Texas Longhorns: Big 12
Midlands Regional Coordinator Damon Sayles stops by to talk about the recent success of the Oklahoma Sooners, and the strategy ESPN 150 safety Jamal Adams is using in his recruitment.
AUSTIN, Texas – Mack Brown has continually pointed to 2013 all the while avoiding most of the fingers pointing back at him.
The Texas coach has survived to coach another year. And while not quite embattled -- national titles go a long way in building tenure around Texas -- there have been detractors. But Brown’s belief is those people, buoyed by what he has in store for 2013 -- a team with 19 returning starters, a loaded two-deep, a different offensive personality, a renewed emphasis on tackling and an easier schedule than the past two years -- will soon become followers again.
But that brings up the question of what will it take for the masses to follow faithfully behind Brown again? How many wins is enough? That’s exactly the question HornsNation wanted to ponder this week. Just how many wins will it take for Texas fans to believe in Brown and the program again?
The Texas coach has survived to coach another year. And while not quite embattled -- national titles go a long way in building tenure around Texas -- there have been detractors. But Brown’s belief is those people, buoyed by what he has in store for 2013 -- a team with 19 returning starters, a loaded two-deep, a different offensive personality, a renewed emphasis on tackling and an easier schedule than the past two years -- will soon become followers again.
But that brings up the question of what will it take for the masses to follow faithfully behind Brown again? How many wins is enough? That’s exactly the question HornsNation wanted to ponder this week. Just how many wins will it take for Texas fans to believe in Brown and the program again?
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We're walking through each Big 12 team and identifying its most irreplaceable talent on the blog right now. He's the guy they can least afford to lose and the guy to whom an injury or departure would have the most effect.
Let's move on with Texas.
More most indispensable players.
Most indispensable player: QB David Ash
Texas is pretty close to being one of the most complete teams in the Big 12 on paper, but Ash holds a lot of that together. The Longhorns have legitimate Big 12 title aspirations, but it's not happening with Case McCoy at quarterback for the conference season. Ash is the Big 12's most experienced quarterback with 18 career starts, and though he's had consistency issues throughout those starts, he's shown the potential to be way, way above average. Critique Ash's shortcomings all you want, but he's definitely good enough to win a Big 12 title considering the team around him, and no other quarterback on Texas' roster can say that. Unless they've got a big lead in the standings late in the season, an injury to Ash means saying goodbye to the Longhorns' Big 12 title hopes. No other position has a player that integral to the team's overall success.
The Longhorns have some promising freshmen on the roster in Tyrone Swoopes and Jalen Overstreet, but no doubt about it: Texas' most indispensable player is Ash.
Let's move on with Texas.
More most indispensable players.
Most indispensable player: QB David Ash
Texas is pretty close to being one of the most complete teams in the Big 12 on paper, but Ash holds a lot of that together. The Longhorns have legitimate Big 12 title aspirations, but it's not happening with Case McCoy at quarterback for the conference season. Ash is the Big 12's most experienced quarterback with 18 career starts, and though he's had consistency issues throughout those starts, he's shown the potential to be way, way above average. Critique Ash's shortcomings all you want, but he's definitely good enough to win a Big 12 title considering the team around him, and no other quarterback on Texas' roster can say that. Unless they've got a big lead in the standings late in the season, an injury to Ash means saying goodbye to the Longhorns' Big 12 title hopes. No other position has a player that integral to the team's overall success.
The Longhorns have some promising freshmen on the roster in Tyrone Swoopes and Jalen Overstreet, but no doubt about it: Texas' most indispensable player is Ash.
AUSTIN, Texas -- Each week Sean Adams looks at a few topics around the Texas Longhorns and college football.
First down: Is McCoy the backup?
For a school that has had to use its second-string quarterback frequently over the course of the last decade, Texas' backup QB gig is still up in the air.
First down: Is McCoy the backup?
For a school that has had to use its second-string quarterback frequently over the course of the last decade, Texas' backup QB gig is still up in the air.
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Texas running backs ready for contact
May, 21, 2013
May 21
8:00
AM CT
By
Carter Strickland | ESPN.com
AUSTIN, Texas -- The object of the Texas running game, as it is with all others, is to not get touched.
Given that perfection is much more elusive than the runners trying to achieve it, the next best thing then is to not let those touches have too much effect. In order to quantify just how good runners are at not being adversely affected, the hairball-in-windpipe-sounding YAC (yards after contact) stat was born.
As it turns out, Texas is pretty decent at garnering YAC. Texas’ top three runners, Johnathan Gray, Joe Bergeron and Malcolm Brown, gained 42 percent of their yards after contact in 2012.
Brown, who carried the ball the least among the three (61 rushes for 324 yards), proved to be the most effective when it came to shaking off potential tacklers. The rising junior gained 87 percent of his yards after contact on 281 of his 324 yards.
Bergeron, the biggest of the three backs and the most apt to run between the tackles, was next with 51 percent of his yards coming after contact (287 of 567).
Gray, by far the shiftiest of the three, proved to be a much more elusive target for defenses but also, quite possibly, easier for them to bring down as well. The rising sophomore gained 14 percent of his yards after contact (102 of 701). Maybe not so coincidentally, Gray was not injured during his freshman year. Brown and Bergeron both suffered injuries as freshmen in 2011 and Brown was hurt again as a sophomore.
All three are now healthy. Expectations are the Texas run game should be as well. There are three accomplished and veteran backs. Three-year starters littered across the offensive line. And there has been a shift toward a spread offense that actually seizes upon the novel theory of running where the defense isn’t.
It’s that last factor, coupled with Gray’s elusiveness as demonstrated by his YAC, that appears to make him the ideal candidate for the most carries in 2013. Clearly Gray has already demonstrated the ability to be elusive even when having to pick his way through to green grass and daylight. So the imagination wanders when considering what he might be able to do when, egad, given the ball in space or with space which to work. His 4.7 yards-per-carry average could top 5.0 or even quite possibly wander into the 6.0 range, a mark not surpassed by a Texas runner with more than 75 carries since Jamaal Charles was given room to roam in a spread offense in 2007.
But Gray’s march could be could short if Brown and Bergeron are unable to produce YAC stats similar to 2012’s in 2013. Brown probably will not hover near the 87 percent mark. That number is slightly skewed due to a shortened season, lack of carries and Brown’s willingness to duck his shoulder and summarily dismiss every Ole Miss defender that was sent his way.
If he, like Bergeron, were to produce 50 percent of his yards after contact, Texas would succeed in producing the roundhouses and uppercuts necessary to daze a defense and therefore set up the potential for Gray to take advantage of weary bodies and glassy eyes. It’s the oft-coined thunder-and-lightning effect. Texas could have two claps and one strike.
Now while such a scenario still might not mean perfection, it might just be close enough that Texas would be satisfied.
Given that perfection is much more elusive than the runners trying to achieve it, the next best thing then is to not let those touches have too much effect. In order to quantify just how good runners are at not being adversely affected, the hairball-in-windpipe-sounding YAC (yards after contact) stat was born.
[+] Enlarge
Cal Sport Media via AP ImagesBecause of injuries, Johnathan Gray led Texas in rushing as a freshman.
Cal Sport Media via AP ImagesBecause of injuries, Johnathan Gray led Texas in rushing as a freshman. Brown, who carried the ball the least among the three (61 rushes for 324 yards), proved to be the most effective when it came to shaking off potential tacklers. The rising junior gained 87 percent of his yards after contact on 281 of his 324 yards.
Bergeron, the biggest of the three backs and the most apt to run between the tackles, was next with 51 percent of his yards coming after contact (287 of 567).
Gray, by far the shiftiest of the three, proved to be a much more elusive target for defenses but also, quite possibly, easier for them to bring down as well. The rising sophomore gained 14 percent of his yards after contact (102 of 701). Maybe not so coincidentally, Gray was not injured during his freshman year. Brown and Bergeron both suffered injuries as freshmen in 2011 and Brown was hurt again as a sophomore.
All three are now healthy. Expectations are the Texas run game should be as well. There are three accomplished and veteran backs. Three-year starters littered across the offensive line. And there has been a shift toward a spread offense that actually seizes upon the novel theory of running where the defense isn’t.
More from HornsNation
Everything Texas, from recruiting to news to game coverage, is available at ESPN.com's HornsNation.
More:
• ESPN.com Recruiting coverage
• ESPN.com's Big 12 blog
• ESPN Dallas' college blog
But Gray’s march could be could short if Brown and Bergeron are unable to produce YAC stats similar to 2012’s in 2013. Brown probably will not hover near the 87 percent mark. That number is slightly skewed due to a shortened season, lack of carries and Brown’s willingness to duck his shoulder and summarily dismiss every Ole Miss defender that was sent his way.
If he, like Bergeron, were to produce 50 percent of his yards after contact, Texas would succeed in producing the roundhouses and uppercuts necessary to daze a defense and therefore set up the potential for Gray to take advantage of weary bodies and glassy eyes. It’s the oft-coined thunder-and-lightning effect. Texas could have two claps and one strike.
Now while such a scenario still might not mean perfection, it might just be close enough that Texas would be satisfied.
When ESPN 150 linebacker Kyron Watson committed to Kansas, it was arguably their biggest commit in years. Damon Sayles discusses the implications of that commitment, and Saint Louis, Missouri recruiting being an underrated hotspot. Max Olson also stops by to talk the latest in Baylor recruiting.
Colleague Travis Haney ranked his list of the nation's top 10 "most talented" teams 
, and a certain burnt orange team you might have heard showed up at No. 2 on his list.
It's an interesting approach to ranking teams, and Haney looked at NFL draft lists, colleague Mark Schlabach's top 25 and the past four years of recruiting rankings to put together his list.
A lot of the ranking is thanks to those recruiting rankings, where Texas' class averaged a ranking of 6.5 among players currently suiting up for the Longhorns.
I agree that Texas is the Big 12's most talented team by a long way, but what does that really mean, besides more pressure on Mack Brown? The Longhorns beat a rebuilding Oklahoma State team in September that was a shell of the team it became late in the season, and did so narrowly with J.W. Walsh making his first career start for the Pokes. You've got to take all that into consideration, and when you look back at the last two years, Texas' best win was either its Alamo Bowl comeback against Oregon State or a road win against Texas Tech, who ended the season tied for fifth in the league.
A pair of embarrassing blowout losses to Oklahoma are the biggest reason for skepticism surrounding the Longhorns, who plenty of folks will pick to win the Big 12 in 2013. They've certainly got talent. Look no further than super recruits like DE Jackson Jeffcoat, DT Malcom Brown, and running backs Malcolm Brown and Johnathan Gray for evidence of that, not to mention defenders like CB Quandre Diggs and linebackers Peter Jinkens and Jordan Hicks.
The Longhorns have talent all over the field, and that has been the case the past three seasons, which have featured just 22 wins. Now, though, that talent has experience and Texas is preparing for it to pay off.
On paper, it should. Texas has every reason to be one of, if not the, Big 12 favorite. Still, the Longhorns have got to prove it on the field, and it takes a lot of big wins to make that happen. Texas has been short on those wins of late.
, and a certain burnt orange team you might have heard showed up at No. 2 on his list.
It's an interesting approach to ranking teams, and Haney looked at NFL draft lists, colleague Mark Schlabach's top 25 and the past four years of recruiting rankings to put together his list.
A lot of the ranking is thanks to those recruiting rankings, where Texas' class averaged a ranking of 6.5 among players currently suiting up for the Longhorns.
I agree that Texas is the Big 12's most talented team by a long way, but what does that really mean, besides more pressure on Mack Brown? The Longhorns beat a rebuilding Oklahoma State team in September that was a shell of the team it became late in the season, and did so narrowly with J.W. Walsh making his first career start for the Pokes. You've got to take all that into consideration, and when you look back at the last two years, Texas' best win was either its Alamo Bowl comeback against Oregon State or a road win against Texas Tech, who ended the season tied for fifth in the league.
A pair of embarrassing blowout losses to Oklahoma are the biggest reason for skepticism surrounding the Longhorns, who plenty of folks will pick to win the Big 12 in 2013. They've certainly got talent. Look no further than super recruits like DE Jackson Jeffcoat, DT Malcom Brown, and running backs Malcolm Brown and Johnathan Gray for evidence of that, not to mention defenders like CB Quandre Diggs and linebackers Peter Jinkens and Jordan Hicks.
The Longhorns have talent all over the field, and that has been the case the past three seasons, which have featured just 22 wins. Now, though, that talent has experience and Texas is preparing for it to pay off.
On paper, it should. Texas has every reason to be one of, if not the, Big 12 favorite. Still, the Longhorns have got to prove it on the field, and it takes a lot of big wins to make that happen. Texas has been short on those wins of late.
Every Friday, HornsNation's Sean Adams will answer questions from readers. Send him a question on Twitter here.
@ChickDill on Twitter: Best new recruit and where will the majority of the improvement come from?
A: The best recruit in my eyes with the most impact will be junior college offensive lineman Desmond Harrison. He is at a need position that he could start immediately.
@ChickDill on Twitter: Best new recruit and where will the majority of the improvement come from?
A: The best recruit in my eyes with the most impact will be junior college offensive lineman Desmond Harrison. He is at a need position that he could start immediately.
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DALLAS -- Four-star linebacker and Texas commit Cameron Hampton (Dallas/Carter) saw the Longhorns’ 2014 recruiting class take a hit with decommitments from the Fort Worth (Texas) All Saints duo of offensive tackle Demetrius Knox and running back Daniel Gresham.
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AUSTIN, Texas -- Each week, Sean Adams looks at a few topics around the Texas Longhorns and college football.
First down: Why early offers are perfect
Texas has started offering younger prospects than it ever has before. The Longhorns are doing the right thing. If they want to be in the conversation for some of the best high school players in the country, they must be in that first group of identified schools that are in communication with the player.
First down: Why early offers are perfect
Texas has started offering younger prospects than it ever has before. The Longhorns are doing the right thing. If they want to be in the conversation for some of the best high school players in the country, they must be in that first group of identified schools that are in communication with the player.
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Inspired by Florida's "#ComePlayWRFortheJoker" campaign, our recruiting writers looked at other ways schools can sell themselves on the trail. Here's a look at recruiting pitches for the Big 12:
Baylor Bears
What they’re selling: The new 45,000-seat, $250-million on-campus stadium that will open in 2014. Recruiting is an arms race, and players like fancy stadiums and locker rooms, and Baylor’s upgrade puts them finally on the same level playing field as everybody else in the Big 12.
What they're missing: Help on defense -- specifically at defensive line and defensive back.
Iowa State Cyclones
What they’re selling: Paul Rhoads. He grew up miles from the campus and has helped turn around Iowa State with a physical and fundamentally sound style of football.
What they're missing: A true home-run threat at receiver.
Kansas Jayhawks
What they’re selling: Charlie Weis. He’s taken risks (juco infusion), repaired relationships with area high school coaches and widened KU’s recruiting pool.
What they're missing: Wins. When you’ve won only one conference game in three years, a little bit of everything is missing.
Kansas State Wildcats
What they’re selling: Bill Synder. The plan has worked for years in Manhattan. K-State doesn’t care how many stars a player has attached to his name, a player only earns an offer from K-State unless Snyder personally signs off on it after a lengthy review. It’s a plan that produced a No. 1 BCS ranking and a Big 12 championship in 2012.
What’s missing: I’ve been told by coaches for years that the most difficult position to recruit is defensive tackle. That’s why you often see even average defensive tackles rack up double-digit offers, and finding good depth at defensive tackle has been very difficult to do at K-State.
Oklahoma Sooners
What they’re selling: Oklahoma is proud of its football tradition, and few schools can match the Sooners’ track record for success, facilities and ability to prepare you for the next level.
What they're missing: A renewed focus on evaluating players. It’s what differentiated Bob Stoops’ staff when they started, and it’s how they found players like Sam Bradford, Josh Heupel, Juaquin Iglesias and Donald Stephenson. All at the time were considered to be three-star recruits but wound up being impact players for the Sooners.
Oklahoma State Cowboys
What they’re selling: Their ability to evaluate and develop offensive talent.
What they're missing: Elite players in the Lone Star State. With the best facilities in the conference, it might be just enough to get kids to visit.
Texas Longhorns
What they’re selling: Few in the nation can offer up the type of atmosphere, fan base, tradition and total student-athlete package like Texas can.
What they're missing: A true a difference-maker at quarterback. The last two Heisman Trophy winners have come from Texas high schools, and the Longhorns didn’t recruit one heavily and recruited the other as an athlete.
TCU Horned Frogs
What they’re selling: The Horned Frogs recruit to their style of smash-mouth play on both sides of the ball and don’t care how many stars a recruit has. It hurts them some in the recruiting rankings, but it helps them win a lot of ball games.
What they're missing: BCS conference depth. Heading into their second season in the Big 12 after a 7-6 season, the biggest thing the Horned Frogs need to do is to build the roster to be able to compete year in and year out in the BCS conference.
Texas Tech Red Raiders
What they’re selling: The Red Raiders went through a transition that brought Kliff Kingsbury to Lubbock, and the early reception has been nothing short of positive.
What they're missing: The Red Raiders have never had issues putting up points on people, but under Tommy Tuberville and Mike Leach there was little defense being played.
West Virginia Mountaineers
What they’re selling: WVU is a force in the Atlantic region, can recruit well in Pennsylvania and is arguably one of the best schools at identifying offensive talent in the JC ranks.
What they're missing: The 2014 class will have to be all about rebuilding in Morgantown, as the needs are mounting while several impact players have moved on.
Baylor Bears
What they’re selling: The new 45,000-seat, $250-million on-campus stadium that will open in 2014. Recruiting is an arms race, and players like fancy stadiums and locker rooms, and Baylor’s upgrade puts them finally on the same level playing field as everybody else in the Big 12.
What they're missing: Help on defense -- specifically at defensive line and defensive back.
Iowa State Cyclones
What they’re selling: Paul Rhoads. He grew up miles from the campus and has helped turn around Iowa State with a physical and fundamentally sound style of football.
What they're missing: A true home-run threat at receiver.
Kansas Jayhawks
What they’re selling: Charlie Weis. He’s taken risks (juco infusion), repaired relationships with area high school coaches and widened KU’s recruiting pool.
What they're missing: Wins. When you’ve won only one conference game in three years, a little bit of everything is missing.
Kansas State Wildcats
What they’re selling: Bill Synder. The plan has worked for years in Manhattan. K-State doesn’t care how many stars a player has attached to his name, a player only earns an offer from K-State unless Snyder personally signs off on it after a lengthy review. It’s a plan that produced a No. 1 BCS ranking and a Big 12 championship in 2012.
What’s missing: I’ve been told by coaches for years that the most difficult position to recruit is defensive tackle. That’s why you often see even average defensive tackles rack up double-digit offers, and finding good depth at defensive tackle has been very difficult to do at K-State.
Oklahoma Sooners
What they’re selling: Oklahoma is proud of its football tradition, and few schools can match the Sooners’ track record for success, facilities and ability to prepare you for the next level.
What they're missing: A renewed focus on evaluating players. It’s what differentiated Bob Stoops’ staff when they started, and it’s how they found players like Sam Bradford, Josh Heupel, Juaquin Iglesias and Donald Stephenson. All at the time were considered to be three-star recruits but wound up being impact players for the Sooners.
Oklahoma State Cowboys
What they’re selling: Their ability to evaluate and develop offensive talent.
What they're missing: Elite players in the Lone Star State. With the best facilities in the conference, it might be just enough to get kids to visit.
Texas Longhorns
What they’re selling: Few in the nation can offer up the type of atmosphere, fan base, tradition and total student-athlete package like Texas can.
What they're missing: A true a difference-maker at quarterback. The last two Heisman Trophy winners have come from Texas high schools, and the Longhorns didn’t recruit one heavily and recruited the other as an athlete.
TCU Horned Frogs
What they’re selling: The Horned Frogs recruit to their style of smash-mouth play on both sides of the ball and don’t care how many stars a recruit has. It hurts them some in the recruiting rankings, but it helps them win a lot of ball games.
What they're missing: BCS conference depth. Heading into their second season in the Big 12 after a 7-6 season, the biggest thing the Horned Frogs need to do is to build the roster to be able to compete year in and year out in the BCS conference.
Texas Tech Red Raiders
What they’re selling: The Red Raiders went through a transition that brought Kliff Kingsbury to Lubbock, and the early reception has been nothing short of positive.
What they're missing: The Red Raiders have never had issues putting up points on people, but under Tommy Tuberville and Mike Leach there was little defense being played.
West Virginia Mountaineers
What they’re selling: WVU is a force in the Atlantic region, can recruit well in Pennsylvania and is arguably one of the best schools at identifying offensive talent in the JC ranks.
What they're missing: The 2014 class will have to be all about rebuilding in Morgantown, as the needs are mounting while several impact players have moved on.
AUSTIN, Texas -- Each week Sean Adams looks at a few topics around the Texas Longhorns and college football.
First down: The game that matters in 2013
The two teams that come up most as having the best opportunity to win the Big 12 besides Texas are Oklahoma State and TCU. You probably could deduce that those would be the most important games on the schedule, especially with TCU being on the road in Fort Worth.
First down: The game that matters in 2013
The two teams that come up most as having the best opportunity to win the Big 12 besides Texas are Oklahoma State and TCU. You probably could deduce that those would be the most important games on the schedule, especially with TCU being on the road in Fort Worth.
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During the summer, HornsNation will analyze each of the scholarship players on the Texas roster -- excluding the Longhorns' 2013 recruiting class -- in our Burnt Orange Breakdown series. Starting with No. 1 Mike Davis, we will go through the roster numerically, finishing with No. 99 Desmond Jackson.
No. 4 Cayleb Jones
Sophomore wide receiver
No. 4 Cayleb Jones
Sophomore wide receiver
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Burnt Orange Breakdown: Jalen Overstreet 
May, 6, 2013
May 6
12:00
PM CT
By
Carter Strickland | ESPN.com
During the summer, HornsNation will analyze each of the scholarship players on the Texas roster -- excluding the Longhorns' 2013 recruiting class -- in our Burnt Orange Breakdown series. Starting with No. 1 Mike Davis, we will go through the roster numerically, finishing with No. 99 Desmond Jackson.
No. 3 Jalen Overstreet
Freshman quarterback
No. 3 Jalen Overstreet
Freshman quarterback
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David Ubben goes through his top three games to watch this upcoming season to help boost and decide the Big 12.ABOUT HORNSNATION
Sean Adams
Sean Adams has covered the Texas Longhorns and college football for the last 12 years as a writer and radio host. Sean co-hosts "The Big Show" with Erin Hogan each afternoon on ESPN Austin 104.9 The Horn. He lives with his family in Round Rock, Texas. Email him at thisean@gmail.com.
Max Olson
Max Olson joined ESPN in 2012 after covering the University of Nebraska for the Omaha (Neb.) World-Herald and high school and college sports for the World-Herald and Rivals.com. Olson is a University of Nebraska graduate and lives in Austin, Texas. Email him at maxolsonespn@gmail.com.
Carter Strickand
Carter Strickland joined ESPN.com in 2011 after covering the University of Georgia for Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the University of Oklahoma for The (Oklahoma City) Oklahoman and Washington State University for The (Spokane, Wash.) Spokesman-Review. Strickland lives with his wife and family in Austin. Email him at cstrickland70@gmail.com.
William Wilkerson
William Wilkerson joined ESPN.com in 2011 after covering high school sports, college sports and the Texas Rangers over four years at the Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram. William is a University of Texas graduate and lives in Austin. He can be reached at wilkerson.espn@gmail.com.