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Everything posted by Jeff Howe
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AUSTIN, Texas — Arch Manning will lead Texas into the 2025 regular-season finale against Texas A&M on Friday (6:30 p.m., ABC), looking to extend the best stretch of football he’s played in his first full season as QB1 for the Longhorns. The career-high 389 yards Manning threw for and six touchdowns he accounted for (he and Bobby Layne as the only quarterbacks in school history to throw for, rush for and catch a touchdown in a single game) in Saturday’s 52-37 win over Arkansas earned him a Manning Award Star of the Week nod, a spot on the Davey O’Brien Award’s “Great 8” list and recognition as the Associated Press National Player of the Week. Manning’s historic afternoon made him the first Texas (8-3, 5-2 SEC) quarterback to record three 300-yard passing games in a four-game stretch since Colt McCoy in 2009, one in which Manning (against Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, Georgia and Arkansas) has accounted for 14 touchdowns (11 passing, two rushing and one receiving). Doing his part to keep the Longhorns in the hunt for a third consecutive berth in the College Football Playoff over the team’s last four games, Manning is completing 65.1 percent of his passes (99 for 152). He's thrown for 1,314 yards and just two interceptions heading into Friday’s showdown with the Aggies at Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. The game has slowed down for Manning and, as a result, he’s thriving, Steve Sarkisian said on Monday. While praising Manning’s continued growth as a progression passer and decision maker, Sarkisian said that how the redshirt sophomore quarterback overcame his early-season struggles has led to Manning’s play becoming, arguably, the biggest strength of a Texas team standing between Texas A&M (11-0, 7-0) and its first-ever trip to the SEC title game. “I don't know if any college player has gone through what he went through before he even was the full-time starter,” Sarkisian said. “Part of that is his last name, part of it is our brand. I think those two things coming together made this such a big storyline before the season, but none of it was anything due to what Arch was doing. He just kept focusing on what he needed and tried to do. I'm sure there were moments when it was a lot — maybe, even overwhelming — but, to his credit, the guy showed so much resolve and resiliency and stick-to-itiveness to the task at hand. It wasn't a perfect journey to get to this point, but sometimes, it's good not to have a perfect journey. Sometimes, taking a road less traveled is good for you. "I said this earlier in the year — he was going to benefit from the journey that he had to go on and that he could learn how to overcome some of the adversity that he was faced with and some of the criticism he was faced with," he added. "I think he's better and stronger for it today and I'm really proud of him.”
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His last three years at UCLA (8-4, 9-4, 8-5) went a lot better than I thought.
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The gang is getting back together?
Jeff Howe replied to SchoolColors's topic in On Texas Football Forum
When he was a defensive coordinator, he didn't coach a position. Wilcox was the DC at Boise State when PK was the D-line coach. PK took over for him when Wilcox left for Tennessee in 2010. -
Texas secured Saturday’s 52-37 win over Arkansas thanks to four outstanding individual plays in the third quarter. On second-and-2 from the Razorbacks’ 44-yard line, Maraad Watson forced Mike Washington Jr. to bounce a run outside, where Colin Simmons and Malik Muhammad finished him off for a 1-yard loss. One play later, Jelani McDonald was in the right place at the right time, intercepting Taylen Green’s inexplicable decision to push the ball off his chest and into open space as the walls were closing in on him on third-and-3. On the Longhorns' ensuing possession, Quintrevion Wisner got away from a defender near the line of scrimmage and weaved his way to a 4-yard gain on third-and-3. On third-and-goal from the 8-yard line, Arch Manning came through with arguably the biggest highlight from the most productive outing of his career, spinning out of pressure and threading the needle between two defenders on a throw against the grain to DeAndre Moore Jr. (74 yards on three receptions, all of which were touchdowns) in the back of the end zone. Those four plays went a long way toward helping No. 17 Texas (8-3, 5-2 SEC) turn a shootout with Arkansas (2-9, 0-7) into a blowout victory. A team that’s found it hard to put together sequences of ideal complementary football this season did so, putting a frustratingly erratic first half in the rearview mirror. *** While accounting for six touchdowns, one of which featured him being on the receiving end of a 4-yard touchdown pass by Parker Livingstone (two catches for 104 yards and a touchdown), Manning was magnificent. Manning and Steve Sarkisian attacked a porous Razorback secondary, successfully hunting explosive plays. The Longhorns came into the day with 19 pass completions of 30 or more yards in their first 10 games; Manning connected with four different receivers on five 30-plus-yard completions en route to a career-high 389 yards on an 18-for-30 effort. Manning's play is elevating the offense and lifting those around him. Although he’s still dealing with dirty pockets and too many dropped passes, the game is slowing down for Manning as he turns the page and begins preparing to face Mike Elko’s Texas A&M defense next Friday in the regular-season finale. *** The Arkansas offense is one of the most explosive in the country. Still, the Texas defense surrendering 37 points, 512 total yards and 324 yards through the air (the third time in the last four games an opponent has thrown for 300 or more yards against the Longhorns) is gross and doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence in next week’s showdown with the Aggies’ potent attack. To the defense’s credit, the Razorbacks averaged 2.2 yards per rushing attempt in the second half (31 net yards on 14 carries) after gashing Texas for 157 (9.2 yards per carry) in the first half. After three runs from scrimmage of at least 20 yards in the first half, Arkansas didn’t notch an explosive run after halftime until a 12-yard scramble by KJ Jackson reached the end zone in the fourth quarter. Regardless, the concern coming out of the game for Pete Kwiatkowski’s group is two-fold. For starters, the Razorbacks shredded Texas in the middle of the field, specifically with their tight ends (Rohan Jones and Jaden Platt combined for 148 yards and a touchdown on nine catches). On top of the defense’s lingering coverage issues, Anthony Hill Jr.’s health and Ty’Anthony Smith’s third-quarter ejection for targeting made the Longhorns a less versatile, less athletic group that was easier to attack at the second level. The availability of the Kwiatkowski's linebackers is arguably the most significant storyline heading into the Texas A&M game. *** Even with Wisner (67 yards on 15 carries) looking strong at times in the second half, Texas became the first FBS defense to rush for less than 100 yards against Arkansas this season (97 net yards on 28 carries). Still, Wisner and CJ Baxter Jr. (24 yards on seven carries), combining for 91 yards on 22 carries, is what the offense needs from the running backs to achieve balance and relieve pressure on Manning, which hasn’t happened often enough this season. *** Kade Phillips and Graceson Littleton combined for five of the defense’s seven pass breakups. The snaps those two continue to log will set the tone for the 2026 season, one in which the Longhorns need playmakers to emerge on the back end. *** Overall, a 15-point win over the worst team was a microcosm of the 2025 season for the Longhorns. The game started with the offense on fire and the defense on its heels. When the defense settled in, the offense got stagnant. From the closing minutes of the first half to the 11:30 mark of the fourth quarter (Liona Lefau's 52-yard fumble return for a touchdown off a strip sack by Simmons put Texas up by 29 points, 52-23), however, Sarkisian's club did what it had to, on both sides of the ball, to bury an inferior opponent. The defense allowed two late scoring drives, dampening a performance in which the unit shook off a forgettable start. Texas needed every one of the 490 total yards (8.3 yards per play) the offense racked up to put away the Razorbacks. The offense ran roughshod in the third quarter, scoring 21 points and averaging 10.9 yards per play. The first three quarters of the Vanderbilt game were likely this team at its peak. Nevertheless, the stretches when the Longhorns are clicking on cylinders are why the burnt orange faithful can hang onto hope of Texas ending the regular season with a bang by spoiling the Aggies' perfect season. View full news story
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Texas secured Saturday’s 52-37 win over Arkansas thanks to four outstanding individual plays in the third quarter. On second-and-2 from the Razorbacks’ 44-yard line, Maraad Watson forced Mike Washington Jr. to bounce a run outside, where Colin Simmons and Malik Muhammad finished him off for a 1-yard loss. One play later, Jelani McDonald was in the right place at the right time, intercepting Taylen Green’s inexplicable decision to push the ball off his chest and into open space as the walls were closing in on him on third-and-3. On the Longhorns' ensuing possession, Quintrevion Wisner got away from a defender near the line of scrimmage and weaved his way to a 4-yard gain on third-and-3. On third-and-goal from the 8-yard line, Arch Manning came through with arguably the biggest highlight from the most productive outing of his career, spinning out of pressure and threading the needle between two defenders on a throw against the grain to DeAndre Moore Jr. (74 yards on three receptions, all of which were touchdowns) in the back of the end zone. Those four plays went a long way toward helping No. 17 Texas (8-3, 5-2 SEC) turn a shootout with Arkansas (2-9, 0-7) into a blowout victory. A team that’s found it hard to put together sequences of ideal complementary football this season did so, putting a frustratingly erratic first half in the rearview mirror. *** While accounting for six touchdowns, one of which featured him being on the receiving end of a 4-yard touchdown pass by Parker Livingstone (two catches for 104 yards and a touchdown), Manning was magnificent. Manning and Steve Sarkisian attacked a porous Razorback secondary, successfully hunting explosive plays. The Longhorns came into the day with 19 pass completions of 30 or more yards in their first 10 games; Manning connected with four different receivers on five 30-plus-yard completions en route to a career-high 389 yards on an 18-for-30 effort. Manning's play is elevating the offense and lifting those around him. Although he’s still dealing with dirty pockets and too many dropped passes, the game is slowing down for Manning as he turns the page and begins preparing to face Mike Elko’s Texas A&M defense next Friday in the regular-season finale. *** The Arkansas offense is one of the most explosive in the country. Still, the Texas defense surrendering 37 points, 512 total yards and 324 yards through the air (the third time in the last four games an opponent has thrown for 300 or more yards against the Longhorns) is gross and doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence in next week’s showdown with the Aggies’ potent attack. To the defense’s credit, the Razorbacks averaged 2.2 yards per rushing attempt in the second half (31 net yards on 14 carries) after gashing Texas for 157 (9.2 yards per carry) in the first half. After three runs from scrimmage of at least 20 yards in the first half, Arkansas didn’t notch an explosive run after halftime until a 12-yard scramble by KJ Jackson reached the end zone in the fourth quarter. Regardless, the concern coming out of the game for Pete Kwiatkowski’s group is two-fold. For starters, the Razorbacks shredded Texas in the middle of the field, specifically with their tight ends (Rohan Jones and Jaden Platt combined for 148 yards and a touchdown on nine catches). On top of the defense’s lingering coverage issues, Anthony Hill Jr.’s health and Ty’Anthony Smith’s third-quarter ejection for targeting made the Longhorns a less versatile, less athletic group that was easier to attack at the second level. The availability of the Kwiatkowski's linebackers is arguably the most significant storyline heading into the Texas A&M game. *** Even with Wisner (67 yards on 15 carries) looking strong at times in the second half, Texas became the first FBS defense to rush for less than 100 yards against Arkansas this season (97 net yards on 28 carries). Still, Wisner and CJ Baxter Jr. (24 yards on seven carries), combining for 91 yards on 22 carries, is what the offense needs from the running backs to achieve balance and relieve pressure on Manning, which hasn’t happened often enough this season. *** Kade Phillips and Graceson Littleton combined for five of the defense’s seven pass breakups. The snaps those two continue to log will set the tone for the 2026 season, one in which the Longhorns need playmakers to emerge on the back end. *** Overall, a 15-point win over the worst team was a microcosm of the 2025 season for the Longhorns. The game started with the offense on fire and the defense on its heels. When the defense settled in, the offense got stagnant. From the closing minutes of the first half to the 11:30 mark of the fourth quarter (Liona Lefau's 52-yard fumble return for a touchdown off a strip sack by Simmons put Texas up by 29 points, 52-23), however, Sarkisian's club did what it had to, on both sides of the ball, to bury an inferior opponent. The defense allowed two late scoring drives, dampening a performance in which the unit shook off a forgettable start. Texas needed every one of the 490 total yards (8.3 yards per play) the offense racked up to put away the Razorbacks. The offense ran roughshod in the third quarter, scoring 21 points and averaging 10.9 yards per play. The first three quarters of the Vanderbilt game were likely this team at its peak. Nevertheless, the stretches when the Longhorns are clicking on cylinders are why the burnt orange faithful can hang onto hope of Texas ending the regular season with a bang by spoiling the Aggies' perfect season.
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Texas linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. has been ruled out for Saturday’s home game against Arkansas (2:30 p.m., ABC). Friday’s SEC student-athlete availability report downgraded Hill from questionable to doubtful for the game. Issued 90 minutes before kickoff, the pregame availability report confirmed that the Longhorns will have to take on the Razorbacks without Hill, who suffered a hand injury in last Saturday’s 35-10 road loss to Georgia. Hill is the leading tackler (69 total tackles) for Texas (7-3, 4-2 SEC). He has recorded seven tackles for loss, four sacks and two interceptions as a junior. Hill’s absence adds a degree of difficulty to the Longhorns’ challenge slowing down an explosive Arkansas (2-8, 0-6) offense. The Razorbacks are fifth nationally in yards per play (7.22), 13th in total offense (470 yards per game) and trail only Ole Miss for the FBS lead in plays from scrimmage that have gained 10 or more yards (183). There were no Texas players listed on the pregame availability report other than Hill. Wide receiver Ryan Wingo, who has been dealing with a thumb injury since the team's 34-31 win over Vanderbilt on Nov. 1, wasn't listed on Saturday's availability report. Wingo, who leads the Longhorns in receptions (40), yards receiving (655) and touchdown receptions (six), was listed as probable on Wednesday and Thursday before he was removed from the availability report on Friday. View full news story
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Texas linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. has been ruled out for Saturday’s home game against Arkansas (2:30 p.m., ABC). Friday’s SEC student-athlete availability report downgraded Hill from questionable to doubtful for the game. Issued 90 minutes before kickoff, the pregame availability report confirmed that the Longhorns will have to take on the Razorbacks without Hill, who suffered a hand injury in last Saturday’s 35-10 road loss to Georgia. Hill is the leading tackler (69 total tackles) for Texas (7-3, 4-2 SEC). He has recorded seven tackles for loss, four sacks and two interceptions as a junior. Hill’s absence adds a degree of difficulty to the Longhorns’ challenge slowing down an explosive Arkansas (2-8, 0-6) offense. The Razorbacks are fifth nationally in yards per play (7.22), 13th in total offense (470 yards per game) and trail only Ole Miss for the FBS lead in plays from scrimmage that have gained 10 or more yards (183). There were no Texas players listed on the pregame availability report other than Hill. Wide receiver Ryan Wingo, who has been dealing with a thumb injury since the team's 34-31 win over Vanderbilt on Nov. 1, wasn't listed on Saturday's availability report. Wingo, who leads the Longhorns in receptions (40), yards receiving (655) and touchdown receptions (six), was listed as probable on Wednesday and Thursday before he was removed from the availability report on Friday.
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Texas linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. was downgraded to doubtful for Saturday’s home game against Arkansas (2:30 p.m., ABC) on Friday’s SEC student-athlete availability report. The good news for the Longhorns is that wide receiver Ryan Wingo, who has been dealing with a thumb injury he sustained in the team’s 34-31 win over Vanderbilt on Nov. 1, was off the report. He was listed as probable on Wednesday and Thursday. The bad news, however, is that Texas (7-3, 4-2 SEC) could have to face an explosive Razorback offense without one of the top defensive players in the country if Hill can’t go. Steve Sarkisian said on Thursday that Hill had been limited in practice after suffering a hand injury in last Saturday's 35-10 road loss to Georgia. "We're kind of taking this day-by-day with him to see kinda how he feels towards the end of the week," Sarkisian said. "The beauty of it for Ant — he's played so much football for us that you can get a lot of reps done throughout a walkthrough to see if he's healthy enough to go. The walkthrough reps, I think, can carry over into a ballgame." View full news story
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Texas linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. was downgraded to doubtful for Saturday’s home game against Arkansas (2:30 p.m., ABC) on Friday’s SEC student-athlete availability report. The good news for the Longhorns is that wide receiver Ryan Wingo, who has been dealing with a thumb injury he sustained in the team’s 34-31 win over Vanderbilt on Nov. 1, was off the report. He was listed as probable on Wednesday and Thursday. The bad news, however, is that Texas (7-3, 4-2 SEC) could have to face an explosive Razorback offense without one of the top defensive players in the country if Hill can’t go. Steve Sarkisian said on Thursday that Hill had been limited in practice after suffering a hand injury in last Saturday's 35-10 road loss to Georgia. "We're kind of taking this day-by-day with him to see kinda how he feels towards the end of the week," Sarkisian said. "The beauty of it for Ant — he's played so much football for us that you can get a lot of reps done throughout a walkthrough to see if he's healthy enough to go. The walkthrough reps, I think, can carry over into a ballgame."
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