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Posted (edited)
4 hours ago, Codaxx said:

Clark looks like he has some nice cutting ability and quickness. The issue is he cuts to nowhere. I get Simon is a true freshman, but he looked like the best runner on the team (albeit in a very small sample size). Shows good vision and I love how every run he seems to be falling forward at the end. When I say get him ready, that means drill him on pass pro. Just do not know how he was 5th on the depth chart, but perhaps it is just a small sample size.

I agree and feel like I watched a different game than other people. The RB i was mossed impressed with that played last saturday was Clark. 

He seemed to having a combination of timing and vision the others don't, was finding creases, or not just aimlessly running into the line hoping to get yardage. 

Edit, i stopped watching at the end of the third quarter, is it worth watching the 4th :D

Edited by BigHornedLurker
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Posted
Vandy lit up South Carolina yesterday. Don’t see how we win that one even if it is at home.

Dores got lucky when the SC QB went down in the 2Q or it would have been a much closer game.
That said, Vandy is better this year than last and we struggled to put them away in Nashville last year.
Posted
2 minutes ago, victory88 said:

LSU who was considered to have an elite OL last year rushed for 24 yards against aggy.  We rushed for 200+
Alabama, with a dual threat QB in Milroe rushed for 70 yards against ou last year.  We rushed for 177 yards to the tune o 5.9 carries.

#3 LSU who just face that Clemson DL that you don't think is any good just rushed for 108 yards at home to the tune of 3.5 carry pre rush.  

Notre Dame, who has one of the best rushing attacks in the country, rushed for 93 yards with Jeremiah Love to the tune of 3.3 yards per rush against an elite Miami D-line

In their 2nd playoff matchup, #1 Oregon rushed for -23 yards.... negative yards.  

Notre Dame rushed for 147 yards to the tune of 3.9 yards a carry against a much worse aggy defense at home this year.  Last year they rushed for 198 yards at their house to the tune of 5.9 yards per carry.  We rushed for 243 yards at 5.2 yards per carry.  ND had one of the best rushing attacks last year for reference.

Tenn rushed for 152 yards to the tune of 3.5 yards a carry against Ohio State in 2024 with a NFL RB in Dylan Sampson. 

We rushed for 166 yards at 4.5 yards per carry with this current OL against Ohio State.  Ohio state rushed for 77 yards to the tune of 2.3 yards per carry against us.

 

These are are some of the elite teams last year and this year.  Which of these teams has a dominant rushing attack?  Do you want LSU's OL?  Notre Dame's OL? Tennessee OL? Clemson's OL?  Aggy's OL?  Which one of these teams doesn't struggle against elite defense fronts?  You're a fucking idiot as you prove countless times.  You'll continue to bitch whether you are a fan of Texas, UGA, Ohio State, LSU, Oregon, etc.  No one is arguing there aren't weaknesses.  But no, I don't think our OL is shit.  I think we're going to have a pretty good rushing attack when you look at the stats at the season's end.  

 

It can be a bit of both. Our line at times the last couple of years would have an inability to move people and get the tough yards. Our zone blocking was generally really good and gave good lanes for our backs even without the real push up front. But when we tried to simply overpower in short yardage situations, we really struggled even against teams that were at distinct talent disadvantages. That said, I agree with your general point that rushing against the top defenses will be a struggle for any team. 

This year's offensive line is really bad at zone blocking so we really have to be able to get push. Unfortunately, they aren't consistently good at that either. 

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Posted
25 minutes ago, victory88 said:

Did the OL not move people against aggy, ou, clemson last year?  Were they not all considered good defensive fronts?  We pretty much whipped all 3 in the ground game and were by far the more physical team.  Our issue is not moving people outside of UGA and OSU.  We could have 5 NFL prospects on the OL starting and I'd still expect us to struggle against DL with high NFL draft picks, that's the nature of college football.  Our issue is that for years now, we don't have a RB that can run inside.  Baxter is the only one and he gets injured if you breathe on him.  This rears it's ugly head in the redzone when we can't exactly bounce it outside on 4th and 1.  There are issues and weaknesses.  I know you know your stuff because you post intelligently.  Did you expect 4 new starters to come in and be dominant immediately?  Some of what we are seeing is that they are seeing some gimmicky fronts and still learning to process stunts.  I'm fully expecting us to struggle against UGA and ou but I think we are going to run the ball very well against the rest of the schedule.  Arch is going to have to make some plays against UGA and ou for us to win those games.  These games where talent on the OL is neutralized when we face elite defenses, the games that are won are generally by the QB that can make those 1-2 plays that determine the game.  Howard made them last year, Stockton made them last year.  Quinn couldn't.  Let's hope Arch can.

Why are you bringing up Clemson? They finished 16th in rush defense in the ACC last year (out of 17 teams) and 85th in the nation. That was a terrible rush defense. By the way, Texas A&M finished 11th in rush yards per play allowed in the SEC. Both of those defenses were below average in their conference (Clemson being horrific). My point was not that the OL was terrible at running the ball the last few years, it was that they have not been physical. They are screeners and ran outside zone. That type of blocking can struggle in short yardage situations, because they do not move people. You also need to be athletic and have RBs with great vision to run it successfully. Texas is migrating away from outside zone to gap blocking this year. That requires a more physical mindset and moving people. As you probably saw I sounded the alarm about the OL watching the OSU game. Since then, I have seen this OL struggle to run vs SJSU and UTEP. It is early, so things can change but I have my reservations about this run game. I was just talking about how much I loved watching Simon vs UTEP. He ran for 3.9 per carry and averaged 4.2 yards after contact. Imagine what Simon would have looked like if the OL gave him a couple yards before contact, instead of slightly behind the LOS. To be honest, I did not think saying the OL lacked physicality would be controversial. It is odd to me, because the DL is really physical and has been for 3 years or so. 

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Posted
54 minutes ago, Hermanator said:

I liked Simon a lot in this one, at least he seemed to know what gap the play is blocked to go. He's quick for a guy his size and runs with power. We've been lacking a back that can break tackles like he did Saturday. 

Clark came in the more heralded back, but Simon looked much better to me too.  I feel good about the RB's.  We can win the NC with this group.  We can win the NC with this defense, TE's, punter, kicker, and return game.  We can win the NC with this OL (maybe).  We just need Sark to call better plays and Arch to stop throwing at people's feet.

Posted
5 minutes ago, thrillhammer said:

Clark came in the more heralded back, but Simon looked much better to me too.  I feel good about the RB's.  We can win the NC with this group.  We can win the NC with this defense, TE's, punter, kicker, and return game.  We can win the NC with this OL (maybe).  We just need Sark to call better plays and Arch to stop throwing at people's feet.

There are no elite teams this year.  Every team including Ohio State has weaknesses.  Arch played about as bad of a game as you could and we lost by 7 with a chance to tie it.  Our elite defense and elite punter are going to give this offense every chance to put it together and have/will give this offense very good field position.  If we can improve to just average, we have as good of a shot as anyone in the playoffs assuming we make it.  I also fully expect us to look much better with Moore, Wisner, Baxter, Mosley back.  Sark has also been calling about as vanilla a gameplan against San Jose and UTEP.  UTEP btw has a pretty good defense.  Their defense will likely end up better than many P4 teams.  

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Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, victory88 said:

Dude, we mostly had the same starters 3 years in a row.  All of them got drafted or signed to an NFL practice squad.  Those same guys struggled to run the ball against 3 man fronts their 1st and 2nd year.  Then became Joe Moore award finalists two years in a row.  We have recruited extremely well.  Of the current 5 starters, 3 will be drafted by the NFL, 1 will likely be a 1st round pick.  You must have a very short memory if you watch this OL that is extremely inexperienced and think they have gone to shit.  They are making mistakes, as would be expected for 4 new starters.  Even then, they played very well against a NFL Ohio State front in their first game together and have done well both in run blocking and pass blocking.  There are weak areas but there's not too may teams I'm trading our OL room for or Flood for.  I'm not expecting this OL to be better than last years or the year before.  There is a weak link in Stroh.  But this will be a very good OL towards the end of the year and they will be very good next year as I imagine most of them will be back outside of DJ Campbell.  We've recruited multiple 5 stars on the OL over the years and our NFL draft success has been the best it ever has in the last 20 damn years.  We just had a guy win the outland trophy.  Maybe let the guy that is responsible for all this success have more than 3 damn games to get 4 new starters to gel together.  You must of forgotten when we went into spring with 6 total lineman just a 5 years ago.  Or maybe you forgot the years we were starting the likes of Cameron Hughes...

Your posts have been thorough and you make compelling points. I posted my original thoughts in too much of a rush, and that's on me. Your main points are valid, and they inform my confusion regarding our lack of portal targets along the OL.

Texas lost four starters (three of which the coaches knew well in advance would leave) and did not add to the room over the course of two portal periods. In addition, many of the players taking starting spots were either highly inexperienced, or have consistently shown to be erratic in terms of their performance, at best. Otherwise, Goosby is the one example of a clear succession plan. Lastly, the book is still out on all seven players from the past two recruiting classes. I realize that of any position group, OL players take time to develop in multiple ways, so I'm not writing any given player off yet. But, I don't have reassured feelings regarding our OL talent, especially given the lack of return on the current starting five + other important rotational pieces. Huston, Campbell, and Neto are all fourth-year players. Stroh is in his third year.

I understand in-game experience matters, but these are all guys who should fundamentally understand what is asked of them at this point. However, at times, they look wildly incompetent and/or egregiously undisciplined. That's highly concerning. As compared to last year, the OL play has gone to shit. I understand Texas lost a lot of experience, but the drop off shouldn't be this alarming.

That all being said, if Wisner had been healthy and playing, and if Arch hadn't gone MIA, I'm sure we would be much less alarmed. We'll see what happens the remainder of the season.

Edited by MuellerHorn
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Posted
15 minutes ago, Blackcat00 said:

We need Wisner and Baxter back for the SEC. The other group has major issues so far. 

I am honestly excited to see Simon mature. He looks exactly what this offense needs. He showed solid vision and toughness. I did not see much pass pro, so that might be an issue. If it is, the staff needs to drill him on it hard to get him ready. 

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Posted
On 9/16/2025 at 4:08 PM, I Plead Da Fif said:

I think the issue as has been stated a handful of times here and OTF is Neto is a loose cannon. Apparently they can’t trust him to control his aggression.

Given where things are, I don’t see how we don’t make that trade off, especially given the potential of his aggression being a positive influence on the OL (get fucking mean), even if it means a 15 yarder every other game.

Yeah, I want to take our chances with loose cannon Neto and mean as a snake Connor Robertson.  The staff praised the hell out of Robertson after his one start v OU.  Give me some The Longest Yard attitude.

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Posted
1 hour ago, BigHornedLurker said:

I agree and feel like I watched a different game than other people. The RB i was mossed impressed with that played last saturday was Clark. 

He seemed to having a combination of timing and vision the others don't, was finding creases, or not just aimlessly running into the line hoping to get yardage. 

Edit, i stopped watching at the end of the third quarter, is it worth watching the 4th :D

I don't know how you missed watching Simon. He was very clearly the best back after Baxter went out. Clark was marginal and didn't seem game ready. Not surprising given his injury and the time off. 

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Posted
4 hours ago, Codaxx said:

it is super slow motion, so it is easy to make judgements. This is what I am looking at 

image.png.f7808eff4ba4f79899800d7fa7ac76ea.png

Arch has been flushed and moving up in the pocket. He can gear it down. 

image.png.52035d02c267ef6623e6afb4de1565e9.png

second later he is not looking at Arch and just running his route appearing to be unaware that Arch is on the move

 

image.png.d5ce0fff09d70e68d3f936d84508e5f9.png

He ends up out here

image.png.0b587216943c3e2a2a5cebd4b7036a82.png

 

I am just saying I think a more polished veteran WR would recognize his QB has been flushed and would adjust his route, but maybe that is not taught, or they just do not have that type of chemistry. it is not something that is major issue, just some of the little things Texas is not doing as an offense. 

This wasn't an issue with Wingo. Why did Arch who had amble green in front of him and to the right decide to loop back around his blockers who were engaged with the UTEP defender to run away from where Wingo was going? Arch know the routes just like the WR, It would have made more sense to run right to clear the LBs in the middle of the field and allow Wingo to also run to green grass.

Posted
3 hours ago, cafe society said:

Yeah, I want to take our chances with loose cannon Neto and mean as a snake Connor Robertson.  The staff praised the hell out of Robertson after his one start v OU.  Give me some The Longest Yard attitude.

SIAP...  Heard Robertson had reps at center this week too

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Posted

Mack is right booing won't solve anything, its up to the coaches to decide when enough is enough but the fanbase making things worse won't fix Arch's choking problems. The worst part of watching games in person is joe schmo with shit opinions.

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Posted
8 minutes ago, linux said:

Mack is right booing won't solve anything, its up to the coaches to decide when enough is enough but the fanbase making things worse won't fix Arch's choking problems. The worst part of watching games in person is joe schmo with shit opinions.

Fuck Mack, he's a pussy. He got his ass boo'd out the fucking job

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Posted
2 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

Fuck Mack, he's a pussy. He got his ass boo'd out the fucking job

Yeah sure in 2013 but he also got boo'ed out of his ass in 2001 and the fans were wrong.

At the end of the day, I rather trust common sense than a rabid mob.

Posted (edited)
1 minute ago, linux said:

Yeah sure in 2013 but he also got boo'ed out of his ass in 2001 and the fans were wrong.

At the end of the day, I rather trust common sense than a rabid mob.

What if the rabid mob has the common sense?*




* Denotes not including me.

Edited by BurntOrange&White
Posted
1 minute ago, BurntOrange&White said:

What if the rabid mob has the common sense?*




* Denotes not including me.

Science > empiricism > common sense > emotional mob

That is my standard and has rarely let me down. I am personally inching closer to the idea that Arch is not ready and it will require way too much time to correct his head, but at the same time the very same mob wanted Ewers benched for Arch so I am fairly certain the mob is very rarely right.

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Posted
11 hours ago, linux said:

Science > empiricism > common sense > emotional mob

That is my standard and has rarely let me down. I am personally inching closer to the idea that Arch is not ready and it will require way too much time to correct his head, but at the same time the very same mob wanted Ewers benched for Arch so I am fairly certain the mob is very rarely right.

Changing the variables can significantly alter the results. I have wondered if Arch took over last year, if he and Texas are not in a much better spot this year.

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Posted
Many of the worst throws we have seen from him were on roll outs

The roll left, stop and reset underhand throw across his body to miss Wingo was something else. Unless you’re Mahomes, you cant do that. It’s like he’s been Space Jammed.
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Posted
7 minutes ago, 6th Street said:

Fuck Mack and his stupid ass passing on Andrew Luck, Manziel , and RGIII at QB.

FUPM (allegedly) telling Manziel and Griffin that they were going to be DB or WR and not offering a solid shot at QB was definitely vintage Mack.

Posted
19 hours ago, Blackcat00 said:

We need Wisner and Baxter back for the SEC. The other group has major issues so far. 

My best guess is we rest them both this weekend and continue to use Simon, Clark and Gibson. Then Wisner and Baxter return and ball out in conference play. 

Posted
2 minutes ago, Tex Long said:

FUPM (allegedly) telling Manziel and Griffin that they were going to be DB or WR and not offering a solid shot at QB was definitely vintage Mack.

a lot of teams told RG3 that he should switch positions not just Texas. that was Briles being right and everyone else being wrong IIRC.

nobody in Texas offered Manziel out of HS due to his off the field issues. that's why he originally went to Oregon. 

Posted
13 hours ago, linux said:

Mack is right booing won't solve anything, its up to the coaches to decide when enough is enough but the fanbase making things worse won't fix Arch's choking problems. The worst part of watching games in person is joe schmo with shit opinions.

I don't think people boo expecting that to improve the situation. They do it to express frustration when the product on the field is a complete embarrassment. It's really not the fans job to lift up a third year quarterback against group of 5 teams. I attend pretty much every home game and agree that it's counterproductive, but it's just a part of live sports. 

Posted
1 minute ago, Jimmy Two Times said:

I don't think people boo expecting that to improve the situation. They do it to express frustration when the product on the field is a complete embarrassment. It's really not the fans job to lift up a third year quarterback against group of 5 teams. I attend pretty much every home game and agree that it's counterproductive, but it's just a part of live sports. 

This right here.  CFB is big business,  including for the players.  Fans are the customers and they are going to vote with their feet/dollars.   I think the crowd was booing Sark as much as Manning.   He (Sark) should absolutely take notice.  I guarantee CDC did.  

Posted
20 hours ago, BigHornedLurker said:

I agree and feel like I watched a different game than other people. The RB i was mossed impressed with that played last saturday was Clark. 

He seemed to having a combination of timing and vision the others don't, was finding creases, or not just aimlessly running into the line hoping to get yardage. 

Edit, i stopped watching at the end of the third quarter, is it worth watching the 4th :D


You did watch another game. Clark went full on Trent Richardson and ran right by huge holes bouncing runs outside for no particular reason. 

Posted
Just now, Newy25 said:


You did watch another game. Clark went full on Trent Richardson and ran right by huge holes bouncing runs outside for no particular reason. 

I completely agree, but that is pretty common with young runner in year 1. I think Clark is the most elusive RB on the roster. You can see his cutting ability. I am sure in HS he was able to bounce things outside and get the edge 80-90% of the time. Sometimes it takes a while before they realize that shit doesnt work in college. Physical aspect is very obvious. The question now is does he have poor vision or just the typical bad habits of a young RB. 

Posted
2 hours ago, Codaxx said:

Changing the variables can significantly alter the results. I have wondered if Arch took over last year, if he and Texas are not in a much better spot this year.

Man I had the exact same thought after Gilbert played vs Bama, I thought "we kept it close, he grew up ten years in one night, playing the toughest opponent he will likely ever play" 2010 was the only year I was really really wrong. Turns out predicting the mental health of our QBs is a crapshoot.

Posted
8 minutes ago, The Dog said:

nobody in Texas offered Manziel out of HS due to his off the field issues. that's why he originally went to Oregon. 

Story I heard was that Mack saw him as a DB and told him so. He wasn't interested, and there was no offer.

Posted (edited)
4 minutes ago, linux said:

Man I had the exact same thought after Gilbert played vs Bama, I thought "we kept it close, he grew up ten years in one night, playing the toughest opponent he will likely ever play" 2010 was the only year I was really really wrong. Turns out predicting the mental health of our QBs is a crapshoot.

That is 100% true. It near impossible to predict how the mind works. Anyone married and/or with children can confirm that. I just think Manning sat there all off-season wondering if he could live up to the hype. Perhaps if he had done it for 5-7 game that would not have been there, but who the hell knows. 

Edited by Codaxx
Posted
10 minutes ago, TheAuditor said:

This right here.  CFB is big business,  including for the players.  Fans are the customers and they are going to vote with their feet/dollars.   I think the crowd was booing Sark as much as Manning.   He (Sark) should absolutely take notice.  I guarantee CDC did.  

Texas fans are largely entitled fucking douchebags and anyone booing 100% falls into that category.     Largely thanks to Sark, we are fucking relevant again after being a middling Big 12 team for 10+ years.  CDC didn't take "notice" of shit.

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Posted

A few team notes from IT

Spoiler

I don’t have a lot to report before the game Saturday night against Sam Houston State. We are at the “don’t tell me about the labor pains, show me the baby” stage of the season. It doesn’t matter what I report about the week—all that matters is the Texas offense plays well against the easiest opponent it will see all season.

But, I have to write something.

Steve Sarkisian’s demeanor this week was enthusiastic. He, and everyone else in the program, wants to see how the offense will perform. Behind the scenes, he’s as even-keeled as ever. When he says, “We have good players and good coaches,” he truly believes they’re going to improve by a considerable amount.

One source mentioned getting DeAndre Moore back is big: “Not just for the game but for practice. He’s another person who knows what to do and can communicate with others. He’s going to be where he’s supposed to be.”

We’re going to see a number of young players with prominent roles. Don’t be surprised if Graceson Littleton plays a lot at cornerback. That would open the door at Star for Wardell Mack to play his most snaps ever. This will be fun to watch because there’s a strong chance this is how it will shake out next year—with Littleton at corner and Mack at Star. Said a source, “Littleton can play anywhere in the secondary.”

Five-star freshman Jonah Williams is going to play at safety this week. They’re wasting little time getting him on the field after he began practicing on Monday. He could also see some time on special teams. “He was fast and physical” this week.

Sark mentioned Nate Kibble, Nick Brooks, and Daniel Cruz in his Thursday availability. While IT doesn’t expect any changes to the starting O-line, we do expect all three to play. Kibble has played a little bit but should see his most action yet. We didn’t hear if Brooks will be at guard or tackle, but he should play. Daniel Cruz has been solely at center: “Has some physicality to him and is ready for snaps.” Essentially, he knows what to do, but applying it in a game setting for the first time might come with some miscues.

The staff feels good about the development of Kaliq Lockett and Daylan McCutcheon. The goal is to get them as many snaps as possible this season in anticipation of them playing major roles in 2026.

With Tre Wisner and CJ Baxter out, we’ll see the three young players again—Christian Clark, Jerrick Gibson, and James Simon. This game will go a long way toward determining who RB3 will be when Wisner and Baxter return. The deciding factor will likely be understanding the run game. Who maximizes blocking?

IT asked about Justus Terry. He bounces between scout and regular team reps. He’s in a great headspace despite not having any breakout moments. Don’t worry about him.

Speaking of scout team, KJ Lacey is doing a really good job.

 

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Posted
27 minutes ago, The Dog said:

a lot of teams told RG3 that he should switch positions not just Texas. that was Briles being right and everyone else being wrong IIRC.

nobody in Texas offered Manziel out of HS due to his off the field issues. that's why he originally went to Oregon. 

No, he was originally committed to Oregon. He flipped and signed with Texas A&M.

Posted
8 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

The staff feels good about the development of Kaliq Lockett and Daylan McCutcheon. The goal is to get them as many snaps as possible this season in anticipation of them playing major roles in 2026.

Say, just out of curiosity, I wonder what Jaime Ffrench is costing us this year.

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