I finally had a chance to sit down and watch the Baylor game and have a few assorted thoughts before we turn our attention to Kansas.
- Pushing the boulder uphill a second time is harder. And not just for the team--for the fans, too. I got two texts on Saturday calling the crowd "weak" and "pathetic," and an email from 54b likening the scene to attending a funeral that turned into a tax seminar. Given the heartbreak in Lubbock and 11 a.m. kick, it's understandable--if not quite excusable--but here's to hoping fans get it together for Thanksgiving against Aggie. Depending what happens in Norman this Saturday, how we perform in our finale may well play a significant role in settling a tiebreaker. Given what fans have come to expect from this team, the least they can do is show up and be rowdy.
- The return of four-wide. I noted several times last week that Texas' biggest mistake against Tech was the slow and steady post-OU retreat to vanilla offense. Greg Davis on Saturday got back to the more aggressive four-wide sets that helped Texas work Oklahoma's defense for four quarters. (Note, too, that this is what Texas Tech does, though in more extreme form.) Especially with Malcolm Williams' emergence as a legitimate deep threat, it's almost incomprehensible that Texas wouldn't operate from that formation more often than not. Consider:
- With Blaine Irby out, our tight ends are awful. Kudos to Greg Smith on the tap-in touchdown, but let's be real: these guys are slow, poor receivers, whose minimal contributions amount to pass protection. And even there, they're not very good. Be done with them, Greg.
- Texas' most lethal weapons are Shipley and Cosby working to find space against a defense spread too thin.
- Malcolm Williams gives safeties something to think about other than "watch Shipley/Cosby and try to decapitate them."
- A fourth receiver does the same thing.
- Our so-so running game benefits from a defense that has to defend receivers sideline-to-sideline.
All told, the decision should be an easy one. Again, the larger point is that Texas beat Oklahoma because Davis brought the heat and lost to Tech because he didn't. If the Longhorns catch the breaks they need and wind up in Kansas City and/or Miami, this offense needs to (1) be oriented towards attacking and (2) have used its final games perfecting it.
- Credit to the DBs. Texas joined Oklahoma as the only Big 12 team to force Robert Griffin into a poor day passing the ball. Outside the nifty 55-yard touchdown pass to Kendall Wright, Griffin completed just 5 of 18 passes for 16 yards. And for all the grief Ryan Palmer has endured from us fans over the last three seasons, it was his pick-six that turned the game. A nice bounceback effort from the defense against an offense whose only bright stars are underclassmen.
- Rushing game does its job. There was nothing sexy about the Texas rushing attack on Saturday, but it was effective as a complementary piece, with Fozzy handling the featured duties and Vondrell nicely filling in alongside. On a meta level, this is all Greg Davis needs from the rushing game--a serviceable attack with enough punch to keep defenses honest and help spring openings for the passing game. On a micro level, Davis could serve to be a little more creative in developing a few different looks for the tailbacks. We rarely run draw plays, seem unable to run a simple screen pass, and appear mostly disinterested in using play-action to help Colt and his receivers. We can do better.
- What is this "missed field goal" you speak of? One of the least talked about stories of the Longhorns this year has been the transformation of Hunter "Did I really need a scholarship?" Lawrence to Hunter "I don't miss anything, period" Lawrence. Like everyone else, though, he perhaps suffered from a little Lubbock Letdown, as he missed two field goals Saturday. I'm not worried, but as I watched the replay before looking at the box score, I was a little bit stunned to see both missed kicks.
- The big question for 2009 is apparent: How to replace Miller, Melton, Orakpo? Henry Melton has had a quietly excellent season. Roy Miller and Brian Orakpo are your defensive MVPs. All three graduate this year. Just a heads up: This is the potential Achlles' Heel heading forward.
- Awards. As always, a few awards to finish the wrap:
- Offensive MVP: Quan Cosby. You hurt your back, you call in sick to work for a week and buy an ergonomic chair. Quan goes for 116 and 2 TDs.
- Defensive MVP: Roy Miller. He's absurd. Should be a first-round draft choice.
- Play of the Game: Ryan Palmer INT for six.
- LVP: The crowd. Booooo.
The Crowd
Was the quietest I ever remember seeing in the maybe 35ish home games I’ve attended in my life. And we’re in the top 5. Mind boggling. Even when Baylor tied it at 14, the crowd still couldn’t help amp up the team. The weirdest thing was that the student section was emptier/quieter than the alums. Seriously. During the Texas/Fight chants, the ‘Texas’ part was often barely audible. I get tired of all the bitching that people do about crowd noise, but this weekend was just inexcusable. As a reference, I sat upper deck north endzone, close to the middle of the field.
Regarding Robert Griffin’s passing performance, I felt that he actually played a pretty good game throwing the ball. There were a lot of drops that better teams (Tech, for instance), would have caught. Some of them were for big games. I was thoroughly impressed with Griffin, even after having watched a few of his outings prior to Saturday. Any offensive problems on Baylor are definitely not related to his talent level.
Did anyone else notice that all of Griffin’s big runs came to the left side? Missing Orakpo definitely didn’t help.
Meekrob - November 10, 2008
Defensive Line
Don’t forget about Aaron Lewis.
Regarding the crowd, I’ve been one of the biggest defenders of the crowd and noise levels this year, but this game was by far the worst I’ve seen in many years. The lower student section was maybe 1/3 full at kickoff and the alumni side was only about 2/3 full at kickoff.
Horncasting - November 10, 2008
Here's hoping
Devon Kennard and Jamarkus McFarland.
jc25 - November 10, 2008
We likely just lost McFarland
Imagine being Jamarkus at DKR saturday after having been to Death Valley and OU earlier in the season. I really hope our coaches made up for what our fans lacked.
BigTexBD - November 10, 2008
quick oops
Just remembered JM was at the RRS for his OU visit. Hopefully he was impressed with us then. But my point still remains: putting saturday’s visit to DKR up against LSU and OU isn’t encouraging to me.
BigTexBD - November 10, 2008
Lets speak openly - the crowd sucked...........
I am a season ticket holder and was really impressed with the crowd noise earlier this year – especially for the Paper Tiger game. Previously, I posted that I was dismayed by the crowd noise at the Okie State game, except for the last half of the 4th quarter. I chalked that up to the dismantling of the Paper Tigers the week before and the fan’s somewhat distorted perception that Texas would do the same to Okie State. “What, we have to play 4 quarters with this team?”
However, the Baylor game was just awful. Our group tried and tried to get fans to stand up early and yell for the ’Horns, especially at 14-14 in the second quarter, but what we got was the “yawn and stretch” and “sit down in front” response.
This team deserves better and I was very disappointed in the home crowd.
texascfo - November 10, 2008
DKR South EZ expansion...
Probably won’t close the south end any time soon because of these types of showings from the fans.
HornsFaninCalifornia - November 10, 2008
Under that theory
They never would have done the North EZ or East side upper deck.
billb - November 10, 2008
The only fan showings that affect stadium expansions
are the ones that are measured $75-$80 apiece.
Every game this year has been a sellout. The expansion alone is contributing about $1 million per game.
Horncasting - November 10, 2008
I am one of those $75-$80 each............
But I cannot help to believe that MY team looks up and sees lots of open seats in the 2nd quarter and says WTF……………………………….
texascfo - November 10, 2008
5 things
1. Griffin over threw 2 or 3 balls that if he put a little air under them, receivers make the catch and go for 60.
2. The Rice game kicked this crowds ass, absurd.
3. Colt looks physically exhausted, slow to get up on a lot of the hits he took.
4. If Texas has the ball with 30 seconds left in the half, you can bet $$$ a shovel pass is coming.
5. Is John Chiles seriously going to fumble every game he gets in? Really?
run Bevo run - November 10, 2008
Crowd will be there for Aggy
I am fully expecting DKR to be loud and rocking for the Aggies. Assuming we beat KU, and knowing what’s on the line at that point in the season (win and likely in BCS game), and adding in the fact that it’s a night game, and that it’s A&M = absolute excitement.
BigTexBD - November 10, 2008
BigTexBD
Agree with you but sad that we have a consistent top 10 program and cannot fill up the stadium. I know – "victim of success, Baylor, 11:00 a.m., hangover from loss, etc.
However, “We’re Texas”
texascfo - November 10, 2008
What happens here changes the world!
FTW!
run Bevo run - November 11, 2008
Ok here is a thought that would help the crowd.
The University needs to stop screwing the students in favor of the Alumni when it comes to seating, and they University needs to find a way to get more tailgating around the stadium. Half of the fans show up later because they are trying to squeeze in that last beer, and don’t realize they have a 15-20 minute walk to the stadium. This would also help fans stay longer. Some one is much more inclined to stay longer at a game if were they are going immediately afterward is only 20 feet away. Every other school that I have visited for a game has seemed to figure this out, why can’t UT. Is it too much to ask for the University to spend a little more on clean up and security to give the game a better atmosphere. Thats why the Red River Shootout is so awesome, because it is tailgating how it should be, minus the fact that you have to buy your booze with tickets. As much as I hate to admit it, Texas Tech topples us when it comes to tailgating, and its not because of the people. It is because of what they are allowed to do.
The whole thing with the Alumni is getting ridiculous. I am section 27 which is one of the more illustrious sections for student. We get rowdy as hell in that section, but the players don’t get to experience that, because they are on the other side. Instead they have the stoic alumni on the other side that either takes a 2 minutes to respond to a good “Texas” from us with a decent “Fight” from them, that is if they so choose to respond. I know we complain about this all the time here on BON, but I still am looking for a solution to this. It kills the mood of the game. I am tired of complaining so I am going to stop. I just can’t stand seeing our crowd suck it it, when I have seen it at its best. The difference between the feel of the stadium and the play of our team is very noticeable. I really do feel like the university is sacrificing atmosphere for cash.
Pdizzle - November 11, 2008
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