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Welcome to Texas at The Voice of College Football Network, your home for In-depth discussion, debate, & analysis on all things Texas. We have you covered from offseason all the way to game day. Join us as we embark on another season!Hook 'Em!For business inquiries please contact: Markrogerstv@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 1d ago

    Red River Smack Down? / Texas Longhorns LIVE 122

    Texas Longhorns LIVE 122 (TexasVOCFB) — Red River preview with Matthew Miller and Thomas Bresee. Sponsored by FanDuel. About 44 minutes. Show frame: No. 1 Texas is a 7.5-point favorite over unranked, 2-2 Oklahoma (opened 9.5, down two; up three from the offseason). Over/under 39.5, down sharply since open. Both hosts land Texas in the mid-20s, Oklahoma with one touchdown. Red River keys (0:00–15:50) Line and setup (0:17–1:30) Tommy has the spread in the 7.5–9.5 range and finds the total more interesting than the side. Market is pricing a Tennessee-style defensive game, with Texas having a little more offense but neither side expected to pull away. Matthew thinks Texas has the capability to blow Oklahoma out — they did last year without playing especially well — and can cover. How the game plays (1:37–3:30) Tommy frames it like Tennessee: Texas has the paper advantages on offense, defense, and overall profile. The job is focus and not self-inflicting extra chances. Biggest key is jumping in front early. Oklahoma’s fan base is 2-2 and licking wounds; a 10–14 point lead can quiet the Cotton Bowl fast, the way Texas fans have felt when roles were reversed. Bad teams have won this game before. Oklahoma would not be the worst team to do it. John Mateer plan (3:33–7:23) Matthew does not want edge rushers flying upfield. Goal is to make Mateer a pocket passer: he struggles reading defenses, gets sporadic, pats the ball with time, and double-clutched into a fumble at Georgia with a man open. Sacks are secondary. If Mateer throws 30 times from the pocket, Texas wins easily. Paths for Oklahoma are few. The worry is Texas shooting itself in the foot. One turnover is survivable; a 3–0 turnover loss probably is not, and it would still be close because the Oklahoma offense is anemic. Tommy agrees: keep him in the pocket and make him beat you as an NFL passer. Expect overthrows and safety picks. Two things that can kill Texas are Mateer’s legs and Isaiah Sategna after the catch. Collapse the pocket everywhere except Michael Fasusi, similar to Tennessee’s line outside David Sanders. Rush lanes matter — no over-pursuit, no missed tackles. Early sacks or a pick and Oklahoma fans start chanting for the backup, which adds another layer. Do not hand them answers. Poke holes early at quarterback, line, and the offense as a whole. Oklahoma weapons (7:24–9:01) Only real threats: Sategna and tight end Rocky Beers. Beers is the best tight end Texas has faced (Tennessee’s tight end is hurt; Ohio State, UTSA, and Texas State did not test that matchup). Linebacker/safety coverage is a real question. Oklahoma’s run game has been poor since Lincoln Riley left. Lloyd Avant and Xavier Robinson are Trey Weiner-type backs — fine, not scary. Clean game (turnover-free, penalty-light) and Texas wins by 10-plus. Better team in every sense unless Oklahoma’s line plays at a peak and Beers/Sategna hit one or two explosives. That path shows up maybe once in 100 simulations. Rivalry history and Sark vs. this defense (9:02–11:45) When Texas is the underdog it usually overperforms; Oklahoma as a legitimate underdog has beaten Texas once in Matthew’s lifetime (the Dillon Gabriel year, about a 4.5-point dog). Tommy cites a stat that this is one of three times the No. 1 team has been less than a 10-point favorite over an unranked team; the other two favorites covered comfortably. Sark has scored on this defense: last year was the worst offensive day and Texas was still efficient enough (Arch accurate, ran it enough); 30 in a loss, 49 in a blowout, 34–3. Offensive line is veteran and should hold up better against David Stone than against a twitchier Xavier Gilliam type. Do not give anything in special teams — that is what put last year’s game away, and Sategna can flip it. Tennessee special teams were the worst unit in that game. Oklahoma’s run defense is around 40th, lower than usual, with more openings. What Matthew wants schematically (11:46–13:08) More outside zone. A&M and Oklahoma struggle with it because they slant the line late. Texas has lived in duo and inside runs this year. He wants Sark more versatile week to week, not locked into an offseason run menu. Up-tempo early to help Arch. Ryan Wingo screens two or three times — used late last year, barely this year, one nice gain on the final Tennessee drive. Oklahoma is still a legitimate top-12 defense. Expectation is a Texas win in a weird game. Predictions (13:09–15:50) Tommy: 27–10. Oklahoma finds the end zone once. Arch needs a swagger moment — deep ball (Mississippi State to Wingo last year) or a sideline run like the one he slid and waved on a year ago. Ohio State comeback had the Wingo touchdown but no massive throw or run. Curious whether Sark alters the plan because Arch may not be the pure pocket executor every down. Comfortable win, more confidence in the offense leaving than arriving. Matthew: 24–13. Hopes the Oklahoma touchdown comes late so the “quarters without a TD” streak can stretch. When Texas is the better team, they usually win. Clip window: early lead kills the Cotton Bowl (2:27–3:29); contain Mateer, don’t hunt sacks (4:00–4:38); Sategna and Beers are the only real threats (7:26–7:57). October and future opponents (16:08–24:15) Tommy’s month theme: stop the run (16:15–17:17) Oklahoma should be stoppable. Then Florida, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Missouri. Put the game on the quarterbacks. Trinidad Chambliss can handle it. Kamario Taylor and Austin Simmons will make plays. If the run isn’t slowed: Jaden Baugh eats, Kewan Lacy has a day, Mississippi State’s wide offense hits explosives, Missouri’s run game is a nightmare. Stop the run for five or six weeks and Texas can be on a six-game streak toward 12–0. Matthew: score on bad defenses (17:19–19:38) None of the next defenses are top-25 units in his view. Florida’s front four is good, secondary is not. Ole Miss has one real difference-maker (Will Echols); take him out and there is little else. Missouri has not had defensive talent since the Cotton Bowl win over Ohio State. LSU is the best of the group and only fine, maybe top 20. After Oklahoma, one top-20 defense in the next six or seven games. This roster should be a top-10 offense. Thirty points a game plus this defense wins all of them. Kamario is scary only if he is perfect — Alabama showed the defense is horrid. Texas can hit 40 on Mississippi State (did last year, in OT; defense is the same level, offense better but not worlds better). No remaining team is flat-out better except a possible LSU debate later. Missouri shutting down Baugh and boat-racing Florida proved the point: take Baugh out and Buster Faulkner’s offense loses the gimmicks. How those defenses will play Arch (19:39–21:14) Florida and Ole Miss will not be good on the back end. Front-seven athletes (Echols, Suntarine Perkins; Jaden Woods and Florida’s front) will heat Arch for four quarters and force quick, accurate throws and yards after catch. Six-man pressures leave five on the back end. It comes down to Arch getting the ball out faster and taking what is there. All of these defenses are attackable. Road form (21:15–22:03) Trips to A&M, LSU, and Missouri. Two of three should be top-20 when Texas arrives. Road results have not been good (Tennessee this year, Ohio State and other SEC trips last year). Hardest games other than LSU are at home, which helps. He would not want the Swamp or Ole Miss on the road this year. Austin Simmons (22:04–24:15) Missouri’s loss this weekend changed the framing. A path existed for No. 5 vs. an unranked, wounded Missouri. Now it can be a program game that sends Missouri toward the CFP. Jamal Roberts and the run game are real, and Simmons can beat you if he stands in and works through reads — unlike Boo Carter a year ago. Chambliss can beat you alone. Kamario can do incredible things with time. Simmons is the one getting too little credit. Matthew ranks him as the third-best quarterback left on the schedule behind the two Mississippi quarterbacks, and the one he worries about most because Missouri’s line is much better. Pure athlete scare ranking: Chambliss, then Kamario (40 on you any Saturday if you give him time). Kamario may have been nursing turf toe; Mississippi State gets a bye. Confidence check-in, rest of schedule (24:26–37:45) Scale is confidence Texas wins. Matthew corrects his Ole Miss number on air (he had said 7, meant 5.5). Game Matthew Tommy Why Oklahoma 7.5 7 Better everywhere except maybe Tate Sandell at kicker. D-line debatable; Colin Simmons tips it. Energy of the game caps it. Avoid mistakes, stay ahead of the chains. Florida (home) 6 6.5 Dominated by Missouri; Swamp would be lower. Win path is taking Baugh out of the game the way Missouri did (12 carries). Not just stopping the run — forcing them to stop handing it to him by getting up 14–21. Ole Miss 5.5 6.5 Harder than Florida. Average SEC QB and this drops to 3–4. Chambliss plus a healthy Lacy is the scariest QB-RB tandem in the country. Guy-for-guy Florida may be better outside those two. Tommy: you will not hold Chambliss for four quarters; need 28–34. He got them going down 10 at Florida without Lacy. Mississippi State 8.5 7.5 Defense is abysmal. Kamario has to be perfect and healthy, and that still may not be enough. Bothwell hurt for this game. Tommy puts the offense next to Tennessee’s. Keep Kamario uncomfortable; score 28–30. Missouri (road) 6 6 Road, likely night, first trip since old Big 12 days. Simmons can get hot; their defense can bother Arch. Hardy’s status unknown; Roberts is enough. They just shut down Florida’s run game, and Texas does not run it better than Florida. If Florida had won there, confidence would be higher. LSU (road) 5 ~5, preseason loss still stands Lowest mark. Hardest place to play, packed if LSU is i

  2. Sep 30

    Grades Heading Into The Bye Week/ Texas Longhorns LIVE 121

    Texas Longhorns LIVE 121 — Grades Heading Into the Bye Week Hosts: Matthew Miller & Tommy (Thomas Bresee) | TexasVOCFB Sponsor: FanDuel 0:00–1:22 — Intro & Texas–Oklahoma line Texas –9.5 vs Oklahoma (opened ~4.5 in the offseason; jumped five points). Tommy: Fair. OU defense is good enough that you can’t hang a huge number on them. Georgia needed John Mateer mistakes to cover; take those away and it’s closer to a 14-point game, which matches the old line. Rivalry tax applies. Miller: Georgia was ~13-point favorite on a neutral. Neutral-field Texas ≈ that Georgia number. Line checks out. 1:22–5:13 — Tennessee recap (Texas 20, Tennessee 17 at Neyland) Messy, both D-lines ate the O-lines. Should have been controlled by half; penalties and miscues kept it close. OL worst game of the year. Left too much on Arch; he started 9-of-10, 127 yards, then the INT and it unraveled (indecision/hesitation that disappeared late last year is back). Bottom line they repeat: winning in Neyland is hard. Tennessee fans called the atmosphere one of the weaker ones they’ve seen and Texas still found a way. Toughest September slate in CFB; two massive wins (Ohio State + Neyland). Not pretty, but the W is the W. This bye is the last real jump. If they don’t look better coming out of it, fan concerns are validated — the product vs OU will look a lot like the rest of the year. 5:13–10:00 — Sark has to play to Arch, not the other way around Miller wants more designed QB runs (they’ve basically had one true designed run all year; the rest are Arch calling his own number). Arch likes it and is good at it. Team is not built for 20 dropbacks and 10–12 long-developing routes. Need more short game + Arch in the run game. Ego has to go; Sark’s “Mac Jones / exact scheme” QB is the third-stringer (D’Abel ≈ Bryce Young face-value). Sark’s job is win games at Texas, not maximize Arch’s NFL starter window. Let him color outside the lines like late last season (Michigan, A&M). Add Cam Coleman, Relique Brown, Hollywood Smothers, a slightly better OL and you have last year’s late-season offense. Bye week is the window to flip it, then blend schemes once Arch gets confidence. Upcoming Florida / Ole Miss / Mississippi State stretch will force them to outscore people; Florida’s offense is “impossible to fully defend.” September was about setting up the season (4-0 = great shape). October is about taking a stranglehold (4-0 in the next four and November looks manageable except LSU). 10:00–14:47 — Defense is elite; SEC pecking order Defense is “downright awesome.” Not tiptoeing: this can be a top-5 unit. Best defenses in the country right now live in Austin and Athens. From Ohio State halftime onward they’ve been nearly flawless except one late Tennessee drive. Muschamp’s calls have worked. Chat (Artistically Incredible): Texas top-3 SEC? Florida, Georgia, Alabama look better. Hosts: Alabama/Florida haven’t played real defenses. Texas would likely beat Alabama; Keelan Russell is more capable than Faison Brandon of carrying it. Florida offense is top-10 but can they score 30 on this Texas D? Georgia is the only team they haven’t seen play bad football. Perception vs reality: early-season narratives overrate the teams that “look good” and underrate the 4-0 team that doesn’t look like a No. 1. Worst case Texas is 4th in the SEC and still in the CFP; best case they’re the best team in the league. Most impressive two-win résumé in the country right now: 1-point win over Ohio State + road win at Neyland. 14:47–22:23 — Execution vs scheme; WR usage Struggles have largely been player execution, not Sark being a bad play-caller (he’s still top 5–6 in the country). If you want a new OC you’d better hire one of the four best. Counter: maybe they can’t execute this offense. Sark adapted late last year; he has to again. Simplify: Ryan Wingo short/intermediate, Cam Coleman deep. Cam has 20 targets, 208 yards, 4 TDs — all vs bad teams; zero TDs vs Ohio State/Tennessee. He’s roughly where AD Mitchell was at this point of that year but hasn’t had the statement game yet. Arch has to throw the post when the safety sits in the box; the INT was a great play by the DB, not a “throwing into double coverage every time” problem. Emmanuel Acho point they endorse: a lot of guys have to play up to reputation — Arch, Cam, both tackles. Suggestion from chat/hosts: 5–7 rollouts a game (Bo Nix-style, get him moving right). Easy to install. 22:23–26:36 — GRADES heading into the bye They grade units only (not individual positions). Offense: C- Arch: 7 TD, 3 INT, 63.5% (completion % close to what they want; on-target % is fine once you add drops). Zero rushing TDs in the official line because they won’t design runs. Cam Coleman underused vs good teams. Ryan Wingo leading the team in receiving — expected, most consistent WR. Emmitt Mosley 1 catch for 43. Tight end room has no receiving threat until Nick Townsend is back. Need more Relique Brown / Hollywood Smothers in the passing game out of the backfield. Defense: A-range / “awesome” (they don’t put a letter on it the same way because they’re not nitpicking as hard). Top-5 potential. Secondary can still tighten. Coaching: Mixed. Sark still a top play-caller, but has to adapt to personnel this week. Muschamp side is rolling. 26:36–end of grades section / into concerns — OL & center Center job should be up for discussion now that Cole Hudson is eligible. If he’s even 10% better, play him. Dylan Sikorski has been the surprise second-best OL and has center experience; could slide him and play Hudson or Warren Seymour at guard. Seymour has been the biggest bright spot among offensive transfers. 41:34–54:14 — Biggest concerns the rest of the way Penalties — Miller’s No. 1. 124th in offensive penalty yards (bottom 15). Theme of the entire Sark era; hasn’t improved. You can out-talent three of four CFP opponents and then a back-breaking penalty costs the title. OL penalties are actually way down (3 this year, 1 on a starter vs 43 last year) — that’s a win. The dumb ones are PIs, special teams, and one of the dumber penalties they’ve ever seen. Sark already talked to Colin Simmons and Relique Brown. Rushing: 3.6 YPC, 89th. Backs are getting extra yards after contact vs what Baxter/Wiseman would have gotten, but no explosives because the OL isn’t creating holes. Too much duo/inside zone; maybe go back to more outside zone. Need designed Arch runs to freeze LBs and open lanes. Explosive-play margin matters more than turnover margin for winning games. 5.1 yards per play, 83rd. Live in the 30–60 range, not 80+. Explosives + Arch playing free fixes this. Third-down defense (39th) — Tommy nitpicking. They give up some long third downs (Ohio State started 5-of-first-8 with 8.5 to go). 10% better and it’s a top-10 D. Looked better vs Tennessee. OL “good but misses too much.” Will be a good unit, not a “they whiffed again” unit — but you may have to face Miami/Georgia/Notre Dame in a row in a title run. Have to be elite down the stretch. Is the pass rush bailing out the secondary? If Colin Simmons doesn’t get home vs a sturdy OL (Florida is the one they name), are there more holes in coverage than we think? Coverage should improve; may not be an issue by the time it matters. Special-teams mistakes / penalties putting them behind the chains in a one-score CFP game. Overarching theme they keep returning to: Sark is trying to make Arch the 12-year NFL pocket passer. Right now Arch is “a golden retriever in a 750-square-foot apartment.” Play to the player you have for this season. 54:14–1:06:05 — Arch, historical comps, closing message Arch played through a foot that later needed surgery last year (which foot is still secret; they guess right foot from mechanics). Fully healthy now. They never thought Arch was Sark’s perfect scheme QB; D’Abel is. Manning name made people assume Mac Jones processing would appear immediately. He’s still going to be a long-time NFL starter; he’s just not that guy for this exact offense yet. Fun comps: Quinn Ewers 20 yards and in + Arch’s deep ball = the QB they want. Shane Buechele would have ripped this offense. Vince Young would have transferred. Sam Ehlinger understood it but couldn’t make the throws. Message they want people to leave with: You’re 4-0. Almost nobody else who played Ohio State and Tennessee is. This was probably the worst month of offense you’ll see. Sark is too smart not to go back to what worked late last year. You shouldn’t have to score a ton this year because of the defense. Guaranteed points exercise: Miller 31, Tommy 28. Florida is the one offense that might push 30. Playoff: Win OU and they’re a lock in their minds (don’t see 4-3 in the last seven). SEC could put 6–8 in. Georgia looks like No. 1 on the eye test until they play somebody good. Florida under the new staff is a “Nick Saban / Kirby Smart-level psychopath” situation — terrifying and a playoff team with a friendly remaining schedule. Proof Billy Napier was the problem. Sark tightrope: 90% of what he’s done since he got the job has been excellent. Calling plays and being HC is a lot (last guy to walk that rope had Jameis Winston). If there’s no title, the “just hire an OC” call will come. Sign-off: Like/subscribe. Possible Thursday 6:30 p.m. ET show (no game, so no best bets); otherwise next Tuesday. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. 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  3. Sep 28

    Grading Texas' Win Over Tennessee

    TexasVOCFB — Grading Texas’ Win Over Tennessee Hosts: Matthew Miller & Thomas Bresee Special edition / postgame grades Texas 4-0 after a road win at Neyland Stadium Intro (0:00–0:10) Welcome to a special grading show on Texas’ win over Tennessee. Like/subscribe plug, then they jump straight into unit grades. Quarterback — Arch Manning Grades: C+ / C+ Same grade as last week; that’s the season-long grade for Manning so far. Good enough to beat Tennessee and similar remaining teams; not good enough to win elite games consistently. Pocket presence still needs work — that was the one off day. Accuracy was solid; almost no complete misses. Two plays where he crossed the line of scrimmage and still threw (indecision). Cleaned it up later. First drive is the template they want most of the time, especially once the OL has more cohesion in November. A lot of the night was out of his hands. Not terrible, but he has to be better going forward. Running Backs Grades: B- / B- Hardest unit to grade — they didn’t get many lanes. Relique Brown was the main guy. Ran hard. One highlight: hopped, spun, dodged a tackle for 7–8 yards (would have been 1–2 last year) and helped set up a first down later. Ugly 3–4 yard runs when needed. Hollywood Smothers would have helped find extra yards; he’s out. Derek Cooper still a bit banged up as a freshman. Poor blocking around them. Performed pretty well down the stretch given the circumstances. Wide Receivers Grades: C+ / B- No dropped passes. Cam Coleman one really good catch. Ryan Wingo a couple of late plays. Emmitt Mosley one early catch, then nothing. Host 1: same C+ as Manning — solid, doing their jobs, nothing special. Explosive plays have to start showing up if Texas is going to jump. Host 2: bumps to B- because Wingo was exceptional — YAC, screen where he made guys miss and fought for a first down, plus a great block on Relique Brown’s first TD. Coleman’s one big play; wanted more on the deep ball (looked like he got tripped). Need more volume from Coleman on that type of play. Tight Ends Grades: C / C Almost an incomplete — one catch, barely involved. Blocking wasn’t as good as usual, but hard to isolate when the OL struggled. Nothing they did prevented good things; they were part of the same non-rhythm as the rest of the offense. Worst blocking performance of the season. Nick Townsend’s absence is felt — most complete player in the room. Amari Winston is talented but not the same blocker or as comfortable in the offense yet. Group is still talented; Townsend makes it whole. Offensive Line Grades: D- / C- (worst of the year) Host 1’s worst grade of the night. Connor Robertson and Brandon Baker had many bad plays. Robertson is a liability vs. athletic interior guys (same issue vs. Ohio State’s Kerry Wilder / Gilliam types). Baker: assignment/communication issues — one play he stood between two defenders and blocked neither, nearly got Manning killed. If grading individuals: Robertson and Baker F, rest maybe C+. Unit as a whole D-. Host 2: C- (initially said C+). Worst performance of the year by a comfortable margin. Fourth-quarter drive when they had to just run it was decent. Putting Jackson Christian in doesn’t fix the athleticism problem. Baker getting more confident and communicating better at guard is the more realistic fix. Still working out how they play together, especially on the road. Not overly worried long-term, but this can’t happen vs. Ole Miss or LSU. Tennessee’s DL is better than average on the remaining schedule (Oklahoma better if David Stone is healthy; Florida another tough one). Bye week to get communication and plan right. 4-0 now; can figure it out. Defensive Line Grades: A+ / A+ (better than A+) 10 sacks and they stopped the run. Nothing else to discuss. Every player was incredible. Murad Watson awesome. Zeno Mozilo didn’t show up much on the stat sheet but was great. Lance Jackson no sack but felt like three. Alex January and Hiro Kanu both in on sacks. No Justice Terry and they still did this. Terry is the highest-ceiling DT; this is what the unit can be — take over games even when offense and other units have issues. Colin Simmons: already 8 (or 9) sacks on the season. Preseason over/under was 4.5. Quick start this year vs. last year’s late surge. UTSA and Texas State already changed game plans because of him. Teams will keep doing that. Penalty (fake Johnson celebration) — if you get five sacks you should be allowed to do whatever as long as you don’t touch anyone. He understood it was wrong, put it behind him, and kept playing. No one has to police him. Linebackers Grades: A / A Justin Krier a little quiet. Raheem Biles not quiet — insane closing speed when spying Faison Brandon, sack, a couple TFLs. Fun player. Richie Miles: 13 tackles + late sack (huge). Krier second with 9 tackles + late PBU that was almost a pick. Unit they were worried about coming into the year. Depth still a question, but Kosiak-Paula made special-teams plays. Brad Spence is B+ or better whenever he’s on the field. Younger guys should get more run later. Secondary Grades: B- / B+ Tricky. Good at times, picked on at others. A couple PIs. Weird TD where Bo Masco didn’t realize what was happening. Front was so disruptive that Brandon didn’t see a lot of open guys. Host 2: B+ because of how much that offense spreads the secondary and puts guys on islands. Masco didn’t look like the veteran. Grayson Littleton one of the best players on the team. Cade Phillips still improving. Jelani McDonald all over the field and made the play that sealed it. Kobe Black played (3 tackles) but Derek Williams Jr. was more visible (5 tackles) and is playing better football. Black may still be limited. Coaching Grades: B / B- Sark a little robotic on first down (too many handoffs). Play-calling overall good when the OL held up. Defense excellent. Special teams good. Execution lagged behind some of the calls. Penalties fall on coaches (Simmons one they let him wear). Have to clean them up a bit even if SEC play won’t be perfect. First drive worked; then OL collapsed and they had to adjust on the fly — not easy. Give Sark some leeway. Will Muschamp is a top-5 defensive mind right now; the change from Pete Kwiatkowski to Muschamp is paying off. One complaint: don’t go prevent when you’re dominating and up multiple scores. Let the guys pin their ears back and make the freshman QB more uncomfortable. This team is better when it attacks (same lesson as first half vs. Ohio State last year). Conservative isn’t their personality. Big-picture / looking ahead Walked into what they consider the second-toughest place to play in the country. Neyland was packed from the jump. Found a way to win, now 4-0 heading into the bye, then a 2-2 Oklahoma team that’s reeling. Feels like the reverse of last year (Texas undefeated, Oklahoma 2-2 then). Don’t do what they did today (shoot themselves in the foot with OL/penalties) and Oklahoma probably can’t beat them. Same game plan next week: make John Mateer beat you. Don’t think he’s capable. Oklahoma OL is also attackable. Manning feels closer to being in a groove; pieces are starting to come together. Needs the OL to get there so he can play full-time clean football. Tuesday 7 p.m. ET: one-third-of-the-season recap, look-ahead, Oklahoma talk, any breaking news. Quick grade card (both hosts) Unit Host 1 Host 2 QB C+ C+ RBs B- B- WRs C+ B- TEs C C OL D- C- DL A+ A+ LBs A A Secondary B- B+ Coaching B B- Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  4. Sep 27

    TEXAS-Tennessee Postgame LIVE

    TexasVOCFB Postgame LIVE — Texas 20, Tennessee 17 Hosts: Matthew Miller & Thomas Bresee Presented by FanDuel Open / Vibe of the game (0:00–2:07) Weird, frustrating win. Texas “survives” a game that felt like it should have been 21-3 at half. Tennessee had ~130 yards of offense and one field goal until the late flurry. Final: 20-17. Texas never trailed after taking the lead back. Tommy: Mental toughness is real (same trait as Ohio State). They answered the punt-return TD, got the Cam Coleman chunk, kicked the FG, and didn’t give the lead back. Matthew: Never apologize for a road SEC win. Defense has been fine since the Washington game. Offense is the problem. Arch Manning (2:32–6:29) 14-of-19, 201 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, sacked 6 times. Matthew: 4–5 sacks on the OL, 1–2 on Arch holding it. First half and late fourth were solid; second/third quarters muddy. INT to Cam Coleman: not a great throw or decision; Coleman also mistimed the jump. Tommy: Started 7-of-8 and was ripping it. Throw to Jermaine Bishop may be his best of the year. Aggressive deep shot that Keon Lee picked — Tommy not furious at the decision (similar missed post last week). Line-of-scrimmage awareness is a recurring issue (three times in two weeks). Both: Hard to blame Arch when Arian Carter is in his face in two seconds. Protection and first-down play-calling were the bigger issues. Accuracy (~70%) was a positive. Run game & Relique Brown / Hollywood Smothers (3:43–4:28, 22:56–24:15) Relique Brown: 17 carries, 67 yards (3.9 YPC), 2 TDs. Turned it on in the second half. Hollywood Smothers fully padded, moving pregame, “good to go,” then never played. Tyler Horka tweeted he looked gimpy at the end of warm-ups. Hosts puzzled why he stayed in jersey if he wasn’t going to play. First-down runs were a disaster — constantly minus-2/minus-3 against Tennessee blitzes, creating 3rd-and-11+ (first seven third downs averaged 11.8 yards to go). Same pattern as Ohio State. Late-game push was better. Both expect a “lean-on-it-late” run game, not an elite one. Need more explosives through the air. Offensive line (8:11–11:05, 16:54–18:43) Dominated by Jim Knowles packages. Communication breakdowns (Brandon Baker twist/blitz — didn’t touch anyone). Connor Robertson is who he is vs. athletic DTs/DEs. Tommy: Line is still new. Ohio State game wasn’t a fluke of OSU playing poorly; they can be a good pass-protection unit with time. Bye week to clean communication before Oklahoma, then Ole Miss/Florida/LSU. Matthew: Upcoming schedule (OU, Ole Miss/Will Echols, Florida, LSU) will punish this if it doesn’t improve. Still found enough late to win — unlike last year on the road. Receivers (3:03–3:42, 20:54–22:12) Cam Coleman underwhelming relative to NIL/preseason ranking (3rd-best WR on the team some weeks). Jermaine Bishop: 2-33, nice 29-yard sideline catch. One play drawn up for him. Hosts excited about the talent; don’t expect a huge year (maybe 250 yards?). Ryan Wingo / others mentioned in passing. Defense — the bright spot (2:19–2:30, 11:35–17:16) No real concerns. Linebackers played well. Coverage unit (Grayson Littleton especially) held up vs. Tennessee’s 50-50 balls. Colin Simmons: all-time performance. 5 sacks (possibly 5.5 after regrade — would be a Texas record). Used as overhang/Jalen Walker-style rusher by Will Muschamp. One dumb personal foul (the “machine-gun” moment everyone on the sideline knew was a flag). He knew immediately and responded. Lance Jackson: best game of his career. If he plays at 80% of this going forward, Texas may have the best edge duo in the country. 10 sacks, 12 TFLs as a defense. Bo Masco PI flags: Tommy not overly concerned given Tennessee’s scheme and receivers (Mike Matthews, Darius Jackson). SEC refs liberal. Penalties (11:35–15:00) 115 penalty yards. Hosts expect this team to live in the 60–80 range under Sarkisian — that’s who they are (ranked ~50th the last two years). Can’t have back-breakers like the Simmons flag (gave Tennessee a first down with a chance to put the game away). Holding/false starts are livable. Some flags (especially DPI) are Tennessee putting you in bad spots + SEC officiating. Special teams (18:46–20:09, 25:10–25:55) Onside kick / drop-kick: Wingo isolated. Hosts would rather have Emmett Mosley, Dalen McCutcheon, Bishop, or even Relique Brown back there. Alignment issues. Not expected to be a recurring problem. Quay Moss punt return: four guys aligned to the return side. Fake-fair-catch / gunner-to-returner trick with Niblett/Bishop — creative from Jeff Banks, but the flag on the other punt return is more on the player (Niblett) than coaching. Big-picture takeaways (6:29–8:11, 24:16–25:10) Team is talented and mentally tough but frustrating. Should have won this (and Ohio State) by more. Question hanging: can they play this sloppy and still win a title? That would still feel like unfulfilled potential. Offense has to find explosives. Arch will hunt them. Defense and toughness can carry them through September undefeated on the road in the SEC — something they didn’t do last year. Bye week, then Oklahoma. Line and first-down identity are the next boxes to check. Close / upcoming content (25:56–end) Grades video dropping Sunday before noon. Tuesday 7 p.m. ET show: season-so-far recap + this game + look-ahead. Hook Em Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  5. Sep 23

    Battle OF The UT's / Texas Longhorns LIVE 120

    Texas Longhorns LIVE 120 — Battle of the UTs Hosts: Matthew Miller & Tommy Bresee | Guest: Tucker Harlin (TennesseeVOCFB / Vols Wire / CFB HQ on SI / VOCFB 365) Texas vs. Tennessee preview + UTSA recap | Neyland Stadium, noon kickoff Intro & setup (0:00–1:54) Tommy opens Texas Longhorns Live #120. Matt joining shortly. Special guest Tucker Harlin from the Tennessee channel for the first Texas-Tennessee meeting in 57 years and first at either home venue. Noon game at Neyland (not a typical night environment). Tucker will be there in person. Discussion of scheduling quirks (LSU-A&M night slot, potential Alabama-Mississippi State noon + College GameDay the following week). Tucker interview: What we know about Tennessee after 3 weeks (1:54–6:00) Tennessee has faced two relative layups plus Georgia Tech. Defense looks better than last year and more like a competent SEC unit. Offense remains a mystery — they have not had to open the playbook much and have leaned heavily on the run when they have a clear line advantage. Preseason expectation: 8–9 wins and building toward 2027 with true freshman QB Faison Brandon. Still attainable. Circled games: Texas, Texas A&M (now looking more winnable), Alabama, LSU, and South Carolina on the road (bad history). Eight or nine wins plus a sneak-in CFP path remains possible. Ethan Davis injury & tight end room (6:00–8:10) Ethan Davis (converted WR) went down in the Georgia Tech game (limped off in the fourth). Big loss in the receiving game. DeSean Brame is now the primary receiving threat at TE. Blocking-oriented options remain (Trent Thomas, Drake Martinez). Room has talent but is unproven. Miles Kitzelman was more of a locker-room guy last year; Davis was supposed to be the upgrade. Tennessee defense & confidence vs Texas (8:10–10:20) Tucker feels better about the defense than the offense. DL more aggressive than expected. Linebackers (Arion Carter, Jeremiah T. Lander) rotating to edge. Secondary has not given up many big plays (Dajon Lane pick-six vs Georgia Tech). Has not faced a high-upside QB like Arch Manning yet. Secondary was poor vs UAB last year. Baptism-by-fire SEC opener for Brandon. Tennessee offensive line (10:20–13:00) Right side is the concern (right guard rotation between Donovan Haslam and Shane Mumarov). Jesse Perry (moved to RT) has graded well and was a bright spot last year. Left side more settled: Wendell Moy (when healthy) and David Sanders Jr. Tucker calls Sanders Tennessee’s best OL since Trey Smith — strong tape even against lesser DLs. Colin Simmons’ health is a major Texas concern; if limited, pass rush drops off (Zina Umeozulu next man up). Faison Brandon’s legs & RB room (13:00–16:40) Tennessee is less RPO-heavy than Texas and closer to its veer-and-shoot roots, but they have schemed more designed QB runs. Brandon is a natural runner (“runs like a deer”) and the best since Josh Dobbs. Expect some improv scrambles if the OL is challenged. Designed runs may be limited. RB room: DeShaun Bishop is the known name; DeJuan Morris has emerged. Javon Gordon another piece (held out last week). Tennessee ran 45 times for 299 yards vs Georgia Tech and did not want to throw. Confidence if Texas takes the run away and puts it on Brandon is an unknown — Saturday will reveal it. Fill-in-the-blank: Tennessee wins/loses if… (16:40–19:20) Loses if they let Arch Manning get in rhythm (run or pass). Tennessee has historically struggled with dual-threat QBs (Diego Pavia last year). Need to throw him off balance. Wins if they win the interior DL battle (Xavier Gilliam athletic, David Hobbs mobile) vs Texas center Connor Robertson and confuse Manning. Heupel’s offense is built to make life easy for the QB (screens, quick game, downhill run). Defense could make or break the game. Names Texas fans may not know (19:20–21:00) Defense: Xavier Gilliam (interior DL). Offense: Radarius Jackson (emerging WR3 with a few nice deep catches). Other weapons (Bishop, Mike Matthews, Braylon Staley) are already known. Predictions (21:00–22:20) Tucker: Competitive but Texas wins 27-21 (does not cover). Do not let the loss spiral like after Georgia last year. Tommy: 27-20 Texas. Four-quarter battle decided by a couple of late plays; leans Arch over Brandon. Matthew: 24-20 Texas. Tucker plugs & history notes (22:20–25:00) @TuckerHarlan on X (posted Texas-Tennessee history). General Neyland was a Texan (Aggie). Rick Barnes departure helped Tennessee basketball. YouTube: Mondays 8 ET with Jordan Binkley on Tennessee VOCFB; Tuesdays with Tyler Natuno; SEC show with Jackson Johnson & Andrew Miller. Vols Wire recruiting coverage; CFPHQ on SI. Hosting visitors this weekend. UTSA recap & Arch Manning discussion (25:00–32:40) Focus on Arch: Is he okay? Panic is understandable after pressure and some old habits returned when the OL got beat. Tommy’s view: last year’s poor OL forced bad habits; he reverted when he saw pressure Saturday. Trust the process — better OL and WRs around him. He made big progress last year; expect more this year. Not expecting lights-out vs Tennessee but a relatively clean, confidence-building road SEC game. Matthew: Close to the 8–23 game “who he is” line for young QBs (Burrow/Luck/Young comps). Next 1–3 games (Tennessee, Oklahoma, Florida) will tell a lot. Still thinks a national title is possible even without a massive leap if pieces around him help. Drops (Ryan Wingo, Cam Coleman, Emmett Mosley) must be cleaned up. Colin Simmons health critical for pass rush. Derek Williams filled in well at CB. Positive for Arch vs Tennessee: Jim Knowles likes three-high safety looks that give cushion. Decisive QBs who get the ball out beat that defense. If Arch hits the back of his drop and delivers, it could be a turning-point game. Keys to beating Tennessee on the road (32:40–end) Tommy Take the crowd out early. Neyland is one of the best environments; noon helps but explosives and turnovers will wake it up. Start fast (team superpower). No huge sacks or momentum plays. Run the ball: 30 carries, 3.5 YPC (~105–115 yards). Stick with 3–4 yard gains; set up play-action and keep Tennessee’s offense on the sideline. Exploit athletic but not massive DT group with gap schemes. Force Faison Brandon to beat you. Load the box, stop the run, keep him in the pocket. Make him complete 7–10 passes on multiple drives. Elite man coverage on wide-split WRs (Bo Masco, Grayson Littleton, Kate Phillips). Tackle well in space. DT dominance vs Tennessee’s interior (especially RG). Justice Terry or Nick Townsend if available. Slide Colin Simmons inside on obvious passing downs. Move numbers around pre-snap to confuse the freshman. Matthew Capitalize on likely Tennessee turnovers (young QB + questionable OL). Score TDs, not FGs. Same run-game and “make Brandon beat you with his arm” emphasis. Not at the point in his career where you respect the passing game first. Trust the process for Arch: OL (Dylan Sikorski leap), Sarkisian getting WRs open, get the ball out. Personal comfort (Holly Rowe covering the game) mentioned as a possible off-field help. Overall lean: Texas defense (Pete Kwiatkowski) should play championship-level football against a true freshman in a loud but noon environment. Championship-caliber unit, not just a big-game winner. Show close: Live Tuesdays 7 ET (this one earlier for Tucker). Best bets Thursday. Postgame after Tennessee ~3:15–3:30 ET. Hook ’em. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  6. Sep 20

    TEXAS-UTSA Postgame | Texas VOCFB

    Texas-UTSA Postgame | Texas VOCFB Hosts: Matthew Miller & Thomas Bresee Final: Texas 30, UTSA 6 Sponsored open, like/subscribe ask. Texas wins an ugly one. Scoreboard looks like most good teams around the country on this Saturday. Offense struggled. Defense was excellent. Defense sets the floor (0:25–2:00) Defense held UTSA to 138 total yards. After UTSA’s first-quarter field goal: 24 yards on 34 plays, 0.7 yards per play (C.J. Vogel stat). Unit was “downright incredible” the rest of the way. Compared to last year vs. UTSA, the fourth-quarter close-out via the run game was encouraging. Hosts believe this defense can win games in the SEC against good teams. Frustration with the overall product is real but “very explainable.” Ugly Saturday context (2:00–2:30) A&M lost. Oklahoma beat New Mexico by 8. Miami was pedestrian in the second half Friday. LSU and Ole Miss traded halves. College football is fickle. A 24-point win still leaves confidence in the run game and defense. Arch Manning and the offense (2:30–6:40) Vs. any real SEC team, this offensive performance loses. Arch barely completed 50%. Missed throws he has to hit: Airmailed Emmitt Mosley in the end zone by ~5 yards (wide open). Ryan Wingo corner-of-the-end-zone ball needed better placement. Hosts hold Arch to a high standard because they see other QBs hitting those throws (Sam Leavitt dime to Watkins cited). Arch has not made that type of throw this year. He will have highs and lows; he is a roller coaster. Pass protection struggled with delayed linebacker blitzes. Tennessee/Jim Knowles will copy it. Offensive line was the first unit to disappoint this season. Misses are now more predictable (overthrows) than last year’s dirt-then-10-feet-over-the-head pattern. Fixable, but he has to be better in Neyland. Sark appeared to force the issue with Arch early, then leaned on the run to put the game away. Run game and supporting pieces (6:40–9:00) Five rushers over 39 yards. Derek Cooper returned after the Ohio State ankle/boot situation and led the team in carries — surprising. Michael Terry also got work. Run blocking was better than pass protection. Hosts can live with one off game after an emotional Ohio State week. Kentucky-last-year vibes if this were a better opponent. Other than Arkansas, almost no one left on the schedule lets you play like this. Upcoming QBs (Faison Brandon, Kamario Taylor, Trinidad Chambliss) will make plays; Texas cannot box every offense for 60 minutes. Team will lean on defense + run game. It still comes back to Arch. Cam Coleman: 4 TDs through 3 games. Wingo had the early splash. Mosley remains the big-catch guy. Never looked as out-of-sync as UTEP last year or the worst of Kentucky. Run game is the fail-safe. Schedule and stakes (9:00–12:10) Win at Tennessee and Texas is in great September shape, then a road stretch until Florida at home Oct. 17. Next two games (Tennessee, Oklahoma/Red River) are essentially playoff games. 5-0 makes 9-3 still a strong playoff path. Red River could be a 9-6 type game given both offenses right now. Why Arch looked better as a sophomore / mechanics (12:10–15:20) Limited sample vs. a bad/vanilla Mississippi State defense. Foot injury last year affected mechanics and comfort. Offensive-line scar tissue: feet parallel to the LOS is a “death sentence.” Needs cleaner pockets more consistently. Spencer Shannon drop noted. Pieces around him have to meet him halfway. Started 9-of-12 but the three early misses lingered. Playing more snaps this year; surrounding pieces less clean than 2024. He still has to be the guy who makes it good. How much he improves could decide a title. Arch fifth-year talk (15:20–19:00) Higher chance than most think. Manning family values foundation over money (Peyton/Eli senior years cited). D’Eriq King/Treyveon Henderson-type comments from Cover 3 last year: willing to sit another year if Arch returns. Depends who else comes back (Mosley, Siani, Brandon Baker). Title + No. 1 pick almost certainly sends him to the NFL. Incomplete season opens the conversation. Hosts still expect him to be a top-10 pick and a good NFL QB. Trinidad Chambliss (height be damned, elite in/out of pocket) is the other name they would take first; Baker Mayfield precedent mentioned. A 300-yard, 3-TD game at Tennessee puts Arch back in the No. 1 conversation. Browns/Jets at 1-2 would change the calculus. Dolphins or Cardinals would be cleaner landing spots. Pass rush / Colin Simmons (19:50–21:30) Only one sack. Not concerned in this specific game: after the first drive McCown rarely held the ball more than 2.5 seconds. UTSA took its foot off the gas. Will Henderson speed sweeps were the only real answers. Colin Simmons was on the sideline in a boot late — potential issue heading to a tough environment vs. a young QB. Justice Terry returning would change the pass rush. Tennessee will actually try to win, unlike UTSA playing not to get blown out. Sark / “fire the OC” talk (21:30–24:30) Jeff Brohm talk dismissed (Lincoln Riley-lite, all offense, no defense). Only Curt Cignetti turns B talent into A; everyone else (Day, Smart, Sark included) needs elite talent. Tonight was players not executing, not scheme. Arch must hit the layups. Every loss will bring “bench Arch” and “hire an OC” noise. Neither is the actual problem. KJ Lacey or a new OC does not fix what showed up. Hosts were not expecting domination or treating a sloppy win as sky-is-falling. Win at Tennessee and the season is back on track. Close (24:30–end) A&M, Oklahoma, and Alabama also had sloppy or poor performances. Getting wins is harder than ever. Coming off the Ohio State high, a messy home win is not shocking. Dust off and beat a good Tennessee team in the second-best environment in the country. “Battle of the UTs.” Grades video dropping Sunday morning. Cross-content with the Tennessee channel this week. Back live Tuesday. Like and subscribe. Core takeaways the hosts kept returning to Defense and run game are real and transferable. Arch’s inconsistency (especially overthrows and missed layups) is the variable that will decide whether this team wins a title. Tennessee film already has delayed blitzes and a blueprint; Neyland will punish sloppiness. Next two games are the real measuring stick. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  7. Sep 18

    Best Bets For Texas Vs UTSA/ Best Bets 3 LIVE CALL IN SHOW

    TexasVOCFB Best Bets Live: Texas vs. UTSA Hosts: Matthew Miller & Tommy Bresee Sponsored by Fanduel Format: Live call-in show (Thursday, 6:30 p.m. ET) Intro (0:00–0:24) Welcome to another live Best Bets. This is UTSA week after the Ohio State win. Sponsor plug for Fandle; all lines presented by them. Ask for likes and subs. Host Bets — Texas vs. UTSA Emmett Mosley anytime TD (plus money) — Matthew (0:24–0:56) Mosley was the leading receiver last week. Cam Coleman, Ryan Wingo, and the RBs already have TDs. Texas should reward him. “He’s got to score at some point… I think Texas will reward him with a touchdown.” Tommy agrees: the offense was chaotic last week; Mosley came up big in the fourth. Dial one up (screen-and-go or similar) and let him get in the end zone. Texas –30.5 — Tommy (1:39–2:31) “Clean the slate” game after a noisy week. Texas should run all over UTSA and find openings in the passing game. Watch turnovers (UTSA has forced some). Owen McCown is not Arch Manning; expect sacks. Tommy’s score: 52-13. Matthew: 45-10. Both see a comfortable cover. Matthew adds: Texas should dominate both lines. UTSA has one sack on the year. Bigger line than Texas State because UTSA played a closer game last week. Cam Coleman over 66.5 receiving yards — Matthew (3:09–3:38) Wingo popped in Week 1; Coleman was quieter last week. Expect a Wingo-style game (7-121-1 type). A couple of big plays should get him there and “cement himself as a Texas Longhorn.” Tommy: Similar approach to Texas State—fewer passes overall, but when they take shots they put receivers 1-on-1. Coleman could get the number on one play. Texas team total over 43.5 — Tommy (4:17–5:16) Texas should roll out of bed and score 24–28 most weeks. Hit the easy ones in the first half, then control clock with the run game. Want a confidence-builder before the road trip to Neyland. Possible 52-10 or 52-7 type of night. Matthew: If you take the big spread you basically have to take the team total unless you think they pitch a shutout. He sees UTSA scoring 6–13; Texas has a real shot at 50. Texas –17.5 first half — Matthew (4:42–6:05) Least confident of his tickets—they could come out sleepy. Even a C-game should produce two TDs + two FGs. “Two touchdowns and two field goals to me is doable even sleepwalking.” Tommy: After a sloppy first half vs. Ohio State, they should come out attacking. Possible 24-3 at half, then peek toward Tennessee in the fourth. Amari Winston over 2.5 receptions — Tommy (7:01–8:15) Nick Townsend is out (Sark said so today). Winston has been the reliable target in big moments (LSU, etc.). Give him a Gunnar Helm / Ja’Tavion Sanders-type usage before SEC play—target him 7–8 times. He earned it. Matthew: Winston had a two-catch stretch that could have been four if not for drops. Expect 4–5 targets; three catches is realistic. He’s the main receiving threat among TEs with Townsend out. Spencer Shannon is more of a blocker; Michael Masunis is TE4 right now. Best blocking TE room Sark has had. Relique Brown over 63.5 rushing yards — Matthew (9:23–9:53) Reverse of Week 1: Hollywood Smothers popped then, Relique popped last week. Expect a big run similar to Smothers’ Week 1 explosion. Texas over 196 rushing yards — Tommy (9:54–10:23) UTSA gave up 177 to UTRGV and 289 last week. Dominate on the ground, get the OL and RB room confidence before SEC play. Could go for 220. Relique Brown anytime TD — Tommy (10:25–10:46) He ran tough outside one early mistake. All three backs (Brown, Smothers, Derek Cooper) could score; Tommy takes Brown. Caller: Burks (Michigan fan) (10:48–23:31) Congratulates Texas on beating Ohio State. Says Sark needed a win over a ranked non-SEC team. Ohio State fans making excuses; Texas defense gassed OSU and executed three long late drives (15, 13, 12 plays). Hosts: Both teams made mistakes; Texas early, OSU late. Score was about what you’d expect. Fourth quarter was Texas grinding them down, not luck. NIL / recruiting discussion (New York Times report). Ohio State listed #1 but Texas is close. Texas treats the portal like an uncapped pro league—pay 20% more to get a 30–40% better player. Not a high-volume portal team, but high-end portal additions. Push leftover money to premium positions (LT Ishmael Kamara, Easton Royal, etc.). Take ~10% off publicly reported NIL budgets; Texas probably $39–45M range, not the $48–55M floating around. Agents inflate numbers. Michigan tied with Indiana in the report. Burks salty about Michigan’s NIL vs. Texas. Hosts: Larry Ellison is ROI-minded; Texas has more “irrational” oil-money donors who just want to win. Michael Dell is one piece; a lot of unnamed oil money. Need donors who stay out of day-to-day business (has been a Texas problem before). Michigan–Texas comparison: similar public-school athletic departments. Texas is “the Michigan of the South.” Next year’s game in Austin could be huge depending on how both seasons finish (possible Arch/Manning or Kamario Taylor vs. Bryce Underwood). Night vs. day game TBD (CBS/ESPN rights). Other Games They Flagged (23:37–end) South Carolina vs. Mississippi State Tommy’s favorite “barn burner” candidate. Camario Taylor vs. LaNorris Sellers—“the most athletic quarterback battle we’ve ever had.” Turning-point game: one team becomes a dangerous 5–7, the other a 7–8 win surprise. Could decide Shane Beamer’s trajectory. Historical comps floated: Charlie Ward, Michael Vick, Lamar Jackson vs. Deshaun Watson, Cam Newton (none quite match the dual-athlete tools). Mississippi State 3-0 and looking the part; over 4.5 wins already in play if they win this one. Makes Texas’s SEC slate tougher if State is 7–5 or 8–4. Florida vs. Auburn Must-win for Florida if they want a playoff path (Matthew picked them in). Offense/skill and OC are good; defense is the question. Hold teams to 21 and they can ride Jaden Baugh. Both fan bases are looking for a reason not to believe in the current coaches. Ole Miss vs. LSU (night game in Oxford) The marquee. Everything you want in a CFB game. Tommy leaning LSU defense but respects Trinidad Chambliss in big moments. Sam Leavitt injury talk treated as possible Kiffin mind games (last year he put 20–30 guys on the report and most played). Landon Clark is fun but not Chambliss’s twitch. Question Leavitt’s downfield throwing. Texas will see a lot of high-paid QBs this year (Chambliss, Taylor, Leavitt, Jackson, McCown, etc.)—one reason 10-2 is a reasonable landing spot. Housekeeping / Outro Live every Thursday 6:30 p.m. ET (Best Bets + calls). Tuesdays 7 p.m. ET (recap + next-week preview). Postgame show after UTSA, likely 11–11:15 p.m. Like, subscribe, Hook ’em. 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  8. Sep 16

    How Does Texas Respond? / Texas Longhorns LIVE 119

    Texas Longhorns LIVE 119 — How Does Texas Respond? Hosts: Matthew Miller & Thomas “Tommy” Bresee Show: TexasVOCFB / Voice of College Football Sponsor: FanDuel Length: ~45 min 0:00–0:36 — Open Welcome to Texas Longhorns LIVE, episode 119. Like/subscribe. Brought to you by FanDuel. Hook: Texas beat Ohio State on a 21-point fourth-quarter comeback. “Needed every single one of them.” 0:36–8:33 — Ohio State recap: mental makeup, Arch, cleanliness Tommy’s main takeaway Different team mentally than the last couple of years. Not that past Sark teams were weak, but this one can play poorly for 2½ quarters and still pull itself back up. Arch Manning is the catalyst — “galvanizing player,” “heartbeat.” When he gets going and the emotion shows, the sideline feels it. Compared the first 2½ quarters to recent Oklahoma and Georgia losses that were effectively over before the fourth. This time they got out of it. Matthew Arch was pressing early — trying to make up for last year’s Ohio State game, carrying extra pressure. Pattern: press, then flip to “I just don’t give a shit” and play free. That second mode is the one they need going forward. Cannot put themselves in 10–0 holes on the road at Tennessee or A&M. LSU may be the only remaining team at Ohio State’s level. Ball security was the Sark talking point and the real issue: drops + balls on the turf + fumbles = 7 times the ball hit the ground when it shouldn’t have. Lucky to win; Ohio State helped them by building too big a lead and then giving it back. Tale of two halves. Now they know what they’re capable of. Can they string the second-half version together for four quarters? Talent vs. self-inflicted wounds Offseason thesis: if they don’t hurt themselves, they’re remarkably hard to beat. OL: best pass-blocking unit in the country right now (PFF). That unit should be there the rest of the year. Season stats cited: 8 drops (lead SEC), 4 fumbles (only 1 lost). Arch’s box score looks good but he left 80–100 yards on tape by not ripping open throws. Sark “outdid Matt Patricia” most of the night; Arch didn’t execute what was there. Question hanging: does Sark need to incorporate more QB run to get Arch into games? Physical identity Most physical Texas team under Sark. That’s the biggest long-term positive from the win. Biggest win in 15+ years — maybe since walking off the field vs. USC in the Rose Bowl national title game. “Never take that back. Not many people get to beat Ohio State.” One remaining “demon” is Georgia (possible SEC title). Psyche / proof of concept Ohio State may have needed the win more for CFP math (tougher remaining 10). Texas needed it for psyche. After this, no opponent on the other sideline feels unbeatable — Ohio State, Georgia, Notre Dame, Miami. Goal-line confidence (Washington + Ohio State) is something you only get by doing it. Will Muschamp hire validated on both sides. Penalties: 47 yards on 6 flags all season, tied for 4th-fewest in the country — a multi-year problem that looks fixed. Team feels aligned, playing for each other, focused on little things. Proof they can win these games even when down in the fourth; one or two Arch plays can flip a night. 8:33–9:14 — Injuries Nick Townsend: knee, sounds like bone bruise. Status TBD (swelling). Confident he’s ready for Red River; likely avoids the worst-case. Compared to Trevor Goosby timeline. Justice Terry: turf toe, injured pregame vs. Ohio State. Unique talent; injury history is a concern. NIL discussion if he only plays a couple games a year. 9:14–12:09 — Rankings / national picture Viewer: “Ohio State wasn’t No. 1.” Hosts: you still have to pick someone. Only real argument over Texas is Georgia (looks completely dominant). Notre Dame vs. Wisconsin and Indiana vs. North Texas did not look like No. 1 material. North Texas outgained Indiana. Texas has the best résumé right now. Early rankings are goofy. LSU argument exists but Clemson looks like a 6–6 team (already replaced QB). Matthew’s personal board: LSU 5, Ohio State 3 — did not drop Ohio State far. AP dropping them to 6 is aggressive. Still one of the best teams in the country once pieces around Jeremiah Smith settle. Ohio State young skill (Kari Wilder, Chris Henry Jr., Legend Bay, Brock Boyd) — fans want more snaps. Mental mistakes come with youth; 10–15% more usage makes sense, not a full dive. Ohio State’s next real stress test is USC (Iowa first; Iowa offense likely capped around 13). 12:09–31:00 — Knowns and unknowns after Ohio State KNOWNS Will Muschamp was the right DC hire Offseason worry: guy who hadn’t called plays in a while, possibly outdated / too aggressive. Ohio State guys on a previous show: “You cannot play man vs. this offense.” Muschamp did the opposite in the second half — doubled down on man after zone got torched. “That’s who I am. If zone isn’t working, f**k it.” Multiplier for physical players and mental discipline. Front played with an edge after the half. If they play second-half defense all year → top-5 unit. Personnel for man: Grayson Littleton and Bo Masko are NFL-caliber (12-year careers). Cade Phillips is teetering (got cooked by Brock Boyd). Warren Roberson mixed. Two of three CBs + good safeties = you can play man vs. almost the rest of the schedule. Only real man-beaters left: A&M (Horton/Craver if hot) and LSU (Kiffin scheme more than personnel; Levitt’s throwing has been poor). Portal running backs are the real thing ~31 carries, ~126 yards vs. Ohio State — a little over 4.0 YPC. That’s all you need. Vs. Georgia in recent years they averaged ~1.8 YPC. If they get 4.0 vs. Georgia they win those games. Hollywood Smothers: 3–5 yards is his birthright; falls forward. Relique Brown: change of pace; 3.1 yards after contact vs. Ohio State as a smaller back. Want more of him out of the backfield. Night-and-day vs. last year’s Wisner/Baxter group. Last year’s backs weren’t good; this is what good looks like. Changes the offense. Add healthy Derek Cooper soon → title-level backfield. Path exists to be a run-first, defense-first team with Arch as facilitator. Sark is all the way back Dominated Patricia. Receivers wide open all night (Brooks Austin film). First play: if Emmitt Mosley holds the block, Relique is 1-on-1 with Earl Little. Last year Sark had to pour energy into defense. With Muschamp hired, energy is back on offense. Scheme change: no longer purely outside zone (Georgia used to just put big bodies on the edges and dare them). Variety is there. Very few people call better offense. If Arch sees it and executes, “genuinely can’t be stopped.” Offensive line can hold up Two first-round tackles + decent interior. Pass pro: A-minus. Run blocking: B-minus. That’s enough. Connor Robertson is the weak link (Kari Wilder beat him 2 of 5 snaps). Indiana’s DL is the one remaining unit that could really stress the interior. Eyes in the right place this year (Landon Tangwell point). No first-team penalties through two weeks — huge vs. recent years. Not a façade. Lean into this group instead of game-planning around it. Hope / in-between (Tommy): Arch will get better at playing the position. Elite athlete who will start in the NFL because of physical tools, but he has to beat teams from the pocket. Josh Allen comp: the running is the cherry, not the cake. Want athleticism as an add-on by year’s end, not the thing he needs to get going every week. UNKNOWNS Arch Manning’s college ceiling We know who he is. Unknown is whether he reaches the ceiling in college (might take an NFL sit year). Frustrating tape: sees the open guy, doesn’t rip it. Will throw into double coverage downfield with total trust, then miss a wide-open crosser. Brooks Austin clip: early Mosley miss by 3 yards with a clean pocket; late Mosley hit in a tighter window while getting hit. ~16–18 starts is usually “who you are” in college. Consistency by Oklahoma (or the game after) is the checkpoint. If it’s not there, this is the version they live with. Can win a national title with end-of-2025 Arch. Can be an all-time team if he hits college ceiling. Prescription vs. UTSA: tell him to rip it. Even if it produces a turnover, get him trusting his eyes from the pocket. WR hands Ryan Wingo: written off as an elite guy. Will drop TDs; 3–4 last year, already 1 this year. Good player, not that player. Cam Coleman: Auburn drop issues followed him. Ohio State drop was a hard ball (70% Arch / 30% Coleman), but NFL guys make harder ones. He’s paid to bail his QB out. You can win a title with 1–2 drops a game if they aren’t in must-have moments. Offense around them is better now so they can recover. Expect “good enough,” not elite hands. Self-inflicted wounds 3 turnovers (could have been more) vs. Ohio State, 4 fumbles on the year (1 lost), 8 drops. Penalties are fixed. If drops and fumbles go away they’re a nightmare. Depth pieces Freshman LBs (Tyler Atkinson, Kosiak Paula, Rocky Cummings) need 10–20 snaps in mid-tier SEC games (Florida, Mississippi State, even Tennessee) because Cryer and Biles can’t play 60+ elite snaps every week. Jonah Williams didn’t play Saturday; will need him later. Safeties / two-deep development. Don’t need them to win a title, but they open the CFP/SEC title snap count. 31:00–34:29 — Viewer comments (mid-show) Colton Vosick: 5–10% of snaps, neither host remembers seeing him. Expect this is his last year at Texas (transfer). Possible SAM usage in 12-personnel / Ohio State-type games while they develop younger guys. “At least Texas schedules primetime games.” Hosts want the committee to reward teams that play these games. Mel

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  • Creator
    The Voice of College Football Network
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    202
  • Rating
    Explicit
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    © The Voice of College Football Network
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