Mack Monday Presser 09/10/2012

[bbdude]

MB met with the media this morning and discussed the NM game and the upcoming ole Miss game. First and foremost: NO CHANGES IN THE DEPTH CHART FOR THE OLE MISS GAME. Anthony Fera however has been moved from doubtful to questionable. Possibility he COULD see some playing time in Oxford.

Mack mentioned one thing we have been discussing here at Horn Sports - the need for both sides of the ball to show improvement. A lot of chatter lately about the lack of gives to certain running backs or players.... Mack reiterated it is not about how many touches or carries a player receives - it is about winning. He said expect to see Brown, Bergeron, Gray and Hills all play on Saturday.

Defensive MVP of the New Mexico Game was Kenny Vaccaro. Offensive MVP was Marquise Goodwin. Mack noted that while Goodwin didn't touch the ball much, his blocking was great and his contributions as a whole were commendable.

Will have more on this later but another interesting thing - the team will be staying in Memphis as opposed to Oxford/immediate surrounding areas because the hotels have been gobbled up. The team will not be able to see the stadium/walk-through until Saturday morning - of the game. Damn.

Coach Brown also talked a lot about Bo Wallace's abilities as a passer and the Ole Miss offensive success. Rebels are averaging 38.5 yards per game and 551 yards of offense a game (283 yards on the ground and 268 yards in the air).

 

[bbdude]

The Texas depth chart was released today for the Ole Miss game in Oxford this Saturday and there were no changes to report out. No changes are a good thing, especially this early in the season. It means the starters are doing their jobs at holding their respective positions…. Right? Not to say that we aren’t critical of a play or two or a player or two, but this Texas team is PERFECTLY slightly above average right now. No noteworthy things to highlight and certainly no real negatives. The burnt orange state of affairs is precisely where it needs to be at this moment in time. The only thing that could possibly make those affairs better? That would be Kicker Anthony Fera. With no knock on freshman kicker Nick Jordan, who isn’t supposed to be an ace after only playing two games as a true freshman, we need the sure thing…. the golden leg. The “Fera Factor.” The news on Fera changed slightly today when Mack mentioned he was no longer “doubtful” for the week’s game but rather “questionable.” This is great news for the ‘Horns because the conference schedule kicks into high gear on September 29th against Oklahoma State in Stillwater. An added benefit to the team is a bye week after playing the Rebels this weekend which gives the Lou Groza finalist another week to heal the groin. Fera should be ready to work in a few kicks against the Cowboys in a primer for a showdown against West Virginia the following week in Austin.

The Presser – Items of Note

• Texas only had 26 plays in the first half (6 of these were running plays). Mack credited New Mexico with ball control and time of possession. He did mention the word “dominating” when talking about the second half. Texas will need to get off to a better start this Saturday against Ole Miss.
  
• The Texas offense did not turn the ball over while on offense last week. Sophmore running back Malcolm Brown only touched the ball 4 times on 22 plays but this was because David Ash changed the play at the line and passed on a lot of the plays that were originally called for Brown. We need to get the ball in the hands of the running backs more this week. Ole Miss gives up 329 yards per game but Texas should surpass this easily.
  
• The 3rd down conversion rate was exceptional at 71%. The Longhorns are 3/3 on 4th down conversions on the year. The red zone conversions have been excellent for the Longhorns to-date. With Anthony Fera expected to be out we need to convert 3rd and 4th down red-zone opportunities into touchdowns.
  
• Mack talked about penalties and sacks as the area needed to improve upon for the offense. The offensive line play against New Mexico was improved from week 1.
  
• Marquise Goodwin was named offensive player of the week, Kenny Vaccaro was named defensive player of the week. How ‘bout Ash as OPW? Not to take away from Marquise but Ash played a hell of a game.
  
• Speaking of punts……. Remember when Texas had a stretch a few years back where the special teams led the nation in blocked punts? Mykelle Thompson had a textbook blocked punt for the Longhorns in a great effort on special teams. Throw in a hellafide dose of Dalton Santos and his Mack truck hits on special teams and the ‘Horns are easily getting the special teams train back on track. Thompson and Santos were named Special Teams players of the week.
  
• The Longhorns are leading the nation in net punting yards.
  
• Bo Wallace, Ole Miss quarterback, is a JUCO transfer and was a potential Texas quarterback. The Longhorns had communication with Wallace in the offseason but decided not to pursue JUCO qb talent. Let’s make sure we show the country this weekend WHY we didn’t need Mr. Wallace’s services…
  
• The Longhorns will be staying in Memphis – NOT OXFORD. The ‘Horns will make their first visit to Oxford on Saturday morning. The lodging situation in Oxford was nonexistent. Mack mentioned Archie Manning was a good friend. Why couldn’t Archie throw a hotel floor together for the guys?
  
• David Ash will be starting against Ole Miss in Oxford at 8:15 pm in a nationally televised game on ESPN on Saturday. This will be an excellent test for Ash and the Texas offense. Ash will have an opportunity to “show the goods” against a team that ranks 40th in the nation in defense.