Posted January 21st, 2013 by Ross
Filed under: Feature, Football

Greg Davis

We don't want Greg Davis back, but some of his ideas could help the Texas offense.

OK. I do not want Coach Davis to drive up to the Moncrief-Neuhaus Athletic Center and unpack his things. I do however want us to think of the concepts that Greg Davis learned on the job to help Texas make an impressive run to unprecedented glory on the 40 acres.

We saw how the offense sputtered around in the first half of the Valero Alamo Bowl until something clicked to help propel the Longhorns to a 31-27 win. What clicked? Something that Coach Davis learned when installing the spread offense. You need to have a threat at the quarterback position. Look at what is happening to the teams in the Big XII, A&M, Oregon, Ohio State and even the NFL. Coaches across the country are realizing that you need the quarterback to be a threat to run and throw. College kids want to know that they have a chance to go to the next level. Look at the success that the Redskins and Seahawks in the NFL are having with rookie quarterbacks that can run. You cannot have a QB that is destined to run every play, but you do want one that is mobile in the pocket and can be a “threat” to run to make defenses think.

One of Greg Davis’ faults was the thinking that Texas can out talent the opponent no matter the scheme. Bryan Harsin brought the schematic and creative advantages that the UT offense needed. Unfortunately, Coach Harsin fell in love with only certain plays for certain players where the offensive packages were more important than the talent that was out there. The SEC offenses (specifically Bama) which is what Mack Brown wants to emulate with a grind it out running game that does not rely on the quarterback to win the game is no longer viable. Look at how Louisville with its dynamic quarterback put it on Florida in the Sugar Bowl. And who single handily brought down Alabama in their own back yard, but Johnny Football. Look at what Nick Saban said about the no huddle offense before he ran into the Heisman Trophy winner which is predominantly lead by a fast break quarterback.

Greg Davis used the threat of a running quarterback with a wide open passing attack which opened up lanes for the running backs. In case you forgot, we have had individual 1,000 yard rushers while Davis was calling the plays. No Longhorn running back has yet to reach over 780 yards rushing in the past three years under the so called smash mouth running game (OL needs to share in some of the blame). My prediction is that Johnathan Gray will be the next 1,000 yard rusher to join the last back to do that Jamaal Charles. (2007 – 1,619 yds.)

Where can you find these dual threat quarterbacks? Right here in our back yard. Quarterbacks in high school have 7 on 7 tournaments to hone their skill of reading coverages and making quick decisions in the passing game. The best athletes on the field are playing quarterback in Texas. Hell, Texas is the only state in the country that has a dedicated class time assigned to a sport or PE. Dual threat quarterbacks are being used in every type of classification in the sport. Why do you want to recruit a care taker at quarterback when you need something dynamic to keep stronger and faster defenses guessing? We have dual threat quarterbacks on campus and more are coming up through recruiting. David Ash used his legs to jump start the offense in the bowl game and that running helped him open up the passing game.

Major Applewhite may hold the key to the concepts that Coach Davis used while at UT. Coach Applewhite had a great quote after the bowl win when he said that it is not about the X’s and O’s but about the culture of our program and keeping people accountable to be successful. I beg that Coach Brown will let Major carry out his plan on offense. I venture to guess that Major will use this quote from Michael Jordan to the team this offseason, “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.”

Share

Posted September 6th, 2011 by Ross
Filed under: Feature, Football

WTH?! (What the Heck?) moments are attempts to find the memorable and the off-beat perspective on Longhorns sports. Here are some interesting moments from the Texas’ game against the Rice Owls.

Texas running back Malcolm Brown

Texas freshman running back Malcolm Brown rushed for 86 yards against Rice. (AP Photo)

Pregame (15:00) WTH LHN?! C’mon ESPN I know you want the biggest bang for your buck, but you are pissing off Longhorn Nation without letting the fans see the game at least on pay per view. The 101,624 in attendance saw the Longhorn Network studio set up in the Southeast section of the stadium. Coincidence that it chose that location?

1st Quarter (1:18) WTH QB Controversy?! I guess you can eliminate the controversy when you have 6 players line up to take the snap. Fozzy Whitaker had the most success in the wildcat formation when he wowed the crowd with his exploits (88 all-purpose yds. & 2 TD’s). QB David Ash will not redshirt this year because he has a package… giggle.

2nd Quarter (13:03) WTH Crime Dog?! Rice RB Sam McGuffie took a wicked shot from S Kenny Vaccaro and managed to gather himself to complete a 15 yard pass which was the longest pass play for the Owls. It was a great job by the UT defense all night in keeping Rice out of the end zone.

2nd Quarter (:35) WTH Special Package?! Guess no one was missing Coach Davis after all the different packages of players that came running on and off the field during the game. I was tired just watching the players run back and forth. Get used to the illegal motion penalties with all the different packages of players getting familiar with the new system installed by Coach Harsin.

Halftime WTH MOB?! Great job by the funniest band in the land. The Rice band made fun of the Aggies leaving for the SEC. The line of the night was when the Rice announcer said that the Big 12 and the SEC were both raising their IQ points by that Aggies move.

3rd Quarter (12:15) WTH Grape?! Garret Gilbert had a solid night for the Horns (13-23 for 239 1 TD – no turnovers). The dumbfounding play was when he was being chased out of the pocket and he flipped the ball backwards that thankfully Fozzy landed on the fumble.

3rd Quarter (5:32) WTH Out of Bounds?! I have heard the saying that a player has a nose for the end zone. Never heard of a player that is attracted to the out of bounds line. An earlier run in the first half by Jaxon Shipley was negated by him touching the end line. Thankfully his aerobatic catch for the touchdown in the third quarter was not wiped out by an apparent end line violation. Dare I say that Jaxon looks faster than Jordan?

4th Quarter (1:00) WTH Rugby?! Justin Tucker is such a great field goal kicker that I wonder about the decision to use him as a rugby style punter. Justin’s final punt only traveled six yards to set up the Owls at mid field. Great job by the UT defense and non-scholarship player Cody Ramirez to recover a fumble to end the drive.

End of the Game WTH UT Band?! It’s a great moment when the tower is lit orange and the band plays the Eyes of Texas after a win. A new wrinkle was added before the traditional ending to a game. The entire football team was serenaded by the Band’s rendition of DJ Khaled “All I Do is Win.” No one can deny that this is a brand new season.

Next up for the Longhorn’s are the Mormons from BYU at 6pm on Sept. 10th.

Thanks for following my WTH articles throughout the season. I appreciate the opportunity to rant about the greatest University sports program in the country. You can continue to follow comments on all of UT sports on twitter at 40AcresSports or follow me at Horns1991. HOOK EM!!

Share

Posted November 22nd, 2010 by Ross
Filed under: Football

WTH?! (What the Heck?) moments are attempts to find the memorable and the off-beat perspective on Longhorns sports. Here are some interesting moments from the Texas’ game against the Owls.

Start of the Game (15:00) WTH UT Students?! Where were you?! You are not allowed to ask your parents to wash your clothes this Thanksgiving. If you do not show up for the game, there will be consequences.

1st Quarter (10:59) WTH Cody?! I am going to overlook the fourth down and 1 scoring chance that you missed, because you scored on the second fourth and 1 at the 8:45 mark of the quarter. Cody Johnson’s hard running (124 yards) at times plus sound blocking from a young offensive line netted 259 total yards of rushing for the game.

2nd Quarter (13:52) WTH GG?! Great protection coupled with a great throw by Garrett Gilbert (263 yards for the game – no int.) to James Kirkendoll produced a 63 yard touchdown. Great job by the offense and Greg Davis of seizing the moment after the blocked FG attempt by the Longhorn defense.

2nd Quarter (:00) WTH Owls Defense?! You only rush three lineman and when the pass is in the air not one of defensive backs even make an attempt to jump for the ball? Great job by Malcolm Williams in going up and making a play!

3rd Quarter (4:26) WTH Davis?! Since we do not run a scheme offense but instead we try to out talent the opposition. Please Greg Davis put our talent, DJ Monroe, out on the field more. Monroe had two straight back to back first down runs before being replaced. He averaged +7 yards a carry for the game with only 6 touches.

4th Quarter (15:00) WTH Acho?! What a tremendous interception for a 57 yard touchdown by Emmanuel Acho. The touchdown sealed the win for the Horns. Emmanuel has been a warrior playing with a huge brace on his leg. It was also great to see brother Sam running alongside. Sam Acho had a tremendous game with 12 tackles, 3 sacks and a fumble recovery.

4th Quarter (4:13) WTH Longhorn Band?! It was great to see the Longhorn Band enjoying themselves towards the end of the game. Members of the Longhorn Band placed their arms around each other and swayed side to side and then jump up-and-down as they sing their own colorful take on a traditional song “Home on the Range”. The opening line is “Home, home on the range, where the deer and the antelope play with themselves.”

Next up for the Longhorn’s are the A&M Aggies in Austin on November 25th.

Thanks for following my WTH articles throughout the season. I appreciate the opportunity to rant about the greatest University sports program in the country. You can continue to follow comments on all of UT sports on twitter at 40AcresSports or follow me at Horns1991. HOOK EM!!

Share

Posted October 27th, 2010 by Ross
Filed under: Feature, Football

WTH?! (What the Heck?) moments are attempts to find the memorable and the off-beat perspective on Longhorns sports. Here are some interesting moments from the Texas’ game against the Cyclones.

1st Quarter (15:00) WTH Horn Fans?! Forget the 11AM kickoff, your Longhorns come back from an upset (did I say upset?) victory over the Huskers. The students did not come ready, the alumni fan base was not ready and we found out that the team was sure not ready.

1st Quarter (5:23) WTH Defense?! Last week we lauded the efforts of the defense and Coach Blood’s game plan. No game plan this week? The Cyclones put an 80 yard 6:37 minute drive together for the game’s first score.

2nd Quarter (14:05) WTH Hix?! You sure are built like a Longhorn lineman. You just do not have the mental makeup. You’re going to start getting the label of Flozell Adams for all the false start penalties. The penalty erased a touchdown and the Horns had to settle for a field goal. Stupid is…

2nd Quarter (13:01) WTH Williams?! I think it’s a weekly item to call out somebody named Williams. Aaron Williams is trying to get his draft stock higher with multiple duties. Returning punts better not be on his resume again. He failed to fair catch a punt that ended up rolling 74 yards to put the Horns down at the 1.

2nd Quarter (:29) WTH Red Zone?! Greg Davis needs to trick things up or we will never get in the end zone. It looked like the game plan was to out talent the Cyclones. Too bad effort was not added to the plan. Oh yeah, we missed the field goal to end the half.

3rd Quarter (10:55) WTH Monroe?! Either DJ Monroe needs to be kicked off the team for his past transgressions or give him more carries. He touches the ball once and sprints for 10 yards and a first down. Mack if you are trying to teach him a lesson. Give him the ball more. DJ Monroe and Malcolm Williams are the two biggest mysteries on this team.

3rd Quarter (2:42) WTH Vaccaro?! The arrogance by the Horns was clearly evident when Kenny Vaccaro immediately points to Christian Scott after the Cyclones put up a touchdown in the back of the end zone. Kenny points to Christian like it was his fault that the touchdown occurred. This team needs an attitude adjustment.

4th Quarter (3:09) WTH Muschamp?! Coach Blood needs to be called out for his arrogance of putting out his base nickel defensive package when Iowa State is clearly running the ball to drain the clock. The decision to out talent the opposition resulted in the Cyclones getting a crucial first down to salt the game away.

Next up for the Longhorn’s are the 25th ranked Baylor Bears in Austin at 6:00 pm on October 30th.

Thanks for following my WTH articles throughout the season. I appreciate the opportunity to rant about the greatest University sports program in the country. You can continue to follow comments on all of UT sports on twitter at 40AcresSports or follow me at Horns1991. HOOK EM!!

Share
Defensive tackle Derek Johnson is a big dude. Can he play? (Image: MBTF)

Defensive tackle Derek Johnson is a big dude. Can he play as good as he looks? (Image: MBTF)

After nearly two whole months without Texas football, Friday was finally the first day of Spring practice. No tidbits yet (practices are closed to the public) but the official site does have a short video to watch and a nice photo gallery as well.

Share

Posted January 7th, 2010 by Brian
Filed under: Bowls, Feature, Football, Live

Follow along live with 40 Acres Sports on Twitter and below for our thoughts and analysis during tonight’s national title game on ABC. We’ll be live right around kickoff for Texas vs [tag]Alabama[/tag] so join us to discuss the game at 7:00pm Thursday night.

Things might be a little less wordy than normal, but please feel free to leave comments and questions using the live tool, but not all comments will be published. Read below for more notes on comments and how the live blog will work. Hook ’em!

(continue to read full live blog …)

Share

Posted January 7th, 2010 by Brian
Filed under: Bowls, Feature, Football

It could come down to which QB plays best. Who would you choose? McCoy or McElroy?

It could come down to which QB plays best. Who would you choose? McCoy or McElroy?

Here we go ladies and gentlemen. The king of college football for the 2009 season will be crowned tonight at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. In front of a every sports fan in the country, the #2 Texas Longhorns will take on the #1 Alabama Crimson Tide for all the marbles. In a few hours the winner of the Citi BCS National Championship Game will hold up the crystal football and have a moment they will never forget.

Predictions from the national media are all over the place. Some think Bama wins big and think Texas doesn’t stand a chance, others look at the entire body of work and think the game could go either way. Our predictions for the title game are below:

Brian Enough talk, time for some action. The Horns have heard they’ve got no chance to win for almost a month and it will motivate them to come out and play their asses off. Will it make them overly hyped or give them the burst they need to win? I don’t think it matters. Texas defensive coordinator [tag]Will Muschamp[/tag] has his goon squad ready and pumped to shut down the Tide and they’re going to do it. The defense and special teams give the Horns good enough field position all night to allow [tag]Greg Davis[/tag] to throw caution to the wind (a little) and score just enough points to beat a great Bama defense. Horns win in defensive struggle decided by special teams and turnovers.Texas 23, Alabama 13

Matt This season and game reminds me a lot of the 2005 National Championship run, but I love being the underdog and overlooked by most people in the nation. All I keep hearing about is how good Alabama’s defense is and how they dominated Florida. Well I have watched quite a few of Alabama’s games this year and I think some people need to go back and watch film on the Alabama vs Tennessee and Alabama versus Auburn games.

I think the key to the game will be if Texas can get off to a fast start. It seems in almost every game this season Texas just goes through the motions in the first half, makes some adjustments, and comes out on fire in the second half. That simply won’t work in this game. A lot of that responsibility will be on Colt McCoy. He needs to take over the game early and do whatever it takes to start off strong, even if that means running the ball more like he did in the A&M game.

Alabama does have a strong defense but I am severely unimpressed by their quarterback McElroy. He seems slow in the pocket and Texas has the speed on defense to give him some problems. I think he will have a couple of key turnovers which will be the difference in the game. I actually believe this game will be a little bit higher scoring than most people think. And because of the Texas Longhorn Rose Bowl history, I am going with a last second field goal to win. Texas 31, Alabama 30

Ross 13-0 in 2009. 25-1 over two years. This has been an incredible run by our Horns. Do you see where this prediction is going? I had the same feelings going into the 2006 National Championship game and it turned out pretty good. The UT coaches (Will and Greg) will have a lot to say about the outcome of this game more than any other game this year. The Horns have a daunting task against the most complete team that they have faced all year. I pointed out what the Horns need to do to win with the new year’s resolutions post. The Tide have the momentum from the SEC Championship game, but the Horns have the chip on their shoulder. I think Saban will have Bama wound so tight while Mack will have the Horns playing with nothing to lose. Horns will win a close one. Texas 26, Alabama 24

Predictions from Twitterverse

More Predictions

Share

Posted January 1st, 2010 by Ross
Filed under: Bowls, Feature, Football

Will Chris Hall and the Texas offensive line be celebrating against Alabama? (Image: Statesman)

Will Chris Hall and the Texas offensive line be celebrating against Alabama? (Image: Statesman)

A resolution in this article will be “a formal expression or opinion made” to win a football game. The Texas Longhorns will be playing for a national championship against Alabama on January 7th at the Rose Bowl. I have four resolutions that the Longhorns should follow in order to win this game. We are not going to make the obvious statements that the winner will be the one that can hold on to the ball, establish the running game, control the line of scrimmage, TOP, or have the ball last. Here they are:

1. To Be First

The Longhorn’s offense all season is based on tempo. The Longhorns need to rack up first downs in this game. If you remember the Fiesta Bowl last year the offense needed a full half to get going. You will notice that [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] and [tag]Greg Davis[/tag] like to run the hurry up offense after a made first down. The Bama defense will need to pick it up and mismatches play a huge role in Texas moving the ball. The Longhorns for this entire season had 114 more first downs over their opponents.

2. To Add Wrinkles

No… we are not hoping the Longhorns age us during this game. Greg Davis needs to add some different play combinations to keep the Alabama defense guessing. We know that conventional running will not work. Greg introduced the double cross receiver run during the OU game and the shovel pass against UCF. Auburn pulled out a few rabbits to start the game against Bama. I am not suggesting trick plays but a change of pace to keep them guessing. Please Greg install the wheel route to [tag]Tre Newton[/tag] at the right time which would be fun to see. [tag]Chris Hall[/tag] and teammates please give Colt just a little time to execute a few of these plays.

3. To Have a Big Middle

The middle that I am referring to is [tag]Roddrick Muckelroy[/tag] and [tag]Lamarr Houston[/tag]. These two men need to step up big time to make Alabama one dimensional. The two closes games (biggest I would argue) of the season where we saw the Sooners rush for -16 yards and the Huskers run for 67 yards. Alabama will want to impose their will with Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson running the ball. The “Goonies” (nicknamed by Lamarr) need to have the defensive effort that we all talk about when we speak of the 2006 National Championship game.

4. To Not Be Offensive

We need to get back to the non-offensive touchdown results that we had for most of the season. The timeliness of the 2 non-offensive TD’s that we had versus Oklahoma State would suffice (I can wish?!). We need the special teams to come up with a game changing punt return, punt block or kick return to electrify the crowd. The defense stepping up with an interception or fumble return for a touchdown can make the other team question their offensive decisions which affect play calling and team confidence. We do not have to win the turnover battle – just do something with it!

Share

WTH?! (What the Heck?) moments are attempts to find the memorable and the off-beat perspective on Longhorns sports. Here are some interesting moments from the Texas game against [tag]Nebraska[/tag] in the Big 12 Championship game.

Did James Kirkendoll's drop cost Colt McCoy the Heisman? (Image: Statesman)

Did James Kirkendoll's drop cost Colt McCoy the Heisman? (Image: Statesman)

Pregame WTH Jerry’s World?! Heading into the stadium, Husker and Longhorn fans (76,211) were ready to celebrate the Big XII season’s accomplishments with a cold beverage. Unfortunately, some one decided to lock up all the beer coolers to the dismay of many fans. Good thing since the 2001 Championship at Texas Stadium ([tag]Chris Simms[/tag] – Oh no moments), UT fans drank their sorrows away. Just so you know for future trips to the Death Star, Sec 431, Row 22, Seat 1 is the highest possible seat in the back of the end zone that you can occupy.

1st Quarter (14:24 & 8:07) WTH McCoy?! [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] has limited his penchant for the early interception that last few games until the biggest stage. His two early interceptions (one tipped and another desperation heave) were a product of excellent coverage and the desire to make something happen. Unfortunately, Colt’s Heisman coronation was thwarted with only 202 yards, 3 interceptions and 9 sacks. Fortunately, his last completions of the game to [tag]Jordan Shipley[/tag] proved to be the game clincher.

2nd Quarter (15:00) WTH Bo?! Bo Pelini has to get a better agent after coaching the Huskers to the championship game. I have never seen someone work a piece of gum which he even threw a mangled piece in disgust at the direction of his team. Big League Chew or Hubba Bubba needs to sign this guy up!

3rd Quarter (12:07) WTH Suh?! Ndamukong Suh (name means house of spears) had a tremendous game with 12 tackles and 4.5 sacks. He single handily threw Colt to the ground with one arm after beating a Longhorn double team. He literally put himself in position to sweep every major defensive award and earn a trip to New York for the Heisman presentation.

4th Quarter (14:04 & 4:50) WTH Pass Catchers?! You rarely get more than one chance during the game to hit a stop and go pattern. Colt McCoy sold the pump fake and [tag]James Kirkendoll[/tag] went flying down the sideline for an apparent score. I guess catching the ball would have been an important step in that sequence?! I hate to say this but that completion would have made the score 17-6 which would have sewn up the game and the Heisman. [tag]Dan Buckner[/tag] had the ball ripped away from him by Husker Dejon Gomes that ended another sure scoring drive.

4th Quarter (:01) THE Ultimate WTH Mack?! I heard the explanation from [tag]Mack Brown[/tag] on ESPN. He and [tag]Greg Davis[/tag] agreed to run a hook pattern to get a little closer for field goal kicker [tag]Hunter Lawrence[/tag]. Colt McCoy decided to let the clock run down like a point guard until it was dangerously close. Referee Tom Walker immediately motioned Bo Pelini and the Huskers to get back to the sidelines because replay confirmed that there was one second left. Joe Thompson (official time keeper) should not expect a Christmas card from the Longhorn faithful. I would hate to think of Brown’s legacy if time would have run out. Thanks to Hunter’s 46 yard boot the Horns are 2009 Big XII Champions!

Next up for the Longhorn’s is the National Championship Game against [tag]Alabama[/tag] in Pasadena!

Share

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach on “Colt McCoy” night and the rest of the Longhorn’s road to a BCS title shot.

Link: Horns, McCoy take another step

Share
Texas FanGuide - Texas Longhorns fan app with roster, news, and team schedule

Latest Poll

Who will be the next Texas head coach?

Total Votes: 149

Loading ... Loading ...

Subscribe to the 40 Acres!

Don't miss breaking news or another story from your favorite Longhorns fan site, subscribe to our RSS(?) feed!

Become a fan of the 40 Acres on Facebook

Recent Comments