Longhorn Football 2015: When do we get our horns back?

[canderson]

I wrongly predicted A&M to beat Bama, and win the SEC. Since I'm clearly wrong I can't wait until they lose two or three more games this year that they probably have the talent to win but won't because, well, it's A&M. 
 
Meanwhile I have a little glimmer Texas can beat K State this week. Oklahoma just beat them to death and I hope crushed their spirit. 

 

[Bosoxen]

I'm sure Oklahoma was hoping for the same after Texas got obliterated by TCU. With Bill Snyder at the helm, I don't expect them to roll over and let Texas have their way with them. I fully expect them to bring the fight to the baby Horns.

 

[canderson]

Texas has signed the largest endorsement deal in NCAA history, surpassing Michigan's Nike deal (UM makes about $11m per year for 10 years with that deal). Texas sells the most merchandise of any school in the country so it's a no brainer. I'm very glad they're staying with Nike. 
 
BDavisAAS: Texas has agreed to a 15-year deal with Nike that will be ‘higher than Michigan,’ sources tell @kbohls and me. https://t.co/6kNxcEEtzH

 

[Bosoxen]

Hey, Steve Patterson, do you like apples?
 
I bet it just chaps his ass that they made this deal without him and his infinite knowledge (though, to be fair, it wouldn't surprise me if he got the ball rolling).

 

[Bosoxen]

I have a better version of this image but I'm unable to upload it because I keep getting the stupid "bad gateway" error when I attempt it. I'm also unable to find a better one online for some reason. But anyway, this happened:
 

 

[RingoOSU]

I always knew Texas fans loved to eat shit.... Just kidding, that cake is priceless.

 

[sachmoney]

That cake doesn't look appetizing, even without the shit.

 

[ethangl]

Hey, Steve Patterson, do you like apples?
 
I bet it just chaps his ass that they made this deal without him and his infinite knowledge (though, to be fair, it wouldn't surprise me if he got the ball rolling).

 
 
I'm pretty sure he'd say we left $3-$5M per year on the table by not going with Under Armour.

 

[Kremlin Watcher]

Given how well BlowU is performing today, how much better does that win look?
 
These guys might be for real.

 

[canderson]

Eh, that's a pretty bad KState team right now that has no QB.

But they showed tons of heart and are improving. Doubt they get to six wins but really drives home the pain in losing to OK State and Cal. They need a QB who can pass.

 

[Bosoxen]

Pretty sure he meant the win against the dirt burglars, not KState.

 

[Kremlin Watcher]

Yes, I was referring to the 'Horns win over OU. In retrospect, it looks pretty impressive after the gooners murdered KState 55-0 and Tceh 63-27.
 
Given the strength of our schedule, I am becoming cautiously optimistic about the remainder of the year. The secondary is still very spotty, but the lines are firming up, the LBs are starting to gel, and the Heard/Swoopes package seems to work.

 

[canderson]

Ah my bad.

I think they beat WVU. I don't think they can beat Tech.

 

[RingoOSU]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZQ8UUwPEDc
 
Thanks Texas, you guys are a real class act.

 

[Kremlin Watcher]

I guess the OU game was a false dawn.
 
Texas offensive possessions:
 
Punt (three plays)
Punt (seven plays)
Punt (three plays)
Interception (11 plays)
Punt (three plays)
End of half (one play)
Punt (three plays)
Punt (four plays)
Punt (three plays)
Punt (three plays)
Punt (three plays)
Punt (ten plays)
 
204 yards of total offense. 11 first downs.
 
Another lost decade.

 

[Bosoxen]

I still can't help but wonder how different this team would be had David Ash not had to retire. No, he wasn't going to make anyone forget about Colt McCoy but he was pretty good and he'd be a senior this year. That offense would be really fun to watch with a competent quarterback and the defense would be better if it didn't have to be on the field all day long.
 
All things considered, they're right about where one would expect them to be, considering how horribly the program rotted in the last years of Mack's tenure. I'm starting to sour on Strong and his staff, though. They may have the proverbial high ceiling but their floor is really fucking low. They are regularly outcoached and they look completely clueless when the opposing team throws something at them for which they're not prepared (for example, they showed a shocking lack of ability to adjust to Lanning's running ability). Worst of all, their inability to win games when they're behind is completely unacceptable in a conference that features so many high-scoring offenses.

 

[canderson]

Strong today said they played hard and the loss wasn't embarrassing.

He's in over his head. Who will be the front runner to be head coach in 2017?

 

[Bosoxen]

It's likely Harbaugh will have worn out his welcome in Ann Arbor by then.

 

[WestMassExpat]

There's micro-level problems like the the staff being out-coached, changing play callers midstream, and the like, and then there's macro problems like having the Joneses mentality that at least contributed to the break up of the old Big 12 and seriously damaged our natural in-state advantage recruiting wise. It's going to be a long, painstaking road back to dominance that touches at least as much if not more on the latter problem.

 

[canderson]

Gentleman, we this year witnessed the worst defense in Texas history.

 

[canderson]

Beat OU and Baylor, no bowl, no Texas player will be drafted, worst defense in history and zero offense. Oh and poor coaching in every aspect. Great season!

 

[axx]

You sure about the no bowl? Last I heard there were going to be bids to 5 win teams.

 

[BigSoxFan]

Lots to work on before the Irish come to town next September.

 

[canderson]

It's done by academic progress rate, Texas isn't close to making it. They're only in the 50s.

 

[Kremlin Watcher]

Briles went 4-8 each of his first two seasons at Baylor.

One can hope.

 

[Bosoxen]

Briles went 4-8 each of his first two seasons at Baylor.

One can hope.

Is our bar now so low as to aspire to be a team that won't even make the Sugar Bowl?

Sorry, I had to.

 

[axx]

It's done by academic progress rate, Texas isn't close to making it. They're only in the 50s.

That's ... strange. I bet they would have accepted to play in a bowl game if offered.

 

[soxfan121]

Briles went 4-8 each of his first two seasons at Baylor.

One can hope.

Is our bar now so low as to aspire to be a team that won't even make the Sugar Bowl?

Sorry, I had to.

You, too, can be just a couple transfers with issues away from winning seasons - right?

 

[canderson]

Strong has offered the OC job to Sonnie Crumbie, TCU's co-OC.

I doubt he accepts it.

 

[Kremlin Watcher]

Cumbie says no thanks.

What a state of affairs. Texas offers a 34-year old co-OC at TCU a promotion, a significant raise, and one of the highest-profile non-HC jobs in all of college football and the guy says no.

Maybe I'll sit next season out and wait for Charlie's replacement.

 

[WestMassExpat]

Cumbie says no thanks.

What a state of affairs.

I don't understand what's been so bad lately?

Spoiler: sarcasm

• Manny Diaz as DC
• Harsin and Applewhite as co-OCs
• Failing to recruit and develop a QB for five years running, including not netting a bluechip QB commit for the class of 2015 when you scared away your #9 ranked commit (Zach Gentry) by taking a moonshot at the #1 ranked guy (Kyler Murray)
• Insisting on moving ahead with the Longhorn network, which catalyzed if not sparked the implosion of the upper tier of the conference
• In the aftermath, bringing in TCU as a replacement, essentially giving another in-state school a legit shot at the same recruits
• Hiring a new coach with no head coaching experience at a P5 school
• Hiring an OL coach from an in-conference program as an OC in name only, opening the entire program up to a deposition when the coach's former program calls shenanigans
• Not being able to coach to your player captains the importance of ensuring your team gets the ball to start at least one half during a coin toss
• Abysmally failing at coaching special teams in 2015, losing on consecutive weeks to a missed extra point and then a muffed punt
• Getting shutout to ISU who fired their OC the week of the game
• Changing playcallers after two games in the 2015 season
• While all this is going on, install an athletic director so out of touch with the alumni and fan base, somehow causing enough ill will in two years to warrant his firing during the middle of football season; chief accomplishment includes raising ticket prices in the middle of the worst stretch in almost two decades

 

[canderson]

He didn't accept because in sure he expects Strong to be gone after next year. No reason to ever step into that position. Strong has zero leverage - just look at the terrible recruiting clas he is putting together.

 

[WestMassExpat]

He didn't accept because in sure he expects Strong to be gone after next year. No reason to ever step into that position. Strong has zero leverage - just look at the terrible recruiting clas he is putting together.

Yeah, it's a hell of a position to be in. I wonder why they didn't let Strong go after the final gun at Baylor. Maybe they realize it's too late in the cycle to bring in a blue chip guy without losing more recruits this year. So they'll essentially punt on 2016, hopefully firing Strong early enough, like October, to get someone marquee in here.

 

[Kremlin Watcher]

I am getting absolutely lit up right now on my Texas board for suggesting that Bellmont runs a shitty process in making key hires for the football program. It's pretty amusing.

 

[Bosoxen]

• Insisting on moving ahead with the Longhorn network, which catalyzed if not sparked the implosion of the upper tier of the conference

In case you hadn't noticed, Oklahoma is in the playoff. So unless you mean to include Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska and aggy in the "upper tier" (an argument could be made for Nebraska, but they were kind of a poor fit in the Big 12 anyway), I'm not really sure there's any connection there. Since the upper tier of the Big 12 consisted of Oklahoma and Texas, I think it's pretty safe to say the implosion has been contained within the Austin city limits.

At any rate, the rest of that list is pretty depressing.

 

[Kremlin Watcher]

I don't understand what's been so bad lately?

You left out the worst one of all:

• hiring an incompetent boob as offensive coordinator after whiffing on Chad Morris because you're too cheap to pay his buyout.

 

[LeftyTG]

not that I disagree that there's a long list of sucky decisions that have plagued UT the last several years, but that list is a little unfair in places. Charlie Strong was the coach at Louisville, so you can't claim he had no P5 head coaching experience. Not necessarily disagreeing that special teams coaching was great, but I think it is unfair to pin a missed extra point and a punting dropping a snap that hit him in the hands on coaching. Sometimes kickers miss kicks and punters drop balls. Patterson was certainly a disaster in many ways, but his chief accomplishment was hiring Shaka Smart, which was a fantastic get for Texas.

Bottom line - you can't win in modern college football without a half decent quarterback. Texas hasn't had a half decent QB for a long, long, time, which is inexcusable given their recruiting reach.

 

[canderson]

Strong is hiring Tulsa co-offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert for the OC position. Tulsa team meeting tonight.

 

[WestMassExpat]

In case you hadn't noticed, Oklahoma is in the playoff. So unless you mean to include Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska and aggy in the "upper tier" (an argument could be made for Nebraska, but they were kind of a poor fit in the Big 12 anyway), I'm not really sure there's any connection there. Since the upper tier of the Big 12 consisted of Oklahoma and Texas, I think it's pretty safe to say the implosion has been contained within the Austin city limits.

At any rate, the rest of that list is pretty depressing.

Agree that was exaggeration. Losing Nebraska and TAMU sucks more than I originally thought it would.

not that I disagree that there's a long list of sucky decisions that have plagued UT the last several years, but that list is a little unfair in places. Charlie Strong was the coach at Louisville, so you can't claim he had no P5 head coaching experience. Not necessarily disagreeing that special teams coaching was great, but I think it is unfair to pin a missed extra point and a punting dropping a snap that hit him in the hands on coaching. Sometimes kickers miss kicks and punters drop balls. Patterson was certainly a disaster in many ways, but his chief accomplishment was hiring Shaka Smart, which was a fantastic get for Texas.

Bottom line - you can't win in modern college football without a half decent quarterback. Texas hasn't had a half decent QB for a long, long, time, which is inexcusable given their recruiting reach.

True on the QB. Nitpick, but Strong left for UT before Louisville joined the ACC. Just those two special teams gaffes would be SSS, but there's more than a couple other incidences, like the UCLA coinflip, that utterly lacked discipline.

Strong is hiring Tulsa co-offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert for the OC position. Tulsa team meeting tonight.

So we're going to replace co-OCs with a guy who didn't call the plays at Tulsa and was a co-OC.

 

[Bosoxen]

So we're going to replace co-OCs with a guy who didn't call the plays at Tulsa and was a co-OC.

Actually, Cumbie isn't even calling the plays for TCU, but Gilbert was for Tulsa.

This is a pretty good rundown of the two candidates (moot now, but it makes me feel better about Gilbert).

 

[WestMassExpat]

Actually, Cumbie isn't even calling the plays for TCU, but Gilbert was for Tulsa.

This is a pretty good rundown of the two candidates (moot now, but it makes me feel better about Gilbert).

That's some consolation. Not sure where I read he didn't call plays.

 

[RingoOSU]

 

[Kremlin Watcher]

What. The. Fuck.

This has to be a plot to destroy Strong. No other explanation. Someone told Gilbert and Cumbie that Strong is a dead man walking.

 

[canderson]

I'm beginning to think other coaches might hate Charlie Strong just like fans.

 

[canderson]

Strong, Fenves and Perrin are flying to Tulsa to try to change Gilbert's mind.

Fenves tweeted this afternoon he supports Strong.

Fire Strong already and save this disgrace he won't win 6 games next year anyway so rip the bandaid off.

 

[soxfan121]

What. The. Fuck.

This has to be a plot to destroy Strong. No other explanation. Someone told Gilbert and Cumbie that Strong is a dead man walking.

The rumor on twitter is that "boosters" have been contacting the candidates and telling them exactly that: Strong is gone as soon as they can make it happen, so don't take the job. Meanwhile, the admin is scrambling and doing damage control, with everyone on the plane.

 

[canderson]

Brian Davis ‏@BDavisAAS · 4m4 minutes ago
Word from Tulsa. I'm told that Sterlin Gilbert is now coming for $900,000 annually. Fellow Tulsa assistant Matt Mattox coming for $550k.

Gilbert got paid. I won't George it however until he walks off the fiekd after next year's 24 point loss to ND.

 

[canderson]

How about aggy?

Allen left last week, Murray bailing most likely now, their s player sounded for the bowl. Sumlin won with Sherman's Gus and hasn't taken advantage of a bleeding Texas. Awesome.

 

[WestMassExpat]

Sort of odd how things went from disquietude to full-blown crisis for them seemingly overnight.

If I was a TAMU fan, I'd be gutted that Sumlin and company probably won't be able to capitalize on UT being down.

 

[LuckyBen]

Sort of odd how things went from disquietude to full-blown crisis for them seemingly overnight.

If I was a TAMU fan, I'd be gutted that Sumlin and company probably won't be able to capitalize on UT being down.

I've been reading that Sumlin has major alcohol problems, i.e. Showed up to a recruits house drunk. Who knows if it is true, but that program could be in trouble.