Inside Texas November 2018

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NOVEMBER 2018

THE TITLE RUN

Collin Johnson’s record-setting day not enough as Longhorns fall to Sooners in Big XII Title game.

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in this issue

Renaissance Man |

6

by Mike Blackwell

Lil’ Jordan Humphrey is a man of many talents.

10

Texas Drops Heartbreaker to West Virginia

Game Story by Joe Cook 5 Quick Thoughts by Ian Boyd

Back on Track in Lubbock |

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by Mike Blackwell

Lil’ Jordan Humphrey’s last-second score seals win over Tech.

Comeback Kid |

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by Mike Blackwell

Andrew Jones is back after missing 2017 for cancer treatment.

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Horns Dominate Iowa State Game Story by Joe Cook Post Mortem by Scipio Tex

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Ticket Punched with Win Over Kansas Game Story by Joe Cook

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Horns Fall to Sooners in Big XII Title Game Story by Joe Cook

Publishers -- Michael Pearle, Clendon Ross | Managing Editor--Clendon Ross | Editor-- Mike Blackwell InsideTexas.com Editor -- Justin Wells | Lead Writer -- Joe Cook | Contributor -- Ian Boyd Designer/Photographer -- Will Gallagher | Recruiting Analyst -- Eric Nahlin To Subscribe/Customer Service -- Phone: 512-659-8167 | Email: help@insidetexas.com September - 2018

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RENAISSANCE

By Mike Blackwell

September - 2018

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MAN

Leonardo da Vinci has been dead for almost 500 years now, but the original Renaissance Man would without question have mad respect for another man with a unique name: Lil’Jordan Humphrey.

Seriously.

A

nd why, you may ask incredulously, would anyone even dare mention Leonardo and Lil’Jordan in the same sentence anyway?

Simple.

It was da Vinci, after all, who once said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”

Leonardo’s main game was painting, of course, but as someone who lived his life in the realm of the elite, the old Italian would’ve appreciated the good work of Lil’Jordan.

Why? Because Humphrey, like da Vinci, understands the importance of simplicity. The Mona Lisa’s attraction is her precise simplicity. Humphrey’s game is a Mona Lisa mirror: simple, direct, powerful, effective.

The Texas receiver doesn’t play with the balletic beauty of vintage Lynn Swann. He’d lose - badly - in a footrace with former UT receiver Marquise Goodwin. His routerunning can’t match Calvin Ridley.

Simply put, Lil’Jordan Humphrey is a simple receiver.

He simply catches everything thrown his way.

He simply runs as far and as violently as possible after catching a football.

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renaissance man

He takes the simplest route available to the end zone.

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but LJ Humphrey is one of the toughest guys we have on our football team,” said Texas coach Tom Herman afterward. “After

Yes, da Vinci, the man who also studied the effects of rage,

we scored that series, we said on the headset that that’s a

would’ve loved him some Lil’Jordan Humphrey.

‘culture’ play.

“If there’s one compliment a coach can get from people that

Perhaps there is no more clear evidence of the beauty of sim-

understand football or put the pads on, it is that you guys play

plicity than Humphrey’s 3rd and 21 catch he made in a key spot

really hard. That’s the biggest compliment you can give a head

early in the second half of the October win over Oklahoma. After

coach. We may not always be the most talented or deepest, but

catching the ball, he dragged players on both teams forward for

with our effort and our purpose, we’re capable of doing lots of

a gain of 19, a simple play of brute strength that helped change

things. So thank you LJ for showing everybody what our culture

the course of the game and maybe even helped change the

is about. That was big.”

overall culture of the Texas program.

Simple.

Humphrey - with 72 catches for 1,058 yards and eight touchdowns entering the Big 12 Championship Game - has been that

Humphrey has always been a physical anomaly at 6-4 and 225

good in 2018.

pounds, and last year he merely scratched the surface of his potential by catching 37 balls for 431 yards.

This season the man who is also known as someone who can throw a pass or two and also run the ball effectively from scrimmage has exploded onto the scene. His physical dimensions and obvious success at the highest level of college football has given birth to speculation that he will move on to money-green pastures when the season is over.

Certainly his measurables reflect the worthiness of that speculation. Somehow he was only a threestar recruit coming out of Southlake Carroll, which must come as a shock to Texas Tech, Oklahoma and West Virginia secondaries.

His high school career definitely highlighted his athletic versatility - in one game alone against a strong Cedar Hill team, he rushed for 176 yards and two touchdowns and caught passes for 113 yards and a touchdown.

Want more crazy numbers from his high school career? How about this: he rushed for 1,828 yards with 32 touchdowns as a junior.

He also returned kicks. Oh, and he was 2-for-2 passing against

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“You throw a tunnel screen just to get some yardage for our punt

the Sooners this year. This type of versatility is probably what

and maybe pin them inside the 10-yard line and play defense,

perplexed college coaches the most: is he a huge running back?

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renaissance man

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A slot or wide receiver? A chicken-fried steak away from being a tight end?

Ummm, and he could’ve played college basketball as well.

“Hopefully, I’ll become one of best college players to ever play,” Humphrey said when he was still in high school. “That’s a goal for me. Obviously, I want to win the Heisman or maybe the Biletnikoff as a receiver. I’m named after Michael Jordan. I take that seriously. Michael Jordan is great, and I want to be great at what I do, too.”

Since coming to Texas, he has built a reputation of toughness, and he credits that for the team’s October successes this season.

“We were physical,” Humphrey explains, simply. “I feel like the most physical team wins most of the time, and in that case we were the most physical.”

He was also asked at the most recent player media availability if playing Oklahoma twice in one year is going to be difficult.

“It’s tough,” Humphrey said, “but our mentality is different. We are built different, so no.”

Despite his gaudy recent numbers, his college career started slowly with just two catches in his first season. The wide receiver room was and is a very deep and talented one, a room that includes Devin Duvernay and Collin Johnson.

“It’s been a rough journey, not knowing what you’re going to do as a receiver and being in such a high-powered receiver class and having receivers in front of me,” Humphrey said. “I didn’t think I was going to see the field as much. But I got the opportunities and made the best of it.”

Ironically, the slow start to his career may have helped his overall development. He sat, listened and learned while playing limited minutes and special teams.

“That definitely pushed me,” Humphrey said of the patience that was forced upon him. “It motivated me to work harder and figure out ways to get on their level since they’ve been playing receiver for the majority of their lives.”

And the result is Humphrey is now a major contributor who has made beauty of simplicity: catch ball, run with ball, score touchdowns with ball. Simple.

“He’s our best player,” Herman says. “I don’t think anybody would blink or anybody on that offense think any differently. But he’s just so versatile and he’s so aggressive.”

Humphrey agrees.

“That’s just my mentality. That’s what I live and breathe every day.”

Simple. Beautiful.

Right, Leonardo?

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LAST-SECON

BY JOE COOK

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ND SHOCKER

AUSTIN, TX - West Virginia QB Will Grier’s perfect 33-yard touchdown pass to

Gary Jennings Jr. with 0:16 left gave

Mountaineer head coach Dana Holgorsen the chance to go for two and the win.

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texas vs west virginia

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fter several timeouts by both

getting out of gaps on the inside

defense, and it showed in Texas’

teams, Grier took the snap and

zone, and on the outside zone, we

propensity to miss tackles.

ran to the end zone untouched to put

weren’t flowing fast enough,” Texas

WVU ahead by one to seal the 42-41

head coach Tom Herman said.

This propensity was evident in Mar-

road victory for the No. 12 Mountain-

“We’ve got to get our assignments

tell Pettaway’s 55-yard touchdown

eers over the No. 15 Longhorns.

cleaned up.”

run in the second quarter.

Grier’s winning run served as a fit-

Texas’ inability to stop the run con-

A vicious cycle resulted. Missed

ting crescendo to a game filled with

tributed to their inability to get off the

tackles led to that poor third down

consistent struggles the Longhorns

field consistently on third down. West

percentage, which led to fatigue,

had defending the Mountaineer

Virginia was 7-for-12 on third down

which led to WVU touchdowns.

ground attack.

attempts and was 6-for-9 in the first half.

For the second straight week, Texas

Texas allowed seven yards per

couldn’t bring opponents to the

rush and 232 rushing yards total to

Being unable to get off the field,

ground in spite of working on tackling

a WVU team previously averaging

paired with injuries to several con-

to the ground every Tuesday in

4.46 yards per carry and 147.9 rush-

tributors (Breckyn Hager – elbow,

practice, and adding an emphasis on

ing yards per game.

Davante Davis – shoulder/neck,

building a program of toughness.

Marqez Bimage – shoulder, Brandon “From my vantage point, we were

Jones – ankle), wore down a Texas

Tre Watson

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“I don’t know,” senior Chris Nelson

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texas vs west virginia

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said when asked about the reason

one by WVU and two by Texas,

which way he was going, and he

behind the tackling issues. “In Tues-

prior to Grier’s three-yard two-point

bounced it all the way outside.

day practices, we hit.”

scamper.

There was supposed to be an edge guy out there, but obviously there

The Mountaineers’ final scoring

West Virginia lined up in an empty

wasn’t.”

drive began with 2:34 on the clock and trailing 41-34. WVU got the ball back following sophomore Sam Ehlinger’s 48-yard touchdown pass to junior Devin Duvernay, who used a double move to get past the Mountaineer defense.

Instead of solely relying on the pass with an all-conference quarterback, Holgorsen used balanced play calling to move down the field on the winning drive. Before Grier’s touchdown pass to Jennings Jr., West Virginia called three running plays and three passing running plays in a two minute offense to move into position to win.

No plays went for a loss, limited pressure was put on Grier, and Texas had to respect both options with time running down.

“It was certainly a good chess match,” Herman said. “It was back

Breckyn Hager

and forth, but at the end of the day the combination of inside-outside zone with a stick draw and then

set with David Sills to the boundary

great All-American quarterback,

one-on-one, and four receivers split

The 42 points by West Virginia

All-American receivers, it was a little

wide.

wasted a 41 point performance

bit too much for us to handle there at the end.”

by an Ehlinger-led offense where When the snap went off uninter-

nearly every phase of the Texas

rupted, Grier looked to pass, then

offense was successful.

Orlando’s pawns and knights

bounced outside where no Texas

couldn’t hold up to Holgorsen’s

defender was in the area.

bishops and queens, especially on the final two-point conversion.

Three timeouts were used in total,

Ehlinger was 25-for-36 for 354 yards and three touchdowns, and

“I just tried to bull the center, but

added 52 yards and a score on the

(Grier) was reading me,” Nelson

ground. Senior Tre Watson deliv-

said. “I was trying to figure out

ered his best game as a Longhorn

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rushing for 80 yards and a score and added a touchdown reception.

Junior Lil’Jordan Humphrey made several spectacular catches over shorter Mountaineer defenders. Several of his receptions were answered prayers for Ehlinger, moving Texas into the red zone.

He had nine catches for 143 yards and a score, while Duvernay added 100 yards and a score of his own.

This was Texas’ first time with two 100-yard receivers since 2013.

The first half was a point away from being even. Each team was unable to stop the other and traded the lead with each score.

Texas had 266 yards of total offense, but was outmatched by West Virginia’s 348.

The third quarter was silent for both teams, with Cameron Dicker’s 22-yard field goal as the only score.

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The teams traded scores in the fourth, and it appeared Ehlinger’s touchdown pass to Duvernay was enough to seal it, but the Texas defense failed to hold serve just as it had done in the previous 58 minutes.

“I really just hate for our offense to go out there and play the game that they did,” senior P.J. Locke said. “They played a heck of a game and us, as a defense, we couldn’t stop the run like we should have. We didn’t get takeaways and at the end of the day, those things play a big role in the game.”

With this loss, Texas drops to 6-3 and 4-2 in the Big 12 Conference. It loses the advantage it had following its win over Oklahoma, and now no longer controls its own destiny. Despite that, Herman showed optimism post-game for his team’s ability to continue to contend in the conference.

“The silver lining is that we play in the Big 12 and everybody plays everybody,” Herman said. “We’re not out of any race at this point. We certainly don’t control our own destiny. We need a couple things to happen.”

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thoughts

by Ian Boyd

A gut wrenching loss in Austin. Dana Holgorsen pre-

Overall it was a tough loss that wrested control over

made a few tweaks for his own team and personnel,

spoiler to Todd Orlando’s reputation as a spread-bust-

dictably took the Mike Gundy gameplan on offense, and then went out and took it to the Texas defense for

578 yards of offense, 42 points, and most devastating of all, 232 rushing yards.

Meanwhile, the Texas offense continued their growth that has been brewing since they stomped Oklahoma in Dallas and put the team in position to pull out a win

with 2:34 left on the clock. But Dana Holgorsen was

their own destiny from the Longhorns’ hands and played

ing DC. It’s probably not worth totally breaking down the scenarios from here until the day is done but Texas

is obviously in precarious position given OU’s likely

strength down the stretch and West Virginia’s posses-

sion of a tie-breaker advantage. Even as I write this,

Kyler Murray is throwing an INT from deep within OU territory.

playing for keeps and had TWO brilliant calls in his

The bigger concern though is the deteriorating play of

that down in a minute.

still looming on the schedule. Both of those guys can

back pocket for that two point conversion. We’ll break

Texas’ defense with Kliff Kingsbury and Matt Campbell watch film too.

#1: Tight officiating. Nothing goes in that game.

It wasn’t to the detriment of either team, in my estimation, and

ment. Kris Boyd got called for DPI on one play that looked like

it wasn’t all wrong but it was VERY tight. Texas took seven

textbook pass defense, the officials were working the defensive

penalties for 64 yards while West Virginia racked up 14 for 120,

holding penalty on DL trying to grab jersey as a means of spoil-

maybe half of that on “horns down” taunts.

ing combo blocks. And of course, Yodny Cajuste got sent to the locker room for throwing a punch that didn’t come close to land-

The “holding” penalty on Elijah Rodriguez on Texas’ final FG

ing. There were the reviews or non reviews on spots, usually

drive was a tough one for the Horns, forcing them to throw the

after Sam Ehlinger runs, that hurt Texas.

ball around when they had the West Virginia defense completely whipped for 5-10 yards on any run call they wanted to send

Just one of several things that made this game into a roller

in. That was one of many calls that showed up in this game that

coaster. This is the sort of game that makes B12 officials into

you’d normally see ignored even if twice as egregious.

a negative for the league brand, even if many of the calls were correct. It was like an NBA finals game where all of a sudden

Will Grier and friends’ insistence on coming over to taunt

calls that aren’t made are being enforced up and down the field.

the Texas student section after their game-winning two point

Eventually both teams adjusted and we moved on from this as

conversion nearly cost them the football game when they had

a major distraction to the game.

to kick off to Texas from 15 yards back off the normal place-

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#2 Texas has a big problem on defense I think that’s obvious enough. West Virginia forced Texas out of their dime package in this game because Texas couldn’t do the one thing that makes the dime package such a deadly answer to these Air Raid attacks…stop the run. It wasn’t a schematic issue, although B.J. Foster wasn’t bringing enough size to the edge on the Mountaineers’ stretch runs.

Texas is going to keep seeing that play every week because it picks at their biggest weakness, lack of either lateral agility OR decisive play from Mac LB. This was Anthony Wheeler’s worst game as a Longhorn and I say that knowing that A) By all accounts he’s a great kid who’s giving everything he can for the program and B) Saying this was his worst game is really saying something Todd Orlando

because he’s been a sieve much of the year.

It was bad though. Texas kept getting creased on stretch runs as WVU would double the nose AND the play side DE because they knew that Foster wasn’t strong enough to set a hard edge and because they knew they didn’t need to block Wheeler if they could get a stretch by blocking up the DL. If you tried that on an Iowa State LB or that Garrett Wallow kid at TCU you’d be watching him run through the line to inflict TFL after TFL. Eventually Texas moved to nickel so that they could free up that play side DE to avoid the double and that limited some of the damage but the double team of the nose still gave Wheeler fits.

The solution? I dunno. Shark was pretty bad in his limited snaps at Mac (good at B-backer) and God only knows how things are going at practice. But they have to figure something out because these spread teams don’t allow you to “comb over” a glaring bald spot, especially if you have to do it with a freshman-filled secondary because your top safety goes out just before the game.

Yodny Cajuste

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#3 Ehlinger is jinx proof Another big game from the sophomore signal-caller. 25-36 pass-

to celebrate him now being the record holder across the entire

ing for 354 yards at 9.8 yards per attempt with three TDs and

league, but it still feels like a jinx every time. Instead he respond-

zero INTs or turnovers of any kind. Texas continues to never turn

ed by throwing a long TD pass to a wide open Devin Duvernay for

the ball over at QB, which is normally an ingredient for big suc-

what should have been the winning score.

cess. It would be, if opposing QBs weren’t able to play free from doubt about where the ball should go because they’re just going

Remember when the narrative after last season and then again

to the same ATM on every other play call.

after the Maryland game was that Ehlinger couldn’t be trusted in big moments because he makes risky decisions and fails to pro-

Ehlinger added 11 carries for 52 yards and a score, 10 for 61 if

tect the football while playing hero-ball? Now he holds the record

you remove the sole sack that the Mountaineers inflicted upon

across a league known for elite QB play for throwing the most

Texas. They should have had more Ehlinger rushing scores as

consecutive passes without an INT.

well but we’re still building to that point.

You could have made an argument that Texas should have tried The prayer off his back foot to Lil’Jordan Humphrey was unbeliev-

to take more time on that drive but Herman really played it pretty

able, then he hit him again on a similar throw under pressure,

smart and on defense they were determined on that final drive to

placing the ball in just the right spot. They kept coming back to

make West Virginia work their way down the field against mostly

the TE POP pass to Andrew Beck until it finally yielded a pair of

two-deep coverages. It should have worked but then they got

big conversions on the final scoring drive.

caught failing to get lined up and ready and Caden Sterns lost eye discipline in single high on a blitz while Marcus Simms blew

Ehlinger is managing the game at a very high level but more than

by Josh Thompson for the score.

that, he’s executing some truly high level playmaking. I’d take Ehlinger over his counterpart in this game, Texas lost this one

That’s two games in a row where Texas wins if they can put their

elsewhere.

QB in position to win the game late that they instead lost because the game-winning possession featured their defense on the field

I know they flashed the infographic of how many consecutive

instead. Pretty bizarre in light of last season.

passes that Ehlinger has thrown without an INT not to jinx him but

Sam Ehlinger (11)

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- 5 Q uick T houghts | W est V irginia -

#4 Texas lost that game with goal line calls

Texas Defense

The first QB stretch call that West Virginia was

Meanwhile, West Virgina decided to put the entire

deemed to have stopped after a review was a very

game on their ability to execute from the three yard

tough break for Texas. Johnson could only have been

line. First they came out in the 4×1 set, and drew the

a few inches short and it’s remarkable that Ehlinger

timeout from Texas. Then they lined it up again on the

didn’t pick that up. Perhaps his helmet should have

hash and flipped the strength of the set so that David

been strapped on tighter but credit to West Virginia

Sills V would be lined up on the right cornerback

for being the first team to solve that scheme.

(Anthony Cook) rather than the left cornerback (Kris Boyd). Tom Herman barely got a timeout off before

The second QB stretch call that West Virginia

the inevitable slant route on an isolated freshman

stopped on second and goal from the 1 for a three-

produced the inevitable conversion.

yard loss was also defensible. Who’d have thought they’d blow it up again? But at that point you start

So, West Virginia had to go back out there with their

to maybe wish you’d gone back to that QB power

go-to play call for that situation taken away and Texas

package from a double TE set that produced the first

totally matched up with Boyd moved over to deny the

score of the game and looked as unstoppable as the

slant to Sills and everything else doubled up. But Hol-

old Belldozer scheme.

gorsen did a simple calculation, “if Texas is doubling up our four receivers and in tight man on Sills to the

You had to be concerned coming off that sequence

boundary…who’s accounting for the QB?”

that Texas had just dominated the quarter and only added three points to their lead.

Draw for Grier, West Virginia wins.

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#5 Two Weeks to Heal Up and Plan Texas needs to win out and that’s it. The road game to Lubbock has been circled as the danger game, coming after the rest of the Raid bro gauntlet, but Texas’ sins on defense gave up two other games they could not afford to yield. That may or may not be enough to fulfill the goal of putting Texas into the Big 12 championship but they need to figure some things out.

Breckyn Hager went down in this game, as did Davante Davis.

They had inexperience and holes across the defense in that game and there’s just too many to cover up. Meanwhile the offense is on a roll with a hot hand at QB, all four of the WRs in the base offense clicking now (Devin Duvernay is giving great effort, as is Andrew Beck), and a run game that nearly forced West Virginia to tap out if not for an unfortunate holding penalty and then a quick strike offense in the fourth quarter.

Todd Orlando is making a lot of money to try and figure out how to get Texas back to a level on defense where they can make enough stops to give themselves a chance to win the game. I don’t envy him the pressure or begrudge him the cash, but that’s it for the rest of the season. Fix the defense or Texas will not only miss the Big 12 title but may take additional losses that really put a damper on the successes of this season.

Tom Herman

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5/19/11 2:17:09 PM

LIL’ JORDAN C

BY JOE COOK

Lil’ Jordan Humphrey

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COMES UP BIG

LUBBOCK, TX - Down Collin Johnson for its game against Texas Tech, Texas knew the Red Raiders would pay close attention to Lil’Jordan Humphrey. They got a front row seat to his game-winning performance.

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fter the defense surrendered 24 fourth quarter

first three quarters would suggest.

points,Texas received the ball with 1:45 remaining and the

TTU quarterback Jett Duffey had three turnovers attributed to

score tied at 34. Sam Ehlinger drove Texas to the Red Raider

him through the first 45 minutes. He took available yardage, but

29, well within field goal range. But Ehlinger gave Humphrey the

struggled with ball security when the Red Raiders had opportu-

opportunity to make one more play, one he took in the form of a

nities to score.

touchdown reception over a defender to earn a 41-34 victory.

He took off in the fourth. Duffey was 13-for-19 for 229 yards Humphrey caught eight passes for a career-high 159 yards and

and three scores in the final fifteen minutes. He found Antoine

two scores. He became the first Longhorn with back-to-back

Wesley four times for 123 yards and two scores, and found T.J.

100-yard games since Mike Davis in 2012. He also made his

Vasher for the other touchdown pass.

own history in the exact same spot as Michael Crabtree’s gamewinning catch ten years ago.

His performance came against a defense battling injuries, including ailments that took Davante Davis (ankle/knee), Caden

“It’s the LJ corner now,” he said when asked if he knew that was

Sterns (head), and Josh Thompson (ankle) out of the game.

the location of the 2008 catch.

It started with an onside kick with 6:23 left and a 14-point differHumphrey would expand on the final score.

ence. Clayton Hatfield kicked the ball directly at P.J. Locke, who

“We’ve been working on it since spring and fall camp,” Hum-

couldn’t come up with the deflection before a Red Raider got

phrey said. “It’s just a testament to how hard we work during the

to it. With the help of a fourth down pass interference penalty,

off-season.”

Duffey drove Texas Tech down the field to cut it to a seven-point game.

The final drive was a result of several second-half miscues by the Longhorns. The offense had its problems, including a three-

They kicked it deep on the next kickoff, but Texas went three-

and-out on the drive prior to TTU’s tying score, but the defense

and-out. Multiple completions to Wesley, including a nine-yarder

made the final result much closer than what the results of the

for the score, tied it at 34.

“You’ve got to put 11 guys on the field, and one of the pillars of the program is competitive focus,” Texas head coach Tom Herman said.

“Which means to perform and be ready when you number’s called. Now that being said, we were down to not just second team guys but third team guys that probably get maybe zero reps in practice and have to rely completely on mental reps.”

Some of those second and third team guys getting extended play included Chris Brown and Donovan Duvernay.

That quick scoring drive gave Ehlinger an opportunity to get Texas into position to win. It looked inevitable, as Ehlinger had performed all night against the Red Raider defense. He finished 22-for-34 for 312 yards and four scores, but none were more important than those he picked up in the final minute.

Sam Ehlinger

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He rushed for 21 yards before finding Tre Watson and Jerrod

The defense was praised, but it was evident the offense won the

Heard. He rushed again for 12 more yards before setting up the

game. Not only did Humphrey and Ehlinger have big days, but

final play.

other receivers got involved too.

Despite his big night, Humphrey constantly was left alone in

Jerrod Heard had six catches for 54 yards, and Devin Duvernay

one-on-one coverage. With Demarcus Fields covering him one-

had four catches for 66 yards and two scores. On the ground,

on-one, the burnt orange duo made Texas Tech pay.

Keaontay Ingram led all rushers with 83 yards and a score, but

“We maximum protected and gave him a chance,” Ehlinger said. “We knew that.

We’ve been doing that with Collin and LJ and Devin as well, giving them a chance and let them go win. That’s what he did.”

The result comes on the heels of backto-back Big 12 games in which Texas could not squeak out victories from games decided by a combined total of four points.

The close call Herman probably would have wanted to avoid keeps Texas in the hunt to reach the conference title game in December.

It also comes as the result of a phenomenal offensive performance with a lacking response from the defense. Despite mixing and matching secondary personnel without several starters, plays not made by those left on the field

Chris Brown (15), Jeffrey McCulloch (23), P.J. Locke (11) and Breckyn Hager (44)

had to leave the game with a re-aggravation of a hip pointer.

let the Red Raiders back into the game.

Texas now sits at 7-3, the first time the Longhorns have Even with the defensive issues, Ehlinger had faith his unit would

achieved seven regular season wins since 2013. Herman’s

earn the victory for Texas.

team is also 5-2 in conference, tied with Iowa State for second behind Oklahoma and West Virginia.

“I really, really would like to not have to be in those situations where we have a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter, but I do

The Cyclones visit Austin this weekend, and Herman knows

love those situations,” Ehlinger said. “I do love having the game

what’s on the way to town.

on the line and the ball being in our hands because we have so much confidence in ourselves and we knew that was going to

“That’s going to be a dog fight as well and I think winning this

happen.”

game gives your team a little boost of confidence,” Herman said.

“Maybe we had taken some pretty good blows the last couple

The four turnovers created by the Texas defense were a bright

weeks, three point loss and then obviously the heart-breaking

spot, but despite the 270 yards given up in the fourth quarter

two point conversion loss, and to battle back after that especially

and 595 total, Herman made sure to praise his defense post-

I think will certainly pay dividends in the overall confidence of

game by noting how proud he was of them. “I can’t thank them

this team moving forward.”

enough for continuing to battle when things seemed pretty bleak there and the energy was certainly with the other team,” he said.

September - 2018

25

September - 2018

26

COMEBACK KID

By Mike Blackwell

This? Well, this was nothing. Andrew Jones sat down behind a microphone in late October and saw cameras pointed his way and reporters poised for whatever it is that reporters are poised for these days.

For most young men of 20, facing a handful of cameras might be more thana little daunting. For Andrew Jones, not so much.

For real, this was nothing.

W

hen Jones began to speak that day, he was a 20 year-

“Usually I can get up and down the court with ease,” Jones

old leukemia survivor, and there aren’t many of those.

says. “But I just felt like I was tired and moving slowly. I asked

He was a man who played Division 1 college basketball one

Elijah (teammate Mitrou-Long), he was in there that day working

minute, started feeling a little tired last fall, and was diagnosed

out, I asked him, ‘How do I look? Am I slow?’ He said, ‘Nah,

last January.

you’re good, it’s going to take a while.’ My energy just wasn’t there. I really didn’t pay too much mind to it.”

Now, miraculously, he was back with the team, regaining strength and doing things Division 1 basketball players due

Tests were given, of course, and in January he received the

each October.

diagnoses. Driven and ambitious, Jones took the news as an athlete: What can I do to win?

So yeah, turn those cameras on and ask away.

As a sophomore, he had averaged just over 13 points per game, “When we were doing conditioning I just felt it was hard for

so he had targeted the 2017-18 season as the full break-out

me to catch wind and I was exerting more energy than usual,”

season, when his drive, work ethic and serious demeanor would

said Jones, who at the time of this writing has played in two

turn into results. This was his time. He was born for this.

games for the Longhorns. “Usually in conditioning, I was able to get through workouts fairly easily. It was taking me longer to

And then came the part about God scoffing at the plans of men.

recover. I didn’t have energy and didn’t want to hang out with anybody, I’d just go to my room and try and get as much sleep

“I didn’t want to feel like a victim of my situation,” Jones said

as possible.”

of his situation. “God puts his strongest soldiers in battles that he knows they can handle. I just kept the faith and knew this

When the unusual fatigue began, Jones reacted as anyone

was just a bump in the road for me. It was nothing new; I’d

would: he waited. He was young, after all, lean and fast with a

been through tragic situations in my life before, so this was just

body chock-full of fast-twitch muscles. It was nothing, just a little

another situation that I had to overcome.”

tired. He’d wait it out.

After the diagnosis, he was forced to draw strength from his

September - 2018

27

-

cameron dicker

-

inner circle: parents, teammates, self. Like an athlete, he locked

Always a full-engaged teammate, Jones decided he needed

in mentally, listened to his coach (a.k.a., his doctor), and under-

to unplug while he fought his battle with treatments that would

went treatment in the spring and summer.

cause rapid weight loss. He needed time, self-reflection, focus and fight.

Clearly this was not a normal situation for a 20-year-old. Just as clearly, this was not your normal 20 year-old.

“Throughout those first two months, I was closed off from the world,” Jones said. “I wasn’t on the phone, I wasn’t on anything,

“My mom, my dad, my brother and sister, they never left my

it was just me and the hospital with my parents. Once I was

side,” Jones said. “Not one time. I’m deeply grateful for them.

able to move around more, have energy, that’s when I actually

Without them, I don’t know where I’d be. I don’t know if I would

started to reach out to people. And that’s when I realized, ‘OK,

have the motivation to do what I’m going today.”

people are really fighting for me to survive and actually want to see me come back and play.’ And I don’t like to let people down,

His Texas coach, Shaka Smart, had to navigate the remainder

so that was another motivation. When I have people rooting for

of a schedule that included teams that again and again showed

me, I just can’t give up.”

support for Jones and the Longhorns off the court, but obviously still wanted to win.

Jones predictably attacked his “comeback” with the same vigor and purpose that he had attacked his cancer. He was serious,

“Coach Smart, he came and saw me every time that he could,”

driven, determined; the debilitating treatment had done nothing

Jones said. “I know it was hard for him during the season,

to his competitive spirit.

having to coach and having me going through what I’m going through. That really meant a lot.”

In fact, it may have intensified his competitiveness even more.

“My doctor reassured me that I would be back playing within the next year, which I didn’t know it would be possible or not but I had no choice but to believe him,” Jones said. “That was the main turning point when he told me I would be able to play again. That just kept me motivated.”

Once Jones had the motivation, he began his climb back with his team. So far he’s played in only 11 minutes; his biggest moment from this season so far is probably the roaring affection showered upon him prior to the season in Gregory Gym when he was introduced.

But he expects much, much more. Yes, leukemia took its toll. But Andrew Jones is here, and will be here a while.

He’s a cancer survivor, but he’s a son, a brother, a friend and a man primarily.

“Through the Grace of God, anything is possible,” Jones says. “The biggest thing is to never give up. If you’re strong-hearted and strong mentally, you can preserver through anything.”

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29

SENIOR NIGH by

Joe Cook

TEXAS KNEW WHAT OPPORTUNITY WAS AHEAD OF IT BEFORE ITS TOP 25 GAME WITH IOWA STATE. IF ANY LONGHORN DIDN’T, IT WAS UNAVOIDABLE IN PREGAME WHEN THE VIDEO BOARD SHOWED OKLAHOMA STATE TOPPING WEST VIRGINIA. IN THE GAME THEY PLAYED SATURDAY INSTEAD OF WATCHED, THE NO. 13 LONGHORNS SUFFOCATED THE NO. 18 IOWA STATE CYCLONES.

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HT SUCCESS

EVEN WITH QUARTERBACK SAM EHLINGER NOT PLAYING IN THE SECOND HALF. THE LONGHORNS’ DEFENSE AND CONSISTENT RUNNING ATTACK SECURED A 24-10 WIN, AND AN OPPORTUNITY FOR TEXAS TO PLAY IN THE BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP WITH A WIN AT KANSAS.

September - Breckyn 2018 Hager 31

- texas vs iowa state -

T

hough fans in Darrell K Royal –

Purdy and set the tone for the Texas

vered and you can’t play great defense

Texas Memorial Stadium prior

defense the rest of the game.

if you don’t have confidence.”

saw the events in Stillwater play out

Iowa State was without star running

Iowa State notched a field goal on its

were excited, Texas head coach Tom

back David Montgomery in the first half.

second drive after Texas marched 80

Herman had to make sure he kept his

He was ejected for fighting in ISU’s

yards on nine plays and capped its drive

team’s focus on stopping Brock Purdy

previous matchup with Baylor, which

with a Ehlinger score.

and defeating the conference’s best

carried with it a one half suspension in

defense.

the next game.

to the venue’s 500th game who

For the rest of the half, Iowa State struggled to move the ball in any fashion.

“I said the big picture doesn’t matter,

Without Montgomery, the Cyclone of-

Purdy was 6-of-17 in the first half with

never has in this program,” Herman said

fense relied heavily on Purdy making

heaves to Butler serving as the main

about his pre-game speech. “And the

throws to Hakeem Butler. It struggled to

source of offense, and ended 10-of-23

big picture certainly won’t matter if we

produce outside of that.

for the game.

of it, but I think we got them dialed back

“The guys executed great,” Herman

Texas, however, was efficient and often

in very quickly.”

said. “Their confidence never wavered,

looked to Lil’Jordan Humphrey if they

which was a credit to our coaching staff,

weren’t intent on running the football.

That was clear on the first defensive

a credit to the leaders on that team,

Tre Watson, Keaontay Ingram, and

possession. Iowa State gained a single

Chris Nelson and Anthony Wheeler,

Ehlinger combined for 148 rushing yards

first down, but was forced to punt after

Gary Johnson, Breckyn Hager, Charles

in the first half, including a 39-yard run

linebacker Anthony Wheeler sacked

Omenihu, their confidence never wa-

by Watson.

don’t win this game. So they were aware

Ingram and Watson for the game combined for 160 yards on 26 carries.

“I definitely thought I was going to get out,” Watson said on his 39-yard run. “I had a hip bump earlier in the game, so it kind of restricted me a bit. No excuses, got to bounce back.”

Ingram contributed in the passing game, hauling in a 19-yard pass from Ehlinger where he followed blockers clearing a path for him into the end zone.

Both Watson and Ingram were also on the injury report with hip injuries, however both were able to finish the game. Breckyn

Kaeontay Iingram

Hager, B.J. Foster, Kris Boyd,

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- texas vs iowa state Zach Shackelford, all suffered dings as well but were able to play through them.

us their best shot.”

Texas won the 500th game in DKR in front of an energetic crowd of 102,498,

Texas hasn’t been in a situation where it

Not all the injury news was positive as

won on senior night for the first time

was playing for the conference title since

late in the first half, Ehlinger scrambled

since 2013, and will clinch a spot in the

2013, and hasn’t been in the Big 12

on 3rd and 14 with seconds remaining on the clock. As he reached the five yard-line, ISU safety Greg Eisworth delivered a big hit to Ehlinger’s right side.

Ehlinger favored his shoulder, which was previously injured this season, and jogged into the locker room prior to Cameron Dicker’s 22-yard field goal.

He never returned to the game. Herman explained that Ehlinger suffered a contusion of the AC joint. He mentioned the injury felt different than the AC sprain Ehlinger previously suffered this year.

X-rays were negative and Ehlinger will get an MRI Sunday.

In his stead once again was junior Shane Buechele. Buechele was perfect Kris Boyd

passing, going 10-for-10 for 89 yards.

His only touchdown pass was late in the third quarter to Lil’Jordan Humphrey, who once again had a phenomenal

Big 12 Championship game with a win

night. Texas ran an odd formation with

in Kansas.

six offensive linemen, two tight ends and

championship game since 2009.

A win in Kansas gives them an opportu-

Humphrey as the only receiver. Iowa

“I’m extremely happy that we have an

State double covered one of the tight

opportunity to go 1-0 versus Kansas,”

ends, leaving Humphrey all alone.

said Charles Omenihu, who recovered a

“We understand that to win any game

fumble to totally seal the game. “That’s

in this conference we need to give that

“I saw LJ one-on-one,” Buechele said.

our main goal right now, and that’s what

opponent our best effort,” Herman said.

“One-on-one with LJ is always fun.”

I’m focused on right now.”

“It’s a short week. We’re not going to be

nity in Herman’s second season.

any less banged up so we have got to That 27-yard touchdown pass gave

His head coach said something similar.

Texas a three-score lead, and even a

heal, but we have also got to prepare for a team that’s going to be playing on their

Cyclone team with David Montgomery

“We’re 0-0 against Kansas, a team that

senior day, and obviously had a great

couldn’t manage more than a lone

I was told by Craig Way I guess scored

performance today.”

touchdown when the game was already

50 points in Norman, Oklahoma,” Her-

out of reach.

man said. “A team that is going to give Jean Delance

September - 2018

33

POST-MORTEM |

O F F E N S E

by Scipio Tex I think it’s important to point out that Iowa State had a kicker

After Shane Buechele took over for an injured Sam Ehlinger,

named Ass Alley. Which the announcers tried to get me to pro-

the Horns capped another long TD drive in the 3rd quarter with

nounce “Uh-Sally.” Nah.

a ballsy throw to Lil’ Jordan Humphrey in single coverage where he victimized ISU CB De’monte Ruth (#10), listed optimistically

The Texas offense got into some ass alley Saturday night

at 5-10, 174, but looking like Baby Ruth draped on his Dad’s leg

against the league’s most proven defense. The Longhorns

whenever he had to cover #84.

drove for touchdowns of 80 and 94 yards in the first and third possessions of the game and followed that with a pair of chip

I thought this was a terrific example of the Texas offensive staff

shot field goal attempts, one missed, one made, the make at the

attacking specific personnel, a contrast to a more persistent

end of a 75 yard drive.

early season nameless faceless opponent “we’re gonna run our stuff” approach. The best offenses seem to strike a good bal-

SAM EHLINGER

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ance of honoring their identity and attacking a clear deficiency.

recognition and timing of that throw were tremendous and you

Ruth was Iowa State’s.

could see Ehlinger’s instant recognition as he made the read.

His poise in the pocket is an incredible contrast to his freshman

More interestingly, Texas ran the hell out of the ball. Ian Boyd

season. Hell, it’s a contrast to this early season.

and I both thought it was key to involve Ehlinger early in the run game, which we did effectively, but I was really pleased to see

RB

the level of success we had on “normal runs.”

Ingram and Watson combined for 150 yard rushing on 26 carries (5.8 per carry average) and while we all wished an extra

Forget the seemingly modest 24 points output. This was one

gear for Tre Watson on his 39 yard run, I’m incredibly thankful

of the cleanest games that the Longhorns played all year and

the Cal transfer made it here. The grad transfer market has

it was pleasure to watch, particularly when you factor in a 4th

treated us well.

quarter where Texas was content to run clock and finish the game. I admit that dominant defensive play might have biased

The Texas coaching staff even threw me a “throw it to the RBs!”

my perception of that approach, but why press your luck with the

bone by throwing to both of them for a combined seven times for

back-up QB in the game and a three TD lead?

48 yards and a touchdown. Those checkdowns are vital for an

Let’s get to it...

QB The position collectively went 22 of 25 (without Googling, can anyone name a famous Super Bowl performance from a QB where they went 22 for 25? - there’s a second level Longhorn connection) for 226 yards and two touchdown passes with another combined 47 yards rushing and another touchdown. Not too bad. Shane Buechele was a perfect 10 of 10 in relief of Ehlinger after Sam got popped trying to maximize a run (please slide, dude) and while the Texas coaches

TRE WATSON (5) AND SAM COSMI (52)

clearly limited Shane’s play menu, they had no problem letting it

offense and they’ll actually expand in potential impact as teams

hang out on a 27 yard 3rd and 2 touchdown pass to Humphrey

begin to fret our WR mismatches more.

that effectively sealed the game.

Unfortunately, I do have one bone to pick. Texas has only turned Sam made a lot of good plays in 2.5 quarters, but one of the

it over eight times this year. Daniel Young is responsible for 25%

most impressive from a QB growth and understanding perspec-

of those turnovers. On 41 carries. You can’t be the finish-the-

tive was Ehlinger hitting Keaontay Ingram in the wide flat for a

game back if you fumble. And you can’t be the #2 runner next

19 yard touchdown against the ISU red zone blitz. The touch,

year on that track of development. There’s a pretty obvious 10-

September - 2018

35

LIL’ JORDAN HUMPHREY

12 carry per game role available for a talented true freshman.

sack onBeck and the other coming on a nicely coordinated ISU blitz on 3rd and long where they just had us dialed in. Other

WR/TE

than that, these guys won in the trenches consistently and I was

Humphrey dominated Texas Tech last week statistically, but

blown away by Calvin Anderson and Cosmi’s effectiveness in

what he did to Iowa State was soul stealing. The now 1,000+

space and on the pull. It’s an interesting characteristic of our

yard receiver pushed the pile at will, broke five tackles and man-

team that our offensive tackles are both smaller, more mobile,

handled ISU’s DBs on blocking assignments. 7 catches for 86

and much more athletic pullers than our guards and there’s

yards and a touchdown doesn’t quite encompass what he did to

good reason to keep building on that trait as blocking down

the poor Cyclones. Collin Johnson was a dominant go-to early,

and pulling the last man backside is one of the effective ways

but finished with a quiet 3-55, which included a 35 yard catch

to complement zone running with some gap stuff. There’s also

and run. Sometimes it’ll be his week and it’s hard to argue with

some cool stuff you can build off of that look with play action

feeding #84 when the match-ups scream for it.

deep if we’re so inclined.

Devin Duvernay has gone from 10.2 100 meter deep threat to

These guys played really hard and really well.

a plucky sure-handed possession receiver. I’m amused by this development and he’s doing a great job. Heard showed some

FINAL

nice effort avoid a tfl, running through an ISU tackler for a posi-

ISU’s defense is constructed to handle Big 12 spread teams

tive gain. Anthony Beck blew a block on Matt Leo that allowed a

and they deliver their physicality small on small. Against Texas,

sack. Solid beyond that.

their tough smalls encountered tougher bigger. With Texas headsets matching everything ISU’s had to offer, what looked to

OL

be a brawl turned into a clear 12 round decision of the 118-110

Damn good performance. Zach Shackelford had his hands full

variety, where knocking the opponent out late wasn’t worth the

with Lima inside and he actually wore the big guy down on a

risk or bother.

couple of long drives. Pass protection was excellent, with one

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8-3. Beat Kansas.

September - 2018

37

POST-MORTEM |

D E F E N S E

CHRIS BROWN (15)

What a difference a week makes. The best defensive perfor-

Texas got more muscle up front, a lot more pass rush and a lot

mance of the year couldn’t have come at a better time.

more certainty about run fits. A mix of McCulloch (who logged 90% of his snaps at the line of scrimmage), Chris Nelson, Mal-

A Longhorn defense victimized for 500+ yards, over 38 points

colm Roach, Ta’Quon Graham, Charles Omenihu and Breckyn

per game, and a ridiculous opponent 3rd down 60% opponent

Hager drew the lion’s share of snaps and they abused a vulner-

conversion rate for three straight weeks saw Todd Orlando

able Cyclone OL for four quarters.

scrap his trademark 3-2-6 defense for a base 4-2-5 look on normal downs that played 6-7 defenders in the box, blitzed an

Behind them, with one LB usually blitzing a gap, it’s pretty clear

interior LB at least half of the time, and instructed the four man

that the other LB was tasked with clean-up between the tackles

Texas DL to whip the ISU OL at the point of attack rather than

while the safeties handled the exterior. Which meant - what’s in

play 3 man outnumbered slant games.

front of them. No run fits from a freshman safety 12 yards off of

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ANTHONY WHEELER (45) AND CHARLES OMENIHU (90)

the ball on the other side of formation to be found.

touchdown after a long punt return and a penalty

In this case, simple meant stout. And fundamentals cleaned up

DL

nicely with certainty.

Omenihu was getting off the ball like a track star on clear passing downs and he was extremely disruptive against the running

In the secondary, Texas played heavy doses of man coverage

game. ISU just couldn’t handle him, whether lined up at 4, 5

underneath with a safety deep tasked with preventing Hakeem

or 9. I counted 4 clear holds on him that didn’t get called, but

Butler from running anything down the deep middle. On 3rd

Omenihu kept after it.

down, Texas brought immediate pressure with Gary Johnson as a closing speed spy to clean up the deteriorating pocket.

A healthy Malcolm Roach playing at his proper position has been a tremendous boon. Good run stopper, can play mul-

The simplest, most effective game plan of the year matched ISU

tiple positions on the DL and can even log good snaps at NT

personnel and every game situation beautifully. Was some of

when needed. Nelson was solid in the middle and we’re now

it match-up and a lack of versatility in the ISU passing game?

aggressively situationally subbing for him on passing downs.

Maybe. But the end result was a confident Texas defense that

Hager was on a limited snap count but had a DL’s dream - the

played fast, hard and physically dominated the Cyclones for four

unblocked sack.

quarters.

J Cyclones passers (Locke knocked Purdy out late) were a

These guys won’t really show up in the box score in a way of

combined 13 of 29 for 148 yards and an interception

reflective of their game impact, but they won the game up front.

J No Cyclone runner exceeded 33 yards and ISU finished

I though they benefitted tremendously from numbers and not

with 62 yards rushing

running as many slants, which allowed them to win at the point

J ISU totaled 210 yards

of attack and rally to the ball rather than run themselves out of

J Texas totaled six sacks - by six different defenders

plays.

J Texas forced two fumbles (one recovered by ISU) and an interception

ISU abandoned a fair amount of their RPO and QB run game

J An ISU offense averaging over 34 points per game under

playbook simply because Campbell saw pretty early that these

Purdy was held to 10 points. Including a late game garbage

were going to be negative plays.

September - 2018

39

LB That’s the Gary Johnson I remember from the second half of last year. We blitzed him or Anthony Wheeler quite a bit on run downs to create disruption (and guarantee a filled gap) and then used #33 as a spy on Purdy with instructions to close late when the pocket broke. He had three QB hits, a sack and was generally a terror all over the field.

Tremendous energy night from the senior. Wheeler had a tough moment or two (ISU targeted him on a 23 yard run on 3rd and 1 in the 1st half when he filled the wrong gap on an interior run) but he really benefitted from a narrower menu of options and job requirements. We either blitzed him or gave him some defined space that he was responsible for, which beats giving him openended decisions and varying responsibilities from the guard’s outside shoulder to the sideline.

Good physicality from Jeffrey McCulloch and he had a nice tipped ball to break up a run-pass option. Flash play from young Joe Ossai late with the strip sack.

P.J. LOCKE

DBs The nickel on regular downs seemed to benefit assignment clarity. Parking a safety deep and telling him “no one runs past you”, then manning up across the board while the other safety creates mischief elsewhere on 80% of other downs meant simplicity and that seemed to help play speed. The lack of complexity in ISUs base passing game with a freshman at the helm in front of a massive hostile crowd certainly helped, but this unit was dialed in.

virtuous circles. The play of the Texas defense as a case study in it. You do a couple of things better and suddenly the trickle down benefits start to multiply.

I lost some faith in this defense because I thought we were heading down the wrong road matching play calls with the opposing OC, an over-reliance on what worked best with last

Kris Boyd played a very good game. Davante Davis was very solid and silenced ISU’s secondary receivers. P.J. Locke played one of his better games in recent memory. Big hits, solid in coverage. Chris Brown made the play on the gift INT and Caden Sterns lost his freshman run-fill paralysis, filling the alley with abandon for several TFLs on some ISU plays that bounced wide late.

year’s personnel, and “looks” were coming at the expense of soundness, fundamentals, clarity and opponent specific game planning.

But this opponent, this game plan, this performance and execution from the Longhorn D is exactly what they needed to build confidence, get player buy-in, and move away from the idea that Texas lacks the personnel (yes, even with injuries) to play good,

B.J. Foster’s closing speed and effort level on his sack made me laugh out loud. He goes from taking on an ISU OT to chasing down a sprinting Purdy and accelerating into cutting off his escape lane from a breakdown position like he was shot from a cannon. Ridiculous. Pass rush solves a lot of secondary issues, but I just didn’t see any busts.

much less competent, defense.

When Texas plays with certainty, the Longhorns look like a different unit. A good one. Against the right match-ups, a dominant one.

8-3. Time to go grab a spot in the Big 12 title game.

OVERALL There’s nothing like football that better illustrates the idea of

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GOING TO JE by

Joe Cook

LAWRENCE — With a spot in the Big 12 Championship on the line, all the Texas Longhorns had to do was get past Kansas.

3-8 Kansas. 1-7 in conference play Kansas.

Lame duck coach Kansas.

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ERRYWORLD

September - Breckyn 2018 Hager 43

- texas vs kansas -

W

hile the Longhorns prevailed

end at the hands of Kansas’ Najee

That defensive effort lost Texas’ starting

24-17, it was in a similar vein to

Stevens-McKenzie in the second quar-

safety Brandon Jones in the second

so many of the games Longhorn head

ter. Ehlinger passed for two scores and

half. On a second quarter punt return,

coach Tom Herman’s team has played

ran for another, but had trouble getting

Jones was on the receiving end of a hel-

in this year. It was interesting until the

past the Jayhawk defense as easily as

met-to-helmet hit, resulting in a targeting

very end because they could not put

others in the Big 12 had.

ejection for KU’s Emmanuel Moore.

did, it sealed Texas’ place in Arlington

“I felt that Kansas played really well

As a result, two true freshmen in BJ

December 1 with a chance to win the

defensively,” Ehlinger said. “They had

Foster and Caden Sterns had to man

Big 12 Championship.

a good scheme for us. They did a good

the safety spots for the rest of the game

job of doubling Collin (Johnson) and LJ

and try to keep tabs on Kansas’ star

“I told the team it’s kind of like golf,”

(Humphrey), and did a good job of get-

player, Pooka Williams.

Herman said after the game. “They don’t

ting extra hats in the run game.”

the game 100 percent away. When they

draw pictures on the scorecard. They don’t draw pictures of wins and losses.”

Texas held a 21-0 lead at the end of the The halftime score read 7-0 in Texas’

third quarter after an Ehlinger pass to

favor, a testament to the strong defen-

tight end Andrew Beck and an Ehlinger

The final score was in Texas favor, but

sive performance without senior Gary

rushing TD on a draw. But once again,

it was another case of the Longhorns

Johnson, who was serving a one-game

Texas couldn’t close out the opponent

winning ugly. Quarterback Sam Ehlinger,

suspension for a violation of team rules.

and made things interesting.

coming off a second shoulder injury

The opening score was an Ehlinger-

this season, saw his consecutive pass

to-Johnson pass for 26 yards to cap a

Kansas scored its first points of the

attempts without an interception streak

98-yard drive.

game on a 57-yard run by Pooka Williams, and Ehlinger turned the ball over again on the ensuing drive. Texas would almost immediately get the ball back thanks to Gary Johnson’s replacement, Jeffrey McCulloch.

McCulloch tipped a ball intended for an open receiver heading up the seam and destined for the end zone. McCulloch came down with it and returned it 65 yards, setting up a Cameron Dicker field goal.

“It was just a play I made,” McCulloch said. “I couldn’t have done it without my defensive line getting pressure on the quarterback and forcing him to throw the ball. I was in the right place at Caden Sterns

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the right time.”

- texas vs kansas A few drives later, Kansas quarterback

He noted they weren’t simply glad to be

only picture for Texas at this point in the

Peyton Bender found Daylon Charlot

there, saying their goal is to go 1-0 in

season. Herman described the Maryland

for a touchdown to make it a 10-point

that game.

season-opening loss as feeling like it

game with over three minutes to play.

The Jayhawks, in outgoing head coach

was “eons” ago.

The opportunity is one of the last stops

David Beaty’s final game, attempted an onside kick.

Zach Shackelford

Texas thought they stunted KU’s comeback attempt when Collin Johnson slapped the ball out of bounds. Since he slapped it forward, it was called illegal touching. KU got another chance at it, and dribbled it up to tight end Andrew Beck. Beck misplayed it, and Kansas was ruled to have recovered the football.

Texas’ defense held KU to a field goal, and the Jayhawks tried one more time to onside and get back into the game.

The ball bounced into Humphrey’s hands, and Texas knelt out the clock to solidify its place next Saturday in AT&T Stadium.

Ehlinger’s stat line was average at 16-of-28 for 154 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Texas made up for it with performances from the running backs. Tre Watson rushed 14 times for

on many seniors Texas football careers.

His team will have to defeat one of West

80 yards while Keaontay Ingram rushed

Two years ago, as sophomores, they left

Virginia or Oklahoma, two teams the

13 times for 51 yards.

Kansas as losers. Now, they leave as

Longhorns have played to nail-biting

championship contenders.

finishes.

that matters. That final score has Texas

“We looked back and we were 5-7

Two teams they will need to be on

playing in Arlington in the conference

two years in a row sitting at home,”

their best to beat, much different than

championship game for the first time

cornerback Kris Boyd said. “We watched

the performance they put out today.

since 2009.

the Big 12 (Championship). Now we’re

If Longhorns play their best, the head

actually playing in it. That just shows

coach believes they could be confer-

“We knew we’re an unfinished product,”

you hard work pays off, and if you buy in

ence champions.

Herman said. “We know we’ve got a lot

and want something and you want to go

of work to do, but we’re overachieving

get it, you can do it.”

As Herman said, the final score is all

right now. We’ve done just enough to

“I think our guys know that if we play our best, we can play with anybody in the

earn the right to play in our conference’s

The big picture, being a conference

title game.”

championship contender, is now the

country,” Herman said.

Jean Delance

September - 2018

45

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September - 2018

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September - 2018

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SOONERS TOP HO SENIOR NIGH by

Joe Cook

LAWRENCE — With a spot in the Big 12 Championship on the line, all the Texas Longhorns had to do was get past Kansas. 3-8 Kansas. 1-7 in conference play Kansas. Lame duck coach Kansas

TEXAS KNEW WHAT OPPORTUNITY WAS AHEAD OF IT BEFORE ITS TOP 25 GAME WITH IOWA STATE. IF ANY LONGHORN DIDN’T, IT WAS UNAVOIDABLE IN PREGAME WHEN THE VIDEO BOARD SHOWED OKLAHOMA STATE TOPPING WEST VIRGINIA. IN THE GAME THEY PLAYED SATURDAY INSTEAD OF WATCHED, THE NO. 13 LONGHORNS SUFFOCATED THE NO. 18 IOWA STATE CYCLONES.

48

inside texas

insidetexas.com

Sam Ehlinger

ORNS FOR TITLE HT SUCCESS

ARLINGTON, Tx — In close games with championships on the line, a single slip-up can change the fortunes of a game. When EVEN WITH QUARTERBACK SAM EHLINGER NOT PLAYING No. 5 Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb fumbled a handful of yards IN THE SECOND THE LONGHORNS’ DEFENSE AND from the end zoneHALF. and Brandon Jones recovered the loose ball, CONSISTENT SECURED A 24-10 WIN, it look like OU RUNNING committedATTACK that particular mishap.

AND AN OPPORTUNITY FOR TEXAS TO PLAY IN THE BIG 12 That was until TreWITH Brown sacked Ehlinger two plays later in CHAMPIONSHIP A WIN ATSam KANSAS. the end zone for a safety to put the Sooners up 32-27. In the remaining 8:27, No. 14 Texas couldn’t muster anymore, while OU added a game-sealing touchdown with two minutes left to win the Big 12 Championship, 39-27, at AT&T Stadium on Saturday evening.

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- big xii title Lamb’s fumble occurred thanks

was my fault for not seeing him be-

lone interception coming on his final

to a missed tackle. He got free

cause I was looking the other way.”

pass of the game.

turned into the middle of the field.

That safety set up Oklahoma’s

The Oklahoma defense helped the

He reached the 10-yard line, but

game-sealing and opportunity-

Sooners to victory through limiting

was hit hard from behind by Gary

erasing drive. The Sooners went

the Texas rushing game to 88 yards

Johnson. When Jones collected the

65 yards over 11 plays, taking more

on 32 carries. No Texas rusher had

football, Texas had an opportunity

than six minutes off the clock.

more than 50 yards.

Oklahoma scored 37 offensive

“I have no clue,” Zach Shackelford

points, but the work of it’s much

said on if Oklahoma made adjust-

After a failed handoff to Keaontay

maligned defense was a huge part

ments in order to limit Texas’ run

Ingram, one of only four on the day,

of its fourth conference champion-

game.” That’s a good question.

Ehlinger dropped back on 2nd-

ship in a row. That’s despite Collin

Probably, if anything, a lack of

and-11. Brown got a free rush to the

Johnson setting a Big 12 Cham-

execution here or there. That’s a

quarterback, and sent Ehlinger to

pionship game record with 177

couple plays that could be the dif-

the ground.

receiving yards, adding a score.

ference in the game.”

and ran up the sideline before he

to go down the field on the Sooner defense.

That’s despite Ehlinger completing “It seemed to be their game plan

23-of-36 passes for 349 yards and

In addition, Kyler Murray played like

blitz,” Ehlinger said. “Unfortunately,

two scores, while adding two more

a Heisman candidate. He ran for

we didn’t pick it up in our slide and it

touchdowns on the ground, with his

39 yards and was 25-of-34 for 379 yards and three scores. His offensive line, and the Texas defensive strategy, gave him ample time in the pocket to make throws.

He had the majority of his passing total in the first half, but his clinching touchdown throw, a 18-yarder to Grant Calcaterra, was one very few quarterbacks around the country are able to make.

He found a rhythm late in the first half. Texas punted on 4th-and-11 with a minute left, giving Oklahoma the ball on its 20. Texas’ drop-eight

Anthony Wheeler

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inside texas

insidetexas.com

defense didn’t put enough pressure on Murray to rattle

- big xii title him, and he moved down the field in

man’s first season. While the team

results on conference championship

0:41 to hold a 20-14 lead at the half.

improvement was clear, the sting of

Saturday, and how the final College

the loss was still fresh for the 2018

Football Rankings shape up.

Oklahoma scored again on its

Longhorns.

first drive after halftime, but Texas responded with a score of its own to keep it within one possession. They made a defensive stop, and scored again but missed the PAT, tying the game at 27.

OU connected on a field goal early in the fourth. Texas punted on the ensuing drive, and the resulting Oklahoma drive ended in the Lamb fumble.

The slip-up and momentum shifts were a huge storyline, but Texas did itself no favors throughout most of the game.

The Longhorns committed 13 penalties for 128 yards, including several face mask and pass interference penalties that continued

Collin Johnson

drives. Adding free yards to any offense, especially one as potent as Oklahoma’s, makes any deficit difficult to overcome.

Overall, the program has improved “Extremely disappointed in the out-

since Herman took over for Charlie

come for these seniors especially,”

Strong. However, there’s still prog-

“That makes it hard to win when

Texas head coach Tom Herman

ress that must be made if Texas has

you’re going backwards that many

said. “This is something they had

aspirations of overtaking Oklahoma

times, so I do think that it had an

worked so hard for the last 12

as the class of the conference.

impact,” Andrew Beck said. “We’ll

months. To come up just short is a

watch the film and see how we can

tough pill to swallow, but I told them

Its leader next year stressed he

improve. Usually when there are

that losing is supposed to hurt.”

would make that happen.

That sting could be mitigated by

“I will make it my mission to never

an appearance in a New Years

let this team or this school feel this

Texas now sits at 9-4, an improve-

Six bowl game, which Texas could

disappointment again,” Ehlinger

ment of several games over Her-

find itself in depending on other

said.

penalties, it’s technique issues, which thankfully are fixable.”

Jean Delance

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