1. The "Game Experience" at a UT game is less stagnant than it is at Tech.
Maybe it was just because I was in a new place, but there didn't seem to be near as many "lulls" during the UT game. Whether that be between quarters or during timeouts, there was never a point where I was anxious for things to get going again. I did not spend half of the game staring at Mr. Orange Glove wishing pain upon him and his family, as I frequently do at Tech games. There was a lot of interaction around the stadium and on the jumbrotron that kept everything moving. Again, maybe this was because I've become numb to all the distractions/interactions during the breaks at Tech.
2. The UT crowd has nothing on the Tech crowd.
The stadium wasn't full for the Rice game, as there was "only" about 86,000 there. The loudest stadium roars during the game did not reach anywhere near what The Jones can pump out. My wife and I could speak to each other at normal talking voices while the stadium was "getting loud" on a third down or whatever. That ain't happening at The Jones.
3. The game was a lot more competitive than the 42-28 score suggests.
Rice ran 90-something plays. UT ran 30-something. Most of UT's scoring came off of big plays out of nowhere, be that defensive fumble recoveries, special team returns, or Heard launching one downfield. Outside of 5ish big plays, UT looked mediocre at best.
4. Jerrod Heard was fairly underwhelming.
I'm not sure what I expected from a guy who got beat out by Swoopes, but Heard just doesn't seem like the answer for UT. ESPN lists him at 6'2" and 195 lbs, and that seems pretty generous. He looked tiny out there. His recklessness running around reminds me a lot of the freshman version of Boykin. Hopefully he doesn't turn into the senior version of Boykin.
5. Malik Jefferson is The Truth.
That kid is going to be a monster. He was all over the place.
6. Tech is going to win in Austin this year.
That UT offense, regardless of the QB, cannot keep up with Mahomes and Co. They only had 270 total offensive yards against Rice. And while Malik is a monster, nothing about that defense seems too intimidating.
7. brb, going to email this to Gio.
Maybe it was just because I was in a new place, but there didn't seem to be near as many "lulls" during the UT game. Whether that be between quarters or during timeouts, there was never a point where I was anxious for things to get going again. I did not spend half of the game staring at Mr. Orange Glove wishing pain upon him and his family, as I frequently do at Tech games. There was a lot of interaction around the stadium and on the jumbrotron that kept everything moving. Again, maybe this was because I've become numb to all the distractions/interactions during the breaks at Tech.
2. The UT crowd has nothing on the Tech crowd.
The stadium wasn't full for the Rice game, as there was "only" about 86,000 there. The loudest stadium roars during the game did not reach anywhere near what The Jones can pump out. My wife and I could speak to each other at normal talking voices while the stadium was "getting loud" on a third down or whatever. That ain't happening at The Jones.
3. The game was a lot more competitive than the 42-28 score suggests.
Rice ran 90-something plays. UT ran 30-something. Most of UT's scoring came off of big plays out of nowhere, be that defensive fumble recoveries, special team returns, or Heard launching one downfield. Outside of 5ish big plays, UT looked mediocre at best.
4. Jerrod Heard was fairly underwhelming.
I'm not sure what I expected from a guy who got beat out by Swoopes, but Heard just doesn't seem like the answer for UT. ESPN lists him at 6'2" and 195 lbs, and that seems pretty generous. He looked tiny out there. His recklessness running around reminds me a lot of the freshman version of Boykin. Hopefully he doesn't turn into the senior version of Boykin.
5. Malik Jefferson is The Truth.
That kid is going to be a monster. He was all over the place.
6. Tech is going to win in Austin this year.
That UT offense, regardless of the QB, cannot keep up with Mahomes and Co. They only had 270 total offensive yards against Rice. And while Malik is a monster, nothing about that defense seems too intimidating.
7. brb, going to email this to Gio.
