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Back to one of the crux of the horse issue - the 2017 Texas offense versus the 2014 Texas offense

In 2014 Texas had Malcolm Brown and Johnathan Gray who had combined for 3451 in prior seasons.  Coming into 2017 Texas only had Chis Warren's 831 yards prior to this season.

Advantage 2014.

In 2014 Texas had Jaxon Shipley, Marcus Johnson and Daje Johnson who had previously combined for 3061 yards.  Coming into 2014 has Burt, Foreman, Leonard, Joe, Duvernay, Johnson and Heard who have combined for 3067 yards.

2017 - More horses

In 2014 after Ash went down, the only scholarship QB was Tyrone Swoopes who had previously completed 5 passes for 13 yards.

Coming into 2017 Texas had Buechele and Heard who have 23 combined starts and over 4000 yards passing.

2017 - More horses

After Connor Williams went out in the 3rd game, the 2017 OL only had 40 starts (coming into the 2017 season) between its remaining linemen.  Rodriguez and Hudson only had 3 starts between them.  Cuney and Shackleford have been hampered but Jake McMillon, Tristan Nickleson, Denzel Okafor, Garrett Gray, Alex Anderson, Tope Imade, Derek Kerstetter, JP Urquidez, Garrett Thomas and Samuel Cosmi remain unscathed and servicable.

In 2014, after Texas lost Dominic Espinoza in the first game, the remaining OL had 10 starts between them.  When Kennedy Estelle left the program within the first month of the season, that took 8 of the 10 starts leaving only Kent Perkins and Sed Flowers who had each started once prior to 2014.  Supporting them were Jake Raulerson, Taylor Doyle and Camrhon Hughes who had combined to participate in 2 games prior to 2014 and Marcus Hutchins who moved over from DT.

Advantage 2017.

So forgive me if have no pity for Herman's whining.  Texas has had a crappy offenses before and Texas has been in worst straits before.

Compared to 2014, Texas has an embarrassment of riches.

There are horses in the stable.  If Herman and Beck are too stupid (or arrogant) to use them, it's their own fault.

Weigh in on the horses, Junior.

Texas got em or not?

Horns have some horses, just not enough of them, especially on the lines.  I hate to sound like a Husker fan circa 1995m but it's all about the lines.

Boyd had a better day than in the past, though.  

CH - I appreciate your facts.

I think you've got some opaque axe to grind but there's no point to pursue it.  "My boy" Mack?

Anyway, after clocking in the factually worst defenses in Texas history over the last 2 years, we now have a group we can be proud of.  And from a top level view, the same staff that created this stellar defense, is also responsible for this impotent offense.  An offense which lost it's primary weapon from last season, in which Sterlin Gilbert admittedly made lemonade out of lemons.

It begins with all 5 starters in the trenches being sidelined, and it goes downhill from there.  Running back?  Surely you will admit we are ANEMIC at running back.  And that pretty much undercuts anything else - no line to block, and no one that can run the ball.  Never mind that we continually trot out these 5'11" QBs while our opponents sport 6'3"- 6'5" specimens.

Horses?  Surely not.

I must explain my comment "Mack had me at hello".  Well, he did.

My zeal for Longhorn football was 10 times in those days what it is today.  I was rabid.  I would eat, sleep, and sheet the Horns.  I was proud of myself for attending UT.  It was a great time of accomplishment and fulfillment in my life.

Except for John Mackovic.  He never felt right.  Once it became evident that David Mc's shock the nation tour was a fluke - I was heartbroken.  I knew we had to make a change, but the change (Mackovic) just never felt right.

So we had some ups and downs with Mackovic, and because we are Texas, the downs outweighed the ups.  It became apparent that he too would not be our long-term savior.  So here we go again.

I had my eye on the man at North Carolina.  He was a charmer, he was southern, and he built a winner at a basketball school.  And then AAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! EFFING DeLoss takes a shine to Gary Freaking Barnett.  Now by this time, I had come to realize that DeLoss is wrong just about every time he has a thought, it's just that he looks confident when he has one.  And his quips seem to make him look smart.  But I knew he was dead ass wrong about Barnett.

To me, Barnett was Mackovic Part II, and DeLoss was really pissing the sheet out of me for wanting this guy.  Well it turns out some big money Horns felt the same way I did.  Dodds was flat ass overridden, and DKR, Jamail, and Hicks went to fetch Mack Brown.

I cried.  I literally cried like a damn baby.  This is why I say Mack had me at hello.

Now, back to the issue at hand.  We agree that the play-calling is dismal.  We both can't figure why they just don't call the touchdown play, it would be so much easier.

But maybe that's because there is no touchdown play.  The league's best QB's couldn't function with this offensive line, much less a true freshman.  So let's hand it off to uh, uh, Chris Warren?  Gee, where's San Jose State when you need them?  How about Kyle Porter?  Yeah right.  Give Carter more reps, these guys suck.  But oh yeah, he's another true freshman.

All I can suggest is that we should try to force some kind of run game anyway, and try to chisel away at it.  Our OL is getting blown out on every play, so the best we could do is try to create quick holes.  But going straight to the passing game without posing a persistent threat to run will not work with this third-string OL.

I say turn the offense over to Orlando as well.  Today's OC's break out in hives when they are not throwing the ball - turn our offense over to a defensive guy.  I'll bet he'll run the damn thing.

I hate today's OC's.  But horses still would help.

I can agree with that last sentence.  Horses but they’re in the ditch ... that works.

To be fair to my rival Horns, if the ditch was the Red River, their horses ALMOST got all the way across.  But like in Egypt of old, the red river drowned them before they made it to the promised land.

I think any trend will bear itself out in the coming five games.  For the most part, the juggernaut is over.  It's hard to size up a new regime when we keep lining up against top-10 freight trains.  Never mind that we came within one play of winning 3 of those games.

Wasn't our SOS some outlandish number going into the season?  Many agreed not a good schedule for Herman to open up shop.

My prediction of 7 wins only affords us one more loss.  I'll call that TCU.  I think now that we can get a little room to breathe on our schedule, we can put some wins together.