Posted June 28th, 2009 by Brian
Filed under: Baseball, Football, Recruiting
- RT @InsideTexas: Future Longhorn Marquise Goodwin sets national high school long jump
record: http://bit.ly/1q5rn5 - Former #UT recruit, Arky circus, and current 3rd string #USC QB Mitch Mustain is now apparently having grade issues: http://tr.im/q03B
- Good article on #UT baseball’s 2010 pitching staff from @aTrubow: http://tr.im/q4rv Never too soon to start towards another #CWS run.
- Ex-Longhorn Brian Robison is pushing for increased playing time & a starting spot in Minnesota: http://tr.im/pZMP #UT #NFL
- RT @nytimes: Farrah Fawcett Dies of Cancer at 62 http://bit.ly/FQ0dz Fawcett was discovered as a #UT student.
- Connor Rowe strikes out swinging to end it. #UT season over, 1 game short of the promise land. Lose in #CWS 11-4.
- Jungmann’s 126th pitch is a beauty to end this thing #UT 5, #LSU 1. Horns force a deciding game 3 tomorrow night. #CWS
- Maybe I’ve lost my mind, but Hershiser is an idiot right? A balk is an immediate dead ball. #UT #CWS
- ESPN hyperbole: “we can say without question that Jared Mitchell is the fastest player we’ve ever seen at #CWS.” Really? Time them? #UT #LSU
- During rain delay, ESPN showing last night’s #CWS game. Maybe they can stop it after 8 innings this time?? #UT #LSU
- Another good one from Dr Saturday: apparently Miami coaches were relying on Internet msg boards for recruiting decisions: http://tr.im/ppDi
- RT @RalphieReport Josh Smith’s Appeal for an Open Transfer Denied, Buff Fans Left to Wonder What’s Next? http://sbnation.com/e/685688
- Horns face uphill battle after heartbreaking game, can they rebound and win 2 straight? We’ll find out tomorrow night at 6pm. #UT #CWS
- ESPN announcers appear to believe 1-seed #UT is a 3 touchdown underdog in this thing. #CWS #LSU
Posted January 8th, 2009 by Mike
Filed under: Basketball, Feature
Without a true point guard, Justin Mason and the Horns have struggled this season.
It is amazing how far the men’s basketball program has come under the guidance of Rick Barnes. Texas basketball used to be an afterthought, something watched to help get over not having anymore football. Now, the Longhorns are perennial conference championship contenders and recruit the kind of talent that brings home national awards. A decade and a half ago would Kevin Durant ever think about attending The University of Texas?
With the success comes expectations, and with the bar that has been set it has to be said that this year’s team has underwhelmed many. The defense while great at times is hard to play for 40 minutes every time out, Damion James has had a harder time adjusting to the wing than expected, and the late minute offense has been inept. But the one thing that is holding this team back over all else is not having a true point guard.
College basketball is a guard dominated sport because of the zone defenses and shorter three-point line. The Longhorns have been spoiled in recent memory with the likes of TJ Ford, Daniel Gibson, and DJ Augustin. Justin Mason is a solid player, a great defender, and a hell of a young man. What he is not is a true point guard.
All three Longhorn losses (Notre Dame, Michigan State, Arkansas) have all been decided in the last minute. In all of those losses except maybe Notre Dame, the lack of a fluid play set has denied the team from getting up efficient shots. Too many times when they need it the most the ball is lost out of bounds or a shot is jacked up after too much one-on-one dribbling.
Unfortunately AJ Abrams is not the answer. Unfortunately a true answer does not exist on the current roster. It doesn’t mean Texas can’t make some noise in March, but it does mean that Longhorn nation is going to be very frustrated with this team at times during conference play.
Rick Barnes is an excellent coach with a proven record of coaching teams that improve as the season goes on. On top of that guys like Mason and Abrams want to win and want to prove to the world that they can get it done. The mix is there for success, just not the kind of success that the newly spoiled Texas fans are looking for.
No upsets mean not much movement within the top of the rankings this week. Alabama looked shaky and almost went down but otherwise just South Florida suffered a loss. The Oklahoma Sooners won impressively and picked up additional first place votes heading into their match-up against the good guys. The Longhorns stayed at number five in both polls but did lose a few points in the USA Today Coaches Poll, despite easily handling a solid conference opponent.
Check out this week’s rankings or view the top 10 teams below:
| AP Top 25 | USA Today Poll | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma (51) 5-0 1,608 | Oklahoma (60) 5-0 1,524 | |
| 2 | Alabama (13) 6-0 1,537 | Missouri 5-0 1,404 | |
| 3 | Missouri (1) 5-0 1,487 | LSU (1) 4-0 1,398 | |
| 4 | LSU 4-0 1,444 | Alabama 6-0 1,339 | |
| 5 | Texas 5-0 1,374 | Texas 5-0 1,305 | |
| 6 | Penn State 6-0 1,287 | Penn State 6-0 1,203 | |
| 7 | Texas Tech 5-0 1,163 | Texas Tech 5-0 1,101 | |
| 8 | USC 3-1 1,137 | Brigham Young 5-0 1,086 | |
| 9 | Brigham Young 5-0 1,103 | USC 3-1 1,055 | |
| 10 | Georgia 4-1 1,014 | Georgia 4-1 937 |
Colt running for a first down
Man the Texas Longhorns sure seem to like the score 52-10, now beating 3 of the 4 teams they have played this season by that same exact margin. Let’s just hope we don’t see the other side of that score this year.
Again the Longhorns looked impressive against Arkansas dominating the Razorbacks in every aspect of the game. Going into the game I was actually a little worried, but after seeing Casey Dick throw up floating lobs into the secondary, my fears were quickly dissipated.
My favorite stat of the game? Texas rushed for 208 yards on the ground while Arkansas managed only 11 yards. Talk about a butt-kicking.
Let’s see how each position fared in the game:
Quarterback - Overall Grade: A+
Another almost near perfect performance for Colt McCoy as he continues prove he can hurt you through the air as well as on the ground. Colt finished with only two incomplete passes going 17 of 19 for 185 yards and 3 touchdowns. Colt also added 84 yards on only 9 carriers and 2 touchdowns. I don’t really like to think about the Heisman so early in the season, but he is definitely making a case to at least be mentioned in the talks.
John Chiles got plenty of action Saturday since the game was basically over in the first quarter. By now we all know that he can run, but I would like to start seeing him try to become more of a pass first style quarterback. Why not try to develop his passing skills during the game when we are up by 40?
Running Backs - Overall Grade: B
I wasn’t really all that impressed with that impressed with the Texas running game. Vondrell McGee got the majority of the carries with Mack Brown obviously still trying out the position, but he only managed to average 3.0 yards per carry with a long run of 9 yards. That kind of production against a weak team like Arkansas just doesn’t cut it. Luckily Cody Johnson had a pretty decent game averaging 4.8 yards per carry and ended up with 1 touchdown. Right now it looks like Cody Johnson is the best back we have, and as long as he can keep is conditioning up we should be ok.
The one major blemish on the day for the running backs was when Jeremy Hills showed absolutely no hustle late in the game on a John Chiles fumble, which ended up getting returned by Arkansas for their only touchdown of the game. You can’t totally blame that on Hills, but if you are seeing limited action you need to hustle on every play. I’m pretty sure Major Applewhite had a few words for Hills on that one.
Wide Receivers - Overall Grade: B+
It’s really hard to give grades when you beat a team as easily as Texas did on Saturday. The receivers played pretty good all around, but everything seemed so easy it’s hard to say they were “great.” Jordan Shipley looks like he is the new safety net for Colt now that we know Blaine Irby is done for the season. They said it a few times on the telecast, but it really does look like Colt and Shipley are just out there relaxing and playing a game of catch in the backyard. Shipley ended up with 2 touchdowns and Quan Cosby added one more. The one nice thing about a blowout win is we get to see some young players get some action. Sophmores James Kirkendoll and Brandon Collins both look to be solid receivers.
Defense - Overall Grade: A
I believe this is the defense’s first A of the season and it is well deserved. The front seven had constant pressure on Casey Dick, and knocked him around so much that I actually almost started to feel bad for him. And for the first time this season I actually started to notice some of the secondary in a positive way. Earl Thomas actually made some plays, and Blake Gideon’s name was called for some other than getting beat. It looks like Will Muschamp might actually be getting through to these guys.
Aaron Williams returned an interception 81 yards for a touchdown in the 4th quarter on an absolutely horrible pass by the Arkansas backup quarterback. The front seven added 7 sacks with Brian Orakpo leading the way with 2 for 17 yards in losses. Hopefully we can keep this up.
Overall Grade: A
That was about as dominating a performance as you can have. Bobby Petrino has to be a little embarrssed with the way he made his debut in this storied rivalry. Texas now gets to start Big 12 play against a Colorado team who is looking for revenge after their 70-3 loss in the 2005 Big 12 Championship game.
Texas quarterback is up for the ESPN All American Player of the Week award for his week five performance against Arkansas. McCoy was 17 of 19 passing with three touchdowns while adding another 84 yards and two scores on the ground. He’s up against Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford, Alabama’s John Parker Wilson, and Oregon State’s Jacquizz Rodgers.
Text 'VOTE' to '51234' & vote for Colt
UT’s own Colt McCoy is up nominated for AT&T and ESPN’s All American Player of the Week this week. The other three players, chosen by ESPN based on their outstanding performance, include Sam Bradford (QB, Oklahoma), Jacquizz Rodgers (RB, Oregon State), and John Parker Wilson (QB, Alabama). It’s up to fans to now vote for the winner - and after McCoy’s performance, he deserves to win!
Register to vote by texting “VOTE” to “51234″ before Wednesday at 11:59 pm EST. The winner will be announced at halftime of the Thursday ESPN College Football Primetime.
Anyone who votes is entered for a chance to win a trip to the 2009 BCS National Championship game in Miami. Each vote counts as one entry & there is no limit on fan voting.
Also, stay in touch with the Longhorns by texting “Horns” to 72645 – you’ll receive text alerts with game day reminders and the latest team statistics, updates and news for all 20 Longhorn sports. You’ll also be able to test your Longhorn knowledge with polls. Compete for a chance to win Longhorn football tickets!
Thanks to upsets losses by USC, Georgia, and Florida the Longhorns have vaulted into the top five of both the AP and USA Today Coaches polls. Alabama flew past the Horns after their win over the UGA but the easy win over Arkansas was enough to move Texas up to spots to the number five ranking. Texas is relatively comfortably ahead of Penn State in both polls, but rankings this week don’t matter much as Texas will prove itself over the next three weeks when they face Oklahoma and Missouri in consecutive games.
Check out this week’s rankings or view the top 10s below:
| AP Top 25 | USA Today Poll | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma (43) 4-0 1,599 | Oklahoma (57) 4-0 1,520 | |
| 2 | Alabama (21) 5-0 1,565 | LSU (1) 4-0 1,399 | |
| 3 | LSU 4-0 1,466 | Missouri 4-0 1,398 | |
| 4 | Missouri (1) 4-0 1,453 | Alabama (2) 5-0 1,350 | |
| 5 | Texas 4-0 1,362 | Texas (1) 4-0 1,310 | |
| 6 | Penn State 5-0 1,252 | Penn State 5-0 1,146 | |
| 7 | Texas Tech 4-0 1,105 | Brigham Young 4-0 1,054 | |
| 8 | Brigham Young 4-0 1,098 | Texas Tech 4-0 1,047 | |
| 9 | USC 2-1 1,087 | USC 2-1 990 | |
| 10 | South Florida 5-0 1,035 | Georgia 4-1 888 |
Senior fullback Luke Tiemann is done for the year after tearing the ACL in his left knee during the Texas win over Arkansas. Despite scholarship offers from other Division 1A schools, the young man out of Pflugerville decided to walk on at Texas. Tiemann started games at fullback during both his sophomore and junior seasons while also spending time at defensive end and contributing on special teams. His efforts earned him a scholarship before the beginning of this season.
Read the official university release below:
Longhorn senior fullback Luke Tiemann sustained an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear in his left knee in Texas’ 52-10 victory over Arkansas on Saturday, and will require season-ending surgery, UT Head Athletic Trainer for Football Kenny Boyd confirmed Sunday.
“It’s really disappointing that this injury is cutting my senior year short,” Tiemann said. “Being a part of this team has meant so much to me, and although I can’t help the team on the field, I’ll still be right here with my teammates cheering them on and helping any way I can while I’m rehabbing and finishing school.”
Tiemann is a fifth-year fullback who has also played defensive end and contributed on special teams during his 34-game career. He began his career as a walk-on and earned a scholarship in August 2008 after making the switch to fullback midway through 2006. He had played in all four games in 2008.
In 2007, Tiemann saw action in 11 games, including one start, at fullback and on special teams. He played in all 13 games at fullback and on special teams in 2006 and also saw limited action on defense at linebacker. The Pflugerville native is a 2007 first-team Academic All-Big 12 selection and a six-time member of UT’s Athletics Director’s Honor Roll.
“Luke is one of our great senior leaders,” said head coach Mack Brown. “He got a standing ovation when we presented him his scholarship in August, and he has, and will continue to have, a great impact on this team. He is as tough as they come, and has contributed so much from the full back position and on special teams. On top of that, he is an outstanding student. His presence on the field will be missed and someone will have to step up to fill his void.”
Get well soon Luke! Hook ‘em!
Eddie Jones, Sam Acho, and Aaron Lewis
The Longhorns played their most complete game of the season in Saturday’s 52 - 10 thrashing of former SWC foe Arkansas. The offense was sharp from the very first snap of the game and the defense dominated their SEC opponent. The victory was one of the most lopsided in the series’ long and storied history.
See what the dying print media and the rest of the World Wide Web said about the game below:
Bevo Sports
Local Media
- Texas dominates Arkansas 52-10
- McCoy moving up in Heisman race
- Stopping the run was key part of UT victory
- Texas defense shines in win over Arkansas
- Horns Crush the Hogs
- Running Game – With McCoy – Is Just Fine
- Any way you look at it, Texas was just better
- Hogs’ defense can’t steer Longhorns off field
- Texas flood: No. 7 Longhorns dismantle Razorbacks in Austin
- Longhorns harass Razorbacks QB
- Starting at end: Henry Melton
- Centering that which is off center
- Video: From the film room - Arkansas
- Game quotes
- Game notes
- Photo gallery
Texas media
- Defense overwhelms Petrino and Arkansas
- Texas QB McCoy makes case for Heisman
- Confident Texas crushes Arkansas, 52-10
- UT finding defensive identity
- Longhorns’ defense taking care of business
- Texas Longhorns can’t start celebrating just yet
National media
Texas blew out Arkansas 52-10 Saturday thanks to big plays, near perfection from Colt McCoy, and an impressive defensive showing. It was great to see the Texas defensive front seven really get after the quarterback, something that will need to continue in conference play in order to protect the young secondary.
Watch highlights from the game below:
Somehow the video quality from these highlights almost looks better than the live game did in standard definition on ABC yesterday. Hopefully the Horns have played their last SD game of the season now that they’re playing real opponents.
Follow along below with our live thoughts and analysis during today’s game versus Arkansas. Feel free to leave comments and questions using the live tool, but not all comments will be published. Read below for more notes on comments and how the live blog will work. Hook ‘em!
Notes: Comments on the article itself will be turned off till after the game. The Writer can view all comments sent to them but only they can publish your comments for everyone to see. The “autoscroll” feature ensures you’re always shown the newest content without having to refresh or scroll your screen. Subtle sound effects alert you to new content as the writer publishes it. You can turn these features on or off by using the controls at the bottom of the Live Blog.
President Nixon declares the Horns national champs
The Longhorns face off against (formerly?) hated rival Arkansas today at 2:30pm on ABC. Some current UT students weren’t even born yet when the Razorbacks left the old SWC but this rivalry still holds some heat and could keep today’s game closer than expected.
Will the Longhorns finally get their running game going? Can the defense get started before the second quarter starts? Read on to see what the editors of Bevo Sports think will happen today:
Brian - These aren’t your daddy’s Razorbacks. After changing coaches Arkansas is in a rebuilding year and the Longhorns are poised to take advantage today. New Texas coaches Major Applewhite and Will Muschamp will make sure the Horns match Arky’s energy and this one will be a blowout. The running game won’t be perfect but Cody Johnson will have his coming out party and top the century mark for the game. As a team the Horns will rush for over 250 yards and win easily. Texas 56 - Arkansas 21
Mike - Colt McCoy will continue to play at a Heisman level in a beat down game that should have happened two weeks ago. The last time Arkansas came to town they left with a shocking victory, but the Razorbacks don’t have super freak Matt Jones under center. The secondary will continue to give up big plays, but the players and the staff has shown the ability to make big game adjustments. Anything can happen (USC vs. Oregon State), but I don’t see this staff letting this team come out flat. The running game finally gets it going and the front seven dominates again as the Longhorns roll. Texas 41 - Arkansas 20
Matt - Man this match-up looked like a lot more fun when it was originally scheduled for Sept 13. This is a storied rivalry, but this won’t be much of a game. The Texas defense will be tested through the air, but they should be able to keep things under control with some Casey Dick mistakes. I don’t see Texas overlooking this game after what happened to USC. Colt and the offense will continue to roll and should win by a big margin. Texas 55 - Arkansas 19
Butch Hadnot runs against the Piggies
Read below for the Longhorns’ keys to beat the Arkansas Razorbacks:
1. Match their intensity/hatred.
The Texas/Arkansas rivalry isn’t what it used to be back in the days of the Southwest Conference, but the hatred for the Longhorns in Fayettenam hasn’t waned. On the field the Horns can’t let the Razorbacks ride that energy to a quick start. The talent Mack Brown will be putting on the field Saturday easily overmatches that of new Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino, if the Horns come out and score early they should be able to pull away and win easily.
2. Keep an eye on RB Michael Smith.
5-foot-7 junior running back is leading the Razorbacks in rushing and is also on of Casey Dick’s top receiving options. He’s averaging nearly 125 yards per game on the ground and has also chipped in 10 catches for 90 yards. The Horns have problems in the secondary so they need to be able to bottle up Smith and make Arkansas one-dimensional. Roddrick Muckelroy needs to introduce himself Mr. Smith early and often.
3. Get one of the Texas running backs rolling.
The top two rushers for the Longhorns against Rice were the starting and backup quarterbacks. Colt McCoy is leading the team with 194 rushing yards through three games and while he needs to keep running he’ll need one of his running backs to step up behind him. Speedy Foswhitt Whittaker is likely out for the game so it’ll be up to Vondrell McGee and big Cody Johnson to provide ground support. Alabama ran all over the Razorbacks last week (328 yards rushing) and the Horns need to do the same, even if it takes 30 carries from Johnson to get there.
Mack and McConaughey
Let’s see what is going on this Saturday. Remember, I did go 3-1 last weekend against the spread.
Arkansas at #7 Texas (-27) - 3:30 PM EST on ABC. When these two teams were first scheduled to meet, both were sitting at 2-0. Now things look a bit different with Texas coasting to victory against Rice and Arkansas getting blown out at home against Alabama. The Texas Longhorns are huge favorites for the 4th straight week, and deservedly so. Texas is averaging 48.7 points per game (6th in nation) and should easily score in the 50’s again at home against a weak Arkansas defense. The only potential for trouble is the Arkansas passing game against the young Texas secondary. Lucky Casey Dick is prone to making some mistakes. This one should be another easy cover with the Longhorns winning by 35.
#24 TCU at #2 Oklahoma (-18) - 7:00 PM EST on FCSA. With USC losing, Oklahoma now has the opportunity to make a statement to becoming the #1 team in the nation. There is no way Oklahoma overlooks this game since TCU has managed to beat them in Norman twice in a row. So far this season Oklahoma is destroying teams by an average margin of 35.3 points per game and this Saturday will be no different. TCU’s defense has been impressive, but I doubt they have ever seen an offense like they will face this weekend. This might be the easiest cover of the weekend with Oklahoma winning by 30+.
#8 Alabama at #3 Georgia (-7) - 7:45 PM EST on ESPN. Probably the game to watch this weekend. Alabama looks like they are going to be a legit SEC contender and Georgia is still trying to prove they belong at the top. Georgia will be wearing the cool black uniforms trying their best to look like a high school football team. If you like tough, physical football, this game is for you. Both teams boast impressive running games and stout defenses. This game will probably be one of those typical 14-10 SEC games. But in this one I think Alabama comes out the winner with their running game and offensive line. So take Alabama money-line on this one.
#22 Illinois at #12 Penn St (-16) - 8:00 PM EST on ABC. I don’t normally care about or watch Big 10 match-ups, but I am interested in seeing how Penn St looks against Illinois. Penn St is scoring 52.7 points per game, and probably won’t be stopped Saturday. Take them to cover. Here is something to think about. Penn St demolished Oregon St. Oregon St dominated USC. USC killed Ohio St. I still haven’t figured out what that means about Ohio St and the Big 10, but on first thought I would lean towards the Pac-10 and Big 10 sucking.
Sam Acho hates quarterbacks
John Chiles
The Texas staff stressed getting the best 11 players out on the field this year regardless of class or position. Chiles is clearly one of those players even if he is not the best quarterback on the team. Chiles offers the big play ability that UT severely needs for this offense to be as dynamic as it can be. Offensive coordinator Greg Davis must find ways to get the former blue chip recruit involved, be it in the running game or in the passing game as a quarterback or as a receiver.
Vondrell McGee
This could be McGee’s last week to show the coaches he is worthy of important carries in important games. So far the sophomore has done nothing to warrant a starting job and is not only getting pushed by injured Foswhitt Whittaker, but by bruiser Cody Johnson. With Texas wanting big plays out of the running game, expect to see fewer and fewer carries for McGee unless he comes out and impresses this weekend against a SEC defense in Arkansas.
Peter Ullman
Losing Blaine Irby for the season is a huge blow for Texas’ offense. Irby allowed the Longhorn offense to lineup in four receiver sets without changing personnel. While Ullman will never scare opposing defenses in the passing game, he will be an upgrade in the running game and if he can add a few catches in the flats or in the shallow middle of the field Texas’ offense will continue to succeed. If the former Round Rock Dragon cannot offer any threat to opposing defenses UT may have to look at a different position for a player to contribute at the tight end position.
Sam Acho
The coaches have been impressed with Acho since fall camp began. In reserve duty behind star Brian Orakpo Acho has played well. If he continues to outplay Henry Melton (who isn’t playing poorly) and backup Eddie Jones, the staff may have to look at getting Orakpo, Sergio Kindle, and Acho on the field at the same time. Texas wants pressure on the quarterback, and through the first three games Acho has shown more ability to do that on a consistent basis than any other defensive lineman not named Brian Orakpo. If it continues some upperclassmen are going to find themselves standing next to Will Muschamp more than they’d like.
Chykie Brown
It is no secret that the weak link on the defense; and the team for that matter is in the Texas secondary. Going into the season most onlookers expected Deon Beasley to start next to Ryan Palmer, but through the first three games it has been sophomore Chykie Brown. Brown had his struggles tackling in the first game, with every other member of the secondary, but has made good strides in the last two ball games. Texas plays a lot of five defensive back sets with Beasley playing in the slot. Opposing defenses will continue to test Brown until he shows he can make plays. A good game heading into conference play will go a long way in building confidence for the ultra talented corner.
Texas vs. Arkansas 1969
When Texas has the ball
Not enough can be said about Colt McCoy’s play this season. Without him, Texas is no better than the sixth best team in the conference. With him, the Longhorns have a chance to win every game on their schedule, even OU and Missouri. Great quarterbacks have the ability to cover up the weaknesses on their team while exploiting the weaknesses of the opponent. So far Colt has been almost perfect, throwing for 11 touchdowns and leading the team in rushing. Expect no different this week against a young Arkansas defense.
Texas’ running game has problems. The offensive line has been solid, but the backs have struggled. When your quarterback is not named Vince Young, he shouldn’t be your team’s best running threat. Starting running back Vondrell McGee has struggled against lackluster competition. Backup running back Foswhitt Whittaker has been sidelined with injuries to both knees. The best two running backs have been versatile Chris Ogbonnaya and bruiser Cody Johnson. The deficiencies running the ball have been masked by the play of McCoy and the fact that all of the games have been blowouts. As the competition gets better, one would think McCoy’s success will not come as easy. The major question for this offense will be to figure out where to get yards on the ground when they need them.
UT’s offense suffered a huge blow when Blaine Irby went down with a dislocated knee. Texas’ tight ends will now be counted on for blocking more so than in the passing game. Expect Texas to use more four to five receiver sets in obvious passing downs. If the offense struggles do not be surprised to see Ogbonnaya get some snaps at tight end because of his experience at wide receiver. Jordan Shipley and Quan Cosby have performed at an all conference level, but the team still needs a go to third receiver, preferably one that can get deep.
The Arkansas defense has struggled giving up 33.3 per game.
When Arkansas has the ball
The good news is Texas is only allowing 11 points a game, and only Rice has scored in the second half. Each opponent has thrown the ball with success against the Longhorn secondary, and the tests should only get tougher from here on out. Texas ranks ninth in the Big 12 in Pass Defense Efficiency, allowing opposing quarterbacks to attain a 112 passing rating. Arkansas’ Casey Dick is averaging over 300 yards per game through the air. The tackling has improved in the secondary, but the group is still giving up too much easy yardage and allowing too many third down conversions. Safeties Earl Thomas and Blake Gideon must continue to improve each week if the defense has any chance of helping the offense win a conference title.
The best way to help out the inexperienced secondary is to apply pressure. Texas recorded seven sacks against Rice, many of them coming in the second half. This proves that the defensive line can wear out an offense. In today’s age of quick passing sacks have lost some value, but applying pressure on a quarterback to change the timing of the routes as well as disrupting footwork is still key. Defensive coordinator Will Muschamp keeps a stat on number of pressures the team has, so far they are up to 45 through three games.
The run defense has been great, which could be a result of the offensive philosophy that UT’s opponents have used. Texas has a good rotation along their front seven. The line backing core this year has performed better than any group under Mack Brown. Muschamp is becoming a cult hero in Austin, and his desire and work ethic has directly influenced this group.
If Texas wants to get better, and they do, the defense needs to start creating more turnovers. Opposing offenses are giving the secondary too many chances to have only recorded one interception. Texas’ defense has been great in the red-zone giving way to the assumption that they are playing a bend but don’t break type of defense, but truly the lack of execution and talent has provided opportunities for stops. Does anyone believe this defense could stop the Big 12 powers 11 times within the 10 yard line?
Texas should once again be tested, but this is another week where the result isn’t truly in question. Texas’ goals are to be more consistent and allow less big plays while making a few more of their own.
LSU beating up on Auburn
Let’s see what is going on this Saturday. Remember, I did go 2-1 last weekend against the spread.
Miami (FL) at Texas A&M (+3) - 3:30 PM EST on ABC. The best news in this game might well be the fact that Stephen McGee is injured and might not play. Jerrod Johnson has shown some promise already this season and is probably a better option than McGee. Remember last year when Miami killed Aggy on the national stage? Well you can expect more of the same this year. Aggy will start the season 0-2 at home.
Rice at #7 Texas (-29) - 7:00 PM EST on FSN. After Hurricane Ike I am sure these two teams are ready to get back on the playing field and resume some normalcy. Rice doesn’t seem as bad this year as they normally do, but they still have no shot against Texas. Rice can actually score some points, so this will another good warm-up for the Texas defense before the real schedule starts. Rice might actually be a tough cover, but I see us winning by about 35.
#18 Wake Forest at #24 Florida State (-4) - 7:00 PM EST on ESPN2. Florida St is currently #1 in the nation in overall defense, allowing only 170 yards per game, but that is a little deceiving since they have played two Football Championship Subdivision teams. Wake Forest has owned Florida State in recent years and is the only team to shut-out FSU at home in coach Bobby Bowdens’ career. FSU is the favorite in this game for a reason. They are much more talented in the skill positions and are playing at home. I think this game might be close, but FSU will end up winning by 7 and cover the spread.
#6 LSU at #10 Auburn (+2.5) - 7:45 PM EST on ESPN. By far the premier match-up of the weekend. With two of the best defenses in the country squaring off Saturday night, this has all of the makings to be a 7-6 game. If you only score 3 points against Mississippi St, something is wrong with your offense. Even though they are playing at home, Auburn has the real potential to be shut-out. LSU’s offense is nothing to write home about either, but they should be able to put something together. I see LSU winning this game 17-6.
Hurricane Ike tracker from StormPulse.com
This doesn’t look good for the game against Arkansas on Saturday. With the scheduled kick-off at 2:30 PM, Ike could possibly be moving through Austin right around game-time. Luckily both teams have an off week on Sept. 27, so scheduling a make-up game in case of a postponement should not be a problem.
Update: A source from OrangeBloods.com says that there is a 90% chance the game will be postponed until Sept. 27.
Update #2: Brazoria County, Chambers County and Galveston officials have issued evacuation orders.
Update #3: Orangebloods is reporting that the game has officially been postponed till September 27th. Here’s a the official press release from the athletic department. The football schedule page has been updated. (8:50pm)
Posted March 22nd, 2008 by Brian
Filed under: Football, Quick Hits
Scout.com’s 2008 spring preview continues with their top 40 non-conference games. Horns vs. Piggies is at number 11.
Posted March 18th, 2008 by Brian
Filed under: Basketball, NCAA Tourney, Quick Hits
Rick Barnes threatens Arkansas fans. I love poking the Piggies with a stick. Should have them nice and riled up.r
Posted April 5th, 2007 by Brian
Filed under: Football, Quick Hits
Houston Nutt’s phone records make him even shadier. Arky fans are nuts, pun intended.
Posted April 3rd, 2007 by Brian
Filed under: Basketball, Quick Hits
Creighton’s Dana Altman took Arkansas job. Then he visited Fayetteville and changed his mind.
Posted February 15th, 2007 by Brian
Filed under: Football, Quick Hits
The sh** is hitting the fan in Fayetteville and it is freaking hilarious to watch. Couldn’t happen to a better bunch of people.
Arkansas quarterback Mitch Mustain had his request for release from his scholarship granted Tuesday by head coach Houston Nutt. His impending transfer just makes him the latest of the highly touted players and coach from nearby Springdale to bolt on the Razorbacks.
Damian Williams was the first Arkansas player to leave after the PTA meeting back in December between the parents of some spoiled brats and Arkansas’ athletic director Frank Broyles. Offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn left for the greener pastures of Tulsa with the honorable Todd Graham last week. Now the news out of Fayetteville is that blue chip quarterback Mustain is gone as well.
After only a single season with the Razorbacks Mustain is getting out of there as fast as he can. Despite his skills, potential, and former high school coach calling the shots he couldn’t grab the starting job in his true freshman season. He and the rest of his high school teammates (and coach) clearly had personal issues with Houston Nutt. Pretty much everyone knows Nutt is a bit of an ass so I’m not sure how it came as such a surprise to all these guys. Could Mustain be headed to Tulsa to rejoin Malzahn?
With these events, Rhett Bomar’s ousting from Oklahoma, and Ryan Perrilloux’s recent legal troubles, it seems karma is seeking out former Texas quarterback recruits. John Brantley better watch out.
Update
Latest news is that Mustain was interested in Oklahoma, Alabama, and Tulsa but Bob Stoops and Nick Saban weren’t interested in the formerly highly recruited player. He was forced to enroll in classes at Arkansas this Spring but won’t participate in anything football related. (1/20/2007))
Several members of the “Springdale 5″ aren’t happy with the way Houston Nutt controlled the Arkansas offense and they’re getting mommy and daddy to complain about it. Rumors of trouble in Fayettenam starting swirling last week on the message boards but now the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette has a story on it as well. The parents of quarterback Mitch Mustain and WR’s Damian Williams and Ben Cleveland apparently thought the offense should be tailored around them as true freshmen so they went above head coach Houston Nutt’s head to athletic director Frank Broyles. There’s some pretty interesting quotes in the article:
“The reason for the meeting was very simple,�? Rick Cleveland said. “We wanted to know what is the direction of Arkansas’ football program ? Are we eventually going to get to Gus’ offense ? Or are we going to stay with the way we are at present?�?
The way you are at present? You mean in the SEC Championship Game and having a chance for a national title in the final weeks of the season?
“With our kids going to Arkansas, it’s basically like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole,�? Rick Cleveland said of the offense. “When Gus came onto the scene, the very first question we would ask was, ‘Do you have full control of the offense and do you have full control of the personnel ?’ Which we were told, ‘Yes.’
“I don’t believe Gus lied to us. But as the season has progressed, it’s very obvious that this is not Gus Malzahn’s offense and Gus does not have full control of the personnel or the play calling.
“From our perspective - and it’s only our perspective - it seems as if you’ve been sold a bill of goods.
“We never would have committed here knowing that this was the offense, because we knew our boys wouldn’t be happy.�?
I can’t believe they’re actually publicly complaining about an offense that resulted in one of Arkansas’ best seasons in many years, made running back Darren McFadden the Heisman Trophy runner-up, and is getting offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn national honors as a coach. This is an incredible display of immaturity and selfishness and I can’t believe these kids parents are supporting it. Clearly they think their stats are more important than the team winning.
Damien Williams has already asked for and been granted release from his scholarship and will be transferring from Arkansas. I wouldn’t be surprised if Mustain and Cleveland followed him, though they’re currently saying all the right things and that they’re going to be Razorbacks for three more years.
All this drama is definitely entertaining for Longhorn fans and I hope things only get worse.
(via)
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