Ball security key to quarterback competition

AUSTIN — Shane Buechele and Sam Ehlinger believe in this Texas offense. They have to, because without tangible results against an actual opponent, faith is all they have.

Even after succumbing to coordinator Todd Orlando’s opportunistic defense in Saturday’s scrimmage, the dueling quarterbacks sifted through the negative in search of some positive nuggets to carry forward.

“I saw an offense that responded,” Ehlinger said. “I believe that there were some things in the scrimmage where we just could have put our head down and said, ‘Oh, shoot, we have no chance of winning this thing.’ But we actually played better in the second half of the scrimmage.

“It was really good to see our offense kind of have an identity of, ‘Hey, take it one play at a time,’ as opposed to letting the past influence what happens in the future.”

Response is one thing, prevention is another entirely.

This offense’s Achilles’ heel last season was its propensity for playing too loose, especially during the second half of tight games. That led to a glut of un- timely turnovers, and those miscues often sent UT spiraling.

When asked last weekend whether ball security was a problem, coach Tom Herman responded straightaway.

“Yes. Yeah,” Herman said. “We’re addressing it.

“It’s great for the defense. You know, if we had no turnovers, I’d be worried about the defense. You want to be somewhere in the middle.”

Decision-making and ball security have been at the forefront of the ongoing competition between Ehlinger and Buechele. Herman isn’t eager to suffer similar burns in Year 2, so the eventual victor of this quarterback contest will be the one most capable of blending dynamism and savvy.

Ehlinger maintains a slight edge over Buechele as the second scrimmage approaches, but Buechele has stayed even-keeled since practice began on Aug. 3.

“I think ‘never too high, never too low’ is a good saying for us,” Buechele said. “Our defense is good, and it makes our offense better. You don’t want a bad defense, it doesn’t make your offense any better. It’s good going against our defense everyday with coach Orlando calling up whatever he wants in different scenarios.”

Ohio St. situation not a distraction

Both Shane Buechele and Sam Ehlinger claimed the continuing saga with the Ohio State football program, which sucked in former Ohio State offensive coordinator Tom Herman, has not grown into a disruption.

“We haven’t even really talked about it at all,” Buechele said. “We know what’s going on over there, and it’s a sad situation, but right now it’s not a distraction to our team.”

Last weekend, Herman was implicated as the source who informed reporter McMurphy Brett

of the domestic violence allegations against former Ohio State assistant Smith. Zach

OSU fired Smith on July 23 after details came to light of

his alleged abuse of ex-wife Courtney Smith.

Jeff Snook, a former Florida and Florida State beat writer who has written several books on Ohio State football, also alleged Herman and his wife,

Michelle Herman, paid a portion of Courtney’s legal fees.

McMurphy shot down Snook’s report. And Herman denied Snook’s allegations through a Texas spokesman.

“It is absolutely untrue,” Herman said. “Neither I, nor anybody in my family, has ever communicated with Brett McMurphy about the situation at Ohio State.”

He added: “In March of 2017, my wife assisted her friend Courtney Smith during a time of financial need. We have not provided any financial assistance since then.”

Adeoye, Overshown suffer knee injuries

Two promising freshmen suffered knee injuries during Saturday’s scrimmage and will remain out of action through at least the Sept. 1 season opener against Maryland.

The team announced linebacker Ayodele Adeoye and defensive back DeMarvion

Overshown will miss “an extended period of time” after receiving evaluations from the Texas medical staff. The two will continue to receive treatment as Texas works to establish a timeline for their return.

Transfer Anderson garnering praise

Rice graduate transfer and potential starting left tackle

Calvin Anderson is steadily acclimating to his new environment. Coach Tom Herman said the two-time All-Conference USA selection has demonstrated some progress adjusting to the scheme, though you can still tell “the offense is a bit new to him.” Both Shane Buechele and

Sam Ehlinger praised the Austin Westlake standout.

“Very athletic. Great pass (protection). He’s been doing a really, really good job of coming in and learning the offense,” Buechele said. “He’s always trying to get extra work, trying to study the playbook, trying to figure out what he needs to do to see the field.”