Tag: Gary Patterson

First half recap of Texas’ Week 5 matchup against TCU

Texas leads TCU 23-17 at the half, but it hasn’t been pretty.

Texas leads TCU 23-17 at the half, but it hasn’t been pretty. Continue reading “First half recap of Texas’ Week 5 matchup against TCU”

Why TCU is the most important game on Texas’ schedule

When Texas lost to TCU, it was the beginning of the end of Tom Herman. Steve Sarkisian must set the tone early with a win in Fort Worth.

When Keaontay Ingram fumbled on the one-yard line against TCU last season, it was the beginning of the end for Tom Herman. Max Duggan took a time expiring safety to give the Longhorns a 33-31 loss at home to the Horned Frogs and a 4OT loss to Oklahoma quickly followed the next week.

Off the field, problems began to arise as well. The Eyes of Texas became a huge controversy while recruiting began to fall apart as well. Four-star athlete Billy Bowman went across the Red River, citing he wanted to play for a better coaching staff. And the worst of them all, five-star quarterback Quinn Ewers decommitted before going off to Ohio State.

To say it was a mess would be an understatement. All broke loose because of (another) loss to Gary Patterson’s TCU.

Steve Sarkisian will have the opportunity to go up against the defensive guru the first weekend of October. Texas will be in the DFW area for two consecutive weekends, heading to the Cotton Bowl the following Saturday.

Before ever thinking about being on the same level as Oklahoma, Sarkisian must get over the TCU hump Texas has been stuck on for years.

Herman beat the Horned Frogs once during his four years. No. 17 TCU came to Austin in 2018 and left a 31-16 loser. Texas ended up in the Big 12 championship that season thanks to their 4-0 conference start.

2017, 2019, and 2020 all ended in TCU losses and rather disappointing seasons. Losing to in-state opponents stings but dropping seven on nine since they joined the Big 12 is detrimental.

So, why is getting a win on Oct. 2 so important for Texas? Outside of just finally being able to get one over TCU, it sets up the expectation for the rest of the season. A win in Fort Worth, and you can believe Sarkisian has his team in a better spot than Herman did last season.

TCU returns Duggan, their three-headed monster at running back headlined by former five-star Zach Evans, and their top receiver and former Texas commit Quinten Johnson. Three defensive players leave for the NFL but Patterson does not have a bunch of schmucks sitting around. His defense is always legit.

Texas’ talent level is certainly regarded at a higher level. Just look at the recruiting rankings on a yearly basis. Coaching has been the biggest difference between the two programs.

Win in Fort Worth, Sarkisian proves he is capable of winning games in difficult atmospheres, and Texas build momentum before facing Oklahoma and Iowa State. Find a way to snag a win over one of those two, you have a chance to be in the Big 12 championship. From there, the sky is the limit.

To add on, Texas will have an early opportunity to separate themselves from the middle of the Big 12. Not to say TCU is a middle-of-the-pack conference team — in LonghornWire’s latest power rankings, they were No. 4, just behind Texas.

However, a road win, against a Gary Patterson team expected to bounce back, would set the tone for the Sarkisian era.

P.S.

Another factor of note: Chris Del Conte was the athletic director of TCU and left to become the athletic director of Texas. What does that tell you about what athletic department he thinks should be at a higher level? Dropping football games to his former school must eat him up inside.

TCU’s Gary Patterson says Chandler Morris hasn’t been released from Oklahoma

Former Oklahoma quarterback Chandler Morris still hasn’t been released from the Sooners.

Following the end of the 2020 college football season, the Oklahoma Sooners saw plenty of action in the transfer portal. Not just the incoming players from Penn State and Tennesee, but the outgoing talent as well. Continue reading “TCU’s Gary Patterson says Chandler Morris hasn’t been released from Oklahoma”

Texas Football: Is Tom Herman the right man for the job?

Following the latest loss to Texas Christian, we ponder if Tom Herman is the right man for the job at Texas.

It is easy to have the knee jerk reaction to question a head football coach after a demoralizing loss. The Texas Longhorns losing 33-31 loss to Texas Christian on Saturday is just another loss in a long line of losses. Going into the season, Tom Herman changed out most of his staff.

Chris Ash was known for his defensive coaching prowess given what he did at Wisconsin and Ohio State. Former National Championship winning coach Urban Meyer vouched for him on many occasions. Is it fair to judge him solely off three games? Well no but when you are seeing the same things from previous staffs, it becomes a pattern of self-destructive behavior.

The offensive side of the ball saw Mike Yurcich come in and change things up. The offense scored 61 points per game after their first two. Against TCU they managed just 29 points, despite the fact that Sam Ehlinger looked awful against the Horned Frogs defense, again. Ehlinger is off to one of the best starts in school history but wins are really all that matters.

This is year four of the Tom Herman era and while it has been an improvement over Charlie Strong’s run, it isn’t anywhere near the expectation level at Texas. Is it fair to have such a high expectation level for the Longhorns? Given the amount of money that the program generates and the talent level brought in, absolutely is fair.

Before looking at the recruiting, Longhorns Wire takes a look at how Herman’s teams have faired on the field.

Nonconference Schedule:

2017 1-2
2018 2-1
2019 2-1
2020 1-0
Total Record 6-4

At first glance a 6-4 record doesn’t look awful until you really look at it from a different vantage point. Once you remove the non Power Five games, that leaves you with a 1-4 record. The only win came against Southern California in 2018. The Longhorns aren’t winning their nonconference games which can be a detriment to a College Football Playoff resume.

Maryland handed the Longhorns losses in 2017 and 2018 to start their season off both years. Last season Texas lost to LSU, no shame in losing to a team that won the National Championship. Joe Burrow ran through everyone that season. However, the other losses came against teams with a combined 20-18 record.  Texas was also outscored 112-94 in those games.

A few plays here or there and maybe those outcomes are different. Lately with Texas it seems like it is always that way. Needing a few more plays to get the outcome to be in their favor.

Conference Record

Team Record
Baylor 1-2
Iowa State 2-1
Kansas 3-0
Kansas State 3-0
Oklahoma 1-3
Oklahoma State 1-2
Texas Christian 1-3
Texas Tech 3-1
West Virginia 2-1
Total 17-13

Herman’s predecessor went 12-15 in conference play over three seasons. If you look at the current head coaches record over that time, he won three more games in conference than Charlie Strong did. His 17-13 record does include the Big 12 Championship game loss to Oklahoma.

Herman hasn’t been able to consistently beat the top teams in the conference. In fact he has a 4-10 record against Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Christian. All the while he can be the Kansas’ and Texas Tech’s of the world. Against the rest of the conference Herman has as 12-3 record.

Does the team rebound after a loss? After the 15 losses prior to TCU on Saturday, the Longhorns are 10-5 following a loss. More often than not they can stop the bleeding. Most of the losses came in his first year coaching the team.

Recruitment

This is probably one of the harder aspects of coaching in college football. Recruiting and while it is a bit more difficult this season due to COVID-19, the Longhorns have faired well.

Year Ranking 5 Stars 4 Stars
2017 25th 0 7
2018 3rd 2 17
2019 3rd 2 15
2020 8th 1 15
2021 15th 1 8

Looking at the rankings of each class according to 247Sports Composite rankings, Herman has done pretty well recruiting. He has brought in or has commitments from six top level recruits (five-star). During the Strong era he didn’t land a single one. Over the four recruiting classes of record, which I don’t include 2017, he has done well compared to the rest of the nation.

However, when you have three-straight top ten finishes in recruiting, you expect a little return on investment. The Longhorns haven’t been the same on recruiting since Mack Brown left. They don’t keep the best talent in-state and they don’t develop. That is the biggest knock on this team. A big reason why they can’t hold onto the best players.

Is Tom Herman the man for the job? A tough question. Based on how he is performing compared to other coaches across the nation, he needs to pick it up. A majority of the complaints against Herman can be solved by winning. After all winning solves everything. Beating Oklahoma is a good place to start. As for the rest, it will likely have to wait until after the season.

 

TCU vs Texas: Social media reactions to the 33-31 loss

Following the Texas Christin win over Texas, Longhorns Wire shares some of the top tweets after the 33-31 loss.

It was a frustrating afternoon for the Texas Longhorns. While the penalty flags were thrown more than the football it seemed, the Longhorns couldn’t get out of their own way. There were a total of 26 penalties called for a combined 201 yards between the two teams. For Texas it was when those penalties that were called.

The reason the team lost was not the penalties. Not able to be consistent on offense, the turnovers and Sam Ehlinger being off all game long were big keys in this one. The senior picked a good time to have one of his worst games. Over the last two years, Gary Patterson’s team has forced Ehlinger into some of his worst performances.

Following the final gun sounding off, social media did as they usually do. Firing off posts about Texas being back, putting Tom Herman under fire and using any opportunity to fire a shot to the burnt orange nation. We collected a few of those posts.

Tweets:

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Texas Christian vs Texas: Fourth quarter recap

It was a wild finish in the Texas Christian Horned Frogs and Texas Longhorns game. After taking the lead in the fourth, Texas would fall.

The Texas Longhorns and Texas Christian Horned Frogs were in a pressure packed game on Saturday. The Longhorns finally got back on top in the fourth quarter after a long run for Roschon Johnson. His 40-yard run set up the go ahead score when Sam Ehlinger found Malcolm Epps in the endzone. A Keaontay Ingram run on the two-point conversion put them up by three, 29-26.

The Frogs were able to get a short field after the offense couldn’t get anything going on their next drive. Max Duggan ran it right up the middle untouched for a 26-yard touchdown. The Longhorns would drive right down the field on a catch and run from Keaontay Ingram. He tried to punch it in from the one but fumbles the ball to TCU.

The Longhorns wouldn’t get the ball back. In the wildest finish in the fourth quarter, it ends on what else a penalty. The Horned Frogs took a safety so that they wouldn’t give the ball back to Texas. The game ends with a 33-31 final. Gary Patterson beats Tom Herman for the third time in four tries. Since TCU joined the Big 12, they have beaten the Longhorns in seven of nine opportunities.

Final Stats:

Sam Ehlinger: 17/36 236 yards 4 TDs and 1 INT

Roschon Johnson: 5 carries, 63 yards

Jared Wiley: 2 catches, 63 yards

Jake Smith: 6 catches, 49 yards 1 TD

Contact/Follow us @LonghornsWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas news, notes and opinions.

Download the USA TODAY SportsWire app to follow Longhorns Wire and your other favorite teams in the Apple Store for iPhones and Google Play for Android devices.

Two Texas Longhorns named to CBS Sports preseason All-American team

CBS Sports released their preseason All-American team. The Longhorns have two players listed among the first and second team.

There are less than 21 days away from the Texas Longhorns officially kicking off the 2020 college football season. All of the watchlist have been announced. The Amway Coaches Poll and AP Poll have released their preseason rankings and now each media outlet is putting together their preseason All-American lists. CBS Sports recently released their first and second team All-Americans.

For the Player of the yYear selection, no surprise here at Trevor Lawrence was named as the winner. However, Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger also received votes for the honor. Oklahoma State running back Chuba Hubbard was the only other Big 12 player named as receiving votes.

In terms of coach of the year, former Longhorns head coach Mack Brown was named along with TCU’s Gary Patterson. Provided the Longhorns have a big season and contend for a spot in the College Football Playoff, expect to hear Tom Herman’s name when the time comes for awards.

First Team All-American

Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports

For the lone Longhorn named to the first team we have offensive tackle Samuel Cosmi. Cosmi has been receiving NFL Draft buzz as well as second team All-American honors. This time Ehlinger’s blindside protector gets the first team nod. Cosmi has performed better and better each season. Plus if you need a touchdown pass from the big guy, you know he is good for at least one.

Second Team All-American

Image courtesy of Texas Sports

Sam Ehlinger comes in as the second team’s quarterback. The senior has been placed on almost every watchlist when it comes to top offensive player and quarterback awards. Many feel he is even a Heisman contender this season. With a strong showing, the Austin Native could be a finalist for the award. Lawrence will obviously be the front runner.

Other Big 12 players to make the list:

  • Chuba Hubbard, RB, Oklahoma State (first team)
  • Creed Humphrey, C, Oklahoma (first team)
  • Darius Stills, DL, West Virginia (first team)
  • Trevon Moehrig, S, TCU (first team)
  • Joshua Youngblood, KR, Kansas State (first team)
  • Tylan Wallace, WR, Oklahoma State (second team)
  • Charlie Kolar, TE, Iowa State (second team)
  • Garret Wallow, LB, TCU (second team)
  • Gabe Brkic, K, Oklahoma (second team)

Texas football players react to sudden TCU, Gary Patterson allegations

Current and former TCU football players spoke out on Twitter regarding head coach Gary Patterson using a racial slur.

On Monday, several TCU football players began to speak out on social media regarding head coach Gary Patterson. Continue reading “Texas football players react to sudden TCU, Gary Patterson allegations”

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TCU LB Dylan Jordan says Coach Gary Patterson used ‘n-word’

TCU LB Dylan Jordan has made some serious allegations about Horned Frogs Coach Gary Patterson.

There is going to be an uproar over the allegations made Monday by TCU redshirt freshman linebacker Dylan Jordan.

Jordan, who played in two games in 2019 to preserve his redshirt, says Coach Gary Patterson was vulgar toward him during practice Sunday. Jordan says Patterson lit into him about posting a photo of his girlfriend on social media on National Girlfriend Day. “You’re a bleeping brat. I’ll send you back to pitt (Pittsburg, Kansas).”

Jordan also alleges Patterson used the “n-word” twice. The entire text can be ready below. It is NSFW.

This came after a former TCU football defensive back is alleging that a racial slur was used by Patterson in front of players. Former Horned Frogs defensive back Niko Small, in a tweet that surfaced late Monday morning, called for Patterson “to make a public apology and for what he has done and face consequences” while stating that “TCU needs a huge change.”

CBS Sports ranks Big 12 head coaches, Tom Herman absent from top four

CBS Sports does not believe that Texas head coach Tom Herman has produced enough to be considered a top coach within the Big 12.

It’s no secret that Texas head coach Tom Herman has his back against the wall this season. Continue reading “CBS Sports ranks Big 12 head coaches, Tom Herman absent from top four”