Gut Check

There's no other way to put it for Longhorn nation - this is a gut check. Win or lose, I think Texas fans just want to see some effort. I hope the team understands that....and I certainly hope they care.

I won't relive the train wreck that was that BYU game for both of our benefits, but I still get worked up. That QB up in Provo is living like a king because of the one of the great "throw-in-the-towel" performances of all time - that's maddening. Most teams would have shut that down quick.

Here are my quick thoughts looking at the Ole Miss match up....

• Let's be clear: you HAD to get rid of Manny. Absolutely had to. The biggest travesty is that Mack clearly knew this was a strong possibility (coming off the worst statistical defense in school history), and so brought in Robinson as a "analyst" (what the f'k does that mean?). Make no mistake - there was no way you could have kept Manny after that performance against a tough-minded, but mediocre offensive team. But don't think this defense is going to do a 180 with this change. That is a very dangerous and unrealistic expectation. They'll likely struggle against this Ole Miss offense. 
• If Ash doesn't play, this could get ugly. I'm not a Case fan and frankly think he's here because of his name. Given our situation I'd MUCH rather see what Overstreet can do - talk about a nice mix of hungry and athleticism. I could give 2 shits about Case. 
• With all of that said - I give Ash the least amount of blame/criticism for the Provo debacle of '13. 
• And with all of THAT said, I would strongly look at taking the over in this game. Regardless of who the QB is for the Horns, they've got enough talent to make some plays given that Ole Miss defense. 
• I expect Jonathan Gray to get a lot of touches. 
• I simply don't have faith they can just flip a switch - Mack, the team, the coaches - they're all rattled and fractured and this is a dangerous game to be walking into with your backs against the wall. I'd like to think they can just flip that switch, but until I see it....

(Changing my earlier predictions slightly)
Ole Miss - 31
Texas - 17

Thoughts on the rest of the weekend...

• Pretty good Tech/TCU game on right now (Thursday night). Although some good plays by both teams, the sad fact is this conference is not near as strong as it was the last couple of years. Lot of new faces on a lot of teams. I'm not sure what happened to the TCU defense, but they look discombobulated - that secondary is pretty weak. Tech still knows how to step on their dicks with the best of them. 
•  Let's just get this out of the way - Nick Saban almost never loses a rematch after a loss...and it was once to LSU by 3 points like 6 years ago. I've thought this since summer and I still think it - Alabama is going to absolutely work the Aggies in their own home. Alabama by 20 points. 
• Tune in for Wisconsin at Arizona State - that could be a great game, and a couple of dark-horse Rose Bowl teams. Pop a 5-Hour Energy, it's a late start, but I think it will be worth it.
• UCLA visits Nebraska on Saturday, where the Huskers will be looking for some payback from that "Texas-esque" amount of yards they gave up last year in Pasadena. Looks like could be another shootout - both teams have started strong on offense while giving up a ton of yards and/or points. You know what...give me UCLA to pull the "upset" in Lincoln. 

NFL Notes:

• Have I mentioned Peyton yet? Wow....that's it. If Von Miller's dumb ass can get his shit together by the time he returns, they could be a scary team come late November. 
• Man, watching Patriots/Jets puppet show - Brady is playing well, but you certainly see the loss of Hernandez, Gronk, Welker, and Lloyd. Edelman is playing great, but those are a lot of shoes to fill. Could be a tougher-than-normal year for Pats. Jets.....they just don't look good. 
• That ending to the Tampa Bay/Jets game was awkward and downright uncomfortable for a second. What a debacle that was. Here's a note to all defensive players - when the QB is sprinting straight towards the sideline at a 90-degree angle, he's going out of bounds...you don't need to touch him. My word...
• Philly is going to be a fun, fun team to watch - and there's no chance in hell Vick plays the whole year. Not even close. 
• Look at the NFL schedule week in and week out - not a bad week ever. Manning Bowl, Niners vs. Seahawks, Cowboys at Chiefs. The NFL is glorious. 

Non-Sports Thoughts for the Week:

• Syria....I got nothing...
• This sounds horrible, but I think I hate Bruno Mars. 
• Is it rude to suggest that you're going to need to kick it up a bit more than straight-up pajamas when you're dropping your kid off at a school? 
• We've got dove hunters all around us so I'm joining in - going to set up and try and get some dove in our "front yard". 
• This Pope seems like a pretty cool cat. 
• Funny shit my daughter says: "Dad, remember when that egg broke in our pocket? That was brutal." 

Have a great weekend folks. 

New Low

I'm so f'ng pissed I'm actually writing this at 11:55pm Saturday night. This was a new low. Certainly not the worst score loss, but arguably one of the more embarrassing performances start to finish in a long, long team.

I heard this tonight and I think it hit the nail on the head: one of these teams wanted to be playing football tonight and the other didn't. It's clear Texas STILL has this sense of false entitlement. "We're Texas, we should be winning...". Seiders threw the worst loss since the 66-3 game against UCLA - I'll argue this was worse in terms of complete game performance. There are literally ZERO positives coming out of this game. Not one.

The same problems that plagued this team last year reared their ugly head tonight in a big, big way. Something needs to change now (and I assure it will). But more troublesome (or maybe just disappointing), was the glaring offensive issues that few saw coming. I cannot comprehend what the game plan was, especially the second half. I love Major and like the thought of him bringing a new attitude, but this was a ridiculous offensive performance. YOU AREN'T GOOD ENOUGH TO RUN THE BALL. YOU'RE NOT! YOU DON'T HAVE THE LINE! WHY DO YOU KEEP DOING IT???? Why do we continue to run the ball, even when we're down by 16 in the second half.

They targeted Mike Davis 5 times. He caught 3 and 2 were for TDs. They COULD NOT cover him. 5 f'ng times???!!! Why not 15??? Horrible offensive game plan. Horrible. No adjustments. Clearly no analysis at halftime. My aneurysm  occurred on 4th and 2 when they brought in Overstreet to run the play that everyone in the free world KNEW was coming!! So many ridiculous plays tonight.

It's so early and this may sound crazy, but here are my short-, medium- and long-term predictions...

• As the night goes on my percentages go up - right now I'm saying at least a 65% chance that Manny Diaz is gone before the Ole Miss game and either Akina or Robinson are the interim D-Coordinators. Probably Greg Robinson. Manny had a horrible defense last year. They gave him a year, healthy players and an opportunity to fix the issues. They were glaring to say the least. I'm sure you saw that stat that the 4 games where Texas has given up the most yards were tonight and 3 games last year. All Manny. He's gone. 
• It wasn't the loss to BYU, but the way they lost which leads me to this - the ONLY chance Mack has to not be forced out is to win the Big 12 and win a BCS bowl game. Tell me who amongst you sees any chance of this happening. 
• The house needs to be cleaned - at the end of the day, we can talk about Manny and Major, but the same shit that kills us is still killing us: this team lacks the mentality of a physical, accountable team that responds to the challenge. They're a bunch of world-class athletes who have absolutely no clue how to respond to getting punched in the mouth - and they sure as hell haven't been taught that. Point being, until Mack is gone, this will be the norm. 
• With that above statement said, I can't imagine there's anyone in his corner right now. That corner has been dwindling over the last 2 years (especially with those OU debacles). Unless they can win out, or win 10 games (HAVE to be at OU) and win the conference, he won't have anyone in his corner. 
• And let's not forget Dodds' contract is up after this year. He ain't swimming in support either. This is more than just the football program - look at the major sports' teams over last 3 years and the decline. A change is needed - sometimes you have to make a change to spark something new. Mack said he wants to be coaching until 2020? Won't happen...at least not at Texas. 

As the title states, this was a new low. One word: discombobulated. It's the only way I can say about this staff and team.