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Well, I’ve got some good news and some bad news.
How many times have we heard that ???
And like most people, we want the bad news first. There’s just something about hearing the worst to prepare you for the best. I’m sure an educated, experienced psychologist could better explain. But I digress.
So, here’s the worst.
Texas Baseball was putrid not 24 hours after I referred to them as the ‘breath of fresh air’ in the athletics department.
Maybe I spoke too soon.
That fresh scent that surrounded the baseball field, quickly went rancid.
0-4. Four losses in less than seven days. That will turn any nice smelling product into a vortex of bitterness.
A midweek defeat to Sam Houston State. And a Stanford sweep, punctuated by a Cardinal walk-off Sunday adding insult to injury.
We may have identified the problem no less. The pitching continues to hover around looking good to great. French, Peters, and Thornhill all threw winnable games. But the sticks were silent.
The hitting as been less than desirable. Their is virtually no power. And by no power I mean zero homeruns through 11 games. Also, an absence of a respectable slugging percentage outside of Mark Payton’s .551%.
It’s something that’s plagued the Longhorns in the previous years. It’s now more apparent than ever. And with Garrido’s style, I don’t see it changing anytime soon.
The only thing that could make up for the baseball debacle, would be the ‘good news’.
Spring football and a comeback for the ages win over rival Oklahoma in hoops should help ease the pain.
Texas football started practice this week, and two things immediately became clear. The Longhorns are more physical and doing it at a faster pace. The tempo is quicker, something the Oregon Ducks should be responsible for.
They’re also hitting, wrapping up, hitting again, and completely buying into playing a more physical style. Mack trying to debunk the notion that his Longhorn teams were labeled as soft, at his press conference last week, must have been heard around the football offices. You can tell there’s an renewed emphasis on it.
There are a number of players that looked noticeably thinner, according to SB Nation’s Wescott Eberts.
Steve Edmonds, Dalton Santos, Hassan Ridgeway, and Jackson Jeffcoat are the most notable. Edmonds tips the scales at 255 lbs, and Ridgeway has added weight exponentially in his nine months on campus. Just another reason I feel his move to inside tackle this spring is a win-win for the defense.
The backup quarterback spot is the most talked about. Of course.
Case McCoy, Jalen Overstreet, Connor Brewer, and Tyrone Swoopes have yet to separate themselves from the pack. I feel the early money is on Ex-Tatum redshirt freshman Overstreet. He’s got a good feel for the position, his throws are looking better, and he’s overwhelmingly the most athletic. He certainly passes the eye test. Â McCoy is the incumbent, but with Overstreet getting his own package of plays, and the obvious physical overtures, the frosh should get the nod.
Swoopes looked like Swoopes. He puts a lot of velocity on his throws, maybe too much, which leads his balls to be consistently high and wide. Â Brewer got the least amount of snaps, but still might be the most accurate. Always with good mechanics and tight spirals. I’ve always felt if any of the QB group actually transfers, it would be Brewer. I could see him starting for the Arizona Wildcats in two years. But he stays loyal to Mack and company. Stay tuned…
Last, but certainly not least, Texas Men’s hoops on Wednesday.
Myck Kabongo, y’all.
Oklahoma goes up 22, mid-way through the second half, on an Amath M’Baye alley-oop throw down in transition. M’Baye then throws the ‘Hook’em Horns’ hand signal downwards as he runs back up court.
His teammate Romero Osby warned him not to do such a thing, stating it ‘brings you bad karma.’
Boy, was he right.
Texas staged an improbable comeback, highlighted by a Kabongo circus-shot, falling-down, righty-hook at the buzzer that tickled the twine, sent the Horns into overtime, setting off the sparse crowd at The Drum in Austin, best described as a mild frenzy.
In overtime, Kabongo started with a three at the top of the key, and Ioannis Papaetrou delivered the knockout blow with a triple in the same spot at the :38 second mark as Texas triumphed over the Sooners, 92-86, in their home finale. Kabongo had a team-high 31 points, and it gave the hoops program a real positive vibe, considering the season’s almost over. It also goes without saying, but Sheldon McClellan continues to make plays on the court, even though Barnes feels he’s rarely earned playing time. It’s beyond my understanding why their relationship is so strained. Always stay tuned to this one….
The Longhorns lost to Oklahoma State in Stillwater on Saturday, as Travis Ford’s bunch prepares for the Big-12 and NCAA tournaments in the upcoming weeks. Marcus Smart, freshman from Flower Mound Marcus, continues to push for National Player of the Year honors, as the he and Cowboys poked the Horns, 78-65. It still shocks me why Rick Barnes didn’t thrown the 5-star treatment on him during his recruitment. Boggles the mind.
After a rather disappointing week from the diamond crew, remembering the OU win and getting back to some old fashioned football was a much needed boost of balance. A good mix of ‘good news and bad news’.
Texas has another set of spring practices to look forward to this week and the baseball team has easier matchups scheduled with Texas-Pan American coming to the Disch on Tuesday, and a three-game home set with UC-Santa Barbara, beginning Friday.
Quote of the week:
“I think we are in line with the Big 12 schools pretty much throughout. Alabama is ahead of all of us with the number of personnel that they have hired, and that’s something that everybody is looking very closely at.” - Mack Brown (referring to the new rules/positions with NCAA recruiting guidelines)
I hope you have a great Monday, and even better week. Hook’Em Horns !!!