40 Acres Sports

Fantasy love for Selvin Young. Could he keep the starting job even after Travis Henry comes back?

Selvin Young rushes for 109 yards and first career TD against Chiefs while Priest Holmes gets first start since 2005.

[tag]Selvin Young[/tag] went undrafted last April but he’s now officially the Denver Broncos’ number two running back behind Travis Henry. Denver coach Mike Shanahan announced Friday after another strong preseason performance from Young that Mike Bell and Cecil Sapp, the former second and third-string running backs, would both be moving to fullback.

Selvin Young has apparently pulled a Mike Bell.

Much to the chagrin of Mike Bell.

Unemployed in the hours following the 2007 draft, Young went from football oblivion to gaining 91 yards last week in the Broncos’ third preseason game, to No. 2 on the tailback depth chart this week…

When Henry and Hall also went down with leg injuries, the Broncos had no choice but to give Young a chance in the next exhibition against Cleveland.

Seventeen Young carries later, coach Mike Shanahan was gushing about the rookie’s speed and pleased with the possibility he may have discovered another hidden tailback gem.

After their first two preseason games I honestly thought there was no chance Young made the roster. He got virtually no meaningful carries and it looked like he wasn’t going to get much of a chance to show what he could do. He got his chance and ran with it, literally. With Henry banged up Selvin could be getting some solid carries in week one against Buffalo.

Great news for a former Horn who worked his butt off while he was here. Congrats Selvin.

Selvin Young is making the most of opportunity created by injuries to other Broncos’ running backs. Great performance Saturday night.

Selvin Young hopes to impress in Broncos minicamp. Needs to perform on special teams to make sure he makes the team.

[tag]Selvin Young[/tag] wasn’t drafted last weekend but he’s got enough talent that he could earn a spot on an NFL roster if things break right for him. Things have started out pretty good so far, this week Selvin was picked up by the Denver Broncos who then subsequently waived Cedric Cobbs:

After signing former Texas running back Selvin Young today, the Broncos waived Cedric Cobbs, a seldom-used tailback.

Young, an undrafted free agent, was an oft-used reserve tailback for the Longhorns the past two years. A strong, physical runner, the 5-foot-10, 207-pound Young wasn’t drafted primarily because he doesn’t possess great speed.

“We had mixed feelings,” said Young’s agent Major Adams, who also represents Tennessee and former Texas quarterback Vince Young. “In one sense you want the honor of being drafted, but at the same time you want to go to a situation that’s going to be the best fit for a player. We picked Denver because the Broncos showed the most interest.”

Cobbs release paves the way for Young to head into camp as the team’s third string back. The team’s number two back is undrafted second year back Mike Bell so he’s even got a chance to be the number two guy.

If he can get in there and run hard, hold on to the freaking football, and make an impact on special teams he definitely has a shot of making the team. The Broncos have a history of turning backs into stars, this is probably the best imaginable situation for Selvin to be going into.

The hype surrounding this game was unreal. The atmosphere in Austin before the game was incredible. The tailgating was off the charts (more pictures and details of that to come later). Too bad the game let us down. Texas looked like they came out with the same lack of effort as they did against North Texas. The only guy on the team that looked like he was working hard was Selvin Young.

And I still don’t understand why we stopped running the ball? We were absolutely killing them on the run, yet I don’t know how many times we threw a pass on first down or some little weak screen. Why not run the ball until they prove they can stop it? All in all, we definitely got outplayed and had poor execution of game plan (if there was one). [tag]Ohio State[/tag] doesn’t look unbeatable, but they were the far better team this past Saturday.

Now for the breakdown of I how I graded the positions:

Quarterback – Overall Grade: C

[tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] came back down to reality this week in the first big game of his career. You shouldn’t expect too much from a freshman quarterback playing his second game in college against the #1 team in the nation, and he proved why. Colt never really made a big mistake (except for that interception), but he never did anything good either. And I know this isn’t really his fault, but the amount of screens and 5 yard passes he threw just got ridiculous. Can we please see a 30 yard pass? The one positive thing I have to say about Colt though, is that everytime he was hit (and he got hit hard) he bounced right back up and didn’t let it affect him.

Running Backs – Overall Grade: A-

You definitely can’t blame the running backs for this loss. Texas rushed for 172 yards and averaged 6 yards per carry. [tag]Selvin Young[/tag] continues to show that he worked hard over the summer and ran for 94 yards for an impressive 8.5 yards per carry. Jamaal had a pretty good night as well, going for 70 yards. The only problem was out of their control, they simply did not get the ball enough. When you are averaging 6 yards per carry, you don’t throw the ball 32 times. Make Ohio State stop the running attack, then throw the ball down-field.

Wide Receivers – Overall Grade: C-

I think the receivers saw a lot more action than they were expecting. Most of the time you would think they would like that. However I doubt they really enjoyed catching a screen or 5 yard pass and then getting nailed by the defense. Ohio State really concentrated their efforts on Sweed and had some extra coverage on him most of the night, although when he was actually able to break away he did make some good plays. But with a play-maker like that you need to figure out a way to get him the ball.

Pittman’s fumble came about as bad a time as possible. Texas was pounding the ball down the Buckeyes throat, about to score, and Pittman fumbles the ball at the 2. Imagine how pumped the crowd would be scoring first, instead Ohio State is scoring 5 plays later. And where is Jermichael Finley? He needs to figure out a way to get the ball more and make the catch when it finally does come to him.

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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 [tag]North Texas[/tag] 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-

[tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] 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). [tag] Jevan Snead[/tag] 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. [tag]Selvin Young[/tag] 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?). [tag]Jamaal Charles[/tag] 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 [tag]Limas Sweed[/tag] 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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Rematch with a [tag]Colorado[/tag] team that the Longhorns handled easily back in mid-October. The Buffs were flying high then but they’re reeling now after two straight losses and backing into this game. They’re certainly a good enough football team that Texas can’t overlook them and just cruise through. They need to get up early and then just pour it on.

Give it up to ABC for actually managing to show the game in high definition, of course only ABC could manage to keep that a complete secret all week long. Seems like that might be the kind of thing that a network would want people to know to draw in viewers. This will be my first ever Texas game to watch in HD, it’ll be interesting to see if I can stand not being able to rewind and watch replays that ABC doesn’t bother to show.

First Quarter

• Colorado doesn’t run the option like Texas A&M does, but they definitely watched film of that game and Oklahoma State. They come out early and run a successful toss sweep for a first down. Texas defensive ends and linebackers must do a better job against the outside run.
• I don’t know what Robert Killebrew was just doing in pass coverage. Third and ten and he lets the Colorado TE get free for the reception. It was a zone defense but he and Aaron Harris were essentially holding hands in the middle of the field while leaving the flats wide open.
• Fumble! Michael Huff makes a sure tackle and forces the CU receiver to fumble the football. Big break for Texas.
• Designed run for Vince Young early to get him involved in the rushing attack. VY breaks a tackle and goes for 18. Good to see him running and fired up.
• Look who’s freaking back! Great scramble by Vince. Several good moves and then just plows over a tackler and takes it down to the one yard line.
• Henry Melton behind the right side of the line for the one yard touchdown. Horns get on the board first.

Texas 7, Colorado 0

• Time for the defense to answer. Offense game out and got early points, now we need the defense to get a quick stop.
• Why does the 25-yard line have special coloring? Isn’t it always the 20? The refs just spotted the ball in the wrong place after a touchback because of it.
• Huff all over the place early in the game and two CU dropped passes help the Horns force a three and out.
• That’s the first time I’ve heard anyone talk about Mack Brown’s lack of a conference title as a coach with any logic. There’s not a ton of excuses for not having one in his time at Texas, but in his previous stops at Tulane and North Carolina there’s not much hope of winning one.
• Jamaal Charles looks healthy and fast. Wooo! Just took an option pitch from Vince for a big gain.
• No huddle is great, but I kind of wish we’d huddle up for a third and 3 inside the 20 yard line.
• I’d much rather have the ball in Charles’ hands than Ramonce Taylor’s on a third and short. Much better at just getting down field and picking up the necessary yards.
• I just love having Jamaal Charles in the backfield. Simple and easy arrow route out of the backfield and he catches the pass for a touchdown.

Texas 14, Colorado 0

• Just a reminder to myself before I relax too much, Texas was up 14 – 0 against A&M last week too.
• Good kickoff coverage.
• Buffaloes are holding like mad men. The CU running back just used his legs to wrap up a guy in pass protection.
• Crap, Michael Huff is hurt. Maybe an arm or shoulder?
• Holy crap are we pathetic against the option. Joel Klatt looked half-retarded on the play but he managed to drunkenly stumble for a big gain.
• Now the other safety is on the ground hurt. Michael Griffin decided to lead with his helmet instead of wrapping up and making a sound tackle and hurt himself.
• More blocking with their legs by Colorado. I guess the refs are going to allow that crap today.
• Another option but this time the Texas defense actually plays it correctly. Linebacker slow-played Klatt and forced the pitch while giving the rest of the defense time to get out there.
• Big third and 11.
• If the guy in the Citi Simplicity commercial is paying his credit card online, why does he need a paper copy of the bill to make a payment?
• Looks like they have decided to stop Colorado’s constant holding, two calls against them in a row. Aaron Ross breaks up the pass and forces a field goal try.
• Blocked field goal!! Brian Robison got his white ass up and got a solid hand on it. Ross tries to pull a Nathan Vasher and picked up a ball he shouldn’t have for the return. Not a bad return by him but there’s an illegal block and Texas is backed up to their own 6.
• Crap. Limas Sweed doesn’t make the catch on what might have been pass interference and CU intercepts the pass. Crap.

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ABC was about to screw Longhorn fans once again, they botched things the last two weeks and seemed like they weren’t going to switch away from the Texas Tech game. They would’ve had throngs of angry Horns fans on the doorsteps if they did it to us again.

Big game today, I really don’t think the Buffs are as good as people think they are. They’re good, but they played poorly against the only top opponent they’ve played so far this season. They’re getting a lot of love for throttling the Aggies, but who hasn’t done that. It’ll be interesting to see how we do if Jamaal Charles is limited or doesn’t play and to see how we match up with their big tight end, Joe Klopfenstein.

First Quarter

• Great 3 and out from the defense. A lot of pressure on the Colorado quarterback, Joel Klatt.
• You don’t have to call a freaking foul on every kick return, it looked like Tarell Brown brushed against the guy and they threw a flag. Weak call but not a smart play by Brown either. After the penalty and a great kick we’re going to start back on our own 10.
• Penalties have started already.
• Vince Young is looking good already. Looks comfortable in the pocket and is getting time to throw. He’s hit several open wide receivers in stride.
• Selvin Young hasn’t had much room to run yet.
• Going for it on 4th down and we have to blow a timeout. That defeats the whole damn purpose.
• I was about to yell at Vince for not running for the first down just now but he finds Brian Carter open down the field and hits him for a huge first down.
• I like the screen call to Romance Taylor but that didn’t work at all.
• Another great job protecting Vince and another good job by him to find the open man on 3rd and 13. David Thomas caught the ball short and made a great effort to get the first.
• Yikes that was scary. Great play action and pump fake by VY but then he dove for the goal line and got hammered. Careful big guy.
• QB sneak by VY for the touchdown to cap off a fantastic opening drive by the Longhorns. We passed the ball very well and converted several 3rd downs and a 4th too. 16 plays covering 90 yards but not much success running the ball.

Colorado 0, Texas 7

• Great kick by Greg Johnson for the touchback. Not wonderful depth but perfect location.
• Weak roughing the passer call. This isn’t the NFL, the QB’s aren’t made of glass. Tim Crowder took one step and hit Klatt and they throw the flag. Two guys should have had the sack before then though, I think Brian Robison and Rod Wright both missed him.
• Wow, a personal foul not against us. That’s downright shocking. Big penalty puts them in a 3rd and a mile situation.
• Charles isn’t healthy and Selvin Young is a serviceable back, but JC just brings another gear. While the game is in doubt we need him in there just to make CU think about him.
• Another third down conversion to Thomas. You guys might want to cover him.
• Fantastic play by Vince and just as good by Billy Pittman. Young is scrambling and finds Pittman who throws on the brakes, makes a great catch, and gets moving down field.
• Great run by VY for a TD. Great fake on the zone read to Selvin, then made several guys miss and got the ball just inside the pylon. Of course the refs decide to review the play since it was an obvious touchdowns, only plays that hose us aren’t reviewed.

Colorado 0, Texas 14

• Another good kick by Johnson is returned from 2 yards deep in the end zone. CU starts inside their own 20.

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