Tag: Texas Longhorns

Two Longhorns Assistants Look To Bring Texas To The Top

Troy Tulowitzki and former Longhorn great Huston Street look to bring the Texas baseball team back to the top of the baseball world.

The Texas Longhorns baseball team is looking for a return to prominence. The Longhorns haven’t had a championship season since 2005 although they came close in 2009 as a runner up to champion Louisiana State Tigers. After a four-year absence from the championship tournament the boys in Austin returned to the tourney in 2019 but were quickly eliminated after two games.

For this season, Texas looks to regain their magic and become one of the top teams not only in the Big 12 but in all of the NCAA. This season they will have a couple new voices in the room to help them along the way. Huston Street has joined the staff as a student assistant. Many fans will remember Street who helped lead the Longhorns to the title in 2002 and the semifinals in 2004. The Longhorns pitching staff will be able to lean on his experience as both a champion in the CWS and in Major League Baseball.

Another big name on this staff that will be key is Troy Tulowitzki who joined the staff after ending his 14-year career in the majors. Tulo much like Street has a plethora of knowledge and experience that he can share with the team that can only help them as they try to bring Texas back to the top of the college baseball world. It all starts February 1st with the Alumni game.

In 2020 the Longhorns will likely need to be better than they were a year ago with a 7-16 conference record. However, given how they performed in the postseason, don’t count out another magical run by the Longhorns.

 

Malcolm Roach Will Look To Impress In NFLPA Bowl

Following the Valero Alamo Bowl, Texas defensive lineman Malcolm Roach will be looking to impress in the NFLPA Bowl.

Following the college bowl season, NFL Draft hopefuls will participate in pro workouts, private workouts and various bowl games where it is the Senior Bowl, East-West Shrine Game or the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. Three Longhorns have accepted invites to the Senior Bowl while defensive end Malcolm Roach accepted an opportunity to play and be a captain of the NFL PA Bowl.

Early on in his collegiate career, Roach played some as a defensive end/linebacker hybrid in his freshman season. That year he earned honorable mention as Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year. Over the last three seasons in Austin, Roach has been solid tackler but doesn’t have the huge sack numbers that you would expect from a defensive end. In terms of numbers, they don’t exactly mean much when talking about projections to the NFL.

Roach will be looking to impress in the game that can hopefully lead to an opportunity at the NFL level. Given the way that he plays, Malcolm Roach projects more as a defensive tackle at the next level. He has the strength to deal with interior offensive linemen with enough quickness to cause issues. He will be looking to parlay a good performance in this game much like previous alumni in Chicago Bears running back Tarik Cohen and New Orleans Saints returner Deonte Harris.

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 Team of the Decade: Linebackers

Even though they haven’t been as good as the past, Texas has still had some great LBs to come through the program throughout the 2010s.

Even though the unit has not been as good for the Longhorns as it has in the past, Texas has still had some great linebackers to come through the program this decade. Jordan Hicks, Steve Edmond, and Malik Jefferson all were able to make it to the NFL after their time in Austin.

Hicks and Edmond were on the field together for three years, starting in 2013. Getting a fifth year of eligibility after picking up an ankle injury in the 2013 season, Hicks played amazing in his final year for the Longhorns. Leading the team in tackles with 116, Steve Edmond was the only player to come close to his tackle numbers that season.

Declaring for the NFL after his junior year, Edmond also had a monster 2014 season for Texas. Finishing with four fewer tackles than Hicks, he had 112 on the season. His best career game came against Baylor that season, he had 17 tackles and had two of his 8.5 career sacks that night.

Finally, Malik Jefferson was the best linebacker to play for the Longhorns throughout the decade. Playing in the final two seasons of Charlie Strong and in the first year of Tom Herman, Jefferson was solid throughout his entire career. While he did not have the most total tackles of the three, he had the most solo tackles and was getting All-Big 12 awards throughout his three seasons on the 40 acres.

Here are your Texas linebackers of the decade:

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Charli Collier and Celeste Taylor Earn Weekly Honors

Charli Collier and Celeste Taylor took home Big 12 weekly honors for their contributions in getting Texas into the Top 25.

Fresh off of their big win against the number one ranked Stanford Cardinals, two members of the Texas women’s basketball team are taking home weekly Big 12 honors.

Charli Collier was named Big 12 Player of the Week. Against the Cardinals, Collier pulled down 19 boards and added 20 points to lead the Lady Longhorns in both categories. This marked her second double-double of the week after scoring 10 and grabbing 16 rebounds against Ohio Bobcats on Wednesday. It was quite a week for Charli Collier with 30 points and 37 rebounds combined to help lead Texas to two wins.

Freshman guard Celeste Taylor continued her solid first season in Austin this week. She led all Longhorns in scoring against Ohio with 17 points. In that game Taylor was everywhere adding nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and three blocks. It was an all-around game for Taylor. Against Stanford she added another 10 points, two rebounds and two steals.

Thanks to both of these ladies, the Texas Longhorns women’s basketball team finished the week with two wins and helped them improve their record to 7-4. With recent wins over Tennessee and Stanford, Texas is now ranked number 25 in the nation.

Happy Birthday to Two Longhorn Legends

Jordan Shipley and Quan Cosby shared the field to make one of the best receiving cores in UT history. They also share the same birthday.

Not only did Jordan Shipley and Quan Cosby share the field to make up one of the greatest receiving cores in Longhorn history, but they also share the same birthday. Cosby turns 37 years old today, while Shipley turns 32.

The two player’s best season came in 2008 with potential Hall of Fame quarterback Colt McCoy. Cosby led the team in receptions and receiving yards, while Shipley had more touchdowns. Between the two of them, they had a combined 181 receptions, 2,183 receiving yards, and 21 touchdowns in 2008.

One of Shipley’s best moments at Texas came in the 2008 Red River Shootout. Down 11 early in the second quarter, Shipley returned a kick off for a touchdown, giving the Longhorns a spark in the game. Texas went on to win 45-35, securing their third victory over Oklahoma in four years.

After Texas was left out of the Big 12 and National Championship later in the 2008 season, they were set up with Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl. Losing 21-17 and driving with under 30 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Cosby came up huge for the Longhorns. Running across the middle of the field from the slot, McCoy found Cosby, who broke free and dove into the end zone to secure another BCS bowl victory for Texas.

Both had short careers in the NFL and are now retired. Both Cosby and Shipley are in the top five in career receptions, career receiving yards and career receiving touchdowns at Texas. Two of the best to ever do it for the Longhorns, we wish both of them a very happy birthday!

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Minnesota’s Kirk Ciarrocca Second Favorite for Offensive Coordinator

It was reported that Mike Yurchich is the favorite for the OC position. Minnesota OC Kirk Ciarrocca could be another possibility for Texas.

Brett McMurphy reported on Sunday that Ohio State’s Mike Yurchich is the leading candidate for the offensive coordinator position. He also reported that current Minnesota offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca could be another possibility for the job.

Currently in this third season as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Gophers, the Minnesota offense has progressively gotten better in all three years that Ciarrocca has been there. The Minnesota offense is better than it ever has been, as quarterback Tanner Morgan has already set the Gopher single-season passing yard record with 2,975 yards.

Following Head Coach PJ Fleck from Western Michigan, Ciarrocca has also worked for Rutgers under Greg Schiano as a co-offensive coordinator. If there is one thing he can do, it is turn a stale offense into an explosive one. The Gophers averaged 357 yards per game in 2016, the season before he arrived. In 2019, they are above 400 yards a game, averaging 426 yards per game.

You can watch Ciarrocca and the Minnesota offense on New Year’s Day against Auburn in the Outback Bowl. With the official hiring of the offensive coordinator not expected to be announced until after bowl season, Texas will have the opportunity to weigh all of their options.

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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.

Report: Ohio State assistant Mike Yurcich leading candidate for Texas offensive coordinator vacancy

According to Horns 247, Ohio State assistant Mike Yurcich is the lead candidate to fill the vacant Texas offensive-coordinator position.

Things haven’t gone according to plan for former Ohio State offensive coordinator Tom Herman at Texas. He was paid handsomely to restore a Longhorn program that had slid back to mediocrity since the Colt McCoy days.

Three years in, and things still aren’t looking that far up. The Longhorns have been wildly inconsistent under Herman and his staff, so much so that he’s blown up his assistant coaching staff, trying to make changes to provide the momentum needed to probably keep his job in Austin.

One name surfacing as a leading candidate to take on the vacant role of offensive coordinator is current Ohio State assistant Mike Yurcich. The interest was reported by the Texas fan site Horns 247, (subscription required) and sites sources close to the program.

Yurchich was lured away from Oklahoma State to act as the passing game coordinator by new head coach Ryan Day at the end of last year. He’s an Ohio native, and the quarterback play and offense in Stillwater have been some of the best in the country under his watch, so it seemed like a good fit.

It’s unclear how much input he had in the offense, or game planning with Ryan Day still calling the plays and Kevin Wilson acting as the co-offensive coordinator, but the news is somewhat surprising.

There definitely appears to be a chance that Yurchich could be leaving Columbus after just one season if the reports are indeed true.

There’s no word yet from Ohio State on the interest, or why Yurcich would even want to make such a move to a program that seems to be teetering on wholesale changes — including at the top.

However, there’s sure to be more come out. As this story develops, we’ll stay on top of it, including if we get anything official from Ohio State.

 

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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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