Texas Bowl

[CWSooner]

I dont disagree with you CW but maybe he will be better next year or the year after that or the year after that
He is a freshman and our OL has been shredded so Im sure he will come around

Yes, he is a freshman, and UT has OL problems.  Ehlinger has been put in a difficult position, as he's a freshman and his skill-set doesn't seem to be a perfect match with what it is that your OC is trying to do.
UT has had a freshman starting QB two years in a row.  That's generally not a good thing.  Is Reising (?) supposed to compete for the job next summer and make it three years in a row in 2018?
Anyway, good win for the  Horns.  After Tech and WVU went down, the Big 12 needed a good win.  Now we're on a roll, I hope.  And UT and TCU both demonstrated the ability to play good defense against talented offenses, so maybe that "no D in the Big 12" mantra will diminish a bit.

[FearlessF]

nice win for the Horns and their new coach

things may be looking up

[BrownCounty]

nice win for the Horns and their new coach

things may be looking up

This was a great win for the Horns.  It cannot be overstated.  We ended over .500 for the first time since Mack.

I'm thinking Herman needed this to shore up more signatures in February.  The OU loss probably didn't hurt him either.

I do believe things are looking up for Texas - but most of me still doubts that Herman leads us back to the promised land.  Will he make us better - yes, through recruiting.  He will get us back to where Mack left off - at the 8-9 win hump.

I just feel like something about his behavior and demeanor will do him in at UT, and he won't have the 10 win seasons to overcome it.  If you think Fenves and Del Conte were laughing at Herman's little tittie dance, you are sadly mistaken.

Let's call that strike one.  And he'll get a little braver once he pulls us to 9 wins.  Just sayin - the U of T expects and deserves dignified and mature representation from its leaders.  10+ wins will overcome it, but Herman won't get us there.  I do see him as a necessary stepping stone however.

JMO.

[longhorn320]

and you have a right to an opinion BC

my opinion is that until TH fields a team made up 100% of his recruits you dont know enough to form the opinion you have

yes his sideline antics were childish and he will probably refrain from that in the future however

as a Longhorn fan I felt the same emotion as he did  - we need to get our swagger back and this was
his way of trying to do that

[CharleyHorse46]

... UT has had a freshman starting QB two years in a row.  That's generally not a good thing...

Three.  Don't forget Heard was our QB in 2015 when he was a freshman.
And even though Swoops was a sophomore when he started at QB in 2014, he was quite inexperienced.
Even more remarkable, is that Texas has had a different offensive coordinator every year since 2012.  Seven since 2010.
It's a regular revolving door.  
Inexperience , injuries, a lack of depth, a new offense....
These are all excuses Texas fans are getting very tired of hearing.
Coaches recruit players, coaches run off players, coaches choose to play inexperienced players over experienced players, coaches choose to replace their OC.   Then they whine about it like they're a victim of totally unexpected and uncontrollable circumstances.
I am very tired of it.

[Thumper]

Even more remarkable, is that Texas has had a different offensive coordinator every year since 2012.  Seven since 2010.
It's a regular revolving door.  

I think you nailed this.  Not just the QB but the entire OL has to learn a new system when the OC is changed.  Very tough on young kids coming up when there is no continuity.
In situations like this, the spread system is effective because there are so many fewer blocking schemes and/or plays for the offense to learn.

[CousinFreddie]

I think Texas will contend for the conference title next year.

I just realized that with round robin we’re now in a configuration where OU and Texas could play twice in the season.  Question is, could we fans even take that?  Particularly if the second one is for the conference title?  One Texas game a year is already a lot to absorb.

[Thumper]

Just think what 2008 would have been like if OU & Texas played for the conference championship.  I could get behind something like that.

[utee94]

Just think what 2008 would have been like if OU & Texas played for the conference championship.  I could get behind something like that.

It's the best rivalry game in all of college football. It should only be played once.  I'd really, really dislike a rematch, and especially one in a completely unnecessary CCG.

[Thumper]

I liked the rivalry even better when it was OOC but those days are gone.  Like Dr. Strangelove, I've learned to stop worrying and love the bomb.  I got to watch the Sooners 14 times this year and sure wanted to see a 15th.
I gotta admit watching OU v TCU part 2 wasn't nearly as good as part 1 but it was another game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3edi2Wkr5YI

[Mr Tulip]

No offensive scheme in CFB works on the "left and right tackles leak defenders like raw sewage" philosophy.

Texas' OL repeatedly, both this bowl game and all season, allowed pedestrian DL players to scream in from both sides. Without a competent TE, it was impossible to set an edge. Without an edge, no outside runs or sweeps would work.

Without time to develop a route, outside receivers couldn't use double moves to shake defenders. Speedy (but small) slot receives like Devin Duvernay couldn't ply their trade. All those things take time to develop, and the Texas OL just wouldn't allow it. It reduced the offense to inside draws, counters, and smashes along with straight slants or flies to the receivers. Occasionally, a rollout would be attempted just to move the launch point, but risked rolling into a defensive overload.

Texas lost their most indispensable player (Connor Williams) almost immediately. They lost their top TE before the season. The already rickety OL depth more than evaporated with the losses of Elijah Rodriguez and Patrick Hudson. Without even basic OL play (which seemed to change configurations 3x per game), no one could really get a read on the talent the actual ball handlers possess.

The injury excuse is(was) real, but is still an excuse. It's popular to bash Tim Beck (the OC), and a lot of it is deserved, but no one can put together a game plan under those constraints.

No one can plan to overcome that many position specific injuries, and the law of averages says that won't happen again. However, Texas will be different next season only in as much as that OL can be different.

[CharleyHorse46]

Texas lost their most indispensable player (Connor Williams) almost immediately. They lost their top TE before the season. The already rickety OL depth more than evaporated with the losses of Elijah Rodriguez and Patrick Hudson. Without even basic OL play (which seemed to change configurations 3x per game), no one could really get a read on the talent the actual ball handlers possess.

The injury excuse is(was) real, but is still an excuse. It's popular to bash Tim Beck (the OC), and a lot of it is deserved, but no one can put together a game plan under those constraints.

No one can plan to overcome that many position specific injuries, and the law of averages says that won't happen again. However, Texas will be different next season only in as much as that OL can be different.

Charlie Strong came in in 2014 suspended and dismissed five offensive linemen who left the team.  Greg Daniels the projected starter at TE suffered a season-eliminating knee injury in fall camp and Dominic Espinoza, the best and most experienced offensive lineman was injured in the first game.

In 2017 we got to see the entire scenario play out again in almost the exact same way.

Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

Especially if they're hardheaded mensa smartypants who won't even watch game film from prior seasons.

[BrownCounty]

Blasted mensa smarty pants.

[Mr Tulip]

Well, I'm counting these injuries as occurring under 3 OL coaches and 2 S&C coaches. I'm not positive there's a human modifiable parameter here.

That is to say, really dumb luck happens.