Texas Needs a “Statement” Running Back | Will Matthews Previews the Longhorns’ First Test

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2:27And the best part is you're not doing it alone. A dedicated rep handles your project end to end. From volume orders to design curation. Plus, members get 20% off. Tax exempt checkout. And flexible payment with no minimums. Learn more at cratonbarrel.com slash podcast. That's cratonbarrel.com slash podcast. Okay, well, let's bring it in. Our weekly Thursday guests. We'll math news. Good morning, Will. What's up, everybody? Jeff, what's up, man? Good to see you. I saw you Monday and passing at that presser. But glad to see you on this Thursday. Great. That's great. Great to see you too. The doctor. Yeah. Lobby's off to the doctor. Yeah. Hey, Will, hey, before we get started, since I love keeping the fullback position alive, I'm, we're gonna make it great to get at some point. It's all sick. Since you're on shot at the Andrew Beck for making the Jets 53, still still cash and checks. Just because he can, you know, he gets the occasional kicker turn. They throw a bone his way.

3:27But I like Will that a guy's still on a 53 just because he knows how to set the edge in the run game. Yeah, I mean, that's a special thing. I feel like it's a special thing. Like, and I feel like the art is being lost. There is an intensity that comes with being fullback and fullback-esque age back that doesn't exist in the game in the way that it should. There isn't. I mean, you know, I want people to be safe, but I really like hits. I think I might just start a company and call it ISO, not sell anything, just so I can say the word ISO a lot. Love it. It should have a show called ISO. Where you just go. There you go. The fullback plays in college football. There you go. There you go. I think it's going to be a military camp. A lot of old school highlights from back in the day. Yeah. Hey, Will,

4:27what's the one thing you're looking for Saturday, other than out for your out, other than looking out for yourself with 140 degrees on the field? Yeah. I really want to see the guys come out and take care of business. And what that means is a level of professionalism. I was talking to running back coach, coach Jalook, and we were just talking about how these guys come to work in a different way. And it seems as if even the young guys have set their focus to do what's most important on the field. And I mean, just look at their Cooper and some of these guys, Kosi, who are going to be substantial, given substantial time this season. And you don't get that kind of time and you don't get that kind of trust from the team unless you're like really, really come to play. In my time, there were a couple of guys who came to play and they called their name a bunch on Sunday.

5:31Guys like Roy Williams and Kalen Thornton, and who came out right out of the gate. Nate Bashar, too, came out and did their thing. It's just a different kind of focus. And that's what I want to see. And that'll go to the guys not dropping the ball in pre-game and like being ready to play and being excited about the work that they're going to do. And it doesn't matter the opponent. It just matters that the job gets done. So super excited for those guys. Hey, well, I want to follow up. We had a discussion, Rod Bobby, Jeff and I on a state of the program yesterday. And I brought up emotional football maturity for freshmen. That's one thing I'm really kind of like I went down the C. Derrick Cooper a couple of times. I was at his commitment ceremony, but more importantly, when I went to see him at his high school, I sensed a lot of setter backster emotional football maturity in him. Talk about the importance of that now with the portal because you're playing against older guys. You're coming into college football against older guys more so now than ever.

6:35Do you think how important do you think that means for freshmen in this day and age? Oh, it's huge. So there's only those blue blood organizations like in Texas, Georgia. And you know, it's kind of like the NFL. Like when you're draft, the day expect you to play immediately. The tide has turned in how we do that. Like, there's less development. Coach Sark and those guys are picking guys who mostly can get to play. They're walking right into there and fighting for the second and third job. And you know, it takes a level of focus and even as you're looking over the game, like I was talking to my wife the other day and nobody understands the amount of things I gave up to get to where I wanted to go. And I have fun. Don't get me wrong. And we enjoyed that experience. But the players at this level have got to say no to a lot of things. And that does mean like holidays, that does mean trips, that does mean that does mean internships and in the off season because what you have to do,

7:40you have to give your whole life to it. And the younger somebody can start to understand that as the more they can give that kind of focus. And when you see those guys, those are the guys who, you know, in the hard count, they jump off sides. It just is what it is. And so, and a good player does what they're told. They know exactly what to do in most situations. But the great players do the right thing even when they don't know what they're doing. That's, that's, and that is not only is that preparation, but that that's a mental, that's a mental mindset. And that's something that has got to be developed young. I would bet these guys were carrying that from a long time ago. And will you, you mentioned the press conference on Monday. I love your question at the end because we got one of the answers out of Sark that I've kind of been wanting them to get to when we talk about the run game. We can talk about bringing in with students as an inline tight end and the changes they made on the offensive line. But I think at some point in Sark alluded to this, some point running backs have to understand like, look, not every play is going to be blocked perfectly. And

8:43you got to go make the most out of what you can. I think that's one thing now that I'm looking forward to seeing the most on Saturday when it's not clean when it's when it's when it's a little bit muddy. Can these guys on on third and two can they get you four? If it if it's only blocked to get you one, can they get you two or three? Can you can you have a group of backs that can maximize runs and get the most out of every touch they get? Yeah, and that's so important. One of the things that lagged in Texas Stass over the last couple of years is that yards per carry. In certain games, my guy, Wisner, he did really well. He was the the dragon slayer as we would call it. But if you look consistently, you have got to be able to fall forward. And I'm not saying that our backs were able to do that. And that's a heart. That's a heart and focus position. I remember there were sometimes with us when I'm locking for said and there were four guys over there. And somehow he's still got a positive yard out of that. And that's what you want. You want to be able to do that.

9:47And if you got a name like Hollywood, I want to see you make somebody miss. Come on. Like, that's the thing. And that's what and that's what I feel like coach Sark went out to the portal to get. He showed up his future in Cooper. But today is today. And we have got to be ready today. And those two backs, one A, one B have got to make somebody miss. They've got to get to the line of scrimmage in a very aggressive way. And they have got to put that shoulder down. And I love you can go sideways and make all the shakes and all that. But you have got to put your helmet in somebody's chest. And so I don't know is that is that the short yardage kind of statement play? Who's going to come in and be that back? We've got a we've got a lot of guys who can catch the ball out of the back field and make him miss in space. And but will we leak or Hollywood? Will they beat that guy as well? And that's really what we want to see. Or do they bring a big guy out like a like a Michael Terry

10:47and give him the rock in the short yardage to get it done or or dare Cooper? Who knows who it is? But we have got to have that statement guy. And I and I remember like third and two, I had no doubt whoever was getting the ball we were getting that first down. Yeah. Yeah. Hey, um, Will, how long you're you're on the sidelines? How long into the game? Will you hear Will? Must chance first F bomb? Oh, I'll drop your series. I hope immediately. Yeah. Before the game. Before the game. Before the game. I'm hoping and I'm hoping as we're walking out of the out of the tunnel there, we're hearing it. I want to hear Coach Boone because boom. And that's what we've been wanting. We were with Jerry was there last night. We had a little event and had third and longhorn out. And it was just really cool to hear Alex Okafour talk about Coach Boone, Coach Must Champion and what it meant to him. And and even Jeremy Hills was saying there with this guy, there's a certain level of uncomfortability

11:50that the whole team has. Not just the defense. They know that any second that coach could come up to them and be like, Hey, what's the deal with that? What's going on? He's calling you to a higher standard. And I don't want to wait until half time until I hear that voice cut through the air. I want that early and often. And I tell young guys too, if your coach is a gallon at you then you might need to find a new sport because they're not enjoying the team or coaching. Exactly. If your coach is a gallon, he's not carrying. And so take that feedback and get out there and do your thing. Rumble young man. Hey, we'll real quick. I know you talk about catching up with coach Jaluit Blake and I actually caught his lecture this year at the THSAA convention. And we, you know, you can get a little caught up in the moment of those things, but Blake and I both looked at each other and I'm thinking like, I would play for this guy. Like there's just something about the tone he sets where there's certain things that are not negotiables. It's a physical kind of blue collar tone. I like the fact that in the year where

12:56you've got so much change in terms of personnel and running back that you've got a guy where if you want to be kind of a nasty physical running back room. So if you've ever furnished a restaurant, hotel or an office, you know the drill. Five vendors, five invoices, five delivery windows. But there's a better way to do this. Craten Barrel contract is a business to business program that covers three brands. Craten Barrel, CB2 and Craten Kids with one account, one order, one delivery. They've got durable plates and glasses, contract grade furniture, and lighting that looks custom that's built for the wear of busy space actually takes. And the best part is you're not doing it alone. A dedicated rep handles your project end to end from volume orders to design curation. Plus, members get 20% off, tax exempt checkout, and flexible payment with no minimums. Learn more at CratenBarrel.com slash podcast. That's CratenBarrel.com slash podcast.