Week 2: Texas Recap and Tracking The Almost Big 6
By Nick Cantilo
It was another informative weekend in college football. 'Twas a dark one for the Burnt Orange Faithful. Manny Diaz is encouraged to leave Austin, never to return, never to be heard from again, at his next opportunity. More on that in a moment.
As promised, I'd like to extend my thanks to a team which displayed true commitment to the United States of America by beating an SEC team. This week, it was Miami. The U did it for all of us, folks. Florida is just a start, but I'm hoping that we can start to see that the SEC is truly overrated. I'm not necessarily saying that it does not have the best teams within its ranks, but I am hoping we can soon stop having this sort of reaction whenever an SEC team takes the field. Thank you Miami. It was well earned, and much appreciated.
Looking Back at the Longhorns
I'm honestly not sure it could have been much worse. If ever there was solid rationale for Manny Diaz's immediate ouster, it was last night's performance on defense. The Longhorns looked pretty good last week. There was some concern about the yardage they gave up to New Mexico State, but everyone, myself included, easily ignored it and moved on because the Horns only allowed the Aggies to get in the endzone one time. If you want to see what happens when you give up a lot of yardage to a team with some talent, watch the Longhorns last night. It was atrocious. From start to finish, BYU simply had more fight in them. There is little question which team has more talent on the roster. What we witnessed, though, is which team has more heart on the roster. Sentences like that are not easy to write while wearing a burnt orange shirt.
To be more specific, and less dramatic, here are some numbers and figures. The BYU Cougars ran for 550 yards on offense. Yikes. That is a record for both BYU's offense and Texas's defense. I just can't hammer home hard enough how bad this is. How did this happen? Texas reverted right back to last year's problems. Players lost gap responsibility (poor coaching; lack of discipline; no heart). Longhorn defenders seemingly missed every tackle attempt on BYU's very average quarterback, who was 8 rushing yards short of taking Vince Young's all-time NCAA single-game rushing record among quarterbacks (poor coaching; lack of discipline; no heart). The Longhorns made absolutely brain-dead plays on defense and special teams. I'm primarily talking about Bryson Echols's two personal fouls (poor coaching; lack of discipline; no heart). Please beat this person senseless with a football. His first was a Roughing the Kicker penalty that allowed BYU to continue a drive instead of punt. BYU took the lead on that drive, and never relinquished said lead. His second personal foul was a Kick Catch Interference penalty. This was the most mindless thing I think I've witnessed a Texas player due. Bryson absolutely annihilated the punt returner before the ball was close. I wish I could explain it better. It was horrific and needless, and cost a lot.
It wasn't just the defense either. The Horns gave up 4 Sacks and 5 additional QB Hurries. When Ash, on those few rare occasions, had time to set up and throw, he was quite good. He and Mike Davis torched BYU a couple times. those were the bright spots. The Longhorns, who think they can the run the ball on anyone, took three plays to get 1 yard for a touchdown at one point. <-- What the hell is that? The best running back committee in the NCAA, arguably, can't get 1 yard against BYU on the goal line, in the first half? Unacceptable. The offensive line never gained the upper hand either in run or pass blocking. David Ash ended up quitting after taking his seventy-millionth spanking from BYU's Kyle Van Noy, and left the game in the fourth quarter. All in all, the offense didn't have their minds in the right place to match with BYU's defensive focus and desire.
I could go on about the Horns, but you get the idea. Texas didn't want to win. They just didn't have the heart. BYU did. How this happened is a damn mystery. Week 2 needs to be forgotten soon, and Texas needs to win the rest if they don't want to be tossed aside like a rejected toy.
The Almost Big 6
Daje Johnson
He was injured in the first quarter very early. He had 2 carries for 4 yards and no receptions. BYU can be very thankful for this. Not that his presence would have made up for the infantile lack of heart displayed by the Longhorns, but his skill set was the only one for which BYU had absolutely no answer. His presence was missed.
James Sims
He had 16 carries for 94 yards and 2 touchdowns against South Dakota in Kansas's win. He also had a reception for 6 yards, but the 5.9 yards per carry as a running back is exactly what we expect to see from Mr. Sims. Just like last year, Kansas can ask this man to shoulder the load and he will do so eagerly.
Trey Metoyer
As I said last week, Trey needs his quarterback to become an above average passer before he can become the breakout star I believe him to be. Trevor Knight went 10 out of 20 for 119 yards - hardly the elite passing we've seen from the Sooners in recent years. As such, the older, more polished targets got what little love Knight threw around. No stats for Trey this week.
Casey Pachall
I'm beginning to worry that Casey will prove me entirely wrong here about his being a star in the conference. A second week in a row of being replaced by Boykin did not help Casey's case. He traded last week's 45.2 QBR for a 29.3 this week. 8/14 for 100 yards and no TDs won't cut it. To make matters worse, Casey's arm is broken. He had surgery, and will be out for several weeks. If Patterson gives him a shot upon his return, Casey will need to be phenomenal in order to stay on this list.
Cortez Johnson
Cortez almost missed this game. One of my favorite differences between the SEC and the Big 12 is that, more often than not, coaches in the Big 12 will actually come down on a player if he does something wrong (see: TCU vs. LSU - Devonte Fields would have made a difference). Cortez had his starting spot stripped from him by Bob Stoops because of his off-field idiocies. Lucky for Cortez, Aaron Colvin was injured in the third quarter and Cortez came on. He was solid. West Virginia couldn't throw against Cortez. He had 3 tackles and a PBU on the official stats. PBU's mean a lot in a 16-7 win, especially as a backup defensive back. He may be able to battle back to a starting spot if he plays well like this.
Cedric Reed
Cedric, once again, was a bright spot on the Texas defense. He finished second (behind Jordan Hicks) on the team in tackles, with 6 solo, 8 assisted, and 14 total. He and Jeffcoat shared one of Texas's two tackles for loss in the game (Groan... 2 TFLs in the whole game). I guess that's about as bright as an individual was going to be last night. He still deserves to run a lot of suicides this week, but maybe a couple fewer than everyone but Jordan Hicks.
We praise you, oh Bevo, that you may forgive us and bless us with wins the rest of the season.
In the name of the Bevo, Vince Young, and Coach Darrell Royal,
Amen!
It was another informative weekend in college football. 'Twas a dark one for the Burnt Orange Faithful. Manny Diaz is encouraged to leave Austin, never to return, never to be heard from again, at his next opportunity. More on that in a moment.
As promised, I'd like to extend my thanks to a team which displayed true commitment to the United States of America by beating an SEC team. This week, it was Miami. The U did it for all of us, folks. Florida is just a start, but I'm hoping that we can start to see that the SEC is truly overrated. I'm not necessarily saying that it does not have the best teams within its ranks, but I am hoping we can soon stop having this sort of reaction whenever an SEC team takes the field. Thank you Miami. It was well earned, and much appreciated.
Looking Back at the Longhorns
I'm honestly not sure it could have been much worse. If ever there was solid rationale for Manny Diaz's immediate ouster, it was last night's performance on defense. The Longhorns looked pretty good last week. There was some concern about the yardage they gave up to New Mexico State, but everyone, myself included, easily ignored it and moved on because the Horns only allowed the Aggies to get in the endzone one time. If you want to see what happens when you give up a lot of yardage to a team with some talent, watch the Longhorns last night. It was atrocious. From start to finish, BYU simply had more fight in them. There is little question which team has more talent on the roster. What we witnessed, though, is which team has more heart on the roster. Sentences like that are not easy to write while wearing a burnt orange shirt.
To be more specific, and less dramatic, here are some numbers and figures. The BYU Cougars ran for 550 yards on offense. Yikes. That is a record for both BYU's offense and Texas's defense. I just can't hammer home hard enough how bad this is. How did this happen? Texas reverted right back to last year's problems. Players lost gap responsibility (poor coaching; lack of discipline; no heart). Longhorn defenders seemingly missed every tackle attempt on BYU's very average quarterback, who was 8 rushing yards short of taking Vince Young's all-time NCAA single-game rushing record among quarterbacks (poor coaching; lack of discipline; no heart). The Longhorns made absolutely brain-dead plays on defense and special teams. I'm primarily talking about Bryson Echols's two personal fouls (poor coaching; lack of discipline; no heart). Please beat this person senseless with a football. His first was a Roughing the Kicker penalty that allowed BYU to continue a drive instead of punt. BYU took the lead on that drive, and never relinquished said lead. His second personal foul was a Kick Catch Interference penalty. This was the most mindless thing I think I've witnessed a Texas player due. Bryson absolutely annihilated the punt returner before the ball was close. I wish I could explain it better. It was horrific and needless, and cost a lot.
It wasn't just the defense either. The Horns gave up 4 Sacks and 5 additional QB Hurries. When Ash, on those few rare occasions, had time to set up and throw, he was quite good. He and Mike Davis torched BYU a couple times. those were the bright spots. The Longhorns, who think they can the run the ball on anyone, took three plays to get 1 yard for a touchdown at one point. <-- What the hell is that? The best running back committee in the NCAA, arguably, can't get 1 yard against BYU on the goal line, in the first half? Unacceptable. The offensive line never gained the upper hand either in run or pass blocking. David Ash ended up quitting after taking his seventy-millionth spanking from BYU's Kyle Van Noy, and left the game in the fourth quarter. All in all, the offense didn't have their minds in the right place to match with BYU's defensive focus and desire.
I could go on about the Horns, but you get the idea. Texas didn't want to win. They just didn't have the heart. BYU did. How this happened is a damn mystery. Week 2 needs to be forgotten soon, and Texas needs to win the rest if they don't want to be tossed aside like a rejected toy.
The Almost Big 6
Daje Johnson
He was injured in the first quarter very early. He had 2 carries for 4 yards and no receptions. BYU can be very thankful for this. Not that his presence would have made up for the infantile lack of heart displayed by the Longhorns, but his skill set was the only one for which BYU had absolutely no answer. His presence was missed.
James Sims
He had 16 carries for 94 yards and 2 touchdowns against South Dakota in Kansas's win. He also had a reception for 6 yards, but the 5.9 yards per carry as a running back is exactly what we expect to see from Mr. Sims. Just like last year, Kansas can ask this man to shoulder the load and he will do so eagerly.
Trey Metoyer
As I said last week, Trey needs his quarterback to become an above average passer before he can become the breakout star I believe him to be. Trevor Knight went 10 out of 20 for 119 yards - hardly the elite passing we've seen from the Sooners in recent years. As such, the older, more polished targets got what little love Knight threw around. No stats for Trey this week.
Casey Pachall
I'm beginning to worry that Casey will prove me entirely wrong here about his being a star in the conference. A second week in a row of being replaced by Boykin did not help Casey's case. He traded last week's 45.2 QBR for a 29.3 this week. 8/14 for 100 yards and no TDs won't cut it. To make matters worse, Casey's arm is broken. He had surgery, and will be out for several weeks. If Patterson gives him a shot upon his return, Casey will need to be phenomenal in order to stay on this list.
Cortez Johnson
Cortez almost missed this game. One of my favorite differences between the SEC and the Big 12 is that, more often than not, coaches in the Big 12 will actually come down on a player if he does something wrong (see: TCU vs. LSU - Devonte Fields would have made a difference). Cortez had his starting spot stripped from him by Bob Stoops because of his off-field idiocies. Lucky for Cortez, Aaron Colvin was injured in the third quarter and Cortez came on. He was solid. West Virginia couldn't throw against Cortez. He had 3 tackles and a PBU on the official stats. PBU's mean a lot in a 16-7 win, especially as a backup defensive back. He may be able to battle back to a starting spot if he plays well like this.
Cedric Reed
Cedric, once again, was a bright spot on the Texas defense. He finished second (behind Jordan Hicks) on the team in tackles, with 6 solo, 8 assisted, and 14 total. He and Jeffcoat shared one of Texas's two tackles for loss in the game (Groan... 2 TFLs in the whole game). I guess that's about as bright as an individual was going to be last night. He still deserves to run a lot of suicides this week, but maybe a couple fewer than everyone but Jordan Hicks.
We praise you, oh Bevo, that you may forgive us and bless us with wins the rest of the season.
In the name of the Bevo, Vince Young, and Coach Darrell Royal,
Amen!
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