BurntOrangeDNA

The OL staters haven't consistently gotten the job done but we are told by Sark the backups aren't practicing well enough to play. Why? Given this statement, what would happen if one of the starters went down? Would OL play deteriorate further? Portal talent was brought in over the off season to supposedly address deficiencies yet it hasn't produced consistent results. Just the opposite, as Jeff noted, things are worse than last year. There are serious issues with either OL talent evaluation, acquisition, or development. Or all three. The multitude and continuing nature of OL difficulties point to overall systemic problems and that lands squarely at the feet of Flood. Sark ultimately owns the problem because, unlike the defense, he has failed to take effective steps to remedy the situation. Will the OL come through tomorrow? While recent experience says we should not expect it - I definitely hope so. Because on the heels of two consecutive losses, failure should not be an option.

Sark always says he wants to put his players in the best possible position to succeed… EPIC FAIL!!!

Apparently the only culture Sark can’t produce is a championship one.

“Snakebiit” - having bad luck, misfortune, or being doomed to repeat past failures. Example: see Texas Longhorn football.

Well it don’t help that our portal additions are really looking inept

"...this at least ensures DKR is a fearsome place to play". Absolutely! You want your dedicated fanatics as close to the field as possible. You don't want a bunch of casual observers leisurely filtering into their seats during the first two quarters. Since this policy was implemented, the student section has been rabid and can hold their own with any other student body. Hoping they will be off-scale fanatical freaks tomorrow! It'll definitely help the team and should make a great impression on the large number of recruits that will be in attendance. Hook 'em!

Good stuff Jeff. Interesting aspect is that of the 29 positions you referenced you have 12 starters that were transfers. I can’t argue too much with your picks but if accurate that seems like a lot of new blood in the starting line up. I guess that’s a transfer portal feature that will take some getting used to. It could be an adjustment for Texas since Sark places so much emphasis on team culture. I know Sark started his culture building early this year but with that many guys new to the program, is there any concern about team cohesion over an epically daunting schedule? I guess we’re about to find out how good the coaching staff’s player evals are - both from a football and character / team-fit perspective.