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Game Thread Game Two: #1 Ohio State 24, #2 Texas 7 (9/9/06)

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Ginn4Heisman20 said:
Lump me in with those who find it hard to believe that the Longhorns will be better this year than they were last year. I could understand the argument that you think your starters are going to be better but it also sounds like you guys lose a lot of depth which makes me skeptical towards the idea that your team as a whole will be better.
Now everyone and their grandma knows the physical aspect the Longhorn's lose with the departure of Vince Young so there's no point in me even mentioning that, I am more interested in what affect the loss of his presence and leadership will have on the team as a whole. Last year Horns Fans seemed to be really high on Vince Young's effect upon the team's psyche, obviously with good reason. He was like a security blanket for the team, even if they were down they knew Vince could bring them back. Both their confidence and swagger, from my limited point of view, seemed to originate with him. How can the Horns possibly recreate the team's chemistry without their catalyst? (I'm not trying to imply UT will have no chemistry, I just don't think they will have that whole team of destiny feel to them with the loss of Vince)
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Ain't no way we're going to be better. Young was not only a dynamic offensive threat, he freed up other players, as so many eyes were on him. Also, teams (with the noted exception of your team) used to ease up on the rush, cause they were tired of him running around them and taking off downfield! (Watch USC in the fourth quarter--pansies) Anyway, he brought so many intangibles, and made players better than they were. Our boys better get over last year real quick--they are going to have a hard year, and while we won't implode, we certainly won't be as good.
 
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I think HL was trying to say (see "massive exception" in his post) that we'll be better at just about every position other than QB. As 21 of the 22 starters will be better or just as good as last year, based on who's replacing the starters and the gained experience.

But I would trade all of that for 1 more year with Vince, and that's just as much due to his leadership (and other qualities discussed in Ginn's post) as his talent.
 
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Ketch with orangebloods (rivals) was on the radio in Austin today and did not sound optimistic about Taylor making it back. He needs a lot of credit hours to make the NCAA minimum for juniors, and cannot fail a single class over the spring and summer. He said the team is practicing as if he will not return.

The latest update from Mack makes it sound like Selvin has the lead to be the starter, but they have had Charles on light duty until after the NCAA indoor track championships. I should have mentioned that Selvin is our best back at blitz pickup, so he should see a lot of time in obvious passing situations, since every team will want to go after our QBs. Fortunately for them, teams will have to play the run first, most of the time, when it isn't an obvious passing situation.

As far as Texas being better, we will be in most positions, and Mack and Coach Chizik have said the defense is looking like it will be a lot better next year. If so they should reach their goal of keeping opponents under 13 points a game. I do expect the offense to be down 20% or so as I said and only average around 40 a game. But, it will be up to the defense to make sure that Texas doesn't get behind, since there is no way we should expect a freshman QB to lead us on significant comebacks.

I'll add that I think saying 21 out of 22 starters will be better than last year is a excessive. I don't think the replacemenst for Vince Young, Allen (OG), Harris (MLB) and Huff will be in the equal category, along with nickel back and fullback.
 
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xrayrandy said:
I do expect the offense to be down 20% or so as I said and only average around 40 a game.
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I think I need to change your avatar to an orangutan. How can you possibly expect your offense to average around 40 points a game with not one but two QBs who haven't taken a single snap in college? Texas averaged 512 yards per game last year with Young. You really think that Texas will average 80% of that (410 yards) with those QBs, especially when Mack Brown said he intends to rotate QBs?
 
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Under 13 ppg xray? So basically they will be the best defense in the nation, as that is usually the distinction for that kind of production. Then again, N Tex, Rice, Iowa St, Sam Houston St, Baylor and Kansas St probably won't be scoring very much against any elite competition. OkState shouldn't, but they seem to be a handful for your tema.
 
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Texas could have averaged that much last year without Vince against much of the Big Twelve, so I see no reason why followers of the Longhorns should not expect a powerful offense again this year. I saw Texas destroy Tech (a game in which Vince really wasn't responsible for the onslaught) because of the offensive line and running backs. As long as Texas gets a solid QB who can take advantage of that offensive line and those RB's (down to 3 or 4, if the Frosh. is all-world), why wouldn't they expect great production? Remember, 40 ppg would be 10 below the number from 2005. I think it can be done.

The team will not have Vince to rely on, and they have more than enough ability for others to fill in the empty spaces. Like I said earlier, I think the Bucks put up 30+ with their O-line this year...and Texas might very well do likewise.
 
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The difference between 2006 Texas and 2005 Texas is pretty damn simple. They are missing the lone figure that single handedly won them a national championship. Yeah, you can argue to others contributed.......but Texas would not have beaten OSU in the Shoe last year without Vince. They would not have beaten USC, and maybe would have slipped up at some other point in the season.

I expect this year to see that magical Texas swaggar that we saw last season to be gone. Vince Young was the ringleader of that team, and he as damn good in that role. Instead of teams fearing Vince Young, now they'll be able to key in on the run. Texas can throw, but never will be mistaken for a Spurrier team.

I'm not too sure how you can say that they'll be a better team this year. I guess it's wishful thinking. I compare it to Denver losing a John Elway, or Green Bay losing Farve. You cannot replace the intangibles that those guy's bring to the table. You can only hope that their backup won't screw up enough so that you can run the rest of your offense.

If you don't believe me.......look back at OSU in 2004. They returned a lot of players, but not #16. They struggled in their first 6 games or so breaking in a new qb. I'm just glad that we have the Horns early in the season, it gives us an advantage.
 
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daddyphatsacs said:
The difference between 2006 Texas and 2005 Texas is pretty damn simple. They are missing the lone figure that single handedly won them a national championship. Yeah, you can argue to others contributed.......but Texas would not have beaten OSU in the Shoe last year without Vince. They would not have beaten USC, and maybe would have slipped up at some other point in the season.

I expect this year to see that magical Texas swaggar that we saw last season to be gone. Vince Young was the ringleader of that team, and he as damn good in that role. Instead of teams fearing Vince Young, now they'll be able to key in on the run. Texas can throw, but never will be mistaken for a Spurrier team.

I'm not too sure how you can say that they'll be a better team this year. I guess it's wishful thinking. I compare it to Denver losing a John Elway, or Green Bay losing Farve. You cannot replace the intangibles that those guy's bring to the table. You can only hope that their backup won't screw up enough so that you can run the rest of your offense.

If you don't believe me.......look back at OSU in 2004. They returned a lot of players, but not #16. They struggled in their first 6 games or so breaking in a new qb. I'm just glad that we have the Horns early in the season, it gives us an advantage.
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I totally agree. When you lose a leader like Young it will take a while to find a replacement. When they fall behind the players will be looking at each other as what will we do..last year they looked to Vince..ie. the game at the shoe and the nc game. Conversely the TS in the UM game and Fiesta Bowl provided the leadership tOSU lacked in the UT game.
 
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I agree there will be a big loss with VY and his leadership. Same goes for OSU with Hawk. Both are top ten picks in the NFL and that does not get replaced easily. We have traditionally had a hard time winning on the road and this will certainly play a factor. Our Offense is supposed to be unbelievable which always gives me concern. Mangold and Sims were great leaders and that will be a void that needs to come together for a special season. OSU and Texas both reload and think this is going to be another game for the ages. Turnovers and field position will be more important than any one player or past players.
 
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daddyphatsacs said:
The difference between 2006 Texas and 2005 Texas is pretty damn simple. They are missing the lone figure that single handedly won them a national championship. Yeah, you can argue to others contributed.......but Texas would not have beaten OSU in the Shoe last year without Vince. They would not have beaten USC, and maybe would have slipped up at some other point in the season.

I expect this year to see that magical Texas swaggar that we saw last season to be gone. Vince Young was the ringleader of that team, and he as damn good in that role. Instead of teams fearing Vince Young, now they'll be able to key in on the run. Texas can throw, but never will be mistaken for a Spurrier team.

I'm not too sure how you can say that they'll be a better team this year. I guess it's wishful thinking. I compare it to Denver losing a John Elway, or Green Bay losing Farve. You cannot replace the intangibles that those guy's bring to the table. You can only hope that their backup won't screw up enough so that you can run the rest of your offense.

If you don't believe me.......look back at OSU in 2004. They returned a lot of players, but not #16. They struggled in their first 6 games or so breaking in a new qb. I'm just glad that we have the Horns early in the season, it gives us an advantage.
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Right now I am definitely in your camp, on thinking that it will be impossible for Texas to be as good as they were last year, and I do not know if I will ever see a Texas team that is as good as last year's team. Losing David Thomas is another key loss, as he made some gave saving catches in his career as well, he was Vince's bail out receiver.

That being said, we have several reasons for optimism, although we lose two great linemen in Allen and Scott, we still have a very, very talented offensive line that has a chance to be better as a group then last year's line. Charles was a true freshman last year, you would expect him to be much better this year, but as pointed out by others, without Vince, it will be easier to key the running back. Also, last year, Selvin Young was coming off a broken leg, and anybody who watched him before last year knows that he wasn't the same running back, so he may be healthier this year, and in turn a better running back, or he may have leveled out this past year. (However, I do look for Selvin to be one of the leaders of this team, he was Vince's roommate, and he has been through a lot in his UT career, yet remained very positive even when he was being "replaced" by Charles last year.) Losing Huff is also a massive loss in the secondary, and besides QB, our fourth and fifth DBs are what worry me the most. We basically don't know who will emerge as the other safety. Michael Griffin is already garnering hype (well deserved IMO), and Ross and Brown have extensive experience, but there is a huge drop off of proven talent after that.

This game will be the first test for our offense. If either one of our QBs has a magical freshman campaign, then we can start talking about how good our offense can be. But right now, our two QBs have a combined offensive output of 0 ppg for their college career, so I cannot spout out 40 ppg predictions.
 
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I think I need to change your avatar to an orangutan. How can you possibly expect your offense to average around 40 points a game with not one but two QBs who haven't taken a single snap in college? Texas averaged 512 yards per game last year with Young. You really think that Texas will average 80% of that (410 yards) with those QBs, especially when Mack Brown said he intends to rotate QBs?
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In the 8 years Coaches Brown and Davis have been at Texas, UT has averaged 441 yards and 38.7 points a game (taken as the average of the average for each season). Texas has arguably more talent on offense this year going into a season, especially the offensive line, than than at any point in those 8 years. I think they will produce a team that scores more than their average. I wouldn' be surpised if it is a little higher than 40, particularly given the addition of Sam Houston State to the schedule and not having a real away game of the first 7 games.

As for the defense, they were right at 15.9 points per game at the end of the regular season, and if they are significantly better as the coaches claim, then 13 points per game should be acheivable. And, consider that we only have 3 real away games. I also don't think there will be an offensive buzzsaw like 2005 USC waiting for us at the end of 2006 to inflate the numbers.
 
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