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2010 Texas Longhorns Football Preview

By Chris Stevenson

Save for a nerve in Colt McCoy's right shoulder being compressed from a hit by Alabama's Marcell Dareus, we'd be talking about a post-championship year in 2010.  This season would have been much like '06 where expectations were extremely low considering the departure of the savior Vince Young and the unheralded McCoy stepping in as the starter.  In '06, though, low expectations were okay because, well, we'd just won it all.  The euphoria from that (and the willingness to forgive coaches and players for their mistakes and losses) lasts about one season.  This year, however, expectations are much higher.  For one, we got a glimpse of Garrett Gilbert's promise as a championship caliber quarterback.  We also have a lot of very, very good players returning and a freshman class with thirteen players who made it onto the depth chart.  So, this edition of the Longhorns looks promising and we should have another double-digit win season and a legit shot at the Big XII Championship and a BCS bowl.

Offense

I must be getting soft, but I've become something of a Greg Davis apologist.  Who knows how much of the offense's success over the last twelve years is due to personnel or scheme, but you can't argue with success.  He is the person responsible for the offense and the offense has consistently ranked among the leaders in the country in many offensive categories.  I also think the man has evolved.  He seems to have learned a lot from the Simms era; as in what NOT to do.  To the offensive coaches' credit, they realized during the National Championship Game that we relied way too heavily on McCoy's accuracy.  Without it, we had no way to control the ball or the clock.  Thus, a renewed emphasis on the running game this season.

Quarterback

Obviously the biggest change from last year, Garrett Gilbert steps in as the new most important player on the field.  With a new emphasis on the running game, some of the pressure should be taken off Gilbert.  The guy was tested in the hottest fire in college football during the National Championship Game and I think that experience will serve him well.  Coming down the tunnel at the Cotton Bowl to face OU this year shouldn't be as daunting.  With a full year of practice with the ones and as the guy, I expect to see a polished QB.  He'll make some mistakes, but I also think he'll do well and he has the potential to take the team a long way.

Running Back

We haven't had a featured back since Jamaal Charles.  We proved last year that a team can have a lot of success with the running back by committee.  When you do that, it either means that you've got several guys who are all really good and they are so good that you want to use them all.  Or, it could mean that they are all mediocre and no one of them is good enough to set themselves apart and become the featured back.  I worry that the reason has been that Major Applewhite, the Horns' running backs coach, isn't an effective talent evaluator or *gasp* just not a very good running backs coach.  Regardless, this season they seem to have pushed Cody Johnson to the front of the pack ahead of Fozzy Whitaker and Tre Newton.  Vondrell McGee is dead and buried.  Cody has leaned up, which should help his speed and agility and turn him from the battering ram type of back whose main asset is that he's hard to bring down to a more nimble version of that who can add make-'em-miss and outrun-'em to his tools as a back.  I look forward to seeing how that works out.  I expect it to work out well.

Receivers

We lose the most consistent and productive playmaker on the team in Jordan Shipley.  We return a stable of high quality receivers who should be able to be just as productive as a whole.  I predict that John Chiles has a great season, becoming something of what Quan Cosby was - another quarterback on the field and a guy who understands what a contributor has to do to help win ballgames.  Quise Goodwin, James Kirkendoll and Malcolm (Mal!) Williams represent the core of the receivers and all of them are top quality talents who each bring A+ tools to the table.  Quise has world class track speed.  Captain James T. Kirk (his middle initial really is "T.") has top end speed, super hands and also has a playmaker's mindset.  If the game is on the line and it's third and long I'm looking to throw to Kirk.  Mal is the biggest of the frontline receivers and can use his size as an advantage over smaller DB's.  Mal, too, is a playmaker.  The freshmen, Mike Davis and Darius White (annointed with jersey no. 4) could contribute big things this season.

Tight Ends

Ugh.  Let's face it - this is a weak group.  Maybe our offense has just lost the identity of the tight end.  Maybe the tight end as a position in football is dead.  Regardless, we don't have a David Thomas type in there.  Then there's this whole H-back thing.  I don't really understand the coaches' vision for this position.  I could see one blocker, one receiver, but it's hard to tell if that's what they're doing.  Fortunately, we probably don't need a productive pass catching tight end with our wealth of playmaking ability at other positions.

Offensive Line

The starters look like this:  Senior - RS Freshman - Junior - Senior - Senior.  The RS Freshman, Mason Walters, is filling in for injured Senior Tray Allen probably only for the Rice game.  Although there is not an NFL prospect among them, they are a solid and experienced group.  True freshman Trey Hopkins is likely to get some PT this season and is probably the Horns' next great offensive lineman.  They are going to be motivated to protect their new QB and by getting more run blocking assignments, which linemen love because it gives them a chance to get a running start and pancake a smaller defensive player.

Defense

Will Muschamp is never going to have a shitty defense.  Period.  The End.

Defensive Line

This is the area that most concerns me, mainly because we don't have a stud defensive tackle coming back and we're very thin at that position beyond that.  Kheeston Randall is the best we've got, and I just don't think he's that good.  Certainly not in the line of Hampton, Rogers, Lamarr Houston, Roy Miller, Okam or Rodrique Wright.  According to some reports, Tyrell Higgins shit the bed during camp and didn't impress.  So much so that Muschamp moved a defensive end, Alex Okafor, into that position to challenge for playing time.  You would think that a 258lb. Okafor is going to get pushed around by 300lb. offensive linement, but there is precedent for using smaller, quicker defensive tackles with success, especially on pass rushes employing blitzes and stunts.

The defensive ends on this year's team are probably the best unit on the team and maybe the best group of DE's UT has ever had.  We're just totally stacked at least two deep.  And two of these monsters are freshmen!

Linebackers

Again, a very, very solid unit.  We've got Jared Norton back after losing a season to injury.  He'll be hungry.  Dravannti Johnson and Keenan Robinson are just...just...  Well, they're fucking good.  So is Emmanuel Acho.  Say what you will about the token white boy in Dustin Earnest (a la Scott Derry, Reed Boyd), but he wouldn't be out there if Muschamp didn't think he belonged.

Defensive Backs

Second only to the defensive ends in talent are the defensive backs.  Aaron Williams may be the best football player on the team.  Chykie and Curtis Brown might play at the next level.  Blake Gideon is a warhorse at safety who is battle tested.  Depth-wise, Christian Scott gets a chance to prove himself among these studs as do Kenny Vaccaro and Carrington Byndom (someone's mother watched too much Dynasty in the 80's).  Adrian Phillips is fucked because he wears no. 17.

*Notice I didn't even mention the loss of Sergio Kindle, galactic warrior.  We're that good.

Kickers, Punters, Special Teams

Not to downplay the importance of special teams, but we should be solid on all fronts.  The combo of D.J. Monroe and Marquise Goodwin returning kicks is unbelievable.  I expect to see 3-4 touchdowns on kick returns this season.

Coaching

Best head coach in college football.  Best defensive coordinator in college football.  As a staff, second to none.  Mack has perfected the recipe for success.  Now it's just a matter of serving the meal year in and year out.

Predictions

UT 42, Rice 10

UT 38, Wyoming 13

UT 24, Tech 21

UT 28, UCLA 3

UT 13, OU 28

UT 17, Nebraska 31

UT 35, Iowa State 13

UT 37, Baylor 21

UT 28, K-State 20

UT 42, OK St. 20

UT 44, Fla. Atlantic 10

UT 34, A&M 31

Holiday Bowl v. Washington:  UT 37, Washington 28

Season:  11-2, Final ranking #8

Full post as published by Cursed With Ambition on September 02, 2010 (boomark / email).