40 Acres Sports

Holy cow. I hope the team and coaching staff are looser than I am, because I’m nervous as hell. They seemed pretty loose in practice this week, hopefully it carries over to a relaxed, focused, and prepared team tonight against [tag]Ohio State[/tag].

Probably won’t be posting as much as last week, I’ll be focusing all my positive energies on the game. That and I’ll probably be pacing around the house.

First Quarter

• Why isn’t ABC showing this or any other games in high definition? They’ve had plenty of absolutely crappy games on ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD.
• Someone tell Jack Arute to listen when he asks a question so he doesn’t ask something someone answered for him 3 seconds ago.
• Surprised Pino is kicking off, I’m guessing to keep it away from Ginn. Worked terribly.
• That was really close to a lateral.
• Huge three and out.
• I like the empty backfield, something we haven’t shown much of.
• Vince Young is pissed. I love it. Big time facemask, I’d be pissed too.
• Man the OSU linebackers are fugly. Looks like AJ Hawk is on human growth hormone.
• Big time run! Vince is definitely looking good running the ball. Much quicker than anyone the Buckeyes have.
• Pittman was wide open and he fell down. Damnit. Good call and pass.
• Sloppy play by VY and Selvin Young, almost turned the ball over on an option. It looks like they ruled it an incomplete pass. Kind of screwed up that opportunity. Ramonce Taylor is not the man to be throwing the jump ball to in the end zone.
• I love David Pino, 42 yard field goal is good.

Texas 3, OSU 0

• Our kickoff coverage is terrible. Angle that sucker, don’t just kick it right down the middle. Good depth though.
• Looks like Def. Coordinator didn’t show anything last week. Nice late shift by the defensive line causes a delay of game.
• Rashad Bobino needs to break down and make that tackle on the swing pass.
• Zone blitz by the Horns on 3rd and 6 forces Zwick to scramble and he ends up short. Rod Wright dropped off into the flats for coverage. I’m loving Coach Chizik.
• Aaron Ross has to catch the dang punt. Get up there and fair catch it so that it’s not bouncing all over the place and costiing us yards.
• Woooo! Love to see Jamaal Charles already in there and a wide open Billy Pittman running down the middle of the field. Nice throw and catch.
• Are we running some no huddle? Man we are treating this big game like it’s a big game and pulling out all the tricks. Note: The announcers of course didn’t notice.
• Great catch from David Thomas. Saved Vince’s butt.
• Our offensive line looks a little tired (Justin Blalock in particular just now), it’ll be interesting to see what kind of condition both teams are in.
• Jamaal Charles has skills. Little shifty sucker. I love to see the tail back screen, we don’t do that too often.
• First Henry Melton sighting. First down, we may have gotten a generous spot there.
• HOLY COW! We just threw on first and goal from the 5 yard line. Touchdown Billy Pittman. Wide open again after a play fake.

Texas 10, OSU 0

• My God, our kickoff coverage is an embarassment. We’re up now, but if we start on our ten every time and they’re starting on their fifty we may need to score 100.

Second Quarter

• How is this their most impressive drive already? They’ve gained three yards.
• Damn kickoff coverage cost us three points. OSU kicker may not be Mike Nugent, but he just nailed that sucker from 45 yards.

Texas 10, Texas Kickoff Coverage 3

• Leadership? Leaders don’t get suspended for two games for taking money from boosters.
• We need to get Ramonce Taylor the football.
• Wow, tuck the freaking football Vince. Charles looks a lot more dangerous with the football right now than Selvin does. I wonder who we see next possession.
• Let’s hope our punt coverage is better than our kickoff team. Low snap, but Richmond McGee does a good job of scooping it up and getting off a good kick.
• CRAP! Linebacker (and former DB) Drew Kelson had that one thrown right to him. That might have been an easy six.
• Another almost turnover, OSU quarterback Troy Smith looks like a heck of an athlete but he’s a little all over the place right now. He hasn’t played a game since last December or so.
• Good coverage on the touchdown reception by Santonio Holmes, but Cedric Griffin has to read the receiver’s eyes and get his hands up. He was there, he’s just got to knock the ball down.

Texas 10, OSU 10

• Jiminy Christmas! Damn Ramonce! Told you we should be getting Taylor the ball more.
• Vince just did the one thing he can’t do, made a stupid decision and threw a ball right to Hawk for an interception. Really bad decision. He just need to play his game and we’ll be alright, his game is better than everyone else’s.
• Texas defense holds and forces a field goal. Good job.

Texas 10, OSU 13

• Selvin is in there again, I think Charles and Taylor need a lot more touches out of the backfield.
• Selvin put the ball on the ground again. Paging Mr. Charles.
• Another pretty good stand on a short field by the Texas defense. Holds them to a FG again.

Texas 10, OSU 16

• Ooh bad penalty by OSU. Gives us a great chance to get some points before halftime.
• Big catch and run by J. Charles. Kid has it.
• Texas gets a field goal. A much needed 3 points.

Texas 13, OSU 16

• Why did OSU refuse the offsides on the kickoff? With our kickoff coverage I’d have made us kick it again for sure.

Turnovers and special teams are absolutely killing us. We had all the momentum and we just shot ourselves in the football over and over again. We should be winning this game right now. More Charles, Taylor, and Vince Young in the second half and I think we’ll be okay. Defense has played great even in tough situations and O just needs to get back in rhythm.

Third Quarter

• Another turnover. Young starts off the half with a throw right to one of the Buckeye linebackers. Tipped ball and interception by OSU. Not a good start. Spread things out and go back to what was working so well at the beginning of the game.
• Again the Texas D holds after the change of possession and forces OSU to kick.

Texas 13, OSU 19

• Billy Pittman!! VY shakes off a defender in the backfield and again finds Pittman running all alone. 63 yards down to the OSU four yard line.
• Another stupid penalty when we’re in the red zone. False start pushes back to the 10.
• Two very conservative plays and we’re back to where we should have started.
• Looked like a trick play was coming to RT but they got there too soon and we lost another few yards.
• We’re kicking field goals instead of getting 6 because we tighten up inside the 20. Another easy kick for Pino for 3 points.

Texas 16, OSU 19

• Flat out ridiculous. You’ve got the most dangerous return man in the country and ANthony freaking Gonzalez back there, and we kick the damn ball to Ginn. Idiotic. Idiotic.
• Ryan Hamby (80) for Ohio State should have just been ejected. He intentionally gave a hard shove of MIchael Griffin into the camera men. Once again, the announcers are oblivious.
• Just like Texas, the Buckeyes are forced to settle for 3 again. Hamby is not only dirty, but he can’t catch either.

Texas 16, OSU 22

• Still nothing from Ramonce Taylor.
• False start by J. Scott. Killing ourselves.
• I honestly don’t think the announcers can see the field. They just claimed that David Thomas dropped an easy pass when in reality it was way low and way behind him.
• I love the blitzing and stunting we’re doing on defense. It’s resulted in a couple easy sacks.
• CATCH THE FREAKING PUNT!! Aaron Ross lets another kick hit the ground for no apparent reason. We’ve got the ball inside the 10 yard line now.
• Almost a wonderful catch by a diving David Thomas but Vince puts it out there just a little too much.
• Why do the announces keep trying to make so much out of the Mack Brown’s and Jim Tressel’s records in close games? Brown is 14 and 6 and Tressel is 10 and 3. The winning percentages aren’t that different. Brown has won 68% of them and Tressel has won 77%. I guess it’s just like the stupid night games at The Horseshow stat they keep trotting out there. Yeah, they’re 6 and 0, but they haven’t played a soul.

Fourth Quarter

• Why did they just say our receivers hadn’t done anything??? Pittman has over 100 yards receiving and a touchdown. Limas Sweed has made two good catches for first downs.
• Hey, Ross caught the ball but this time he shouldn’t have. Fair catch on a liner that probably would’ve gone into the end zone.
• I was watching it with my eyes up here.
• Big play to Pittman and we muck it up again. Busted reverse causes us to lose 12 yards and all our momentum. I like the play call, just poor execution.
• We need a turnover right now.
• We’ve had a ton of balls hit our defenders right in the hands. Several missed interceptions.
• Missed field goal. Still a six point game.
• Well that’s the last thing we needed. VY is shaken up on the play, looks like he’ll be okay but we had to use our second timeout.
• Charles has to get the first down on that play. Great catch and good job getting open but get the first down freshman.
• QB sneak doesn’t get the 3rd and 1 but the OSU defensive end was offsides.
• TOUCHDOWN LIMAS SWEED!! Sweed has a ton of talent but never quite put it all together. Tremendous catch.
• Holy balls they’re reviewing it. I think he caught it, but it’s close. I think it’s way too close to be overruled. I was right, touchdown!
• I wish the damn announcers would shut and stop trying to jinx us. Pino’s extra point is good and Texas leads by one with 2:37 to go.

Texas 23, OSU 22

• I think he was down on first glance. Review looks like he’s down. Good decision by the on field referees though to let the replay booth decide the call.
• Defense! Defense! Defense!
• FUMBLE!!! Drew Kelson knocks the ball loose! Recovery by Brian Robison! What a scoop by Robison! Holy cow!
• First down for Charles. If we score, we should go for two. If we don’t get it we’re still up 7 and if we do get it the ballgame is over.
• I’m going to murder these announcers if they don’t shut up. The game isn’t over yet! Shut up!
• We need a touchdown. I don’t want to kick off only up by four. Fourth down at the one.
• Go for it Mack. At least make them go 99 yards with no timeouts. Fake to Henry Melton, boot with VY.
• That’s a touchdown. Review that. You have to review that!
• That’s ridiculous, you have to review that. Big 10 refs in the booth blew it. A shame.
• Saftey Texas! Sack by Aaron Harris!

Texas 25, OSU 22

• For some reason I didn’t think you could kick an onside after a safety. Maybe I’m an idiot.
• Kick recovered by the Horns. All it takes now is a kneel down by Vince.
• That’s the game! Texas wins!

Final Thoughts

First the good. We just beat the #4 team in the country on the road in front of a record crowd. Vince Young was his spectacular self for most of the game, he started the game running like a mad man and when the Buckeyes’ defense adjusted in an attempt to contain him he threw with confidence and precision. He was able to make most every throw, short, medium range, and deep as well. One big, dumb mistake, but overall a spectacular game for Vince that should set him up as the Heisman frontrunner for the time being.

Second, we have an actual receiving corps! Billy Pittman showed up and had the biggest game of his life. He was able to get open and came down with everything thrown his way. Made every single catch and did something with the ball after the catch as well. Big time game for Billy. Limas Sweed also might have finally had the switch turn on for him. Limas has always been a remarkably talented wide receiver who dropped way too many balls and often played like his head wasn’t in the game. His spectacular catch on a tough ball with two guys all over him won the game for the Horns.

Jamaal Charles didn’t rush for a ton of yards, but he looked like a heck of an all around football player. Good job on blitz pick up and he had six big time catches for seventy yards. He and VY look very comfortable together and Mack wasn’t afraid to put Charles in there in the big situations. Charles deserves to be this team’s starting running back.

The defense performed big in a big time game. I’m super excited about Gene Chizik and this defense. The Ohio State offense is versatile and dangerous, and the Horns stepped up to the challenge. A ton of different looks from the front 7. Guys blitzing, defensive tackles dropping into pass coverage, pre-snap shifts by the line, everything he did seemed to be the right move at the time. The offense turned the ball over and the special teams gave up tons of yards, but each time the defense held. Great game all-around and Kelson and Robison combined for a huge play when it mattered. Very exciting.

David Pino looks like a serviceable kicker, he hit every field goal and extra point tonight. He’s not going to knock in a bunch of fifty yarders, but as long as he’s solid from 40 yards on in I think that department will be okay.

Now for the biggest negative… our kickoff coverage is going to make me shoot someone.

1. reply to  #1

   

   Matt

   September 10th, 2005 at 9:45 pm

   Special teams are just ridiculous. They are playing on a 50 yard field when we are playing on the full 100.

2. reply to  #2

   

   Brian

   September 10th, 2005 at 10:02 pm

   This has been eerily similar to the Rose Bowl. Let’s hope it ends with a similar result.

3. reply to  #3

   

   Matt

   September 10th, 2005 at 10:45 pm

   First off, how do they not review that TOUCHDOWN by Melton? That is the dumbest thing I have ever seen.

   I agree with you on the kick, I thought that you had to punt the ball?

4. reply to  #4

   

   Brian

   September 11th, 2005 at 12:03 am

   Notice that ESPN now leads Gameday Final with 10 minutes on the LSU vs. ASU game and claimed it was clearly the biggest game of the day. I guess this is just another example of as soon as we win a big game it’s no longer a big game. They barely showed highlights of our game. A couple of the early scoring plays, Sweed’s touchdown, and the final fumble was all they bothered to show.