Tag: Sam Ehlinger

Could Sam Ehlinger Make A Joe Burrow Like Run For Heisman?

Joe Burrow came from solid quarterback to Mr Heisman with a historic run, is it impossible for Sam Ehlinger to make that kind of rise?

This year was a historic run for Joe Burrow who went from a solid quarterback for the LSU Tigers to Mr Heisman over this past season. The question now becomes who will be the next and can it be Longhorns gunslinger Sam Ehlinger? When you look at how the 2018 season went for Burrow it was hard to fathom what he would become in 2019. Following up a campaign with 16 touchdowns, no one saw a 48 touchdown season in which Burrow took over for the Tigers.

What changed for Burrow cannot be understated, he was the ultimate underdog who wanted nothing more than to play for Nebraska and eventually found himself in Baton Rouge. Joe Brady had just as much to do with rise. Brady was an offensive assistant for the New Orleans Saints the last two seasons before taking the job at LSU.

So what about Ehlinger? The former Austin Westlake product preseason was a top ten Heisman candidate according to the Vegas odds at (+4000). His play in last year’s bowl game brought Ehlinger’s name to the forefront of the conference after the Longhorns took down fifth ranked Georgia. A big performance against the Utah Utes could be a huge step in that direction for Ehlinger heading into 2020. A new offensive coordinator in Austin could just be the launching pad that he needs much like Burrow got in Brady.

If the Longhorns do indeed bring in Mike Yurcich who is the current passing game coordinator for the Buckeyes, look for the Texas offense to become more dynamic. The Ohio State offense scored 32 more touchdowns than Texas this year and averaged 70 more yards of offense per game. This could be a marriage that helps propel Sam Ehlinger and the Texas Longhorns to new heights that they haven’t seen since the Colt McCoy era ended.

Texas Longhorns Need To Attack Through The Air

The Texas Longhorns need to attack the Utah Utes through the air in the Alamo Bowl

In just over one week the Texas Longhorns will finally take the field once again for their last game of the season. Texas will be looking to take down the number 11th ranked Utah Utes in San Antonio. Utah comes in 11-2 while Texas is looking for their eighth win on the year. It is important for Texas to pull off the upset to build some momentum heading into the offseason.

Newly signed defensive coordinator Chris Ash won’t be on the sidelines but this game will be a good opportunity to show their new defensive coach what type of players he will be getting. One key for this game however is going to come on the offensive side of the ball. Utah will be playing without their best cover man in Jaylon Johnson who opted to skip the bowl game as he prepares for the NFL Draft. Many feel that he is a first round type corner. The Utes will also be missing Julian Blackmon and RJ Hubert from the safety position.

This is where Devin Duvernay needs to be the guy provided that he is healthy enough to play in this game. The depth in the secondary will be strained for this matchup and given how Duvernay has played this year, that plays right into the hands of the Longhorns. This year there hasn’t been a more dependable player on offense than Duvernay and Texas needs to see him once again be that guy.

Junior quarterback Sam Ehlinger will need to also be on his game to get the ball to Duvernay and allow this team to attach a depleted secondary. The Utes are still a talented defense, one of the best in the country and for Texas to pull off the upset they will need to be on their game.

Sam Ehlinger Watches His High School Win the State Championship

Last night was the 6A D2 state championship where Austin Westlake took on Denton Guyer. Sam Ehlinger was on the sidelines for the game.

Last night was the 6A Division 2 state championship where Austin Westlake took on Denton Guyer. Taking place at AT&T Stadium, Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger was on the sidelines for the game, cheering on his former school.

Getting as far as the state championship game in 2015, Ehlinger was never able to lead the Chaparrals to a championship. He lost to the 2015 game 21-14 in overtime and lost in the quarterfinals his senior season.

The Chaparrals dominated the entire game, winning 24-0. It was only the second state championship in the school’s history, with the first coming in 1994 when Drew Brees was in charge. Ehlinger was there to congratulate his former head coach after the victory. After the game, Todd Dodge announced he would return to Westlake next season, taking his name out of consideration for any other jobs.

Ehlinger’s focus will now turn to the bowl game on New Year’s Eve. The Longhorns will face off against Utah in the Alamo Bowl at 6:30 p.m. CST on ESPN.

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Recapping Texas’ national signing day

Going into today, Texas had 16 commitments. None of them flipped, making the Longhorns a perfect 16 for 16 on National Signing Day.

Going into today, Texas had 16 commitments. None of them flipped, making the Longhorns a perfect 16 for 16 on National Signing Day. While there may have been some other distractions, it was still an overall good day for the Longhorns. They finished in the top 10 of the 247Sports rankings, coming in at No. 10. As for ranking in the Big 12, Texas beat Oklahoma by one spot for the best 2020 class in the conference.

Here is a recap of Texas’ national signing day:

Five-star recruits

RB Bijan Robinson

Four-star recruits

QB Hudson Card, ATH Ja’Quinden Jackson, DT Vernon Broughton, OLB Prince Dorbah, S Xavion Alford, CB Kitan Crawford, S Jerrin Thompson, C Jake Majors, OT Jaylen Garth, WR Troy Omeire, G Logan Parr, T Andrej Karic

Three-star recruits

ATH Jaden Hullaby, WR Dajon Harrison, DT Sawyer Goram-Welch

The name to get most excited about is Bijan Robinson. In his high school career, he rushed for over 7,000 yards and scored over 100 touchdowns over four years. He had 35+ touchdowns in his final two seasons, reaching as high as 38 in his senior year. This season, the Longhorns struggled with depth in the running back room and Robinson will instantly make an impact in Austin.

Two other names to keep an eye out for are Hudson Card and Ja’Quinden Jackson. Card is a dual-threat quarterback from Austin, while Jackson is listed as an athlete on 247Sports. Jackson played quarterback in high school for Duncanville High School. Both of these guys will have a great opportunity to take over after Sam Ehlinger’s final season as quarterback.

It was a big day on the offensive line, signing four different four-star prospects. All from the state of Texas, Jaylen Garth and Andrej Karic come in as tackles, while Jake Majors is a center, and Logan Parr is a guard. With two seniors leaving on the offensive line after this season, one of these players may have a chance to start right away for the Longhorns.

Texas now focuses its attention on the bowl game, where they will play Utah in the Alamo Bowl. You can catch the game on New Year’s Eve at 6:30 p.m. CST on ESPN.

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Two quarterbacks sign with Texas

The first of two National Signing Days are taking place today. UT started the day out strong, locking up two of their top recruits.

The early signing period is finally here and the first of two National Signing Days are taking place today. The Longhorns started the day out strong, as they locked two of their top recruits.

Ja’Quinden Jackson from Duncanville, TX and Hudson Card from Austin, TX both signed their national letter of intent this morning, making their verbal commitment official. Both players are quarterbacks, each playing at Texas high school football’s highest division. Each of them are a four star recruits and they are currently the two highest signed players so far today, according to 247Sports.

Jackson is officially listed as an athlete according to 247Sports, but played quarterback at Duncanville High School. In his playoff semi final game, it is being reported that he tore his ACL and will be out for awhile.

Getting another quarterback out of the Austin area, Card went to Lake Travis High School. He has been committed to Texas since May of 2018 and has been wanting to be a Longhorn for most of his life.

Having depth at quarterback is always a good thing and Texas has that with these two signees. Sam Ehlinger is expected to come back for his senior season, but third string Roschon Johnson played running back all season. A quarterback room of Ehlinger, Casey Thompson, Johnson, Jackson, and Card will provide the Longhorns with depth for years.

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Texas Quarterback of the decade: Sam Ehlinger

Ever since Colt McCoy left Texas in 2009 consistent play from their quarterback has lacked. Sam Ehlinger has been the guy starting in 2017.

Ever since Colt McCoy left the 40 acres at the end of the 2009 season, one thing has been lacking for Texas. Consistent play from their quarterback. Starting last season for the Longhorns, Sam Ehlinger has been the guy, taking over the signal calling for the offense under Tom Herman.

While he split snaps with Shane Buechele in his freshman season, Ehlinger won the starting job before the opening game against Maryland in 2018. From that point on, Texas has been ride or die with Ehlinger, with him starting in all 26 games played over the last two seasons.

His sophomore season was his best, leading Texas to their first 10 win season since the 2009 National Championship season. He also took Texas as far as the Sugar Bowl, getting a crucial victory against Georgia to end the season. That year only had their first Big 12 championship appearance since the 2009 win against Nebraska.

Other quarterbacks in the 2010s included Garrett Gilbert, David Ash, Case McCoy, Tyrone Swoopes, Jerrod Heard, and Shane Buechele. The only one of those who comes relatively close to what Ehlinger has done for this program is Buechele. Even then, it is not close, with the junior quarterback from Austin getting the nod as the best quarterback to play for Texas this decade.

Years played: 2017, 2018, 2019

Passing Stats: 63.1 completion percentage, 8,669 passing yards, 65 touchdowns, 21 interceptions

Rushing stats: 430 rushing attempts, 1,453 rushing yards, 24 touchdowns

Best game: vs Oklahoma, 2018. 24-35 with 314 yards, two passing touchdowns, no interceptions. 19 rushing attempts for 72 yards and three rushing touchdowns

Best moment: Second touchdown run against Oklahoma in 2018

Accomplishments: 2019 Sugar Bowl MVP

More than likely coming back for his senior season, Ehlinger has made a huge impact on Texas in his first three. He is already up there statistically with the all-time UT quarterback greats like Vince Young, Colt McCoy, and Major Applewhite, but is just missing one thing. Some form of championship. Ehlinger brought the Longhorns close in 2018 with a Big 12 championship appearance but will need to win one to cement himself as a Longhorn legend.

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Sam Ehlinger Chasing Texas History

Texas Quarterback Sam Ehlinger is chasing Longhorns history. A big bowl performance could put him in the record books.

The Texas Longhorns are still a couple weeks away from their Alamo Bowl matchup with the Utah Utes but there are a few ways that a big game from the junior quarterback could put him in the Texas record books. Sam Ehlinger currently holds the 3rd place spot for passing yards in a single season and is looking to pass Colt McCoy to become the all-time leader for yards in a season for a Texas Longhorn quarterback.

With a big game he could not only match or surpass McCoy in passing yards but touchdowns as well. Colt McCoy holds the record with 3,859 yards that he set during the 2008 season. Also his 34 passing touchdowns were also set that year. Ehlinger currently sits 397 yards behind McCoy’s mark for most passing yards in a season. He also needs five touchdown passes to match the other mark held by McCoy.

Getting to that mark might not be as far fetched as some might think, now the five touchdown passes might be as Ehlinger hasn’t yet hit that mark in his career but what better time than now to pull of that accolade. If Sam does, he will match a mark set by McCoy, James Brown and Chris Simms that would give him the 2nd best game in Longhorns history. McCoy also owns that record with six. The yards mark is something that Ehlinger has hit already this season with games against Kansas (399) and LSU (401).

Should he hit those numbers to have the single-best season as a Texas signal caller, Ehlinger could be well on his way at challenging McCoy for the career mark. Sam at this point is 4,584 yards behind McCoy but a good performance could be a step towards chasing history. This year alone Ehlinger passed Vince Young, Chris Simms and Major Applewhite on the all-time list to get to second.

This season hasn’t been what many expected but watching Sam Ehlinger chase after records held by the likes of Vince Young, Major Applewhite and Colt McCoy has given the Texas faithful something to cheer for.

 

Three names to keep an eye out for the offensive coordinator position

Firing Tim Beck, Texas is looking for a new offensive coordinator for the first time in three years. Here are names to keep an eye out for.

For the Longhorns in 2019, the offense was one of the strong suits. Quarterback Sam Ehlinger was fantastic, wide receiver Devin Duvernay was one of the best in the country at his position, and even running back Roschon Johnson – who was originally a quarterback – did a fantastic job for Texas this season. However, as the season went on, something was still missing. Especially in the final few games, the Longhorn offense did not feel like themselves.

Once the game against Texas Tech was done, Tom Herman decided that it was time to make some changes. The Longhorns got rid of Tim Beck as the offensive coordinator, moving him to quarterbacks coach. While Tom Herman has been heavily involved in the offense, it may be time for someone new to take over the reins.

When Herman was hired from Houston in 2017, Beck made the transition over with him. Now, making his first coordinator hire as head coach at Texas, Herman has to get it right. What Texas needs is an outside hire that has had success as an offensive coordinator at another big name school. Here are three names to keep an eye out for the offensive coordinator job.

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Nine Longhorns make the official All-Big 12 team

Nine Texas Longhorns earned spots on the All-Big 12 team for their performance on the field

The official All-Big 12 team was released today on Big12sports.com, and nine different Texas Longhorns made the cut. Here is the full list of Longhorns on the team, and where they were listed:

  • WR Devin Duvernay (first team)
  • C Zach Shackelford (first team)
  • OT Samuel Cosmi (second team)
  • DB Brandon Jones (second team)
  • K Cameron Dicker (honorable mention)
  • QB Sam Ehlinger (honorable mention)
  • LB Joseph Ossai (honorable mention)
  • DE Malcolm Roach (honorable mention)

In addition, Duvernay was a runner up for Offensive Player of the Year, Parker Braun for Offensive Newcomer of the Year, and Samuel Cosmi for Offensive Lineman of the Year. The two first-teamers were more than deserving, as they were both key pieces in keeping the Longhorns’ offense running when not much else was working.

Duvernay was electric this year, catching 103 passes for 1294 yards and 8 touchdowns – all career highs for the senior. He lost out to Oklahoma State’s running back Chuba Hubbard, who had an outstanding year on the ground. Shackelford led a Longhorns’ run game that was able to keep churning even after losing three of the top four running backs on the roster.

Duvernay and Shackelford’s will be big shoes to fill next year, as both players are turning their sights to the NFL Draft.

Four Texas Longhorns named to first-team All-Big 12 by PFF

Four Texas Longhorns were named to PFF’s All-Big 12 first team

With the 2019 regular season just wrapping up, Pro Football Focus has released its All-Big 12 Team. The list names four players at each position on offense and defense plus a flex defense, kicker, punter, kick returner, and punt returner. Four Texas Longhorns were named to the first team, and eight more joined them on the second team, third team, or as an honorable mention.

Here is the full list of Longhorns that made the team:

  • WR Devin Duvernay (first team)
  • OT Samuel Cosmi (first team)
  • DE Malcolm Roach (first team)
  • K Cameron Dicker (first team)
  • QB Sam Ehlinger (honorable mention)
  • RB Keaontay Ingram (honorable mention)
  • OT Derek Kerstetter (third team)
  • OG Parker Braun (second team)
  • DE Ta’Quon Graham (honorable mention)
  • DT Moro Ojomo (honorable mention)
  • LB Joseph Ossai (second team)
  • CB D’Shawn Jamison (honorable mention)

Devin Duvernay was PFF’s highest-graded Big 12 receiver this year, while Samuel Cosmi was its’ highest-graded Big 12 tackle. Malcolm Roach’s play against the run earned him the highest run-defense grade of all Big 12 edge defenders. Cameron Dicker “the kicker” has hit multiple clutch kicks this year, including this game-winner in the nailbiter against Kansas:

This group of deserving Longhorns have left their mark on the game this season and earned the right to be recognized as the best in the conference. There is still unfinished business, as the underclassmen turn their sights to the 2020 season while seniors like Duvernay start preparing for the NFL draft.