Things are looking up in Austin. 5-7 is painful memory that most Longhorn fans are able to block out now after watching an 8-win season peppered with flashes of dominance (mainly on the Defensive side of the ball and in the running game).
It took Manny Diaz a few weeks to really get it running, but by the end of the year that defense was incredible. Of course they were pantsed in front of the nation by Robert Griffin late in the season, but what defense didnt look bad vs him? Thankfully Baylor's good players are gone and they look like they will return to being Baylor for the most part, especially when you consider just how bad their defense really is.
Texas D loses the Linebackers and DT Kheeston Randall, but not much else. Byndom and Diggs make up one of the best young CB-tandem in the country (if not the best). Slug-Safeties Blake Gideon and Christian Scott will be replaced by 2 athletes who are much faster than their predecessors. Jeffcoat and Okafor return and will surely dominate the edges. Chris Whaley and Desmond Jackson are two of the most athletic DTs in the country, and the JUCO they brought in should fill gaps and allow the young LBs to fly around and make plays. Oh, and Machete wants to come back and win a Thorpe. I am expecting an incredible highlight reel of defensive plays by the end of this season.
On the offensive side of the ball... it wasnt always pretty, but any Texas fan could appreciate the coherent game-plan and play-calling. Greg Davis didnt set the bar very high. The Offensive coaches didnt exactly inherit a full cupboard, but Harsin was still able to manufacture points despite a string of terrible injuries (mainly at RB) and the complete absence of a passing game for most of the year. Despite a QB controversy that reeked of the "old regime", true Freshman David Ash was finally able to secure the starting position outright. It took the entire season, but after the Holiday Bowl Ash solidified himself as the #1 QB and will definitely get the Lion's share of reps going into 2012 (as opposed to 2011 where got almost no significant reps).
Brown and Bergeron are future NFL backs who could both have big-time breakout seasons. Brown is the consummate running back. North and South, great balance, patience, and vision. Strong legs with the ability to power trough contact and make a defender miss in open space. Bergeron is a grown man. He is a bruiser who just beats up defenses. Dont let his frame fool you though, he is quick to break it outside and take off down the sideline. He also employs a ''dead-leg'' type juke that is fun to watch at his size.
The O-line makes or breaks your offense in the end though. Under the previous staff, recruiting for the OL had devolved into offering immobile, alabaster pass-blockers who usually came in the form of low-hanging fruit from in-state. OL recruiting had become very lazy under GD toward the end of his tenure, and that, in my opinion, is what lead to Texas/Davis' downfall. Stacy Searels dont play that though. Searels is building a physical, athletic OL capable of mauling Big12 defenses with the run-game. They still arent there yet, but they have definitely improved and look to be even better next season.
If Bowl games are a good indicator of what a team will look like the following season, then Texas will look good. The Horns return as many starters as anyone in the country, and they are still so young. The defensive performance in the Holiday Bowl vs. Cal was one of the nastiest spectacles I have ever witnessed. David Ash looked better than he had all season, and he didnt have the ground-game working at 100%.
Combine the amount of young, returning talent at Texas with arguably the best recruiting class in the country coming in, and the Horns look set to make a series of serious runs at the Big12/BCS in the next 3-4 years. An interesting note about this class that speaks to a fundamental change in the staff and their methods: JUCOs. Texas brought in two JUCO lineman (one OL one DL) and even considered adding a JUCO QB (gasp!).
Horns should be hopeful about this upcoming season. Some experts have Texas as one of the top teams in the country and a favorite to win the Big12. I wont go that far, but I do not think a 9-3 type season is out of the question. 8-4 with a 9th win coming in a bowl game also seems like it could happen. The observant Longhorn knows to be patient though. On paper, the years following 2012 should be their time to shine.
So, thoughts on the incoming class? The 3-headed monster at RB? Predictions for the next year? Anyone still like Case? How do you feel about the first 5 recruits in the 2013 class? LHN? New members of the Big12?
Cant wait for the Spring Game. Hook 'em!
It took Manny Diaz a few weeks to really get it running, but by the end of the year that defense was incredible. Of course they were pantsed in front of the nation by Robert Griffin late in the season, but what defense didnt look bad vs him? Thankfully Baylor's good players are gone and they look like they will return to being Baylor for the most part, especially when you consider just how bad their defense really is.
Texas D loses the Linebackers and DT Kheeston Randall, but not much else. Byndom and Diggs make up one of the best young CB-tandem in the country (if not the best). Slug-Safeties Blake Gideon and Christian Scott will be replaced by 2 athletes who are much faster than their predecessors. Jeffcoat and Okafor return and will surely dominate the edges. Chris Whaley and Desmond Jackson are two of the most athletic DTs in the country, and the JUCO they brought in should fill gaps and allow the young LBs to fly around and make plays. Oh, and Machete wants to come back and win a Thorpe. I am expecting an incredible highlight reel of defensive plays by the end of this season.
On the offensive side of the ball... it wasnt always pretty, but any Texas fan could appreciate the coherent game-plan and play-calling. Greg Davis didnt set the bar very high. The Offensive coaches didnt exactly inherit a full cupboard, but Harsin was still able to manufacture points despite a string of terrible injuries (mainly at RB) and the complete absence of a passing game for most of the year. Despite a QB controversy that reeked of the "old regime", true Freshman David Ash was finally able to secure the starting position outright. It took the entire season, but after the Holiday Bowl Ash solidified himself as the #1 QB and will definitely get the Lion's share of reps going into 2012 (as opposed to 2011 where got almost no significant reps).
Brown and Bergeron are future NFL backs who could both have big-time breakout seasons. Brown is the consummate running back. North and South, great balance, patience, and vision. Strong legs with the ability to power trough contact and make a defender miss in open space. Bergeron is a grown man. He is a bruiser who just beats up defenses. Dont let his frame fool you though, he is quick to break it outside and take off down the sideline. He also employs a ''dead-leg'' type juke that is fun to watch at his size.
The O-line makes or breaks your offense in the end though. Under the previous staff, recruiting for the OL had devolved into offering immobile, alabaster pass-blockers who usually came in the form of low-hanging fruit from in-state. OL recruiting had become very lazy under GD toward the end of his tenure, and that, in my opinion, is what lead to Texas/Davis' downfall. Stacy Searels dont play that though. Searels is building a physical, athletic OL capable of mauling Big12 defenses with the run-game. They still arent there yet, but they have definitely improved and look to be even better next season.
If Bowl games are a good indicator of what a team will look like the following season, then Texas will look good. The Horns return as many starters as anyone in the country, and they are still so young. The defensive performance in the Holiday Bowl vs. Cal was one of the nastiest spectacles I have ever witnessed. David Ash looked better than he had all season, and he didnt have the ground-game working at 100%.
Combine the amount of young, returning talent at Texas with arguably the best recruiting class in the country coming in, and the Horns look set to make a series of serious runs at the Big12/BCS in the next 3-4 years. An interesting note about this class that speaks to a fundamental change in the staff and their methods: JUCOs. Texas brought in two JUCO lineman (one OL one DL) and even considered adding a JUCO QB (gasp!).
Horns should be hopeful about this upcoming season. Some experts have Texas as one of the top teams in the country and a favorite to win the Big12. I wont go that far, but I do not think a 9-3 type season is out of the question. 8-4 with a 9th win coming in a bowl game also seems like it could happen. The observant Longhorn knows to be patient though. On paper, the years following 2012 should be their time to shine.
So, thoughts on the incoming class? The 3-headed monster at RB? Predictions for the next year? Anyone still like Case? How do you feel about the first 5 recruits in the 2013 class? LHN? New members of the Big12?
Cant wait for the Spring Game. Hook 'em!
Yea that is legal, and Im sure there will be a game or two like that if every running back gets injured and Ash/McCoy look like they did last year!
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