40 Acres Sports

Don’t tell Jordan Shipley, but Texas QB Colt McCoy has a new roomie. As he prepares for the upcoming NFL Draft, Colt is rooming with Stanford running back (and Doak Walker Award winner) Toby Gerhart for workouts out in California. Funny Photoshops on EDSBS ensue.

Link: Toby Gerhart Tickles Lazy Columnists’ Sweet Spot

The struggling Texas basketball team suffered a setback even in a win Saturday against Texas Tech. Early in the game starting point guard [tag]Dogus Balbay[/tag] 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 [tag]JCovan Brown[/tag], [tag]Jai Lucas[/tag], and [tag]Justin Mason[/tag]. 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 [tag]Texas Tech[/tag] had a chance to tie the game with less than 10 seconds to go, but a clutch rebound and 2 made free throws (!) by [tag]JCovan Brown[/tag] gave the Horns a 71 – 67 win in Lubbock. Watch brief video highlights from ESPN below…

A little late, but some interesting conversation from the worldwide leader about Texas football possibly flipping conferences from the Big 12 to the Big Ten…

Nobody recruits like Mack Brown. He hits early and hard. Only a couple of weeks after inking a top 2010 class, Mack and his coaching staff are 13 recruits into a strong 2011 class. ESPNU recruiting experts discuss Texas’ quick start…

The 13 newest future Texas Longhorns have been added to our football recruiting commit list. The top 2010 commits are still listed on that page but you can find the full list of the guys that just signed earlier this month can be found here.

Despite strong performances from freshmen Avery Bradley and the newly patient Jordan Hamilton, the Longhorns continued their freefall Wednesday night at Missouri. The team fell to the Tigers 82-77 in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score. Video “highlights” of the Horns falling to 6-5 in conference play are below…

Before the first Junior Day for the 2011 class even started Saturday, the new commits started rolling in on Friday. Star wide receiver [tag]Jaxon Shipley[/tag] out of Brownwood (not Colt McCoy’s roommate) was the very first one Friday afternoon and the commits didn’t stop until Saturday night when lineman [tag]Marcus Hutchins[/tag] was the 13th high school junior to tell Mack Brown and Co. he wanted to be a Longhorn.

Here’s the full list of future Horns…

• QB [tag]David Ash[/tag]
• FB [tag]Joe Bergeron[/tag]
• OL [tag]Josh Cochran[/tag]
• OL [tag]Taylor Doyle[/tag]
• DB [tag]Sheroid Evans[/tag]
• OL [tag]Marcus Hutchins[/tag]
• DT [tag]Desmond Jackson[/tag]
• TE [tag]MJ McFarland[/tag]
• LB [tag]Chet Moss[/tag]
• WR [tag]Miles Onyegbule[/tag]
• DB [tag]Leroy Scott[/tag]
• WR [tag]Jaxon Shipley[/tag]
• ATH [tag]Mykkele Thompson[/tag]

We’ll have thoughts on each recruits (as well as ratings predictions) soon.

Antwan Cobb was a lead blocker on many of Texas' 2009 short yardage touchdowns. (Image: Zimbio)

With National Signing Day and the important junior days, February is usually a time when Texas football fans can focus on recruiting and the beginnings of future Longhorn football careers. This weekend, however, the University announced that two current Longhorns were giving up the football careers and focusing on their academics. Wide receiver [tag]Philip Payne[/tag] and running back [tag]Antwan Cobb[/tag] have both decided to forgo their final year of eligibility and will focus on getting healthy and getting their UT degrees.

WR Philip Payne out of Garland will spend this semester working towards his communications degree:

“It was a very tough decision, but after discussing things with my family, we decided that I’m going to focus all my energy on my school work so I can finish my degree this spring. I’ve enjoyed every minute of my time with the football program and I’m looking forward to the next phase of my life. I’ll miss being around the guys and I can’t say enough about everyone in the program and how much I appreciate everything they did for me. I’m so happy to have been a part of the program, from the football family, to The University and our fans and supporters, it has been the experience of a lifetime. I’ll always be a Longhorn and I’ll be pulling for the team to have another great year in 2010.”

Fullback and special teams standout Cobb’s knee injuries had added up:

“Since my knee injury a couple of years ago, I’ve had a series of injuries and just haven’t been able to get well enough to compete at the level I know I’m capable of. I talked to my family and the coaches and think it’s in my best interest to move on and focus on finishing my degree and getting ready for life after football. It was a tough decision and I’m very appreciative of everything the coaches and staff did to help me through the process. I’ve had a great experience here and learned so many valuable lessons on and off the field that will help me for the rest of my life. I’ll miss not being out there with my teammates every day but will be around and helping any way I can. I’ll always be a part of this family and pulling for my Longhorns.”

Good luck to both young men as they pursue their degrees and finish out their careers as Texas Longhorns.

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According to ESPN blogger Tim Griffin, Garrett Gilbert’s job may be the toughest in the Big 12 for 2010…

Texas QB Colt McCoy: He leaves school as the most statistically proficient quarterback in school history, although his career will forever be marked by his near misses in the Heisman Trophy balloting over the past two seasons and his injury in his final college game against Alabama. Garrett Gilbert will be facing some big shoes to replace when Texas practice starts later this month.

Read the full top 5 biggest shoes to fill.