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Rice Game

Maybe the coaches should take a closer look at the other QBs on the roster........

 
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If Heard didn't unseat Swoopes in 6 months, it isn't happening in a week. Maybe just maybe Heard is not adjusting to D1 football....Maybe he is just another in a loooong line of busts at the QB position at The University of Texas. If so the football gods must be pissed at Texas......
Heard can be effective if you tailor the offense to his strengths.  The quick passing game and Zone Read/ Qb runs. He'll never be an elite passer but he makes up for it with his legs.

 
Heard can be another T.Boykin 
I'm not so sure Heard can do what Boykin does with his arm down field . That said, they play in two different offenses. 

Boykin seems like a more fluid athlete at QB then Heard does, again, two different offense though. 

 
I'm not so sure Heard can do what Boykin does with his arm down field . That said, they play in two different offenses.
You bring up a good point. I am definitely curious of Heards arm strength. Hopefully we can see something tomorrow.

 
So Swoopes is the starter I see.  Not a smart decision by the coaching staff.  Tons of recruits will be at this game and if the crowd boo's Swoopes, that will not make for a pretty picture.  Bad impression.  I remember Gilbert being boo'ed and he was a hometown product.  This was the perfect chance for them to start Heard and they are going to blow it.

Sometimes I wonder just what is going through these coaches heads.  Its like they need a playbook with pop-up pictures.  SMH

 
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So Swoopes is the starter I see.  Not a smart decision by the coaching staff.  Tons of recruits will be at this game and if the crowd boo's Swoopes, that will not make for a pretty picture.  Bad impression.  I remember Gilbert being boo'ed and he was a hometown product.  This was the perfect chance for them to start Heard and they are going to blow it.

Sometimes I wonder just what is going through these coaches heads.  Its like they need a playbook with pop-up pictures.  SMH
It doesn't matter if Swoopes starts, it matters who plays the most.

 
Fingers crossed.

Carlton: Can switching play callers get UT back on track for Rice in 'most important game' of Strong's career?

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Whatever blueprint Charlie Strong envisioned for the Texas football season is now hopelessly obsolete.

The 38-3 loss to Notre Dame may not have changed everything. It certainly altered more than enough, beginning with the offensive play-calling duties changing. Now former Oklahoma assistant Jay Norvell has 11 regular-season games to try to salvage something from Strong's second season in Texas. A quarterback change may or may not be next on the agenda.

Suddenly, a game against Rice â†a team that Texas has dominated over the decades â†has implications no one anticipated. Former UCLA coach-turned-analyst Rick Neuheisel on Friday called it "the most important game of Charlie Strong's career" on Sirius XM.

Since Strong has been an assistant in national title games, that might be a little excessive â†but not by much.

"It's our obligation that we go out and compete at the highest level. We have not done that," Strong said on his radio show Thursday, acknowledging the impact on the Texas fans.

"They want something to brag about. And we've given them nothing to brag about."

The ripple effects are pretty clear.

At midweek, Texas had 15,000 tickets for sale at Royal-Memorial Stadium and the prospect of plenty of empty seats for a home opener. The grumbling has gotten much louder, although Strong seems safe beginning the second year of a five-year, $25 million deal with no buyout.

The same can't be said for athletic director Steve Patterson, who was drawing criticism long before the football opener. His differences with new president Greg Fenves, which included Fenves' request to change his personal approach, don't seem to be completely resolved.

"I guess the best way to describe it is I'm working with him, and we are continuing to work through the issues," Fenves told the Austin American-Statesman in an editorial board meeting this week.

So it's up to Norvell to try to salvage the season. His first decision: staying with junior Tyrone Swoopes at quarterback after a 7-of-22 performance at Notre Dame or giving a start to redshirt freshman Jerrod Heard. Demoted play-caller Shawn Watson was a fan of Swoopes. Norvell may be more open to change.

The book on what to expect from Norvell is a little dated. His one significant play-calling experience is at UCLA in 2007, and his influence has been West Coast Offense as much as anything.

When he had the offensive coordinator title at Nebraska from 2004-06, head coach Bill Callahan called plays. As co-OC at Oklahoma from late 2010 until last year, Josh Heupel ran the offense.

In making the announcement Tuesday, Strong expressed faith in Norvell being the right guy at this time.

"Jay has been familiar with the spread, coming from Oklahoma," Strong said. "He's done it. We talk about an up-tempo offense, and that's what everybody wants to see."

Admittedly, the term "spread" covers a whole lot of offensive territory, from wide-open passing games to run-first zone read options. But what Texas ran against Notre Dame wasn't close to a spread. At the same time, Strong said the most Norvell can do with the scheme is "tweak."

Strong bristled at the notion that eight months of preparation were essentially wasted by the coaching switch, noting that Norvell had been part of the staff since January as the receivers coach.

"I don't think we wasted any time, because he was still a part of it," Strong said. "I don't think we wasted any time at all."

Follow Chuck Carlton on Twitter at @ChuckCarltonDMN.

IN THE KNOW

Jay Norvell

Age: 52

Hometown: Madison, Wis.

College: Was an all-Big Ten defensive back at Iowa in 1985, playing for Hayden Fry

Coaching history: After six stints in college and the NFL, served as offensive coordinator at Nebraska (2004-06). ... Left for OC position with play-caller duties at UCLA in 2007 ... Spent seven seasons at Oklahoma (2008-14), most recently as co-OC and receivers coach ... Hired by Texas in January.

Salary: $355,00 (base).

Family: Married, one child.

Did you know? Norvell wrote the book "Complete Wide Receiver" in 2012.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/college-sports/headlines/20150911-carlton-can-switching-play-callers-get-ut-back-on-track-for-rice-in-most-important-game-of-strong-s-career.ece

 
It doesn't matter if Swoopes starts, it matters who plays the most.
I know, my whole point is the recruits.  Gilbert was boo'ed off the field.  I remember it.  With so many high profile recruits at this game it seems like they are taking an unnecessary risk.  This is the perfect game to start Heard.  Home crowd, winnable game, blah blah.

If he gets boo'ed that will not look good infront of recruits, period.

A quick QB is better with this OL, Swoopes is

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DMAC, I couldn't agree more. There will be a lot of high profile recruits at the game and UT needs a great performance from the

team and the crowd. If the crowd boos during the game, it will have a negative impact on the recruits. And they will likely boo at

some point with Swoopes at QB. Those recruits are the lifeblood for restoring UT Football to where we want it to be. Sorry, I don't

have faith in Swoopes and I'm betting the majority of fans at the game don't as well...they will be quick to "boo". Hate for a bad

impression to be made on all those recruits...Texas needs them! 

 
It doesn't matter if Swoopes starts, it matters who plays the most.
 IMHO, I disagree... It matters quite a bit who starts. At some point you have to give the keys to Heard. Starting Swoopes is just a trash decision by guys who apparently don't care much about their jobs. I think it matters because of the perception that it gives. It gives the perception that Swoopes learned how to play football in the last 6 days. We all know that to be completely untrue. It also just gives the media more ammo to keep attacking the team which I dont think is good for the kids or the program. 

 
 Its really pretty amazing right now... The Texas Longhorns are the laughing stock of all of college football. From higher-ups in the NFL commenting about the program to every news network out there taking their shots and the coaching staff just loading them up with ammo. It's been tough watching many of the shows on ESPN or any of the other sporting networks because they are all taking shots at UT every chance they get. This cannot and will not be good for recruiting. Im not a big "the sky is falling" kinda guy but to think that all the HORRIBLE press we are getting isn't going to hurt us is absolutely ridiculous. I don't believe that Strong should be on any hot seat and I am a huge fan of his but he needs to get ahold of this ship and sail it like somebody can take it away from him. 

 I don't think we are going to lose to Rice, then again, I go into every game with the solid belief that we are going to win(knowing that isn't actually the case). But if we don't play well those attending the game will be impacted and there will be another week of us being ridiculed daily and poked in the media every shot they get... Which WILL effect how kids see UT. 

 Venting complete.

 
I'm not so sure Heard can do what Boykin does with his arm down field . That said, they play in two different offenses. 

Boykin seems like a more fluid athlete at QB then Heard does, again, two different offense though. 
 But let's be real... All this speculation is all just that as long as Heard isn't given a chance to prove any of us right or wrong. The kid could be the next coming of (name that great player) but who the f knows as long as he's kept on the bench in favor of Ty who has proven inability...

 
Malik --  "You can't run away from something that's going to be great in the next couple years."

 
 But let's be real... All this speculation is all just that as long as Heard isn't given a chance to prove any of us right or wrong. The kid could be the next coming of (name that great player) but who the f knows as long as he's kept on the bench in favor of Ty who has proven inability...
In addition, whoever is back there doesn't have time to throw.  Calling for a slow-developing slant with TS in a 7-step drop never made any sense with the way this OL pass protects.

The fix?

(1) Heard/Gray in ZR should be much more effective than TS/Gray.  TS never seemed to want to really run the play (dunno if this was him or Watson) and defenses not only knew did he not like to keep, but it was always going to be a slow-develping play and they had plenty of time to react.  That will not be the case with Heard.  Heard will make defenses have to account for much more.

(2) Quick passes to try and get the ball in the hands of Daje, Armanti and Burt in space.

 
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