Burnt Ends – 10/10/2016

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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We’ll start this week with a heat check on Charlie Strong’s seat. Last week it was incredibly uncomfortable, and this week we were told it is scorching hot. While the outcome of the game (5 point loss) wasn’t an embarrassment, the 672 yards the defense gave up definitely were. We already knew that donors were moving behind the scenes to work towards transition, but we remain sure of the fact that the true decision makers (Greg Fenves) aren’t jumping yet. Still, the writing seems to be on the wall from everyone we’ve talked to. With the Longhorns trending down while Texas A&M is trending up, there is a sense of urgency to be quick and decisive in order to grab that momentum back. Tom Herman is the name that most fans want, and it seems the boosters do as well. As we reported last week, there is still a bit of in-fighting between the faction that wants to make another run at Nick Saban and those that want Herman. It’s unclear whether Herman’s loss to Navy last week will do anything to slow that momentum, but he’s still one of the primary targets. We were told once again there would not be an in-season firing, so for now we are in a bit of a holding pattern until we reach the end of the season.

 

 

 

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We spoke to multiple players following the Oklahoma loss, and everyone is at least trying to put on a brave face.

 

 

 

Here is some of what we got from the media breakout sessions.

 

 

 

Malik Jefferson

 

 

 

On giving up 672 yards of offense: “Oh my God.”

 

 

 

On what more they can do: “We’ve got to keep fighting. We know we have seven games left.”

 

On failing to get off the field on third down: “That comes down to us and lack of focus. Guys have to stay on their man, we’ve got to get pressure on the quarterback and force something.”

 

 

 

Shane Buechele

 

 

 

On his first OU game: “It was a great atmosphere out there, it was a lot of fun. I just wish we would have come out with a win.”

 

 

 

On second half improvement: “I was seeing everything well (in the first half), I just wasn’t making throws. I just have to execute and be better. I just have to start making throws and be a better leader.”

 

 

 

On possible rebound: “We just have to go in next week and try to get better. It starts tomorrow.”

 

 

 

Connor Williams

 

 

 

On playing in his hometown: “I came here one year, and it was my senior year. It was incredible, and I’ve always been a Texas fan so it means a lot to me.”

 

 

 

On second half run game success: “I think we just got more drive in the second half, and we started wearing them down.”

 

 

 

On team confidence: “Of course we’re down that we lost. We all know we can get better, we all know that we made mistakes. We’re just going to try and take it week by week.”

 

 

 

Dorian Leonard

 

 

 

On second half touchdown catch: “That was just me trying to make a play. We were trying to get back on top and get some momentum going.”

 

 

 

On earning more playing time: “Those years that I didn’t play really pushed me to work on my craft. Obviously there was a reason that I wasn’t playing. I went out there and worked hard over the summer and just kept encouraging my teammates.”

 

 

 

On pressure to score because lack of defense: “We just know when we go out there we have to execute. We know the defense is going to help us out, but when we go out there we have to make some plays.”

 

 

 

On team confidence level: “We know that it was a tough game. We went out there and we gave it our all. We see the possibilities that we could have. It was a confidence boost to know that we could go out and score in under a minute.”

 

 

 

On Shane Buechele: “Shane is adjusting to the game very well, especially in this game. It’s a big time game and he’s still putting the ball exactly where you need it. He’s helping all of the receivers out a lot.”

 

 

 

On emergence of young receivers: “We’re getting a pretty nice rotation with all of our receivers. We just boos them up on the sideline and give them confidence.”

 

 

 

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On the recruiting side of things it’s a mixed bag of news. We’ll start with the bad news first.

 

 

 

The undecided prospects out there see what is happening with this team and likewise with Charlie Strong’s job security. Many of them (Anthony Hines, Baron Browning, Omar Manning) plan on making early decisions, and right now the Horns are in an incredibly unstable position. The early decisions ensure that Texas won’t have much of a chance unless they do something to seriously flip the script on their season. The other bad news is that A&M is undefeated, ranked in the top 10, and just pulled off a big home win over Tennessee with a bunch of big name recruits in attendance. Charlie Strong stole control of this state in the midst of two poor seasons, but it seems that control is slipping through his fingers at this point.

 

 

 

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Now for the good news. We talked to a number of the already committed prospects in the Texas class The core group of guys seem to be solid, though there are a few to watch out for. A couple of the prospects we talked to said they were onboard as long as Charlie Strong was here, and a couple of them even mentioned Tom Herman by name as a coach they would stick with. While things will most certainly change if the Texas season continues to tank, right now the committed guys seem to be even-keel for the most part as it pertains to their commitment to the Longhorns.