40 Acres Sports

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

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

Check out some quick highlights from yesterday’s Texas game versus Louisiana-Monroe courtesy of Fox Sports:

Follow along below or with @40AcresSports on Twitter for live updates on the Texas vs. Louisiana-Monroe game tonight at 6pm…

(continue to read full live blog …)

It’s been a long, dry seven months since the Texas Longhorns last took the field to play some college football. The drought ends today as the team kicks off against [tag]Louisiana-Monroe[/tag] at 6pm to open the 2009 season. The Horns are 42-point favorites in the game, how do the editors of 40 Acres Sports think the burnt orange will fair in the season opener?

Mike – This is a special season for the Texas Longhorns. In years past, this is the type of game the Longhorns coast through, but not 2009. The team has too many leaders on the field, and on the sideline, to not go out there and crush an over matched Louisiana-Monroe team. I think [tag]Vondrell McGee[/tag] establishes himself as a potential 1300 yard back, [tag]Malcolm Williams[/tag] becomes a legit big play threat and [tag]Alex Okafor[/tag] becomes everybody’s favorite young Longhorn. Texas 63 – Louisiana-Monroe 10

Matt – To me this is the perfect type of game to start the year. Everyone will get plenty of playing time and get a good warm-up before their big match-up in a couple weeks against Tech. My big question mark this year is Vondrell McGee. I have always been a huge supporter, but he has yet to really deliver up to his expectations. I am also excited to see how this defense has matured with another offseason with Muschamp. This one will cover the 42 point spread in the first half. Texas 59 – Louisiana-Monroe 7

Brian – The Longhorns lost a few weapons on both sides of the ball pregame, but that won’t change the outcome of this one. The Texas coaches have the team ready and believing this step on the way to a national title and the players are going to come out and dominate to start the season. I expect a heavy dose of the running game (hopefully forcing the running game works better than last year) and defensive coordinator is going to at least partially unleash The Predator, aka [tag]Sergio Kindle[/tag], on an overmatched ULM offense. Find a rhythm, get up big, and stay healthy. Texas 56 – Louisiana-Monroe 3

Predictions from Twitterverse

• texascmj5: Colt 220ps yds 2TD – 75 rush yds 1 TD – McGee 125 yards rush w 1TD score 42-10 – don’t care if I’m right want the W!
• jmanishere: 55-10
• jfoster640: 42-12 Hook’em!
• stars_gal: Texas over ULM, of course, 31 – 14…and the Horns never trail. 🙂 #UT
• Texas_Alum2432: Texas 56, la 3
• marshallboone: 50-0 #UT!

Not the news you want to hear three hours before the opening kickoff, but three important Longhorn contributors will miss at least today’s game due to academic issues. Wide receiver [tag]Brandon Collins[/tag], safety [tag]Christian Scott[/tag], and cornerback [tag]Deon Beasley[/tag] are out against Louisiana-Monroe today because of “unresolved academic issues”. All three players would have seen significant playing time today, particularly Collins and Scott. Fortunately receiver and secondary are two of the Horns’ deepest spots.

The academic issues appear to be with the NCAA requirement of progress towards a degree, and the reason the news is coming so late is that the players are likely appealing grade decisions to the university. This could be a one game issue or these guys could miss the entire season.

There were rumors about Collins and Beasley, but Scott surprising. He was getting a lot of love from the UT coaches and I find it hard to believe [tag]Will Muschamp[/tag] gives him so many first team snaps at safety if they expect him out long.

We’ll keep you updated.

The 2009 football season is less than 12 hours from getting underway as several games kick off Thursday evening, including two matchups featuring top 25 teams. 9:15 tonight on ESPN will be first football most ravenous fans get to see and it’ll be between two highly ranked teams in Oregon and Boise State. Should be a fun watch.

The Longhorns’ season kicks off against Louisiana-Monroe in just two more days. T-minus 57 hours and counting! Can you feel it?!

The annual Herbie Awards list was released on ESPN this week and four Texas Longhorns garner honors from the ESPN college football expert. Every year Kirk Herbstreit names his top players in several traditional and also some not so traditional categories. It’s always a fun read and Herbstreit really knows his stuff and doesn’t just pick the same 5 most hyped guys as the rest of the media would.

Here’s where the four Longhorns made his lists:

• [tag]Jordan Shipley[/tag]: #6 Top Wide Receiver
• [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag]: #2 Dual Threat Quarterback
• [tag]Sergio Kindle[/tag]: #4 Best Defensive Ends
• [tag]Alex Okafor[/tag]: #8 Top True Freshmen

I think all four guys are definitely deserving and no glaring Longhorn-related omissions. There’s definitely a few player that I think will earn their way onto this list (namely [tag]Earl Thomas[/tag] and [tag]Aaron Williams[/tag]) but there is still much to prove on the field for those guys.

Go check out the full list.

The Longhorns first two games of the 2009 season aren’t exactly against marquee competition and the TV listings show it. It could be about to get worse. The Horns’ September 12th game against [tag]Wyoming[/tag] is currently slated to be on Versus, but negotiations between the TV network and DirecTV may cost many Texas fans the opportunity to the see the game. If an agreement can’t be reached by August 31st, DirectTV subscribers will no longer be able to view the network.

Even worse for fans, the usual way to see a sports game you can’t watch at home is to head to your local sports bar. Unfortunately, most sports bars and restaurants are also DirecTV customers and also won’t have the game. It may be time to start looking through your Facebook friends for Dish Network customers.

Source: BizJournals.com

It seems a consensus has developed in national preseason rankings. The top of every list has the Florida Gators number one, followed by the Texas Longhorns and then Oklahoma Sooners. The website Over the Pylon slots the Horns in at number two again and has written good previews on all the top 25 teams. From the Texas preview:

For the Longhorns, their season will come down to one game. 60 minutes on October 17th determine their standing within the college football landscape and their ability to control their own destiny in terms of the Big 12. Expect a contest that is truly worthy of the superlatives it will receive both before and after, and expect a close and exciting Longhorn win. The Longhorns make up half of our national title picture, as they finish the regular season 12-0, win the Big 12 title, and try their best to right the wrongs from 2008.

Check out their full Texas preview now and the entire OTP top 25.

Velvet Hoop, aka [tag]Kevin Durant[/tag], and his friends Chief Blocka, Fog Raw, and the stylin’ Ice-O preach to the faithful to hyperize, not to criticize. Of course it’s actually a Nike commercial, but it’s still pretty funny stuff. KD is still so soft spoken even in a rap video. Watch it:

Click to play video.