40 Acres Sports

The NFL is now littered with former Texas players from the Mack Brown era. It seems like every game involves a Longhorn in the starting lineup. The biggest impacts appear to be on both lines and in the secondary while linebacker is without a doubt the weakest position. Injuries affected a few of the players 2008 season, but the program should be proud of what these guys are accomplishing.

Justin Blalock – The Atlanta Falcon’s made the playoffs behind a great running game and solid quarterback play. The unsung unit on the team was the offensive line. Blalock has cemented himself as a starter on an upcoming team by starting all 16 games after playing in 14 last season. At Texas, Blalock played tackle, but in the NFL he has been able to slide back to his natural position of tackle. Blalock was even able to score a touchdown on a fumble recovery.

Tarell Brown – The forgotten member of the 2005 secondary has become a solid nickel corner in the NFL for the 49ers. Brown played in 15 games and started in one. He recorded 30 tackles and two interceptions.

Cedric Benson – The beginning of the season didn’t appear good for Benson. After being cut by the Bears it appeared no one would request his services. The Cincinnati Bengals fell apart and came calling four games into the season. Benson started 10 games, gained over 700 yards, and scored two touchdowns on the ground. He also added 20 receptions. “EL Ced” finished with two huge games; making the chance he is offered a longer deal by the Bengals a real possibility.

Tim Crowder – Crowder struggled with injuries and the depth chart all season. He played in six games, starting zero, and recording one tackle on the whole year.

Jamaal Charles – Charles had a rookie season that has to be seen as a success. Charles sits behind Larry Johnson on the depth chart, but made plays when given the opportunity. The speedster averaged 5.3 yards per carry and added 27 receptions. His only touchdown of the season came on a reception. If Johnson isn’t retained by the Chiefs, Charles may get a look as an every down back.

Leonard Davis – The offensive line for the Cowboys underachieved this season. Davis will go to another Pro Bowl but o-line selections are based on reputation more times than not. It was not all Davis’ fault but he did not perform at the level he did the previous year.

Phil Dawson - Dawson was once again a lone bright spot for the Cleveland Browns franchise. He went 30/36 with a long of 56. He was perfect on extra point, but the 18 attempts magnify the struggles of the Browns offense.

Derrick Dockery – Dockery is one of the higher paid linemen in the league, but is never as dominant as his salary would warrant.

Jermichael Finley – Finley had a hard time getting started this season. He ended up playing in 14 games while starting one of them. The rookie finished with 6 receptions for 74 yards and a touchdown on the season.

Cedric Griffin – Griffin has turned into a solid starting cornerback for the Vikings. He gets a lot of action playing opposite of Pro-Bowler Antoine Winfield but holds his own pretty well. Griffin plays with excellent enthusiasm and competitiveness which makes him an eager corner in run support. He played in all 16 games for the second straight season and recorded 91 tackles and a pick.

Mike Griffin – Michael Griffin had the type of year that have made many hail him as the best defensive back to come out of the 2005 group. Griffin is a Pro-Bowl alternate after recording seven interceptions and a sack on the year. He is quickly becoming one of the best safeties in the league. His play has allowed the Titan defense to become one of the best in the league. Griffin also returns kicks for the #1 seeded Titans.

Ahmard Hall – The former Marine has established himself as one of the last true fullbacks in the game. The Tennessee running game is one of the best in the league behind the duo of Chris Johnson and Lendale White. The two split carries with mirrored success, and the one constant is the presence of Hall. He has also become a weapon in the flat out of the backfield, recording two touchdown receptions this year.

Casey Hampton – Hampton had a tough season as he struggled to get on the field with health and conditioning problems. When Hampton can play he remains the best 3-4 nose tackle in the game. He recorded one sack in 13 games that he was rarely able to make it all the way through.

Michael Huff – The Thorpe award winner hasn’t lived up to his draft status so far in his career, but it is still early. Huff lost his starting job and didn’t record a sack, interception, or forced fumble on the year.

Quentin Jammer – Jammer had another great year in San Diego. He is one of the most physical corners in the league and continually gets matched up with the opposing team’s biggest and best receiver. Jammer recorded 88 tackles, two interceptions, and three forced fumbles for the playoff bound Chargers. It has been amazing to watch the turnaround of Jammer’s play after struggling for the first few years in the NFL. The pressure of being a high pick has subsided and Jammer’s play has risen.

Derrick Johnson – DJ has moved inside and performed well for the Chiefs. The knock on the former Texas star coming out was his unwillingness to take on blocks, and after a few years as a pro the criticism still exist. When playing in space he excels, but at the point of attack he has remained a liability. Johnson has been up and down, but has shown flashes of potential. He ended the year with 85 tackles, 1.5 sacks, one interception, and four forced fumbles. If/when the light turns on for DJ the sky is the limit.

Frank Okam – Okam may have earned himself a roster spot for next year with his play down the stretch. He lacks the motor and intensity most coaches want out of an interior defensive lineman, but he has the tools to become a solid player in the league if he ever turns it on.

Cory Redding – I feel bad for Cory Redding. I feel bad for any player, coach, trainer, and journalist (except Rob Parker) in Detroit. Redding was the heart and soul of their defense (if that is possible), and if he ever gets out of Detroit he may have a chance to make some noise. Until then, he’ll be rich in Detroit. He got three sacks on the year.

Brian Robison – Robison plays behind Jerod Allen so his snaps are limited. When he is on the field he shows up and makes plays. He managed 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble in 15 games.

Shaun Rogers – Shaun Rogers is the most disruptive interior lineman in football today. The guy is just huge and unstoppable when his motor is turned on. He took over games at points this season in spite of double and triple teams. Rogers will be in the Pro-Bowl again after turning in 76 tackles and 4.5 sacks. He has Hall of Fame type talent when it is all clicking for Rogers.

Aaron Ross – He may not be the best athlete in his marriage, but the Thorpe award winner has become a better than average cornerback in a tough place to play. Ross started in every game he played, 15, and grabbed 3 interceptions, including one that he returned for a touchdown. Ross has the ability to be a shutdown corner as his technique and confidence continue to grow.

Bo Scaife – Scaife has emerged as a very productive tight end even in the face of losing his quarterback and his team bringing in a big name free agent in Alge Crumpler. There were a few games where Kerry Collins completely forgot about Scaife, but he finished with 58 receptions and two touchdowns. Scaife has also become better as a blocker which allows him to stay on the field in all situations.

Lyle Sendlein – People tend to forget about Sendlein when discussing the better offensive lineman Mack Brown has put into the NFL. Sendein has started every game of the season for a playoff team. Not too bad.

Chris Simms – Simms is the number three quarterback on Tennessee’s roster.

Kasey Studdard – Studdard remains a reserve lineman for the Houston Texans. He hasn’t been able to crack the starting lineup.

Limas Sweed – Sweed is listed as the 4th receiver on the Steeler roster. One would think Sweed will contribute more after a full off season.

David Thomas – The Patriots use a lot of tight ends in their offense, so none of them have numbers that are going to blow you away. Despite that Thomas has been able to get on the field a lot so far in his career. He pulled in nine receptions for 93 yards, but was never able to reach the end zone.

Nathan Vasher – Injuries rendered the 2008 season a wasted one for Vasher. He played in eight games, recording one interception, before being placed on injured reserve.

Ricky Williams – The former Heisman trophy winner and league pariah has made his comeback has a productive back in the Miami system. He was one of the many bright spots on a team full of them this year. Williams is able to make plays without being relied on to carry the full load because of the presence of Ronnie Brown. Ricky scored four touchdowns on 659 yards rushing. He may have made his biggest impact as a receiver out of the backfield where he averaged over seven yards a catch on 29 receptions.

Roy Williams – The losing ways of the Lions followed Williams from Detroit to Dallas. Roy was never able to make an impact for the Cowboys for reasons that still remain unclear. He has proven to have the ability which leaves work ethic and injury as the two other reasons for his lack of production. Williams has unfortunately been criticized for both a lack of work ethic and inability to stay healthy in his career. He will need to have a huge year next year to justify the trade and contract Jerry Jones awarded him.

Selvin Young – Young was another Longhorn that struggled with injury. Denver is notorious for alternating backs, and with the addition of injuries Young was never able to stay on the field. When he was healthy he produced so it will be interesting to see what the new coach in Denver decides to do with Selvin.

Vince Young – 2008 was not a good year for VY. The greatest player in Longhorn history lost his job after one game and a knee injury, and never was even given the chance to win it back. It now appears Jeff Fisher made the right choice as Tennessee earned the #1 seed in the AFC. While they did it with defense and running the ball, Collins has done a good job in a Trent Dilfer type role. This season may end up being the best thing that has ever happened to Vince as a professional if he uses the experience in the right way.

Limas Sweed is learning about all things Pittsburgh. Newest Steeler receiver is soaking in all facts about his newest team and city of residence.

NFL rookie camp: Limas Sweed. Former Horn talks about his experience this summer in Pittsburgh.

Another Topps photo shoot video interview, this time with former Texas wide receiver Limas Sweed. I think Limas is going to be a steal for Pittsburgh in the middle of the second round. I don’t know how many passes he’ll catch in his rookie season but it won’t be long before he’s a favorite of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

Watch the interview below:

Limas is pretty comfortable in front of the camera and seems like a nice, intelligent young man. I love the fact that he’s learning the “geetar” and that he thinks an Audioslave song from 2002 is kinda an older song you might not know.

Steelers hold high expectations for Limas Sweed. Limas got fired from Blue Bell for falling into a vat of strawberry ice cream.

Limas Sweed to the Pittsburgh Steelers is one of the 10 best marriages of talent, team needs from 2008 NFL Draft.

One pick away from joining Vince in Tennessee. So close…

With the number 22nd pick of the 2nd round in the 2008 NFL Draft the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Texas wide receiver Limas Sweed. Sweed goes to a team with a solid quarterback and should have a chance to contribute right away and then take over as the team’s number one guy after Hines Ward retires. Lower than everyone thought and Texas fans are disappointed, but the Steelers are a great spot for Limas.

Congrats to Limas and good luck to him in the NFL.

Update: The Steelers’ official site has a transcript of Sweed’s conference call with Pittsburgh media after his selection. Worth a read.

Update 2: Interview with Pittsburgh wide receivers coach Randy Fichtner is also now available.

ESPN draft expert Todd McShay loves Limas Sweed. He has the Texas receiver going 24th in Saturday’s draft to the Titans, but he’s even higher on him than most NFL teams. McShay believes that “ten years from now, we’re going to say Limas Sweed was the most productive and most talented wide receiver in the 2008 NFL Draft class.” Pretty bold statement and I sure hope he’s right, especially if Sweed is on the receiving end of Vince Young’s passes in Tennessee for the next ten years.

Watch his scouting report below, the quote is at the very end:

Most NFL mock drafts only include a round or maybe two, but just like last year ESPN’s Todd McShay has released his seven-round mock draft for your perusal (if you’re an ESPN Insider.) Getting one round is tough enough, but McShay actually did a decent job last year and even nailed Justin Blalock to Atlanta and Brian Robison to Minnesota last year.

Below is where McShay believes the Longhorns in the draft will go followed by my my thoughts on the picks:

Round 1

24. Tennessee Titans - Limas Sweed
This is best possible scenario for Texas fans. Titans need wide receiver help desperately and Sweed may be the best one in the draft. Getting him at #24 would be great for the Titans VY.

Round 2

43. Carolina Panthers - Jamaal Charles
Charles is the first running back taken in the second round. He’d actually have a chance to start for Carolina to, only has to beat out DeAngelo Williams.

Round 3

115. Philadelphia Eagles - Marcus Griffin
Nice spot for Marcus, interesting to see him going so high. I’ll be surprised if Griffin goes before Finley and Hills, simply because I believe those two have much higher ceilings. Great to see a former walk-on work his way into a mid-round NFL Draft pick.

127. Indianapolis Colts - Jermichael Finley
Jermichael might be a little disappointed by how far he falls but he’d be ecstatic to be picked up by the Colts. Pretty much the perfect situation for him. They use their tight end a lot, Peyton Manning to throw him the ball, they split the tight end out wide frequently, and most importantly the Colts throw work out of the shotgun a ton and Finley wouldn’t be asked to be down on the line run blocking much.

129. New England Patriots - Tony Hills
Another good situation. Hills would be given time with New England to develop and wouldn’t be asked to start right away. At the same time, there’s no young, highly regarded tackles on their roster so he’s got a chance to compete by year two.

Round 5

154. Washington Redskins - Frank Okam
Much lower slot than people expected out of Okam a few years ago but McShay may actually have him higher than the current opinion. I’m not sure what I think, I have a feeling he might go as early the fourth round if a team makes a pick based on potential but then I wouldn’t be shocked to see him go undrafted either.

Round 7

215. Baltimore Ravens - Derek Lokey
Imagine if Lokey had Okam’s build, the kid would be a first round pick. But he’s 6-foot-1 and a light 290 pounds which is considered very undersized for an NFL defensive tackle. I’d love to see Derek go to a team and be utilized as a goal line fullback and deep snapper as well as a defensive tackle who can give 15 - 20 snaps a game.

Longhorn pipeline may continue to flow for Titans. I’d love to see them pick up Sweed in the first and Charles and the second or third.

Position: Wide Receiver
Height: 6-4
Weight: 215 pounds
Hometown: Washington, TX

Strengths: Excellent size and speed combo, not a burner but fast for a receiver with his size. Great hands and uses his size well against smaller defensive backs. Knows the benefits of a subtle push off. Good work ethic and has impressed scouts with his attitude in interviews and effort coming off major wrist surgery.

Weaknesses: No injury history but wrist injury that caused him to miss most of senior season is still a question mark. Had concentration issues early in his career that resulted in too many drops. Never had a dominating season at Texas.

Projection: mid to late 1st round

Related Links

• Limas Sweed archives
• Draft Countdown profile
• ESPN draft profile
• NFL Combine profile
• NFL Draft Scout profile

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Rick Gosselin’s latest NFL mock draft (4/18) has Jamaal Charles going incredibly high at #20. Also has Limas Sweed in the first round.

Pro day, or pro timing day, is an NFL Draft prospect’s chance to show scouts what he’s got in a comfortable environment. They’re on their own campus, in their own gym, working out with their teammates and coaches. It also is a chance for the guys who weren’t invited to the NFL Combine to show their stuff. At Texas’ pro day Wednesday, sixteen players were weighed, measured, timed, and did position drills for 75 NFL personnel people.

Most of this information is cribbed from NFL.com, Orangebloods, and the Austin-American Statesman blog post on UT’s pro day. The numbers are inconsistent because they always are, everybody gets their times from a different source. Here’s how some of the Horns performed:

• Cornerback Brandon Foster - 5-7 5/8, 185, 10-8 broadjump. Ran a blazing 4.28 time in the 40-yard dash. He also showed athleticism with a 38-inch vertical jump. His performance might offset the fact that Foster was measured at 5-7.
• Running back Jamaal Charles - 5-11, 199 pounds. Elected not to run, allowing his 4.38 time that he posted at the combine to stand. Ran position workouts and looked good catching the football.
• Receiver Limas Sweed - 6-4 1/8, 210, 37 vertical. Ran a 4.40, shaving nearly a tenth of a second off of the time he ran at the NFL combine last month. 4.33 short shuttle, 7.14 cone drill. Ran position drills and looked good catching the ball.
• Tight end Jermichael Finley - 6-4 3/4, 240 pounds. Ran a 4.62, dropping his time from the combine by .24. His time is now the second fastest run by a tight end in workouts leading up to next month’s draft.
• Backup safety Drew Kelson - 6-0 1/2, 216, 10-9 broad jump. Posted a 41.5-inch vertical jump and ran a 4.45. We’re checking to see if any other player in the country has jumped higher in draft workouts.
• Defensive tackle Derek Lokey - 6-1 3/8, 293, 33.5 vert. Did 38 reps on the 225-pound bench press. He also worked out at fullback and deep snapper. 9-foot, 4-inch long jump, 4.37 short shuttle, 7.57 cone drill, 38 reps in the bench press, and ran position drills.
• Linebacker Scott Derry - 6-2 1/2, 221
• Tackle Tony Hills - 6-5, 307 lbs. 24 reps in the bench press, but could not run or do other drills due to an injury.
• Defensive tackle Frank Okam - 6-4 7/8, 27.5 vertical. Dropped 12 pounds since his weigh-in at the combine. He is weighing 335 right now.
• Safety Marcus Griffin - 5-10, 196, 37.5 vert. Ran a 4.5 40.
• Wide receiver Billy Pittman - 5-11, 195. Ran a 4.56.
• Also participated: safety Erick Jackson, wide receiver Nate Jones, linebacker Robert Killebrew, defensive tackle Thomas Marshall, punter Justin Moore, and former Longhorn safety Lee Jackson.

Related Links

• UT press release
• The Longhorn family
• Player quotes
• Photo gallery

Derry, Marcus Griffin, Killebrew, Okam and Sweed will participate in various post-season All-Star games. First one is the Hula Bowl on January 12th.

Lance Zierlein’s first 2008 NFL Mock Draft. I’d love to see Limas Sweed go to the Titans. Great fit.

The Texas Longhorns held their annual football banquet Friday night (photos) where they honored team members for their accomplishments on and off the field. Though fans and recruits do attend, the event is definitely a night for the players to look back on the season and to honor the careers of the outgoing seniors.

Quarterback Colt McCoy and running back Jamaal Charles were deservedly named the team MVPs. McCoy didn’t have as good of a season as he did his freshman year but he definitely is the player that made this team go (when it went anywhere). Charles was also named Darrell K. Royal Most Valuable Offensive Player while the Mike Campbell Most Valuable Defensive Players were Brandon Foster and Marcus Griffin.

In a team vote Dallas Griffin, Tony Hills, and Derek Lokey were honored with the D. Harold Byrd Leadership Award. Also, in a shocking development quarterback McCoy was given the Outstanding Quarterback Award.

In a move that infuriated Internet Coaching and Motivational Experts Rashad Bobino, Scott Derry, and Robert Killebrew shared the honor of being the team’s Outstanding Linebackers. I’m not sure what else you can really do though as no linebacker really deserved the honor and it would be pretty embarrassing to not hand out an award for the position.

A list of all the award winners is after the jump.

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In some sad news, it looks like Limas Sweed will undergo wrist surgery, effectively ending his season and career at Texas. After evaluating Sweed’s wrist after the game, the medical staff decided that Sweed was just in too much pain to continue playing football.

“We’ve been very fortunate to have Limas for the past four years,” Brown said. “He’s made a lot of great plays and had a record-setting career at Texas. Limas is a fine young man who has been a tremendous representative of our program on and off the field. We appreciate everything he did to try to help the team this year, but since he is in such intense pain, he cannot continue to play. He will stay involved helping us and supporting the team even though he won’t be able to play, but since he keeps re-aggravating this injury, it’s important that he gets it fixed because he has a bright future in the NFL.”

I wonder, if Texas was 6-0 and not 4-2, would the recommendation from the medical staff be a little different. I am not trying to say that Sweed’s injury is not serious, but winning sure can make things feel better.

Source

Looks like we’re definitely headed towards another situation where the early FSN game is going to interfere with the start of the Texas vs. Rice game. Texas Tech and Oklahoma State have decided to forego defense and play a 9-hour offensive shootout. All is not lost however, if you’re a DirecTV customer the game will start on schedule on channel 667 and you can check out FSN Southwest’s contingency plan for the telecast over on the official UT football site. Plus I’ll post frequent updates on the game here on this post. Stay tuned…

First Quarter

• Rice won the toss and will kick off.
• Good deep kick and Quan Cosby takes a knee.
• Chris Hall starting at right tackle again. Limas Sweed is healthy enough to make the start at receiver.
• Colt McCoy misses Cosby on a 12 yard out.
• Jamaal Charles may never touch the football again. Another damn fumble. Rice football.
• No surprises starting at linebacker. Same three veterans: Derry, Bobino, Killebrew.
• Great penetration on the blitz by Rashad Bobino results in a loss of yards.
• Deon Beasley got the start at cornerback over Brandon Foster.
• How is that not grounding? Rice OL forgets to block Frank Okam and he gets a free run at the QB.
• There’s a flag, they called it after all. Rice lining up for 50-yard field goal attempt.
• Rice kicker misses wide left. My former coworker and former Rice kicker Derek Crabtree would’ve made that one. Or so he’d tell me.
• Charles is still the running back. McCoy hits Jermichael Finley on a quick out for a 9 yard game.
• Charles reverses field and gets a good gain. Kid has tons of talent, hold on to the ball and I’ll be your best friend.
• Ugly option play and McCoy gets brought down hard. Guard Cedric Dockery got his ass kicked.
• Great catch on a hitch by Cosby. Colt tried to get him killed. Short of the first down and Texas has to punt.
• Texas sends out Colt McCoy with the rest of the punting team in some sort of likely fake but we screw it up and have to blow a timeout.
• After the timeout we’ve got the regular offense out there for 4th and 2.
• Lead dive out by Charles behind FB Atwan Cobb gets the first down.
• Completion from McCoy to Nate Jones on a slant. 7 yard gain.
• McCoy fumbles the shotgun snap but he rolls to his left and finds Cosby alone for a completion and a first down.
• Terrible looking play where two Texas linemen are running laterally 3 yards deep in the backfield and Charles has to fight his way through them on the counter before he can get a couple of yards. Yikes.
• Tony Hills with an obvious hold made more obvious by the fact that he threw his hands up in the air trying to claim innocence. Costs the Horns a first and goal opportunity.
• McCoy and Cosby bail out Hills. Great pass and catch for the touchdown on 3rd and long. The inside receiver was even more open on the play.

Rice 0, Texas 7

• About 1:30 left in the Tech/OSU game and OSU just scored to go up by four on a 54 yard TD catch.
• Didn’t know Texas was using the Bill Bates air conditioned shoulder pads. Great technology.
• Great job by Aaron Lewis to string out the play, Bobino flies to the ball and blows up the blocker, and Lewis is able to make the tackle.
• The Rice receiver might have been bobbling that ball. Rice thinks so too and is running the no huddle.
• Rice’s line is getting whipped right now. They’re doubling the two defensive tackles and that allowed the end to come and make the tackle untouched.
• As I’ve said over and over again, that spread punt formation is the dumbest thing in college football. Texas gets the ball at their 33.
• Colt is holding the ball a tick too long on the deep ball. Another underthrown bomb and another incompletion. He’s got a good enough arm if he gets rid of it a little quicker he’d be a lot more successful.
• Long run by Charles on the single back counter.
• Another ill advised deep ball. Come on Colt. Be smart. Interception but there’s flag on the play.
• McCoy bailed out by the pass interference call. That could have gone either way. First down Texas.
• John Chiles in the game. McCoy motioned left and Chiles ran the zone read. Nice idea but center Dallas Griffin got his ass beat and a Rice lineman blew up the play.
• Two incompletions and Texas will have to attempt a field goal.
• Ryan Bailey’s 44-yard field goal goes right down the middle.

Rice 0, Texas 10

• If our corners are going to give 15 yard cushion they can’t miss freaking tackles. Beasley whiffs and there’s a good gain for Rice.
• Ryan Palmer shows Beasley how to do it.
• Sergio Kindle in the game. Texas defensive line is blowing up the zone read every time.
• Looked like all the young linebackers might have been out there on that series. Rice has to punt.
• Cosby fair catches a line drive punt at the 10 and Texas starts this possession with bad field position.
• Charles lined up at wideout and McCoy puts a beautiful pass in his hands and Charles drops it. Would have been an easy 6.
• Colt is leaving all these short passes up high. Doesn’t seem to have the zip on it he did last season.
• The game is on regular FSN Southwest now so I’ll be doing less play by play and make more witty comments.

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SI.com ranks the top 10 Big 12 players. Sweed, Okam, and McCoy make their list.

Senior wide receiver Limas Sweed suffered a possibly serious wrist injury today in practice. Officially called a wrist sprain, Texas athletic trainer Kenny Boyd stated that Sweed was expected to make a full recovery.

Boyd’s comment is uncomfortably vague. It could be a simple sprain and Limas could be back by week one against Arkansas State, or it could be a broken wrist that Limas will completely recover from in 6 - 8 weeks. The wide receiver position is one of the deepest on the team but the loss to Sweed would be a serious blow to the offense. He was reportedly looking really good in practice and I was expecting a huge season out of him.

We’ll have more information on Sweed’s injury as it becomes available.

Update: Suzanne Halliburton of the AAS is reporting the Sweed will be ready by week one against Arkansas State. Unless he’s absolutely 100% than he should sit and get ready for TCU (9/16/2007)

CNNSI 2008 mock NFL draft has Limas Sweed as possible top 10 pick. Might depend on what kind of 40 time he can run.

McCoy’s favorite target will be back for his senior year.

Thankfully Limas Sweed will not be receiving a suspension from Mack Brown or the Big 12 from the punch he threw in the first half of this past weekend’s Baylor game. The incident came when Limas got tangled up with Baylor cornerback Anthony Arline, the two argued, and Limas fired back with a punch. Sweed did receive a personal foul 15 yard penalty, but that is all he will face.

“There was a lot of mouthing and a lot of pushing, and I didn’t like the way he responded at all,” Brown said of Sweed’s actions, which resulted in a personal foul. “I thought the call was fair, and I told him that’s not who we are and we’re not going to put up with it.”

It seems Mack has learned a lesson after suspending Tarell Brown before the Ohio State game. Don’t sit down your best player before a big game against a Top 25 ranked opponent. Besides, there is plenty of time to lecture him during the offseason.

Source

First off, it was one of the hottest games that I have ever been to. The temperature was around 100 degrees and there was basically no breeze what-so-ever. As far as the game went, Texas obviously dominated a weaker North Texas team, but I came away a little under-impressed with Texas’ performance. The offensive unit didn’t seem to have much of a spark, and there were really no plays that had any sort of wow factor. With that said, here is how I graded the performances:

Quarterback - Overall Grade: A-

Colt McCoy started the game off quickly with a 60 yard touchdown pass to Limas Sweed on the third play of the game. Colt threw for two more touchdowns, added one on the ground, and threw for 178 yards. Overall I was impressed with Colt’s calmness on the field. He didn’t seem nervous at all and most of his throws were on the money (although a few of passes seemed to float on him a little). Jevan Snead didn’t seem to be as relaxed as McCoy, but he still made some decent throws. And a few of his incompletions were definitely the receivers’ fault.

Running Backs - Overall Grade: A

There really should be an asterisk next to this grade, as the defense for North Texas was so weak it was hard to get a good feel for just how good the Texas’ backs were running. But with that said, the running backs looked good. Selvin Young looks like a new man out there, showing off his regained speed. Young scored one touchdown on the ground and added another one receiving (did he embarrass that defender or what?). Jamaal Charles ran for 77 yards and a score, but for some reason I was expecting a little more flash from him. I kept waiting for him to break one for a 50 yard gain. Colt actually had the longest running play of the day with a 27 yard scamper he almost broke for a touchdown.

Receivers - Overall Grade: C

I was pretty disappointed with the performance of the receivers, aside from Limas Sweed that is. Sweed definitely did his part, going for a career best 111 yards and added 2 scores. Other than Sweed however, there were way too many dropped passes. Hardy dropped a couple I can remember and even Pittman dropped a pretty easy pass. Snead’s interception was also the result of a pass that was tipped off of Jordan Shipley’s hands. I expect this was all just nerves, but I hope they all get over it because this can’t happen against Ohio State.

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Sure am glad I didn’t actually try to watch this whole thing. Longhorns were only on for about a minute, but still some good PR for the Horns with the female/unemployed market segment. A little bit of video of Matthew McConaughey and the team before the Rose Bowl and celebrating the win, and then some short stuff from Mack Brown, Rashad Bobino, and Limas Sweed. Bobino seems like a fun kid.

Video including Craig Way saying “the Texas Longhorns are college football’s national champions” in front of ten million television viewers is below.

Video removed by YouTube. The DMCA is dumb.