2012 Texas Longhorns

[Maxattax3]

Things are looking up in Austin. 5-7 is painful memory that most Longhorn fans are able to block out now after watching an 8-win season peppered with flashes of dominance (mainly on the Defensive side of the ball and in the running game).

It took Manny Diaz a few weeks to really get it running, but by the end of the year that defense was incredible. Of course they were pantsed in front of the nation by Robert Griffin late in the season, but what defense didnt look bad vs him? Thankfully Baylor's good players are gone and they look like they will return to being Baylor for the most part, especially when you consider just how bad their defense really is.

Texas D loses the Linebackers and DT Kheeston Randall, but not much else. Byndom and Diggs make up one of the best young CB-tandem in the country (if not the best). Slug-Safeties Blake Gideon and Christian Scott will be replaced by 2 athletes who are much faster than their predecessors. Jeffcoat and Okafor return and will surely dominate the edges. Chris Whaley and Desmond Jackson are two of the most athletic DTs in the country, and the JUCO they brought in should fill gaps and allow the young LBs to fly around and make plays. Oh, and Machete wants to come back and win a Thorpe. I am expecting an incredible highlight reel of defensive plays by the end of this season.

On the offensive side of the ball... it wasnt always pretty, but any Texas fan could appreciate the coherent game-plan and play-calling. Greg Davis didnt set the bar very high. The Offensive coaches didnt exactly inherit a full cupboard, but Harsin was still able to manufacture points despite a string of terrible injuries (mainly at RB) and the complete absence of a passing game for most of the year. Despite a QB controversy that reeked of the "old regime", true Freshman David Ash was finally able to secure the starting position outright. It took the entire season, but after the Holiday Bowl Ash solidified himself as the #1 QB and will definitely get the Lion's share of reps going into 2012 (as opposed to 2011 where got almost no significant reps).

Brown and Bergeron are future NFL backs who could both have big-time breakout seasons. Brown is the consummate running back. North and South, great balance, patience, and vision. Strong legs with the ability to power trough contact and make a defender miss in open space. Bergeron is a grown man. He is a bruiser who just beats up defenses. Dont let his frame fool you though, he is quick to break it outside and take off down the sideline. He also employs a ''dead-leg'' type juke that is fun to watch at his size.

The O-line makes or breaks your offense in the end though. Under the previous staff, recruiting for the OL had devolved into offering immobile, alabaster pass-blockers who usually came in the form of low-hanging fruit from in-state. OL recruiting had become very lazy under GD toward the end of his tenure, and that, in my opinion, is what lead to Texas/Davis' downfall. Stacy Searels dont play that though. Searels is building a physical, athletic OL capable of mauling Big12 defenses with the run-game. They still arent there yet, but they have definitely improved and look to be even better next season.

If Bowl games are a good indicator of what a team will look like the following season, then Texas will look good. The Horns return as many starters as anyone in the country, and they are still so young. The defensive performance in the Holiday Bowl vs. Cal was one of the nastiest spectacles I have ever witnessed. David Ash looked better than he had all season, and he didnt have the ground-game working at 100%.

Combine the amount of young, returning talent at Texas with arguably the best recruiting class in the country coming in, and the Horns look set to make a series of serious runs at the Big12/BCS in the next 3-4 years. An interesting note about this class that speaks to a fundamental change in the staff and their methods: JUCOs. Texas brought in two JUCO lineman (one OL one DL) and even considered adding a JUCO QB (gasp!).

Horns should be hopeful about this upcoming season. Some experts have Texas as one of the top teams in the country and a favorite to win the Big12. I wont go that far, but I do not think a 9-3 type season is out of the question. 8-4 with a 9th win coming in a bowl game also seems like it could happen. The observant Longhorn knows to be patient though. On paper, the years following 2012 should be their time to shine.

So, thoughts on the incoming class? The 3-headed monster at RB? Predictions for the next year? Anyone still like Case? How do you feel about the first 5 recruits in the 2013 class? LHN? New members of the Big12?

Cant wait for the Spring Game. Hook 'em!

[TripleCrown9]

As a newer fan, I really liked the little I saw of Bergeron last year. I'm not saying he didn't do much, I'm just saying I didn't get many opportunities to see him. The defense definitely got more impressive as the year went on, and now that they have another offseason under their belts, they could be Top 15. Granted, that could be a real test with WVU, OSU, and in spurts Tech, but I saw flashes of greatness but also flashes of inexperience. If Ash and McCoy can improve their game, I could see the Horns having a 9 or 10 win season. Of course, I'm not a longtime fan like you as I said, but as an outsider that's the way I see 2012 going down.

[Amoo316]

I'll be interested to see how Big-God-I-just-realized-I-have-no-idea-what-the-conference-is-calling-itself-this-year does their second time around against Diaz and his pressure style defense.

He had the year at Mississippi State and the first year at Texas, maybe a little film from Middle Tenn, but this will be the first time in a major conference teams are going to get a second crack at his system and how he likes to do things. I'll be interested to see if offenses try to take more shots down the field. Luckily there aren't many Robert Griffins out there who can throw a 50 yard dart with pressure in their face. As long as UT can keep athletes with speed in their secondary, things should be fine.

I'm also very interested to see how Applewhite and Simms year 2...wait I mean Ashe and McCoy, year 2 plays out. I'm still not 100% sold on Ashe and I haven't 100% given up on McCoy. I'm sure they'll both get some looks in the first few OOC games, regardless of who is named the starter. It should be obvious by the time UT hits the meat of their schedule which kid truly put in the off-season work (mostly film room and play study) to guide the team going forward. Either way I'd be surprised if both kids were on the roster to start the 2013 season. Especially not if McCoy ends the year as the starter.

Is it legal to root for Texas to win all of their games 4-3? You know, 2 safetys by the defense and room to cover an offensive turnover in field goal range.

LOL SwampStomper90, you crack me up man.

[TripleCrown9]

Yeah I crack a lot of people up, but let's not take the reason why into further discussion in this thread. People discussing that with me has been in plenty of threads.

[Maxattax3]

Here's Big Joe Bergeron
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPGRJOrD1f0

Here are almost all of David Ash's good plays on the season. Watching this tells me that consistency is his only problem. If he can start making plays like this in bunches he will be great.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8T0CoD5dBk

Milbut, I think Ash is the clear-cut starter at this point. There was some controversy at the end of the year (before the Holiday Bowl) with Case shopping himself around to other schools. Harsin really didnt appreciate that. That fact combined w Ash's performance in the Holiday Bowl I think has made him the starter and effectively ended the two QB system. We will have to wait and see though. If McCoy gets serious in the weight room and comes back bigger, stronger, faster... who knows?

Here are the defensive highlights from the Holiday Bowl (explicit lyrics). They show a few of the same highlights multiple times in the beginning, but the entire vid isnt like that. Just disgusting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mknnJrVuItg **Explicit lyrics**

((I cant figure out how to embed? If anyone feels like embedding these, that'd be cool))

[TripleCrown9]

Quote: Originally Posted by Maxattax3

Here's Big Joe Bergeron http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPGRJOrD1f0 Here are almost all of David Ash's good plays on the season. Watching this tells me that consistency is his only problem. If he can start making plays like this in bunches he will be great. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8T0CoD5dBk Milbut, I think Ash is the clear-cut starter at this point. There was some controversy at the end of the year (before the Holiday Bowl) with Case shopping himself around to other schools. Harsin really didnt appreciate that. That fact combined w Ash's performance in the Holiday Bowl I think has made him the starter and effectively ended the two QB system. We will have to wait and see though. If McCoy gets serious in the weight room and comes back bigger, stronger, faster... who knows? Here are the defensive highlights from the Holiday Bowl (explicit lyrics). They show a few of the same highlights multiple times in the beginning, but the entire vid isnt like that. Just disgusting. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mknnJrVuItg **Explicit lyrics** ((I cant figure out how to embed? If anyone feels like embedding these, that'd be cool))

In order:

[Maxattax3]

Thanks for that! Nice to see a fellow Boston/Longhorn fan! I was born in Somerville and both sides of my family are from Boston. I lived there until I was about 5 before my family moved to Texas so Im a Sox/Pats/Celts fan as well.

Its really a shame we didnt get to see Bergeron more. Its really a shame that Texas' top 3 RBs got injured last year! I think with Bergeron, it was a case of not knowing exactly what they had. He was injured in garbage time during a blowout and that really hurt the team down the stretch. Hopefully the coaches know his ability/limitations a little better now. From what I've read he is absolutely killing it in the weight room though (scary thought). Its looking like Malcolm Brown and Joe Bergeron will be 1a and 1b.

I know the Ash vid is long, but Milbut you should watch it. To me it shows his potential. When you take out all of his mistakes he looks pretty good! lol. He is sound physically and fundamentally I think. He will come back bigger/stronger/faster and will get more reps (Spring Ball starting!) this time around, and hopefully will have better targets in the passing game. He just needs to put together stretches of good plays. A lot of those plays looked nice and were on 3rd down etc. but the way it happened during the season was frustrating especially when the fans are used to VY/Colt.

Ash doesnt have to be VY or Colt with this defense though. He just has to not mess it up and convert a couple of nice 3rd downs and/or big plays off PA and Texas should have a shot to win every game.

[Maxattax3]

Quote: Originally Posted by Milbut

Is it legal to root for Texas to win all of their games 4-3? You know, 2 safetys by the defense and room to cover an offensive turnover in field goal range.

Yea that is legal, and Im sure there will be a game or two like that if every running back gets injured and Ash/McCoy look like they did last year!

My girlfriend is convinced Shipley should be QB and its hard to argue with her haha