Spring Ball

dukesteer said:
For me the spring game is a time to look for player separation. I wanted to see obvious growth at the QB position and simply didn’t. Both starters played fine, but there was no significant evolution from what I observed, even given the O-Line uncertainty last night.

Judging from what we saw, the running game certainly doesn’t look like a strength, and that’s disappointing. Maybe Ingram will help and I am really high on the graduate transfer from Cal if he chooses Texas. We’re going to need some help in that position.

I liked the athleticism of both Thomson and Rising. Just a guess that Thomson could be a game-changer, but both looked good to me.

To state the obvious, LJH is a beast, CJ a game-breaker, and Heard and Duvernay could have very good years.

On D, Hagar seems poised to have a dominant season. He’s filled out and he may be unstoppable. Roach was dominant, Foster is a head-hunter... Basically there is talent all over the field on that side of the ball. We should be very good, again.

But to me, the questions on offense remain...even though it was only a controlled grimse of what we will see in the fall.
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Yep. Good assessment. Offense is better, but still way behind the “D”. Texas is going to have to run the ball better with their backs, not just Sam.

Looks like the two young quarterbacks have some promise. The CA kid has a good arm but the OK kid has the legs. Nice to have some backups.
 
dukesteer said:
For me the spring game is a time to look for player separation. I wanted to see obvious growth at the QB position and simply didn’t. Both starters played fine, but there was no significant evolution from what I observed, even given the O-Line uncertainty last night.

.
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My very unskilled eyes came away with exactly the same observation. For what that's worth, which is probably nuthin!
For what seems like an eternity by now, we are still questioning QB play and o-line play.
 
If I remember correctly, the first overthrow was on the o-line because the pocket collapsed so fast. At least that’s what the commentators mentioned
 
You're only as good as the guy who touches the ball every snap. Trent Dilfer might have won a Super Bowl, but he did it with a 12-for-26 & 153 yards & 1 TD performance. We're still going to see a lot of stat lines like that, and it's why we're just going to have to rely on the D to bail us out of close games... hopefully a handful more than last season.

We're still stuck in the dark ages in QB development. Sure, the OL was suspect, but the reads just weren't there for about 80 percent of the scrimmage yesterday. Everything great that Collin Johnson, LJ Humphrey, and Heard did was basically as a result of poor throws/reads by the QBs. Of all the QBs, only Casey Thompson actually looked like someone who was recruited to play Division I college football.
 
I don't disagree with anything everyone else has stated, which all seem to be pretty obvious. Still too many ?? to think about competing for the B12 title. QB's looked decent, but neither has "it". Manny said after the game Shane probably missed the long passes because he's still recovering from surgery. I dunno if that's just and excuse but TH even said Burt was slower from being worn down. The freshmen QB's look like they could have "it". Especially Thomson if he can develop his passing skills because he can definitely tote the rock.

OL is still suspect and were at the beginning of the game before the lineup changed and before they got worn down. But even being average would be a big step up. We definitely have some talent on defense, but a lot of it is young.

I think we found our short yardage back to take Warren's place, but will TH use him when really needed or let Porter run into the back of the OT and fall down?
 
We're all rightfully concerned about our O-Line. Herbs Hands recently joined the staff and brought some hope for improvement but, after the Spring Game, it appears as though that may not come for another year or so.

Some have suggested using the aggys' old trick of putting a 12th man on line and yelling, "Hey, look over there!" to the refs. But that hasn't worked since Jerky Sherrill packed his slimy bags and left the cesspool.

I reached out to an ex-NSA op (I can't reveal his name, but it rhymes with Sledward Bowden) and he's willing to sell me a classified "stealth formula."

The video below shows how it would work.



All I need is 2.5 mil. Make your donation at.... httq://gofunkme.com/Texas-Woe-Linemen-Help
 
Godz40acres said:
We're all rightfully concerned about our O-Line. Herbs Hands recently joined the staff and brought some hope for improvement but, after the Spring Game, it appears as though that may not come for another year or so.
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I'm going to wait for the Maryland game to assess the O-line.
This wasn't a good format to really get a good idea.
They were playing on both teams, hence very little rest.
And injuries kept experience off the field.
Our defense manhandled them just as they should have.
 
Agree with Moondog - nothing counts until the Maryland game. If the Ol still cannot block or the same defense that showed up for the 2017 game shows up again - Austin we have a problem.
 
Enjoyed the spring game although I never watch those expecting a whole lot. It is still just a scrimmage. As has been stated previously, it certainly seemed like passing was the focus. I don't know what to expect this next year... I think we'll see improvement everywhere but I'm having a hard time gauging how much. I went back and skimmed the Longhorn 2010, 2011, and 2012 pre-season outlooks and it sure seems familiar : questions surrounding the O-Line, running game, and quarterbacks. :whiteflag:
 
This spring game felt like more of a practice than most I've seen, especially with the O-Line playing both ways. Usually they divide the squad into two distinct teams, which I like. It makes it more competitive I think.

I spent most of my time watching the qbs, like most people. Sam still puts too much air under his long balls and Shane holds the ball too long and is prone to getting sacked. Oh well, defense wins championships and they looked pretty damn good.
 
Clean said:
Shane holds the ball too long and is prone to getting sacked.
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This is because Shane is running for his life every time he drops back!

I never thought I would see the day when all of UT's hopes and dreams are relying on a transfer offensive lineman from Rice. Not a personal attack on the young man, just cannot believe how far we have fallen. We need a savior.
 
https://www.burntorangenation.com/2...s-orange-white-game-tom-herman-offensive-line

This is a post-Spring game article offering a little more -hopefully honest- insight on the game.
I'll add that, at least in my estimation, there's been quite a bit of presumption and overreaction to the game.
It seems clear that the game was more like a controlled practice than a true game... Even more so than normal.
I did a little research on other Spring games.... You see a lot of the same stuff noted here. With some exceptions (notably A&M and tOSU) it is low scoring by offenses, a few turnovers, questions at QB, defensive lines dominating offensive lines, etc etc. Albeit with a little less fan freakout perhaps??
Reasons to doubt QB and Oline situation... Sure. There's also good reason to believe things are looking up in those two key areas. I don't blame anyone, based on where we've been recently, for skepticism, cynicism, fatalism, or any other ism.
But let's not read too much into this particular Spring game... Or any for that matter. If you want to...there are plenty of positives, also, but I don't recall too many posts here on those.
And one more thing....I get the distinct impression that our fan base has become one of the more poopy poopers poopin on the program all the time. Maybe its time to support the team with a little more positivity.
Tony Robbins and his big shiny teeth said so.
 
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mchammer said:
Seems to me both QB’s did a better job looking downfield and releasing the ball quicker.[/QUOTE
Well I think our defense is getting close to championship level, that's the good news. Our weakness is the offense as every one knows. To get to championship level we need every big time o-lineman we can recruit because the running game needs to be a force to help our passing game which is not bad. We need some Carrington magic and a good win/loss record this season.
Click to expand...
 
RainH2burntO said:
https://www.burntorangenation.com/2...s-orange-white-game-tom-herman-offensive-line

This is a post-Spring game article offering a little more -hopefully honest- insight on the game.
I'll add that, at least in my estimation, there's been quite a bit of presumption and overreaction to the game.
It seems clear that the game was more like a controlled practice than a true game... Even more so than normal.
I did a little research on other Spring games.... You see a lot of the same stuff noted here. With some exceptions (notably A&M and tOSU) it is low scoring by offenses, a few turnovers, questions at QB, defensive lines dominating offensive lines, etc etc. Albeit with a little less fan freakout perhaps??
Reasons to doubt QB and Oline situation... Sure. There's also good reason to believe things are looking up in those two key areas. I don't blame anyone, based on where we've been recently, for skepticism, cynicism, fatalism, or any other ism.
But let's not read too much into this particular Spring game... Or any for that matter. If you want to...there are plenty of positives, also, but I don't recall too many posts here on those.
And one more thing....I get the distinct impression that our fan base has become one of the more poopy poopers poopin on the program all the time. Maybe its time to support the team with a little more positivity.
Tony Robbins and his big shiny teeth said so.
Click to expand...

Agreed, good post. After learning a bit more about what was going on with the lineup/depth chart (guys playing out of position, guys playing completely new sides/positions [which is still absurd to me, especially when trying to sell tix], etc.), I admit overreacted but that’s coming from a very low opinion. I mean when an oline looks like a swinging door on the opening possessions (when at the very least they’re fresh and I imagine consisting of regular contributors this year) it’s typically more than some lineup thing. It’s like Denzel Okafor acted as position coach this spring. The real hope I have is in adding Anderson and Hudson.

Edit: honest question. Have players made huge leaps from post-spring practice to fall in the past on any kinda consistent basis or is it rare? Not saying only recent Texas teams but more so if there’s enough time in summer and fall practice/training to make a noticeable difference at the collegiate level.
 
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I thought McCullough looked superb. I remember at least 2 “sacks” but might’ve been 3. I really hope he gets a shot to play a lot this year. He reminds me a little of Aaron Harris. Just a football player, and ball hawk. I think Harris was called the human tackling machine so I’d take that
 
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