IT stuff from this morning. Some of this is repetitive or what we've already heard.
Here’s a comprehensive breakdown that puts all the pieces we’ve heard together.
Game Situations
Saturday’s scrimmage featured a mix of move-the-field drills (between the 20’s), red zone lockout periods, and two-minute drill to close the day. As expected, the defense emerged as the clear winner in each period.
During move-the-field situations, the first-team offense faced the second-team defense, while red zone and two-minute drill matched the first-team units head-to-head. In all three cases, the defense maintained the upper hand, largely due to the defensive line.
It wasn’t pure domination, but it was clear.
Quarterback
Quarterbacks were able to find open receivers at times, but inconsistency hurt the offense. Overthrows and an occasional tendency to feel pressure too early and leave the pocket stalled drives. QB’s leaving the pocket early is another positive sign of the defensive line creating consistent pressure.
Arch Manning did make a number of the throws he needed to hit downfield and avoided turnovers, finishing without an interception.
Matt Caldwell looked like a veteran on one sustained drive.
The QB’s were largely up and down.
Running Back
The running backs avoided negative plays, staying ahead of the sticks, but couldn’t break off any long runs. CJ Baxter stood out, showing patience, vision, and the ability to fall forward for extra yards. His timing on stretch plays was particularly effective.
Correction: He was in his knee brace. Our source must have seen him right after his day was done without the knee brace.
It was an okay day for the backs relative to the competition they were facing.
Wide Receiver
Ryan Wingo and Parker Livingstone looked really good, but the best performance relative to expectations probably goes to freshmen Daylan McCutcheon. McCutcheon had a touchdown on an out route thrown by freshman quarterback KJ Lacey.
IT has Livingstone penciled in as a starter. Dark pencil. Almost ripping through the paper. He’s had a good camp.
Emmett Mosley did not participate in the scrimmage.
Tight End
Transfer Jack Endries stood out in scramble drills, working well with his quarterback to find openings. Spencer Shannon has shown noticeable year-over-year improvement and is on track to start in 12 personnel. He caught a pass on an out route and looks like a reliable target in two-minute situations.
Shannon is a starter in 12 personnel. He’s had the offseason he needed after having a good offseason last year.
Freshman Emaree Winston suffered a shoulder injury; the extent is still unknown.
Offensive Line
The offensive line had mixed results, performing well in move-the-field but struggling against the defensive front in the red zone. They ran stretch plays from a variety of looks, with Baxter showing good patience on those runs.
While they are working in more gap schemes than in previous years, they liked OZ on Saturday.
Nick Brooks is expected to miss some time but how much is still yet unknown.
Defensive Line
The defensive line was the most dominant group of the day. Hero Kanu looked strong, and Travis Shaw was immovable in the middle. He also brought the energy. Cole Brevard had a productive day, and though both Shaw and Brevard got banged up, they returned to action.
Colin Simmons was a constant presence in the backfield and would have recorded multiple sacks if the plays had been whistled dead.
Lance Jackson took first-team snaps in certain packages, while Ethan Burke rotated in at defensive end. Trey Moore lined up at Sam linebacker in base formations.
Pete Kwiatkowski ran base a lot. It is the first scrimmage, after all.
“The D-line made things easier for the rest of the defense.”
Linebackers
It was a relatively quiet day for the linebackers, though freshman Ty’Anthony Smith had an interception off a tipped pass. Smith worked a lot with the first-team defense alongside Anthony Hill. Liona Lefau might have a competition on his hands.
Elijah Barnes had a strong open-field tackle on a red zone screen pass.
Moore’s time was largely spent at Sam in base sets.
Secondary
The tip on Smith’s interception came from cornerback Warren Roberson, who “has been balling” according to sources. Derek Williams had a strong red zone tackle on Christian Clark.
Manny Muhammad continued his standout fall with multiple pass breakups. Jelani McDonald received the bulk of the reps at Star, while Graceson Littleton saw limited action. As you know, Michael Taaffe got some looks at Star.
Special Teams
Kicker Mason Shipley missed one attempt but connected on a 35-yard field goal during the two-minute drill. Punter Jack Bouwmeester had another strong showing, though punting was not incorporated into the scrimmage.
Schedule This Week
The Longhorns’ schedule for the coming week:
Monday – 3:00 p.m. practice
Tuesday – Full pads at 6:30 a.m.
Wednesday – Off
Thursday – Half pads at 3:00 p.m.
Friday – Helmets in the morning
Saturday – Another scrimmage