GameDay: Orange-White Scrimmage (w/post-game notes)

[Aaron Carrara]

Annual Orange-White Football Scrimmage

When: Saturday, April 18

Time:  1:00 pm (Gates open at 11:00 am)

Venue:  Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium

Location: Austin, Texas 

TV: Longhorn Network
 

HornSports has some great articles to get you ready for today's Spring Game:

Charlie Strong's preview of spring practice
Offensive preview
Defensive preview
Practice report #1
Charlie Strong projects the defense
Practice report #2
Chalk Talk: Texas Spring Game EditionShawn Watson & Vance Bedford on Spring practices
Spring Game Roster Card:

Like regular season games, HornSports will provide in-game coverage from the press-box and post-game coverage via our football reporter Matt Cotcher.

 

[J.B. TexasEx]

Fansided and HS own, Marian Hinton @TexasSportsGirl, gives us Five Things to Watch For in Longhorns Spring Game. http://hookemheadlines.com/2015/04/15/five-things-to-watch-for-in-longhorns-spring-game/

1. Will the next great Longhorns QB please stand up?
2. Any signs of improvement on the Offensive Line?
3. Special Teams can't get much worse, but have they gotten any better?
4. Which new players should we keep an eye on? Malik, Bonney, Williams, & Thomas
5. Exactly what kind of "offensive tweaks" have been made?

 

[doc longhorn]

Got some friends over for BBQ and the game.  However, my kids are stranded at my ranch - flooded in as my bridge is under water.  We had a helluva rain last night and Brenham was even worse - including ail.

Waiting for some foootballll!!!!!

EDIT:  We'll be watching the game on my big TV inside and at my outdoor kitchen TV.  I have a smaller tv that I was going to throw this site up on, with a keyboard, so guests can comment on the thread.  Unfortunately, your site is too unstable for reliability.  I'm somewhat electronically challenged so I don't know why I have so many problems with this site with connectivity.  But it is the only one that I do.

Oh well.

 

[dillohorn]

I want to see some QB separation.

 

[doc longhorn]

I want to see some QB separation.

Tyrone will make Jerrod look like a little boy.  Tyrone will win POY and Jerrod will transfer after this season and Locksley will be the back up.

 

[Godz40acres]

Tyrone will make Jerrod look like a little boy.  Tyrone will win POY and Jerrod will transfer after this season and Locksley will be the back up.

Or?

 

[CCausey11]

Tyrone will make Jerrod look like a little boy.  Tyrone will win POY and Jerrod will transfer after this season and Locksley will be the back up.

Wow, massively bold prediction...  I admire you sticking it out there. We will see in a few hours if you are a genius or misguided.

 

[Aaron Carrara]

I just talked to Cameron Townsend - he is in Austin for the Spring Game.  Love that kid.  Great attitude, plays hard.  Has equally impressive off-the-field attributes.

 

[Aaron Carrara]

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[Matt Cotcher]

Some pre-game thoughts:

1. Temper what you watch today

The defense's depth is non-existent. There's a reason Vance Bedford told us that the offense has been going up & down the field on the defense - at all three levels of the defense, UT is plugging in players that likely will not be starters at Notre Dame, mostly due to injury.

Particularly at LB & DB, don't fret over missed coverages or a lack of production. 3 or more of the players that start today will be no more than 2nd string come August. Yes, they need to be able to play well, but keep in mind that they're not first teamers.

With that in mind, also adjust your lens on the offense. If they look primed & run the tempo to much success, color that against the defense they're facing today. Again, they need to execute well and show some things, but if they're great, we should ratchet that back. Likewise, if they struggle, that's very troublesome.

2. Talking quarterbacks

Based on everything I've been told, today's game will only be used as a single data point in making the determination on whether Ty Swoopes or Jerrod Heard starts next Fall. Today's game matters, but it's not the end all, be all.

If the season started tomorrow, Tyrone Swoopes would start. That means Heard has more to gain today - if Heard can show what he's been doing in practice on today's stage, then it will help cement his rise over the last 10 days.

3. Quiet on special teams

One of my biggest concerns for this Fall is how much improvement the Horns make in special teams. So far, the coaches have been really quiet about all aspects of the unit. Is that because they aren't performing in practice? Is it taking Jeff Traylor a while to get up to speed? Are they focused on other things?

Today's game will tell an interesting story for special teams. Hopefully we'll get some answers.

4. OL play

The media was allowed to attend two practices - both were in shells or shorts. That limits what we got to observe in terms of LOS play. Especially in light of #1 (above), the OL should be effective today. 

How they block in the new offense is more important than which players are "starting". Expect a heavy rotation all afternoon and play close attention to where guys line up; whether it's positions or players that do the most pulling; etc. Those are the keys that will tell us most about next season.

 

[Matt Cotcher]

[SIZE=10pt]The following players are out for today’s Orange-White Scrimmage due to injury:[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]WR Roderick Bernard (knee)[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]DE Caleb Bluiett (knee)[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]CB Sheroid Evans (knee)[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]DT Desmond Jackson (foot)[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]OG/T Darius James (knee)[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]WR Marcus Johnson (knee)[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]DT Chris Nelson (shoulder)[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]DE Derick Roberson (shoulder)[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]CB Jermaine Roberts Jr. (knee)[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]LB Dalton Santos (ankle)[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]CB Duke Thomas (ankle)[/SIZE]

 

[Aaron Carrara]

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[doc longhorn]

Wow, massively bold prediction...  I admire you sticking it out there. We will see in a few hours if you are a genius or misguided.

LOL!  You know this was all tongue in cheek - right?

 

[CCausey11]

LOL!  You know this was all tongue in cheek - right?

for sure, just couldn't let that sit there without acknowledgement! 

 

[Stringer Bell]

My cable provider is Comcast, which doesnt carry Lhn. Anybody know of a live stream I can watch the game on?

 

[utisdabomb12]

Swoopes looked in control on that first drive. Pretty impressive actually even in a spring game setting. 

Malik with a few tackles on the first possession. 

 

[Aaron Carrara]

Nice looking throw there from Heard to Templin.

 

[utisdabomb12]

Pretty good possession by Heard. Heard has some legs. 

We are definitely running some version of the spread and up tempo. 

 

[CCausey11]

Man, Heard can really turn on the jets if he has too