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 Cyclones.

1st Quarter (15:00) WTH Horn Fans?! Forget the 11AM kickoff, your Longhorns come back from an upset (did I say upset?) victory over the Huskers. The students did not come ready, the alumni fan base was not ready and we found out that the team was sure not ready.

1st Quarter (5:23) WTH Defense?! Last week we lauded the efforts of the defense and Coach Blood’s game plan. No game plan this week? The Cyclones put an 80 yard 6:37 minute drive together for the game’s first score.

2nd Quarter (14:05) WTH Hix?! You sure are built like a Longhorn lineman. You just do not have the mental makeup. You’re going to start getting the label of Flozell Adams for all the false start penalties. The penalty erased a touchdown and the Horns had to settle for a field goal. Stupid is…

2nd Quarter (13:01) WTH Williams?! I think it’s a weekly item to call out somebody named Williams. Aaron Williams is trying to get his draft stock higher with multiple duties. Returning punts better not be on his resume again. He failed to fair catch a punt that ended up rolling 74 yards to put the Horns down at the 1.

2nd Quarter (:29) WTH Red Zone?! Greg Davis needs to trick things up or we will never get in the end zone. It looked like the game plan was to out talent the Cyclones. Too bad effort was not added to the plan. Oh yeah, we missed the field goal to end the half.

3rd Quarter (10:55) WTH Monroe?! Either DJ Monroe needs to be kicked off the team for his past transgressions or give him more carries. He touches the ball once and sprints for 10 yards and a first down. Mack if you are trying to teach him a lesson. Give him the ball more. DJ Monroe and Malcolm Williams are the two biggest mysteries on this team.

3rd Quarter (2:42) WTH Vaccaro?! The arrogance by the Horns was clearly evident when Kenny Vaccaro immediately points to Christian Scott after the Cyclones put up a touchdown in the back of the end zone. Kenny points to Christian like it was his fault that the touchdown occurred. This team needs an attitude adjustment.

4th Quarter (3:09) WTH Muschamp?! Coach Blood needs to be called out for his arrogance of putting out his base nickel defensive package when Iowa State is clearly running the ball to drain the clock. The decision to out talent the opposition resulted in the Cyclones getting a crucial first down to salt the game away.

Next up for the Longhorn’s are the 25th ranked Baylor Bears in Austin at 6:00 pm on October 30th.

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 Rice Owls.

Sam Acho sacks the Rice QB causing a fumble.

Pregame (15:00) WTH Sherman Williams?! Did your paint truck have an accident on ESPN sideline reporter Jeannine Edwards shirt? Wow…I have no fashion sense but that outfit was almost as loud as the announced attendance of 70,445 at Reliant Stadium.

1st Quarter (6:56) WTH Jones?! I can understand avoiding the dangerous kick returners that we have on the team. But watch out for our secret weapon DE returner Eddie Jones who led all Texas kickoff returners with 41 total yards.

2nd Quarter (14:48) WTH Duran RD 1?! Looks like the Hands of Stone hit the UT secondary. Cornerback Chykie Brown dropped a sure interception for a touchdown when the ball was thrown right at him. Can we say that the SI Jinx has now been applied?

2nd Quarter (7:56) WTH Cowboy?! Kenny Vaccaro was furious on consecutive plays when he lit up Rice running back Tyler Smith. How many star tattoos do you have on your arms? Special shout out to Keenan Robinson who with the help of defensive end Sam Acho turned the tables on Rice with a sack and return for a touchdown.

2nd Quarter (:04) WTH Replay Booth?! What is up with that extraordinary blooper pass completion to Rice WR Randy Kitchens that resulted in one of the two touchdowns that Rice would score? Come on CUSA officials, you could not tell me that his legs were touching before he even tried to extend the ball. Did the ball even cross the goal line? Even the television shot of Rice Coach David Bailiff showed he was surprised by the outcome.

Halftime WTH MOB?! Lost another halftime show. Prediction sure to come true that we will lose the last game of the year too! It was great to see the “oldies” volunteering to march with the band to fill out the roster.

3rd Quarter (8:55) WTH Duran RD 2?! UT cornerback Aaron Williams dropped a sure touchdown as the secondary brought their stone hands to the game. Thank goodness he did not muff a punt return…oh wait.

3rd Quarter (3:42) WTH Newton?! It is amazing how a shifty running back who finds creases makes the offensive line blocking look so much better. RB Tre Newton clearly has established himself as the lead back with his third touchdown. With Newton, Fozzy Whittaker and Cody Johnson the team ran for just under 200 yards. It was good to be stubborn against the Feisty Night Birds but when the real season starts lets mix up the play calling to help open up the run.

4th Quarter (3:40) WTH Duran RD 3?! Aaron Williams will be an all conference player at the end of the season for his defense, but he will not win many special team awards if his decision making ability does not improve. His muff punt return allowed the Owls to tack on another touchdown to make the score look better.

Next up for the Longhorn’s are the Cowboys from Wyoming at 6pm on Sept. 11th.

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 40 Acres Sports or follow me at Horns1991. HOOK EM!!

Redshirt freshman [tag]DJ Monroe[/tag] may have had the most impressive and important debut Saturday night but nine true freshmen including quarterback [tag]Garrett Gilbert[/tag] burned their redshirts against Louisiana-Monroe. Here are notes on the nine youngsters who played:

• [tag]Eryon Barnett[/tag] – Played on defense late in the game.
• [tag]Marcus Davis[/tag] – Played on defense late in the game.
• [tag]Garrett Gilbert[/tag] – Came into the game to a standing ovation in the 4th quarter. Played one drive and led the backups to a nice touchdown drive. Looked poised in the pocket and moved well, completing 4 of 5 passes for 46 yards. Finished things off with a nice 12-yard TD run that showed he can do things on the ground as well.
• [tag]Marquise Goodwin[/tag] – Fast! The track start became a football scholarship player the moment he stepped on the field on a kickoff return. During Gilbert’s drive Goodwin showed that he can also do things as a receiver. Caught 3 passes for 39 yards, including a short hitch route that he took 29 yards and was a shoelace away from using his speed to take it to the house.
• [tag]Calvin Howell[/tag] – Played on defense relatively early. Got a lot of bad TV exposure as he committed two 15-yard penalties with a facemask and late QB hit. Finished with 1 assisted tackle.
• [tag]Barrett Matthews[/tag] – Played some special teams and was in at tight end on Gilbert’s scoring drive.
• [tag]Alex Okafor[/tag] – Played early and often on the defensive line. Okafor was one of the most active and impressive players on the Horns’ defense regardless of classification. Had 4 total tackles including 2 huge tackles for loss on a goal line stand.
• [tag]Kenny Vaccaro[/tag] – The first true freshman to play as he took field on game’s opening kickoff. Very active and looks like he’ll be key member of kick coverage teams all year. Tied for team lead in tackles with 6 including 4 solos.
• [tag]Mason Walters[/tag] – Came in and played on the line with Gilbert and the second team offense.

College coaches are not allowed by NCAA rules to talk about potential recruits or commits until National Signing Day. With signatures from all 20 commits this morning, Texas head coach [tag]Mack Brown[/tag] finally has a chance to talk about each of the future Longhorns and breaks down each one on film. Mack sits down in front of reporters and talks to reporters for nearly 30 minutes and it is definitely worth your time to sit down and watch.

Watch Mack talking about the class and discussing each of the recruits below:

Many thanks to Statesman.com for again providing embeddable video of Mack’s press conferences.

It’s barely March but it looks like [tag]Mack Brown[/tag] is close to wrapping up his 2009 recruiting class already. After starting out strong with Garrett Gilbert and six other commits at the team’s first junior day, the Horns have since added eight more of the state’s top football players to bring the total tally up to fifteen.

Two of the biggest commits were at linebacker, where Irving’s Tariq Allen and Grand Prairie’s Patrick Nkwopara made their pledge to play for defensive coordinator [tag]Will Muschamp[/tag]’s defense. Both players were top targets of the Texas defensive coaching staff and appear to fit their mold perfectly for a linebacker, speed guys who aren’t afraid to knock your head off. If you’re a Rivals subscriber, watch Allen’s videos and you’ll be very excited about our future middle linebacker.

The team also got help in the defensive backfield by picking up commits from cornerbacks Eryon Barnett from Euless and Kenny Vaccaro out of Brownwood. Vaccaro is one of the state’s most heavily recruited DB’s and held offers from the likes of Florida, Oklahoma, and Stanford when chose the Longhorns. Barnett was a virtual unknown before committing to the Horns but Texas offered quickly and he certainly passes the eyeball test so he looks like a player who will shoot up the rankings once the scouting services get film of him.

Texas also did an excellent job filling needs from the top in-state options. Defensive end and tight end were both positions the Horns needed to fill holes at in this class. At defensive end the two big fish are still out there, Alex Okafor and five-star Devon Kennard, but the Horns added two very capable prospects in Dominique Jones and Kyle Kriegel. The tight end commits look like the two best in the state in Trey Graham and Barrett Matthews. I’m particularly excited about Matthews, whose versatility, athleticism, and toughness allow him to play an H-back role or maybe even end up on defense. It doesn’t hurt that he plays for Galena Park North Shore, a school that has now put out three top Division I tight ends in a row.

The fifteen current commits are listed below:

Name	Position	Rating*	LSR**	Hometown
Tariq Allen	LB		65	Irving
Thomas Ashcraft	OL		13	Cedar Hill
Eryon Barnett	DB		NR	Euless
Marcus Davis	DB		15	League City
Garrett Gilbert	QB		2	Austin
Trey Graham	TE		NR	Waco
Dominique Jones	DE		NR	Kilgore
Paden Kelley	OL		31	Austin
Kyle Kriegel	DE		64	Elysian Fields
Barrett Matthews	TE		59	Galena Park
Patrick Nkwopara	LB		NR	Grand Prairie
Garrett Porter	OL		30	Odessa
Greg Timmons	WR		10	Aldine
Kenny Vaccaro	DB		53	Brownwood
Chris Whaley	RB		8	Madisonville

*Note: Most of the star ratings are just estimates based on the video I’ve seen of the recruits and Orangebloods.com’s state rankings.

**Note: LSR is Geoff Ketchum’s Lone Star Recruiting Top 100. The numbers represent the player’s ranking as of 2/13/2008.