#still iffy on if duke is his *kid* or if he's just a really close student

[erinwantstowrite]

A while ago you liked a comment of mine on TikTok where I said that there should be no second Batman bc having Bruce retire/die means his fight should be over and he should be able to rest properly, (idk if that’s exactly what I said but I think it’s in the ball park) so can I ask what you think about a legacy Batman? And who would you have be the second Batman? Also your art is amazing and I love leap of faith, hope you have a great day

i remember that comment!!!!

i honestly believe that having a "legacy" for every single hero is just,,, boring. the reason this happens is because they are never going to NOT have Batman. how else would they make money??? so they just keep giving us reasons why his mantle has to be there. just like the Joker HAS to always come back, why new characters are always tied in to existing characters somehow, etc.

in a perfect world, we'd get new characters sometimes and overarching storylines that aren't regressed the second we make any headway on character development. we'd have new villains by now that make a name for themselves outside of the original villains, we'd see an impact on our settings and characters, all that jazz. and in this perfect world, we wouldn't have so many legacy mantles

and i mean, like, one of the supers taking up the Superman name? that's cool. they're a family, thematically it works. even with the Flash family, I accept how they do it (though I hardly keep up with their comics)

but Batman?????

STOPPPPP

Every other Batfam member has an arc where they branch away from Bruce and the name, save for Tim and Cass, I think. Tim is... a gray area. I only put him here because he's back to being Robin (because DC can't let go of that money maker!). It's an insult to their characters to put them into the Batman mantle, but in universe, this keeps happening because "Gotham needs Batman."

No! No they do not! They do not need Batman specifically. They need his ideals! His kids do not need to be Batman to have Batman still be around after he's put up the cape or died, because they are that future without the cape! There is no magic tied in to that stupid cowl, they just see it that way because Batman is this larger than life figure. Of course they think their dad is impervious to the world, that the cape that protected them is special, that they need Batman. But that is NOT the case.

Just like with any family, life will move on. The legacy continues through the lessons that the kids learned. In many ways, they are better than Batman because they learned from his mistakes, too. Just like every kid does with their parent.

But they don't want to be Batman. And it's kind of insane to keep putting them in someone else's suit, basically someone else's identity. Dick is a great Batman, but his biggest fear is losing himself in Bruce's shadow. What happened to Jason was because of Batman's failure, and it isn't healthy to put him in the Batman suit. Tim should be allowed to move on from Robin and finally get his own mantle because he has always used someone else's. (Yes I am purposefully forgetting that Drake existed do not remind me.) That and the existence of Gun Batman. Do NOT put him in that suit!!!!!!! Damian is branching out of vigilante life altogether, which is so so so good for him. Him becoming Batman after struggling so much with his identity, purpose, and blood ties, is a spit in the face to character development. I think Duke should get to choose his own name for a hero mantle (because Bruce thought of Signal), and thematically I don't think he fits into the Batman role. He is a shining light the way Robin was, but this time more literal because of his powers. Batman is very human, that's what makes his character. Duke deserves more than being Batman.

The best person for that job is Cass.

Not only does she understand the No Kill Rule in the way that Bruce understands it, she is also his equal or superior in every way. Whether it's her physical abilities, or her intelligence, or her morals, Cass fits the bill. She's one of the strongest members of the Batfam and I think she would be able to take on the burden without crumbling under the pressure or feeling scared of that responsibility. She's fit in to the Batman role before, has mirrored him in many ways, and is also her own character (and man I just really love Cass). She strikes the same amount of fear into people that Batman does, a master of the shadows, the dark, and she has a hope that I think Gotham could need.

But she doesn't need to be Batman to do it. She just has to fill in that role. Sure, she could pick up the name Batman, it won't kill me. But so long as she fills in the space that Bruce left behind, becoming the next leader and mentor, she could be anyone.

I think it's more powerful that way to show that the time has passed. That Bruce's time as a vigilante made an impact. Gotham has changed. His kids have grown up. And the Dark Knight is still there, at home.

[kittydemon9000]

*slides seductively into inbox* i see you like transformers. ever watch brave police j-decker? ;)

wHY YES I HAVE AND LEMME JUST SAY THAT IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE SHOWS EVER

oh my god I can ramble about that show for hours anon you have no idea what you've just done-

First off, Yuuta. Just, Yuuta. Precious child, my baby boi, sweet summer child who didn't deserve all the trauma he got, kid literally got shot. I want to wrap him in blankets and give him hot chocolate.

Second off, Yuuta's relationship with the Braves. Absolutely incredible how they all are given time to be with him and get their own relations. Also love just how diverse their personalities are, but my favorites are Deckerd and Drill Boy.

Third off, holy fuck the Birthday Party Arc. I made the mistake of watching that at 2am and I was an emotional mess. But I absolutely adored Duke's character arc. I hated him at first but by the end he was definitely a favorite. I will admit I'm still iffy on Regina, but I don't despise her anymore so her arc was technically a success too.

Fourth off, Gunmax. Oh my god Gunmax. The fruitiest robot, there is no straight explanation for the Handcuff Episode.

Fifth off, this show hit all the feels for me. It made me cry in the first 11 minutes when Deckerd and Yuuta thought he was going to loose his memories, and so many more times throughout, most notably the aforementioned Birthday Arc as well as the Fey Episode....god the Fey Episode. But, it also makes me so happy, like whenever Deckerd was a Father Figure to Yuuta, and the Panda Episode and when Drill Boy and Dumpson were shrunk :D

But in all seriousness, I hold this show really close to my heart. I was going through a pretty dark time around the time I found out about the show and I do think it helped lighten the burden. Just seeing these funky lil robots doing their thing and overcoming obstacles together made me happy when I was struggling to find happiness.

You know it's been a few years, maybe I could rewatch it and liveblog my reactions-

[ingek73]

Perhaps Ghislaine Maxwell can fill in some blanks for Epstein's ‘bewildered’ friends

Marina Hyde

It’s strange that Prince Andrew never felt it was odd that his middle-aged pal was always surrounded by teenage girls

Published: 15:37 Friday, 03 July 2020

Spare a thought for Prince Andrew – and, indeed, a brain cell. As his landmark Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis showed, the Queen’s second son really is sensationally thick, even by the standards of a family internationally famed for their dimbulbery, certainly since the time of George I. If the Falklands war hadn’t robbed Andrew of the ability to sweat, now would definitely be the moment to break out a bead or two.

Instead, I see the Duke of York is once again “bewildered”, following the US arrest of his close friend Ghislaine Maxwell, charged with the sex trafficking of underage girls. HRH is “bewildered” that this dramatic event has led to yet another podium shout-out from US prosecutors, who insist again that they want to interview him about his close friend Jeffrey Epstein and the latter’s crimes (don’t call it a “lifestyle”). “We would like to have the benefit of his statement,” one US attorney said pointedly on Thursday. The previous occupant of her post had claimed Andrew was refusing to help – and yet, according to Andrew’s lawyers, he has been in touch with US authorities twice in the past month, and their failure to respond has apparently led to the latest bout of bewilderment.

Which version is the most strictly accurate? US attorneys have a reputation for publicity-seeking, so it really could be either party being economic with their interpretation of the truth. There would be a certain poetic justice if it were Prince Andrew who is now being used for something or other. Oh dear. One finds oneself karma’s bitch.

If it helps the duke get his head around that potential scenario: he is being used because he has come to be perceived as weak and powerless. He is viewed as a somewhat worthless figure who would nonetheless be quite the adornment to events. He is being toyed with, gaslit and goaded, and this really is a no-win situation for him. People’s default position on the things he says is disbelief. His desperate assertions are dismissed as lies, the fact that he would make them branded a joke. He is an object of ridicule, scorn and social disdain. Even his mother clearly believed he should go away quietly.

On the plus side, the duke isn’t feeling one thousandth of what it felt like to be one of the many teenage girls and young women who would also feel all those things, as they were drawn into Epstein’s web of rape and abuse, then spat out and threatened into miserable, permanently damaged silence. On the other hand, Andrew is certainly feeling SOMETHING that is never going to go away.

He may yet feel something more concrete than that, given that Ghislaine Maxwell will now be strongly encouraged toward total candour. Cast your mind back to Andrew’s impolitic reflections on his longtime friend in the Newsnight interview. Asked about Maxwell, he said: “If there are questions that Ghislaine has to answer, that is her problem, I’m afraid.” (Very brave, sire. Was there even a single line in the entire 592-car pile-up in which he didn’t make a number of situations worse for himself? The deep vulnerabilities the interview opened up are still revealing themselves to us like a slowly unfurling lotus blossom.)

Still, if only the prince’s bewilderment – and that of many others – had kicked in rather earlier. Part of me wonders whether something like the Vietnam war had robbed HRH of the ability to feel bewildered during his friendship with Epstein. Otherwise he might have felt bewildered as to why his middle-aged friend was so often surrounded by teenage girls. He might have felt it bewildering to go to Ghislaine Maxwell’s house, reportedly after a visit to Tramp nightclub, and pass the rest of the evening with two other people in their 40s and a 17-year-old girl. Unless he knew exactly what was going on, that situation should have bewildered the shit out of him. (I should mention that Prince Andrew is bewildered by anyone who fails to accept he wasn’t there that night, but at Pizza Express in Woking.)

This, alas, is why it’s so hard to believe all the frightful bollocks about “not knowing” being spouted by so many rich and powerful former friends of Epstein. One of the most telling admissions in Filthy Rich, the Epstein documentary currently showing on Netflix, comes from the former telephone engineer on Epstein’s private island. “You tell yourself that you didn’t know for sure and you never really saw anything, but that’s all just rationalisation. Jeffrey Epstein, he was a guy who concealed his deviance very well – but he didn’t conceal it that well.”

Well, quite. There are many cases of huge and systematic abuse where we still pander to the people who turned a blind eye to it, by saying that it was “a sophisticated operation”. Epstein’s operation was certainly expensive. But was it sophisticated? How sophisticated is it really when your private Caribbean property is known locally as “Paedophile Island”?

It was much the same with Michael Jackson, whose child abuse operation is again always described as “sophisticated”. And yet, was it? The guy installed a massive fairground outside his creepy house, told people he slept with kids in his bed, and was dogged for decades by lawsuits from children – always boys, always around the same age, always alleging the same patterns of behaviour. Expensive, yes, but not sophisticated. Didn’t need to be.

One of Jackson’s former advisers once claimed to have said to him: “Michael, you’re going to wind up in a lot of trouble. Why don’t you stop all this stuff with the young boys?” Jackson’s deathless reply was: “I don’t want to.” For me, that is the absolute definitive Michael Jackson line. “I don’t want to.” You can hear it now, in that unmistakeable singsong voice, suffused with an absolute indifference to anything other than personal gratification, and the absolute conviction that one way or another you’re going to get away with it. Which proved to be the case. Why don’t you stop sexually abusing children? “I don’t want to.”

In the case of Jackson and Epstein’s servants, the silence about the “lifestyle issues” of their employer is unforgivable, yet easily explained. They depended on the men for their income. But in the case of the many, many rich people who turned a blind eye to Epstein’s grotesque predilections, there really is not even the slightest scintilla of a warped excuse. They knew enough to know. Donald Trump, of course, was the only one stupid enough to say it out loud, laughing in an interview that his friend Epstein’s girls were “on the younger side”. But please don’t suggest Bill Clinton, an extremely clever man, was too stupid to make basic assumptions, or that even Prince Andrew couldn’t have glommed on once Epstein had been convicted of procuring an underage girl for prostitution. Those are just the presidents and the prince; there are countless others besides. Perhaps Ghislaine Maxwell will fill in some of the blanks behind their blankness.

For now, you might think the truly bewildering thing is that so many people didn’t say anything. You might think it’s absolutely bewildering that these intelligent, privileged, financially cosseted individuals never confronted Epstein about something even they must have felt iffy calling a “lifestyle”. And yet, it isn’t bewildering. There is, of course, a perfectly simple reason why they never did the right thing. They didn’t want to.

• Marina Hyde is a Guardian columnist

[racingtoaredlight]

College Football 2020 Season Week 8 TV Watch Em Ups: worst case scenario colored glasses

We all should have realized the end was nigh when Wisconsin finally showed up for the season sporting an honest to god four star QB that they had recruited out of high school.

It’s Halloween, there’s a super full extra bloody moon or some such shit, Trevor Lawrence has COVID, the Dodgers won the World Series and Tuesday is election day. All of these things seem foreboding. Oh! And there’s also an asteroid that might hit us on Monday!

Let’s see how many games I write up before the impending doom takes me out this week.

Saturday, October 31

Matchup                                                         Time (ET)           TV/Mobile

16 Kansas State at West Virginia                 12:00pm              ESPN2

College football is always nonsense but this year is extra nonsensical. Both of these teams kind of suck but one of them is ranked #16. K-State is favored in Morgantown and that just seems iffy.

5 Georgia at Kentucky                                   12:00pm              SECN

We are all shocked that Kentucky isn’t actually any good. Of course they’ll feature in some upset updates this week but that’s just because Kirby Smart sucks.

Purdue at Illinois                                             12:00pm                BTN

The way things are going this could be your last chance to see Rondale Moore as a Purdue Boilermakers so that’s something to watch for.

20 Coastal Carolina at Georgia State            12:00pm             ESPNU

I told you last week that there aren’t ten good teams this year and look at this shit.

Michigan State at 13 Michigan                       12:00pm                FOX

Michigan is favored by 21.5 against a bad Michigan State team. If that’s not the set up for a great punchline, I don’t know what is.

23 Iowa State at Kansas                                  12:00pm                 FS1

How do you even get a 50.5-point line listed? That’s setting aside the oddity of being a 50.5-point home underdog. And all of this is setting aside the near certainty that upwards of 50% of the kids in this game have already tested positive for COVID and just weren’t ever notified because that might make them stop playing football. I’m sure there are kids like that all over the TV landscape today, I just have a gut feeling that these two programs would be among the worst offenders.

Wake Forest at Syracuse                                 12:00pm                ACCN 

ACC football, it’s still crappy!

Boston College at 1 Clemson                           12:00pm                  ABC

With Trevor Lawrence up on the shelf this is your first chance to see DJ Uigaleilei actually running the offense. The little bit I saw of him a few weeks ago didn’t inspire my imagination but he is huge and supposedly has quite the strong arm.

UTSA at Florida Atlantic                                    12:00pm               Stadium

The nation’s leading rusher plays for UTSA and his name is Sincere McCormick. I assume he’s actually a time-traveling cowboy.

Temple at Tulane                                                12:00pm                  ESPN+

Two of my favorite flavors of trash. I might not turn on the TV today, though.

Memphis at 7 Cincinnati                                    12:00pm                  ESPN

Part of the reason I’m not sure about my watch ‘em up consumption today is that Miami is off, part is that I won’t be at home most of the day, and part is that I’m afeared Little Ohio State is going to just thump the hell out of our beloved Memphis Tigers. If I check my phone and see this game is close in the third quarter I may feel compelled to check in on it.

UCF at Houston                                                  2:00pm                    ESPN+

For some reason I was thinking Dana Holgorsen had coached Josh Heupel at Oklahoma but Holgo was actually at Texas Tech with Mike Leach after Leach was at Oklahoma. Oh, well. This poison looks sweet to me.

Rice at Southern Miss                                        3:00pm                    ESPN3

My interest in this post is really starting to wane.

Troy at Arkansas State                                       3:00pm                    ESPN3 

In a non-pandemic year I’d love this game.

Abilene Christian at Mercer                               3:00pm                    ESPN3 

This game should be played in the middle of the night with no crowd and maybe no refs or coaches.

Western Colorado at Stephen F. Austin            3:00pm                     ESPN3

This is a 

17 Indiana at Rutgers                                         3:30pm                          FS1

This stupid year. If Rutgers pulls a second straight upset and Sparty somehow beats Michigan, the Rutgers Hauers will probably be ranked next week.

Northwestern at Iowa                                         3:30pm                       ESPN 

Iowa, as per usual, has like five guys on their team that will be NFL starters and still aren’t worth watching.

LSU at Auburn                                                     3:30pm                         CBS

It’s LSU and Auburn! Expect this one to go off the rails early and often.

UAB at Louisiana Tech                                       3:30pm                        Stadium

Good weird football but it’s on Stadium so I can’t recommend it.

4 Notre Dame at Georgia Tech                          3:30pm                          ABC 

The priest that was at the ACB Super Spreader luncheon is the school president of Notre Dame, right? He probably gave COVID to Trevor Lawrence to give his Fighting Satans a chance in hell against Clemson. What’s that you say? Notre Dame isn’t playing Clemson this week? Of course they aren’t. Notre Dame has this weekend off.

TCU at Baylor                                                      3:30pm                       ESPN2

I just threw my hands up and sighed. I don’t know how to type that feeling other than to describe the physical actions. You know what I mean.

Appalachian State at ULM                                  4:00pm                      ESPNU 

I don’t really know.

Virginia Tech at Louisville                                    4:00pm                    ACCN

These were supposed to be “good” ACC teams this year. They are not good teams but either one or both could still turn out to be good in ACC terms.

Texas at 6 Oklahoma State                                 4:00pm                       FOX 

Oklahoma State is fools gold in the rankings but that very fast Canadian kid is still fun to watch.

Mississippi at Vanderbilt                                     4:00pm                    SECN

There is nothing fun or interesting about this game.

Missouri Western at Central Arkansas              4:00pm                   ESPN3

These schools are both junior colleges.

25 Boise State at Air Force                                   6:00pm                 CBSSN

I don’t care what you lot say, Boise State football is a net good for the sport and I like it when they’re ranked.

New Mexico at San Jose State                             7:00pm                  FS1

This game probably shouldn’t be played at all but it definitely shouldn’t kick off at 4pm local time.

Mississippi State at 2 Alabama                            7:00pm               ESPN

Bama is going to be on cruise control for the rest of the regular season but that doesn’t mean they won’t win a few games by 50+.

Charlotte at Duke                                                  7:00pm            RSN/ESPN3 

Hooray Charlotte, I guess.

Navy at 22 SMU                                                     7:30pm                 ESPN2

I’m really not enjoying Navy’s reliance on throwing the ball this year.

Arkansas at 8 Texas A&M                                     7:30pm                  SECN

Again I say pig sooie.

3 Ohio State at 18 Penn State                              7:30pm                   ABC

There are only a few times where it is generally OK to root for the Buckeyes and playing Penn State is always one of those times.

Missouri at 10 Florida                                          7:30pm                  SECN 

I can’t remember if the Gators are wearing cool throwback uniforms this week or if they already did that last week. Somehow my mind is really rejecting this game in particular and I’m not really sure why.

Louisiana at Texas State                                     8:00pm                 ESPNU

This sucks.

15 North Carolina at Virginia                               8:00pm                  ACCN

Wa-hoo-wa imho.

24 Oklahoma at Texas Tech                                8:00pm                   FOX

FOX ads for this week really made it seem like Oklahoma and Oklahoma State were going to play each other but that is very much not the case.

San Diego State at Utah State                           9:30pm                CBSSN 

Huge throbbing boner at the thought of this game.

WKU at 11 BYU                                                    10:15pm               ESPN

BYU seems to be legitimately good for the first time in a while. I like that for nostalgia’s sake even though I have always hated BYU.

Nevada at UNLV                                                   10:30pm                 FS1 

I think UNLV plays in the Raiders stadium now but they might not yet. I don’t remember. I’d rather this game was still played in UNLV’s shitty old stadium over in Henderson.

GAMES OF THE WEEK

9 Wisconsin at Nebraska                  Canceled

North Texas at UTEP                         Postponed

[junker-town]

Texas State is the right place for a college football start-up. Will 2017 show proof?

New head coach Everett Withers never had a chance in year one.

If you were placing a start-up football program on a map, Sim City-style, you would give heavy consideration to San Marcos, Texas.

San Marcos’ Texas State University is a couple of minutes from I-35 and sits midway between San Antonio and Austin. Its residence tells you what you need to know about potential commitment to the sport, and its proximity to football-playing athletes is dramatic.

Sure, there’s plenty of competition for kids, but just as a great area steakhouse probably isn’t going to run out of steak, and just as the state school board isn’t going to run out of things to cut from textbooks, Texas isn’t going to run out of college football recruits. The state knows its portion sizes.

Texas State is immaculately accessible, and unlike neighbor UTSA, the Bobcats have their own stadium. Bobcat Stadium holds 30,000-plus and is pretty enough to have wooed Eric Taylor in the first season of Friday Night Lights.

State isn’t running a start-up, either. The Bobcats have fielded a team since 1904, when they were the Southwest Texas State Normal School. They won back-to-back Division II titles in the early 1980s. But in nearly 25 years at the FCS level, they went to the playoffs only twice, losing to Northern Iowa in the semis in the 2005 and bowing out in the first round in 2008.

Still, a well-placed Texas school with a nice stadium, a championship history (technically), and an enrollment over 35,000? Prime FBS potential.

UTSA went bowling in 2016, and other FBS newcomers — Appalachian State, Georgia Southern, Old Dominion, South Alabama — have experienced immediate success, or close to it. TXST, however, has labored.

In five FBS seasons, the Bobcats have averaged 4.4 wins. They mistimed a 7-5 season in 2014 — in 2015 or 2016, they'd have been bowling — then fell to 3-9 in 2015 and replaced Dennis Franchione with Everett Withers, who stripped the building to the studs and went 2-10.

The 53-year-old has been around the block. He served as defensive coordinator at Austin Peay in the 1980s, Louisville in the 1990s, Minnesota and North Carolina in the 2000s, and Ohio State (co-coordinator, at least) in the 2010s. After an awkward year as UNC interim head coach in 2011, he rehabbed on Urban Meyer's OSU staff for two years. Then he won 18 games in two season as head man at James Madison, compiling talent for the Dukes’ 2016 FCS title run in his stead.

Withers had to know he didn’t have the pieces last fall. He inherited a team that was reasonably athletic but imbalanced and thin. And it took only a couple of well-placed injuries to bring the Bobcats to the ground.

Texas State was bad. Really, really bad.

The Bobcats pulled off a thrilling overtime upset of Ohio in Withers' first game and whomped Incarnate Word, but that was it. Arkansas and Houston beat them by a combined 106-6, and as the untimely injuries took place, the average score in Sun Belt play was Opponent 40, TXST 14.

The offensive line and secondary got particularly roughed up, and State was either thin, young, or both at basically every position that wasn’t quarterback.

Withers and company had to see this coming, but it isn’t hard to see better things on the horizon. Per the 247Sports Composite, TXST just signed the best recruiting class in the Sun Belt, and the Bobcats return their leading running back, their top six receivers, four offensive linemen with starting experience (including a center who was honorable mention all-conference as a freshman), four of six defensive linemen, six of seven linebackers (plus a key 2015 contributor), and eight of 10 defensive backs.

But Texas State fans have spent a good portion of their history looking to the horizon instead of soaking in the present tense. And after a stark Year Zero situation in 2016 — a rebuilding job that takes a year just to get the cupboard organized — the horizon is still pretty far.

2016 in review

There’s really no way to measure Texas State’s 2016 that ends up kind to the Bobcats. There was little redeeming about either their offense or defense.

Perhaps the most disappointing part was State’s underachievement against fellow bad Sun Belt teams. The Bobcats lost by 40 points to New Mexico State, for goodness’ sake.

Really, that was just timing. Over the first six games, TXST showed hints of potential, especially on offense; over the last six, the Bobcats were toast.

First six games (2-4 record): Average percentile performance: 15% (offense 34%, defense 12%) | Yards per play: Opp 6.4, TXST 4.9

Last six games (0-6 record): Average percentile performance: 4% (offense 13%, defense 18%) | Yards per play: Opp 6.0, TXST 3.6

The defense improved a bit, but there just wasn’t much to lean on. The Bobcats were alright at forcing third-and-mediums and preventing huge pass plays, but opponents simply ran and ran once they had a lead, and against this offense, building a lead didn’t take much time.

Texas State was overmatched in every area. It happens in a coach’s first year sometimes. But it adds burden of proof in year two.

Offense

Full advanced stats glossary.

I created this radar so that we could quickly catch on to a team’s strengths and weaknesses. The bigger the surface area of the radar, the more strengths an offense or defense had.

You’ll have to take my word for it because Texas State’s offense radar looks like an upside down bluebonnet. The Bobcats completed a reasonably high rate of passes and occasionally managed a 20-yard gain or two, but the run game didn’t exist, and the pass only worked for so long.

Coordinator Brett Elliott never got a chance to show what he could do in 2016. There just weren't enough toys. He turned quarterback Vad Lee into an All-American at JMU, and he had a decent thrower in Tyler Jones (when healthy) last year, but his top running back was a sophomore, his top three receivers were a sophomore, a freshman, and the sophomore running back, and his offensive line featured one guy who got through all 12 games.

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Elijah King

It's a good news/bad news situation for 2017. Back Stedman Mayberry is back, and while he didn't prove a lot carrying the ball, he did prove versatile, catching 42 passes and helping Jones to a 64 percent completion rate.

Meanwhile, returnees Tyler Watts and Thurman Morbley are back after catching 74 percent of their passes last year. There is a nice set of efficiency weapons, and if senior-to-be Elijah King can provide a more steady threat, the Bobcats might have a bona fide big-play guy. King began with 19 catches for 295 yards in his first five games, but he caught just nine balls the rest of the way. Throw in Kentucky transfer T.V. Williams, and perhaps three-star freshman Jaylin Nelson, and you've got a nice mix of speed and efficiency.

One minor problem: size. Of Mayberry, Watts, Morbley, King, Williams, and Nelson, only King is taller than 5'11, and only Nelson is listed bigger than 190 pounds.

One medium-sized problem: the line. As iffy as it was last year, it will be less experienced this time around. Sophomore center Aaron Brewer, a future All-Sun Belt guy, is a keeper, but those responsible for only 26 of last year's 60 starts up front return, meaning some combination of sophomores, redshirt freshmen, and newbies (JUCO transfer Anthony Mayes, Jr., perhaps?) will have to not only step in but one-up their predecessors in at least a couple of positions.

One huge question mark: quarterback. Jones is gone, as are backups Connor White and Eddie Printz. The 2017 offense could be led by either Mississippi State graduate transfer Damian Williams or a freshman. TXST signed all sorts of three-star freshmen with potential at quarterback, from Nelson to more quarterback-sized options like Kishawn Kelley, Jaylen Gipson, or Willie Lee Jones III. Potential and athleticism abound, but State is starting over at the position.

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Damian Williams

Williams has potential, though. He served as Dak Presoctt's backup in 2014, redshirted in 2015, and got overtaken by Nick Fitzgerald in 2016. But Fitzgerald might be the best quarterback in the SEC next year, so there's little shame.

In three years, Williams has completed 68 of 117 passes (58 percent) for 706 yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions, and he's rushed for 274 yards and two scores. If he takes to Elliott's offense, we might actually get to find out what Elliott's offense is.

Defense

We at least got to see a little bit of the personality intended from Texas State's defense. Despite a revolving door in the secondary — of the original eight players in the two-deep in the back, two starters missed half the season, and two others missed some time — the Bobcats hinted at bend-don't-break proficiency. They held opponents to 12 yards per completion, 11.3 after the first three games of the year.

When they were able to leverage opponents into third downs (a rarity), those were long enough to cause problems, and they allowed just 27 gains of 30-plus yards, 58th in the country. That's a relative strength.

The problem was that basically all of those relative strengths had something to do with big pass plays. Opponents didn't need big pass plays — they were too busy running or completing shorter passes at will. TXST ranked 125th in Rushing S&P+ and 128th in Passing S&P+. Any aerial strengths were negated (and then some) by a 67 percent completion rate and a paltry three interceptions. Big plays or no, opponents managed at least a 145 passer rating in 10 of 12 games, at least a 174 in four.

None of this says any good things about State's talent or experience, but the latter will improve in 2017. The top three tacklers on the line were two freshmen and a sophomore. Among the top four at linebacker were two sophomores and a freshman. And the secondary is now a mix of sophomores who got more playing time than expected and seniors who didn't get as much. Outside of the secondary, barely any seniors will have an impact.

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Gavin Graham

The talent part of the equation, however, is still unknown. The linebacker trio of Bryan London, Gabe Loyd, and Frankie Griffin combined for 20 tackles for loss, and ends Ishmael Davis and Jordan Mittie combined for 9.5. Plus, sophomore nickel back Gavin Graham broke up a couple of passes and made 4.5 stops behind the line himself.

One problem: Almost none of these TFLs were sacks. Texas State had probably the worst pass rush in the country. And while the 2017 signing class appears to have bolstered depth, especially at defensive tackle (JUCO transfer Sam Award and 315-pound, three-star freshman Gjemar Daniels will join the rotation), there's no guarantee anyone will help to sack the quarterback.

The defense will improve because it can't get much worse and because a more stable front seven will handle the run at least a little bit better. But without a pass rush, the improvement will only be marginal.

Special Teams

This unit was Texas State’s strongest. Unfortunately, one of the two main reasons is gone. Lumi Kaba was a decent kickoffs guy and an excellent punter, but he graduated. Brandon McDowell, meanwhile, is an excellent punt returner (fumbles aside), but that only matters if State is forcing more punts than it did in 2016.

2017 Outlook

2017 Schedule & Projection Factors

Date Opponent Proj. S&P+ Rk Proj. Margin Win Probability 2-Sep Houston Baptist NR 19.6 87% 9-Sep at Colorado 50 -30.0 4% 23-Sep UTSA 91 -12.6 23% 30-Sep at Wyoming 80 -21.9 10% TBA Appalachian State 62 -22.5 10% TBA Georgia State 113 -7.4 33% TBA New Mexico State 124 -3.9 41% TBA UL-Monroe 121 -4.5 40% TBA at Arkansas State 83 -20.4 12% TBA at Coastal Carolina 114 -13.3 22% TBA at Troy 79 -22.5 10% TBA at UL-Lafayette 112 -13.8 21%

Projected S&P+ Rk 129 Proj. Off. / Def. Rk 127 / 120 Projected wins 3.1 Five-Year S&P+ Rk -27.8 (128) 2- and 5-Year Recruiting Rk 101 / 94 2016 TO Margin / Adj. TO Margin* -14 / -6.3 2016 TO Luck/Game -3.2 Returning Production (Off. / Def.) 68% (68%, 68%) 2016 Second-order wins (difference) 1.6 (0.4)

The most likely time for a surge comes in a coach's second year. His culture is more fully in place, he's got a couple of his own recruiting classes, and everybody knows what to expect from each other.

If the rebuild is big enough, however, it might take until the third year to get all ducks in a row.

Call it the Eastern Michigan rule: Chris Creighton went 3-21 in his first two years before leaping to 7-6 in 2016.

It's not impossible to see Texas State taking a healthy step forward in 2017. Williams might be a gem at quarterback, the receiving corps could be too efficient and speedy for much of the Sun Belt, and the defense has depth and experience that it couldn't even pretend to have in 2016.

Still, the Bobcats were really far from the rest of the pack in Withers' Year Zero. In 2016's S&P+ rankings, Sun Belt mate ULM finished 126th, third to last, with an adjusted scoring average of minus-17.9 points per game. Texas State was 10 points behind that awful pace. The Bobcats were as close to ULM as ULM was to No. 101 Army. Could a surge happen? Sure, but let's set a higher bar for 2018 and give Withers, his interesting young recruits, and his flawed roster another year to gel.

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Texas State’s 2016 statistical profile.