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Week 14, 2023, Texas v Washington, College Football Playoff Edition


Wulaw Horn

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2 hours ago, mdmost said:

Man, it's just crazy to think this is an actual reality. And that one massive choice to play Alabama in a home and home was the fuel this team needed. Just like Ohio State was the spark that lit the fuse for the 05 team. I love that we get at least another month to discuss meaningful college football in Austin. It's been far too long. 

It feels like we are stealing the other kids' lunch money.

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Whichever staff handles the distractions better can prepare better.  I loved seeing Vince on TV yesterday.  I don't know if Vince has 100% access to the team, but he sure can help the players stay focused, I believe.  lm sure everyone here remembers Vince "Whoever wants to beat Ohio St. show up at xxx hour". Obviously I don't remember the exact quote but the Ohio St. victory and the Alabama victory this year are comparable.  

I am not personally in favor of any additions to play packages.  I think the team changed when Brooks went down.  I remember typing that when he went down we weren't going to win the Big12 without him. 

Did Sark really discover over the middle passes after Brooks went down?  I have seen a few over the middle passes since Brooks.  I think Washington will have trouble preparing for all we can do offensively.  And Ewers hasn't run the ball, except for the one run yesterday, since getting injured, so with him 100% healthy that is another aspect Wash should prepare for.  

This team reminds me of possibly only two teams, the 2004 and 2008 teams.  No team should ever be compared with the 2009 team, being held together by a dominant QB and one receiver on offense.  

I believe both the 2004 and '08 teams had a will to win and a next man up philosophy this team has.  This team has improved vastly as the season went on much better than any of Mack's teams.  I think this team is much more versatile on offense.  This team has enough good RBs to run the wishbone, and enough really good receivers to run the run and shoot.

Of course none of that matters.  At this point, there are only three factors remaining.  Luck, injuries, and the football gods.  And we all know the football gods owe us big time for January 2010.  It is payback time.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

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6 hours ago, JGrayDBU said:

Whichever staff handles the distractions better can prepare better.  I loved seeing Vince on TV yesterday.  I don't know if Vince has 100% access to the team, but he sure can help the players stay focused, I believe.  lm sure everyone here remembers Vince "Whoever wants to beat Ohio St. show up at xxx hour". Obviously I don't remember the exact quote but the Ohio St. victory and the Alabama victory this year are comparable.  

I am not personally in favor of any additions to play packages.  I think the team changed when Brooks went down.  I remember typing that when he went down we weren't going to win the Big12 without him. 

Did Sark really discover over the middle passes after Brooks went down?  I have seen a few over the middle passes since Brooks.  I think Washington will have trouble preparing for all we can do offensively.  And Ewers hasn't run the ball, except for the one run yesterday, since getting injured, so with him 100% healthy that is another aspect Wash should prepare for.  

This team reminds me of possibly only two teams, the 2004 and 2008 teams.  No team should ever be compared with the 2009 team, being held together by a dominant QB and one receiver on offense.  

I believe both the 2004 and '08 teams had a will to win and a next man up philosophy this team has.  This team has improved vastly as the season went on much better than any of Mack's teams.  I think this team is much more versatile on offense.  This team has enough good RBs to run the wishbone, and enough really good receivers to run the run and shoot.

Of course none of that matters.  At this point, there are only three factors remaining.  Luck, injuries, and the football gods.  And we all know the football gods owe us big time for January 2010.  It is payback time.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 And we all know the football gods owe us big time for January 2010.  It is payback time.  

This. If we play gamer in the title game...Milroe must go down on their first series

Just now, texastroubadour said:

 

 

 And we all know the football gods owe us big time for January 2010.  It is payback time.  

This. If we play gamer in the title game...Milroe must go down on their first series

Bamer

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8 hours ago, JGrayDBU said:

Whichever staff handles the distractions better can prepare better.  I loved seeing Vince on TV yesterday.  I don't know if Vince has 100% access to the team, but he sure can help the players stay focused, I believe.  lm sure everyone here remembers Vince "Whoever wants to beat Ohio St. show up at xxx hour". Obviously I don't remember the exact quote but the Ohio St. victory and the Alabama victory this year are comparable.  

I am not personally in favor of any additions to play packages.  I think the team changed when Brooks went down.  I remember typing that when he went down we weren't going to win the Big12 without him. 

Did Sark really discover over the middle passes after Brooks went down?  I have seen a few over the middle passes since Brooks.  I think Washington will have trouble preparing for all we can do offensively.  And Ewers hasn't run the ball, except for the one run yesterday, since getting injured, so with him 100% healthy that is another aspect Wash should prepare for.  

This team reminds me of possibly only two teams, the 2004 and 2008 teams.  No team should ever be compared with the 2009 team, being held together by a dominant QB and one receiver on offense.  

I believe both the 2004 and '08 teams had a will to win and a next man up philosophy this team has.  This team has improved vastly as the season went on much better than any of Mack's teams.  I think this team is much more versatile on offense.  This team has enough good RBs to run the wishbone, and enough really good receivers to run the run and shoot.

Of course none of that matters.  At this point, there are only three factors remaining.  Luck, injuries, and the football gods.  And we all know the football gods owe us big time for January 2010.  It is payback time.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don't know about over the middle, but Sark has found ways to get Whittington the ball the last few weeks, and that is a difference maker for this offense. He is good after the catch, and can be a reliable 3rd down target when teams take away Worthy and Mitchell. The offense is peaking at exactly the right time. Sark has proven to be very good when he has a long period to gameplan for a specific team, and I expect this game to be no different. I think Texas wins this one by double digits, and then we will see what happens in the Championship.

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won't be a 1:1 comparison on the DFEI scores but here are the last few teams Texas played vs Washington who is #27

  • Oklahoma State: 37
  • Texas Tech: 23
  • Iowa State: 28
  • TCU: 61

you can see how they compare to ISU and TTU in the graphic below. looking at the unadjusted stats defensively they really don't stand out in any single phase:

image.png.91316057428ad15cc13f5c6cb450cc54.png

 

image.png.48f517f4f59fd1df71fe2a9fc3717168.png

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Don't look now but Bohls picks Texas to win the whole fucking thing: https://www.statesman.com/story/sports/columns/2023/12/03/texas-cfp-win-championship-football-sugar-bowl-washington-huskies-longhorns-2023-playoff/71793723007/?fbclid=IwAR0VGaMYfA28uj8OzH0UpA6vmsohF9ab26njHRFu2alWSSmwjGix7SZt4tc

Of course this is the same guy who was citing the "eye test" last week in saying Oregon was better than Texas.

Quote

Texas will win it all.

Is that a crazy prediction? It might be, but I’ve seen nothing this season to convince me the Longhorns aren’t capable of winning two more games and capturing their fifth national championship. If you’re not equally convinced, I don’t think you’ve paid proper attention to this team, which came within 15 seconds of having a perfect season and has played as close to perfect as it can the past two games.

Other than a gut-wrenching loss to an eventual 10-2 Oklahoma in an early October game in which it hardly played its best but still had the lead in the final minute, Steve Sarkisian’s club has answered every challenge.

Sure, it has won some close ones, as have other national contenders, but it kept winning despite injuries to its starting quarterback, starting tailback and best cornerback.

And unlike unbeaten ACC champion Florida State, which appropriately but sadly got excluded from the playoff, Texas is playing overpowering football and is almost at full strength. Sarkisian said it should get back a healthy wide receiver Xavier Worthy and cornerback Ryan Watts for the Jan. 1 Sugar Bowl date with Washington.

Asked how he felt his 12-1 team stacks up with Michigan, Washington and Alabama, Sarkisian said Sunday afternoon: “I feel good. I’ve felt if we did get in, we can play with anybody in the country.”

The decision by the 13-member CFP committee appeared to be an easy one since it remarkably jumped Texas from No. 7 to No. 3 in its final standings. I had the Longhorns No. 3 on my Associated Press Top 25 ballot just behind No. 1 Michigan and No. 2 Washington.

“With the win at Alabama and wins over Oklahoma State and teams above .500, the committee was very impressed with Texas and how they played all season,” committee chairman Boo Corrigan said. “It was significant to go to Tuscaloosa and win. Every week matters. But that was important.”

The Longhorns coach said he felt a big sense of relief and satisfaction after enduring a 5-7 season just two years ago and reaching the CFP for the first time in school history.

“I haven’t cried yet,” Sarkisian said.

Who would dispute how well the Longhorns are playing?

What’s equally impressive is Texas is clearly playing its best football of the year. It had dominant victories over Texas Tech and Oklahoma State the past two games, outscoring them 106-28 and looking every bit the part of a heavyweight.

Quinn Ewers believes his team is peaking.

“Yeah, I think so,” the Texas quarterback said. "If you want to be a championship team, you have to continue to get better throughout the season. And I think we've done that.”

It’d be difficult to argue otherwise.

More:Texas reaches CFP as No. 3 seed, will face Washington in playoff after holding off Alabama, FSU

Texas has the revenge advantage against the Huskies in the Sugar Bowl semifinal after falling to them in the Alamo Bowl without their star tailback Bijan Robinson and No. 2 back Roschon Johnson playing.

Texas has a better offense and more dynamic special teams than Michigan, and the Longhorns’ rush defense is a good fit against the Wolverines and touchdown machine Blake Corum. Did you see Oklahoma State’s Ollie Gordon II, the nation’s leading rusher, got 34 yards Saturday?

Texas has already beaten Alabama. In Tuscaloosa. By 10 points. Sarkisian knows the Crimson Tide inside out and even joked about former boss Nick Saban on Sunday, “I’m going to call him today just for fun.”

Now we all know it won’t be easy to beat undefeated Washington and likely Heisman Trophy finalist Michael Penix Jr. and then the Michigan-Alabama winner, but Texas knows it has tons of confidence and minimal travel obligations with short trips to New Orleans and, with a win, Houston for the championship game.

So how does Ewers, who reiterated he hasn’t made a decision yet about next season, rate his team’s chances of winning two more games?

“I don't know,” the Texas redshirt sophomore quarterback said. "I mean, I'm always going to bet on us because I'm a little biased, I guess.”

Linebacker Jaylan Ford is a little partisan as well, but agreed.

“I think we stack up evenly with anybody that we face,” Ford said. “Everybody's focused in. I feel like when we're hitting all cylinders, we're a tough team to beat.”

The Longhorns watched the SEC championship on the bus ride home and then took in the ACC title game at their homes. During that time, they fretted about being left out. Both Ewers and Sarkisian said they could hardly sleep. Heck, Sarkisian finally got out of bed and went out to his couch before nodding off.

On Sunday morning, they watched the selection show and exploded with joy when they saw Texas awarded the No. 3 spot in the Final Four.

“And when we saw that third spot go to us, everybody just erupted,” Ford said, “and you know, it was pretty cool. Great moment.”

With more great moments to follow.

 

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7 minutes ago, BigHornedLurker said:

How reliant is Washington's offense on the run ? 

Just going off what I saw in the PAC 12 title game and in the Alamo Bowl last year: they are a very balanced offense. It was a tough matchup for us then and it will be again in the Sugar Bowl. The Washington I watched play against Washington State on the other hand...but I don't expect that version of them to show up.

The offense better show up ready to score some points because Washington is going to get theirs.

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13 hours ago, Valmy77 said:

 

Yeah that Brooks guy might work out.

Remember when Casey Cain used to start? Crazy.

Hope it all works out in 24. January of '24.

Happy as hell with how the RBs turned out, how the O-line improved and how WR room improved.  

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35 minutes ago, Qruel said:

Best play designer in the country gonna run circles around Sarkisian with a month to prepare lmfao. I can't wait.

The same guy who designed the plays to put up 15,22,24 on defensive juggernauts like Arizona State,Oregon State and WSU? Yeah I think this defense will be ok..

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1 hour ago, Qruel said:

Best play designer in the country gonna run circles around Sarkisian with a month to prepare lmfao. I can't wait.

You're gonna get negbombed, but you're not wrong.  This is one of the biggest fuck-you play calls I've ever seen:

Grubb just does so many things that you don't see other teams do.   When we lose him, I hope he goes to Iowa just to blow everyone's mind.

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Just now, Beau Vine said:

You're gonna get negbombed, but you're not wrong.  This is one of the biggest fuck-you play calls I've ever seen:

Grubb just does so many things that you don't see other teams do.   When we lose him, I hope he goes to Iowa just to blow everyone's mind.

i didn't realize Grubb had such a huge bump, highest paid assistant in the country now i think - over $2m

folks up there think he is going to stick around another year or y'all think he starts looking now?

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18 minutes ago, Beau Vine said:

You're gonna get negbombed, but you're not wrong.  This is one of the biggest fuck-you play calls I've ever seen:

Grubb just does so many things that you don't see other teams do.   When we lose him, I hope he goes to Iowa just to blow everyone's mind.

Wow. Great call.

But I think we have something similar in our playbook.

 

 

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49 minutes ago, ATXhorn17 said:

Sark mentioned that Watts will be healthy and Austin Jordan is a maybe… What about Catalon? Or has he essentially medically retired? It’d be massive to have him for the CFP…

Did Catalon play against OSU? He got garbage time snaps against Tech. 

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50 minutes ago, NoName said:

i didn't realize Grubb had such a huge bump, highest paid assistant in the country now i think - over $2m

folks up there think he is going to stick around another year or y'all think he starts looking now?

Saban tried to get him last season, which is why he's making so much money now.  I've seen him suggested as a candidate for open head coaching positions at places like Nevada, and I think he'd be smart to wait another year and get a much better job next season.  

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1 hour ago, Beau Vine said:

You're gonna get negbombed, but you're not wrong.  This is one of the biggest fuck-you play calls I've ever seen:

Grubb just does so many things that you don't see other teams do.   When we lose him, I hope he goes to Iowa just to blow everyone's mind.

Grubb is a bad ass and if we didn't have Sarkisian calling plays, he'd be a fun one. But the play you posted isn't wildly dissimilar to the one Texas ran out of the 4th and 1 from the Bush Push formation. I saw both in real time and thought both were outstanding. I also watched from beginning to end the ASU game and multiple games like that from Sarkisian since 2021. It's splitting hairs. They are two of the best five OCs in college football, which is why this game is probably a shootout. Given that, I'd rather have Texas' D than UW's for this game. So, no, the original poster was wrong. And it's not likely to be a separator in this game anyway. 

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Turned on the Finebaum show and the first subject he covered (of course) was the CFP selections.  He said, and I quote - "So, it's Michigan, Washington, and two SEC teams, Alabama & Texas".  

Boy, how times and attitudes have changed on that show.

LMAO 

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