I think Brown will be conservative and start the guy who has actually taken a live snap no matter how good Young looks in practice. Imagine if he started Young, and Young threw an interception on the first drive that was returned for a TD. That is exactly what happened to Simms who got the nod over Applewhite against UL Lafayette.
I remember that play. Young, seems more likely to tuck it and run then to throw it into coverage though.
Damn. A Longhorn football thread generates 24 posts in February. This team is a young team again for the most part. The last two years we've been lead by Jammer, Mike Williams, Redding, Simms, Babers, DD Lewis, etc. Now we've got huge holes to fill on defense. QB's only a small part of the equation. At DE, Thornton's about 70% right now. Brian Pickryl will probably redshirt next year, because of shoulder surgery this offseason - yes, it's that serious. Redding's loss leaves a big hole at WDE. True freshman Tim Crowder will get a look, along with Larry Dibbles, Austin Sendlein, Chase Pittman, and Tully Janszen. Our DTs are solid with Marcus Tubbs and Rod Wright returning, with Marco Martin and Dibbles likely backing them up. Our DB's will feature Nathan Vasher and Edorian McCullough at the corners, and Michael Huff and Kendal Briles as the safeties. The same "four corners" scheme will be utilized by Bull Reese, though. Cedric Griffin will see lots of time as a nickel corner, and expect RS freshman Matthew Melton and true freshman Tarrell Brown to see plenty of time in dime coverage. Not to mention, superstud Aaron Ross will finally be on campus. Dakarai Pearson is out of eligibility (Prop 48), and losing our best cover corner in Babers hurts. LB core might be our best ever. Reed Boyd will start at MLB, but will get a strong push from sophomore Aaron Harris. Derrick Johnson anchors our defense at WLB. Garnet Smith, Mike Williams, and Marcus Myers will get the chance to win the SLB spot vacated by Lee Jackson. As usual, the O-line is a huge question mark. Jon Scott returns at right tackle, and Justin Blaylock may replace Dockery at left tackle. Tillman Holloway and Mike Garcia will likely be be the starting guards. It won't take long before Will Allen unseats Jason Glynn at center. The o-line does have some depth with former HS standouts William Winston, Kasey Studdard, and Terrance Young. Good news at TE since Bo Scaife will finally be healthy this fall. TE is solid with blocker Brock Edwards, and pass catching David Thomas. Tony Hills and/or Steve Hogan may play as true freshmen as well. Running back situation is firm with Cedric getting about 65-70% of the touches and the rest going to Selvin Young. Brett Robin is still the 3rd down back. Ivan Williams will be a huge difference maker next year at FB, as NFL scouts have taken notice. Albert Hardy and Will Matthews provide depth at FB. WR is the strongest position on the team with Roy, BJ, and Sloan. Jeffery, and Robert Timmons will get some touches as well.
Reed Boyd is not a very good player. He can get juked out by my grandma. The only tackles he makes are the ones where the hole has already collapsed or there's 3 other defenders around. Our punting situation will be scary too. I hope Justin whats his face can win out because we've got nobody.
I think Mike Williams will see time at DE. We're effed if Pick is redshirting. Pearson is allegedly still on the team, so we'll see about that.. That defensive backfield will be very crowded.
Reed Boyd is horrible. Unless the MLB is asked to run into lead blockers, rather than make plays. I really think UT would just be better off starting Aaron Harris at MLB. The player I am interested in seeing next year is Albert Hardy. Is he a FB or TB for UT? If he's a FB, he gives UT another running threat when in the lineup with Benson. Also, VY obviously can run too.
Ther term for running into lead blockers is referred to as "mugging." Bull Reese likes to use his MLB to mug the LOS and get mauled by a 300 lb. lineman. It's a horrendous scheme, and is the reason behind our poor MLB play. Reed Boyd is physically limited, which hurts against athletic teams like OU, Neb, KSU, etc. This is why almost 99% of Texas fans want to see Aaron Harris take over. Albert Hardy will start at FB once IW graduates.
From mackbrown-texasfootball.com: Longhorns running back to miss spring drills AUSTIN, Texas — University of Texas senior fullback Ivan Williams (Cleveland, Texas) will miss 2003 spring drills as a result of an injury sustained playing pickup basketball this week. Williams, one of eight returning starters on UT's offense, had successful surgery to repair a torn tendon in his left knee on Friday, UT head football trainer Tom McVan said. No timetable has been set for his return. Williams played in all 13 games and started seven contests at fullback this past season. He rushed for 27 yards on seven carries, while setting career highs in receptions (20), receiving yards (273) and TD catches (two). The 6-foot-1, 240-pounder registered the most receiving yards in a game by a UT fullback when he caught six passes for 111 yards at Nebraska on Nov. 2. Williams also returned four kickoffs for 103 yards (25.8 avg.) a year ago. In 36 career games (10 starts), he has run for 603 yards and six touchdowns and hauled in 23 passes for 293 yards and a pair of scores. Williams also has averaged 23.3 yards on 13 career kickoff returns. He is one of only three running backs in UT history to record a 100-yard rushing and 100-yard receiving game during their career (Eric Metcalf and Johnny "Lam" Jones are the others). UT begins spring drills on Monday, Feb. 24. The Longhorns spring game is set for Saturday, March 29 at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
Everything I have read on him as well as a friend who watched him in HS said he is a RB and it would be a stretch to put him at FB. I am assuming that Erik Hardeman will get a RS. He is fast, big and averaged 9 yds per carry, but for some reason his team did not run the ball that much. Also, the FB seems to only come in on 3rd down, and that will likely remain Robin. In the Reed Boyd talk, I wonder if they can move Robert Killebrew into that position. I saw him play once this year and he is a high energy guy, but he was used in an odd system. At 6'3" 205 or so, he played like a defensive end or Lawrence (sp?) Taylor style LB. He was quick as hell and was always in the back field, and did well versus the run, but at that size, I think he may RS this year.
Hardeman will shirt next year, no doubt. Albert Hardy is a stud, and Greg Davis damn well better use him in the offense for something more than catching dump off passes and blocking. You're right about Killebrew. His coach at Klein is a well documented idiot. He was pissed off that Robert chose Texas. He's a horrible football coach according to people from the area, and other guys who played under him.
The difference was that Major was the Big 12 offensive player of the year and had every passing Texas passing record there was at the time. Major was proven. Chance Mock on the other hand has not shown anything yet. If Young outplays Mock during spring and summer workouts like I heard he did last year, then Young deserves the starting spot.
He was pressuring him to choose OU wasn't he? About an inch shorter and 10-15 pounds is not "much" smaller than the guy who has played there the last 2 years. I was not comparing the two situations, Big XII Offensive Player of the Year or not: That is what they were saying to defend getting Simms in there. I actually did not have too much of a problem with it at the time, and to be honest once the decision was made, I think they did the right thing. Major had not made it through a season without injury. He won that award while having a pretty damn good RB at his side to relieve some of the pressure off of him. Sure Major won the big games, but he also was at the helm for some pretty bad losses as well. Major was good, but he was also somewhat of an enigma being that he was not relied on to do it the entire season. Was Simms overrated? Sure. Did he cost us games? Sure. Would Major as the QB have gotten us any further? You answer that, but be honest with yourself. In the end, he had nothing to lose when he was brought into games. Do you really think Major would have beaten OU the year Roy Williams played Superman? People who continue to say that Major would have done better I think are the ones who are searching for reasons we did not win the NC. Many people forget, he was the starter when OU beat the **** out of us! How good did he do to start that game?
They may do the same thing they did last year with DJ. Drop him back off the line and almost act as a 5th DB reading the QB and reacting to the play, line him up away from the TE like an end, or in the other cases with Reed & DJ where DJ was playing in the middle and Reed would move up to the line and take on the blocker clearing the path for DJ. Robert is quick and strong, he could be a good compliment opposite DJ, but they may use a shirt on him too and give him a year to bulk up and find a spot for him.
