*****GAME THREAD: #11 TEXAS vs. RICE OWLS*****

[Wayne]

We are reacting to the first game and the first game showed marginal improvement from QE3.  His biggest issues on footwork and the deep ball don’t appear to be improved from the prior season.  More is expected out of our starter and “QB-whisperer” coach. 
 

That’s the point. 
 

let’s go beat Bama!

Quinn was 0-4 on deep balls in the Rice game. I’m not gonna judge him on that sample size in a game that we were leading 37-3 when he left. Especially with Alabama coming. I expect the game plan and schemes to be a bit different this week. If we used everything in the Rice game and we won 70-10 you’d probably be saying what a bad job of coaching by Sark cause he showed Bama too much. 
 

Right now all Bama has to look at is plain vanilla.  I think Sark is going to bring out the Rocky Road. But I’ve always been a glass is half full kind of guy. 

 

[Sunkist]

Quinn was 0-4 on deep balls in the Rice game. I’m not gonna judge him on that sample size in a game that we were leading 37-3 when he left. Especially with Alabama coming. I expect the game plan and schemes to be a bit different this week. If we used everything in the Rice game and we won 70-10 you’d probably be saying what a bad job of coaching by Sark cause he showed Bama too much. 
 

Right now all Bama has to look at is plain vanilla.  I think Sark is going to bring out the Rocky Road. But I’ve always been a glass is half full kind of guy. 

Not really.  If we weren’t sloppy on the o-line and QE3 hit at least one deep ball we probably would’ve scored 50.

lets see what we got for this Saturday. 

 

[North Texas Golfer]

It's a thankless job but someone has to keep you deplorables informed 

 

[Sirhornsalot]

It's a thankless job but someone has to keep you deplorables informed 

Hilary, is that you? lol

 

[North Texas Golfer]

Hilary, is that you? lol

Not only did I know that was coming but I knew who it was coming from 

 

[83Dee]

I haven’t seen too many folks saying to replace him.   What I feel most people expected is for him to take another step and we wanted to see it Day 1.  We saw it from Colt, Sam and VY and were hoping Ewers would.  Yes it’s game 1 only but the same glaring mistakes he made last year with the deep ball and footwork are still there.   They don’t even looked improved at all.   I believe he was better in his progressions, his passion and his agility though only slightly.

Lots of games left. 

Here's what I don't understand, every single position on the field  for the Longhorns is governed by meritocracy.  The best player plays.  The player that best helps us win that week, plays.  Every position that is, except for QB.  Now before anyone jumps offsides and attacks me - I'm aware that this is my own personal opinion, and I'm not at the practices.  

Card outplayed Ewers (according to most accounts) in the Spring leading up to last year.  He also outplayed him in the fall preseason workouts.  I was a bit surprised to hear that Ewers was the opening day starter, because I was under the impression that this was an "open competition."  But I understood, because Card was recruited by a different coach - to run a completely different offense...  Ewers had more of the tools that Sark needs.  Then, the season happened... and it seems like most people hesitate to say this, but Ewers was dreadful for much of the year.  He (IMO) absolutely cost us two W's against two (at the time) top ten teams.  In one of those two games, he reportedly overthrew 19 open receivers.  And yet... not a hint that anyone considered replacing him.  I guarantee you if any other position on the field played at that level, they are replaced the next week - if not during the game.  

Then this offseason - Sark makes it crystal clear that Ewers IS the starter.  He even said "obviously" after the Spring Game which was curious to me because it wasn't obvious at all.  From my couch, Maleek clearly had a better Spring game.  We replaced a starting RB the week of the Rice game - and reportedly there are changes happening in the OL this week - because.... well.... it's a meritocracy.  But not at QB -- even though Ewers was 0-9 on throws over 12 yards, many of them missing open receivers.... even leading them out of bounds.  Again, my question is why?  

I get that Maleek is playing against second stringers.... I get that I'm not at practice... it just seems like everyone does mental gymnastics to make excuse after excuse for poor QB play.  And this is very unusual for a Texas media and fanbase that historically loves nothing in this world more than the second string QB.  

Hey, maybe I'm the football moron here.... that's quite possible.  I have even begun questioning myself on this.  I even heard someone on the Bobby Burton and the Sunshine Band podcast predict that Ewers would be in New York for the Heisman announcement this year.  Really?  Based on what??  His Junior year in high school????  And by the way, that suggestion is not isolated to Bobby and the Sunshine Band.  I've seen it on several outlets.  Ether there's something going on behind the scenes here, or I am completely unable to look at a TV screen and determine why balls are being misfired... it sure seems to me like it is "failure to play catch."  

 

[texbound]

I have two final thoughts on the Rice game:

1. I think Rice will be better than we all think this year;

2. I believe playing Rice and what they did on defense is going to play out better for the OL than we think.  Hear me out on this, Rice purportedly did things out of their ordinary and it confused the OL.  They stunted and played in multiple fronts than what their game film showed.  At 1st read of that it sounds bad, but they (Texas OL) learned from it as evident in the 3rd qtr.  I think this prepared them better than just playing against a Portland State that they would just obliterate.  Alabama will absolutely play this way.  Granted they have better athletes than Rice, but hopefully the OL learned and will play to their full potential with a chip on their shoulder.  One can only hope.

 

[Sirhornsalot]

I like the way you think

 

[Sunkist]

Just beat Bama. 

 

[Wayne]

Here's what I don't understand, every single position on the field  for the Longhorns is governed by meritocracy.  The best player plays.  The player that best helps us win that week, plays.  Every position that is, except for QB.  Now before anyone jumps offsides and attacks me - I'm aware that this is my own personal opinion, and I'm not at the practices.  

Card outplayed Ewers (according to most accounts) in the Spring leading up to last year.  He also outplayed him in the fall preseason workouts.  I was a bit surprised to hear that Ewers was the opening day starter, because I was under the impression that this was an "open competition."  But I understood, because Card was recruited by a different coach - to run a completely different offense...  Ewers had more of the tools that Sark needs.  Then, the season happened... and it seems like most people hesitate to say this, but Ewers was dreadful for much of the year.  He (IMO) absolutely cost us two W's against two (at the time) top ten teams.  In one of those two games, he reportedly overthrew 19 open receivers.  And yet... not a hint that anyone considered replacing him.  I guarantee you if any other position on the field played at that level, they are replaced the next week - if not during the game.  

Then this offseason - Sark makes it crystal clear that Ewers IS the starter.  He even said "obviously" after the Spring Game which was curious to me because it wasn't obvious at all.  From my couch, Maleek clearly had a better Spring game.  We replaced a starting RB the week of the Rice game - and reportedly there are changes happening in the OL this week - because.... well.... it's a meritocracy.  But not at QB -- even though Ewers was 0-9 on throws over 12 yards, many of them missing open receivers.... even leading them out of bounds.  Again, my question is why?  

I get that Maleek is playing against second stringers.... I get that I'm not at practice... it just seems like everyone does mental gymnastics to make excuse after excuse for poor QB play.  And this is very unusual for a Texas media and fanbase that historically loves nothing in this world more than the second string QB.  

Hey, maybe I'm the football moron here.... that's quite possible.  I have even begun questioning myself on this.  I even heard someone on the Bobby Burton and the Sunshine Band podcast predict that Ewers would be in New York for the Heisman announcement this year.  Really?  Based on what??  His Junior year in high school????  And by the way, that suggestion is not isolated to Bobby and the Sunshine Band.  I've seen it on several outlets.  Ether there's something going on behind the scenes here, or I am completely unable to look at a TV screen and determine why balls are being misfired... it sure seems to me like it is "failure to play catch."  

I think I’ve heard this somewhere before…

 

[North Texas Golfer]

Then, the season happened... and it seems like most people hesitate to say this, but Ewers was dreadful for much of the year. 

I'm not sure how you define "dreadful", but I would not say he was dreadful for much of the year. 

His first 4 games were really, really good by anyone's standards and good enough to win the B12. In his last 6 games, he had 2 incredibly off the chart bad games and the other 4 were probably average to above average but not quite in the good category.