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I slept on this after finishing it yesterday and concluded that the one thing you get with inexperienced players is inconsistent play. Even the most talented players I've seen come through the program had points in their careers when you didn't know what you'd get from them from one game to the next. That's the tough thing with an inexperienced team. The ceiling is high for a lot of the pieces Texas has, but it could take a minute for the floor to come up to where the end results aren't so erratic.

AUSTIN, Texas — Steve Sarkisian wasn’t far from the truth when he joked on Monday about Colin Simmons leading the nation in penalties. According to Pro Football Focus, the Texas EDGE has been assessed with four penalties through two games, tying him with Ohio safety Jalen Thomeson and Colorado State EDGE JaQues Evans for the FBS lead. The number of penalties charged to Simmons is almost equal to the team-leading five pressures PFF has credited him with causing. Simmons (five tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks and two quarterback hurries) is off to a slow start relative to the lofty preseason expectations placed upon him. With that said, he’s had a bigger impact heading into the seventh-ranked Longhorns’ game against UTEP on Saturday (3:15 p.m., SEC Network) than what his raw numbers indicate. Simmons’ PFF pass rush grade of 84.2 is tied for No. 8 in the SEC (No. 36 nationally). His 10.3 PFF pass rush productivity rating (a formula that combines sacks, hits and hurries relative to how many times someone rushes the passer) is tied for the 25th-best in the conference, with Ty’Anthony Smith (18.8), Anthony Hill Jr. (18.2) and Brad Spence (12.5) ahead of Simmons among Texas defenders. Simmons’ win percentage (percentage of "wins" against blocking on non-penalty pass rush snaps) of 31 trails only the percentages recorded by Spence (37.5) and Trey Moore (31.3) for the third-best tally on the Longhorn defense. The PFF numbers indicate Simmons isn't too far away from becoming the pass-rushing force Texas needs him to be. The most significant hurdle for Simmons to clear on his way there could be cutting down on the penalties he’s drawing, which could be occurring due to, as Sarkisian said, the reigning Shaun Alexander Award winner “trying a little too hard.” “He's trying to jump the snap count,” Sarkisian said. “He's just got to be more mindful.” While pointing out that Simmons had no penalties and combined with Maraad Watson for a sack in the second half of last Saturday’s 38-7 win over San Jose State, Sarkisian said the key to Simmons unlocking his game-changing presence is as simple as settling down and focusing on his role within Pete Kwiatkowski’s defense. “You don't get 10 sacks in one play,” Sarkisian said. “You play within the confines of the defense. You play within the confines of the other defensive linemen, of when your rush attempts are there and how to play. You apply the game plan. “I thought we missed three sacks in this game,” he added. Simmons and Brad Spence were responsible for two of the three missed opportunities Sarkisian said the Longhorns had against the Spartans to get quarterback Walker Eget on the ground. “Our whole rush plan, if you were an edge rusher, was to rush to the upfield shoulder of the quarterback,” Sarkisian said. “All over the tape, when he got pressure, he scrambled around. He never went up in the pocket. Well, we didn't do that. We came flat and he ran around us three times. “We have to apply the things that we work on and practice.” When asked on Monday what he could do or say to help get Simmons going, Ethan Burke said that the Longhorns have only played their “first two games of a long season.” The third game against the Miners pits the Texas pass rushers against well-traveled quarterback Malachi Nelson, who has only been pressured on 12 of his 56 dropbacks (17.6 percent through two games). Nelson is 1-for-7 for 49 yards and has been sacked three times under pressure, according to PFF. If Simmons follows the advice Sarkisian and Burke have offered up publicly, he can put the struggles he's experienced through the first two games of his sophomore season in the rearview mirror. “I think he’s going to be just fine,” Burke said of Simmons. “Something I would say is just be confident and play fast. I think he will.” View full news story

I don't follow tennis much; if any. How does a 20-year-old ranked #1000+ in the world translate to college tennis player rankings? Or to ask another way...how is this signing considered a big commitment for the tennis program?

I was only able to watch the 4th and 5th sets. Wow! Some great GRIT shown by the Longhorns. They didn't always play cleanly, but they found a way to get it done. Going 5 sets with Stanford and Louisville should pay off down the stretch.

🤘🤘🤘

Crazy comeback again!!! I didn’t think they played as well last night, the had a lot of hitting errors. They have grit . They beat a great team while not playing their best. Ground out a win.

This is it right here 👏🏿

i think it may of been miami . possibly all 3 .

Mack. Far more effective at courting donors, chatting with fans, flattering recruits and shooting the breeze with HS coaches. which is what ambassadors do.

He committed to Texas then backed out and went to Alabama. On the upper echelon of talent, but there were questions even in recruiting whether he might maximize that talent.

He's huge but does he have the desire to be great? Who gets into the League? The dudes that work the hardest, maximize their potential, don't make excuses, lead.

Yes. He was in on the Jerrick Gibson fumble late in the game.

I truly think that it was Notre Dame that was trying to lure Ewers to come play there. Maybe he should've gone? Who knows, not sure he really fits their offensive style but what do I know? Could've been Oregon, he would fit that offense more than Notre Dame's, imo.

The problem is, can you rely on a portal transfer at QB all the time? What happens when the guy you get doesn't work out or gets injured? I can see the pro's of it but the cons are also there for that deal. Mateer looks pretty good so far against sub-par teams. Even this years Michigan team looks worse than last years. Outside of Mateer they have nothing offensively and their OL isn't all that great. Even their D that was hyped up isn't that impressive. Anyway, it's a good conversation starter, that's for sure.