May/June/JULY Football

Heard Is Back – Battle To Continue

Heard01.jpg

“Jerrod is back it,” Strong said. “One hundred percent.” Strong wants Swoopes and Heard to keep pressing forward in effort to have the Longhorns wind up with the best possible option under center.

The Longhorns will go into a season for only the fourth time since the start of the 2004 campaign with more than one scholarship quarterback on the roster who can boast starting experience.

The depth is nice, but the Strong and Gilbert will eventually have to publicly announce a winner in the derby that started in January. Even though all signs continue to point to Buechele being the guy, Strong isn’t ready to see the competition end at the most important position on the field where he's counting on the two veterans to continue pushing the spring enrollee.

“You like that and you really want that within your program,” Strong said. “When we come for fall camp the competition will be there.”

[247 article]
 
“Buechy” Out Workin'​

Charlie Strong, offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert and the rest of the staff seem prepared to ride with Shane Buechele, who Strong calls “Buechy,” as the starting quarterback for the 2016 season and possibly beyond. Though Strong has been reluctant to publicly name a starting quarterback his praise for Buechele makes it seems like he knows who will likely be emerging as the winner of Texas’ ongoing quarterback battle.

“The only thing he’s done is make the guys around him better,” Strong said. “He comes in and you just like his demeanor, you like everything about him.”

[247 article]
 
DBUT in 2016?

Davante Davis01.jpg

For the Texas Longhorns, the pedigree of defensive backs reads like a 'Who's Who' of college football. From Raymond Clayborn to Johnnie Johnson to Jerry Gray to Quentin Jammer, a long list of defensive backs have visited the Forty Acres and become stars.

When former defensive backs coach Duane Akina arrived in 2001, he furthered this reputation by assembling the finest group of defensive backs in the country. Slowly, Texas earned the title of "DBU."

From 2001-2014, the Longhorns set the golden standard for defensive back play, earning 14 first-team All Big-12 selections, two Thorpe Award Winners, and getting 13 players selected in the NFL Draft. Michael Huff, Aaron Ross, Michael Griffin, and Earl Thomas all etched their names into Longhorn greatness under Akina's watch and solidified Texas as the preeminent home for defensive backs.

Since Charlie Strong's arrival, the group has seen its ups and downs. In 2014, an experienced group helped the Longhorns finish 14th in the nation in passing yards allowed per game and had two players selected in the NFL Draft (Quandre Diggs and Mykkele Thompson). However, 2015 told a much different story. With an inexperienced group led by freshman corners, the group consistently struggled in coverage and limped to 73rd in the country in passing yards allowed per game.

A year under their belt, the Longhorns expect much bigger things from their defensive backs in 2016, whose talent doesn't reflect its play last season. Led by heralded recruits Davante Davis, Holton Hill, and Kris Boyd, the cornerback position looks primed for a breakout season that could lead to several accolades. The competition at nickel back features returning sophomores PJ Locke and John Bonney, who will both vie to make a dent at a key position after meaningful work in 2015.

At safety, the 'Horns return seasoned veterans Jason Hall and Dylan Haines, who have both made splashes on the backside for the team before and will be counted on for their leadership in 2016. Sophomore DeShon Elliott and incoming mega-recruit Brandon Jones will push Hall and Haines for playing time as well, as their talent has many coaches and fans excited about their bright futures. The Longhorns also add talented incoming freshmen Chris Brown and Eric Cuffee, who will occupy different roles across the field in their first season on campus and also provide meaningful depth.

New defensive backs coach Clay Jennings has big shoes to fill in Austin, but he has great talent to work with.

CB
Davante Davis, So., 1L
Kris Boyd, So., 1L
Eric Cuffee, Fr., HS​

NB
P.J. Locke, So., 1L
John Bonney, So., 1L​

CB
Holton Hill, So., 1L
Antwuan Davis, Jr., 2L
Sheroid Evans, Sr., 3L​

FS
Jason Hall, Jr., 2L
Brandon Jones, Fr., HS
Kevin Vaccaro, Sr., 3L​

SS
Dylan Haines, Sr., 2L
DeShon Elliott, So., 1L
Chris Brown, Fr., HS​

Notable Backups

Along with the starting rotation, the 'Horns will count on several key backups to make meaningful contributions in 2016. Among these, the most notable is probably incoming freshman Brandon Jones.

I think it's long overdue that Elliott receives the starting nod at safety, even though an upperclassmen stands above him. In my opinion, Elliott is a much stronger athlete than either Hall or Haines, and can be better relied upon in pass coverage. Like Jones, I see Elliott gaining the starting nod in 2016 at some point, probably faster than Jones.

At corner, three returning players stand out: John Bonney, Antuwan Davis, and Sheroid Evans.

As for the other two incoming freshmen, Eric Cuffee and Chris Brown, fall camp will really determine how their playing time shakes out. I think Cuffee is an incredible talent and will probably see the field in 2016 for the Longhorns, but it may not be right away. He probably will start on special teams and ease his way into the rotation. On the other hand, Brown will probably redshirt in 2016 with notable safety depth ahead of him.

One of the proud traditions for Texas football is the title of DBU. Although the Longhorns' defensive backs struggled last season, there's reason to believe that this group will restore that reputation in 2016. This group is incredibly talented, and with the right development, could turn into one of the conference's strongest groups.

[BON article]

I must disagree with Bonney as a "notable backup." Great kid, but.... Last season he started or played in 10 games at CB and NB and produced 1 pass break-up, 1 forced fumble, 1 QB hurry, and 1 sack.

I just don't think he's animal enough to make receivers and QBs worried. Here's hoping I'm wrong, though.
 
Last edited:
Stong's D Among B12's Best

Charlie LBackers 01.jpg

[C]ompared to the rest of the Big 12, the defenses Strong and coordinator Vance Bedford have led are among the best in the league from a statistical standpoint.

According to ESPN Stats and Information, Texas’ 5.43 yards per play allowed over its last 36 Big 12 games ranks behind only TCU (5.25) and Oklahoma (5.31) among other league foes over that same period of time.

Since Strong’s first season, the Longhorns are the best defense in the conference having given up only 5.14 yards per snap. That number only factors in Big 12, so non-conference losses where the Longhorns have given up a lot of points and/or yards, aren’t held against Texas for the purpose of this ranking.

Nevertheless, this is another data point that suggests the Longhorn defense has the potential to be a salty group by the time the young, talented pieces on the roster come of age.

Texas’ defense has been good in Big 12 games despite its struggles, which bodes well for the future once the pieces are truly in the right place.

[247 article]
 
Godz40acres said:
[C]ompared to the rest of the Big 12, the defenses Strong and coordinator Vance Bedford have led are among the best in the league from a statistical standpoint.

According to ESPN Stats and Information, Texas’ 5.43 yards per play allowed over its last 36 Big 12 games ranks behind only TCU (5.25) and Oklahoma (5.31) among other league foes over that same period of time.

Since Strong’s first season, the Longhorns are the best defense in the conference having given up only 5.14 yards per snap. That number only factors in Big 12, so non-conference losses where the Longhorns have given up a lot of points and/or yards, aren’t held against Texas for the purpose of this ranking.

Nevertheless, this is another data point that suggests the Longhorn defense has the potential to be a salty group by the time the young, talented pieces on the roster come of age.

Texas’ defense has been good in Big 12 games despite its struggles, which bodes well for the future once the pieces are truly in the right place.

[247 article]
Click to expand...
The 2015 defense was one of the worse, if not the worse, from a "what happened on the field viewpoint". It really doesn't matter what other teams are doing.

In 2015 the back 7 had no clue period. They made the same mistakes in the Baylor game that they made in the ND game. Now we are to believe after another Spring that everything is alright because Texas is going to throw more freshmen into the mix? By not making any defensive coaching changes Strong has walked out on the thinnest limb as his perceived strength could be his down fall.

Hope for the best, but brace for a reply of 2015.
 
Last edited:
Godz40acres said:
Since Strong’s first season, the Longhorns are the best defense in the conference having given up only 5.14 yards per snap.
Click to expand...

Viper,
These are the stats for the B12.
Regardless of what you saw (think you saw) or your opinion, these are the stats.
Third in the B12 since Strong's arrival.
Yes, young and mistake prone.
But I expect improvement now that these kids are juniors and sophomores.
Yep, more fish will play, so there will be some head scratching moments.
You keep your glass half empty.
I will keep mine half full.
I'm excited for the season to begin.
 
moondog_LFZ said:
Third in the B12 since Strong's arrival.
Click to expand...
Stats are for losers plus 2014 had several players who Robinson coached playing major time. I know what I saw in 2015, and it made me puke. This isn't a how full of a glass issue; it is a there is no glass issue.

As I said, hope (which you agreed is all there is at this point) for the best, but brace for the worse. How many Big XII games can Texas win by scoring less than 50 points?
 
TFB says a Cobb family source marks Texas as where Parrish ends up if he gets to bail from Bailor. OU is still being considered, but it's looking better for the 'Horns.
 
Viper........Its not important whether the glass is half full or half empty.....The biggest thing is.... what is in the glass ?!!
 
9 wins would send a clear message that the program is on the way back to elite status. I still believe that 2017 will be the "Year of the Horns", though.
 
Per TFB:

The recruitment of Devin Duvernay could be coming to an end soon. I was told by someone close to the situation that a decision could come this week. It is down to Texas and TCU and someone on the TCU side of things told me a decision could come as early as tomorrow.

I talked to a Texas source and the coaches truly believe Duvernay could make a big impact on Day 1 in the slot. It has been known that he is likely going to wait until his brother is released to make a decision, so does this mean that a Baylor decision could be coming? We’ll see, but it is definitely something to monitor.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Recent Threads

Prediction Results Threads

2024 Schedules

Back
Top