Top Five Bottom Five: Week 2

Top Five

1. Defense is multiple: I'm talking about how impressed I was with the adjustments made by the defense as the game went on. The true credit probably belongs with DollaWill, but the defensive players executed the second half shutout. After all, we've now had two score-free second halves in a row, our last before that being against Iowa State last season. 

2. Kick Blocks: Watching the game, I assumed both of these were just bad kicks. Duane Akina, welcome back and never leave us (in your current position). It is unbelievable that we did not block a single kick last season. What is even more unbelievable is that all three punts blocked so far were by freshman. 

3. Ryan Palmer: Last week he sat squarely in my bottom five, but after a full game of much improved pass coverage I think he deserves redemption. No interceptions on the stat sheet this week, but he was able to get his hands on an errant pass. Ryan Palmer played the kind of smart defense that makes you think he actually knows the offense's routes. Great senior leadership, I hope he can keep pushing the defense.

4. Fr Wr? Dan Buckner, Malcolm Williams, and Brandon Collins all caught passes this weekend, and are all brand sparkling new. How much credit goes to the receivers and how much goes to Colt for dealing the passes is up for discussion, but no one can argue that these rookies will be incredibly good for us. Dan Buckner is a beast that needs to be unleashed downfield. Maybe one of my new favorite players. 

5. Colt: Had another incredible game, but he loses his number one spot because he didn't play up to the standard he can. Even on his off day, he played at a level equaled only by the top rung of quarterbacks this season. If he can play even close to this level when the real pressure starts to mount, he will be a Heisman finalist, write it down. 5th place and a vote of confidence for the Heisman, not too bad.

Bottom Five

1. Q stands for... Quailman? The only reasonable excuse I can think for the neglect of the Q package is that the offense had to get familiar with running their base plays against UTEP's 3-3-5. Sure we used John Chiles as a receiver maybe a few times and as mop up when the game was done for, but that just isn't enough I say. The only apology I will accept, GD Greg Davis, is if you generously treat us to double barrel shotgun mayhem on 9/13/08. 

2. Turnovers in the secondary: There weren't any. Ryan Palmer should have had his second of the season, but the Righteous Eye disagreed. Do we need to start our taller cornerbacks? Do we need to pressure quarterbacks more? This may be a lot to ask of our young secondary, but they are our starters now and they have the talent to get a few more turnovers.

3. Earl Thomas: In order for Thomas to avoid being the punch line of many Big 12 quarterback jokes he needs to have an outstanding game next week. Like two turnovers and 16 tackles. With the rest of the secondary playing far better than expected by anyone, even having a "regular" day will put you in the cross-hairs of our conference's enterprising quarterbacks. From everything I heard this summer, if anyone has sufficient drive to be get to the next level, it is Earl Thomas. 

4. Pressure: Specifically, Colt under pressure. Even though his lone interception of the season is being directly blamed on Dan Buckner, Colt can still improve under pressure. He has played as well as anybody, but I still saw flashes of 2007 Colt. UTEP or not, this defense applied greater pressure than expected, but not the kind of pressure the Horns will face over the next few months. His ability to throw intelligently and accurately will be key when the meat of our schedule roles around. 

5. Lamarr Houston: I would like to think of this as a compliment, but Lamarr Houston makes all the difference for the defensive line. Roy Miller and Lamarr Houston's  health should be on top of every coach's list. Our defensive strength lies in our fast DE's, and if our opponents can double or triple team them we will not consistently succeed. I truly approve of how Houston handled the situation, and can't wait to see him crush the piggies. 

If that doesn't do anything for you, you aren't doing it right.