Tag: Texas Football

Chip Brown Reports Chris Ash Expected To Join Longhorns Staff

Chip Brown of Horns247 is reporting that Chris Ash will take over as defensive coordinator. Ash has a history with head coach Tom Herman.

Following the dismissal of defensive coordinator Todd Orlando after three years at the University of Texas and a two-year stint with Tom Herman in Houston, the Longhorns are expect to name former Rutgers coach Chris Ash to run the defense. Chip Brown of Horns247 reported the story Sunday morning.

Ash has familiarity with Herman much like Todd Orlando did. Ash was with Herman at Iowa State as the defensive backs coach and again with him at Ohio State in 2014 when they won the National Championship with the Buckeyes.

Ash takes over a defense that struggled down the stretch. The Longhorns defense ranked 108th nationally in yards per game surrendered. Their turnover margin (+6) was 26th nationally but given the talent on this team, it could be better and Ash can bring some new ideas to help them get to where Texas football should be.

A huge focus on this defense needs to be getting off the field on 3rd downs. This year the Longhorns allowed a first down conversion on 3rd downs at 40%, that was 74th nationally. The hiring of Chris Ash should bring optimism for a team in dire need that needs some positive news going into the offseason after a disappointing season by Longhorns standing. With Ash in the fold, Tom Herman now will be looking to make a hire on the offensive side of the ball.

Watch: Texas Commit Ja’Quinden Jackson’s Two First Half Scores Against Rockwall

Watch two scores by Texas commit Ja’Quinden Jackson in the first half against Rockwall.

Quarterback and Texas Commit Ja’Quinden Jackson was looking to lead his Duncanville football team to the State Championship. Nearing the end of the first quarter Jackson capped off a scoring drive with a 59-yard scamper to the end zone to put his team up 28-0.

Later in the second quarter, Jackson showed that he is more than just a runner with an 81-yard strike to Marquelan Crowell to go up 35-0.

Former Longhorn Quandre Diggs Proving His Worth

Former Texas Longhorns’ defensive back Quandre Diggs proving his worth with a new opportunity.

They can’t overcome bad coaching, I know that – Bill Belichick in response to Randy Moss statement that Good players can’t win if they don’t have good coaching.

A simple statement but a true statement. In the NFL some of the best college talent don’t work out but it is a true system. If you don’t set your players up to succeed they won’t find success very easy. Quandre Diggs is proving that this season.

Diggs was coming off one of his best year’s as a profession being named a Pro Bowl alternate after a 78 tackle season with three interceptions (career high) and eight passes defended. Through the first five games of the 2019 campaign, Diggs wasn’t have the same level of production. The Seattle Seahawks were struggling in their secondary following the loss of Earl Thomas to Baltimore so they made the move that blindsided Diggs.

Motivation. A team trading a playing when they aren’t at their best could be one reason why the former Longhorn is having success, the other being the system he now plays in. The big names are gone from the defense that was once heralded as the “Legion of Boom” but they still have the core philosophies in place. Diggs is taking full advantage. After back-to-back seasons with three picks after not recording a single one in his first two seasons, Diggs has matched that number again.

With three games left in the regular season, Diggs has an opportunity to reach a career high in interceptions and turnovers forced. The former Longhorn is thriving in Seattle and he can thank the Seahawks for allowing him the opportunity to showcase his skills that were being wasted in Detroit.

Does The Fate of Texas Longhorns’ Offense Rest On Graham Harrell?

Could the Texas Longhorns use an old foe in Graham Harrell to bring them back to prominence?

Following the Texas Longhorns’ 10-win season and Sugar Bowl victory during the 2017 season gave fans a glimmer of hope that Texas was in fact back in 2018. Fast forward to the end of this year, where the Longhorns’ faithful now have more questions than answers. Many including myself felt that Texas was taking a step in the right direction under the leadership of Tom Herman but it was a step back to a 7-5 campaign with an opportunity for win number eight in the Alamo Bowl.

Following the season finale against Texas Tech, the staff was shuffled a bit with the dismissal of Todd Orlando as defensive coordinator and the reassignment of Tim Beck. Herman and the Longhorns’ brass is looking to shock the system and hopefully bring Texas back to being a top program once again.

The Longhorns were coming off a top three recruiting class according to 247 sports, so along with the double-digit win season the future was bright for the burnt orange. Unfortunately the wheels fell off by their standards. So should the Longhorns take a page out of their rivals book? In 2015 the Sooners brought in former Texas Tech quarterback and coach Lincoln Riley who eventually took over as head coach, this might be a move that Texas could use to compete with the Sooners.

Graham Harrell has been a name tossed around and it makes sense. The former Texas Tech quarterback has been working his way through the coaching ranks following a brief career in the NFL. Harrell is the hot name with so much uncertainty at Southern California with the current staff. He made waves when Graham took over the offense at the University of North Texas where he took a bottom program and made them a top offense in his last two seasons before heading to USC.

This would be a move that could give Texas an opportunity to improve their offense from 15th in total offense. Not exactly terrible numbers but with the Oklahoma Sooners being near the top in all of college football, improvements can only help their cause to dethrone Oklahoma. Now the game is a bit of sit and wait to see how the Harrell and USC situation unfolds but Coach Herman needs to make a strong effort to bring Harrell back to the Lone Star State.

Watch: Hype video includes all of Longhorn Brandon Jones’ highlights

Texas Longhorns’ safety Brandon Jones released a hype video with highlights from his four years at Texas

It seems like everyone has their own videography team nowadays. Texas Longhorns’ safety Brandon Jones dropped a professional-looking hype video on his Twitter earlier.

Jones’ highlight reel includes interceptions, forced fumbles, sacks, and big hits. A lot of big hits. Check it out here:

The senior safety has totaled 232 total tackles, 3 interceptions, 7 passes defended, 2 forced fumbles, and 3 fumble recoveries over the course of his four-year career at Texas.

Jones is a physical defender who isn’t afraid to fly around the field and put a hit on someone. He isn’t a day-one prospect in the NFL Draft, but he will get his chance on an NFL roster.

Former Texas Longhorns Quandre Diggs and Earl Thomas share rare distinction

Former Texas Longhorn football players Quandre Diggs and Earl Thomas share rare distinction in the NFL

Earl Thomas and Quandre Diggs are two stud safeties who made their way through Texas. Thomas was the leader of the famed “Legion of Boom,” a moniker given to the Seattle Seahawks’ dominant secondary that consisted of Thomas, Richard Sherman, and Kam Chancellor.

Earl Thomas has since moved on and is currently the starting free safety for the Baltimore Ravens. Seattle replaced one Longhorn with another when they acquired safety Quandre Diggs from the Detroit Lions.

Since then, Diggs has become the first player with three interceptions in his first four games with the Seahawks since – you guessed it – Earl Thomas.

In his two years at Texas, Thomas made 97 total tackles and had 8 interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns. Diggs spent four years at Texas and totaled 220 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 11 interceptions, and 3 forced fumbles.

In the NFL, both Thomas and Diggs are impact players whose contributions don’t always show up in the stat sheet. Despite that, both are known playmakers and the statistics back it up.

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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Your complete college football bowl game, playoff schedule

A complete list of the college football bowl game schedule for this year.

From Nassau, Bahamas to Hawaii, the 2019  college football bowl schedule features some intriguing matchups, a few newcomers and some teams in unexpected territory.

LSU, Ohio State, Clemson and Oklahoma round out the College Football Playoff. LSU makes its first appearance in the playoff while Clemson is in its fifth straight playoff. Ohio State, in the playoff for the third time, is hoping for a better performance after its beat down by Clemson in 2016. Oklahoma is in the field for its fourth playoff and third straight.

The state of Florida has the most teams in bowl games with six, followed by Michigan and Ohio with five teams each. California, Texas, Lousiana and North Carolina each have four representatives.

The states of Florida and Texas have the most bowl games, with seven each. Including the National Championship game, Louisiana is hosting four bowl games.

Ten ACC teams made a bowl this season. The SEC has nine teams going bowling, including three (Georgia, Florida and LSU) in New Year’s and CFP bowls.

Dec. 20 — Bahamas Bowl: Charlotte vs. Buffalo, ESPN, 2 p.m.

Dec. 20 — Frisco Bowl: Kent State vs. Utah State, ESPN2, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 21 — New Mexico Bowl: Central Michigan vs. San Diego State, ESPN, 2 p.m.

Dec. 21 — Cure Bowl: Liberty vs. Georgia Southern, CBSSN, 2:30 p.m.

Dec. 21 — Boca Raton Bowl: Florida Atlantic vs. SMU, ABC, 3:30 p.m.

Dec. 21 — Camellia Bowl: Florida International vs. Arkansas State, ESPN, 5:30 p.m.

Dec. 21 — Las Vegas Bowl: Boise State vs. Washington, ABC, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 21 — New Orleans Bowl: Alabama-Birmingham vs. Appalachian State, ESPN, 9 p.m.

Dec. 23 — Gasparilla Bowl: Marshall vs. Central Florida, ESPN, 2:30 p.m.

Dec. 24 — Hawaii Bowl: BYU vs. Hawaii, ESPN, 8 p.m.

Dec. 26 — Independence Bowl: Miami (Fla.) vs. Louisiana Tech, ESPN, 4 p.m

Dec. 26 — Quick Lane Bowl: Eastern Michigan vs. Pittsburgh, ESPN, 8 p.m.

Dec. 27 — Military Bowl: North Carolina vs. Temple, ESPN, noon

Dec. 27 — Pinstripe Bowl: Wake Forest vs. Michigan State, ESPN, 3:20 p.m.

Dec. 27 — Texas Bowl: Oklahoma State vs. Texas A&M, ESPN, 6:45 p.m.

Dec. 27 — Holiday Bowl: Iowa vs. Southern California, FS1, 8 p.m.

Dec. 27 — Cheez-It Bowl: Air Force vs. Washington State, ESPN, 10:15 p.m.

Dec. 28 — Camping World Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Iowa State, ABC, noon

Dec. 28 — Cotton Bowl: Penn State vs. Memphis, ESPN, noon

Dec. 28 — Peach Bowl: LSU vs. Oklahoma, ESPN, 4 p.m.

Dec. 28 — Fiesta Bowl: Ohio State vs. Clemson, ESPN, 8 p.m.

Dec. 30 — First Responder Bowl: Western Michigan vs. Western Kentucky, ESPN, 12:30 p.m.

Dec. 30 — Redbox Bowl: Illinois vs. California, Fox, 4 p.m.

Dec. 30 — Music City Bowl: Louisville vs. Mississippi State, ESPN, 4 p.m.

Dec. 30 — Orange Bowl: Virginia vs. Florida, ESPN, 8 p.m.

Dec. 31 — Belk Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. Kentucky, ESPN, noon

Dec. 31 — Sun Bowl: Florida State vs. Arizona State, CBS, 2 p.m.

Dec. 31 — Liberty Bowl: Kansas State vs. Navy, ESPN, 3:45 p.m.

Dec. 31 — Arizona Bowl: Wyoming vs. Georgia State, CBSSN, 4:30 p.m.

Dec. 31 — Alamo Bowl: Utah vs. Texas, ESPN, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 1 — Citrus Bowl: Alabama vs. Michigan, ABC, 1 p.m.

Jan. 1 — Outback Bowl: Minnesota vs. Auburn, ESPN, 1 p.m.

Jan. 1 — Rose Bowl: Wisconsin vs. Oregon, ESPN, 5 p.m.

Jan. 1 — Sugar Bowl: Baylor vs. Georgia, ESPN, 8:45 p.m.

Jan. 2 — Birmingham Bowl: Boston College vs. Cincinnati, ESPN, 3 p.m.

Jan. 2 — Gator Bowl: Indiana vs. Tennessee, ESPN, 7 p.m.

Jan. 3 — Idaho Potato Bowl: Ohio vs. Nevada, ESPN, 3:30 p.m.

Jan. 4 — Armed Forces Bowl: Southern Mississippi vs. Tulane, ESPN, 11:30 a.m.

Jan. 6 — Mobile Bowl: Miami (Ohio) vs. Louisiana-Lafayette, ESPN, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 13 — College Football Playoff title game: Semifinal winners, ESPN, 8 p.m.

WATCH: Quandre Diggs gets his second interception of the game

After an interception that went for a touchdown earlier in the game, Quandre Diggs picked off Jared Goff for the second time. Watch it here.

After an interception that went for a touchdown earlier in the game, former Texas cornerback Quandre Diggs picked off Rams quarterback Jared Goff for the second time in as many drives.

This one was different than the first one, as it was downfield. Goff threw it deep to wide receiver Brandon Cooks on 3rd and 5 but overthrew him by a few yards. Diggs was five yards behind the receiver, being in the perfect position to intercept the pass.

You can watch the interception here:

This is Diggs’ third interception of the year, all being with the Seahawks. He continues to make big plays for Seattle, keeping them in games.

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WATCH: Former Longhorn Quandre Diggs gets a pick six

Former Longhorn Quandre Diggs is making another play, this time a pick-six. This is Diggs’ second INT since being traded from Detroit.

Another week, another highlight play for Quandre Diggs. The Seattle Seahawks are in primetime again this weekend, this time playing the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football. For most of the night, Rams’ quarterback Jared Goff has been having success against the Seahawk defense.

That changed when Diggs intercepted Goff in their first possession of the first half. Thrown across the middle, Diggs came out of nowhere, intercepted the ball, and ran 55 yards to the endzone untouched.

You can watch the play here:

This is Diggs’ second interception for Seattle since being traded from Detroit. He has made an instant impact for the Seahawks, being a huge addition to the Seattle defense.

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