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 Red Raiders.

David Ash runs for a big gain against Texas Tech.

Pre-Game (15:00) WTH Skies?! We owe a big debt to the men and women of the Armed Forces that were in attendance and for those who have lost their life which were shown on the Jumbotron. I thought it was a good sign when the first of the parachute team landed right in the middle of the field on the Longhorn logo. Cool!

1st Quarter (9:45) WTH Academy?! I understand that you need to get the Red Raiders out of rhythm and try to slow them down, but do you really need that performance. Emmanuel Acho apparently was trying to get off the field when the coaching staff told him to stay on the ground. Acho did is best acting job by hitting the turf so that he can be escorted off by the training staff. One play later Acho makes a crucial stop to limit Tech to field goal. And the Academy Award goes to…

2nd Quarter (6:56) WTH Royal?! Fozzy Whittaker ran the wildcat formation to perfection to put two rushing touchdowns on the board and later handing the ball to a streaking D.J. Monroe for another. The Horns racked up 439 yards of rushing with an attitude that has not been seen around here for a while. Wonder if these young Horns remember Coach Royal’s speech about how three things can happen when you pass and two of ‘em are bad.

Halftime WTH Zorro?! I know that UT Band uniforms look a little outdated, but come on Texas Tech. I believe I have seen that outfit at a local Mexican food establishment. Need salsa with that sir?

3rd Quarter (2:45) WTH Ash?! The future of our passing attack was clearly shown when David Ash threw one of his only seven attempts for a strike to a fast moving target like Marquise Goodwin for 37 yards. David Ash is growing up before our eyes. I really liked the decision by Ash to tuck it and run for 47 yards to end the first quarter.

4th Quarter (1:01) WTH Hat?! Red Raiders offense is the epitome of “All Hat No Cattle”. The offense runs up and down the field for 381 yards of passing but can only score 20 points with the last touchdown coming very late in the game.

End of the Game WTH Mizzou?! I know the Big 12 is not the most stable group of teams, but you could see some semblance of getting their act together with the additions of TCU and WVU. A&M wanted out before the season even started. Missouri really started all of this flirting when they saw the Big 10 looking around. Radio personality Paul Finnebaum had a great line when describing the Tigers move to the SEC. A&M is the abused girl looking for a new boyfriend; Missouri is the homely girl at the end of the bar that no one really wants.

Next up for the Longhorns is probably the last meeting with the Tigers at 11 AM on November 12th.

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!!

With the departure of Mike Leach from Texas Tech and the addition of Neal Brown to run Tuberville’s offense, things have changed on offense out in Lubbock.  Some folks think a spread is a spread is a spread, but the differences between the Prairie Pirate’s Air Raid and Brown’s NASCAR is striking.  The best example I can think of is driving a car versus racing in one.  (Side note:  Neal Brown is 30 and his predecessor at Tech was 27, ECU’s Lincoln Riley.  Thought that was interesting.)

First off, they have a common ancestor but are run completely differently.  I think 10 years after OU won the national title using a hybrid version left behind by Mike Leach and refined by Fat Mark, the original idea has evolved so much that it’s now a package for some teams.  The irony is the best example of the Raid in 2010 being a play package probably is OU.  They’ve changed things up quite a bit over the years to cater to talents like Adrian Peterson but can still effectively no huddle an opponent in a snap if they decide to.   If you really want to get into it – look at Case Keenum and Kevin Sumlin’s offense at Houston.  They’ve taken the best parts of the OU hybrid (with an Jenkins-era run n’ shoot receiver at OC), mixed in motion from a bunch of 4.3 40 wideouts jet sweeping and sluggoing you to death, and snap the ball every play when the whistle blows.

Mike Leach’s ideal vision was calling six plays repeatedly out of forty different formations and dreaming of going a full season without running the ball.  Huge line splits and calling “mesh” six straight times allowed Tech to go downfield 62 yards in 1:28 to knock off #1 UT a couple of seasons ago.  Leach’s style and attitude toward his offense fits his personality.  He’d see if a play worked, regardless of coverage, and put a check next to it.  Then he would try another one, and check or cross it off.  Then he’d set off with his improved game plan and try to extend the offense’s number of snaps over a game.  They did run a little more hurry up if the clock didn’t stop but it wasn’t a true hurry up no huddle spread.  He wasn’t going to adjust to beat you – he was more into finding something that worked and then dare a defense to try and shut it down.

Brown’s version is going to look much more like the Houston version than the one seen the past few years in Lubbock.  Every skill position player has a wristband and every play is called from the sideline.  They try and snap the ball within five seconds of the whistle. They’ll run less sets with more plays and try to catch you out of position.  Leach likes shallow crossing routes and spacing the field – Brown likes to burn out corners and runs his guys all over the place.  They’ll run the ball, too – I don’t think Tech has the personnel yet to do it effectively, but can you imagine a no huddle run-first offense?  If it’s clicking and the OL is dominating the front seven on D, damn right Brown will do it.  Troy ran the ball 49 times against MTSU and 45 against UNT, both wins with over 250 yards of rushing offense.

This was a quote from Chris at Smart Football when I asked him to characterize the two: “The Troy offense is a nice contrast: instead of trying to get in the right play, with the right route, and the right concept on each down and constantly getting completions, the theory is more like what Gus Malzahn does at Auburn: come at the opponent fast and furious, use your plays (which are good plays), and force them into mistakes. Leach’s is more probing: find your weaknesses, get in a good play, and keep making you pay.”

The struggling Texas basketball team suffered a setback even in a win Saturday against Texas Tech. Early in the game starting point guard went down in a non-contact injury and Monday we learned the junior from Turkey had torn the ACL in his left knee. He will at least miss the rest of the season.

From the Statesman…

“I think it just buckled on him,” coach Rick Barnes said. “As soon as he went down, he knew.”

Balbay, a junior who started 22 of the Longhorn’ 27 games, led the team with 3.9 assists a game. He had a 2.5-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. He was also the Longhorns’ best defender.

“We’re gonna miss Dogus’ toughness,” Barnes said. “We’re gonna miss his defense.”

With Balbay done, the Horns will need a guard to step up from among the trio of , , and . A week ago Brown would have been the overwhelming favorite to nab Balbay’s minutes, but after starting two straight games the freshman only played 5 minutes against Tech. Hopefully someone steps up on both ends of the court or the free fall will continue.

It wasn’t pretty (especially late) but with the way the Longhorns have been playing they’ll take a win any way they can. The team blew a 15 point lead and had a chance to tie the game with less than 10 seconds to go, but a clutch rebound and 2 made free throws (!) by gave the Horns a 71 – 67 win in Lubbock. Watch brief video highlights from ESPN below…

Follow along live with 40 Acres Sports on Twitter and below for our thoughts and analysis during tonight’s conference basketball match-up on ESPNU. We’ll be live right around tipoff for Texas versus so join us to discuss the game at 8:00pm Wednesday night.

Things might be a little less wordy than normal, but please 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!

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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’ football bye week.

WTH Buffs?! – Coach Dan Hawkins proclaimed double digit wins for his team which is now mathematically impossible unless they go to a bowl game (yeah sure!). With losses to Toledo and Colorado State the Buffs are 1-3 as they come into Austin this coming Saturday. Hey RB Darrell Scott (91 total yards through 4 games) still happy about choosing to attend Colorado.

WTH Sooners?! – You get a slight pass due to the injuries that you have sustained, but come on now. You were supposed to be undefeated (2-2 record) instead you lose to Miami and BYU heading into conference play. They say a wounded animal is dangerous. I hope the rest of the BIG XII sees this as an opportunity to shoot you instead of run away from you.

WTH Aggies?! – I know that the Razorbacks are from the SEC, but you do not need to be scared of them. QB Jerrod Johnson looks more like Reggie McNeal than the second coming of Vince Young. I wondered watching Coach Mike Sherman with his huge plastic menu/play sheet which section told him to teach blocking for his QB.

WTH Raiders?! – Be on the lookout for more insanity coming from the mad scientist/pirate that is Coach Mike Leach. He banned twitter from his players after it was posted that he was less than punctual to one of his team meetings. He now has the opportunity to have a junior QB carousel in which to play with after Taylor Potts went out with a concussion and in stepped Steven Sheffield to lead Texas Tech to a 3rd win of the season (3-2).

WTH BIG XII?! – The conference stands with a 34-12 non-conference mark which is hardly something to write home about after our chief rival, the SEC, ended up with a 24-3 non-conference mark and the SEC held a 6-3 advantage over BCS conference foes. Throw in that the Big XII finished with a 4-7 record against BCS teams that included a 0-3 finish this past Saturday. (UT did not schedule one BCS non-conference game this year which is a concern). The beginning of the season the BIG XII had 3 in the Top 10 in the Associated Press poll which as of Oct. 4th we only have one – the Longhorns.

WTH SHOUT OUT?! – To the University of Texas No. 2 ranked women’s volleyball team lead by Coach Jerritt Elliott and senior Destinee Hooker who are now 11-0 overall and have a 6-0 conference record. The biggest props go to the team for beating Nebraska Cornhuskers on their home court last Saturday the 26th which snapped their 82 match home winning streak. Next up for the Longhorn women is a showdown with OU this Saturday October 10th at 12pm at Gregory Gym. See the women play in the afternoon and finish the day up with the men later that evening. Go Horns!

Next up for the Longhorn football team is Colorado at 6:15pm at DKR on October 10th.

I can empathize with Taylor Potts – Sergio Kindle’s bone-jarring sack just won’t go away. From countless SportsCenter highlight reels to the blogosphere to a record-setting four appearances in my inbox, Kindle’s hit has been everywhere during the past week. And why not? He absolutely obliterated QB Taylor Potts and may have killed any shot that Marlon Winn had at becoming an NFL offensive lineman (the only right tackle who’s ever had to feel worse about a blown assignment is the guy who decided to play matador with Lawrence Taylor instead of protecting Joe Theismann). As a Texas Ex who made my way back to the 40 Acres for the showdown, I couldn’t have been happier.

From the moment ABC replayed the sack and Brent Musberger was rendered speechless, discussion has focused on the legality of Kindle’s hit. Did he make first contact with Potts’ helmet or chest? In perhaps the only well-reasoned analysis of Kindle’s hit on Potts, SI FanNation writer Andy Staples proves that the Texas defensive end was in the clear. “He [Kindle] planted his face into the ball, which Potts had clutched to his chest. Then Kindle did what any good tackler is taught to do. He exploded from the knees up and drove his body through the ballcarrier. This explosion caused the crown of his helmet to rise into Potts’ helmet.”

Exactly. Case closed. But it shouldn’t be.

You see, Kindle’s hit was technically legal, but the real problem and the larger issue is the rule itself. Under NCAA rules, if a helmet-to-helmet hit occurs, the player at fault can be suspended and his team penalized. On the surface, this rule makes a lot of sense – its goal is to protect players plain and simple. The consequences, however, could be far-reaching.

When players slow down to think about exactly which part of their body initiates contact with another player, their pace of play drops dramatically (i.e., Bad Roy Williams performance after the creation of an NFL rule banning horse collar tackling – he’s been rendered utterly ineffective). In many cases, players become timid and hesitant and are in far greater physical danger than before. Most coaches will tell you that chances of an injury are greatly reduced when players are moving at full-speed – most blown knees occur when a player is standing still or running slowly, which is when the foot has had time to plant.

Watch Kindle’s hit again. As he comes around Winn, he’s moving at full speed. Had he slowed down to make certain that he didn’t hit Potts’ helmet, he most likely would have dropped his helmet even further. He then would have struck Potts with the very top of his helmet or tried to bend his head back, almost ensuring a neck injury.

I’m not naïve. I’ve played and/or watched football for more than two decades, and I know full well that it is a dangerous sport that demands scrutiny and regulation to ensure the safety of the men who play the game. However, a worrisome trend has developed in recent years, starting in the NFL and trickling down to the NCAA, of over-regulating on-field player movement to the point of causing more harm than good. Instead of adding more rules during the next offseason, perhaps the Rules Committee should rethink some current ones.

Watch the hit below, just for fun:

Here’s a brief description of the first installment of the “WTH?” on UT sports. WTH? (What the Heck?) moments are attempts to find the memorable and the off-beat perspective on Longhorns sports. This first edition covers some of the most interesting moments from Texas’ game against .

1st Quarter (7:02) – Texas Tech punt coverage team has the first WTH? when a short punt of 38 yards by Tech’s Donnie Carona ends up in the hands of an oncoming who makes every TT player turn and trail Shipley for a 46 yard touchdown. WTH Raiders?!

1st Quarter (7:00) – Two seconds later Bevo asks WTH? when Jordan decides to jump over the reins that supposedly holds on to this two thousand pounds of twisted steel and sex appeal… thank you Godzillatron moment. No Texas football player has ever ventured so close to one of the most revered mascots since the Tyler Rose. WTH Shipley?

2nd Quarter (3:30) – , UT punter, asks “WTH?” when he fist pounds the television/time clock referee (this is the guy that has the orange gloves and wanders aimlessly out to the middle of the field). Why the heck are you interacting with him? 28 seconds later he precedes to girlie punt the ball 19 yards to the Raiders 30 yard line out-of-bounds. WTH Tucker?!

4th Quarter (11:59) – WTH were the referees thinking? The entire 101,297 DKR crowd was wondering aloud, with a few cuss words, what ref Tom Walker and his crew was smoking when an incomplete pass to Texas Tech’s Alex Torres was turned into a personal foul, late hit on . And then they threw in a roughing the passer call to cover their asses. On top of that WTH?, the very next play, which was a 2 yard loss for Tech, the same refs missed a blatant jersey hold by the Tech offense in front of everyone. WTH Walker?!

4th Quarter (11:49) – WTH should be defined as “Where the heck is my helmet?” when QB Taylor Potts had his head handed to him by the most ferocious sack by . Play of the night!! WTH Sergio?!

4th Quarter (3:40) – “WTH?” is what the entire Texas Tech and Texas fan base said when Mike Leach decided to call a rushing play over right tackle that netted only five yards in the middle of the field. TT down by 10 points. WTH Leach?!

Final Score: Texas 34, Texas Tech 24

Next up the University of Texas at El Paso at 2:30pm at DKR – See you there!

Quarterback and the two Texas coordinators comment on the Big 12 opening win against . Watch the video below:

Texas coach discusses the team’s slow start against , being a work in progress, and the important of defense for a team’s consistency. Watch: