Bohls: Texas embraces the hate, just probably not much more after this season
While I got ya, here are nine things and one crazy prediction:
Is this goodbye or goodbye forever?
1. Now for the gantlet: Texas’ Embrace the Hate Tour makes its first stop in Waco. And maybe its last time ever, which is probably the case. I’m guessing the Longhorns might — only might — play Texas Tech or Baylor at DKR some time long in the future, and that might be it for games against Big 12 teams. "Not much chance of it in the near future, given nine conference and three nonconference games." Baylor athletic director Mack Rhoades tells me. Baylor's one nonconference Power Five opponent per season is scheduled out for the next five years, he said, and the advent of the 12-team CFP could change a lot. I don’t know if potential harsh treatment of the Longhorns by fans of other Big 12 teams, especially this season, would even be the main reason. I’d say it’s mostly because sort of a compliment to the future Big 12. And I can’t really blame Texas. The league doesn’t have a great profile this season, but it’s cemented itself as the No. 3 Power Five conference. The Longhorns won’t exactly need a strength of schedule boost, what with a full SEC schedule starting next season, so there will be a steadier diet of UTEPs, UTSAs and Rices. Plus, Texas wouldn’t benefit that much from playing its old Big 12 rivals, so the risk-reward falls very much on the risk side of the scale. … That said, I’m sure the UT administration will be acutely aware of any mistreatment by opposing fans. The players are braced for it. Texas luckily avoids trips to horror houses like Lubbock, Stillwater and Morgantown, W.Va. “Sometimes it’s OK to be the villain,” Longhorns senior linebacker Jaylan Ford said Monday. “You can feel the negative energy people have for Texas.” When I asked him why Texas is the villain, he said, “Maybe the success of the program or a little jealousy.” Linebacker David Gbenda added, “Everybody’s going to hate something good.” … Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said, “We can’t be fearful of that. We have to walk in there and play our brand of football in a lot of these historical games that are going to come to a close this season. Now more than ever are their Horns down. Now more than ever are they going to say, ‘Let’s take one more shot at them on their way out.' We can’t sit there and be a punching bag. We have to go in and be in attack mode.” … Personally, I’m going to miss the Texas Tech rivalry more than all of them because I have a soft spot for Lubbock, and then probably Kansas State second because of how competitive that rivalry has been.
Tough times in Tuscaloosa
2. Bye, bye, Bama: Texas has to root like crazy for Alabama the rest of the season so that its monumental victory remains monumental. I have to ask. After seeing South Alabama (2-1) box around Oklahoma State, is that Sun Belt school the best football program in the state of Alabama? We kid. … Just think if Quinn Ewers hadn’t been knocked out with a shoulder injury in the first quarter against Alabama last year and Colt McCoy hadn’t been sidelined by his shoulder injury versus the Crimson Tide in the 2009 national championship game, I truly think Texas would have won both those games. If true, Texas would now be 10-0-1 against Alabama. … It seems pretty clear the Alabama dynasty is over. Even former quarterback Greg McElroy said so. “I always define a dynasty with complete dominance over the competition almost always, and I think that those days have definitely gone by the wayside,” ESPN’s McElroy said. “To say that the dynasty is over, yeah, I think the run of dominance in which they destroy every opponent is done. But it doesn’t mean that I don’t think they can’t win a championship. I still think they can.” I don’t. I think Saban’s best days are behind him. … Alabama offered Texas tight end Gunnar Helm when then-Crimson Tide special teams coach Jeff Banks recruited him there, but Helm signed with the Longhorns who he said were late to recruit him. “My dad said if there was one offer that I haven’t got, who would it be? And Texas was the first thing to pop in my mind,” said Helm, who is a terrific blocker and a very underrated receiver. “I had a Longhorn mini-helmet for my sixth or seventh birthday, and I was always watching the Horns on TV.” … Longhorns punter Ryan Sanborn said he considered transferring from Stanford to Washington and some ACC schools after last season but came to Austin. Why Texas? “Why not Texas?” he said. “It’s an historic program.” Sanborn has been terrific so far, averaging 48 yards a punt. That would rank seventh in the nation, but he doesn’t qualify yet with only nine kicks. A punter has to average at least 3.5 kicks a game.
More: Bohls: Jonathon Brooks wows, but Texas' rushing attack too often underwhelming in win
Fast finishers, but slow starters
3. QB sneaky: Big props to Sarkisian for sticking converted running back Savion Red in the wildcat formation and using the former high school quarterback and Longhorns receiver to gain two key first downs in the win over Wyoming. Sarkisian probably wishes he’d used Red in that fashion against Alabama. I’ve been waiting for Sarkisian to use Maalik Murphy in that role. With his 6-foot-5, 240-pound frame, he’d be the ideal player to run the quarterback sneak just as Tyrone Swoopes was back when. … I give Ewers credit for calling the players-only meeting last week after the big win over Alabama. Usually, such in-house gab sessions are necessary after losses, not victories. So props to Ewers. Of course, it would have been better if Texas had come out with a faster start than it did, and Ewers had been crisper. This team’s got the finishing part down with two consecutive 21-point fourth quarters. But can they start? Through three games, the Longhorns have scored just 13 points in the first quarter, averaged only 13 points in the first half and posted just one touchdown in their first seven possessions against Rice, one touchdown in eight possessions versus Alabama and one touchdown in six possessions last Saturday. That’s three touchdowns in 21 offensive series. That’s not good.
More: Golden: Texas pass rushers sure are spreading the wealth, much to quarterbacks' dismay
Saying all the right things
4. Longhorn humility: Love how self-deprecating and humble tailback Jonathon Brooks is. When asked to describe himself and his running style, the sophomore from Hallettsville said, “I’m not fast. I mean I’m not slow, but I just try to make the first person miss.” He’s not that fast, but he is tough and has great vision. … It’s interesting that Ewers doesn’t seem to like visiting with the media each week. He seems eager to leave, unlike some teammates like nickel back Jahdae Barron, who treats the weekly visits like a comedy act, right tackle Christian Jones and Ford. I give Ewers a ton of credit, though. He’s very humble, super quiet and sticks to business. Better yet, he hasn’t had a turnover this season. Only 12 of the top 100-rated quarterbacks have yet to throw an interception. … Barron, with his engaging personality and smarts, is fast becoming the voice of the defense. He was breaking down his defensive strategy after Sarkisian had just said he had “one of the higher IQs on the team.” Barron even said he bragged to cornerbacks coach Terry Joseph that he could coach the defensive backs. “I told him Sunday I can be a coach,” Barron said. “I’ll probably be a defensive coordinator someday.” Asked why not a head coach, Barron said, “I’m a defensive genius. I just want to deal with the defense.” … Give credit to Xavier Worthy. He conceded that he’s not fielding enough punts and letting them drop and roll, giving up valuable field position.
And with the first pick of the 2024 draft ...
5. College odds and ends: Mel Kiper Jr. listed Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders as his No. 1 quarterback in next year’s NFL draft. He called the strong-armed Sanders “a guaranteed high first-round pick. If he stays at Colorado, we’ll be talking about him next summer like we’re talking about Caleb Williams right now. No. 1 pick guaranteed.” I’m on board. … The Colorado double-overtime escape against Colorado State was an epic game, but Rams coach Jay Norvell — the former Longhorns offensive coordinator — blew it when his team gave up a 98-yard drive, got penalized 17 times for 182 yards and declined to go for two after the first overtime when he could have won the game with one play. I never quite get why coaches don’t try to finish off an opponent, especially on the road, when they have the chance to end the game with a single play.
More: Conference championship chase awaits No. 3 Texas after 3-0 start to its football season
Arms race? Not so much.
6. Behind center: The main reason the Big 12 is slightly down this year after Texas? There aren’t many top-tier quarterbacks around the league. Heck, Oklahoma State is playing three quarterbacks. Baylor’s No. 2 quarterback Sawyer Robertson, playing for the injured Blake Shapen, has completed just 45% of his passes with one touchdown and three picks and will be the second straight backup that Texas faces, third if you count the recently benched Milroe. The best four quarterbacks in the league in no particular order are Ewers, Kansas’ Jalon Daniels, Oklahoma’s Dillon Gabriel and Kansas State’s Will Howard.
They had me at gift card
7. Talk is cheap: A shoutout to the Rudy Davalos Sports Club in Horseshoe Bay. I thoroughly enjoyed speaking to about 100 friends at the club last Friday morning and got to visit with former Lamar sports information director Tim McMurray, former Longhorns football recruiting coordinator Randy Rodgers — whose sons Jay (defensive line) and Jeff (assistant head coach and special teams coordinator) are coaches for the Chargers and Cardinals in the NFL — and former Tom Penders assistant Vic Trilli. Even better, I was given a gift card to Blue Bonnet Cafe.
Rose to the occasion
8. Scattershooting: While wondering whatever happened to wild-haired former Texas kicker Nick Rose, who booted three field goals, one from 53 yards, to help the 4-7 Longhorns upset No. 12 Baylor in Waco in 2015 to knock the Bears out of Sugar Bowl contention.
Meanwhile, from the greatest seat in the world ...
9. On the couch: My wife and I enjoyed “No Hard Feelings,” a cool little Jennifer Lawrence movie about helping a teenage boy come of age. Gave it 6½ ducks.
How 'bout them Cowboys?
Crazy prediction: The Dallas Cowboys will be the last unbeaten team in the NFL this year.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas Longhorns embracing the hate, bracing for a whole lot of vitriol
