Tag: Schedule

Especially among big market owners with …

Especially among big market owners with larger home game financial gates, finances have also been an overriding concern about the league’s in-season tournament idea: Can the NBA promise “revenue-neutral” financial returns to teams for shortening the schedule to 78 regular season games, sources tell ESPN. Teams are reluctant to take short-term losses on losing two home dates to accommodate the tournament, especially when those games can be worth between $3 million and $4 million for the most profitable big market teams, league sources said.

Texas Longhorns of The Decade: Tight Ends

The TE position has not been a strength of the Longhorns throughout the 2010s. The best TE for Texas this decade has been Andrew Beck.

The tight end position has not been a strength of the Longhorns throughout the decade, only producing one NFL talent in Geoff Swaim. While Swaim has had a solid career, his numbers as a Longhorn are less than impressive. The best tight end to play for the Longhorns in the past few years has been Andrew Beck.

Switching to the position after playing linebacker in high school, Beck became a fan favorite for the Longhorns. Also lining up as a full back, he was an excellent blocker for both quarterback Sam Ehlinger and running backs.

As a pass-catcher, his best season came in his senior year in 2018. After missing 2017 with an injury and redshirting, he was able to haul in 28 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns. He had at least one catch in all 14 games, with his career-high of four catches coming against Kansas State.

Here is the tight end of the decade, Andrew Beck:

Years played: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018

Receiving stats: 39 receptions, 435 receiving yards, 11.2 yards per reception, four touchdowns

Best game: vs Oklahoma State in 2018. Three receptions, 51 yards, 17 yards per reception, one touchdown

STILLWATER, OK – OCTOBER 27: Tight end Andrew Beck #47 of the Texas Longhorns pulls in a catch for a touchdown against the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the fourth quarter on October 27, 2018 at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Oklahoma State won 38-35. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)

Best moment: Go ahead touchdown vs Oklahoma State in 2016

Accomplishments: First-team All-Big 12 (2018)

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Texas offers 2020 four star running back

After securing Bijan Robinson, Texas will have some depth at RB. However, they are still trying to sign in the late February signing window.

After securing five-star Bijan Robinson in the 2020 class, Texas is finally going to have some depth at the running back position. That does not mean they will stop recruiting at the position though, as they are still looking for players to sign in the February signing window. Losing all-purpose back Ty Jordan to Utah, the Longhorns need another running back commit.

Texas has started to find a replacement and has started by offering four-star Jahmyr Gibbs out of Dalton, GA. Listed at 5 feet 11 inches, the running back is the ninth-ranked prospect at his position in the country. Currently committed to Georgia Tech, Gibbs has yet to sign his letter of intent for the early signing period.

Iowa State is the only other Big 12 school to offer Gibbs, but the Longhorns face competition from SEC schools like Alabama, LSU, and Florida. If Gibbs were to sign with Texas, the running back room would be full of four and five star talent, waiting to burst on to the scene in the Big 12.

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Texas’ offensive lineman of the decade

Texas’ OL has been impressive in the second half of the decade. The Longhorns have turned around their offensive line play in recent history

Being the most important unit in all of football, the offensive line for Texas has been impressive in the second half of the decade. Currently with three guys playing in the NFL, the Longhorns have turned around their offensive line play recently.

Connor Williams, Trey Hopkins, and Calvin Anderson are the three guys in the NFL, with Williams and Hopkins declaring after their junior year. The two started in a majority of the games the played, being consistent performers for the Longhorns. They also both helped Texas have some monster games on the ground, each having a 400-yard rushing game during their time at Texas.

Anderson was a graduate transfer from Rice who only spent one year with the Longhorns. He was a big get for Texas in 2018 and made an instant impact the minute he started to play. Starting in all 14 games he played in, Anderson was the left tackle for quarterback Sam Ehlinger. Protecting the blindside, he was a reliable blocker for the team.

Two players who are not in the NFL just quite yet are Zach Shackelford and Samuel Cosmi. The two have been the best players on the offensive line for Texas in 2019. Shackelford is a four-year player with 39 career starts, mainly at center. Cosmi redshirted in 2017 but has been a breakout performer for the Longhorns in his two years on the line.

Here is the Texas offensive line of the decade for the 2010s:

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Texas flips three star linebacker originally committed to Utah

After signing all 16 players on NSD yesterday, Texas landed another one. This time it was three-star LB Jaylan Ford out of Frisco, TX.

After signing all 16 players on National Signing Day yesterday, Texas landed another recruit on Thursday. This time it was three-star linebacker Jaylan Ford out of Frisco, TX. Ford was originally a Utah commit and said he would join the Utes on Oct. 8. He switched to Texas this morning, announcing his decision via Twitter.

According to 247Sports, Ford is 6 feet 2.5 inches and weighs 205 pounds. Coming out of Lone Star High School, he was the district 5-5A-1 defensive MVP in his junior season. Officially listed as an outsider linebacker, Ford joins Highland Park’s Prince Dorbah as the only other OLB in the 2020 class.

This is the third recruit that Texas and Utah have gone back and forth with this season. Four-star defensive end Van Fillinger and three-star all-purpose back Ty Jordan were both once Texas commits that ended up signing with the Utes.

Texas now sits at No. 9 on the 247Sports team rankings after finishing yesterday at No. 10. Ford is the fourth four-star the Longhorns have signed in 2020, getting their 17th player of the cycle.

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Texas wide receivers of the decade

In the 2010s, Texas really struggled to find solid guys at the QB position. That made it difficult for some of the talented wide receivers.

Throughout the decade, Texas really struggled to find solid guys at the quarterback position. They never were fully consistent or the best player on the team. That made it difficult for some of the talented wide receivers on the team to fully make their mark.

The exception to this was Mike Davis, who was an outstanding receiver for the Longhorns in all four years on campus. While he never broke 1,000 yards in one season, what he did in his junior and senior year was score touchdowns. Having 15 in his final two years, it shot him up to the fifth most receiving touchdowns in Longhorn history.

Once Sam Ehlinger arrived on campus, the receivers for Texas got a lot better. Collin Johnson was one of those players, arguably being the most talented receiver of the three. Even though he was injured most of his senior season, Johnson put up great numbers in his junior season. Nearly getting to 1,000 yards in 2018, Johnson had some of his best games in the biggest matchups of the season for the Longhorns.

Then there is Devin Duvernay, whose 103 catches in 2019 is the second-most in a single season for Texas. He led the entire nation in catches this season and his 1,294 receiving yards were the most in the Big 12. He was Mr. Reliable for the Longhorns this season, making big play after big play.

In a decade where throwing the ball was not the strong suit of Texas, these three players rank inside the top 10 in all-time Longhorn receiving yards. A combined 47 receiving touchdowns, Davis, Johnson, and Duvernay are three of the best receivers to ever play in Austin.

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Week 16 NFL TV schedule and game maps

The biggest game on Sunday is on Fox when the Cowboys and Eagles play for a playoff spot.

Welcome to Week 16. It’s a week that should have a ton of games with playoff implications. Unfortunately, it does not have those games — and if it does those games are on Saturday. The biggest matchup is on Sunday afternoon where the Eagles and Cowboys square off to see what team will — most likely — win the NFC East. Fox also gets a win in the early games because they have the Saints-Titans matchup. What game will you get? Glad you asked.

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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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