Burnt Ends – 09/19/16

The point on a brisket is typically the fattiest cut. Pitmasters often trim the point (and select edges) off a brisket and return those pieces to the smoker.

 

 

 

Are burnt ends tough, chewy worthless cuts of meat, or are they heavenly bites of smoky goodness? It depends on who you ask…

 

 

 

Rather than discard the trimmings and fat, we choose to savor all the information that flows through the site. So, sit down and help yourself to some burnt ends.

 

 

 

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This is a free site, so anyone can read this report. If you share it with someone, please take time to attribute the information to HornSports.

 

 

 

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Following Saturday’s defensive debacle, the pressing issue on everyone’s mind is how the Longhorns go about fixing their defensive woes. Charlie Strong took the podium today, and he addressed some of the thoughts on everyone’s mind. “We have two weeks to look at it. I can and will be more involved. We are all accountable.” There seemed to be a sense of urgency during his press briefing to make more changes before they became bigger problems. This was not always the case during the first two seasons of his tenure. Strong was slow to change the offensive system, but once he did it injected a bit of new life into the program. We aren’t sure what changes will be made at this point in time, but don’t expect firings or re-assignments at this point. It wouldn’t totally surprise us to see Strong take over play calling on the defensive side of the ball, but that might not even happen. Expect to see some of the younger players that Strong mentioned today with an increased role in an effort to try something new. Our sources within the program tell us that Strong is already hands on with the defense, but as a guy known for his prowess on that side of the ball this performance reflects poorly on him. The bottom line is it will need to be fixed quickly, because Texas has the offense to go places this year.

 

 

 

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What are the possible changes we could see on the defensive side of the ball? Nothing concrete yet, but here are some positions to think about.

 

 

 

Fox – Malcolm Roach and Breckyn Hager both made impacts on the field in their limited time, and it might be the right moment to elevate them over Naashon Hughes. Texas is missing pass rush ability, and both Roach and Hager have provided that in the time they’ve been in.

 

 

 

Safety – This has been a gripe all offseason, but we were told that Texas coaches liked the way Jason Hall and Dylan Haines directed traffic from the back end. On Saturday it looked like a unit that had never communicated together. Brandon Jones has flashed several times (mainly on special teams), and at this point it might be more advantageous to play Jones and simplify the coverages. Texas had more success in man coverage against Cal, and they will face many more air raid teams this season.

 

 

 

Cornerback – Whatever Holton Hill has done to land in the doghouse we hope he learned his lesson, because he presents the most talent at the position. It remains to be seen what the extent of Davante Davis’s injury is, but someone needs to step up at the cornerback position, because the mistakes against Cal were largely on them.

 

 

 

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The Longhorns had two commits on official visits this weekend, and we caught up briefly with both of them.

 

Nacogdoches DB Josh Thompson officially visited TCU where he was previously committed. We reported beforehand that Thompson was just going because he wanted to take a trip, and that sounds like it was the case exactly. When we caught up with Josh to ask him about his visit, he cut me off at the pass. “It was cool, but I’m still 100,000% a Texas commit.” We were told by someone close to Josh that Alabama has been looking into him lately, but there are no worries here as far as we know.

 

 

 

Lake Dallas DB Kobe Boyce tripped to Norman to take in the Ohio State/Oklahoma game. We’ve seen in the past that Boyce can get excited a bit on visits, and that was apparent when we spoke with him. Boyce really enjoyed it, and when we asked for a comment on his recruitment he told us he planned to take all of his visits. Boyce will of course visit Austin, and he has trips planned to Ole Miss and maybe Houston. We’ve been through this before with Boyce, and the more telling thing will be what happens as this post-visit high wears off. Don’t consider him a serious risk to de-commit, but it is something we will be keeping an eye on.

 

 

 

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It’s unusual to see a high school team with two of the top ten players in the state, but Bellaire Episcopal brings out a crowd of media when they play. We took in their game against an overmatched St. Mark’s team on Friday and spoke to both Marvin Wilson and Walker Little after the action. Wilson opted to rest a sore knee so that he would be ready for the remainder of the season. Wilson was cheering his teammates on, and he detailed the latest on his recruitment.

 

 

 

Wilson attended the opener against Notre Dame, and he enjoyed the time on his visit. “Texas was great. It was great to see Texas be great again getting that big win over Notre Dame. I loved what I saw out of everybody, especially from the D line. They shut down the run right off the bat.”

 

 

 

Wilson has been in communication with defensive line coach Brick Haley to discuss the depth on at his position. “I’ve been talking to him a lot more. They just told me they need to get to the quarterback a lot more, and I can help them out with that. That’s playing a big factor with me.” Another big factor is the tendency of Charlie Strong to play his young players up front. “That plays a lot. Especially Jordan Elliott from Houston. That really caught my eye.”

 

 

 

Wilson told us he thought Texas returned to a stronger level, and he wants to see them win as many games as possible this season.

 

 

 

The Notre Dame matchup was packed with elite talent, and Wilson got to spend some time with Kennedale linebacker Baron Browning. He and Browning are both seen as game changers for a recruiting class, and they talked about the idea of staying in state together. “We’ve talked about it a lot, and staying in state would be a great thing for us especially with our families and stuff being here.”

 

 

 

Wilson told us that Sam Ehlinger is recruiting him hard, and he also talked to Westlake linebacker Levi Jones about possibly staying home.

 

 

 

Wilson competed at The Opening in Oregon this year, and he took some of the things he learned to apply towards his game. “My get off is the main thing I wanted to get from The Opening. I want to use my hands a lot more.” Wilson has not set up an official visit to Texas yet, and he’s debating where exactly he plans to go. He visited Oklahoma this past weekend, and he’s headed to Florida State for their matchup against Clemson this weekend. Wilson did tell us that Texas is standing out among all other in state schools for his services.

 

 

 

In the recruitment of a five star player, schools often need an extra push. For Texas that push comes from the involvement of Charlie Strong in this recruitment. “He’s really involved in my recruitment. Him, Coach Haley, and Coach Bedford are recruiting me hard. Out of all the schools I’ve been recruited by I’ve never been recruited by a head coach as hard as him.”

 

 

 

Florida State, Alabama, Oklahoma, and LSU seem to be the main competition for Wilson, but LSU could drop if Les Miles is let go this season. Wilson told us he doesn’t have a preference on playing in state or out of state, but we know that his family would prefer he stay in Texas.

 

 

 

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Walker Little had a bit of a cold when he took the field Friday, but that didn’t stop him from looking like the elite prospect he’s rated to be. The big offensive tackle paved the way for a big offensive performance against St. Mark’s, and he talked to us about his recruitment.

 

 

 

Little also attended the game against Notre Dame, and all reports were he had a great time. “It was just a great experience out there. I went out there and it was same thing as usual. Me and all the coaches had a really good time just building those relationships. The game was outstanding. Notre Dame is a top ranked team and they went out and played well. I was really impressed with the offensive line and what Coach Mattox has done. They went out there and drove the ball down the field, and were hitting hard. They just played really technically sound and that was really impressive to me. They dominated that game for the most part.”

 

 

 

Little also took notice of the new offense, and the playmakers Texas has. “It was definitely a new look out there. Buechele looked really good, and Swoopes obviously had a great game as well. The offense looked efficient. They got out there quick with a hurry up offense, but what I really liked was they really pounded the rock with their big running backs which is something I like to do.”

 

 

 

Little spent some time with Texas QB commit Sam Ehlinger, and he says they’ve forged a good relationship with each other. “Me and Sam are good friends, and we talk a lot. Especially at The Opening when we were together, and we text each other from time to time. We just talked about what it would be like playing there. Obviously he really wants me out there, and I really like him. I think he’s a good quarterback and can be a good leader so we just talk about the future and things like that.”

 

 

 

The biggest competition for Texas in this recruitment is Stanford. Little detailed the similarities between both programs. “They are similar in the way I feel comfortable with both coaching staffs. Obviously their offenses are both pretty different.”

 

 

 

Little is planning trips to Florida State, Georgia, Ole Miss, Stanford, and Texas. When we asked what he wanted to see from Texas, he gave us the same answer he’s given throughout his recruitment. “I’m not really looking for anything. I’m expecting them to have a good season this year based on what I’ve seen so far. They’ve shown me everything I needed to see.”

 

 

 

Little is being recruited mainly by offensive line coach Matt Mattox, and he talked about that relationship and the growth he’s seen. “We talk a lot. He’s one of the coaches I have the most contact with. We have a lot of casual conversation. We don’t talk about recruiting much which is something I like. Me and Coach Mattox have had a really good relationship and I’ve been impressed with the way their offensive line has looked so far. That’s something I really wanted to see and I’ve been impressed by it.”

 

 

 

Little also hears quite a bit from Charlie Strong, and he talked about the future for the Texas coach. “I felt good about him from the beginning. Coach Strong is one of the head coaches I have the best relationship with. I think he’s a great coach, I really think he’s a good guy, and I think he cares a lot about his players.”

 

 

 

Stanford will be a team to watch, but Texas is in a very good position here.