Sanka Decaf

We've only had Mosley for several games at this point and his "ramp-up" seems to be about over. He'll continue to get better, but whatever rust from not getting live game action seems to be gone. Having Baxter and Mosley back is monumental - if for no other reason it puts more pressure on defenses as to who to cover.

Given the Saints' record, maybe the question to Bo still stands?

Let’s not forget that this young team just went on the road. In the SEC. For a month. Won 3 of 4 against teams that were good but beatable. Sure, we all wanted to see us win 4 and looking like a seasoned team doing it. But, they won 3 of 4. That’s a tough stretch for any team. Doesn’t excuse their big problems on offense, but there’s a difficulty factor that makes this survive and advance impressive.

My view. No way this came from Sark’s camp. If the Titans want him for example, why not let it slip out, particularly if they don’t think they have a good shot to get him otherwise. Create noise knowing some will try and keep him at Texas and some want a change. I personally dont want him to leave with unfinished business.

Let's say Kiffin takes the job, what is the level of concern that it will impact any of our Florida commits/targets for 2026?

He’s in. Not a good start unfortunately.

This is going to be a crazy offseason for coaching moves, assistant coaches getting recruited and portal movement. It could be the craziest offseason yet give the big name programs that are all involved the same year. Wow.

At the very least, Caldwell gives a fresh look to the defense and may get throw them off a bit. If even just to give Arch a break from getting pummeled play after play. Particularly if it is causing UTEP Arch tendencies to come back. All hands on deck.

In any game where we look like we’re getting “UTEP Arch” as Gerry so effectively put it, we need to put Caldwell in to at least throw off the opposing defense. He may not be as talented as Arch (so people say who are closer than I am), but every team is going to make Arch beat us now and take the run away. Every game will be like last night if signs of UTEP Arch appear.again. I sure hope we never see signs of UTEP Arch again. I really want him to grow and succeed. But I also want to get the personnel on the field to win the game.

Arch hits a few of the open passes he whiffed on and it may have looked better. When we get this version of Arch I don’t know why defenses would send less than 10 guys every play. Nothing to keep them honest.

Yep

Kiffin came very close to getting a team into the CFP playoff last year. It may not take much for him to get a team like Florida back. Whoever gets the job at least won't have to deal with the brutal scheduling over the past two seasons.

I think we saw a spray chart after the Florida game - bad percentage completion to the left side. Zero throws beyond the line of scrimmage to the left side against OU. Interesting.

I'm not sure how much credit I'd give Hill for so many tackles - most of the time I saw Baugh break the line, he dragged people several more yards. Unless there's a touchdown on every run, SOMEONE gets a tackle on each play. Maybe CJ saw better stops from him than I remember. I would have given Simmons No. 2 and Hill No. 3 or even Arch No. 3, but at least give Arch an honorable mention. (I'd drop Wingo from the list). Arch showed signs of growth and persevered despite the offensive line play. Wingo missed a wide open receiver and made an end zone catch that any good receiver should make. But, nothing matters other than how this team responds on Saturday.

Texas - 17 Florida - 16

Thanks for posting. It makes you wonder, in hindsight, was this just nerves or is it why Sark wasn't comfortable putting Arch in last year despite Ewer's mobility? Is it why they took a veteran QB in the portal that seemed like a head-scratcher to some when it initially happened? Is it partially why the gameplan going into the OSU game was less complex than we expected? I'm not saying the answer to all of these questions is "yes", but it's just interesting how additional facts make things start to look different.

Clemson is going to have a challenging season if they can't run the ball, even as good as they are. LSU went in and totally handled the hostile environment. They played their game (Texas didn't get a chance to play its game). We'll see how good LSU is - again, veteran leadership at QB showing. But, I feel better about what Texas needs to fix v. what Clemson needs to fix (running game) this season.

Miami receivers bailed Beck out a few times last night. Miami is good, and Beck showed the value of veteran experience v. inexperienced QB, but he's going to throw the ball up and make mistakes this season.

Who else noticed how effortless Meester looked punting yesterday?

I mean, I HOPE they look like the best team in the country over the next three weeks. No doubt the defense will be great, but Arch has some things to work through and until he does, not sure how great they will look. Nothing I saw yesterday worries me about winning the next three home games, but I'm not sure how convincing we will look on offense until Arch works things through. My expectations around Arch - which means around the offense - have been reset. He's been the one saying it: he hasn't done anything yet. Until he does, he needs to prove he can (not get the benefit of the doubt). Not giving up on him in the slightest - this was a painful growing lesson. Let's see him grow from it (I think he will, but I'm not going to assume he'll be ready for Florida until he shows he is),

Of the 3 big games yesterday, the defenses generally looked better than the offenses (Alabama looks like the exception). They made QBs look mortal (or worse). Not a surprise. Clemson was missing a key weapon on offense for most of the game. That, plus no running game, hurt them badly against what looks like a good LSU team. But, in all the other two games, the losing team had worse stats across the board. Texas didn't. They just had worst QB play generally and more mistakes.

My guess - he puts them both on but puts Texas on first, takes it off, and puts the other one on as his pick.

Not sure how many products are actually sold based on the commercial reads by Gerry, Bobby, etc., but their reads are so great. Maybe it's because they genuinely like the products, or because they want to do right by their advertisers. But they're awesome (whether or not I like the product).

Billionaires have the luxury of not needing to act with logic (I'm not one BTW).

Great post/thread! It's fun to digest thoughts. Before making a true comparison, it seems fair to say that - last year - the team was a good kicker OR a healthy Baxter away from likely being in the championship game (either because we have another play option on the goal line against Ohio State, or we're not facing them until the finals because we win the SEC Championship game). I'm not trying to re-litigate last year, but that very well would have been the scenario for the 2024 team with all the other compliments (including Quinn at QB). Even with all the talent, it's going to be tough for a team with a lot of turnover to win game 1 at Ohio State. I believe, if we stay healthy, by the Florida game this 2025 team WILL show it is a talented group. While excited about the new pieces (TE, WR, etc.), last year's team was talented enough to win the national title and overall with deeper experience at a number of positions relative to 2025. Schedule in 2025 remains favorable and I believe they have will show they have the talent to get to the championship, but I don't think we know until after the Florida game what this team will be capable of in 2025. The pieces are there.