It’s been a sad few weeks for GP. Not in the sense that we, the writing team, have been buried in depression but content has been lacking. I would apologize but I’m really not that sorry. See, we’re not Barking Carnival. We don’t have 22 writers ready and willing to contribute when others are busy. There are three of us: Carlos has been meandering about Europe trying to convince various nationalities that the Lions will one day win a Super Bowl and that the Houston Oilers were once an actual football team. Ben has spreading the word of Maker’s Mark to non-believers. A tedious task, indeed, but the responsibility rests on his shoulders and he carries the weight like a Oaxacan Burro. Me? Well, I work for a living so, yeah.

As I sat down to write this, I realized that a summary of our last two games would be useless. You all saw them and I really kind of prepared myself for the OU debacle but was pleasantly surprised by our efforts against OSU. Enough said there so we should focus on where we are not where we’ve been so let us put the horizon in the windshield and take it from here.

WHERE WE ARE NOW AKA YOUNG GUYS CAN TAKE A KICK IN THE DICK AND WITHOUT SOBBING

Offense
I start here because I feel like this is the side of the ball where the most work is needed. I realize that the Defense has looked like a burning bag of shit on a Compton projects doorstep the past two weeks but the problems on that side of the ball are more easily fixed.

QB
Neither QB is “the answer” at this point. In fact, the two combined barely make a Chance Mock to this point. It’s hard to be too down on this position at this point though given the short timeframe in which they were inundated with a new offense and the fact that Ash is a true freshman. Kellen Moore wasn’t exactly balls to the wall his first season in the Harsin offense either. It takes time and seasoning like a good smoked brisket or a Sophomore co-ed who claims to love Jesus and swears to be devoted to celibacy. By that comparison, maybe all our QBs need is three shots of Cuervo at a Rush party but this isn’t the SEC so they would be banned for games rather than quarters and we can’t afford that.

It seems the staff was willing to gamble on the Ash upside and I applaud the dice roll. Ash is more skilled than McCoy- has a better arm, can actually run without a pimp limp, etc. The problem is neither has solid pocket presence to this point and that can be blamed on an untrustworthy offensive line. The hope is that the running game’s success will allow them to simply manage the offense as opposed to having to take over games but we’ve seen that plan get blown to bits when we can’t stop the opposing offense from running up scores. Pure passing situations are our kryptonite at this point and while I expect us to get better, I’m not holding out hope that the light bulb will go from 40 watts to 100 any time soon for either player. I hope that I’m wrong but until either player has an entire offseason to be marinated in Harsin’s fridge, we’ll have to live with our limitations. My money is on Ash becoming the next Kellen Moore but without having to sit on phone books to drive.

OL
When you have to replace a 5th year Senior with a freshman at tackle, you’re admitting lazy recruiting and poor development. I’m looking at you, Mad Dog. I’m looking straight through those Oakleys that you’ve had for nine years. Given that I feared the worst for this grouping before the season, I’d argue that the group has performed above par and I have been pleasantly surprised at times. We continue to struggle in protection but the running game finally has guys that are nasty enough that the backs can trust that a push will be there. Basically, 3rd and 2 with a big set no longer scares the shit out of me so we have that going for us. We are putting up solid rushing numbers against quality lines without a QB who can outrun a linebacker. How crazy is that? Thank you, Stacy Searels. Good riddance McWhorter and Davis blocking schemes. As this group continues to progress and gel, we will wear opposition down early in games and laugh as we turn 10 point 4th quarter leads into 24 point victories.
Pancake blocks on the edge are suddenly reality again and that puts a smile on my face.

RB
I told Carlos before the season that while most were drooling over the existence of Malcolm Brown, I was most excited that Fozzy was finally healthy. I knew the talent was there but I can’t admit that I saw this coming. What is most beneficial about the Fozz is his leadership and what he is teaching the young backs. I don’t think any of us expected Brown to be the next Priest Holmes, either. There isn’t much to say here beyond the fact that this is the most productive grouping on the team. Brown, Monroe, and Fozz have all been great to this point. It’s amazing how good talented backs can be when there are coordinators in place who understand how to develop scheme for the running game. I imagine Greg Davis sitting in his La-Z-boy, wearing bunny slippers, and choking on a butterscotch candy every time he sees us run a counter for positive yards. Replacing a departing Fozz with Gray next season is replacing your 15 year Glen Fiddich with 12 Year Macallan and a bowl of toasted almonds.

WR
Ship and Davis are the next Quan and well, Ship but there is too much talent in this group for us to only be talking about two guys. The addition of Goodwin did wonders for my blood pressure but he has been near non-existent outside of designed screens and jet sweeps. This bothers me because if you find yourself waiting for Freshmen to come around, you may never get your answer. I firmly believe that Harris and Onyegbule will turn the corner and become major threats while I hold little faith in Hales or White to put on their big boy pants before a transfer to Texas State. We’ve heard numerous times that some of these guys are making big strides in practice but I’ll believe the hype when I see it on the field. Don’t get me wrong, not all of the blame is on them. A lot of the problems still rest on the shoulders of our QBs and until those two monkeys understand check progression is a science and not an improv exercise, we’ll continue to see two guys used as safety nets. That or incompletions in bunches.

TE
What is there to talk about? This is a TE focused offense with little production from that position. Yes, they’re blocking better and that is exciting and yes, there hasn’t exactly been a ton of opportunity here given our sets and run devotion but there is an opportunity for this to be a large part of our offense specifically in play-action. It just hasn’t been and that should concern you.

Overall
I recognize that I am being pessimistic and possibly overzealous in this review but like most Longhorn fans, I expect dramatic improvement from game to game. The lack of consistent play from all positions makes my eyelids twitch and my cardiologist is tiring of my phone calls. There is a lot of opportunity here and I am optimistic (see, I can be positive) that we have the coaches in place to get us to a point of comfort before season’s end. The Oklahoma State game was a positive sign that we are going in the right direction and that the players are buying in to their respective roles. I love Bryan Harsin. We’ll cover Defense tomorrow. I’m tired.