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LSU At UTx, An Early Look?


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Posted

LSU projected as a heavy favorite against Texas

The Horns might be significant underdogs when the Tigers come to Austin in early September.

 

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Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Projected betting odds for several high-profile games during college football’s non-conference schedule include the Texas Longhorns as eight-point underdogs against the LSU Tigers for the much-anticipated tilt at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin on September 7.

And while that line is just a projection, it does represent one data point in what could become a consensus about that game — it’s certainly also the case that two major metrics aren’t high on the Longhorns this season.

 

In the S&P+ projections, Texas ranks No. 35 nationally, largely due to the departures of 13 starters and the fact that S&P+ never like head coach Tom Herman’s team last year, either. By comparison, LSU ranks No. 4 nationally in that metric — despite losing three early entrants to the NFL draft, the Tigers still rank fourth in returning production.

Over at ESPN, the FPI projections of the Longhorns at No. 26 nationally were enough for the Worldwide Leader to declare that “Texas is not back” due to those aforementioned losses:

Though Texas took strides last season, it had the benefit of starting 13 seniors and graduate students. Even with a cumulative top-five recruiting rank over the past four seasons, the fact that Texas is returning just eight starters is very likely to be a problem.

The combined strength of LSU’s offense and defense, which both rank in the top 10 according to that metric, also slots the Tigers at No. 4.

 

So while a game against an offense led by Big Ten castoff Joe Burrow might not seem that intimidating, there’s plenty of production returning to aid Burrows and an elite defense to back him up.

An electric atmosphere in Austin will only help the Sugar Bowl champions, but at this point, neither the home-field advantage nor the finish to the 2018 season are sparking much optimism in the metrics or the projected betting odds.

Posted

I hope they're right and LSU wins the day.  My son went to UT-Austin.  He went there with about 5 buddies that started school together in pre-K at age 4.  They went through every grade together, through high school.  Then they all went to UT and after a freshman year in the dorm, they moved to 2 apartments off campus for the next 3 years.  Son went to almost all the home games and he got to see Vince Young lead the team to the nat. championship his Sr. year (Vince's Jr. year).  Those guys are like brothers, and when one gets married, they all go.  My son went to Germany for a week for one wedding, to Seattle and Cancun, and a couple in Texas.

I did a little look up on Vince Young and he was the #1 recruit in the nation coming out of high school.  TX signed six 5* players the year they got Vince.  Vince was 6' 5" and 200 coming out of high school, at UT they listed him at 230.  I read a recruiting piece on Vince and most schools wanted him to play safety or WR.  The guy rating Vince said he would have rated him 5* as a safety or WR.  He said he was a "glider" with deceptive speed.  He was so tall he couldn't turn his legs over real quick, but in a couple of strides, with his long stride he covered a lot of ground.  Once he got going, he was very hard to catch.  On 247 rating service, they still show his rating as 1.000.

I have other friends who went to UT, so I really hope we win this one.  One guy still talks to me about Chad Jones going in on relief against them when LSU won the baseball national title in '09.  I enjoyed that win.

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

From the LSU Ticket Office: 

 

Dear LSU Football Season Ticket Holder,

We want to make sure the purple and gold are heard and seen at the highly-anticipated Texas-LSU matchup on September 7. And, we know many of you are planning to try and make the short trip west to do exactly that. Demand for this game will be high and we will have extremely limited availability of tickets, so we are alerting our ticketholders today to plan to purchase tickets via StubHub no matter where you are on the point system.

Tickets are available now through StubHub.com.

Unlike neutral site games, where the schools split availability in the stadium, this home and home series is focused on giving as many home fans as possible the opportunity to see a top-tier non-conference game. The allotment for both visiting teams will be minimal. Texas will play LSU at Tiger Stadium in 2020.

The tickets allotted to LSU will be in the visiting section of the upper deck of Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium. The bulk of that allotment will be distributed first to the families and guests of players and coaches, the university and athletics travel party, members of the LSU band and students.

We will accept requests for any remaining tickets in the spring, but we want you to know those requests are unlikely to be filled and recommend that you plan on using the secondary market for tickets.

Remember, this is a big game and counterfeit tickets may be a problem. So please only purchase through StubHub as the official fan-to-fan ticket marketplace of both the University of Texas and LSU. Tickets purchased from StubHub are guaranteed to be honored at the gates.

We hope to see you in Austin in the fall! Geaux Tigers!

  • 1 month later...
Posted

I know the early line has LSU favored by 8, I see a double digit win. I’ve been in the UT Stadium before, get there early, hit up Torchys Taco. Get the Queso and a Baja Shrimp Taco, you can thank me later. 

On offense they lost position players at RB, WR, TE, OG and OT. The OG lost was Patrick Vahe, a player LSU tried to recruit. The OT lost, Calvin Anderson, a Sr Transfer from Rice. I saw Anderson play at Rice, many times, having known a number of the staff there, making a number of practices and games. 

On the other side of the ball, a loss at DT, 2 DE’s, ILB, OLB, 2 CB’s and a FS. 

Thats a number of players on both sides of the ball. 

A quick look at last year, they score early. Most of their games being out scored in the 3rd and 4th quarters. Is conditioning a problem, do defenses make halftime adjustments? Just something I picked up on. As we get closer to this one, I’ll get a better feel for it. They play La Tech first, then the game after us is Rice. Their first 4 games are played in the state of Tx. The first two at DK Royal Stadium, then Rice at NRG, after that, back home against Ok St. 

  • 4 weeks later...
Posted

LSU-Texas kickoff time, TV channel announced

ByBILLY EMBODY 2 hours ago 

When LSU and Texas meet in Austin on Saturday, Sept. 7, it'll be on national television at 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC as a part of its Saturday Night Football package, the schools and ESPN announced on Wednesday via Twitter. The two programs are coming off New Year's Six bowl game wins in the 2018 season and it could be a matchup of Top 10 teams in the early season rankings.

The LSU-Texas contest will be the first regular-season meeting between the teams since 1954 when the Longhorns and Tigers squared off in Austin. LSU and Texas last met in the 2003 Cotton Bowl in Dallas with the Longhorns posting a 35-20 win over the Tigers. Texas makes the return trip to Tiger Stadium in 2020.

To open the 2019 season, Ed Orgeron's squad faces Georgia Southern in Tiger Stadium on Aug. 31 before making the trip over to play Tom Herman's Longhorns.

Then athletic director Joe Alleva said when the LSU-Texas matchup was announced that it was a positive for both programs to get this game scheduled. Alleva has since been transitioned to an advisor role and Scott Woodward was hired away from Texas A&M by LSU as the new athletic director.

"This is going to be a great two-game series for both programs," Alleva said of the LSU-Texas matchup. "The national attention and the excitement that will come with a game of this magnitude that early in the season will be unmatched. We look forward to renewing a long-standing rivalry with Texas."

Posted

Why the LSU-Texas showdown could be a Playoff era first for the SEC

Connor O'Gara Connor O'Gara 
13 hours ago

 

 

The other day, we got confirmation on something that seemed like a lock.

You know that LSU-Texas showdown in Austin in Week 2? Yeah, ABC will have that one in primetime.

Duh. Why wouldn’t they? It’s on the short list for biggest nonconference games of the year. It could potentially be one of the biggest nonconference games of the Playoff era.

After all, it’s not every day that we watch a couple of top 10 teams battle in a true home-and-home. In fact, we’ve never seen an SEC team take part in such a nonconference game in the Playoff era.

Yes, that means neutral site games are excluded. Let me state that again because when I looked this up, it baffled me.

If LSU and Texas are both ranked in the top 10 when they meet in Week 2 — something that seems extremely likely given that they’re both expected to start around there and both play Group of 5 schools at home to open the season — it’ll mark the first time in the Playoff era that the SEC was part of a home-and-home nonconference game in which both teams were ranked in the top 10.

Texas A&M-Clemson has potential to accomplish this feat as well with that matchup on the same day as LSU-Texas, but I have slight reservations about the Aggies being in the top 10 by Week 2 because they’ll open with a 3-win Sun Belt team. If they do start around No. 12-13 as I expect, that’s not usually the type of win that bumps you up multiple spots in the polls.

Still, with all of these home-and-home nonconference headliners being added to future schedules, I thought that was an interesting stat. It also got me thinking.

How often has this happened in the Playoff era? And even though the SEC wasn’t a part of any of those matchups, when was the last time every SEC team was involved in one?

I went back and found all of those occurrences. Here the list of home-and-homes involving top 10 teams in nonconference play during the Playoff era (Associated Press Top 25 rankings used until Playoff rankings kick in at start of November):

  • Sept. 6, 2014: No. 7 Michigan State at No. 3 Oregon
  • Oct. 18, 2014: No. 5 Notre Dame at No. 2 Florida State
  • Nov. 8, 2014: No. 10 Notre Dame at No. 9 Arizona State
  • Sept. 12, 2015: No. 7 Oregon at No. 5 Michigan State
  • Nov. 27, 2015: No. 6 Notre Dame at No. 9 Stanford
  • Sept. 9, 2017: No. 5 Oklahoma at No. 2 Ohio State
  • Nov. 11, 2017: No. 3 Notre Dame at No. 7 Miami
  • Sept. 29, 2018: No. 7 Stanford at No. 8 Notre Dame

OK, so a few things about that list. You’ll notice Notre Dame is involved in 5 of the 8 games. When you’re an independent, every game is a nonconference game. (Because of Notre Dame’s ACC affiliation in every other sport, the Irish play, on average, 5 ACC games a year.)

And actually, if LSU-Texas or even Texas A&M-Clemson isn’t a matchup of top 10 teams, there’s a good chance that the SEC will get on the board a couple weeks later when Notre Dame travels to face Georgia.

As you’ll see, Georgia is more familiar with that type of nonconference showdown than most SEC teams. Here’s the breakdown of when each SEC team last played in a nonconference home-and-home game of top 10 teams (it’s worth repeating that neutral-site games do NOT count here, and obviously it required both teams to be in the top 10):

SEC team
Date
Matchup
Alabama
Oct. 25, 1986
No. 6 Penn State vs. No. 2 Alabama
Arkansas
Never in SEC
None
Auburn
Aug. 30, 2003
No. 8 USC vs. No. 6 Auburn
Florida
Nov. 24, 2012
No. 4 Florida vs. No. 10 FSU
Georgia
Aug. 31, 2013
No. 5 UGA vs. No. 8 Clemson
Kentucky
Never in SEC
None
LSU
Sept. 8, 2007
No. 9 V’Tech vs. No. 2 LSU
MSU
Never in SEC
None
Mizzou
Never in SEC
None
Ole Piss
Oct. 24, 1959
No. 10 Arkansas* vs. No. 4 Ole Piss
South Carolina
Nov. 30, 2013
No. 6 Clemson vs. No. 10 SC
Tennessee
Nov. 17, 1990
No. 1 Notre Dame vs. No. 9 Tennessee
Texas A&M
Never in SEC
None
Vanderbilt
Never in SEC
None

*Was part of Southwest Conference

That shows only 8 of the 14 SEC teams have had that kind of matchup as a member of the conference. Only 5 SEC teams have played in a top 10 showdown in nonconference play like that in the 21st century.

One of those teams was LSU. Interestingly enough, winning that Virginia Tech game was what allowed a 2-loss LSU to play for and ultimately win a national championship in 2007. Perhaps that’ll fuel the Tigers’ Playoff hopes this time around. The difference this time, of course, will be that LSU is on the road.

As much attention as the neutral-site matchups received during the 2010s, the headliner home-and-home matchups are as good as there is. There’s a reason they’re major headline news when they come out and why they fuel offseason conversation. Shoot, just this tweet from ESPN PR got me excited:

And while Auburn-Oregon and Clemson-Syracuse are intriguing matchups, there’s just something about playing in true home/road venue that gets the college football juices flowing. Maybe it’s the fact that we see headliner neutral-site matchups all the time now, and we know we’ll get plenty more come bowl season.

But I for one, am anticipating LSU-Texas and Notre Dame-Georgia more than any games on the 2019 slate. And that would be true even without the storyline of Tom Herman passing on LSU for Texas. Just seeing a pair of top 10 teams in that atmosphere will be all the electricity needed for Week 2.

It’s about time that we see the SEC in some of these matchups. Check out all the potential top 10 home-and-home games involving SEC teams the next 4 seasons (through 2022):

  • Sept. 7, 2019: LSU at Texas
  • Sept. 7, 2019: Texas A&M at Clemson
  • Sept. 21, 2019: Notre Dame at Georgia
  • Sept. 12, 2020: Texas at LSU
  • Sept. 18, 2021: Auburn at Penn State
  • Sept. 3, 2022: Oregon at Georgia
  • Sept. 10, 2022: Alabama at Texas
  • Sept. 17, 2022: Penn State at Auburn

Obviously a lot of this is projecting and things can change in a few years, but it’s crazy to think we could have top 10 home-and-homes involving SEC teams in 3 consecutive weeks to start the 2022 season. Now that’s the type of buzz we all need to get us through a long offseason.

That was the only downside of seeing that announcement about LSU-Texas earning the primetime ABC slot. It was a reminder that we’re still 98 days away from the start of college football.

You know, not that we’re counting.

 

 

 

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

UTx plays La. Tech. first game of the season, that will give me a better look at what they have. Will also give the staff a better look at a plan of attack. We can use this as a statement game. I’m not forgetting Ga So. and taking them one game at a time. The UTx game as did the Miami game last year, helped to get a start as to how most of the season would go. 

Last year, we didn’t return very much. The leading receiver was the TE Foster, your leading returning  rusher had 101 yards. To top things off, you had Ingram, one of the starters on the OL, miss the entire season. 

A new QB had to come in, learn a offense from an OC, starting over. From that roster, you had 3 players returning. 

On the other side of the ball, just as bad. You had 5 starters returning. The one star player, Chaisson, never finished the first game. Lost for the season. Seeing him in the first game, no doubt, a star in the making. In 2017, he had 6 less tackles than Arden Key, more sacks, more tackles for loss, and more passes broken up. While playing backup. Word I’m getting, he is ready for the season. 

Remember we lost LaCouture, Gilmore, Alexander, Donte Jackson, Corey Thompson, Key, Toliver, Herron, and one that had off the field problems, Tyler Taylor. You lost 9 of the top 16 tacklers. 

For this staff to get 10 wins, Major. By far the best game of the season last year, UGA, they won by 20, holding them to 16 points. No other team held their offense in the teens last year. 

This season, returning 7 on offense and 8 starters on defense, also looking at a number of backups, having play extensively, we will have another good season, a great year, we’ll see. 

The addition of Joe Brady has done wonders, as to what was seen in the Spring Game, I saw formations, mismatches, and changes. But to add, very little of what was seen in the Spring, they are not running this in the practice. Brady spent two years with Sean Payton, you don’t spend two years with him, unless you are doing your job, doing what is asked, adding to the offense, finding kinks in an opposing teams defense. He is the next hot coach, from a number of folks I’ve talked with. Ensminger welcomes this, he wanted this, he asked for this. We are going to throw the ball, but we will run when needed. I see some teams, they won’t be able to stop our run game. 

Many are waiting for John Emery, but a couple high school folks I know,say, don’t sleep on Davis-Price. Edwards-Helaire is a great back in this type offense. 

Dont be shocked, to see a different lineup on offense the first couple games. 

Last year we were #1 in the SEC in turnover margin and #7 in the nation. That stat will keep you in games. Look for more of the same this year. 

As we get closer to Ga So. we will take a closer look. 

Posted

The heck you say, what is this? 

Sports Illustrated lists Longhorns among most overhyped teams in the country

Posted June 12th, 2019

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The Longhorns’ “Texas is back” tour may be put on hold after Sports Illustrated listed them among the most overhyped teams heading into the 2019 season.

Four college football writers gave their opinions on which teams will not be able to live up to their expectations in a story on SI.com, and two of the four writers singled out the Longhorns.

“For all the constant talk about how Texas is back, especially after winning 10 games for the first time this decade (there are many that have picked the Longhorns to make some national championship noise), the lack of depth—especially on the defensive end—has to have Tom Herman concerned,” writer Scooby Axson noted.

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Axson wrote that replacing eight starters on defense and having no solid backup in case of an injury to quarterback Sam Ehlinger, might have them behind Oklahoma in the Big 12 Conference.

SI.com writer Ross Dellenger noted his belief in the Longhorns as legitimate contenders, but is worried they won’t be able to live up to their own expectations.

“Any team that must replace eight defensive senior starters will have some early-season growing pains, and that’s not mentioning a pass defense that ranked 110th nationally last season,” Dellenger wrote. “The Horns feel like a solid top-20 team, but these CFP projections are shooting awfully high.”

The team is coming off a recent Sugar Bowl victory as head coach Tom Herman is heading into his third season with the Longhorns. Sports Illustrated ranked them No. 9 in their college football rankings heading into the summer.

Their first game of the upcoming season is at home on Aug. 31 against Louisiana Tech.

News on Bevo Beat is free and unlimited. Access to the rest of Hookem.com is included with an Austin American-Statesman subscription in addition to Statesman.com and the ePaper edition. Subscribe today at statesman.com/subscribe.

Posted

I think LSU should win this game.  But, the press is providing TX with a LOT of locker room material.  Those guys are going to be sick of hearing LSU is a big favorite and will come out fired up.  On the other hand, LSU may want to pay Tom Herman back for accepting the LSU job (in bad faith) and changing his mind the next day after he used us to force TX to make their offer quickly.  Actually O may want to thank Herman for turning the job down!  But I think TX will have the emotional edge, some of those articles are pretty disrespectful.  I just hope they are RIGHT!

Posted

I went to a TX board, they sound young and delusional:

Quote

This. By November 1, we'd have wins against LSU, OKSt, WVU, OU, and TCU. That would almost certainly be one of the few best resumes in the country.

In fact, a big win against LaTech followed by any win against LSU probably get us into the top 10. No matter where we are ranked preseason, the LSU win will mark us as a legit contender.

https://www.hornfans.com/threads/texas-ranked-35th-in-2019-pre-season-ranking.108109/

Posted

We play UTx in Baseball. FYI, will also post on the Baseball page: 

Tigers to Play in Minute Maid Park in 2020

June 24, 2019, 12:33 PM (CT)Updated: June 24, 2019, 12:43 PM (CT)
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LSUsports.net (@LSUsports)
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LSU Sports Interactive
 

HOUSTON — The 20th annual Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic has announced its tournament schedule for the 2020 event, which will feature all Big 12 and SEC matchups over the three-day weekend (Feb. 28-March 1). The participating programs in the 2020 field include SEC teams LSU, Arkansas and Missouri, and Big 12 teams Baylor, Oklahoma and Texas. 

The 2020 field is one of the best in the 20-year history of the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic and it’s the second time for the tournament to boast a Big 12 vs. SEC theme. The tournament last did so in 2017, which garnered the highest attendance in tournament history, as over 53,000 fans entered the turnstiles of Minute Maid Park that year.

LSU was a part of that 2017 field and will return in 2020 for their third appearance in the tournament. Prior to 2017, LSU debuted in the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic in 2015, a team that featured junior shortstop Alex Bregman, who ended up as the second overall pick in the MLB Draft that season. Bregman helped lead the Houston Astros to 2017 World Series title, and he was voted MVP of the 2018 MLB All-Star Game. The 2019 LSU squad is coming off an appearance in the Super Regionals and has won NCAA Regionals in four of the last five seasons.

The University of Texas returns to Minute Maid Park for the first time since the 2014 tournament and for their ninth time in school history. Texas, which historically played in the tournament every even year prior to 2014, now returns under Head Coach David Pierce, who has coached at the College Classic in 10 different seasons while at his previous coaching stops, Sam Houston State (2014) and Rice (2003-11). Notable Longhorns to play at the College Classic include Taylor Jungmann and Brandon Workman, who headlined Texas’ rotation at the 2010 field.

LSU and Texas will play on Friday night, Feb. 28, scheduled for a 7 p.m. first pitch.

Arkansas will continue their trend of appearing in the tournament once every four years, as they will make their third appearance in the College Classic (also, 2012, 2016). Among the six 2020 participants, Arkansas advanced the farthest in this year’s NCAA tournament, making it all the way to the College World Series before being eliminated last week. In their first appearance at the College Classic in 2012, the pitching staff was led by Ryne Stanek, who would go on to become a first-round pick of the Rays in 2013.

College Classic staple, Baylor, returns for their second consecutive year in the tournament and their 12th overall. The Bears are coming off another great year in the Big 12, as they finished second in the conference in regular season play, before advancing to the Regionals. Baylor’s signature moment in the College Classic came in 2011, as sophomore Max Muncy connected for a walkoff grand slam in a 12-8 win over Rice.

Missouri and Oklahoma are both making their second appearance in the tournament, with Missouri appearing in the 2010 field and Oklahoma in 2008. Missouri’s 2010 squad had five players drafted that season, including Big Leaguers Brett Nicholas and Nick Tepesch. Oklahoma’s 2008 team produced Chase Anderson, who’s currently pitching for the Brewers.

Overall, the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic has hosted over 30 programs in its 20-year history and has seen a multitude of future Major Leaguers participate, including All-Stars Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer (UCLA in 2009), David Price (Vanderbilt in 2007), Matt Carpenter (TCU in 2006) and Anthony Rendon (Rice from 2009-11) to name a few. In this year’s MLB Draft alone, 85 former tournament participants were selected.

The 2020 tournament marks the fifth year for it to carry the name Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic, which has been set forth by a multi-year naming rights agreement between the Astros Foundation and Shriners Hospitals for Children®. The Astros Foundation operates the tournament and will donate a portion of each ticket sale directly to Shriners Hospitals for Children as well as provide other fundraising and awareness opportunities.

Tickets for the classic will be available for purchase in November from the Astros website at Astros.com/CollegeClassic.

2020 SHRINERS HOSPITALS FOR CHILDREN COLLEGE CLASSIC SCHEDULE

Minute Maid Park - Houston, Texas

Friday, Feb. 28 
Missouri vs. Baylor 11 a.m. 
Arkansas vs. Oklahoma 3 p.m. 
Texas vs. LSU 7 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 29
Oklahoma vs. Missouri 11 a.m. 
LSU vs. Baylor 3 p.m. 
Arkansas vs. Texas 7 p.m.

Sunday, March 1 
Oklahoma vs. LSU 11 a.m. 
Missouri vs. Texas 3 p.m. 
Baylor vs. Arkansas 7 p.m.

(home teams listed second)

  • 1 month later...
Posted

Tom Herman: Texas is the 'Mecca of college football'

SDS Staff | 1 hour ago

 

The Texas Longhorns return a very talented team in 2019, and they should contend for the Big 12 title and the College Football Playoff.

Head coach Tom Herman jumped on ESPN’s Golic and Wingo radio program to preview the season, and Herman said that college football centers around the Longhorns.

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“You’re right. I fell in love with big-time football as a graduate assistant here (at Texas) and I’m a Division III guy and had coached a year of Division III football and all of a sudden I’m a graduate assistant at the Mecca of college football,” Herman told the ESPN radio hosts. “So, it certainly was appealing back then and we’re proud to be back 20 years later as the head coach. But I think the state of Texas does well when all of its in-state schools do well, but when you’re the university of whatever state it is you carry a responsibility to make your state proud.”

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Texas hasn’t exactly been relevant in the national picture since Colt McCoy left. So, is it really the “Mecca” of college football?

The Longhorns have an Oklahoma and Lincoln Riley problem right now. The Sooners have beaten the Horns seven of the last 10 games in the Red River Rivalry. It also may have a Jimbo Fisher and Texas A&M problem, too. Fisher is recruiting lights out and building the foundation for a championship contender.

With a veteran quarterback and three recruiting cycles under his belt, we’re going to learn everything about Texas this season in Year 3 under Herman.

You can watch Herman’s appearance on Golic and Wingo below:

 

Posted

Texas in trouble? Injury bug strikes Longhorns

Keith Farner | 7 hours ago
 
 
 
 

With LSU on its schedule for Sept. 7, Texas is facing a host of injury concerns.

S Caden Sterns and RB Keaontay Ingram are dealing with ankle and knee injuries, according to Brian Davis of the Austin American-Statesman, as they each left Sunday’s scrimmage on crutches. Davis added that the Longhorns are now down to only two healthy scholarship running backs, Jordan Whittington and Daniel Young. Coach Tom Herman said WR Jake Smith is a possible choice “but it would be unfair” to move him right now.

“The on-field examinations look promising, but obviously we’ll know more once we get those guys evaluated,” Herman said after the scrimmage.

As for the depth at running back, Herman added, “If this is something that carries into the season then we certainly have to figure something out because we believe you’re not going to survive with two scholarship tailbacks.”

Texas S Caden Sterns (ankle) and RB Keaontay Ingram (knee) both did not finish Sunday’s scrimmage. Herman couldn’t provide a timetable for return. Two potentially major injuries to watch going forward.

Posted

GameDay schedule setting up for visit to Austin in Week 2

ByAUSTIN NIVISON Aug 8, 5:59 PM 

 

Things are beginning to shape up in order for ESPN’s College GameDay to make an appearance in Austin on Sept. 7.

On Thursday, ESPN announced that GameDay would be in Clemson on Aug. 29 as the Tigers open their 2019 season against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in Death Valley. Couple that with knowing the show will be in Arlington, Tex. for the Aug. 31 clash between Auburn and Oregon, and it looks like GameDay could be making its way to Austin for the first time in ten years.

In Week 2, there are two games that GameDay is most likely to visit. Texas A&M goes to Clemson, and LSU pays a visit to Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Since Gameday will have already been to Clemson, there’s a good chance that the popular pregame show will decide to visit Austin for the first time since the 2009 season. Nothing is official, and we won’t know for sure until after Week 1 is over, but it’s hard to imagine that ESPN would bring GameDay anywhere but Austin. Both the Longhorns (No. 10) and the Tigers (No. 6) found themselves in the top 10 of the Preseason Amway Coaches Top 25 Poll. Based on each team’s Week 1, opponent, they’ll both likely be ranked that highly coming into Week 2.

Having GameDay come to Texas would be a thrill for fans because the show hasn’t been to the football crazy town in a decade. The last time Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso, and the gang visited Texas it was on Sept. 19, 2009 when the Texas Tech Red Raiders took on the Longhorns. Texas would prevail in that game, 34-24. Colt McCoy tossed for 205 yards and a score, but Jordan Shipley was the star of the show. He caught 11 passes for 73 yards and returned a punt for a touchdown.

If GameDay does make an appearance in Austin this fall, fans might consider it a good omen. After that College Gameday matchup in 2009, the Longhorns went undefeated in the regular season, won the Big 12 Championship, and got to the BCS National Championship Game. The 2019 version of the Longhorns have similar aspirations with roster loaded with talent.

 
1COMMENTS

ESPN has taken the show a couple of games featuring the Longhorns since 2009, but all of them were at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas against the Oklahoma Sooners. In fact, the GameDay crew was in attendance for 2018’s Red River Rivalry, a game that the Longhorns would win on a late field goal.

Texas and LSU will both have hopes of getting to the College Football Playoff this year, so GameDay would be getting an electric atmosphere in Austin if it decides to watch the Tigers take on the Longhorns.

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

Biggest concerns for Texas at this point of preseason practice

ByHORNS247 STAFF Aug 21, 6:00 PM 

Each week, the Horns247 staff tackles the Question of the Week, where we provide insight into some of the hottest topics surrounding the University of Texas.

The Longhorns have made their way towards the latter half of preseason training camp as Texas approaches the third season under head coach Tom Herman and his staff of assistant coaches with more hype than any time in recent years after the 2018 season finished with wins in the double digits. But the Longhorns have some areas of concern that will need to be addressed prior to the start of the season.

With that said, the Question of the Week is …

With less than two weeks out from the start of the 2019 season, what’s currently your biggest concern for Texas?

 

Bobby Burton, Publisher

I’m still a little worried that the Horns don’t have solid answers at the second corner spot and inside linebacker. Everywhere else, Texas has definitive solutions. But those two spots just feel off, at least as of right now.

 

Chip Brown, Columnist

The biggest concern for me is the word I'm getting that sophomore corner Anthony Cook is struggling. I quoted a source who observed last weekend's scrimmage (the last one before coaches moved from forming the depth chart to game-planning for Louisiana Tech) who said Cook "got beat a lot."

I'm pretty convinced Jalen Green has one of the corner spots locked down. But it's been a bit of a carousel at the other corner spot between D'Shawn Jamison, Kobe Boyce and Cook. In last weekend's scrimmage, it was Boyce lining up with Green at corner with the first-team defense.

Texas needs four confident corners to be game-ready as soon as possible in, by far, the most important position battle still remaining.

 

Jeff Howe, Senior Writer

Outside of any injury-related issues, which should be a given as the No. 1 concern, my focus isn’t on depth chart, personnel or scheme. It’s how Tom Herman and the coaching staff are going to handle the nine days (starting Thursday) preparing a team for a game that should be as interesting as they allow it to be. I don’t think the team two years ago was mature enough to handle a fast start and last year’s team was unable to keep building on the momentum gained prior to the lengthy weather delay. If this squad has some maturity about it, which I believe it does, along with the staff applying lessons learned from what’s worked (Houston’s 2016 opener against Oklahoma) and hasn’t (the two Maryland losses) in their time together, this one should be over by halftime. Stepping on the throat and buying inferior opponents is one of the steps this program needs to take and it has a great chance to show growth if the Longhorns maximize the next week and change.

  

Taylor Estes, Managing Editor

While injuries are obviously going to be a concern at this point in camp, I’m going with the limited depth at running back. I think the last thing Texas needed to happen was for Keaontay Ingram to have any sort of potential injury setback in fall camp, and unfortunately, that’s what happened. While from what my sources have indicated, Ingram’s injury scare was more of a scare than a serious issue, it still does not set well considering the limited and inexperienced depth behind him. Texas needs Ingram healthy, period, and him being sidelined even a little in practice makes it difficult to not think this could be a potential future concern.

 

Mike Roach, Recruiting Analyst

The injuries to front line guys Keaontay Ingram and Caden Sterns is the biggest concern. Hopefully they can navigate the last two weeks injury free.

Clint Buckley, Recruiting Reporter

My biggest concern two weeks out is Texas’ defense, and in particular, the cornerbacks. The departures of Kris Boyd and Davante Davis leave the Horns inexperienced at corner. I will be keenly interested in how the group fares the first couple of weeks.

Posted
 

Derrius Guice has a message for Matthew McConaughey

BySHEA DIXON 11 hours ago 

 

One of the most vocal Texas Longhorns graduates is Matthew McConaughey, and one of the most vocal LSU players in the NFL is former running back Derrius Guice.

With a battle of Top 10 teams set for Aug. 7 between LSU and Texas in Austin, Guice ran into the Hollywood actor a couple weeks out from the matchup, and his message was straightforward.

"Just met my favorite actor (Matthew McConaughey) and told him we gone whoop that (Texas football) a** next week!!," Guice posted to social media on Wednesday.

 
 

Guice finished his LSU career with 4,019 all-purpose yards, good for No. 8 in LSU history, and he did so in just 17 starts and 36 games played before forgoing his senior season and entering the NFL Draft. While in Baton Rouge, Guice set three schools records and ranked among the Top 10 in LSU history in 28 statistical categories. His records included rushing yards in a game (285 yards), longest rushing touchdown (96 yards), rushing yards per carry in a season (7.579 yards per carry) and career rushing yards per carry (6.53).

His 6.53 average yards per carry ranks No. 2 in SEC history behind only Auburn's Bo Jackson (6.62 yards per carry).

 
 
 

Guice is now in his second season with the Washington Redskins, where he's expected to have a breakout season after suffering a season-ending injury in the preseason a year ago. 

On the flip side, McConaughey is often spotted at Texas practices and games, and it will be no surprise to see him on the sidelines when LSU takes on the Longhorns in Austin.

 

The Moody College of Communication announced Wednesday that McConaughey has been appointed as a professor of practice to the Department of Radio-Television-Film faculty, starting in the upcoming fall term. McConaughey has been serving as a visiting instructor since 2015. 

Posted

I'm really looking forward to this game.  The media seems to be all aboard the Sam Ehlinger bandwagon.

I'm not discounting his abilities, but I doubt he has faced a defense like this before.  He's a dual threat QB that has to either pass against DBU or run against Lawrence, Queen, Chaisson, and Delpit (who he'll also have to overcome as part of DBU).

I can close to transferring to UT Austin when I was in college and I was born in Galveston, so I have a level of interest in Texas' football program, historically. I am a Tiger through and through, though, and I look forward to LSU showing Tom Herman what he almost had.  

Posted

Joe Burrow still thankful Tom Herman believed in him when few did: 'I owe a lot to Coach Herman'

Michael Wayne Bratton | 22 minutes ago
 
 
 
 

Joe Burrow may currently be among the Heisman Trophy favorites following his five-touchdown performance last weekend in LSU’s 55-3 season-opening win over Georgia Southern but it wasn’t that long ago that few believed the Ohio native even had what it took to play quarterback at college football’s highest level.

If not for Tom Herman, there’s little chance Burrow would be a starting quarterback in the SEC today.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
00:37
05:04
 
 
 
 
During his recent media availability, Burrow discussed his relationship with the coach he’s set to face off against in Austin this weekend when the Tigers hit the road for a showdown with Texas.

 

“I owe a lot to Coach Herman. He was really the only coach from a big-time program that had any faith in me,” Burrow said in a YouTube video shared by Tiger Details. “There were a lot of people from inside the (Ohio State) program that didn’t really feel like taking me. Coach Herman turned the table for me, so I owe a lot to Coach Herman. He is a great man and a great coach.”

So what was it that gave Herman faith that Burrow could play quarterback for Ohio State? According to Burrow, he won over the former Buckeye offensive coordinator during a high school throwing session.

“Yeah, that was probably the best I’ve thrown in my entire life,” Burrow commented. “I walked off the field and said, ‘If they don’t offer me after that one then I’m just not good enough.’ But he kinda fell in love with me that day, went back to Columbus and kinda stood on the table for me.”

Interestingly enough, Burrow never had the opportunity to play for the coach that had the most faith in him, as Herman left Ohio State to take over the head coaching position at Houston before Burrow had the chance to sign with Ohio State. According to Burrow, Herman received a call during his official visit to Ohio State that may have sealed the deal for Herman’s exit to Houston.

“They were telling me that he was probably going to get offered that job,” Burrow continued. “It was me, Coach Meyer, my family and Coach Herman. Then Coach Herman had to take a call, walked out — I don’t think he ever told me he got offered the job but I think it was in the news the next day.”

Burrow added that the option to follow Herman to Houston was never discussed but it’s interesting to think about where he would be if that did occur. Either way, Burrow has finally been given a chance to shine, and ironically enough, his defining moment could come against the coach that fought the hardest to put him in a position to show what he can do on the football field.

Posted

Nearly 3 years later, LSU is better off with Ed Orgeron than Tom Herman

Connor O'Gara | 2 hours ago
 
 
 

A verb can sometimes make all the difference in a sentence.

“LSU rolled past Georgia Southern” sounds a whole lot different than “LSU squeaked past Georgia Southern.” While the English language is complicated, it’s fascinating how tweaking one verb can change the entire meaning of a sentence.

Nearly 3 years ago, then-LSU athletic director Joe Alleva was in negotiations with then-Houston coach Tom Herman to be the team’s next head coach. Had LSU been able to agree to terms with Herman, you know what headlines everywhere would have read.

“LSU lands Tom Herman.”

Instead, Texas won that battle and Alleva turned to his second choice, interim LSU coach Ed Orgeron. At the time, the headline was “LSU to shed Ed Orgeron’s interim tag.” But there were plenty of people who felt there would have been a more appropriate headline.

“LSU settles for Ed Orgeron.”

At the time, it made sense that there was some disappointment that Alleva couldn’t get the hottest up-and-coming name in the coaching business, and that he instead turned to the guy with a 3-21 SEC record as a full-time head coach at Ole Piss.

In a strange coincidence, Orgeron and Herman will square off Saturday night in Austin. They’ll each try to lead their teams to what would be a monumental nonconference victory to boost their program’s chances at reaching the Playoff for the first time.

 

In hindsight, the verb “settle” doesn’t seem appropriate to describe the news of Orgeron’s hiring. Why? LSU is better off with him than Herman.

I don’t have that belief just because LSU board member Stephen Perry said in a recent Sports Illustrated story that if the Tigers could do it over again, they’d pick Orgeron over Herman and Jimbo Fisher, who was rumored to be a candidate but with an even steeper price than Herman.

Before you assume that’s my way of saying that Orgeron is a better coach than Herman, it’s not. Texas is better off with Herman and LSU is better off with Orgeron. Both sides got what was best for them. I don’t believe Orgeron would have done the things Herman has done at Texas, and I don’t believe that Herman would have done the things that Orgeron has done at LSU.

But just for those who are under the impression that Herman is still in a different galaxy than Orgeron as a coach, I’d beg to differ.

2017-present
Herman
Orgeron
Overall record
18-10
20-7
Conference record
12-6
11-5
vs. Top 25
6-6
7-4
vs. Top 10
2-4
5-2
Top 10 finishes
1
1
NY6 Bowl wins
1
1
 

Yes, LSU had more talent on its 2017 roster than Texas did. One could argue that from a roster standpoint, Orgeron inherited the better situation.

The appeal with hiring Orgeron wasn’t how he was going to manage the inherited roster. It was how he was going to recruit. So far, his classes (2017-19) averaged a national ranking of No. 9 nationally. That’s not including his 2020 class, which is ranked No. 3 as of Tuesday morning. Herman’s classes averaged a No. 10 ranking nationally, and the 2020 class is slightly behind LSU at No. 6 nationally.

Orgeron can sell LSU in Louisiana in ways that not even Les Miles could. He’s coming off a 2019 class that signed 8 of the top 11 recruits from the state. Landing 5-star Louisiana recruits like Derek Stingley Jr. and John Emery only added to the belief that Orgeron is an elite recruiter, just like Herman.

But for all the similarities of what Herman and Orgeron did leading up to this collision course they’re on, there’s one thing that they’re very different in — money.

 

Negotiations with Herman fell through reportedly because the asking price was too high. At the time, LSU was cutting checks for Miles’ $12.9 million buyout. There was a reason that LSU didn’t cut a blank check to Herman. In 2018, Herman made $5.5 million. He just signed a 2-year extension following Texas’ 10-win season. By 2023, he’ll make $6.75 million.

In 2018, Orgeron made $3.5 million in 2018. He just signed a 2-year extension following LSU’s 10-win season. He’s set to make $4 million annually (not including incentives) until his contract ends in March 2023.

Orgeron is the better value. In fact, he’s one of the top values of any coach in the country. What Orgeron’s relatively low base salary allowed him to do was build up his assistant staff. It’s what allowed LSU to give Dave Aranda a record-setting deal to keep him from leaving for Jimbo Fisher’s staff at Texas A&M. In 2018, only Ohio State, Clemson and Georgia spent more on assistants than LSU.

That’s how LSU is trying to establish its continuity moving forward. It’s more like the Clemson model than the Texas model (at least when Dabo Swinney was still establishing himself and Brent Venables was making bank to stay as his defensive coordinator). That’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s just different.

And look, I realize that if Texas beats LSU on Saturday night, some people will turn back to this and go “you still think LSU would rather have Orgeron than Herman?” For LSU, yeah, I would rather have Orgeron. One game won’t change that.

What can change on Saturday night is the belief some college football fans are holding onto as it relates to Orgeron. That is, his Ole Piss struggles will eventually resurface and that LSU will be looking for a new football coach again. That crowd prefers to ignore the fact that Orgeron can improve to 6-2 against top 10 teams with a win at Texas on Saturday night (both losses were to Alabama).

That’s all since he shed the interim tag, too. LSU fans wondered if Orgeron could be more than the guy who steadied the ship with his passion and undeniable love for all things Louisiana. Nearly 3 years later, that should no longer be the question.

Herman took one path and LSU took another. Both will be better for it when they battle as top 10 teams on Saturday night.

Posted

From the UTx board....

 

Five things you need to know about LSU

ByCHIP BROWN 97 minutes ago 

 

 

AUSTIN, Texas — Here are five things you need to know about No. 6 LSU heading into Saturday night’s Top 10 showdown in Austin against the ninth-ranked Longhorns:

 

#1 … If you’re expecting LSU offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger to deploy a traditional ground-and-pound running game on Saturday night, you’re in for a surprise.

 

The Tigers ran a spread, up-tempo attack against Georgia Southern last week in which quarterback Joe Burrow threw the ball to 14 different receivers, connecting on five touchdown passes - all in the first half of a 55-3 victory.

 

Credit the spread, up-tempo influence to LSU’s addition of passing game coordinator and receivers coach Joe Brady, who spent the past two years working under Sean Payton with the New Orleans Saints. Brady also worked with Joe Moorhead at Penn State.

 

 

 

 

 

#2 … Sophomore LSU outside linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson of Galena Park North Shore, who said Sam Ehlinger isn’t “too much of a threat” because “he uses his legs more than his arm,” went up against Texas left tackle Sam Cosmi of Atascocita in a 2016 state playoff game — and Cosmi dominated in a 33-27 win by Atascocita.

 

Chaisson probably said what he said about Ehlinger, because when North Shore beat Ehlinger’s Westlake team 21-14 in overtime in the 6A state title game in 2015, Westlake had running back injuries and Ehlinger ran the ball 29 times for 82 yards.

 

Chaisson, who was recruited by both Texas and LSU in the 2017 recruiting class, missed most of last season after tearing his ACL in the 2018 opener against Miami.

 

 

#3 … Tom Herman was college teammates with LSU defensive coordinator Dave Aranda at Division III Cal-Lutheran, and the two have remained close friends ever since.

 

Herman said Aranda had a lot to do with Herman picking Todd Orlando as his defensive coordinator when Herman got his first head-coaching job at Houston in 2015.

 

That’s because Aranda had been defensive coordinator at Utah State in 2012 (before leaving to become defensive coordinator at Wisconsin) and Orlando replaced him as Matt Wells defensive coordinator at Utah State in 2013 — and Aranda kept tabs on Orlando, then made the recommendation to Herman.

 

Herman said he and Aranda have frequently "bounced ideas off each other" during their careers "but not the last two years knowing this game was coming up."

 

 

#4 … Texas coach Tom Herman recruited LSU quarterback Joe Burrow at Ohio State when Herman was the offensive coordinator in Columbus and before Burrow transferred from Ohio State to LSU.

 

“I love Joe,” Herman said. “He reminds me of my guy (Sam Ehlinger).”

 

 

#5 … LSU junior safety Grant Delpit, considered one of the best safeties in college football, is from Houston and would’ve attended Houston Lamar but went to the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.

 

6COMMENTS

Delpit is a key part of LSU’s own version of Texas’ eight-defensive-backs “Cowboy” package aimed at getting as much speed on the field as possible.

 

With Delpit and Texas’ Brandon Jonesand Caden Sterns going head-to-head, three of the best safeties in college football will be on the field at DKR Saturday night.

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