The Texas offense will be better in the next season due to the departure of offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin and his manic, almost bi-polar play selection. Major Applewhite remains Co-Offensive Coordinator, but will now share the role with wide receivers coach Darrell Wyatt. What will make 2013 better than 2012 is that Major Applewhite will be doing what he should have been doing for the last two seasons: calling plays and coaching quarterbacks.
The Alamo Bowl is a small sampling to draw conclusions from, however, it showed that Applewhite has the ability to maximize the talent on offense. He crafted roles for guys based on their unique skill sets. Absent from the Alamo Bowl was Harsin’s dogged insistence on forcing round pegs into square holes. Applewhite didn’t try to outsmart anyone; no mass substitutions, no multiple shifting at the line of scrimmage, no trickery. The game plan wasn’t perfect, but it showed one key element that seemed absent for much of the past two seasons: the ability to adjust when the original plan wasn’t working.
Simply put, Harsin wasn’t a good fit at Texas. The players didn’t respond to him. They didn’t relate to him. Harsin wasn’t a Texas guy. Major Applewhite is Texas. Every recruit in the Southwest knows the name. Their mothers and fathers remember the Big XII Championship game and the Holiday Bowl. Applewhite has the infamous “It” factor that Harsin lacked.
Please don’t get me wrong… I don’t think the 2013 season will be all sunshine and rainbows, but we will see a more cohesive team. We will see more discipline. We will see more accountability. We will see more heart. The old saying, “Attitude reflects leadership” certainly applies here. I don’t see this next iteration of Longhorn football cowering to Oklahoma or self-destructing against West Virginia.
I heard Trent Dilfer last week discussing the Harbaugh brothers and he said, “they get the most from the least and the best from the best.” This immediately made me think of Applewhite’s Alamo Bowl press conference quote when asked about the differences between his offense and Harsin’s. He replied, “…I’ve always felt like even as a player this game is about players, put [the ball] in the best guys’ hands and let them make plays. I think sometimes we over think it a little bit as coaches, so I’m excited to watch these guys go play.”
I’m excited to watch these guys go play as well.
Watch this video below and it will give you a taste of what the players think of Applewhite:
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.”
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 Kansas State.
Pregame WTH Rose?! I guess a purple rose means enchantment. That is what the KSU players gave to their families on senior night. Colin Klein decided to give his first kiss to his wife not his momma. Guess his wife was there all along for him when he decided to start playing football.
1st Quarter (15:00) WTH Head Coach?! Looks like Bryan Harsin was auditioning for a head coaching gig by patrolling the sidelines. The reason given was so he could communicate with his young quarterbacks. It looked like the coaching boxes at the stadium were being torn down with all of the construction cranes. Glad the Big XII stuck around so KSU could renovate.
1st Quarter (11:36) WTH INT?! Nigel Malone was that your attempt to look cool. Coach Snyder may have you deliver the ball to him after your next interception. Crazy turn of events, but the low light is that Case McCoy cannot make those types of mistakes.
2nd Quarter (7:19) WTH Trickery?! Coach Harsin calls them funk plays when he draws up a crazy play. Enjoyed seeing an OL lined up as a receiver and jumping up and down acting like he wants the ball. Great play by Case McCoy finding Jaxon Shipley in the end zone. Wondering if OU fans were giddy at halftime?
3rd Quarter (7:11) WTH Stonestreet?! Way to pimp your co-worker Sofia Vergara to get more love for the KSU brand. Is he their most famous alumni? Nope, Herbert Dimond who invented the snooze alarm takes that award.
4th Quarter (12:28) WTH Oscar?! And the Academy Award goes to Case McCoy for the body slammed that was administered by Ryan Mueller of KSU. Wish the red carpet treatment would have led the Horns to a touchdown.
4th Quarter (9:30) WTH Error?? An apparent field goal would put the Horns down only by 8 points. The usually sure footed Nick Jordan (tongue in cheek) missed on the 40 yard field goal and the wheels came off.
4th Quarter (7:53) WTH Mist?! The mist reported by ESPN Holly Rowe may have been a contributing factor to Quandre Diggs muffing the punt. Whatever was the reason the wheels were now rolling down the hill.
Next up for the Longhorns is a trip to the Alamo Bowl to take on the OSU Beavers on December 29th.
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!!
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 Iowa State.
1st Quarter (15:00) WTH Fans?! It was a very special day where the Longhorns honored our armed forces and remembered Darrell Royal. Just wish the 100,018 fans came early to be a part of the festivities.
1st Quarter (10:51) WTH Wishbone?! Don’t think one fan in the stands thought the tribute formation for DKR would result in this type of trickery. But we should expect the unexpected when it comes to OC Bryan Harsin and this team.
1st Quarter (3:32) WTH Bomb?! This is starting to be a trend with David Ash hooking up with Mike Davis for a long touchdown. A 61 yard pitch and catch by this tandem is starting to be a work of art.
2nd Quarter (2:53) WTH Tony?! Anthony Fera may need to find out who stole his mojo. A 32 yard blocked field goal and a missed extra point will get you pulled from the game. Oh wait, it did since Nick “Error” Jordan took over and made everything he hit. Am I little too hard on kickers?
Halftime WTH Band?! What a great tribute to DKR with the band spelling out Royal on the field. Nice touch with the band forming a war ship, submarine and a plane to honor our military.
4th Quarter (7:46) WTH Brown?! We have a sighting confirmed that Malcolm Brown is on the field at running back. Malcolm was given a heavy dose of the rock to close out the game. The combination of all of the running backs netted the Longhorns over 222 yards for the game.
4th Quarter (5:14) WTH Turner?! Who is Josh Turner? The sophomore is the newest crop of defensive players that are stepping up like LB Steve Edmond. Josh’s interception late in the game put a capper to an excellent defensive performance.
Next up for the Longhorns is a Thanksgiving Day date with the TCU in Austin on November 22nd.
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!!
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 Mountaineers.
Pre-Game WTH Fans?! Wow. A record crowd of 101,851 fans were amped up for this contest. Fans were comparing the electricity in the stadium to when Cougar High came to Austin in 1990. Great job by the fans!
1st Quarter (15:00) WTH JY?! Vince Young was in person and on the giant video board to let the fans know that the “Eyes of Texas are Upon You.” Even his son Jordan got in on the act by getting caught on the video board pointing at the screen saying that’s my daddy.
1st Quarter (9:09) WTH Special Teams?! The kickoff coverage team gave the UT fans heart attacks when Tavon Austin touched the ball. It’s pretty bad when the stat sheet says kickoff of 64 yards and the return is 67 yards. Squib quicks were the order of the day after this long return.
1st Quarter (2:05) WTH Akina?! WVU was setting up for a fourth down play when Coach Akina did not think his secondary was set so he called a costly timeout. Costly? Because the Horns defense stepped up and held the offense on downs. Instead the Mountaineers went on to score on the very next play and subsequently succeed on every fourth down play the rest of the night.
2nd Quarter (15:00) WTH Southwest?! We can understand the need to promote oneself by setting up a stupid human trick by making fans throw a football into an inflatable receptacle. The problem is when you have the inflatables highlighted in Mountaineer school colors which are blue and gold. Bad omen.
2nd Quarter (10:01) WTH Dallas?! The Godzillatron feels it necessary to take us behind the scenes of certain players and cheerleaders because the fans clamor so much to be interrupted with this nonsense. One such interruption was to let us know that a pom squad member felt she looked like the villain from Monsters Inc.
2nd Quarter (7:37) WTH Alex the Great?! Alex Okafor was named Big XII defensive player of the week for his game changing plays. One of those moments was when he stripped Geno Smith and Jackson Jeffcoat recovered the fumble in the end zone to tie up the game.
2nd Quarter (4:51) WTH Dana?! No one can hold a candle to WVU Coach Dana Holgorsen when he throws a fit. Geno Smith was sacked by Desmond Jackson, one of four sacks for the UT defense, which eventually led to a Mountaineers field goal. Dana was so upset that he threw his headset down numerous times to let everyone on the sidelines know his disgust.
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 Wildcats.
Pre-Game Respect. A great decision by the UT brass to have a moment of silence before the game for the Oklahoma State’s tragedy of losing two of their women’s basketball coaches in a plane crash. Nice touch with the OSU logo on the Godzillatron.
1st Quarter (11:03) WTH Ash?! David Ash needs to realize that you do not need to jump when you throw the football. He has a tremendous upside but the decision making is suspect. Wildcats put the first points of the game after the turnonver.
2nd Quarter (3:02) WTH Blue Chip?! Way to take the momentum right out of the stadium. Coach Brown decides to go for it on fourth down at their own 41 yard line. Tray Allen false starts which kills the drive and ends up leading to a punt and the turning point of the game.
2nd Quarter (2:51) WTH Refs?! I am getting sick of these judgment calls! The KSU punt returner, Tramaine Thompson, fumbles the ball and the Horns recover in great field position. The ref felt that the returner was scared of the oncoming pressure and decided to throw the flag. Best Mack Brown meltdown ever.
2nd Quarter (:57) WTH Mack?! KSU was trying to get into position for a score before the half. Wildcat Sheldon Smith did his best tight rope act along the sidelines with a 24 yard catch which the refs really enjoyed by deciding to make the judgment call that it was a catch. Mack you have got to challenge that call. You do not need the timeouts so why not get the booth to review it.
3rd Quarter (3:43) WTH McCoy?! I guess the golden horseshoe is back in place. Case McCoy steps in an orchestrated a 6 play – 79 yard touchdown drive. Great designed play by Coach Harsin for McCoy to hit senior Blaine Irby for his first touchdown of the year.
End of Game (:00) WTH UT Defense?! What an incredible display of domination by this unit. It was sad to see the effort was wasted with a loss. The Horns held the Wildcats to 121 yards of total offense. Collin Klein, aka Honey Badger (please), had 4 net yards of rushing on 26 carries. The other telling stat is that the Wildcats had 9 series which they had 3 plays and punt.
Next up for the Longhorns are the Aggies for the final time? at 7PM on Turkey Day.
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!!
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 Bruins.
1st Quarter (15:00) WTH Bruin Fans?! I have never seen so many empty seats at the Rose Bowl (54,583 in attendance). The Rose Bowl is a beautiful venue, but it was an eye sore with the overhead shots of the stadium where there were plenty of seats to be had.
1st Quarter (12:35) WTH Prince?! UCLA QB Kevin Prince was in a royal mood by supplying the greatest of all gifts which were three interceptions all in the first quarter. The prince became a pauper and sat the bench for the rest of the game.
2nd Quarter (11:36) WTH Malcolm?! We have to call out the freshmen’s first touchdown run of his career as a Longhorn. Malcolm Brown had a spectacular day finishing with 110 yards while running for his first touchdown with only one shoe on. Wonder what he will do to top that feet on his next TD run?
2nd Quarter (:58) WTH Flag Football?! It is amazing to see how Marquise Goodwin has set the tone for this team with his speed and blocking. The hit that laid out the UCLA defender was a thing of beauty to spring Mike Davis for a nice reception. The referee thought that they played two hand touch in California when he threw the flag for the personal foul.
2nd Quarter (:21) WTH Horseshoe 1?! Shout out to Beau Edge from 104.9 The Horn to give the ultimate description for Case McCoy. Not a great practice player and not the measurable you would see from a top ranked prospect but the kid has a golden horseshoe up his butt and he just makes plays. Case scrambles around and makes something out of nothing by hitting Mike Davis for a 25 yard play that eventually leads to another touchdown before the half.
3rd Quarter (9:45) WTH Horseshoe 2?! Case McCoy delivers another crazy play when he throws up a prayer that is tipped by the UCLA defender right into the waiting arms of Mike Davis for 45 yards. Case will make more mistakes as he is growing into the leader of this team. But it does seem that he has the IT factor that we all want from the position.
3rd Quarter (1:40) WTH Harsin?! Coach Harsin is demonstrating how to operate an offense when he uses the wildcat formation to spring Fozzy Whitaker in for a back braking touchdown to put the Horns up by 22 points. Hope that Coach Applewhite is learning the play calling skills because Harsin will be head coach sooner than the Horn fans want to think about it.
4th Quarter (12:29) WTH DB’s?! What a coming out party for this young secondary. Adrian Phillips, Kenny Vaccaro, and Carrington Byndom all had interceptions. But Adrian needs to be singled out for the ferocious hit he delivered to force the ball out from the UCLA receiver which was recovered by Blake Gideon. Great job by the defense to switch momentum after the Horns suffered a fumble deep in their own territory.
Next up for the Longhorns are the Cyclones as they travel to Ames for the game on Oct. 1st.
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!!
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 BYU Cougars.
Pregame WTH Hospitality?! I was enjoying some tailgating on campus when some BYU faithful came strolling by. Offered up to the group some cold beers and they refused our Texas hospitality. Oh yeah, Mormons do not like the demon water. So I gave them some of our own demon water, an H2Orange water bottle.1st Quarter (15:00) WTH Cable Wars?! ESPN and Time Warner are battling it out over the broadcasting of the LHN. Interesting how the Texas athletic department is OK taking ad revenue along the stadium stands. There were Time Warner Cable banners all across the stadium while ESPN is broadcasting the game.
1st Quarter (1:54) WTH Grape?! This may be my last reference to Garrett Gilbert. The last image maybe of him throwing into double coverage where the BYU safety easily picked off the throw. He constantly locks his eyes on one receiver and makes poor decisions. I really hope he can fix the mental issues of his game. He may need to fix it while on another team’s roster.
3rd Quarter (12:45) WTH Hockey?! I have seen more shift changes in this football game than in the NHL. David Ash for one play and then comes Case McCoy. Great block delivered by David to help the running game get the team back into the game 13-10. Is it me or does David look like Sam Bradford when he has his helmet on?
3rd Quarter (4:26) WTH Marquise?! It is great to see Marquise Goodwin back to help out this team of struggling wide receivers. But you cannot get tripped up on your electrifying return of 40 yards by the BYU kicker. Marquise came back because he missed the team camaraderie. Well get ready for some ribbing in the film room this week.
4th Quarter (11:18) WTH Roommates?! Case hooks up with Jaxon Shipley on consecutive 1st down throws. Jaxon hurdles one defender on the first throw and snags the next pass play one handed to bring DKR fans to its feet. The momentum of these two plays carries the Horns on to take the lead for good. Did you know that Case and Jaxon are roommates? Here we go again and I am starting to like it.
4th Quarter (3:39) WTH Diggs?! This call out should be for the entire defense on how great their play was on the field especially giving up only 67 total yards in the second half. Cornerback Quandre Diggs interception was the momentum shifter that the defense needed until we saw the closer.
4th Quarter (2:44) WTH Harsin?! The Lone Star State is starting to warm up to the Boise State offense when you see a freshmen wide receiver, Shipley, throwing a pass to another freshmen quarterback, Ash, to move the chains. New Kids on the Block should be replacing this year’s slogan of Brick by Brick.
4th Quarter (1:34) WTH Closer?! I would like to introduce the newest nickname to one of our stable of running backs who we will now affectionately call The Closer. Malcolm Brown running off left tackle for 14 yards sealed the win for the Horns and will hopefully garner more than the 14 carries next game.
Next up for the Longhorns are the Bruins as they travel to LA for the game at 2:30pm on Sept. 17th.
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!!
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.
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!!