echeese

Quality OL is #1 Difference-making RB1 (not sure Clark is a 1 but a very nice RB2) WR, assuming Coleman is the guy, not like our WR room isn't quality. LB S CB That's my order.

Got to visit briefly with GJ Kinne at the Armed Forces Bowl Luncheon, told him if he hadn't left TEXAS, he'd have won the National Title in 2009. Mack going with John "I'd rather play basketball" Chiles as QB2 pushing Kinne out the door was a bad call. And Hamilton should remember, as I said it at the time. In other look who I ran into news, Blaine Irby's Mom still flies as a flight attendant for Southwest, we had a great visit, very nice lady, Blaine still loves his time at TEXAS.

I believe it was reported he is gone. But if it isn't official yet, you are correct.

Edit: TEXAS is 1-3 after extended layoffs/bye, DUH, Michigan was a very nice win.

View from the Cheap Seats-Michigan Horns are the Cheeziest The Arch Manning Show. What a fantastic performance, and precisely what Horn fans expected every week. It took young Arch more than a few games to settle in, and even after that, there were a couple of less-than-great performances. Please make no mistake, Arch finished VERY STRONG in his 6 of TEXAS last 8 games, starting with the Red River War. And he saved the very best for last vs the Aggies, then Michigan, where he would earn the Citrus Bowl MVP, just like his Uncle 28 years before. This game was very back-and-forth until the 4th quarter. You had the feeling that TEXAS was the better team but too many mistakes, fumbles, penalties and dropped passes, which seemed to allow Michigan to hang around. TEXAS’ most pleasant surprise of the game was the strong running by Christian Clark, returning from serious injuries in 2024 and good offensive line play. Late in the 3rd quarter, Arch took off on 23 and 60 yard TD runs while the D came up with 3 INTs. Mack’s inside the 10 INT snuffed out a strong Michigan drive then Ty’Anthony Smith closed out the game for the D with two big interceptions of his own. On the 1st play after the 2nd of Smith’s INTs in the 4th, Arch drops back, sees the D part like the Red Sea and took off on his 60 yard run which was the game’s back breaker. We must commend Arch, he would take the yards that were there, then get down or go out of bounds. Let the hype begin for 2026 as the Jones Boys announcing have already deemed him the 2026 Heisman favorite. A pair we generally enjoy watching the game but they had us diving for the dictionary with some of the YUGE words they tossed out. And just like that, it’s over. A season that began with far too much hype and expectations ended entirely too quickly. A season of massive highs, early lows, and a very robust finish. Going for an early “silver lining”, in SEC play, TEXAS is now 6-0 against their traditional rivals and, for the 2nd year in a row, knocked the Aggies out of the SEC title game, a game they have never qualified for. Still, 2025 was overhyped as a “deep playoff run” type of year, with TEXAS starting the season ranked #1 in the polls, with Arch Manning the preseason favorite to win the Heisman. If this season was playoffs or bust, then the reality is, TEXAS busted. We consider the season more of a letdown than a failure, but we remained concerned about some systemic problems that continue to bite TEXAS in the butt. So many want to claim the bowls are “meaningless”. Someone might want to tell the players because this bowl season has produced some great games, with the Citrus-Cheezit Bowl being one of them. Two of the Top 5 most successful teams of all time came out to prove something and put on a show. We should mention, 2 of the best helmets in college football as well. Guess the players missed the message the game was meaningless. Manning was the #1 recruit in the 2023 season while Michigan’s signal caller, Bryce Underwood, was this year #1 recruit. Not hard to see why, as he is talented. Give Manning experience, the difference in him having a much better day. Offensive Player of the Game (and the Year) Arch Manning. The Cheez-it/Citrus Bowl MVP threw for 221 yards and 2 touchdowns while rushing for 155 to lead all rushers and 2 touchdowns. When not taking off and running, his pocket movement to extend plays was notable and contributed to him not being sacked. Honorable Mention: Christian Clark made a statement. His return from injury certainly was a major factor in the win. 20 carries and 105 yards for 5.2 ypc and a TD were key to the offense. Defensive player of the Game: Ty’Anthony Smith’s two 4th quarter interceptions iced the game on the D side of the ball. He would lead all tacklers and add a tackle for loss. Defensive Player of the Year: Collin Simmons by a nose over Anthony “Ant” Hill who missed the last 3 games. Both 2nd team All-Americans Special teams player of the game: ? Nope,not this week Special teams Player of the Year All-American Returner Ryan Nibblet Stats that Matter 7.1/235 Rushing YPC and total yards. This team wins when it can run the ball 0-3 TEXAS coming off bye weeks or extended layoffs. Head scratcher 12-103 Penalties and yards given up vs Michigan. Over the past 4 years, TEXAS has steadily become one of the most penalized teams in the nation, going from #65 to #132. 1-3 Turnovers lost vs turnovers gained. TEXAS would score 10 off the three turnovers and the Mack INT (1st one) snuffed out a deep Michigan drive. 73 TEXAS finished #73 in the nation in 3rd down conversions. 3 of the past 4 seasons have been in the 70s. A point of comparison, Indiana ranks #1 and 7 other playoff teams rank in the Top 30. Award winners 2025: Michael Taffe-Wuerful Award, Community Servant of the Year, 1st team (AFCA) All American, 2nd team (FWAA) and 3rd team (AP). 1st team All SEC (Coaches) Anthony “Ant” Hill-2nd team All American (AFCA, AP, FWAA), 1st team All-SEC (Coaches) Collin Simmons, 2nd team All-American (AFCA, Sporting News and WCFF), 1st team All-SEC (coaches) Ryan Niblett, 1st team All-American (FWAA), 2nd Team All-SEC (Coaches) Trevor Goosby, 1st team All-SEC (Coaches) Ryan Wingo, 2nd team All-SEC (Coaches) Malik Muhammed, 2nd team All-SEC (Coaches) DJ Campbell, 3rd team All-SEC (Coaches) Lance Jackson, All-SEC Freshman Team (where in the wide, wide world of sports was Graceson Littleton???) On Deck 2026 Don’t look now, but TEXAS’ schedule gets even harder in 2026. The Cheeziest Bowl certainly addressed both some questions and concerns. Christian Clark had an impressive performance, so we know who RB1 is for now. This does not mean there will not be competition. Competition makes everyone better. #1 question today on offense, does Trevor Goosby come back? If so, OT is covered, but two interior starters are out of eligibility. #2 Question is Jake Endries possible return. He fell out of the game plan at times during the season, though we are not blaming him, as he neither calls the plays nor throws the ball. He is a weapon, but only if we utilize him. #3a question: clearly, the D backslid at times in 2025. Coach PK was fired to accommodate Coach Boom's return. #3b, can we find 2-3 interior offensive linemen for 2026 in the portal, assuming Goosby returns? And can Coach Flood, coach up the young recruits. The OL did play very well vs both Aggie and Michigan. #4 Three major special teams concerns: we are losing a very good punter and kicker, and our coverage teams look weak against Michigan. #5 The back 6-8 of the D lacks experience, though they are long on talent. Who will step up at Safety, and can we find a linebacker to pair with Ty’Anthony Smith? So we have discussed our biggest concerns for 2026, which has TEXAS facing an even more daunting lineup, let’s focus on what we are excited about. #1 ise asy, Arch Manning is showing us why the hype was real. In a pre-game interview, he said his play had improved after he stopped trying to force things and let the game come to him. Some call that the game “slowing down” for a player. He is a threat both as a runner and a passer. #2 TXAS’ front 4. Collin Simmons is a beast, while Lance Jackson is showing he’ll be a major factor as well. The interior of the DLine looks strong for 2026 #3 We think the WRs will be a strength in 2026 even though we lose the #2 pass catcher to the NFL. One of our concerns about Sark is that he eschews a heavy WR rotation despite so many talented players, and without reps, it’s hard to grow. #4 We especially like the TE room and hope that Endries stays for one more year. We think he can be special Fortunately, TEXAS will not have to open the season ranked #1. We expect TEXAS to finish in the Top 10 this year and open 2026 between 5 and 10. What TEXAS does in the portal will be interesting to watch and determine whether the Horns are a true playoff contender or hanging around as another 9-3 type team. Can Coach Boom get the D back to the standards Coach PK set over the past few years? We think yes. We think the O will be better than 2025, which isn’t a high bar, as in 2025, we finished #44 in scoring. Keys to that growth will be Arch’s continued development, an improved running game, and fewer drive-killing penalties. Couple of key stats to watch are significant improvement with both a reduction in penalties and improved 3rd down conversions. To be clear, we like most of what Sark is doing at TEXAS. He has to do a better job of self-evaluation; he needs to continue to build the offense around the skill sets of his players, and he needs to “break” some of his tendencies. By his own admission, he is very stubborn. Hopefully, 2025 serves as a wake-up call. We think he can improve in these areas to help take the next step. We’re calling it 10-2 with a return to the playoffs for 2026 despite a tough schedule. An outstanding season would be going 12-1, winning the SEC, and a deep playoff run. On the flip side, we are seeing 9-3 as the floor but that means another New Year's Day/Eve bowl. We have also just learned that Paker Livingstone is entering the transfer portal and frankly find this surprising. Meanwhile Emmit Mosley the 5th (V) is back. this is very good news as he was an underutilized weapon (though he started the season injured) Highlights https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DALKiP-uYg

View from the Cheap Seats-A&M How sweet it is Sark and TEXAS record their signature win of the Sark Era, defeating #3 ranked Aggie in front of a raucous DKR crowd. And for the 2nd time in their 2-year SEC history, TEXAS defeated all 3 of it’s traditional rivals, OU, Arkansas and A&M in the same year. To add more icing to the cake, what is absolutely glorious is that in both years the Horns end the season knocking Lil Brother out of an SEC title berth. Georgia is one half of the bracket while Bama needs to beat Auburn otherwise Ole Miss sneaks in and the Ags consolation prize is a Top 8 playoff seed. What can be better than wrecking Lil Brother’s perfect season? And it ends a season of frustration for Horns fans on a very high note. The game was very much a tale of two halves for the offense. They bumbled and stumbled in the 1st half, shades of our early season ineptitude. The second half saw TEXAS break trend and win with legs which helped set up the pass. Arch’s passing was spotty in the 1st half, 7 of 22 for 55 yards, he consistantly burned the Wrecked Crew’s defense with his legs. Part of the 2nd half turnaround was Sark breaking trend and making strong adjustments at halftime. One of those was not abandoning the run. As the Aggies schemed to stop Arch, Tre Wisner put on a show and rewarded Sark for having faith by going off for 155 yards, the 1st time a TEXAS runner had broken 100 yards rushing all season, dating back to the Clemson playoff game. A stunning stat that likely is a key component to the TEXAS offense having such an up and down year. The 2nd half would see TEXAS outscore the visiting “Reville-less” Ags 24-7 and dominate Lil Brother, wrecking their perfect season and denying them their 1st ever SEC title game bid. On the other side of the ball, the defense showed up to play from the opening snap. We had said pre-season that we would go as far as Coach PK’s young charges would carry us and they carried the Horns in this game. Especially in the 1st half before the offense woke up. There was no let up by the D in the 2nd half as they shut down the vaunted Aggie offense and set the tone to start the 3rd quarter. Aggies were forced to punt on their 1st four offense drives, 3 of those 3 and outs including their 1st two possessions. It would not be until the 4th quarter that Aggie put together a TD drive to close TEXAS’ lead to 20-17. TEXAS would respond with a 63 yard drive of their own, capped by a great Arch 35 yard run on 3rd and short. TEXAS lined up 5 wide, stretching the Aggie D and behind some well timed blocks, Arch’s legs once again made the difference. 7 minutes to go, down by 10, Ags drive the ball down to the TEXAS 18, with the Aggie perfect season hanging in the balance, Senior Michael Taffe intercepts Reed’s pass, thrown under pressure to snuff out Aggies SEC title dreams, their perfect season dreams and reminding everyone who is Big Brother in the state. If there is any justice in the world, that interception capped Taffe’s Bulsworth Award (he was robbed last year) given to the best player who started his career as a walk on. It also seems fitting to play this hilarious video spoof, set to David Bowie Gene Jennie. Piling on you say? You bet you sweet bippie. Ags have resorted to the petty, even denying Bevo’s appearance at Klye Field last year for the 1st time in history. Speaking of field’s, we have always been very proud of the fact that DKR is a Memorial Stadium, dedicated to those we lost in World War I. there are even bronze plaques embedded in the lower bowl stadium walls, honoring those we lost by name. Kyle is dedicated to Revelle. TEXAS also put more men into service during World War II than Aggie. Fun facts to share when lil brother gets a bit too cocky. Enjoy this video, we certainly do. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcU3_Cok3CI Our two coordinators have taken a great deal of heat this year. Both showed up BIGTIME in the Lone Star Showdown. Sark went away from his 1st half bombs away scheme and leaned on the run game to keep the Ags off balance while Coach PK’s crew showed up from the opening snap to record their best performance since the opener vs Ohio State. They would hold the Ags almost 20 points under their season scoring average. Let the waiting begin Outside of lobbying, the Horns’ fate will be in the hands of the Band of 12 otherwise knowns as the College Football Playoff Selection Committee and they have to wait a week and a day to know if they become the 1st 3 loss team to receive an at-large bid. The case for the Horns inclusion is strong. No other team can boast 3 wins vs Top 10 ranked teams. No other team has faced 5 Top 10 ranked programs. If the Horns are penalized for scheduling tOSU to open the season, then all the committee cares about is number of losses and it’s time to go patty cake city with scheduling. We remain firmly convinced that the move to 9 conference games will only serve to have the SEC cannibalize itself. We do not buy the whine that the B1G does it that way as the B1G has always been very top heavy with 3-5 really good teams then the rest. If the Horns are left out, expect a Citrus Bowl type bid vs someone like Michigan which would make for good TV. And at the end of the day, if the Horns are left out then they have no one to blame but themselves for getting their butts beat by the Gators on the road, a team that isn’t even going bowling. TEXAS will boast a 3-2 record vs playoff teams but will it matter. Yes, we assume the Thieves of Land are getting a bid. Offensive Player of the Game Tre Wisner, 155 yards on 19 carries plus 2 receptions adding another 19 yards. He ran hard becoming the 1st 100 yard rusher in TEXAS’ last 14 games. #1 offensive fix for this offseason. Honorable Mention: Arch Manning turned around a weak 1st half, never quit on himself or his team and turned in a 2nd half performance that was outstanding. He also showed off his running ability, which burned the Aggies multiple times. After a 5-22 start, he would finish 14-29 for 179 yards and a passing TD to go with 70 yards on 7 carries including the game winning 35 yard TD on a QB draw to ice the game. Defensive Player of the Game Michael Taffe, his 4th quarter interception effectively ended any hope of an Aggie comeback. And with it, we hope it clinched him the Bulsworth Award, the best player in the Nation who began his career as a walk-on. Special Teams Player of the Year Jack Bouwmeester, his 1st 2 punts pinned the Ags inside their own 15 helping the Horns win the field position battle. Aggies only had one true “short field” opportunity on the night, which they capitalized on to score their 1st TD. Field position matters. Stats that Matter 2-0 TEXAS won the turnover battle 2 to ZERO. 5846 In 2026, it will be 5846 days since the Ags have beaten the Longhorns, 16 years 2 of 2 TEXAS would score touchdowns on both red zone chances 3 of 5 TEXAS held A&M to 2 TDs and a FG on 5 red zone attemps 14 TEXAS registered their 1st 100 yard rushing game over the past 14 games 9 TEXAS would force 6 punts, 2 Interceptions and a blocked FG on Aggies 13 drives On Deck Today we have no clue. It is in the hands of the CFP Selection Committee. The season is an odd one, clearly TEXAS opened this year seriously over-hyped. Arch experienced some growing pains but is rounding into the QB we all thought he could be. The future for the Horns is very bright. Hopefully the team hits the portal hard for interior offensive linemen and maybe RB. On the D side, secondary help would be nice as the Horns likely lose several of their best starters. It will be interesting to see if this win has any impact on recruiting. Game Highlights How sweet it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzV-A57Y510

View from the Cheap Seats-Arkansas Arch Roasts Pig for Thanksgiving “How does TEXAS bounce back?”, the announcers quote as the opening kickoff was struck. We’d say pretty damn well. The story of the night was Arch had his breakout performance vs old Southwest (SWC) Conference rival Arkansas. Coming off an ugly loss in Athens, the Horns return to a raucous crowd at DKR to enjoy their biggest win of the season. This was very much the performance the pre-season hype anticipated and a great look at the future of the Horns. Arkansas gave notice early why they had played every other SEC opponent close, they took the opening drive down and kicked a field goal. They would take their 2nd drive for another FG then add two more drives ending in touchdowns before the TEXAS defense woke up. TEXAS would counter with 3 touchdown drives of their own on their 1st three drives of the game as Arch Manning would not have a ball touch the ground until the 2nd quarter. What a night for him. The 2nd was some serious trick-er-ation. Arch passes the ball on the Jet sweep look, Sark loves to run, only to have the ball tossed back to Parker Livingstone for the double reverse? Nope, WR pass to a wide open Arch Manning for a touchdown. Parker would record a perfect 100 QBR rating on the night. TEXAS would record the “Daily Double” or the “Two-fer” (scoring to end one half and open the next). Teams like to defer the opening coin toss to start the 3rd quarter with the football. It worked perfectly for TEXAS as our Aussie punter, Jack Boumsteer, would pin the Pigs deep at their 11. The defense bowed up, and forced a weak punt only traveling 21 yards setting up a Mason Shipley field goal to take a 24-20 halftime lead. On the 1st play of the 3rd quarter, Arch hits Emmet Mosley V (The 5th) on a crossing route for a catch and run of 30 yards. Arch would then cap the drive with a short touchdown run. With this TD run, Arch becomes the 1st TEXAS QB in history to pass for, run for and catch a pass for touchdowns in the same game. TEXAS would take a 31-20 lead then put the hammer down on our visiting friends from Arkansas. Arkansas’ QB was Traylon Green, who is one of the best QBs in the SEC and a dangerous weapon. He would only make one mistake on the night but TEXAS would make him pay. On a play going nowhere and feeling the pressure of TEXAS’ momentum, he tries to shot put a ball to his TE only to have Jalanie McDonald pick it off giving TEXAS their first of two key turnovers on the night. And TEXAS would make the Pigs pay as they would drive down and score a touchdown. After a porous 1st half, the defense would wake up in the 2nd half and play much better. Still we would be remiss if we did not point out that after starting the year as one of the best defenses in the nation, that side of the ball has been very up and down the 2nd half of the year. The D would even contribute to the final score as Collin Simmons forces a 4th down strip sack and Liona Lafue would scoop and score a 52 yard TD. It’s now a one game season So it is all on the line this week and the unbeaten Aggies travel to Austin. Aggies are a lock for the playoffs and with the win, would take one half of the SEC title game slate. For the Longhorns, even with the win, they are neither assured a playoff spot or an SEC title bid, the joy of odd tiebreakers. Everybody wins out, our understanding is Ole Miss would play Bama. On the plus side of the slate, TEXAS might have the best resume of wins in the nation which would include 3 wins of Top 10 ranked teams. The biggest negative, that ugly Florida loss which has TEXAS as the top 3 loss ranked team in the nation. And math is the key (we did not promise no math). We leap frog both USC and Georgia Tech this week as both had losses. Two teams TEXAS beat, OU and Vandy are still ranked ahead of us and both won. TEXAS has to get to #11 as the #12 seed will be from a large group of 5 teams. So not to be Debbie Downer but TEXAS could beat it’s 3 traditional rivals and not reach the playoffs making the season not a success though not a complete failure. The focus is beating A&M and it will not be easy. Glass Half Full Arch Manning. The reactionary referred to him as a “bust” early in the year, we warned you, he’s young and needs some seasoning. He’s now showing tremendous in season growth and turning into an outstanding weapon. WR corps is also growing up. Don’t look now but the much maligned offensive line is playing much better. Not Moore Award great but much improved. Speaking of growing up, several of the young defensive backs starting to log more time and are playing well. Sark/TEXAS win the 2nd half behind the best gameplan of the season We won the 2nd half, we stepped on the Pigs throats and kept them from bouncing back. Glass Half Empty Defense gave up far too much. Run game remains an issue. Aggies coming to town with far more talent than the Pigs and Vandy’s of the world. We just got a taste of a true dual threat QB and Reed might be better than Green. Ty’Anthony Smith with a 2nd half targeting penalty which will cost him for 1st half of the Aggie game Will Ant Hill be ready? We hope so, his absence had an major impact vs Pigs Offensive Player of the Game Arch Manning, 18 of 30, 389 yards, 4 passing touchdowns, 1 rushing touchdowns and a receiving touchdown for the 1st time in Longhorn history. By far his best game as a Horn and a 91.7 QBR rating. Honorable Mention D’andre Moore, 3 catches, 3 touchdowns. That’s a nice night Defensive Player of the Game Collin Simmons, his 4th quarter strip sack led to a scoop and score, he would also add a tackle and a half for loss. Special Teams Player of the Game Jack Bouwmeester would only punt twice (once very late in the game) but his chip shot pinning the Pigs at their 11 was a great example of the importance of field position and the Horns would turn it into 7. Stats that Matter · 8 of 12 3rd down conversions, that will win you some games · 3 of 4 TEXAS would score touchdowns on 3 of their 4 trips inside the redzone with a FG · 7 for 72 Penalties still an issue for the Longhorns. On Deck Aggies come to town sporting an unbeaten record and their ticket to the playoffs is already punched regardless of outcome. Their defense is outstanding, boasting the #1 ranked 3rd down conversion defense in the nation, giving up a conversion on less than 25% of tries. Their offense is not far behind, ranked #10 in scoring (yards mean little, scoring means everything) in the nation and #1 in the SEC. They feature an outstanding dual threat QB in Marcel Red who is #16 in pass efficiency in the Nation and the #25 ranked rushing offense in the country. For context, TEXAS has faced #21 ranked Stockton, #3 ranked Pavia and #1 ranked Sayin. Defense will need to bring it’s A game. Let’s hope Ant Hill, likely playing in his last game at DKR is ready to go. TEXAS will need to put together it’s best gameplan of the year on both sides of the ball. Win the game, outside shot at the #11 seed in the playoffs, MAYBE. Lose and it’s 8-4/wait till next year. Our homer prediction: 31-24 Horns behind a 2-1 turnover advantage. Game Highlights https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYhuX_L37Uw

View from the Cheap Seats-Dawgs Not ready for Prime Time Next season, can we eliminate bye weeks altogether? TEXAS was scheduled for 2 bye weeks this year. Generally, a bye week is a great time to prepare, make special adjustments for an upcoming opponent, and get healthy. Teams typically have excellent games following a bye week. The Horns? They have been blown out twice this year. Texas traveled to Athens for the first time in history to take on the top-5 ranked Georgia Bulldogs following a bye that, on paper, was scheduled at the perfect time of the year. Not unlike their bye week before playing the woeful Gators, Sark/TEXAS was embarrassed before a Prime-Time National audience. The Horns were unprepared for the game and failed to make the necessary in-game adjustments. Sark/TEXAS/Arch started the game with their hair on fire, a 13-play 60-yard drive deep into Georgia’s Red Zone. And then it begins, the pattern of penalties and dropped passes leading to a field goal instead of a Touchdown. This ould be the last of TEXAS’ scoring in the 1st half, while the D would give up back-to-back TD drives before bowing up and forcing 3 straight 3-and-outs to end the 1st half and keep the game close. D would bow up again on the Dawgs' 1st drive of the 2nd half. After a punt from the offense, the defense steps up once again with an interception, giving Texas a short field, which results in a touchdown. The game is now 14-10 in the 3rd quarter, and you’re telling me there’s a chance. The Dawgs answer with a 10-play 73-yard TD drive, then execute a beautiful on-sides kick, catching TEXAS asleep at the wheel on special teams again, and they would take that recovery to a 9-play 53-yard drive, resulting in another touchdown, effectively putting the game out of reach. This marks the 3rd time in 3 games that Texas has played Georgia that the Dawgs have executed big-time special teams play to make a difference in the outcome. A pattern continues to emerge: TEXAS and Sark are getting outcoached. We like Sark, he’s done some great things at TEXAS. We have to say the unsaid thing, are we looking at the next James Franklin, though Sark has much more class? He cannot win the big games, he continues to repeat too many of the same mistakes, such as getting outscored in the 2nd half and an inability to make in-game adjustments. We’ll say it, Kirby Smart and his staff flat out OWN Sark and the Horns. They are now 3-0 against TEXAS, thanks to far superior coaching, game plans, and in-game adjustments. Smart, Bobo, and their defensive coordinator simply do a much better job of preparing their team than Sark has done. Glass Half Full At the end of the 1st half and start of the 2nd, the defense forced four punts and an interception to keep the Horns in the game. Glass Half Empty TEXAS outcoached again. Penalties and dropped passes are also significant issues. TEXAS abandoned the run far too early, only four rushing attempts in all the 3rd quarter, when the game was still within reach (14-10). Our secondary is too easy to exploit. Worst loss of the Sark era? PLAYOFFS????????? PLAYOFFS?????????? In our best Jim Mora voice. Folks that ship has SAILED. TEXAS is reduced to playing spoiler for Lil Brother’s season and a decent bowl game. Based on pre-season hype (which was absurd and we tried to tell you in the pre-season edition), it's hard to say this season is anything but a disappointment. Offensive Player of the Week Arch Manning, 27 of 43, 251 yards a TD and an INT. It was not his best game, though certainly not his worst. He can’t catch the ball for pass catchers. A strong run game would greatly aid his play (as it does for every QB). Measuring QBR, in SEC play, Arch has only been the better QB vs OU and Vandy. Defensive Player of the Week Ty’Anthony Smith He led the team in tackles with 2 tackles for loss and a sack. Logging some good time to take over for next year. Special Teams Player of the Week Ryan Niblett continues to be a difference maker in returns, though his best return was called back for a penalty, which sent Jeff Banks into apocalyptic mode, and rightfully so. Stats that Matter 2 of 12 on 3rd down, overall ranked #81 in the nation. The most glaring stat (after the final scoreboard) of the night 9, Penalties. TEXAS is #133 out of 134 teams in the nation in penalties. 7-21 TEXAS once again outscored in the 2nd half of a game, a disturbing pattern ?? Dropped passes, at least a half dozen, we did not count, players have to make plays. At least 4, which would have resulted in 1st downs. Congratulations to Michael Taffe for his 2nd semi-finalist nomination for the Bulworth Award for the Best Player who started his career as a Walk-On. Frankly, he was robbed of the award last year. Additionally, Anthony Hill was named a semi-finalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award, Most Outstanding Defensive Player of the Year to go with last week’s announcement of his semi-finalist spot on the Butkus Award list, Best Linebacker. This marks the 5th straight year a Longhorn has made the Butkus Semi-Final list, with Derrick Johnson winning in 2004. In late October, Trey Moore was recognized as a finalist for the Walter Campbell Award for excellence in combined Athletic performance, academic accomplishments, and leadership. On Deck Classic trap game. Coming off a loss and an unimpressive performance, Texas hosts Arkansas, which will be playing what amounts to its bowl game. Upsetting the Horns would be a major salve on their season. Make no mistake, Pigs play tough, despite their record; five of their losses are by three points or less. Should we mention they HATE TEXAS with a jihadist level of intensity? Do they catch the Horns looking ahead to Lil Brother coming to town with the roles reversed? Now it is TEXAS in the role of spoiler while Aggie is all but assured of a playoff berth and potentially an SEC title shot. Can Sark get his team ready, not just for this week, but also for next? Major coaching challenge for Sark Highlights https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JohYSQCHL-I

View from the Cheap Seats-Vandy comes to town Reverse Starkville It was a yard from reverse Déjà vu all over again. After scoring 21 in the 4th in Starkville to force overtime, the Horns come home, put on their best performance of the year for 3 quarters before giving up 21 unanswered to make things WAAAAY too interesting in the 4th quarter. Vandy executes a perfect onside kick with time running out, but cannot corral the ball, and it rolled harmlessly out of bounds to seal the win with 33 ticks left on the clock. As Sark would say, “We like to keep it interesting”. The Cheap Seats doesn’t like interesting, especially when the 4th quarter was marred by mistake after mistake. In the pre-season edition, we warned this had all the earmarks of a “trap game”. We did NOT think Vandy would come in as a top 10 team. The game could not have gotten off to a better start for the Horns, who returned to Austin and DKR after a month on the road. Arch takes the first snap, pivots to the right, fires a WR screen to Ryan Wingo, who breaks two would-be tackles and goes 75 yards for an opening touchdown. Not to be outdone, the defense, led by All-American Collin Simmons, records the trifecta: a sack, a strip, and a fumble recovery on the same play. There is no truth to the rumor that Simmons then ran into the stands to sell popcorn as well. This gave the Horns a short field, and they converted a field goal. The D would force another punt as Vandy tried to pin the Horns deep, and it almost worked. Mr Return Ryan Nibblet makes a nifty move from inside his 5 and brings the ball out to the 17. Arch engineers a 10-play 83-yard drive, finishing the drive with his 2nd Touchdown pass of the game to CJ Baxter to take a 17-0 lead. Vandy would close out the 1st half with a Field Goal to make the score 17-3 While the first half started with an explosive start, the second half began with our defense forcing a three-and-out before the offense put together an 11-play, 93-yard drive to put the Horns up 31-10. Vandy would miss a field goal while TEXAS would then add a field goal to go up by 24 at the end of the 3rd. Up to this point, the defense had been playing lights out against a top-15 scoring offense in the nation, while the offense and Arch were looking like what we expected to see all year. Going back a week, TEXAS had not punted in 11 straight drives. In 2 weeks, TEXAS’ D has fallen from a Top 5 scoring D to #13 as Vandy would put up 21 4th quarter points with the help of goofs, gaffs, bad play and blown calls. Vandy opens the 4th putting together a drive to the TEXAS 25, where the Horns lose contain and Baker Mayfield wannabe Diego Pavia scampers around the edge for a 25-yard TD. This was the 1st example of blown assignment football in the 4th, not even close to the last. No worries, Arch/TEXAS go on a 10 play, 6+ minute drive which results in an Arch TD pass to Mosely for what should be his 2nd TD pass of the day. Upon further review, he did not catch the ball but the zebras missed his jersey being pulled off, exposing his shoulder pads. How do you miss something so blatant? Mirroring another weak call by the zebras, reliable Shipley misses the field goal. OK, it’s still a 17-point lead. Vandy needs three scores with 4:04 remaining in the game. The one thing we cannot do is let Vandy score quickly. TEXAS’ secondary lets their outstanding TE Eli Stowers lose for a 67-yard TD with NO ONE around him. Vandy lines up for the 2-point conversion to make it a 10-point game. Replay shows the ball NEVER broke the plane of the end zone, but the ruling on the field is upheld. The blunders continue. TEXAS recovers an onside kick, 3:53 left. They move the ball to 3rd and two while forcing Vandy to burn their timeouts. One more very makable short gain, and it’s victory formation time. Not so fast, my friends, OL false starts (which was a highly questionable call). Now it’s 3rd and 7. Vandy stuffs the rush, but our Aussie punter pins them at their own 11. Defense bows up, Ethan Burke buries Diego at their 2 to force 4th and 19. Pavia would pass for 108 yards on the drive, thanks to sacks and penalties, but takes the Commodores down for another TD. 33 seconds to go, Vandy’s one kick skips away from Livingstone, and a mad scramble for the ball ensues. Horn fans' collective hearts stop. Fortunately, Vandy knocks the ball out of bounds, the TEXAS ball Arch finally goes into victory formation as the comedy of errors comes to a close. Glass half full TEXAS beat a Top 10 team as the final 4-game stretch of the season begins. Vandy also has the best winning record against TEXAS in our history, though this win improves TEXAS to 5-8-1. South Carolina (0-1) is the only other SEC team with a winning record vs TEXAS. Arch is playing his best football of the year and looks great. He has found his rhythm and is in his “groove”. Sark has now called a great game plan for the 2nd week in a row. He is putting the offense in a position to succeed. The bye week is here. Time for figuring out what is going right and what is going wrong. Bye week also means more time to get injured players back, such as Michael Taffe and Ryan Wingo. TEXAS wins out, and they are a playoff team with perhaps the best 2-loss resume in the nation. We rank this as the 2nd best win of the season since beating the land thieves still ranks as the top victory, though not by much. Glass half empty. Defensive breakdowns almost cost TEXAS this win. Injuries that every team gets seem to be piling up. Run game struggles continue. 9 penalties, some at the worst possible times. This team makes some dumb plays. Which is part of what lead to TEXAS/Sark losing the 2nd half, a trend for Sark at TEXAS. Things got very chippy with Vandy, and too often, the Horns took the bait. TEXAS is running out of time to get help to repeat in the SEC title game. Bye week, last time we had a bye, we responded with our worst game of the season. Cannot afford that vs the Dawgs. Offensive Player of the Game Arch Manning had his best day as a Horn. 328 yards passing, 25 of 33 passing with three touchdowns and no turnovers. And he looked great doing it, he stood strong in the pocket, completed passes under duress against a good Vandy D. This was Arch’s 2nd back-to-back 300 yard games. Honorable Mention: The Vth, Emmitt Mosley V has become Arch’s favorite weapon and led all TEXAS pass catchers with seven catches, averaging 10 yards a catch and a Touchdown. It should have been two had he not been held in the end zone. Defensive Player of the Game Collin Simmons, who set the tone early in the game, recorded a sack, a forced fumble, and the fumble recovery on one play. The All-American candidate did nothing to diminish his quest, and we’re thrilled we have him for one more year. Special Teams Player of the Game Jack Bouwmeeter, our Aussie punter, only had one try, and he made it count, burying Vandy at their 11. Wasn’t his fault the D gave up 4th and 19. Stats that Matter · 7 of 11 TEXAS on 3rd down, the best performance so far vs a team with a pulse · 4 of 5 TEXAS red zone TD production, they would also record a FG · 22-1 Sark’s record at TEXAS when scoring 1st · ZERO Arch was not sacked in the game · 5 TEXAS sacked Pavia 5 times On Deck The Horns have the bye week to recover and to prepare. TEXAS will come off the bye to face Top 5-ranked Georgia between the hedges. This will mark the 2nd match-up this year vs a Top 5 team so far this season, to go with two games vs Top 10 teams before wrapping up the year with Top 5 Aggies (that sucks to type), who come to Austin to wrap up the season. TEXAS wins out; they are a playoff team, but they cannot afford to lose any of the next three games. Win out and TEXAS may have a shot at a home playoff game, which would be sweet. The Horns would need a bunch of help to get to the SEC title game. Making the playoffs would mean a successful season. Highlights https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlDp7IBOluw

Need a ruling from the panel, is 4th and stuff a turnover, or is it just fumbles/INTs? And we did recover the fumble on the plays, is that 2 turnovers?

View from the Cheap Seats-Mississippi State Wild Ride If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs. . . . . TEXAS needed their largest quarter points-wise in the past several seasons to force overtime, where, for the 2nd week in a row, the offense put points on the board, and the D bowed up and forced an OT shutout while giving up ZERO yards in OT to win this wild ride. You have to go back to last year’s Mississippi State game to see the Horns put up more points in the 2nd half of a game. The unlikeliest of heroes was grad transfer Matthew Caldwell, on his 4th school, who stepped into the game, 2nd and 8, and threw a top-tap dime to fellow transfer Emmett Mosley, the Vth from Stanford, who made his 2nd outstanding touchdown catch of the night. Welcome again to the SEC. For the 2nd week in a row, TEXAS faced one of the worst teams in the conference, with both Mississippi State and Kentucky making it their homecoming games. Both teams were looking for a season-salvaging wins, and both forced TEXAS into overtime. Wins don’t come easy in the SEC. So props to the Bulldogs for bringing their best. 3 former Longhorns who transferred to Miss State put their stamps on the game. Linebacker Deron Gullette had a sack and a half, a tackle for loss and a half as he regularly put pressure on Arch. Wide receiver Brennan Thompson led the Dogs in receptions and recorded 2 TDs, while defensive tackle Jarey Bledsoe recorded a sack and a half and a tackle for loss in a half. Each seemed bent on making a statement. Resilience When we look at the “glass half full” side of the equation, this TEXAS team, playing in its 4th road game in a row, found a way to overcome a 17-point 4th quarter deficit to win. This team is creating a “we’re never out of it” attitude. As poorly as the defense played, in the 4th quarter they forced punts with three straight 3-and-outs, giving the offense —well, the offense and Ryan Niblett — a chance. A chance that TEXAS did not squander. Stop us if you have heard it before: for the 3rd week in a row, a Niblett return made the difference in the game, as he housed another for a touchdown in response to Miss State’s 4th-quarter TD. The offense would add two touchdowns and a field goal in the 4th quarter to force more overtime heroics. Arch would have his biggest yardage game, which started on the 1st play of the game, a WR screen to Trey Wingo that went for 60 yards to the MSU 3-yard line. We appreciated Sark taking the Cheap Seats advice and getting back to the Red River War game plan. Trey Wingo would also have his best game as a Horn, with 5 catches for 184 yards. Props to Trey Moore, who was named a finalist for the Campbell Award. Often called the Draddy (why we have no clue where Draddy comes from) or the Academic Heisman Award. The award is in recognition of both on-field performance and off-field academic excellence. Moving to the “glass half empty” side of the equation, perhaps the most stark difference in the game was Miss State’s ability to get pressure on Arch, while Texas lacked it, giving Blake Shapen time to throw. Shapen is a very good, very efficient QB, ranking in the Top 40 nationally in pass efficiency. More bad news: of the next 4 QBs TEXAS will face, he is the weakest, ranking #36 in the nation —which is actually very good. The offensive line continues to struggle, and with it, the offense lacks a real identity. And for all his positives, Sark has not shown the ability to adapt from “his offense”. Of course, when you do not have good line play, it is hard to make any offense work. TEXAS comes home to DKR to face the "meat" of the schedule, Vandy, Dawgs, and Agroid represent the best teams TEXAS will see this side of Ohio State, and Arkansas is playing better than their schedule says. No easy outs from here. How important is Michael Taffe? The Bulsworth Award semi-finalist (who was robbed of the award last year) for best walk-on in the nation was out due to hand surgery. He will remain out until the Georgia game, at the earliest, in 3 weeks. Without him, the secondary often seemed lost on their way to giving up 384 yards passing and a TEXAS opponent's largest scoring output since Oklahoma State in 2022. This was also the worst yards allowed since 1st round NFL pick Michael Pinex carved up the Horn secondary in the 2023 playoff game. Suffice to say, not the PK standard. The lack of consistent pressure also played a role. Stats that Matter 4 of 5 On 5 Red Zone trips, the Horns would record 4 TDs and a FG 8 of 20 TEXAS cannot convert on 3rd downs 5/12 5 sacks allowed and 12 tackles for loss allowed. 86 X 2 For the 2nd week in a row, the defense had to defend 86 plays, too many O Zero TEXAS recorded no turnovers Offensive Player of the Game Trey Wingo with 184 yards receiving. Though as much as we enjoyed seeing him “break out”, he had 2-3 drops which would have impacted the teams performance. He is a talent for sure. Defensive Player of the Game Anthony “Ant” Hill. Two and a half sacks, three and a half tackles for loss, and 2nd on the team in tackles. The defensive team leader continues his excellent season. Special Teams Player of the Game Ryan Niblett. 2nd week in a row he has housed a punt return at a key point in the game. 3rd week in a row his returns have aided in TEXAS securing the win. This week was a 79-yarder for one of the nation's top punt returners. Honorable Mention: Ethan Burke’s 1st quarter block of a Bulldog field goal attempt loomed large in the final outcome. On Deck After a month on the road, TEXAS returns to DKR to face Top-10 Vanderbilt. No rest for the wicked, as Vandy is excellent. They have playoff dreams this year and see a trip to DKR as a great scalp to claim. Their defense is ranked #24 in scoring. Buckle up, TEXAS, the last quarter of the season will be the toughest of the year this side of Ohio State. And the Horns have zero margin for error if success is measured by making the playoffs. Diego Pavia, their QB, is ranked in the Top 20 in pass efficiency, to go with excellent running ability. The game will be featured on ABC. The defense needs to contain Pavia’s running, while they must up their play in the secondary. At this point, we have no idea the seriousness of Arch’s injury. We will make a Homer-ish call of : 24-20 good guys. It wouldn’t be TEXAS if there wasn’t drama. I’m told that representatives for Texas coach Steve Sarkisian have let NFL decision makers know that he would be interested in potential head coaching openings, including the Titans -Dianna Russini on X/twitter/whatever Our first question was “who?” Upon further review, she is a Senior NFL “insider” for The Athletic. The timing of this is ridiculous, and if it really came from Sark’s people, shame on them. And the Titans? Really? Now, Sark’s agent, Jimmy Sexton, and his firm, CAA, immediately issued a denial of the claim. We are inclined to write this off as clickbait. Our advice to CDC: Sark is signed through 2031, earning $10 million+ annually, escalating to $12 million+ by 2031, with incentives. No more extensions, no more raises until we produce on the field. Which is not to say we don’t love most of what Sark has done here; he is an outstanding representative of THE University, having built a fantastic culture and one of the best recruiters in the nation. We understand the pre-season hype was both absurd and unwarranted. This team simply has too many holes. Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VK_cxxvxbM

My 3rd time at IT. OB for the community IT and OTF for the info

Yep. Thank you sir.

Good question You are correct, I did flip those. Good catch Also left out they recorded 26 1st downs to our 8. Which makes the final score even more impressive for our D. Thanks all.

Good guys.