40 Acres Sports

A few players on bye weeks plus a few more injured made it a slow week for the ex Texas Longhorns in the NFL. The biggest performance this week came from Kansas City linebacker [tag]Derrick Johnson[/tag] who did a little of everything in the Chiefs win over the Broncos. Here is a look at how those who played faired:

[tag]Justin Blalock[/tag] – The former Texas tackle has been a fixture for the Atlanta Falcons this year at left guard. Running back Michael Turner continues to be very impressive this year, and a lot of his runs come behind the ex UT star.

[tag]Jamaal Charles[/tag] – The rookie continues to be a third down back for the Chiefs. Charles had 7 yards on 2 carries while adding 2 receptions for only a yard. His team won their first game of the season.

[tag]Phil Dawson[/tag] – The Browns kicker helped win them win their first game by going 2 for 2 on field goals and extra points.

[tag]Cedric Griffin[/tag] – Cedric got picked on all night by a weak Tennessee Titan wide receiver group. Offenses have continued to choose to pick on Cedric every week and will continue to until he makes some plays.

[tag]Michael Griffin[/tag] – Michael is quickly becoming the best player out of the great secondary on UT’s 2005 championship team. Griffin’s defense continues to be one of the best in the league. He contributed 3 tackles and a pass break up in the Titan win over the Vikings.

[tag]Ahmard Hall[/tag] – One of the only true fullbacks left in the league. The ex Marine had a great block on a touchdown run by rookie Chris Johnson.

[tag]Quentin Jammer[/tag] – Jammer had 3 tackles and 2 pass breakups against a weak Oakland passing attack.

[tag]Derrick Johnson[/tag] – The former Longhorn star was the defensive MVP for the Chiefs adding 6 tackles and interception while being all over the field. As he did frequently while at Texas he also had a forced fumble that led to a one-play scoring drive for KC’s first win of the season.

[tag]Brian Robison[/tag] – In his second game back, Robison recorded 2 tackles in a reserve role.

[tag]Shaun Rogers[/tag] – Rogers was at his all pro level on Sunday, compiling a sack and clogging up the middle in a Cleveland win.

[tag]Bo Scaife[/tag] – Scaife has been slow to build chemistry with replacement quarterback Kerry Collins. He had 3 catches for only 17 yards in the game.

[tag]Nathan Vasher[/tag] – “ESPN” 3 had three tackles and three pass breakups in the Bears big win over the Eagles.

[tag]Selvin Young[/tag] – Selvin had an average day, rushing 11 times for 49 yards. The Broncos never got anything going in the upset loss to the Chiefs.

The Longhorns played their most complete game of the season in Saturday’s 52 – 10 thrashing of former SWC foe [tag]Arkansas[/tag]. The offense was sharp from the very first snap of the game and the defense dominated their SEC opponent. The victory was one of the most lopsided in the series’ long and storied history.

See what the dying print media and the rest of the World Wide Web said about the game below:

Bevo Sports

• Texas vs. Arkansas video highlights
• Live game blog

Local Media

• Texas dominates Arkansas 52-10
• McCoy moving up in Heisman race
• Stopping the run was key part of UT victory
• Texas defense shines in win over Arkansas
• Horns Crush the Hogs
• Running Game – With McCoy – Is Just Fine
• Any way you look at it, Texas was just better
• Hogs’ defense can’t steer Longhorns off field
• Texas flood: No. 7 Longhorns dismantle Razorbacks in Austin
• Longhorns harass Razorbacks QB
• Starting at end: Henry Melton
• Centering that which is off center
• Video: From the film room – Arkansas
• Game quotes
• Game notes
• Photo gallery

Texas media

• Defense overwhelms Petrino and Arkansas
• Texas QB McCoy makes case for Heisman
• Confident Texas crushes Arkansas, 52-10
• UT finding defensive identity
• Longhorns’ defense taking care of business
• Texas Longhorns can’t start celebrating just yet

National media

• QB McCoy nearly perfect as Texas embarrasses Arkansas
• What we learned in the Big 12, Week 5
• ESPN photo gallery

Follow along below with our live thoughts and analysis during today’s game versus [tag]Arkansas[/tag]. 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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The Longhorns face off against (formerly?) hated rival [tag]Arkansas[/tag] today at 2:30pm on ABC. Some current UT students weren’t even born yet when the Razorbacks left the old SWC but this rivalry still holds some heat and could keep today’s game closer than expected.

Will the Longhorns finally get their running game going? Can the defense get started before the second quarter starts? Read on to see what the editors of Bevo Sports think will happen today:

Brian – These aren’t your daddy’s Razorbacks. After changing coaches Arkansas is in a rebuilding year and the Longhorns are poised to take advantage today. New Texas coaches [tag]Major Applewhite[/tag] and [tag]Will Muschamp[/tag] will make sure the Horns match Arky’s energy and this one will be a blowout. The running game won’t be perfect but [tag]Cody Johnson[/tag] will have his coming out party and top the century mark for the game. As a team the Horns will rush for over 250 yards and win easily. Texas 56 – Arkansas 21

Mike – [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] will continue to play at a Heisman level in a beat down game that should have happened two weeks ago. The last time Arkansas came to town they left with a shocking victory, but the Razorbacks don’t have super freak Matt Jones under center. The secondary will continue to give up big plays, but the players and the staff has shown the ability to make big game adjustments. Anything can happen (USC vs. Oregon State), but I don’t see this staff letting this team come out flat. The running game finally gets it going and the front seven dominates again as the Longhorns roll. Texas 41 – Arkansas 20

Matt – Man this match-up looked like a lot more fun when it was originally scheduled for Sept 13. This is a storied rivalry, but this won’t be much of a game. The Texas defense will be tested through the air, but they should be able to keep things under control with some Casey Dick mistakes. I don’t see Texas overlooking this game after what happened to USC. Colt and the offense will continue to roll and should win by a big margin. Texas 55 – Arkansas 19

Saturday afternoon Texas will face [tag]Arkansas[/tag] in a game rescheduled by Hurricane Ike. The 7th ranked Longhorns are 3-0 but will be facing their first BCS conference opponent of the season in the 2-1 Razorbacks. They barely won their first two games against bad competition and got blown out by Alabama, but that doesn’t mean they’ll roll over for the Horns.

Read below for the Longhorns’ keys to beat the Arkansas Razorbacks:

1. Match their intensity/hatred.

The Texas/Arkansas rivalry isn’t what it used to be back in the days of the Southwest Conference, but the hatred for the Longhorns in Fayettenam hasn’t waned. On the field the Horns can’t let the Razorbacks ride that energy to a quick start. The talent Mack Brown will be putting on the field Saturday easily overmatches that of new Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino, if the Horns come out and score early they should be able to pull away and win easily.

2. Keep an eye on RB Michael Smith.

5-foot-7 junior running back is leading the Razorbacks in rushing and is also on of Casey Dick’s top receiving options. He’s averaging nearly 125 yards per game on the ground and has also chipped in 10 catches for 90 yards. The Horns have problems in the secondary so they need to be able to bottle up Smith and make Arkansas one-dimensional. [tag]Roddrick Muckelroy[/tag] needs to introduce himself Mr. Smith early and often.

3. Get one of the Texas running backs rolling.

The top two rushers for the Longhorns against [tag]Rice[/tag] were the starting and backup quarterbacks. [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] is leading the team with 194 rushing yards through three games and while he needs to keep running he’ll need one of his running backs to step up behind him. Speedy [tag]Foswhitt Whittaker[/tag] is likely out for the game so it’ll be up to [tag]Vondrell McGee[/tag] and big [tag]Cody Johnson[/tag] to provide ground support. Alabama ran all over the Razorbacks last week (328 yards rushing) and the Horns need to do the same, even if it takes 30 carries from Johnson to get there.

Wow, talk about a shake-up in the national college football scene as USC goes down last night to unranked Oregon State. Now suddenly this weekend’s games take on much more importance as teams vie to grab the #1 spot. Oklahoma takes on a tough TCU team, Georgia and Alabama showdown in the SEC, and Penn St and Illinois match-up in the Big 10. This should be a great weekend for college football.

Let’s see what is going on this Saturday. Remember, I did go 3-1 last weekend against the spread.

Arkansas at #7 Texas (-27) – 3:30 PM EST on ABC. When these two teams were first scheduled to meet, both were sitting at 2-0. Now things look a bit different with Texas coasting to victory against Rice and Arkansas getting blown out at home against Alabama. The Texas Longhorns are huge favorites for the 4th straight week, and deservedly so. Texas is averaging 48.7 points per game (6th in nation) and should easily score in the 50’s again at home against a weak Arkansas defense. The only potential for trouble is the Arkansas passing game against the young Texas secondary. Lucky Casey Dick is prone to making some mistakes. This one should be another easy cover with the Longhorns winning by 35.

#24 TCU at #2 Oklahoma (-18) – 7:00 PM EST on FCSA. With USC losing, Oklahoma now has the opportunity to make a statement to becoming the #1 team in the nation. There is no way Oklahoma overlooks this game since TCU has managed to beat them in Norman twice in a row. So far this season Oklahoma is destroying teams by an average margin of 35.3 points per game and this Saturday will be no different. TCU’s defense has been impressive, but I doubt they have ever seen an offense like they will face this weekend. This might be the easiest cover of the weekend with Oklahoma winning by 30+.

#8 Alabama at #3 Georgia (-7) – 7:45 PM EST on ESPN. Probably the game to watch this weekend. Alabama looks like they are going to be a legit SEC contender and Georgia is still trying to prove they belong at the top. Georgia will be wearing the cool black uniforms trying their best to look like a high school football team. If you like tough, physical football, this game is for you. Both teams boast impressive running games and stout defenses. This game will probably be one of those typical 14-10 SEC games. But in this one I think Alabama comes out the winner with their running game and offensive line. So take Alabama money-line on this one.

#22 Illinois at #12 Penn St (-16) – 8:00 PM EST on ABC. I don’t normally care about or watch Big 10 match-ups, but I am interested in seeing how Penn St looks against Illinois. Penn St is scoring 52.7 points per game, and probably won’t be stopped Saturday. Take them to cover. Here is something to think about. Penn St demolished Oregon St. Oregon St dominated USC. USC killed Ohio St. I still haven’t figured out what that means about Ohio St and the Big 10, but on first thought I would lean towards the Pac-10 and Big 10 sucking.

Three games into the 2008 season the Texas Longhorns have answered most of the preseason questions facing the team. However going into this week’s game against [tag]Arkansas[/tag] things are still hazy in the running game, at tight end, and with the pass defense. Read on below to see five players to keep an eye on this Saturday afternoon who might provide some much needed answers.

[tag]John Chiles[/tag]

The Texas staff stressed getting the best 11 players out on the field this year regardless of class or position. Chiles is clearly one of those players even if he is not the best quarterback on the team. Chiles offers the big play ability that UT severely needs for this offense to be as dynamic as it can be. Offensive coordinator [tag]Greg Davis[/tag] must find ways to get the former blue chip recruit involved, be it in the running game or in the passing game as a quarterback or as a receiver.

[tag]Vondrell McGee[/tag]

This could be McGee’s last week to show the coaches he is worthy of important carries in important games. So far the sophomore has done nothing to warrant a starting job and is not only getting pushed by injured [tag]Foswhitt Whittaker[/tag], but by bruiser [tag]Cody Johnson[/tag]. With Texas wanting big plays out of the running game, expect to see fewer and fewer carries for McGee unless he comes out and impresses this weekend against a SEC defense in Arkansas.

[tag]Peter Ullman[/tag]

Losing [tag]Blaine Irby[/tag] for the season is a huge blow for Texas’ offense. Irby allowed the Longhorn offense to lineup in four receiver sets without changing personnel. While Ullman will never scare opposing defenses in the passing game, he will be an upgrade in the running game and if he can add a few catches in the flats or in the shallow middle of the field Texas’ offense will continue to succeed. If the former Round Rock Dragon cannot offer any threat to opposing defenses UT may have to look at a different position for a player to contribute at the tight end position.

[tag]Sam Acho[/tag]

The coaches have been impressed with Acho since fall camp began. In reserve duty behind star [tag]Brian Orakpo[/tag] Acho has played well. If he continues to outplay [tag]Henry Melton[/tag] (who isn’t playing poorly) and backup [tag]Eddie Jones[/tag], the staff may have to look at getting Orakpo, [tag]Sergio Kindle[/tag], and Acho on the field at the same time. Texas wants pressure on the quarterback, and through the first three games Acho has shown more ability to do that on a consistent basis than any other defensive lineman not named Brian Orakpo. If it continues some upperclassmen are going to find themselves standing next to [tag]Will Muschamp[/tag] more than they’d like.

[tag]Chykie Brown[/tag]

It is no secret that the weak link on the defense; and the team for that matter is in the Texas secondary. Going into the season most onlookers expected [tag]Deon Beasley[/tag] to start next to [tag]Ryan Palmer[/tag], but through the first three games it has been sophomore Chykie Brown. Brown had his struggles tackling in the first game, with every other member of the secondary, but has made good strides in the last two ball games. Texas plays a lot of five defensive back sets with Beasley playing in the slot. Opposing defenses will continue to test Brown until he shows he can make plays. A good game heading into conference play will go a long way in building confidence for the ultra talented corner.

Two separate grand juries Thursday ruled there was not enough evidence against former Longhorn and former Chicago Bears running back [tag]Cedric Benson[/tag] to proceed to trial. All charges against Benson stemming from his two alcohol-related arrests early this summer have now been dropped. Travis County Attorney David Escamilla told the Austin American-Statesman that both cases had weaknesses. “The boating while intoxicating case lacked a field-sobriety test,” Escamilla said. “The second one, in the video on the DWI, he appeared very good on the video.”

Benson has not commented today but Sam Bassett, Benson’s Austin-based attorney did speak to several media outlets. “I hope that this situation reminds us all that not every person who is arrested for a crime is guilty,” Bassett said. “This means that there was a finding by the grand juries that there was no probable cause to believe that Cedric Benson was guilty of a crime.”

Now that his legal matters are behind him Cedric will continue to try to get back into the NFL. He has worked out for several teams over the last several weeks but with two sets of criminal charges hanging over him NFL GMs were appropriately cautious. He hasn’t lived up to his billing so far, but he’ll get his second chance somewhere to make the most of his career and more importantly his life.

No movement at the top but the teams in the bottom half of the rankings are starting to drop games. Last weekend Kansas State, Baylor, Texas A&M, and Iowa State all had losses. The most impressive team last week may have been the Colorado Buffaloes, who if they keep the running game going might be able lay claim to be the best team not named Missouri in the Big 12 North.

Check out this week’s Big 12 power rankings below:

1. [tag]Oklahoma[/tag]

   
   LW: 1

   Off week before facing number 24 [tag]TCU[/tag] this weekend.

2. [tag]Missouri[/tag]

   
   LW: 2

   Tigers made a lot of mistakes and let lowly Buffalo hang in there for a long time. Chase Daniel’s career day eventually allowed them to pull away in the second half. The Tigers are off this week in prep for Big 12 play.

3. Texas

   
   LW: 3

   The Horns clobbered an overmatched [tag]Rice[/tag] squad with another near perfect performance from [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag]. The defense wasn’t great but may have turned a corner when they put up an epic goalline stand. This week Texas hosts former SWC rival [tag]Arkansas[/tag] in their last non-conference outing.

4. [tag]Texas Tech[/tag]

   
   LW: 4

   The Red Raiders put on a good ol’ thumping of Division 1AA UMass. They have off this week but their real season will finally begin when they stop playing Pop Warner teams and start playing Big 12 foes.

5. [tag]Colorado[/tag]

   
   LW: 5

   Impressive overall performance for the Buffs on national television against top 25 ranked West Virginia. He might not get the pub his fellow freshman running back does but the miniature Rodney Stewart looked lightning quick while rushing for 166 yards. Next up is another tough one against Florida State.

6. [tag]Nebraska[/tag]

   
   LW: 7

   Bye week for Nebraska before they face Virgina Tech this Saturday.

7. [tag]Kansas[/tag]

   
   LW: 8

   Not exactly impressive but the win over Sam Houston State was never in doubt either. Former car detailer and OU quarterback Rhett Bomar threw for 340 yds but was also picked off three times. Kansas is off this week.

8. [tag]Oklahoma State[/tag]

   
   LW: 9

   Oklahoma State was off last week. This week they get Troy State.

9. [tag]Kansas State[/tag]

   
   LW: 6

   First real opponent of the season and Kansas State didn’t look good against a Louisville team that isn’t of the caliber of recent years. It was only a nine point loss but the Wildcats never stood a chance. Up this week is Louisiana-Lafayette.

10. [tag]Baylor[/tag]

    
    LW: 11

    UConn isn’t some chump team and the Bears played them very tough on the road. Losses like this would be wins at home and might lead to future wins from freshman QB Robert Griffin. Baylor has an off weekend to prepare to attempt a huge upset of OU on October 4th.

11. Texas A&M

    
    LW: 12

    Aggies got blown out of the water by the Miami Hurricanes and it could have been much worse. If they had wanted to the Hurricanes could have ran off tackle every play for 300 yards and never attempted a pass. This week they host Army.

12. [tag]Iowa State[/tag]

    
    LW: 10

    I thought head coach Gene Chizik might have turned things in the right direction in Ames but maybe not. Iowa State has now lost 13 straight road games and unless they beat Baylor in a few weeks they might not win one away from home this season either. The Cyclones have a much needed bye this Saturday.

Texas faces old rival [tag]Arkansas[/tag] this weekend in Austin. The game was supposed to take place two weeks ago, but the threat of Hurricane Ike caused UT to postpone the game two weeks. The Longhorns have yet to face a team that deserves to be on the same field as them this season, and even though Arkansas is a SEC team, the Razorbacks are going through a rebuilding year after losing their best two players and hiring a new coach. The Razorbacks barely snuck by two lower divisional schools, and got thumped by Alabama last week. This week should be another one where the success and outcome of the game will depend solely how Texas plays.

When Texas has the ball

Not enough can be said about Colt McCoy’s play this season. Without him, Texas is no better than the sixth best team in the conference. With him, the Longhorns have a chance to win every game on their schedule, even OU and Missouri. Great quarterbacks have the ability to cover up the weaknesses on their team while exploiting the weaknesses of the opponent. So far Colt has been almost perfect, throwing for 11 touchdowns and leading the team in rushing. Expect no different this week against a young Arkansas defense.

Texas’ running game has problems. The offensive line has been solid, but the backs have struggled. When your quarterback is not named [tag]Vince Young[/tag], he shouldn’t be your team’s best running threat. Starting running back [tag]Vondrell McGee[/tag] has struggled against lackluster competition. Backup running back Foswhitt Whittaker has been sidelined with injuries to both knees. The best two running backs have been versatile [tag]Chris Ogbonnaya[/tag] and bruiser [tag]Cody Johnson[/tag]. The deficiencies running the ball have been masked by the play of McCoy and the fact that all of the games have been blowouts. As the competition gets better, one would think McCoy’s success will not come as easy. The major question for this offense will be to figure out where to get yards on the ground when they need them.

UT’s offense suffered a huge blow when [tag]Blaine Irby[/tag] went down with a dislocated knee. Texas’ tight ends will now be counted on for blocking more so than in the passing game. Expect Texas to use more four to five receiver sets in obvious passing downs. If the offense struggles do not be surprised to see Ogbonnaya get some snaps at tight end because of his experience at wide receiver. [tag]Jordan Shipley[/tag] and [tag]Quan Cosby[/tag] have performed at an all conference level, but the team still needs a go to third receiver, preferably one that can get deep.

The Arkansas defense has struggled giving up 33.3 per game.

When Arkansas has the ball

The good news is Texas is only allowing 11 points a game, and only [tag]Rice[/tag] has scored in the second half. Each opponent has thrown the ball with success against the Longhorn secondary, and the tests should only get tougher from here on out. Texas ranks ninth in the Big 12 in Pass Defense Efficiency, allowing opposing quarterbacks to attain a 112 passing rating. Arkansas’ Casey Dick is averaging over 300 yards per game through the air. The tackling has improved in the secondary, but the group is still giving up too much easy yardage and allowing too many third down conversions. Safeties [tag]Earl Thomas[/tag] and [tag]Blake Gideon[/tag] must continue to improve each week if the defense has any chance of helping the offense win a conference title.

The best way to help out the inexperienced secondary is to apply pressure. Texas recorded seven sacks against Rice, many of them coming in the second half. This proves that the defensive line can wear out an offense. In today’s age of quick passing sacks have lost some value, but applying pressure on a quarterback to change the timing of the routes as well as disrupting footwork is still key. Defensive coordinator [tag]Will Muschamp[/tag] keeps a stat on number of pressures the team has, so far they are up to 45 through three games.

The run defense has been great, which could be a result of the offensive philosophy that UT’s opponents have used. Texas has a good rotation along their front seven. The line backing core this year has performed better than any group under [tag]Mack Brown[/tag]. Muschamp is becoming a cult hero in Austin, and his desire and work ethic has directly influenced this group.

If Texas wants to get better, and they do, the defense needs to start creating more turnovers. Opposing offenses are giving the secondary too many chances to have only recorded one interception. Texas’ defense has been great in the red-zone giving way to the assumption that they are playing a bend but don’t break type of defense, but truly the lack of execution and talent has provided opportunities for stops. Does anyone believe this defense could stop the Big 12 powers 11 times within the 10 yard line?

Texas should once again be tested, but this is another week where the result isn’t truly in question. Texas’ goals are to be more consistent and allow less big plays while making a few more of their own.