fourth quarters. A heavy dose of running back Alex Barnes and efficient passing from Thompson put the
CHARLES OMENIHU
Wildcats within one touchdown of taking the lead. It was a lead they would not get. They had an opportunity
upfield as fast as you can. I saw the lane between the
to drive for the go-ahead score following a Texas punt,
guard and the tackle and shot it. The quarterback was
but senior Breckyn Hager made sure that didn’t happen.
right there.”
On a 3rd-and-6 from K-State’s own 20, Hager knocked down a pass at the line of scrimmage forcing the Wild-
Freshman Cameron Dicker hit a 28-yard field goal to
cats to punt.
make it 19-0, and after Kansas State failed to convert a
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goal-line opportunity at the end of the half, everything
The Wildcat crowd was into the game at this point after
looked in Texas’ favor.
remaining silent for much of the second quarter. If Texas
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didn’t succeed on its final drive beginning with 6:20 remaining
SAM EHLINGER
in the game, a strong possibility existed that Texas’ woes in Bill Snyder Family Stadium would continue. If the Wildcats got the ball back, they had momentum and an offense under Thompson the Longhorns struggled to contain all afternoon. They would not get the ball back. Texas bled clock over the last 6:20 to end the game in possession of the football, and end K-State’s win streak over the Longhorns at home. “To end the game the way that we did when things were looking fairly bleak there for most of the second half, for the defense to get the offense the ball back up by five, and then I believe for the fourth straight week, our offense getting a few first downs and ended it taking a knee against the defense,” Herman
to be extra guys,” Herman said. “We felt like he was our best opportunity to make that guy miss.” It also had its struggles. Ehlinger completed 29 of his 36 passes, but missed several open receivers and only accumulated 207 yards. Texas didn’t play it’s best game,
said. “That’s pretty tough to do.”
but still won.
With that, Texas achieved it’s first victory in Manhattan
“It probably does,” Herman said when asked if it was a
since 2002 under Mack Brown. Coincidentally, a piece of advice that Brown told Herman prior to the game in Manhattan was one of the main points he gave to his team prior to the trip to Kansas. “He said make sure you tell your team that the Kansas State team that you see on video is not going to be the same Kansas State team you see in Bill Snyder Family Stadium on Saturday afternoon,” Herman said. “You’re going to get a more aggressive, a more cohesive, a more physical outfit. He was exactly right.” The offense had it’s bright spots this game, including Ingram. The freshman had 68 yards on 10 carries, and touched the ball four times on the game-ending drive.
sign of improvement that his team could win with a ‘C+ performance.’ “That’s to take nothing away from coach Snyder and the job that his team did. We won ugly I guess is a better way to put it, but the key word in there is ‘won.’” In the end, it still resulted in a Longhorn victory. Texas now enters the Red River Shootout 4-1 against an undefeated Oklahoma. There doesn’t need to be any additional motivation for that game, and the players know it. “We’ll definitely enjoy this win and then focus on that team on Sunday,” Omenihu said. “Everybody knows what this game means. Ain’t too much talking about it.”
“When you’re in those situations and everybody in the stadium knows you’re running the football, there’s going
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