Fridays in the Humidor - 10/7/16
This week's Humidor is headed to the State Fair for fried food, Ferris wheels, and the Red River Shootout. This year's Texas-OU matchup has deeper implications than usual, which makes it must-watch TV. We talk team preview, players to watch, latest on recruiting, and how a new NCAA rule could affect the Longhorns. It's Bevo-Boomer Eve. Get some.
From:
IT Staff
STRONG
Wednesday night we mentioned we'd heard there had been changes in practice and we'd find out what they were. The tempo and energy from beginning to end increased as Strong bounced from position group to position group. He was much more vocal rather than just observant. In a nutshell, practice was harder, but that wasn't necessarily needed.
What was needed was coaching and teaching and Strong met that end by having the 1's vs. 2's go at it simultaneously to increase reps. #1 offense versus #2 defense on one end of the field and the opposite on the other.
Tackling was emphasized but not much more than usual. As we've stated here the staff largely thinks it's been caused by poor positioning rather than lack of fundamentals.
As he normally does, Strong sat in on position meetings but again he was more vocal than usual.
DEFENSE
Last week I was concerned about the game after I heard the defensive game plan. This week I'm not quite sure what the base is going to be. I think 3-4 and 3-3 will both be used quite a bit. There are some shake-ups within the 3-4 look. I hear Hager and Jefferson could flip flop some depending on play call. OU likes to swing Joe Mixon outside quite a bit and UT doesn't want Breckyn Hager matched up on him.
I don't want to give away too much for obvious reasons, but I hear confusion wasn't nearly as much of a problem as last week. Recall before Oklahoma State I said it was still an issue after Cal. I'm not hearing it to that extent but that doesn't mean there won't be any. I'm still hearing about varied coverages in the secondary. You can't play the same coverage every time but I hope they have the three they'll prominently use down pat.
There are definitely new wrinkles to what we saw Texas use to shut down OU last year and hold them to under 300 yards of total offense.
If Texas comes out in 3-4, look for the same personnel as last week in the front seven: Omenihu-Nelson-Ford-Hager-Jefferson-Wheeler-Roach. The 3-3 will have Hager on and possibly in the middle flanked by Jefferson to the field and Wheeler to the boundary. Fowler could get some more snaps in place of Hager. This is all on tape so I'm not divulging secrets.
Locke is your nickel when in the 3-3-5. Your starting secondary is Boyd-Hall-Haines-Hill (I think). D. Davis may start but I don't think so. Either way the three main corners will play a lot. You may also see Brandon Jones in the nickel some.
Thought about writing an alternate Humidor with Kevin Vaccaro and John Bonney starting but figured you guys have been through enough.
OFFENSE
Coaches are confident Texas will move the ball on the ground with Foreman. Foreman is instrumental this week but he's still not 100% and a muscle injury can rear its head in warm-ups or not at all. Hopefully he's good to go. Porter will get a lot of work and it's possible Lil'Jordan Humphrey will too. They're not getting cute with LJH reps, he's running downhill.
I'm encouraged by what I've heard of Buechele but practice is one thing. It does sound like he's able to hit the deep ball and that's about the most important thing I could write regarding him. I expect to see the offense more aggressive over the middle. That will be a continuing theme throughout the season.
I'd heard Burt's hand was bothering him but he's good to go. I wouldn't be surprised to see his number called more often than in previous weeks. WR's as a whole will see the field en masse. Pretty steady group despite a drop here and there. I've said it a few times, but Davion Curtis had a good week of practice, to the point Strong wondered aloud why he wasn't playing. "If he can beat our DB's he can beat their DB's." Curtis is traveling as he did last week. Just something to watch for.
The OL is back to 100% and I believe that unit could be the difference in the game (assuming the defense shows up just a little). Williams-Vahe-Shackelford-Perkins-Hodges. They're healthy and ready to go.
SPECIAL TEAMS
I'd be lying if I said I knew extra point team was fixed. There's just no way of knowing that.
Kick return and kick coverage was a big point of emphasis. The staff belabored the point of how dangerous Mixon is on the return.
CONFIDENCE
I didn't hear anything about "we're going to win!" I kept hearing "we're going to beat them up" or variations of that. Beating someone up is a good way to win the fight. Last year definitely gives the team confidence to win this game. They've put a bad loss behind them before and performed well and they expect to do it again.
GOING FORWARD
This is always a huge game, but this one is huge for the program's future. I won't belabor the points but I'll state every outcome is on the table for Strong (even the one I predicted as having no chance) and he is in control of his own destiny.
Saturday will make for good cinema -- hopefully it also makes for good internet.
RECRUITING & NCAA CHANGES COMING
Like I posted in the Scoop, writing about Texas recruiting can be both enlightening and brutal at the same time. Some guys are solid as rocks. Some aren't. It's the wave of perception that sweeps away a few of the prospects while most stay safely on the beach that is Austin. Truthfully anything you've read this week from other outlets about how good or bad UT's recruiting right now is just misinformation. Nobody has those answers, especially less than a week after losing UT's 2nd consecutive contest. They're still 2-2 with the conference in its sights. Anything can happen, literally.
The ringleader is Sam Ehlinger. But he's actually more than that. His maturity allows him the quell any misconceptions that fellow commits and targets throw his way. His impact might be even deeper than previous thought. And no matter who happens to coach Texas in 2017, Ehlinger will be on campus in January.
Two guys to watch: Damion Miller (John Tyler) and Jalen Reagor (Waxahachie). Miller told me this week he's "most likely" going to visit Texas A&M this weekend for the Tennessee game. His mother and family will not travel. That's significant because Damion isn't going anywhere without mom's consent, and right now, she's All-Texas.
Reagor was reported by other sites to also visit the A&M-Vols game. That's untrue. His dad said there will be no official visit to A&M this weekend. The OU commit is still talking regularly to the Texas staff and I don't see that changing soon.
Two guys you'll see at the Cotton Bowl: K'Lavon Chaisson (GP North Shore) and Jarell Cherry (Dallas Carter). For Chaisson, it'll be an UOV. He's going on his own dime and will not sit with Sooners recruits. I can't overstate how good UT looks with Chaisson at this point.
As for Cherry, he will be a guest of the Sooners, having just received an offer yesterday. Cherry told me he's always dreamed of watching Texas-OU growing up in Dallas. He said he's always imagined what it's like to see that game. He told me fried food, great football, a live crowd, and good seats means a cool Saturday. He's right.
A good showing by Strong and staff and Texas remains one of Cherry's favorites. If not, all bets are off.
As for tonight, Inside Texas hits the road for TX HS football. My man Joe Cook will be in Azle watching Aledo's Chuck Filiaga. Texas is squarely in it for his services but TCU is making a nice push lately, so we'll see. Cook better wear his Canes hat - it seems to be good luck.
I'll be in Lindale for its matchup with Nacogdoches. Going to check in with 4-star DB and Texas commit Josh Thompson on my way to Dallas for Saturday morning's festivities.
Lastly, and more importantly, the NCAA is proposing new rules for HS recruiting - an early signing period (which is horribly long overdue) and the chance of programs adding a 10th assistant. On Wednesday, the Division I council promoted potential changes to the CFB recruiting model.
Long overdue, if you ask me. But don't take my word for it.
"The good things is kids would be locked into papers by the program," said a college coach. "Schools couldn't pull offers late, which happens a lot more often than fans realize. Especially those
certain out-of-state schools."
But what about the bad?
"It may force kids into decisions too soon before they are actually ready," said the same coach from a P5 conference. "They'll feel like they have to sign or lose their spot. They're already pressured enough, but this is the only drawback in my eyes."
Another coach from the ACC chimes in.
"The good part is it helps the kids go where they want early, and doesn't allow other schools the chance to change their mind," said the assistant. "A lot of the problems with the late NSD is that even when a kid has made up his mind, average college coaches don't care and will continue to hound and pressure those prospects."
And the other side?
"The bad part is how honest the school is with the kid its signing," said the college coach. "If a head coach tells their newest signee they're only taking one LB in this particular class, then goes back and signs three, the kid is screwed because now he can't get out of it."
There will be loopholes, of course. If the coach that player inked with is fired, does it void his commitment and contract to said school? You'd think so, but this is the NCAA...so.
On the other end, the proposal to add a 10th assistant would be huge for most major programs - like Texas.
Instead of a QC coaching the special teams, which is the case in Austin, you get a full-time ST coach who can focus on the details of what most great coaches call the third component to a quality game plan - offense, defense, and special teams.
Instead of a guy with the title of Special Teams Coordinator, like UT's Jeff Traylor, who hasn't coached special teams in the two years he's been in Austin, you get a real assistant to break down film, find the holes - like returning the ball five yards deep in the end zone and allowing the opponent to initiate contact with the deep snapper, which is illegal.
Here's more on the NCAA's new rules proposals. I have a feeling we'll see sweeping changes that will do much more good than bad in the long run of college football and recruiting.
Tell me why I just got on to twitter and the PAWG Orangebloods inten/YouTube host is going at it with Tariq Nasheed over Nate Parker:
Maybe it's a good thing that Coach Strong will now be coordinating the Defense.
, but yeah, dude JUST got his own QB this year after having to use Mack Brown's qbs.
