Yeah.

And to me, if you're head the, if you're the head man and you're, you're the play caller, then everything ties back to you.

Every decision that's made, um, every, you know, instance that a lineman continues to get trotted out there, and, and that's not absolving Flood either, right? It's just, it starts at the top and trickles down.

You know, that's just kind of how I've always seen things, um, the programs that I've tended to come up under, um, particularly under Coach Brown at the collegiate level.

But even back to high school, right? Like the, both of my, my head coaches from high school and college kinda had the mentality of anything that went wrong is on them and, you know, we all know that that's not 100% true, and if it went well, then that was on the players.

So that's kind of the, the starting point for me, and if you continue to see your player struggle, not be able to, you know, handle simple concepts and/or what we would assume are reads, um, when I'm, you know, taking a look at, at the film from this past game, it, it looks like they even shrank the field.

They, they have him only doing one side of the field reads.

Pull, pull? Uh, start? Uh, where do you fall on that tree? Or give Arch another roll.

Again, that's fabletics.com/ontexas for 70 to 80% off everything as a new VIP.

Well, and, and to your point, Jeff, if you found the solutions in the fourth quarter for Ohio State, why aren't we just doing that? Do more of that.

You know? You, you gave a really impassioned, um, you know, description of the run game last week on one of the, the live streams, and you talked about how, you know, Sark's record is something absurd when they rush the ball 40 times.

Guess how many times they ran it against Ohio State? 40.

Right? And, and you look up, and you lose to a Florida team that I think maybe ran it 50, 53 times.

I, I, I could be wrong, but I, it was north of 40, I promise you that.

And, and so sometimes it's just, it, it's confusing.

No

Yeah

... "with something else," is the quarterback position.

And, and, and I, but I, I struggle to, you know, fully lay that out in that way because to me, if that is the case, then that is just as much Sark's fault as it is Arch's for how the performance has gone at that position.

Um, there are very just simple, basic concepts that he's not seeing, and if he's not seeing that, then I can't imagine he's just magically seeing it in practice.

I feel like every single Sunday for Burning Questions, we have been talking about these issues and how they could ultimately rear their ugly head, and, and they have the last two weeks.

And so, um, you know, it, I, I think at the very least, you have to get K.J. Lacy some reps at, at first team, you know, throughout the week, um, and see how it goes heading into next week.

Um, and, and let the chips fall where they may.

It, it does, it feels, Marcus, like this thing is teetering right now.

[laughs]

So I have no clue which version of Texas is gonna show up.

Um, I, I, I kind of have a hope that, um, you know, they'll, they'll do some of the stuff that we've been talking about, right? All week.

That, you know, you utilize 10 a little bit more.

Um, cut down on some of the 12 just because it shrinks the field and it's just been a personnel group, and they haven't had a ton of success out of.

Um, and, and then really get to running the ball and, and running it at a high clip so that then your play action shots, you know, have a chance.

And then of course, um, Arch has to take care of the ball, but, you know, beyond that, just kind of cut loose a little bit.

I just-

And strangely enough, and I'm gonna start with you here, Marcus, I think one of the guys that we have kind of zeroed in on who really can add some juice to the offense is a freshman Who's getting, getting some love lately

Yeah, man.

Yeah, you know, um, we, we were talking about it at the clubhouse the other day, uh, and it's certainly something that I wanna make sure we hit on, and, uh, we'll, we'll get a little more, you know, in-depth a little later in the show when we get to Whiteboard Wednesday.

But Jermaine Bishop Jr., um, every time that, you know, the ball comes his way or he touches the ball, um, good things have been happening.

And so for me, um, he's a guy that everything doesn't have to be drawn up perfectly.

You can get him the ball in space.

Um, he has a lot of wiggle to him.

... to that group.

Yeah.

And so we would get a lot of comments of, "You guys are doom and gloom.

You guys keep nitpicking.

You guys keep..." A- and, and when I say you guys, I guess in this instance they would be talking about the three of us on that show.

And I think what it is is we were all looking at the standard of this team and season being a national championship potential contender, right? And so if that is the case, and if we take Sark at his word and the standard is the standard, I personally hold guys in that locker room and in that building to a really high standard.

If you wanna achieve everything that you wanna achieve, I, I, I have a lot of, you know, Coach Brownisms that ring in my head.

One of my favorites was always, "You have to be consistently good to be great." In a lot of areas on this team, they're not consistently good.

That's, that's the bottom line.

'Cause it was pretty jarring to me how shocked the Texas sideline looked in the second half that Oklahoma was actually putting up a fight.

Yeah, it was, it was palpable in the stadium.

You know, I'm, I'm still here in Dallas, and will make my way back here in a little bit, but, um, it was one of those deals where when you kind of looked at the sidelines, and Coach, you've been a part of this, and I'm sure on both sides of it a, a number of times, um, you could just see that there was more energy on the OU sideline.

Whether it was them willing themselves to believe that they could close the deal or not, um, they just had more juice.

And, and, you know, um, Jeff, to your point, it is a bit frustrating.

You know, the stat you, you referenced, I, I saw it, you know, somewhere out on X that since 2000 there have been eight games where a number one team has lost to an unranked opponent, and Sark has been part of three of those.

I believe it's three, or two as OC and, and one as a head coach.

So he's just gotta take an honest look at himself, I think.

And so those two specifically, keep an eye on them because what Texas does in the guard, center, guard battle with those two on the interior, I mean, it might just ultimately dictate what Texas can do at all offensively here.

Well, and CJ, to your point, um, uh, you know, getting to be on the call and listening to that, you actually just asked about the interior defensive linemen, and Sark called both of them by name, which, you know, typically when an offensive coordinator is, is willing to do that, right? Like, it's, it's usually not lip service, especially not from Sark.

It means that it's somebody we've identified, and in this instance, two somebodies, right? That, um, certainly could have an impact on how you plan for that game.

And, um, you know, their defense is still very formidable.

Um, Georgia only had 303 total yards, right? If, if it were not for, you know, some of the mistakes that Matir made, um, it, it probably looks a little bit different.

They spent, you know, most of, of, you know, the, the day with bad field position and trying to kind of defend against that.

So, um, you know, that's still something that Texas will have to deal with.

That's what I would do.

So, looking at the makeup this year of the Longhorns and the Sooners, what's this matchup gonna be like, and what are the teams' strengths and weaknesses on both ends?

Uh, both teams have really good defenses.

I would venture to say that Texas is probably one of the better in the country at this point of the year.

Um, they brought in a new defensive coordinator in Will Muschamp.

Uh, he had some time here previously at Texas before he went on to some head coaching stops.

The thought was that he would have a much more aggressive attacking style of defense, and to this point in the year, it's been that.

Um, they're coming off a bye, but two weeks ago in Knoxville they played Tennessee, and the defense had 10 sacks, which is, um, you know, a pretty, uh, high accomplishment.

Gotcha

But, uh, Marcus, what are your thoughts? Um, obviously Michael Fasusi I think is probably the, the most, um, I, uh, most impactful of these names in terms of the, uh, the impact it could have, him not being available for Oklahoma in this matchup

matchupYeah, for sure.

I mean, it's a big one, and you know, I, I think I said it earlier in the week when I was on Coffee and Football, even if he were to come back, his first game back, and I don't know how long, and you're going against the Texas defensive line, you know, probably wasn't gonna be a, a great, um, you know, outing for, for him anyway.

So it's certainly, you know, a challenge for him.

And then, um, even Xavier Robinson, you know? I, I don't remember seeing anything, you know, prior to the bye about him being injured.

Um, you know, their, their backfield isn't anything to write home about, but of the ones that they have available typically, he, he's one of the better ones that they did have.

So him being out, I don't, I don't see, you know, how that really bodes much well, much, much better for them anyway.

Do you expect that as well?

Yeah

... after losing, but dropped, you know, teams that won.

You know, you see Kentucky's not ranked on here.

Um, it- it was just like a l- a lotta odd things that go on with, um, you know, how they go about these rankings.

But make no mistake about it, it, it is, you know, uh, I guess indicative of the number of teams that Texas still has to play or will have played that, um, are really, really talented and are considered some of the top in the country.

Um, and a lot of it is gonna be kind of the, the war of attrition, you know, in the SEC and, and how can you survive injuries and continue to, you know, perform at, at the top of your ability.

And, you know, now Texas is coming off of their bye.

Uh, we'll talk to Gabe Ikard about that coming up around 8:45.

... what were, what was the issue there that you saw?

To me, you know, early on, and I, I started to watch the all 22 back, um, today.

I didn't get a chance to really get into it yesterday, but I started watching back today and, uh, the right side of the offensive line from center over had, had issues pretty much all day.

Um, and then once they really started heating it up with, you know, the linebackers and that kinda thing, it made it even worse.

But, um, our, our center right now I think is struggling at kinda anchoring down at the point of attack against some of these bigger SEC, um, linemen and, um, you know, Brandon Baker and Melvin Siani.

They, they had some, some challenging, you know, one-on-ones.

And this was not anything crazy.

A fair, fair statement.

Yeah, no doubt.

And, and, and, and so for me, when you look at, you know, a situation like that where there's still another level that they can take it, um, you know, there's certainly some things that, you know, continue need to be cleaned up on the back end a bit from a, uh, the defensive backfield standpoint.

But that front seven, um, played lights out, and then you could go, you know, probably a little bit beyond that just because of the way that they were able to rotate the defenders.

Um, you know, we, we always talk about defense being something that you can travel with and, and, you know, to coach's point, uh, I didn't really listen to too much of, of any of the, the aftermath of, of kind of the content.

I was kind of bumping around, uh, Knoxville and checking out some of the other games that were going on.

Had a chance to catch up with CJ.

But, you know, we always talk about defense being able to travel and, and that's something you can hang your hat on.

[laughs]

Okay.

Uh, and I think that'll go a long ways, you know, to helping offensively.

I th- I do think of all the personnel, you know, type things, um, it was pretty clear to me that they were protecting him a little bit.

You know, that he's somebody that they are pretty confident in to this point.

And so I, I imagine we'll get a heavy dose of him.

And I, I think, you know, the combination of all three of the backs will be huge in this game.

I really like the reps that Derrick Cooper was able to get.

How can he progress when he isn't able to do the basics at this point?"

Um, what's your biggest concern, Marcus, with what you saw offensively from Texas on Saturday?

Y- you nailed it, Jeff.

The defense played lights out, and I don't think we're gonna talk much about the defense at all this week because of how poor the offense looked.

And I don't really know any way to sugarcoat it or talk around it.

Um, my biggest concern is the passing game and, and Arch right now.

Um, I just don't know what I'm going to get from down to down.

Uh, it, it seems like there are certainly plays that are being schemed up, um, and, you know, uh, routes being run where there are guys wide open, and at times he's just not seeing them.

Yeah

That's right.

You don't want it to be significant.

Uh, and it's certainly something that, you know...

That's why I mentioned Jermaine Bishop.

They've, they've tried to get him the ball a couple of times, and I don't think in either instance when he hasn't, you know, actually been able to corral it, it's been on him.

So what are we gonna be able to do to see him be able to put some of that in motion? And, and to your point, Rod, um, it would be great, you know, for Derek Cooper to be able out there, get out there, get some reps, also get familiar with some of the pass protection and that type of things, because we've seen Rahlek Brown, we've seen Hollywood Smothers do really well in that.

Yeah.

And so it, it go, it gets a little lost in, in the shuffle just because of the timing of it happening in the game.

What about you, Marcus?

Yeah.

Yeah, I mean, I would agree with that, Rod.

I think the linebackers for sure.

You know, we've, we've kind of heard and, and seen that, uh, I think Kosi Opala is kind of leading the bunch of, of those younger guys.

So any reps that all of them are able to get will be vital.

Um, and then the running back room as well.

Yeah.

The Longhorns, uh, showed up when they had to, Marcus Myers, and, uh, came away with a big win.

Yeah, man.

I, I, you know, I, I, uh, being in the stadium, uh, it was really the ...

It was the first time I've ever witnessed a game like that, right? Like, I've been a part of some.

The Oklahoma State game in '04.

Um, of course, you know, USC, uh, in the national championship game.

But I've never been a spectator and felt, like, so helpless [laughs] and experienced, you know, so many different waves of emotion, um, throughout it.

player-He's almost like a boxer that needs to get popped on the chin before it really-

In that situation, letting the team score, as a defensive player, that's gotta go against your DNA, right? How do you, and, and how do you flip that switch in the moment? I know everybody works that situation, but I think, Marcus, for defensive players, that might be easier said than done when it's like, "Hey, just let them score."

Well, defensive players and then to what Coach said as well, Ryan Day, right? We've seen this team have their back against the wall against Texas on the goal line and come up with stops or in short yardage situations multiple times in the last couple of meetings.

So there's, you know, as much as it, you know, we talked about a little earlier about kind of what confidence you get, you know, when you, you have a comeback against an Oklahoma State the year prior to a national championship season.

Um, I think the same had to be true for those Ohio State players.

I'm absolutely with Coach.

They were gassed.

You could see their hands were on their hips and their...

Uh, any, any final thought you've got to, uh, to send us off?

But they me- they may need more seasoning to become who they're actually gonna become one day.

And I'm not...

Look, I, I know who Riley Pettijohn is.

I know who Devin Sanchez is.

I, I would not argue with anyone that, you know, says, um, Jeremiah Smith is the number one offensive weapon in the country.

Like, out- outside of Malachi Tony, I don't know if there is another, um, that, you know, is kind of on par with him at this point in the season.

But I just, you know, I'm trying to kinda take a look at the landscape of both of the rosters.

What's that like for y'all?

Mm-hmm

... um, against Ball State.

His very first snap of the game he actually went the wrong direction.

Um, and then had a number of, you know, just kinda plays where when you're watching the film it leaves you wondering, "What was he doing?" Because he was getting beat by, you know, some undersized Ball State, um, you know, defensive players for, for TFLs.

And so, uh, I imagine that is something that when a Will Muschamp sees that, um, he's certainly looking how, you know, he's gonna take advantage of it.

Uh, they did kind of later in the game shuffle their offensive line a bit and pulled him out.

So, um, I'm not even sure if he's gonna be starting in the game, but, but that right tackle was certainly a, a spot of weakness that I noticed.

Thoughts?" Oh, Marcus, this is definitely a question for you.

Hey, Marcus, I figured we'd start asking you with good, what, what you, what you took away from this game from a good perspective for Texas?

Yeah, I mean, I know when we talked on Friday at the co-op, Bobby, a big part of, you know, what went into me picking them, you know, to score 52 points, and, and they outdid that, right, was that I, I had an expectation that they would start faster this year.

Um, that, you know, whether it was, you know, the Ohio State game from last year, the other two non-con opponents, or three rather, um, you know, there was, there were some slower starts, you know, kind of sputtered a little bit.

Um, I wanted to see good execution, and I wanted to see them, you know, make it clear early on that there wasn't going to be, um, much of a, much of a fight to be had on the day, and, and that's exactly what they went out and did.

And we did expect them, you know, to move the ball some, and, and I think, you know, that, that comes from just them having a pretty well-oiled machine, G.J. Kinney being a great offensive mind.

And, and, you know, some of, you know, the, the scheme that Muschamp was gonna be running on the day was just gonna be very plain.

But, um, the fact that they were able to get off to such a quick start, um, they were able to execute.

He says, "I would love to hear Marcus's thoughts on what the defensive personnel's approach was with knowing a vanilla scheme for Texas State, yet a great offense, but also needing to prep for Ohio State at the same time."

So when you sort through all of it, Marcus, what do you make of it?

Yeah.

I mean, a lot of what Coach said, I, I absolutely agree with.

And, and I think a, a big piece of it, Jeff, is the context in which we're viewing this season, right? Um, I know I picked them to go 11 and one in the regular season.

So, you know...

And, and further to that, I also said I, I think they have a, a shot at and/or that's, you know, the team I'm picking to raise the, the trophy in Vegas for a national championship.

So if, if that is the case, and if that is the standard, and I know that's certainly the standard that Coach Sar- Sark is holding himself and, and his players to, right? We've heard them even talk about how, um, they know what this season means and what it could be if they play to their potential.

Uh, Marcus, any- anything either concerning or encouraging for you with what you saw from the Texas defense on Saturday?

Man, nice day.

So, um, you know, I, I kinda agree with, you know, your thoughts on the up-tempo.

But you know, even though they have a really large offensive line they have really small running backs.

And so I don't know if it's more of a i-, I don't think it'll be one of those try to lean on you or ball control kinda thing, but more of a, a change of pace, try to get outside some.

Uh, and I think that may kinda play into, you know, the aggressive style, uh, that Muschamp runs.

And you know, I just expect that, you know, even though they do have a new defensive coordinator the offense, you know, should be able to do kinda whatever they want.

What do you think your keys for this game are?

My hope is that they start fast, you know? I mean, we've heard a lot of talk, you know, in the off season about, you know, things that they've put an emphasis on.

Buy or sell, Sark saying that Texas State's a college football playoff contender? He just trying to get his guys psyched up for this g- game and not overlook them looking at Ohio State, or is, is there some substance here? Marcus, what say you? I'll throw it to you first.

first.Yeah, man.

So I- I'm, I'm kind of peaking at the schedule here.

And I mean, you know, we were kinda talking right before the show, and off the top of our heads it was hard to, you know, spit out all of the, the Pac-12 schools, right? That's what, what Texas State is part of.

And so they're certainly playing us.

CJ, you know, made the quick quip that like, "Hey, it's pretty much all the state schools," but he's right.

And so after they play us on Saturday, they play UTSA in San Marcos, uh, UNT in San Marcos.

How are they preparing to not get overwhelmed by the moment and control emotions?" Marcus?