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Was Saturday the beginning of the end for Charlie Strong’s tenure? It certainly felt like it if you were reading social media between 11-3. After the Longhorns had two weeks to prepare for Oklahoma State, they laid a huge egg defensively. There was a myriad of postgame fallout, so we will try to lay this out as best as we can.
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[*]Anwar Richardson of Orangebloods.com reported that he spoke to Athletic Director Mike Perrin following the game, and Perrin advised that he would have to evaluate the situation. There has been some back and forth over exactly what happened here, but our own Mike Roach was on the scene when the question was asked, and he can confirm Anwar’s side of the story. Charlie Strong was asked about the comment in his postgame presser, and he responded with: “You’re evaluated each and every day here.â€
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[*]After speaking with our sources, we know that he is in no danger of being fired this season, but next week is critical for Strong. There was already a vocal minority last season looking to get rid of him, and that crowd has grown towards more of a majority. The push is going to be incredible with guys like Tom Herman up for other jobs this year, and the bar is rising on Strong.
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[*]The players are saying the right things on the surface, but there was a lot of anger following the matchup yesterday. Coaches had to corral a couple of guys after the game was over.
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[*]All momentum in recruiting the program had after Notre Dame has evaporated. We’ve reported all season that the Longhorns are in a great position for a number of targets, but they would have to improve and win to get those guys. The downside to Charlie’s late closing tactic could potentially leave a new coach scrambling to fill a majority of the class if Texas decides to move in a different direction.
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We had the opportunity to speak to a few coaches and players following the loss in Stillwater.
Charlie Strong
On defensive calls – “I made a few today. We’ve just got to make sure we execute the calls.â€
On defensive failure after two weeks to prepare – “We had guys in position, we just didn’t finish.â€
On fixing the defense – “It was just total execution. The thing that hurt us was third downs. 3rd and 10, 3rd and 15, 3rd and 12, those were the back breakers there. Those were the things that got us.â€
On effort – “It’s not so much they didn’t try. They tried, we just didn’t get it done.â€
On the feeling around the program – “It’s all about confidence. You can get that back if you get a win.â€
On defensive performance in second half – “We were able to get the stops and make some plays and big hits.â€
On missed tackles – “We had them stopped, we’re just not tackling. We’re trying to reach and pull him down instead of just wrapping them up. You can’t ever, when a guy is running at you and he’s an athlete, you can’t break down. You’ve got to go. If a receiver can freeze you then you’re in trouble.â€
On confidence – “They can get it back. If you win a game then all of a sudden it shoots back up to where it was.â€
Vance Bedford
On the defensive failures – “There’s no magical answer, we’ve just got to go out and play and do a better job.â€
On second half success – “I wish I could sit back and say we were successful in the second half. We might have slowed them down. They were trying to defend the lead.â€
On player rotation – “We started out with our young guys. We wanted to get those guys out there. They have great potential to make plays. We had a few hiccups there, so we wanted to settle guys down.â€
On sharing playcalls with Charlie Strong – “It was fine. We’ve been together for a long time and he’s always been involved.â€
On difference between practice and games – “I wish I had an answer. They didn’t do anything we didn’t expect. When you have an opportunity to make a tackle that’s what you have to do. We spent two straight days working on tackling, and we didn’t get that done.â€
On his biggest frustration – “We lost. It’s that simple. The name of the game is to win. We need to cut down on giving up big plays. If we do that we’re going to be just fine.â€
Sterlin Gilbert
On Oklahoma State pressure causing problems – “We’ll have to go back and watch the film and look and evaluate.â€
On Shane Buechele – “Every rep is a learning experience and a growth rep for him.â€
On throwing into tight coverage – “Some of those pitches were probably tight for him just because of what they were doing on the back end.â€
On lack of deep throws and Shane’s injury – “That wasn’t part of it. What they did on the back end, they kept it pretty high shelf for us and made us throw some things underneath.â€
Shane Buechele
On his health – “My ribs feel good. I’m healthy, we just have to take what they give you.â€
On the loss of D’Onta Foreman and Chris Warren – “Losing those guys is rough. Kyle Porter can do just as well as those guys. He’s a great running back and we have trust in him.â€
On the Oklahoma State pressure – “I’ve just got to see things better. I need to trust in my o-line. They were doing their job up front, I’ve just got to be more patient.â€
On the interception – “It was just a bad read, a bad throw. You have to be better than that.â€
On the team attitude – “The attitude of the team is still good. We know what we can do, and we’ve shown what we can do.â€
On the defense – “We have trust in our defense. We should have scored more points than we did.â€
On lack of deep throws – “We were taking what they were giving us. We have trust in our play calling, and the play calling was good. We just have to execute.â€
On overall team confidence – “Right now everyone knows we have to get better. We still have confidence, and we have to continue to have confidence.â€
D’Onta Foreman
On his injury – “It was during my run. When I was running I felt it. I didn’t think it was that bad. I tried to go back out there on the field and then when I made a move I felt it.â€
(Foreman said the injury occurred when he was pushed into the wall following his touchdown run and he tried to go back in but it affected him on the next play. He said he felt it was more of a muscle pull than a bone injury and he expects to play against Oklahoma)
On his early success – “I was just trying to do what I’m asked to do. We ran the ball well, but it wasn’t enough to get us the win.â€
Offensive pressure to score and defensive failures – “We’ll get it together. It’s the little things. We’ve got to make tackles, and we’ve got to be more efficient on offense. We weren’t bad today, but it didn’t get us the win.â€
Team attitude – “Nobody feels like it’s over. We’ve got a good team, and we’ve got to clean up our mistakes.â€
Team confidence – “I don’t know. I can speak for myself and say I’m still confident in this team.â€
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We want to stress that we are not aware of any concrete decisions related to a coaching change. While the Oklahoma game certainly is huge for Charlie Strong, there will be no rush decisions made. We will pass along a few things we’ve heard from sources we’ve spoken with regarding a possible coaching search in the offseason.
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[*]Tom Herman seems to be the obvious candidate, and he’s certainly the popular choice among fans. A source close several boosters told us “not so fastâ€. From what we were told there is a certain faction of donors that want to make another run at Alabama’s Nick Saban. The thought is that Saban would be even more open to taking the job due to the increase in talent level and an opportunity to ride into the sunset after righting the Texas ship.
[*]It’s well known that Herman would love to have this job, but there will be several openings this offseason. LSU is already vacant, and USC could be as well. While Texas will have the inside lane it’s important to know that Herman will have a ton of leverage in upcoming negotiations.
[*]If Herman were to leave UH we were told that there is already a plan in place. In the spring we learned that recruits were notified that if Herman were to be hired away former Texas star Major Applewhite is one of the candidates in line to take over ensuring continuity.
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Sam Ehlinger made his return to the field last Friday after missing two weeks following a knee injury. HornSports was in attendance to watch Ehlinger against Buda Hays, and we were able to speak with him following a strong performance.
Sam went into the half throwing 12/15 for 205 yards and 4 touchdowns. He did not return to the game in the 2nd half.
HornSports: Have to start off with the obvious question. How’s the knee?
Sam Ehlinger: “Oh it’s great. Both are great. Both are 100%.â€
HornSports: You had an incredible game, it’s like you made a statement that you are just fine. What set you off this game?
Sam Ehlinger: “Just missing so many games, and having to watch my brothers go out and compete from the sideline just drives me to be better. I felt that once I got back in there I had to be the best that I can be, and that’s all that I was doing.â€
HornSports: Last time I talked to you, you said you wanted to be around 90% passing, today you were pretty dang close at 80%. Are you fine with that or still striving for 90?
Sam Ehlinger: [pause and smiles] “Not close enough.â€
HornSports: Still not?
Sam Ehlinger: “There were a couple of balls that should’ve been caught.â€
HornSports: How do you feel about the season so far for the Longhorns?
Sam Ehlinger: “I think the Notre Dame win was big. I think they let it slip a little, but they have great coaching. I trust them going forward.â€
HornSports: Lastly, who are you working on for recruiting?
Sam Ehlinger: “Still focusing on my boy Walker Little.â€
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On the defensive side of the ball, Westlake linebacker Levi Jones had an incredible game. He started the game off by tackling the Hays running back in the endzone for a safety and finished out the half with another tackle for loss. Throw in a few huge hits into the mix, and Levi Jones had a very impressive game.
After the game HornSports talked with the 4-star recruit about his interest in Texas.
HornSports: What made you really come around on the Longhorns in the past few weeks?
Levi Jones: “It wasn’t just now or the past couple of weeks. I’ve always had interest in the Longhorns because my brother went there and it’s right here in our backyard. So it would be nice staying home, but I’ve always just wanted to wait throughout the season, and assess my situation. I want to make my commitment after the Under Armor Game or on Signing Day. I’m still debating where I want to go very hardâ€.
HornSports: Will you be taking a trip to Texas any time soon?
Levi Jones: “Next home game. Well maybe. It depends who we play or if I want to go see one of my brothers go play.â€
HornSports: You started off the game with a safety. You ended your playing time with a tackle for loss. What got you so fired up for this game?
Levi Jones: “Just playing back at home after being on the road for two weeks. You know it’s just always fun to play football. I’ve got mad passion for it. It was a big week for us. We treat every week like it’s a big game.â€
HornSports: Speaking of a big week y’all have Lake Travis next week. What is the main key for you in that game?
Levi Jones: “Just to play my best. Limit mental mistakes. I just want to play football and have fun.â€
HornSports: What is the thing you want to improve on your game before you get to the next level next year?
Levi Jones: “I’m not going to limit myself to one thing. It’s a little bit of everything. I’m always trying to get better and never be complacent. I never want to miss a tackle. I want to limit my mistakes.â€