40 Acres Sports

WTH?! (What the Heck?) moments are attempts to find the memorable and the off-beat perspective on Longhorns sports. Here are some interesting moments from the Texas game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

1st Quarter (15:00) WTH Lonestar?! The largest crowd ever (60,879) came out to see the new Under Armor uniform which was a shout out to the Lonestar State. It might be a little early to claim the state title with that type of uniform while only beating Texas State and TCU. Maybe the Red Raiders want to replace the Aggies on the State Farm Lonestar Showdown.

2nd Quarter (15:00) WTH Zoro?! It looks like Zoro is going to have to find a new horse. The Masked Rider’s horse Midnight Matador was retired before the start of the 2nd quarter. Ten years as the mascot for the Red Raiders is a pretty good run. Enjoy your time as a stud!

2nd Quarter (13:46) WTH Six Shooter?! Magic Mike Davis may need some etiquette lessons on drawing your weapons. David Ash connected with Davis for a 75 yard bomb to take control of the game. Yosemite Sam may need to give Mike a gun safety course. Hey wait, if you cannot draw your guns, can opposing teams still do the Horns down?

2nd Quarter (5:03) WTH Dagnabbit?! Coach Tommy Tuberville and Coach Duane Akina had a fit with the officials when a phantom late hit call was not enforced. Akina and Tubbs both looked like they were going to have an aneurysm on the sidelines. Tubbs gets extra points for throwing down his plastic play card sheet twice.

2nd Quarter (1:14) WTH Ice Ice Baby?! The Horns did a great job of confusing the Red Raiders on defense. It spilled over on to their head coach. Dummerville decide to use a precious commodity by calling a timeout to ice Anthony Fera who ended up making the 42 yard kick.

4th Quarter (13:37) WTH Vortech?! The Vortech is a Texas Tech creation that simulates a tornado. The tornado that got away was Johnathan Gray whose Dad once wore the black and red. Gray started the fourth quarter with an impressive set of first down runs to finish with his second straight 100 yard game.

4th Quarter (5:14) WTH Hands?! Carrington Byndom had a tremendous day using his hands by swatting a crucial 2pt try by the Raiders and knocking down a field goal attempt that would have made it a one possession game. Great game turned in by the defense.

4th Quarter (:28) WTH Bear Hug?! Coach Brown saved his biggest hug for AD DeLoss Dodds who had just seen a tremendous effort and fight by the Longhorns to record its fourth straight win over the Raiders.

Next up for the Longhorns is a home date with the Cyclones in Austin on November 10th.

Thanks for following my WTH articles throughout the season. I appreciate the opportunity to rant about the greatest University sports program in the country. You can continue to follow comments on all of UT sports on twitter at @40AcresSports or follow me at @Horns1991. HOOK EM!!

WTH?! (What the Heck?) moments are attempts to find the memorable and the off-beat perspective on Longhorns sports. Here are some interesting moments from the Texas game against the Kansas Jayhawks.

Pre-Game WTH Lawrence?! Some of the Longhorn players saw more fans at their high school playoff games than the 40,097 that were in attendance at this game. Interesting note that the 1983 television show “The Day After” was filmed here. Both of these programs had a lot of waste to bury after this one.

1st Quarter (12:37) WTH Gray?! Johnathan Gray first carry of the game went for 31 yards and the drive ended in a touchdown. Crazily that would be the only lead the Longhorns would have until the end of the game. Gray’s 111 yards should surely earn him the starting job for next week.

2nd Quarter (13:45) WTH Sims?! Is it me or does every UT opponent put up career highs in running yards? James Sims took the handoff for a 64 yard run which started KU toward their first touchdown of the day. Sims puts up 176 yards rushing on a UT defense that cannot stop a runny nose. Oh yeah, Kenny Vaccaro added a few more yards to this run with a personal foul.

Halftime WTH Zebras?! Since this game was lacking a lot to be desired let’s take an inside look at referee Scott Novak and his team that worked this game.

3rd Quarter (8:57) WTH SEC?! The team wants to be a SEC style running team. Getting stopped by the 90th ranked rushing defense in the country on fourth down was demoralizing. Until you see the stats that Texas has the 108th rushing defense in the country.

4th Quarter (13:04) WTH Horseshoe?! After multiple interceptions by David Ash, the coaches decide to put in the lucky charm. Case McCoy provided some sort of spark that ended up in two touchdown drives to win the game. I thought we would have settled the quarterback situation by now. Thank goodness for another McCoy comeback to stave off a loss.

Next up for the Longhorns is a road trip to Lubbock to take on the Red Raiders on November 3rd.

Thanks for following my WTH articles throughout the season. I appreciate the opportunity to rant about the greatest University sports program in the country. You can continue to follow comments on all of UT sports on twitter at @40AcresSports or follow me at @Horns1991. HOOK EM!!

Many fans want the head coach, Mack Brown, to step down at the end of the season. The 2011 turnaround was ushered in with a host of new coaches and a rejuvenated Mack Brown. This 2012 season is under scrutiny because of the horrible loss against OU, the lack of defensive presence and the perceived lack of fight with this team. Mack will eventually leave, but he plans to stay as long as he can while posting winning campaigns. (what is a winning campaign?) Mack Brown says that he has the support of the administration, the athletic department and most of all the big money boosters. Problem is that the people that need to work on this situation may not be on the 40 acres right now. Mack Brown will be the head coach at least until after 2014 season. Let me count the ways:

DeLoss Dodds – Will not end the Mack Brown era because he wants to end his legacy with hiring the second greatest coach in the program history. DeLoss has a $1 million buyout that goes into effect after August 2014. The next AD, which will not be Mack Brown, will have to make the call on the next coach.

Big Money Booster – Will not fire Mack Brown because of all the relationship building and the good will that he has established. They want Mack to retire when he is ready. The word around the program is that the 2013 season is supposed to be the year for a BCS trip for the Horns. A total collapse (another 5-7 season) is the only scenario for them to act.

President Powers & the Regents – Read the latest edition of Texas Monthly and you will see that these two entities have plenty to deal with that has nothing to do with football.

Longhorn Network – This entity does not have control over the coaching decision, but they can certainly influence it. The network would not be here unless Mack Brown was present. Even though, the coach is quick to criticize the amount of time he spends with LHN.

Mack Brown – He is too much of a competitor to leave the ship. He wants to fix this more than anyone, but unfortunately his desire to go out on top may further erode the program. The spirit is willing for Mack but the flesh is weak which means he does not have the energy to reach the high standards that he has set to turn this program around.

Side Note: If Gene Chizik is fired from Auburn, get ready for him to join the defensive staff to try and correct the ills that many people blame Manny Diaz.

I agree with every one that says if you are going to point out the problem you better have a solution. Everyone has names that they want to throw out. I have to give credit to my friend Country Ham that came up with this coach as we were brain storming for a possible candidate for next year or more likely in 2014 if the luster has not left this coach. My suggestion is Dan Mullen who is the head coach for Mississippi State Bulldogs. He has a .622 winning percentage in the SEC over the past four years. He currently has an undefeated team which he will eventually secure his third winning season at MSU. The 40 year old coach will bring the edge, youth and program selling approach like Mack. He has a no nonsense approach with the media, and I think he would gravitate to the big stage which includes LHN. Mack has set the tone by recruiting coaches from the SEC, and Dan Mullen fits right into that direction. Dan does have credibility with 2 National Championship rings and comes from the Urban Meyer coaching tree if that does anything for you.

Mack will eventually leave because he will not want to pass Darrell Royal’s all time record for wins which is at 167. (Mack has 142 wins to date). The biggest issue is where is the program headed more than what is Mack Brown want to do.

Thanks for following my WTH articles throughout the season. I appreciate the opportunity to rant about the greatest University sports program in the country. You can continue to follow comments on all of UT sports on Twitter at 40AcresSports or follow me at Horns1991. HOOK EM!!

WTH?! (What the Heck?) moments are attempts to find the memorable and the off-beat perspective on Longhorns sports. Here are some interesting moments from the Texas game against the Baylor Bears.

1st Quarter (14:43) WTH Lighting?! Mack Brown needed a quick start to avoid most of the 101,353 fans turning on him and the team. Well, Daje Johnson took care of that with an electrifying 84 yard touchdown run on the FIRST play of the game.

1st Quarter (2:42) WTH Williams?! The Big XII leading receiver took the defense to task especially on a simple stop and go for an 80 yard touchdown to give the Bears their first lead of the game. Manny Diaz does this count as an explosive play?

1st Quarter (0:00) WTH Students?! Well, if you ever wondered where the student section is at DKR, you found out before the 2nd quarter. All the students broke out black Livestrong shirts to support the 15th anniversary of the organization. It’s interesting the salute with all that is swirling around Lance.

2nd Quarter (6:18) WTH 50 Shades?! Could not pass up the chance to report on the first touchdown of the season for one Johnathan Gray. He put a move on safety Sam Hall that left the defenders clothes on the ground. At this point in the game, BU Coach Phil Bennett and Manny Diaz were getting ready to work on their resume at halftime.

3rd Quarter (12:55) WTH Okafor?! Alex Okafor called out the defense to play tougher after last week’s game. He needed to be called out for a crucial offside on fourth down that would have ended the Baylor touchdown drive.

3rd Quarter (6:31) WTH Black Swan?! The highlight of the night on the Godzillatron and the television broadcast was a shot of Natalie Portman. Wonder why she was there… who cares!

3rd Quarter (5:56) WTH Sooners?! OU fans in the stands wearing a Beat Texas shirt. Looks like these two guys forgot that the Red River Rivalry was last week in Dallas. Longhorn fans are still trying to forget.

3rd Quarter (2:17) WTH Mad Hatter?! Art Briles threw his ball cap so high in the air in disgust over the late Texas timeout on fourth down that WR Tevin Reese had plenty of time to make the fair catch signal when he caught his hat.

4th Quarter (2:34) WTH Mulligan?! The head referee announced to the crowd that Texas would get a “Do Over” to match up with the substitutions that Baylor was implementing. Mack Brown hopes next time a “King’s X” will be called when he needs to surrender.

Next up for the Longhorns is a trip to Kansas to play the Jayhawks on October 27th.

Thanks for following my WTH articles throughout the season. I appreciate the opportunity to rant about the greatest University sports program in the country. You can continue to follow comments on all of UT sports on twitter at @40AcresSports or follow me at @Horns1991. HOOK EM!!

You will not see the normal WTH article this week from the Red River Rivalry because there was nothing good to report. After being annihilated for the second straight year from your biggest rival, it’s a reminder of where the program stands.

The players and coaches talk about needing to get to work. Mack Brown said that I know what is wrong and I am the man to fix it. Unfortunately, we have been down this road before and the culture is not in place for this to be fixed. Sure the Horns can rally from this huge let down and win a couple of more games but the underlying problem is still there.

The problem is the culture that has been established on the 40 acres. Fans enjoy hearing how recruit after recruit say that they love the family atmosphere that Mack Brown delivers. Many coaches say that you have to de-recruit the player when you get the kid on campus. The UT staff may want to rethink how they de-recruit a player. A high school kid feels like he has already made it when he sees the facilities, the opportunities playing in front of so many people, and the fact that they are on television all the time not to mention that the LHN is there to record their every move. It is very hard for a head coach to legislate the discipline when times are tough while the team sees the head coach as more of a father figure. The last time Coach Brown, who is 61 years old, unloaded on his team and the staff, he had his first losing season and lost most of his coaches.

When Texas has won conference titles, the leadership has come from the players (McCoy & Young) themselves. Florida, Oklahoma and Alabama take their direction from their head coach. You will get a Tebow and a Bradford that will step up and take a lead role, but you know that Urban Meyer and Bob Stoops have their finger prints on their teams. Players and coaches take the identity of their head coach. Right now the identity Mack Brown exudes is an exhausted, questioning and apologetic leader.

Thanks for following my WTH articles throughout the season. I appreciate the opportunity to rant about the greatest University sports program in the country. You can continue to follow comments on all of UT sports on twitter at @40AcresSports or follow me at @Horns1991. HOOK EM!!

WTH?! (What the Heck?) moments are attempts to find the memorable and the off-beat perspective on Longhorns sports. Here are some interesting moments from the Texas game against the Mountaineers.

Pre-Game WTH Fans?! Wow. A record crowd of 101,851 fans were amped up for this contest. Fans were comparing the electricity in the stadium to when Cougar High came to Austin in 1990. Great job by the fans!

1st Quarter (15:00) WTH JY?! Vince Young was in person and on the giant video board to let the fans know that the “Eyes of Texas are Upon You.” Even his son Jordan got in on the act by getting caught on the video board pointing at the screen saying that’s my daddy.

1st Quarter (9:09) WTH Special Teams?! The kickoff coverage team gave the UT fans heart attacks when Tavon Austin touched the ball. It’s pretty bad when the stat sheet says kickoff of 64 yards and the return is 67 yards. Squib quicks were the order of the day after this long return.

1st Quarter (2:05) WTH Akina?! WVU was setting up for a fourth down play when Coach Akina did not think his secondary was set so he called a costly timeout. Costly? Because the Horns defense stepped up and held the offense on downs. Instead the Mountaineers went on to score on the very next play and subsequently succeed on every fourth down play the rest of the night.

2nd Quarter (15:00) WTH Southwest?! We can understand the need to promote oneself by setting up a stupid human trick by making fans throw a football into an inflatable receptacle. The problem is when you have the inflatables highlighted in Mountaineer school colors which are blue and gold. Bad omen.

2nd Quarter (10:01) WTH Dallas?! The Godzillatron feels it necessary to take us behind the scenes of certain players and cheerleaders because the fans clamor so much to be interrupted with this nonsense. One such interruption was to let us know that a pom squad member felt she looked like the villain from Monsters Inc.

2nd Quarter (7:37) WTH Alex the Great?! Alex Okafor was named Big XII defensive player of the week for his game changing plays. One of those moments was when he stripped Geno Smith and Jackson Jeffcoat recovered the fumble in the end zone to tie up the game.

2nd Quarter (4:51) WTH Dana?! No one can hold a candle to WVU Coach Dana Holgorsen when he throws a fit. Geno Smith was sacked by Desmond Jackson, one of four sacks for the UT defense, which eventually led to a Mountaineers field goal. Dana was so upset that he threw his headset down numerous times to let everyone on the sidelines know his disgust.

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WTH?! (What the Heck?) moments are attempts to find the memorable and the off-beat perspective on Longhorns sports. Here are some interesting moments from the Texas game against the Cowboys.

Pre-Game (15:00) WTH Weapons?! Where was the ATF when you needed them? Pistol Pete was shooting off guns, there were more frat paddles in the stands than the entire UT Greek system, and most of the 56,709 were wearing orange hunting gear. I bet Boone Pickens was even packing heat.

1st Quarter (14:21) WTH Randle?! The Big XII leading rusher took the second play of the game to the house for OSU. Joseph Randle racked up 199 yards and two touchdowns to gouge the Longhorns defense.

1st Quarter (8:51) WTH Parable?! Much is asked to whom much is given. With the lack of experience at the LB position, safety Kenny Vaccaro is asked to do a lot. He made up for his missed tackle on Randle by picking off QB J.W. Walsh for the only takeaway for the Horns defense.

1st Quarter (2:00) WTH Thud?! When a RB fumbles the ball a lot, coaches make the player carry a football to class. Coach Akina needs to have the secondary carry a four foot teddy bear to class to teach them how to wrap up. Adrian Phillip’s shoulder shot on an OSU receiver lead to another Cowboy score.

1st Quarter (1:47) WTH Monroe?! The career leading kickoff returner for the Horns was crowned on this play. D.J. Monroe flew down the field for an electric 100 yard TD return to give the Horns the lead until the fourth quarter. Monroe averaged 8 yards a carry on 3 touches. Get him the ball more?!

2nd Quarter (6:10) WTH Dos XX?! The most interesting man in the world was on the Horns sidelines. The goofy signage that is used to relay in plays was evident when the beer character was shown.

3rd Quarter (6:09) WTH #8?! Get ready for the #8 jersey to be one of the top 5 jerseys sold of all time on the 40 Acres. Jaxon Shipley led all receivers with 82 yards and 3 touchdowns for a spectacular night.

4th Quarter (5:48) WTH Video Ref?! Understand the overturned call to benefit the Cowboys back in the third quarter that resulted in a receiving TD. You cannot be serious that one of the Oklahoma State players did not touch the ball on the kickoff which allowed the Cowboys to start at the 35 yard line. Not enough evidence to turn the call over… you say. Hold that thought for the end of the game.

4th Quarter (2:34) WTH Red Zone?! With the type of offenses that are in the Big XII, field goals over touchdowns are a win for the defense. The much maligned Longhorn defense held the Cowboys on three different times in the red zone to come away with only a field goal. This fourth quarter stop allowed the Horns offense the comfort in knowing that all they needed was a field goal to win. Yikes!!

4th Quarter (1:30) WTH Ice Man?! A frozen rope was thrown by David Ash to tight end D.J. Grant on fourth down to keep the drive alive. He would continue his excellent night with a 32 yard pass to Magic Davis that set up the game winning TD run. David completed 30 of 37 passes for 304 yards and three touchdowns. This year he has completed 78% of his passes and has only thrown one interception. Dare we say a star has been born?

Next up for the Longhorns is a trip home to play West Virginia in Austin on October 6th.

Thanks for following my WTH articles throughout the season. I appreciate the opportunity to rant about the greatest University sports program in the country. You can continue to follow comments on all of UT sports on twitter at @40AcresSports or follow me at @Horns1991. HOOK EM!!

Now that we are at the quarter point of the football season, coaches are trying to find just the right words to get their team motivated and to explain the season so far to the media and fans. One such coach that has left his legacy on the 40 acres is well known for his quotes and phrases. Darrell K Royal is a living legend around these parts. Some may have negative thoughts about him as depicted by the book “Meat on the Hoof.” Others may remember him as the shy Oklahoma boy that later took young men to the heights of college football while at the University.

Let’s take a look at some of his insights that coaches could still use today.

“All the white meat is gone. There’s nothin’ but necks on the platter.”

“Dance with the one that brung ya”

“Will Rogers never met Barry Switzer”

“Football doesn’t build character. It eliminates the weak ones.”

“Breaks balance out. The sun don’t shine on the same ol’ dog’s rear end every day.”

“You never lose a game if the opponent doesn’t score.”

“If worms carried pistols. Birds wouldn’t eat ’em.”

“Three things can happen when you pass and two of ’em are bad.”

“I don’t know if Earl’s in a class by himself, but it sure don’t take long to call roll.”

“He runs faster than small town gossip.”

“He’s not very fast, but maybe Elizabeth Taylor can’t sing.”

“Don’t matter what they throw at us. Only angry people win football games.”

“Winning coaches must treat mistakes like copperheads in the bedclothes – avoid them with all the energy you can muster.”

“That guy is a big ol’ cuss…look at him rumblin’ down the field… looks like a grizzly bear haulin’ a walnut.”

“A head coach is guided by this main objective: dig, claw, wheedle, and coax that fanatical effort out of the players. You want them to play every Saturday as if they were planting the flag on Iwo Jima.”

“The tail should never wag the dog, but as long as football is in its proper place on the campus, then it’s good. I want to be remembered as a winning coach, but I also want to be remembered as an honest and ethical coach.”

It will be a sad day when we lose Coach Royal, but we know that God will have a great college coach and an even better story teller.

WTH?! (What the Heck?) moments are attempts to find the memorable and the off-beat perspective on Longhorns sports. Here are some interesting moments from the Texas’ game against the Rebels.

Pre-Game (15:00) WTH Hotty Toddy?! Wonder if Kenny Vaccaro liked this loud cheer? “Hotty Toddy, Gosh Almighty, Who The Hell Are We, Hey! Flim Flam, Bim Bam. Ole Miss By Damn!” Some of the 61,797 fans threw their toddy’s from the stands at the Longhorn players.

1st Quarter (9:41) WTH Edmond?! The first of three interceptions that the Horns collected as this INT went for a TD for LB Steve Edmond. Not too many other bright spots for the defense this game.

2nd Quarter (13:35) WTH Semper Fi?! The always Faithful Marquise Goodwin can be relied upon to make the big play. Marquise took a jet sweep 69 yards to the delight of a Marine in the end zone.

Halftime WTH Chicken?! If you’re going to be a “streaker” you need to be more committed like the hog (bacon). A man wearing boxers ran right to the middle of the SEC logo and mooned the crowd before getting tackled by the popo. Guess this fan doesn’t like the SEC either.

3rd Quarter (10:39) WTH Starving?! The feed WR Donte Moncrief t-shirts in the stands were spot on. Seven catches for 144 yards with a 75 yard touchdown when this Rebel out dueled Carrington Byndom.

3rd Quarter (2:30) WTH Short Arm?! David Ash said “I think I mastered the underthrow.” His 46 yard shot put gave Mike Davis the chance to make a play on the ball for a TD that helped the Horns reach half a hundred. Wonder if this is the new version of the back shoulder throw that is done in the NFL.

3rd Quarter (:00) WTH Color Blind?! ESPN announcer Mark Jones said that nothing matches with burnt orange as the quarter ended. Mark forgot that everything goes good with that color when the Longhorns put up over 676 yards which ties for the second best yardage total all time.

4th Quarter (11:27) WTH Karate Kid?! A career game for David Ash while wearing his signature Ralph Macchio headband. He threw for 326 yards and four touchdowns which included the last TD throw to Marquise Goodwin for 55 yards and the final tally 66-31.

Next up for the Longhorns is a bye week before going to play the Cowboys in Stillwater on September 29th.

Thanks for following my WTH articles throughout the season. I appreciate the opportunity to rant about the greatest University sports program in the country. You can continue to follow comments on all of UT sports on twitter at @40AcresSports or follow me at @Horns1991. HOOK EM!!

WTH?! (What the Heck?) moments are attempts to find the memorable and the off-beat perspective on Longhorns sports. Here are some interesting moments from the Texas’ game against the Lobos.

Pre-Game (15:00) WTH Coin Toss?! It was tough to watch Earl Campbell with his cane slowly walking to midfield. I do still love watching highlights of the Tyler Rose running over and past people. I am glad that DKR did a better sales job than the Bootlegger Boy.

1st Quarter (8:50) WTH VY?! I know that Vince Young has moved on, so who was running 49 yards for a TD from the quarterback position. David Ash had another solid game (16-22 for 221 yards) with no turnovers. I hope he continues to avoid the oskies.

1st Quarter (:00) WTH TOP?! I understand the concept of bending but not breaking when you describe a defense, but these Horns were T-O-P to death to start the game. The Lobos held the time of possession for 12 minutes and picked up 7 of its 16 first downs in the first quarter.

2nd Quarter (15:00) WTH Wendy?! Wendy’s restaurant brought back former UT kicker Ryan Bailey to kick a 40 yard field goal for everyone to win a frosty. I guess the Nebraska game in 2006 was nothing compared to the pressure of feeding 100,990 fans. He missed.

2nd Quarter (9:55) WTH Fans?! I know the UT players would like the fans to be louder. You can see the kids waving their towels to get the crowd going. The home crowd did cause a delay of game for the Lobos when the Godzillatron screamed for NOISE.

2nd Quarter (5:54) WTH Error?! I guess I have a new nickname for Nick Jordan. The kicker missed another 40+ yard field goal. I think the frosty giveaway also affected Error Jordan. Fera where are you?!

3rd Quarter (12:12) WTH Daje?! Wow. Pure speed. Daje Johnson took a shovel pass for 45 yards to pay dirt to take control of the game. Glad he did not choose his first love which was basketball.

4th Quarter (:00) WTH Critics?! I have heard a lot of critics say how this team is not dominating. Granted it does take this team takes a while to get going, but isn’t a shutout a pretty good start to the season. There is no preseason for these boys to tune up, so next week’s road game will probably show us what type of team we can expect.

Next up for the Longhorns is their first road game against the Ole Miss Rebels on September 15th.

Thanks for following my WTH articles throughout the season. I appreciate the opportunity to rant about the greatest University sports program in the country. You can continue to follow comments on all of UT sports on twitter at @40AcresSports or follow me at @Horns1991. HOOK EM!!