*****Game Thread: Baylor Bears @ Texas Longhorns*****

[83Dee]

The poster then followed by posting Ewers stats from PFF on various throws by distance and zeroed in with some comments about the longest downfield throws. 

20+ Yards 

Total - 15/44 363 yards, 3TD, 2INT

Here were his comments that I found interesting. 

There's a common misconception that Card was significantly better than Ewers in passes 20+ yards down the field. He wasn't. It was nearly identical as far as completion %, TD's and INT's. Card was 9/25 289yards 3TD's 1INT. Card was better in the intermediate passing game 10-20 yards but only attempted it there 12 times in 3 games. Ewers went to the Intermediate pass about 8.4 times a game. There were things Card did better like scrambling and short game passing. He was sacked at nearly twice the rate Quinn was and 3 times the rate heading in to Baylor. Starting to get deep in the weeds on evaluations when we get here. Quinn got the ball out better whereas Card would be more likely to get sacked when there was defensive pressure. IMHO we are (8-4) no matter who the starter is. The upside weighed heavily in Quinn's favor.


 

Neither:  Card nor Ewers nor Thompson are anything close to proficient throwing the long ball.  And, Sark’s offensive philosophy requires it.

Numbers and statistics don’t overrule my eyeballs.  I’ve seen people comparing Ewers favorably to McCoy and Ehlinger as freshmen...  statistically.  I’m not buying it.  And I’m not buying the idea that Ewers was a better option than Card - for winning games THIS YEAR.

We all invested a great deal of hope in QE.  But even so, I’m amazed at the lengths people will go to - to explain away Quinn’s poor play.  I even have a friend who complimented him for his “heads up play” when QE pounced on the ball after he had grounded it backwards.  

 

[Hiwood]

I don't like the soft zone they play either but I'm not sure they have the DBs to play man consistently and effectively. Zone can work if you can pressure the QB, but if he has time, a decent QB will shred the Defense.

Considering the Offense gave Baylor 9 points, I'd say the D played good. Kept them under 20.

that's part of the other problem , we dont have a shut down CB that we can put on an island against the opponent WR1, but if you dont have the DB's you play Cover2 where you play a safety over the top and a CB underneath, I did like the fact that they played a 4 man front against Baylor. I think thats a better base defense for the current roster, next year who knows. I do know we have a few DBs that are very shaky and offenses seem to pick on them

You are correct this defense seemed to right the ship the last two games.  I also think we have to decide is GP going to call the shots or is PK going to call the shots, that point could be moot if GP fills one of the many openings in CFB

 

[Eastexhorn]

Most coaches go with the QB they recruited.

 

[DMAC]

In my fan-life, the only time recruiting was a major problem was right at the end of the Fred Akers era… in the wild, wild (cheating) Southwest Conference.  

I was not a Charlie fan as everyone who has been on this board during that time knows.  It was weird relationship because I genuinely liked the man and felt empathetic towards him but as a HEAD coach he was way out of his league here at Texas.  His recruiting was polar opposite of what Mack did but just trying to be fair to the man he did land some good talent.  

 

[DMAC]

Honestly some of my friends can’t stand Sark.  I do not understand why because he fits this job well from a PR standpoint.  Mack was good at it.  Charlie just looked lost.  Herman was an asshat

I think Sark is going to make it.  He recruits well and once our OL is matured this offense will be a beast with the right QB

 

[java]

Did we see McCoy as a Freshman?  I don’t recall ever seeing him play during his RS year?

 

[North Texas Golfer]

Did we see McCoy as a Freshman?  I don’t recall ever seeing him play during his RS year?

Colt redshirted in 2005. Then played 4 seasons.

 

[Sunkist]

Neither:  Card nor Ewers nor Thompson are anything close to proficient throwing the long ball.  And, Sark’s offensive philosophy requires it.

Numbers and statistics don’t overrule my eyeballs.  I’ve seen people comparing Ewers favorably to McCoy and Ehlinger as freshmen...  statistically.  I’m not buying it.  And I’m not buying the idea that Ewers was a better option than Card - for winning games THIS YEAR.

We all invested a great deal of hope in QE.  But even so, I’m amazed at the lengths people will go to - to explain away Quinn’s poor play.  I even have a friend who complimented him for his “heads up play” when QE pounced on the ball after he had grounded it backwards.  

And we will never know that Card was a better option than Ewers.  We do know Card struggles with reading beyond his first option, we know he can’t throw the long ball accurately, and we do know he’s accurate on intermediate routes and hits the WRs right on the chest but never leads the receivers.   We know he can run but Sark’s offense is not geared for that?  He also has a much slower reaction time so does his mobility actually help if the oline can’t pass protect in general?  We also know outside of Bama, he didn’t play against the the best defenses in the big 12 and we know he played hurt in all games that he did start.  Lots of unknowns in how he would’ve fared against the tougher defenses and lots of hope he gets better.  Not sure he would’ve won us more games but I can understand if you think he maybe wins the same amount and maybe one more.   We definitely hand off more with him at QB so that could translate to a win.  

What do we have with Ewers?  He was supposed to be accurate with the long ball but isn’t.  He leads receivers on their routes and tries to throw where only they can catch it so if they get bumped or run off route he will look very inaccurate.  This happened.  He can’t read beyond the first read.  While faster at reading plays, he is prone to stupid Brett Favre like mistakes.   He can run but will be rarely asked to.   The upside is probably higher than Card’s but everything has to be working for him to be successful (he’s not one to improvise and make a play out of nothing which Card probably can do better).  The risk in starting him is the larger upside which didn’t play out due to poor pass protection, a QB that looked sluggish if he struggled and seemed like he didn’t care.

so does Card help us win more games?  It’s a big maybe.  If Ewers had played up to expectations he probably would’ve won us more games.   Will playing Ewers this season likely pay off next season if he goes?  You can also be sure that it will.  
 

Nothing is certain but seems like it was massive upside and limited downside by playing Ewers and limited upside and limited downside by playing Card with much more upside for next season by riding Ewers and getting him experience.   Yes we are 8-4 and could’ve won more but doubtful we would’ve won more than one more game if Card was there.  And that’s not a given.

In my opinion, Sark made the right call even though in some of the games I just wanted us to throw a decent pass (mainly Oklahoma State).

 

[java]

Now, who did you say was on second?

Hook ‘em!

 

[83Dee]

And we will never know that Card was a better option than Ewers.  We do know Card struggles with reading beyond his first option, we know he can’t throw the long ball accurately, and we do know he’s accurate on intermediate routes and hits the WRs right on the chest but never leads the receivers.   We know he can run but Sark’s offense is not geared for that?  He also has a much slower reaction time so does his mobility actually help if the oline can’t pass protect in general?  We also know outside of Bama, he didn’t play against the the best defenses in the big 12 and we know he played hurt in all games that he did start.  Lots of unknowns in how he would’ve fared against the tougher defenses and lots of hope he gets better.  Not sure he would’ve won us more games but I can understand if you think he maybe wins the same amount and maybe one more.   We definitely hand off more with him at QB so that could translate to a win.  

What do we have with Ewers?  He was supposed to be accurate with the long ball but isn’t.  He leads receivers on their routes and tries to throw where only they can catch it so if they get bumped or run off route he will look very inaccurate.  This happened.  He can’t read beyond the first read.  While faster at reading plays, he is prone to stupid Brett Favre like mistakes.   He can run but will be rarely asked to.   The upside is probably higher than Card’s but everything has to be working for him to be successful (he’s not one to improvise and make a play out of nothing which Card probably can do better).  The risk in starting him is the larger upside which didn’t play out due to poor pass protection, a QB that looked sluggish if he struggled and seemed like he didn’t care.

so does Card help us win more games?  It’s a big maybe.  If Ewers had played up to expectations he probably would’ve won us more games.   Will playing Ewers this season likely pay off next season if he goes?  You can also be sure that it will.  
 

Nothing is certain but seems like it was massive upside and limited downside by playing Ewers and limited upside and limited downside by playing Card with much more upside for next season by riding Ewers and getting him experience.   Yes we are 8-4 and could’ve won more but doubtful we would’ve won more than one more game if Card was there.  And that’s not a given.

In my opinion, Sark made the right call even though in some of the games I just wanted us to throw a decent pass (mainly Oklahoma State).

Good thoughts.  My biggest concern is not pulling someone (OSU, TCU) who is clearly hurting your chances of winning.   That’s my biggest beef… but you’re right, there’s no guarantee it gives us a win.  I would like to find out - if there’s ever another game where the QB is overthrowing wide open receivers repeatedly.

But for the first time in a long time, I’m convinced we’re moving in a positive direction. Good times ahead.   Hopefully we get better play from one very important position.  

 

[hookemhorb]

And we will never know that Card was a better option than Ewers.  We do know Card struggles with reading beyond his first option, we know he can’t throw the long ball accurately, and we do know he’s accurate on intermediate routes and hits the WRs right on the chest but never leads the receivers.   We know he can run but Sark’s offense is not geared for that?  He also has a much slower reaction time so does his mobility actually help if the oline can’t pass protect in general?  We also know outside of Bama, he didn’t play against the the best defenses in the big 12 and we know he played hurt in all games that he did start.  Lots of unknowns in how he would’ve fared against the tougher defenses and lots of hope he gets better.  Not sure he would’ve won us more games but I can understand if you think he maybe wins the same amount and maybe one more.   We definitely hand off more with him at QB so that could translate to a win.  

What do we have with Ewers?  He was supposed to be accurate with the long ball but isn’t.  He leads receivers on their routes and tries to throw where only they can catch it so if they get bumped or run off route he will look very inaccurate.  This happened.  He can’t read beyond the first read.  While faster at reading plays, he is prone to stupid Brett Favre like mistakes.   He can run but will be rarely asked to.   The upside is probably higher than Card’s but everything has to be working for him to be successful (he’s not one to improvise and make a play out of nothing which Card probably can do better).  The risk in starting him is the larger upside which didn’t play out due to poor pass protection, a QB that looked sluggish if he struggled and seemed like he didn’t care.

so does Card help us win more games?  It’s a big maybe.  If Ewers had played up to expectations he probably would’ve won us more games.   Will playing Ewers this season likely pay off next season if he goes?  You can also be sure that it will.  
 

Nothing is certain but seems like it was massive upside and limited downside by playing Ewers and limited upside and limited downside by playing Card with much more upside for next season by riding Ewers and getting him experience.   Yes we are 8-4 and could’ve won more but doubtful we would’ve won more than one more game if Card was there.  And that’s not a given.

In my opinion, Sark made the right call even though in some of the games I just wanted us to throw a decent pass (mainly Oklahoma State).

Can't argue with anything you stated, but would like to say that I don't think wins and losses are put on one person's shoulders. It's a team effort. The Defenses holds top 5 teams to 20 points or under and we lose, it is the Offense's fault? Offense scores 34 points and we lose, is it the Defense's fault? If you blame the OSU loss on Ewers then you have to blame Card for the TTech loss. Ewers had a bad game and Card had a good game but both lead the team to 34 points and lost.

We can analyze this to death and use stats to support our sides, but in the end, we are still 8-4 with 2 QBs that have about a year's worth of game time experience each. It's up to them to take the next step and see who improves the most. In my book it's not just them. It's the whole team. I believe Offenses win games but Defenses win championships. We seem to be taking the step in the right direction these last 3 games. I'm looking forward to next year but we ain't back yet.

 

[83Dee]

Did we see McCoy as a Freshman?  I don’t recall ever seeing him play during his RS year?

He beat out heir apparent Snead as a redshirt freshman - if memory serves.  

 

[tejasrulz]

He beat out heir apparent Snead as a redshirt freshman - if memory serves.  

Correct but Snead was a true freshman whereas Colt was a RS freshman. 

 

[83Dee]

We can analyze this to death and use stats to support our sides, but in the end, we are still 8-4 with 2 QBs that have about a year's worth of game time experience each. It's up to them to take the next step and see who improves the most. In my book it's not just them. It's the whole team. I believe Offenses win games but Defenses win championships. We seem to be taking the step in the right direction these last 3 games. I'm looking forward to next year but we ain't back yet.

Nice post!

Update - we’re down to 1 QB with game experience.  Card has announced that he’s jumping onto the portal.  I wish him well.

I will state again that I really hope Murphy gets a good hard look in the offseason.  He certainly has the tools to run the Sark offense (recruited by Sark).  If he can accurately throw a long-ball, he has that advantage over any QB Sark has played at Texas so far.

My Murphy point above is predicated on the belief that many of the mistakes Ewers made are not to be “expected” simply because of an inexperience in games. 

 

[83Dee]

Correct but Snead was a true freshman whereas Colt was a RS freshman. 

Yessir.  Snead was a much higher rated recruit. I think most assumed he’d win the competition.  Again - if my memory serves.  

 

[Baron]

Nice post!

Update - we’re down to 1 QB with game experience.  Card has announced that he’s jumping onto the portal.  I wish him well.

I will state again that I really hope Murphy gets a good hard look in the offseason.  He certainly has the tools to run the Sark offense (recruited by Sark).  If he can accurately throw a long-ball, he has that advantage over any QB Sark has played at Texas so far.

My Murphy point above is predicated on the belief that many of the mistakes Ewers made are not to be “expected” simply because of an inexperience in games. 

Odds are that Ewers will improve with the bowl practices, winter conditioning, spring session and just another cycle of experience in the system. The odds for Murphy to unseat Ewers as QB1 are long.

Same for Manning.

 

[BWilk55]

Yessir.  Snead was a much higher rated recruit. I think most assumed he’d win the competition.  Again - if my memory serves.  

I was a freshmen the year Snead transferred out. I remember seeing him leaving the grocery store at Jester West with a bag full of gatorades. I'm pretty sure he made the trip to spend up all of his "Bevo Bucks" on his way off campus. Never really heard much about him after the transfer.

 

[Sirhornsalot]

Nice post!

Update - we’re down to 1 QB with game experience.  Card has announced that he’s jumping onto the portal.  I wish him well.

I will state again that I really hope Murphy gets a good hard look in the offseason.  He certainly has the tools to run the Sark offense (recruited by Sark).  If he can accurately throw a long-ball, he has that advantage over any QB Sark has played at Texas so far.

My Murphy point above is predicated on the belief that many of the mistakes Ewers made are not to be “expected” simply because of an inexperience in games. 

Your last sentence . . . let me address based on my limited experience at the QB position.

Inexperience did lead to his mistakes, particularly late in the season. During the early season, you have run QB drills until your brain is melting. It gets drilled into your head. So early in the season and a little beyond, your fundamentals are sound and technique is solid. You have success largely because of that. . . but then you start falling into bad habits, such as footwork, such as targeting someone too much, such as trying to put the ball into a tiny window . . . Experience would have brought these things to his attention and enabled him to stop those habits. 

I think it got attention, but only after a couple of subpar performances which made folks look at his form, technique, etc.

I've been through this myself. After the results started being lackluster, my HC brought it to my attention and I was able to clean it up. But it was hard getting back to where I needed to be, those bad habits were hard to break.

 

[Baron]

Your last sentence . . . let me address based on my limited experience at the QB position.

Inexperience did lead to his mistakes, particularly late in the season. During the early season, you have run QB drills until your brain is melting. It gets drilled into your head. So early in the season and a little beyond, your fundamentals are sound and technique is solid. You have success largely because of that. . . but then you start falling into bad habits, such as footwork, such as targeting someone too much, such as trying to put the ball into a tiny window . . . Experience would have brought these things to his attention and enabled him to stop those habits. 

I think it got attention, but only after a couple of subpar performances which made folks look at his form, technique, etc.

I've been through this myself. After the results started being lackluster, my HC brought it to my attention and I was able to clean it up. But it was hard getting back to where I needed to be, those bad habits were hard to break.

Every freshman hits a wall. The step up to D1 is taxing after a while. I've seen this time and time again. It's why frosh couldn't play on the varsity back in the day.

 

[83Dee]

Your last sentence . . . let me address based on my limited experience at the QB position.

Inexperience did lead to his mistakes, particularly late in the season. During the early season, you have run QB drills until your brain is melting. It gets drilled into your head. So early in the season and a little beyond, your fundamentals are sound and technique is solid. You have success largely because of that. . . but then you start falling into bad habits, such as footwork, such as targeting someone too much, such as trying to put the ball into a tiny window . . . Experience would have brought these things to his attention and enabled him to stop those habits. 

I think it got attention, but only after a couple of subpar performances which made folks look at his form, technique, etc.

I've been through this myself. After the results started being lackluster, my HC brought it to my attention and I was able to clean it up. But it was hard getting back to where I needed to be, those bad habits were hard to break.

Does Ewers countenance / body language bother you?  Ehlinger made some horribly stupid mistakes as a freshman.  Colt improved immensely after his freshman year.  Vince couldn’t throw the ball in the ocean from the edge of a boat, as a freshman.  But I never watched them and thought “he doesn’t want to be out there” or anything like that. I never felt they were “clinching up.”  I can’t say that about Ewers.