CJ Vogel

Texas has never had a ton of interest in Ford.

The yips are weird. The less you have to think about something, the better it is. That's why it is so dangerous for putts in golf, or throw backs from the catcher. You don't notice the yips on drives off the tee or on throw downs to 2nd base because you are moving without thinking. It becomes second nature. You have to find a way to get your mind off of the movement and begin to play without thinking. It's very bizarre to explain, and unless you've experienced it, this likely won't make a lick of sense.

Holguin was on campus this weekend, made the decision quickly after returning home.

Introducing the points per drive chart for the first time in 2025. For folks that are new, I view points per drive as the most important statistic when evaluating offenses and defenses. Of course, field position plays a factor on both sides of the football, but over the course of a season, this is the best indicator of whether or not one side of the ball is truly playing well. Obviously these numbers don't mean a ton, given most teams have played East-West Blind State for three weeks while some have a top-25 matchup or two already on the slate. As the season progresses, these graphs will look significantly different. A few takeaways: – Tennessee and Arkansas each sit with top 25 offenses but are the only two teams with defenses outside of the top 100 in the SEC. –There is a strong bunch of teams with top 25 offenses and defenses ranging from 27th to 56th. Those are competitive teams. Of that group, Auburn has the best offense at 4.00 points per offensive possession. The Jackson Arnold experiment is working... for now. – The best defenses in the conference belong to Texas and Oklahoma. Texas allows 0.73 points per possession, Oklahoma sits at 0.78. On that same note, LSU's defense is more than legit through three weeks and two tests against Cade Klubnik and DJ Lagway. – The worst offenses in the conference are led by LaNorris Sellers, DJ Lagway, Garrett Nussmeier and Arch Manning. Who would have seen that coming through the first three weeks of the season. – Pleasantly surprised with the defensive performance from Mississippi State so far this year. They rank 25th.

I would expect Wisner and Moore back for Florida. I think Sark and Texas believe they can win these games without their key guys who are battling injuries, and they are right. On top of that, I think they are hoping to get the young TEs up to speed and looks at Simon + the WR room.

Yessir, Posted each Sunday after the game

Steve Sarkisian told reporters on Monday that Texas running back CJ Baxter will NOT play this weekend vs. Sam Houston State. Baxter was injured with a hamstring issue on the first play of the game against UTEP. "We don't think it's overly significant," Sarkisian said. "But he'll be out this week to get him ready for SEC play," Texas rolled out James Simon, Christian Clark and Jerrick Gibson as a result. Sarkisian did not provide a firm status on Tre Wisner who has been sidelined with a hamstring issue as well. Texas will evaluate the third year running back as the week continues.

I don't believe that is what I am pushing here. More, there is an avenue to get more out of Manning than what we are seeing currently. His legs are no doubt a weapon, and until the improvement is seen with the arm, I think it is in Texas' best interest to utilize that part of his game more when SEC play nears.

What about this 9 OL look? lol

FWIW, seven quarterbacks in the SEC had 100 rush attempts a year ago. Arch sits at 24 att. through three games. On pace for 96 over the 12 game regular season. That feels like the sweet spot. 7–12 rush attempts per game against the OU's, A&M's, UGA's etc. They are going to need each and every yard they can find given what we have seen through three weeks.

Given how QB1 has played, I am not sure the drop off to QB2 would be as significant as we would have expected entering the season. Arch is tough, he enjoys running the football. Utilize his legs.

I understand this won't be a popular take, but I do believe this would be successful in the Texas offense. After all, Arch is your leading rusher and leading TD scorer on the ground.

Opinion on how to use Arch Moving Forward Through three weeks, I think it is more than fair to say the Texas offense remains a work in progress. The learning curve has yet to narrow and oddly after playing UTEP, I feel like there are more questions and unknowns than after playing Ohio State. Still, that does not mean the season is over, nor does it mean there can't be redeemable qualities for the Texas offense. I am certain the offense does not look as bad as it did on Saturday if DeAndre Moore, Emmett Mosley V, Tre Wisner and CJ Baxter were healthy. That is four of your top six playmakers sidelined to injury and it is week three. Additionally, I am sure the play of Arch Manning improves as well with those playmakers on the field. But until that happens, Texas has to work with what they have on the field – and with what the quarterback is currently giving you as well. Which is where I wanted to go with this point. I have long said you only need 24 points to win games at Texas over the last two years with the way the defense has been constructed. ••• In fact, since the beginning of 2023, the Longhorns are 25–2 when they score 21 points or more. Contrarily, Texas is 2–4 when they score less than 20 points. ••• Come SEC play on the first weekend of October, Texas is going to be met with SEC level talent on the defensive side of the ball. The issues we have seen offensively will be magnified if they are not cleaned up. However, I do think there is a remedy in here for the Texas offense. And it includes the usage of Arch Manning. This is not the gunslinger that was expected. You cannot have ten conseuctive incompletions and expect success in football games in the SEC. But you can have success with Arch's legs. I mentioned in postgame videos over the weekend that Texas may need to turn Arch Manning into Haynes King. At first it was an off the cuff that I didn't necessarily believe wholeheartedly. But the more I rewatched the Texas game this weekend and more I saw of games elsewhere across the country, the more I found myself buying into the sentiment that Arch Manning may just need to become Haynes King offensively. King, a junkyard dog of a quarterback, is tremendous with his legs. There is grit in his game and a toughness not often found given his workload in the running game. On Saturday morning, Georgia Tech and King upset Clemson 24–21 with King eclipsing 100 rush yards on 24 rush attempts. Georgia Tech's final possession ended in a 55-yard game-winning field goal where the Jackets traveled 38 yards on 10 plays to get into field goal range. On those ten snaps, five were designed runs for King who racked up 18 yards. It was ugly, but it worked. On the afternoon, King ended up 20-28 passing for 211 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions. Given the struggles and inconsistencies of the Texas offense and Arch Manning specifically, I think we would all take a day like that against a top 25 team. Now, it is up to Arch to complete the easy passes. The quick curls, the checkdowns, etc. But our @Rod Babers pointed it out on Sunday, there is a transition to using Arch Manning's legs more than we have ever seen with a Sarkisian-coached quarterback. Again, 25–2 are the Texas Longhorns when scoring 21 points or more dating back to 2023. Texas can get to 21 points in SEC play with the legs of Arch Manning and Sarkisian opting to take the points when presented in the red area. Who knows, maybe there is some confidence that returns to Manning's game with his arm if this approach is taken. As a result, maybe something clicks with his arm and the passing game returns to what was expected in the preseason. If that is the case, that is tremendous. But I can not sit here and type to you that that is going to happen. Texas is running out of time to experiment ahead of SEC play. But you know the legs of Manning are a weapon and the kid is a tough cookie. Swallow your pride, Sark. Until further notice, it is time to crown Arch the next Haynes King.

Simon certainly looked impressive.