A new beginning?
Texas almost beheads the crimson dragon and I'm being offered Kool-Aid at a meeting, do I drink it?
A story in two parts, with an intermission and a trailer of what’s to come.
PRELUDE
Did someone rewind the tape in the VCR? Last week I wrote about how football doesn’t care about a fan’s desire for symmetry and though we didn’t get symmetry in Texas versus Alabama, we were revisited by a cruel and familiar narrative. The Longhorns came out looking every bit as physical as the Crimson Tide, with a quarterback who was dialed in to his offense. We could seemingly do no wrong. When Steve Sarkisian hits on a game script and gets rolling, he’s turns into a caffeinated chef on a cooking show, BAM! Don’t get burned. Quinn Ewers was making NFL like throws on the turf at DKR and if you’ve ever wondered what people do in Heaven, they just watch Ewers throw this out route to Xavier Worthy on repeat for 40,000 years. Sign me up Lord.
But then, a shoulder. It had to be a shoulder, didn’t it? The aforementioned quarterback leaves the game after an injury near the goal line and all hope is lost. No, wait, that’s Hudson Card’s music! The local kid from Lake Travis almost pulls off the unthinkable upset, only to fall just short. I hate these damn Hollywood reboots. But rather than feel sorry for ourselves, I say we take a look a little deeper than just the Wikipedia plot summaries of the games. It’s true that the original matchup between these two teams spelled the end of the Longhorns as we knew them, but despite the similarities in story, this loss might just be a new beginning.
ACT 1
I thought Texas was going to play well and cover the ridiculous three touchdown spread, but I didn’t think with 90 seconds left they were going to make me believe. It was the best crowd I’ve ever seen in Austin and after we took the lead I stupidly turned to my wife and said “I’m rushing the field, I’ll meet you at the car.” Then after singing The Eyes, we walked back to the parking garage together, in silence. If you had told me last week that I could have a one-point loss to Alabama where the Longhorns were leading with 90 seconds left, I would have rushed to grab my checkbook for you. I would have done anything to avoid an embarrassment. I couldn’t stand the thought of a game that made Arch Manning tug on his collar and go red in the face. Now, all burnt orange faithful have their guts spilled out on the floor because it was right there for the taking and they fell short thanks to Bryce Young’s heroics, Quinn Ewers’ injury and a dash of Big 12 refs demonstrating their continued incompetence. The L in the loss column doesn’t tell you how close it actually was and that sick familiar feeling of almost has returned.
Even still, the Longhorns put on the greatest display of Texas Fight that I’ve seen inside DKR since Vince Young’s miraculous comeback against Oklahoma State in 2004. I’m immensely proud of Hudson Card and the Longhorns’ effort against the number one team in the country. Now, the inspired effort has fans and media thinking that the ship has finally been righted in Austin.
But we’re not the type to celebrate moral victories, are we? Though I left the game feeling proud and hopeful, it's hard to know what to believe moving forward. I’ve had a schizophrenic dialogue going on in my head all week in regards to whether or not we should we drink the burnt orange Kool-Aid. Here’s a trip inside my mind…
Everyone else is doing it, I know, but should we? It looks pretty tasty. I know it’s free, but there’s always a catch. Yes, I did see the defensive line manhandle Alabama’s offensive line. I mean, wouldn’t bet against Kelvin Banks being the first offensive tackle to win the Heisman Trophy. How much money did you want to put down on it? No, that’s absurd, stop, he’s a freshman. We don’t develop players. But, I did try Bijan Mustardson last week and really liked it, with taste that good we have to be bac—WE JUST LOST TO KANSAS! WE DIDN’T CLOSE IN THE FOURTH QUARTER, AGAIN! We suck. Okay, I’ll watch Quinn’s bomb to Worthy again. What a throw! I know, I saw the defense laying the wood on people. And yes, I saw Hudson Card dragging the team down the field on a bum ankle like he was in a Disney sports movie. But no, I’m not drinking that Kool-Aid, the Longhorns had their shot at Saban and as Omar from The Wire says, “you come at the King, you best not miss.” But, Omar gets killed by a kid. Spoiler Alert!
And so on and so on. So, after the break we’ll go share three reasons to drink the Kool-Aid and two reasons to hold off, you can be the judge and decide for yourself. We’re not a cult here.
INTERMISSION
I’m going to need a cigarette after all this schadenfreude. I’d like to spend today’s intermission discussing our friends to the East. College football is the greatest sport in the world because you can have your heart ripped out of your chest in the 100-degree heat at 2:45pm, only for it to grow back three sizes bigger (like the Grinch) in the very same day. After the Alabama loss, I was dejected, but I accidentally saw the score for Appalachian State/A&M and I was determined to not get excited. Then, after the Aggies almost missed the ball completely on a game tying field goal and the Mountaineers iced the game on a long run, I was whooping like a freshman tuba player at Midnight Yell.
Let’s run through some facts: Jimbo Fisher is in year five in College Station, he has a team full of his players, he just signed the best (on paper) recruiting class of all time, he beat Alabama last season and then called Nick Saban a narcissist and a cheater in a press conference, he signed a contract extension to his fully guaranteed contract that already would have made the late Queen blush. All of that is true, yet so is the following: Fisher’s offense only put up seven of its own points against an App St defense that gave up 63 to North Carolina the week prior, his own players were mocking his offense on Twitter after the loss, he’s making a quarterback change three games into the season, and finally, he has a worse record than Kevin Sumlin through 50 games in College Station.
Fisher’s offense is antiquated, confusing and dull. His insistence on continuing to call plays is the biggest thing holding the Aggies back from finally taking the next step. A&M has state of the art facilities and a fanbase that have sold would sell their souls to win, but they haven’t invested in a mirror for their coach.
Where’s the ashtray?
All that being said, the Aggies host Miami in College Station this week and I fully expect them to win, because every time Jimbo’s back is against the ropes, he escapes.
ACT 2: To drink or not to drink
Drink it: Joel Klatt said it best, Texas’ 20-19 loss to Alabama finally shows a commitment to process over results. For so long, Texas has been obsessed with results and has simply wanted to be lifted back to the mountain top, without putting in the work to climb up there. Sarkisian didn’t come in guaranteeing championships in the way that Herman did, but he promised a commitment to process. In game two of last year, the Longhorns were absolutely embarrassed by Arkansas in Fayetteville. That game cruelly exposed that Texas wasn’t ready for the impending trench warfare that the SEC requires. But, in game two of this season, Texas played Alabama to a draw in the trenches despite starting freshman Cole Hutson and Kelvin Banks on the offensive line and the Texas’ defensive line played their most disruptive game in years. The line of scrimmage battle against Alabama showed Sark’s strength and conditioning and recruiting visions coming to fruition.
Also in the loss, the Longhorns showed excellent communication on defense, improved tackling, a lack of penalties and a thorough understanding of the offensive game plan, regardless of who was at quarterback. In 2021, the Longhorns oftentimes looked tough until they were punched in the mouth and then they would fold. On the first play of Alabama’s second drive, Jase McClellan busted off an 81-yard touchdown run and it seemed as if the Longhorns were in for a long day, but the Tide would gain just 236 yards the rest of the game. The Longhorns rallied and proof of concept(s) for Sark and Pete Kwiatkowski were on full display.
Don’t Drink It: The Longhorns didn’t close, again. Like last season against Oklahoma, OSU, Baylor and Iowa State, the Longhorns had a second half lead against a ranked team and they lost. The Texas offense scored one touchdown in five trips to the red zone. Bert Auburn, though heroic late in the game, missed a chip shot field goal before the half that would’ve proved infinitely valuable. Plus, the Longhorns have gotten up for big games before and narrowly lost, then still produced clunkers for seasons, see Notre Dame in 2016, USC in 2017, LSU in 2019 and Oklahoma in 2021.
Drink it: Like I said, it was a complete display of Texas Fight from both sides of the ball. From Quinn Ewers coming in and showing poise beyond his years, to Xavier Worthy shaking off an early drop, to Roschon Johnson and Jordan Whittington punishing Tide players in the open field and Hudson Card leading the team down the field on one leg to take the lead on their last real drive. You also had walk on punter and kicker Daniel “Machete” Trejo and Bert Auburn coming up in incredibly clutch moments. The defense gave up the early long touchdown against it, but they rallied the rest of the game. Culminating in the fourth down stop by Anthony Cook and co, which was the most inspiring Texas football moment of the last 12 years. All of those facts are stark comparisons to the losses last year and the previous “big games” that Texas has nearly won. In the previous matchups, you usually saw one heroic performance on offense or defense, while the opposite side of the ball was awful. I won’t bring up all the examples, but a 3rd and 17 against LSU might jog your memory. This was a complete team effort and most likely a different story if Ewers plays the entire game, but on that note…
Don’t Drink It: Quinn teases us with arm talent like we’ve never seen in Austin, only to get hurt. Hudson Card is on one leg after hurting his ankle against Alabama and is questionable against UTSA. Maalik Murphy broke his wrist on a scooter and we might have to start Austin High graduate Charles Wright against Jeff Traylor’s Roadrunners. Why couldn’t this be the year we scheduled Stephen F. Austin or something? If Wright starts against UTSA and wins, he’s Chuck Wright from now on, but if he loses then he’s Chaz Wright forever. Are we really going into Big 12 play with a one legged Card and a third stringer who has never thrown a pass in college?
Drink it: When the Longhorns lost to Alabama in the Rose Bowl, we never saw Colt McCoy again in burnt orange. But, Quinn Ewers should be back for the meat of the Big 12 schedule and we’ll get to see more of this:
WHAT’S TO COME
The next two weeks will say more about the Longhorns than the Alabama game did. The Longhorns will have to show they can bring the same intensity they showed on Saturday to opponents not named Alabama. UTSA will want to beat Texas as bad as the Longhorns wanted to knock off the Tide and I don't blame them, everyone knows the Cap Program is a sham. The Horns will be banged up while having to face the two coaching darlings of Texas high school football.1
First, former Gilmer head coach Jeff Traylor and UTSA come to Austin, before the Longhorns have their first road game in pesky old Lubbock against ex-Cedar Hill man Joey McGuire and Texas Tech. Both are legendary former Texas high school coaches who are never short on colloquialisms and dole out mantras like a mascot shooting free shirts from a Gatling gun. They’re the apple of every Texas football writer’s eye because of their enthusiastic personalities and unlimited access they give. McGuire is like if you crossed Steve Ballmer with your enthusiastic middle school coach who always brings a ton of doughnuts to FCA meetings on Thursday mornings, but more on Tech next week.
Traylor is the real-life version of Coach Eric Taylor from Friday Night Lights, the salt of the Earth leader who pushes his players with tough love so they’ll run through the proverbial brick wall for him. Gilmer stadium is named in his honor and he reluctantly left the high school ranks to join Charlie Strong’s staff at Texas. Traylor is an excellent recruiter and was probably the only coach on Charlie Strong’s staff who even thought about recruiting before the calendar page turned to December.
Traylor has remarkably taken UTSA from the lord of commuter schools to the current most popular team in San Antonio. He added a conference USA Championship to a trophy cabinet built in just 2011. Quarterback Frank Harris would start for a lot of Power 5 programs and he won’t be an easy matchup. But, the Roadrunners are down four offensive tackles and have played two straight overtime games, so it’s time for the Texas defensive line to put another good game on tape for NFL Scouts and make some money.
Hudson Card might be healthy enough to play, though the game could rest on third string Charles Wright’s shoulders. It might prove easier for Sark to build a simple game plan around Wright with a full week to prepare as opposed to doing it on the fly in the middle of a game. Texas should have enough talent, discipline and anger to be able to put UTSA away even with Wright at quarterback. We should see a lot of Bijan Robinson and Ro-Cat early and a ton of Jonathon Brooks late. The Longhorns and Sarkisian should do what they can to make sure Wright’s burden isn’t too heavy. There’s no time for the Longhorns to feel sorry for themselves, the future awaits.
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If one of Sark or Jimbo Fisher don’t work out in Austin or College Station, respectively, would you bet against their replacement(s) being either Traylor or McGuire? I wouldn’t.