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 Missouri Tigers.
WRs Jordan Shipley and Marquise Goodwin were part of resurgent offense. (Statesman.com)
Pregame WTH McCoy?! Great game by Colt McCoy who finished with 26 of 31 for 269 yards 3 TD’s and 1 interception. He nailed it during the pregame stretching when he was yelling at the team “this is our house, from the very beginning… lets go.” Colt knew exactly what he was talking about by leading the team to three straight scoring drives to put the Tigers away.
1st Quarter (8:08) WTH Mack?! Gutsy call by Mack Brown to order up a fake punt on 4th down on their own 47 yard line. Texas was only up one score and the message that was sent to the Tigers was it was going to be the Horns day.
Start of the 2nd Quarter WTH Mizzou fans?! It was Mizzou’s homecoming that they claim to have started back in 1911. Never new a simple call from the office of the president at Missouri to come back and watch a football game was such a momentous occasion. Wow, way to fire up the football fans with bringing out former MU basketball player Steve Stipanovich (1,836 points & 984 rebounds from 80-83). Let’s bring out our stud UT LaSalle Thompson (1,463 points & 1,027 rebounds from 79-82) next time the Tigers come to Austin.
2nd Quarter (:51) WTH Herbstreit?! You may not be good at predicting winners on the Gameday set early that morning in Provo (3-6), but you sure good at predicting UT scores. Kirk Herbstreit was wondering what the score was last year between the two teams at half. As soon as Kirk remembered the score (35-3), UT Curtis Brown broke through to block the Mizzou punt in the end zone which was recovered by Malcolm Williams to make the score 35-7 (eerily similar).
Start of the 3rd Qt. WTH ABC?! Great call by the television truck to cue up the Dave Matthews song “Too Much” with highlights from the first half which was all Longhorns.
3rd Quarter (5:45) WTH Smith?! Mizzou’s outstanding defensive player Aldon Smith had a tremendous night (11 tackles and 2 sacks). Too bad he added a bone headed play by hitting Colt out bounds (personal foul - 15 yard penalty) which caused Mack Brown to hyperventilate with the franchise lying on the sidelines.
Whole Game WTH Offensive Line?! Kyle Hix, Michael Huey, Chris Hall, Charlie Tanner and Adam Ulatoski who started the game and the rest of the big uglies should be lauded for a physical and dominant performance with the Horns gaining 400 total yards and scoring 41 points.
Next up for the Longhorn’s is a visit to Stillwater to take on Oklahoma State at 7pm on Halloween night.
Follow along live with 40 Acres Sports on Twitter and below for our thoughts and analysis during tonight’s Texas game versus Missouri on ABC. We’ll be live right around kickoff so join us to discuss the game right around 7:00pm tonight.
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!
The Texas Longhorns may be the most maligned 6-0, third-ranked team in the history of the BCS. The Horns won a close one last week against rival Oklahoma last week thanks to ferocious and opportunistic defense but as the season continues down the home stretch they’ll need more from both sides of the football. They’ll try to see what the offense is capable of tonight at 7pm on ABC against Missouri, check below to see how we think the game will play out…
Brian - The Texas coaches made a good number of midseason depth chart changes this week in an effort to find some sort of offensive identity for the rest of the season. Will it mean a more effective and explosive offense? Maybe. Fozzy Whittaker and the running game will be featured against the Tigers and I think Fozzy finally seizes the opportunity. Texas will get 200 yards on the ground and Colt McCoy will hit two deep balls (one to new starter Malcolm Williams) in the passing game. The defense will make gimpy Mizzou QB Blaine Gabbert wish he’d stayed on the sideline. Texas 35, Missouri 10
Ross - There are lies, damn lies - and statistics. So here we go with some stats. Mack Brown teams are 11-0 after playing the Sooners. The Longhorns have never lost to Missouri under Mack Brown. So Texas should win tonight. I see a great defensive effort mixed in with a sputtering offense again from the Longhorns. Missouri will be inspired by playing the 3rd rank team in the country at home, but will fall short in the end. If we do not see a complete effort soon by the Longhorns, we may be wondering if this is a championship worthy team. Texas 24, Missouri 17
Can Texas make it through their schedule and back to the Rose Bowl for another MNC?
It’s about that time to start sizing up the college football season, so here’s my rundown of games on the Longhorns schedule, in order from easiest to hardest. These rankings take each team’s projected strength, plus the location and timing of the game.
12. Louisiana-Monroe (Sept 5)
Why they’re here: Because this is a gimmie game. Don’t kid yourself; this is the Glass Joe on our schedule. In their two games versus big-time teams last year (Auburn and Ole Miss) the Warhawks were outscored 93-0. Best of luck fellas!
Why they’re not higher: Because they finished 4-7 last year and the game is at home. Seriously, the Christians walking into the Coliseum to face Lions had more of a chance. On the bright side, this may be our first glimpse at the QB of the future Garret Gilbert.
11. At Wyoming (Sept 12)
Why they’re not here: Okay, this team is also Glass Joe… but playing at home in what should be the biggest game in their history. Sorry that’s all I got.
Why they’re not higher: Because the got pounded by the “big boys” in the WAC last year (TCU, Utah, BYU) by a combined score of 129-14. Bite the curb, and tell us how it tastes. We’ll try and not make you look too bad in front of your parents.
10. UTEP (Sept 26)
Why they’re here: Yes, they are a small conference school, but they have a coach who guided his previous team to two Rose Bowls. Don’t underestimate the importance of coaching in college football.
Why they’re not higher: Because when you move past the coach, this is still the same team we beat 42-13 in El Paso last year. And there won’t be any chicks giving their boyfriends hand favors on the mountain to distract our defense this year.
9. Central Florida (Nov 7)
Why they’re here: They gave us a hell of a tussle in their place a couple of years ago. More than any “gimme” in the schedule, they probably believe they can beat us. Plus, given where they fall on the schedule (between Oklahoma State and Baylor) our boys could be due for a letdown.
Why they’re not higher: Because they lost to UTEP by 45 points last year. THE END.
8. Colorado (Oct 10)
Why they’re here: Because their coach is pretty damn good, and they play division one football there. Not intramurals brother…
Why they’re not higher: Because we smoked their ass last year, and this team traditionally is not great away from Boulder. Seriously, look it up: the school’s biggest three wins since joining the Big 12 have either come at home or on the a neutral site. Danger Dan Hawkins, danger!!!
7. At Missouri (Oct 24)
Why they’re here: Because last year at this time, people were picking them as a National title contender. Sure they lost a bunch of talent, but I’m sure Pinkle has a bunch of talent ready to shine, right?
Why they’re not higher: Wrong. Sorry, but Chase Daniels was special (for Missouri at least) and Jeremy Maclin and Chase Coffman are NFL talents. So far, Missouri hasn’t shown the ability to reload and keep pace in the Big 12.
6. Texas Tech (Sept 19)
Why they’re here: Because they beat us last year, and are always a tough out. Tech is the most hit-or-miss team in the country: when they’re off they can lose to SMU, when they’re on they can beat Oklahoma or Texas…
Why they’re not higher: at home. Sorry, I should have finished that thought. Look it up, Tech’s biggest wins in the last few years have come in Lubbock. Factor in that they will be working in a new starting quarterback, and the timing of this game is the final nail in the Red Raiders coffin. Don’t underestimate the “revenge” factor working in Texas’ favor.
5. At Texas A&M (Nov 26)
Why they’re here: It’s the Aggies; they have one good game in them a year and they always seem to save it for “t.u.”. They also will be playing at home and have the benefit of the 12th Man, plus they have a former NFL coach at the helm and a better-than-you-think reservoir of talent.
Why they’re not higher: Because the reservoir doesn’t run THAT deep. Look at the rankings, the Ags recruiting fell off mightily during the Fran tenure (or as they call it on Texags.com “the Dark Ages”). Plus the fact that the Horns seniors are 1-2 versus the Ags will provide a little extra motivation. A+M will really need the 12th Man… hell, they might even need to grab a 13th and 14th while they’re at it.
4. At Baylor (Nov 11)
Why they’re here: Because the Bears have the fastest collection of skill players in the Big 12 (no really!), and now their Freshman All-American QB Robert Griffin has a full year starting under his belt. If you recall, the Bears battled back to tie the score at 14 in Austin last year before Texas pulled away. I just have the feeling that Art Briles has one major upset in him next year… and A&M doesn’t count.
Why they’re not higher: Because playing Baylor on the road is only slightly more difficult than playing them at home. Waco is basically a stone’s throw from Austin, relatively speaking, so the crowd will be 40% Horn fans at worst. Plus, Colt McCoy’s girlfriend will be in attendance, so he’ll be extra motivated. Wouldn’t you be?
3. Kansas (Nov 21)
Why they’re here: Because Kansas is good, that’s why… potentially REALLY good. Todd Ressing is a top 10 quarterback nationally, and Kerry Meier and Dezmon Briscoe form the conference’s best 1-2 punch on the outside. The Jayhawks’ falloff last year can directly be attributed to the defense, which should be much improved this fall.
Why they’re not higher: Because the game is in Austin and an improved Kansas squad is still a notch below what the Horns will line up with. The Texas D, playing without All-American Brian Orakpo, shut down the Jayhawks last season holding them to a season-low 7 points. Plus the timing of this game likely means the Horns will either be locked in on a BCS berth, or at the very worst trying to salvage the Cotton Bowl; regardless, it is unlikely they will have their guard down coming into this game.
2. Oklahoma (Oct 17)
Why they’re here: This is always the game of the year in the Big 12 conference, but with all the late season debate and hoopla last year, this game’s intensity has been ratcheted up to another level. The Sooners are they only team quite in UT’s weight class on the schedule, and like it or not, they’re won the last three conference championships. The offense is manned by Heisman winner Sam Bradford and All-American Jermaine Gresham (who’s caught three touchdowns in his career versus the Horns), and their defense looks both deep and talented. Plus they have Ryan Reynolds back, who’s like the greatest football player ever!
Why they’re not higher: No, really he’s not. This is still the same defense that Colt hung 38 on last season, and Greg Davis seems to have Brent Venerables’ number. The Sooners’ also lost four starters on the offensive line along with their top two receivers, so Bradford won’t likely duplicate his numbers from last year. And to be honest, all the extra motivation is on Texas’ side: they beat OU, OU gets the BCS title shot and Bob Stoops crows and taunts by taking some less-so-subtle shots at Mack Brown. It’ll be a battle, but Texas looks to be a little stronger than 08, whereas OU looks to have taken a slight step back.
1. Oklahoma State (Oct 31)
Why they’re here: 26. That’s the combined halftime deficits the Horns have faced their last two trips to Stillwater. I don’t know if it’s something in the water or what, but our boys always seem to stumble through the first half, only setting the stage for a thrilling comeback. This team is too good for us to spot double digits in the first half, plus the Horns will be coming off one huge game (Oklahoma) and one somewhat tough road game (Missouri) the two previous weeks; can they be at their best three weeks in a row?
A lot of things about this scenario bring back memories from Lubbock last year.
Posted May 25th, 2009 by Mike
Filed under: Baseball, Feature, World Series
The Texas baseball team holds the Big 12 Tourney trophy. (TexasSports.com)
The Memorial Day weekend got even better on Monday when ESPN announced that The University of Texas baseball team will be the number 1 seed in the upcoming 64 team College Baseball Tournament. The Longhorns will be joined by Texas State, Army, and Boston College in their opening regional bracket. The likely match-up in the super regional is TCU. If not TCU, it could be Texas A&M.
The number 1 seed ensures Texas won’t have to leave Austin to play a baseball game unless they make it to the College World Series in Omaha. A trip I’m sure they’d be eager to make.
Texas got the weekend started by winning three straight games in Oklahoma City to capture the Big 12 tournament championship. The team got off to a bumpy start in the tournament with an opening game loss to Baylor. But wins over Kansas and Kansas State followed by a championship game win over Pool B winner Missouri gave Texas their fourth tournament championship. The Longhorns win the tournament for the second straight year.
Posted February 6th, 2009 by Mike
Filed under: Basketball, Feature
Varez Ward and the entire Texas team struggled against Missouri (TexasSports.com)
Texas had not lost at home since February of 2007; they’ve now lost twice at the Frank Erwin Center in the last seven days. Kansas State came in and won in overtime thanks to Denis Clemente’s 44 points. Then on Wednesday Missouri came in and outlasted the Longhorns to capture sole possession of third place in the conference.
Texas had won three straight since dropping a game in Oklahoma. But even with those wins it was obvious something was missing on this team. Against OU, Tech, and Baylor Texas failed to score over 30 points in the first half. Against Kansas State it got even worse as the Longhorns scored only 22 points in the first 20 minutes of the ball game.
Rick Barnes’ team just can’t get it all together at the same time. One game Damion James will go off, next game AJ Abrams can’t miss, and in another Dexter Pittman looks like an unstoppable force in the paint. A week ago it looked like Dogus Balbay was finally going to be the answer at point guard, flash forward to the Missouri loss and Balbay only registered two minutes of play.
Basketball is all about confidence, and right now as a team Texas has none. Early in the season the Longhorn defense put fear in opponents, especially on the ball. Now it looks like Texas is lost. They let a marginal player in Clemente take over a game, and then on the key play of the Missouri game Texas’ best on ball defender, Justin Mason, allowed a Missouri guard to get all the way to the paint for a game winning bucket with 5.5 seconds left on the clock. No big guy came over to help on the play.
Everybody knows Barnes is a great coach, so it is hard to understand the lapses in mental judgment by this team. There is no doubting their effort, this team plays hard, but at times the fundamental flaws on this team are just mind boggling. If it isn’t poor rotation of defense it is a bad block out on the defensive boards, if it isn’t a horrid fast break attempt it is the lack of passes on the offensive end.
This season has shown how important a point guard is in college basketball. Texas doesn’t have a player, like in past seasons, that can sense when the team needs a bucket and has the ability to go get it. Texas went scoreless for the last 5:01 of the first half against Missouri, erasing what was a 12 point lead at one time, because nobody on the offensive side can create for themselves or other people. James has become a one on one player, Gary Johnson wants to be a jump shooter, Connor Atchley looks lost, and Abrams is only effective when he running off screens.
Fortunately it will take a mega meltdown to miss out on the tournament. With wins over UCLA, Villanova, and Wisconsin it is a safe bet that Texas will get in there. Especially considering it is a down year in the Big 12. Unfortunately it doesn’t look like there are any answers to what ails this ball team. Something about them doesn’t seem right, and I’m not sure even Rick Barnes knows what is going on.
Posted February 5th, 2009 by Brian
Filed under: Basketball
The Texas Longhorns lost another one in the final seconds Wednesday night at the Erwin Center to Missouri. With less than 6 seconds to go the Tigers banked in a layup to break a tie on the way to 69-65 win. Just about every Horn struggled mightily, but the one bright spot was center Dexter Pittman’s career night. Dex was able to stay out of foul trouble enough to play 23 minutes and pour in 25 points and 7 rebounds. Hopefully a sign of big things to come for Dexter.
Watch brief ESPN highlights below:
Dr. Pepper Big 12 Championship
Let’s see what else looks good this weekend. I went a decent 3-2 last weekend and should continue my 75% pace this weekend.
#1 Alabama at #4 Florida (-10) - 4:00 PM EST on CBS. This is probably one of the more shocking lines that I have seen in a while. And not necessarily because I don’t agree with it, but because the undefeated, #1 team in the nation is double digit underdogs playing in their conference championship. Needless to say Alabama will have a chip on their shoulder for this one. I am still not convinced that Tim Tebow can throw the ball effectively against a good defense. Have you seen his passing touchdown highlights? They are always ugly lobs to a receiver that is wide open, never a crisp pass into coverage. I think Alabama will be able to contain the run and force Tebow to beat them through the air (which he can’t), and not only cover the spread but win outright. Take Alabama moneyline.
#5 USC at UCLA (-33) - 4:30 PM EST on ABC. Some weird controversy in this game with Pete Carroll wanting to wear the home jersey even though they are the road team. You know what, who cares, I say let them both wear home jerseys. It’s not like it is going to matter. Last weekend USC’s defense only allowed 4 first downs. This weekend they will only allow 3. UCLA is not playing well right now and is too young in the talent positions. This game was over before it even started. Take USC and give the points.
#20 Missouri at #2 Oklahoma (-17) - 8:00 PM EST on ABC.I hate when you can’t control your own destiny, but yet again Texas fans have to sit back and root against Oklahoma for a shot at the national championship. At the beginning of the year I would have said Missouri has a shot, but after we destroyed them at home this season and seeing how they have been playing lately, I will go ahead and say they have no shot at winning this game. In fact, they really don’t have a shot at covering this game. Oklahoma will get up 21-0 in the first quarter and never look back. Take Oklahoma and give the points.
SI.com writer Stewart Mandel has written up his predictions for all the BCS and non-BCS bowls and has the Horns headed to the Fiesta Bowl. He’s predicting Texas Tech will win out and make it to the BCS title game. The Red Raiders winning out would make football hell freeze over but is actually the clearest path for the Horns to make it into a BCS game. Mandel’s BCS and Big 12 predictions are below:
BCS Bowls
Orange: Maryland (ACC champ) vs. Cincinnati (Big East champ)
Rose: Penn State (Big Ten champ) vs. USC (Pac-10 champ)
Sugar: Alabama (BCS at-large) vs. Utah (BCS at-large)
Fiesta: Texas (BCS at-large) vs. Ohio State (BCS at-large)
BCS Championship: Texas Tech (BCS No. 1) vs. Florida (BCS No. 2)
Big 12 non-BCS Bowls
Alamo: Missouri (Big 12 No. 4) vs. Northwestern (Big Ten No. 4)
Holiday: Oregon State (Pac-10 No. 2) vs. Oklahoma State (Big 12 No. 3)
Toilet: Michigan (Big 10 No. 9) vs. Texas A&M (Big 12 No. 11)
Sun: Arizona (Pac-10 No. 3) vs. Nebraska (Big 12 No. 5)
Insight: Minnesota (Big Ten No. 6) vs. Kansas (Big 12 No. 6)
Cotton: Oklahoma (Big 12 No. 2) vs. LSU (SEC)
Saturday night with a national television watching the Texas Longhorns showed everyone (well, almost everyone) that they’re the clear number one. They took a very good Missouri team behind the woodshed and beat them handily. In a near perfect first half the Longhorns jumped out to a 35 - 0 lead before the Tigers knew what hit them.
Watch the ESPN highlights of the game:
Stay tuned to Bevo Sports for more coverage of the Mizzou game and preview of Texas and Oklahoma State.
The #1 Texas Longhorns versus the #11 Missouri Tigers is the biggest game of the weekend in college football. The two high scoring offenses will match-up tonight at 7pm in a nationally televised game on ABC and ESPN Gameday was live from the forty acres this morning. With an even bigger target on their backs than usual, can the Longhorns continue their high level play and stay at the top of the polls? See what the editors of Bevo Sports think below:
Brian - Oklahoma State did a great job slowing down Mizzou’s offense in their upset last week and Texas is even better on that side of the ball. If OSU can get after Chase Daniel with their defensive line than Brian Orakpo and Sergio Kindle are going to have huge games. With their defense the Tigers will need to score 50+ to win against good teams, they’re not going to do it tonight. Texas will frustrate Daniel into making mistakes and the Horns are going to win big because of it. Texas 48 - Missouri 27
Matt - Many Longhorn fans seem to think this game is going to be easy. This scares me a little. Missouri is a tough team and they don’t average 555 yards (383 yards passing) for nothing. And then you have the fact that Texas just gave up 5 passing touchdowns. And then you have Chase Daniel who is probably still pissed off with past recruiting issues and will probably be trying extra hard to prove Texas wrong. Now with all of that said I think Texas will be ready for this game and won’t get caught in all the hype the #1 ranking brings. This will be be a high scoring affair (the O/U is only 65). Texas 48 - Missouri 38
Mike - Last week I made the mistake of picking against Texas. This week I’m torn between made to look like an idiot for two straight weeks and jinxing the Horns by picking them to win. I’m hoping Colt McCoy and Will Muschamp are enough to overcome my jinx because I’m picking Texas in this one. Both teams have Heisman Trophy candidates at quarterback, both teams can make plays in the special teams, and both teams are coming off of season changing games. The difference in this one will be turnovers and pass defense. I think Texas holds the advantage in both of those categories. McCoy is going to shred an overmatched Tiger secondary and the combination of Orakpo and Kindle will remind Chase Daniel why he always wanted to be a Longhorn. Texas 41 - Missouri 20
Don't let Jeremy Maclin beat you
Another week, another tough opponent for the Longhorns. This week it’s Missouri and their Heisman candidate quarterback Chase Daniel in a national primetime game on ABC. The Texas defense will be trying to slow down the Tigers’ offense while Colt McCoy and the offense attempt to continue to put up huge numbers on the scoreboard.
Read on below to see what the keys are for the Longhorns to come out on top:
1. Use Missouri’s wide splits against them.
ESPN was useful for the first time in years when they posted a video breakdown of how Oklahoma State’s defense slowed down the Mizzou offense. The defensive end instead of trying to get outside simply takes advantage of the wide splits and speeds right at the quarterback while the defensive tackle twists outside to provide contain pressure. The Missouri offensive coaches better either have come up with a counter for that or change strategy completely because if they don’t Brian Orakpo and Sergio Kindle are going to blow things up all game long.
2. Don’t let Jeremy Maclin change momentum with a kick return.
Last week against Oklahoma the Longhorns were down by 11 when a big Jordan Shipley kickoff return for a score completely flipped the game’s score and momentum. Texas can’t let Missouri wide receiver Jeremy Maclin do the same thing in this game. Texas needs punter John Gold and kickoff specialist Justin Tucker to either kick it away from Maclin or put it high enough and deep enough that the coverage teams can do their job.
3. Continue developing third receiving option.
Last week Shipley and Quan Cosby together absolutely torched the OU defense but at some point this year the Horns will face a team with cornerbacks who can man up against those guys. The team needs to find another option Colt McCoy can rely on. Sophomore Brandon Collins caught three passes against the Sooners and may be becoming that guy. Now that the Texas offense will be using more four wide receiver sets both Collins and James Kirkendoll will get their chances and need to step up.
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