40 Acres Sports

Football player or track star? How about both?

Little more than a week after the BCS Championship Game, Texas wide receiver [tag]Marquise Goodwin[/tag] is already receiving track & field honors. This week, the Big 12 named him the Big 12 Indoor Track & Field Male Athlete of the Week:

In his first collegiate meet, Goodwin notched two provisional qualifying times and two titles at the Arkansas Dual meet. The freshman clocked a 6.69 in the 60-meters and posted a mark of 7.72 meters (25-4 ft.) in the long jump. Both marks currently rank third in the nation.

Goodwin, who snagged 3 passes for 70 yards in the title game versus [tag]Alabama[/tag], is expected to be one of the Longhorns’ top wide receivers for the 2010 season.

Link: Goodwin, Pinder and Lucas Named Big 12 Track Athletes of the Week

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 [tag]Alabama[/tag] in the Citi BCS National Championship.

I know that this post is over a week late. I needed at least that much time to get some perspective from attending this National Championship game.

Pre Game (Coin Toss) WTH Saban?! Nick Saban, your team wins the coin toss and you decide to take the ball first. The big bad SEC which claims that no one else plays defense but you guys are the ones that decide to go on offense first. Nick, either you’re tremendously cocky or you saw something that the Horns could take advantage of which you felt you needed to put points on the board first.

1st Quarter (13:01) WTH Saban #2?! OK, Nick. I am starting to think you were scared of the Horns offense. You go for a fake punt on your own 20 yard line. [tag]Blake Gideon[/tag] baited the punter PJ Fitzgerald to make the pass, but Nick you gave the green light for your players to execute this play. Hey Saban, looks to me your were a little concerned.

1st Quarter (10:54) WTH Moment of the Season?! The Tide’s Marcell Dareus hit was nowhere close to the shots that [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] has taken while on the 40 acres. One of the most irritating stats of the game was this was Dareus’ only recorded tackle of the entire game. The tackle caused a pinched nerve that affected his throwing arm which ended Colt’s storied career. I hear some people complaining that Colt should have never been carrying the ball because he is too important to the team. These same people said leading up to this week that Colt was going to have to run to keep the Tide’s defense off balance. Isn’t hindsight a beautiful thing?

2nd Quarter (:03) WTH Hix?! To top his only tackle of the game Marcell Dareus recorded an interception just before the end of the half (he won the defensive MVP based on this play alone). The frustrating part of the [tag]Garrett Gilbert[/tag] shovel pass was not the drop by [tag]DJ Monroe[/tag]. It was the lack of a tackle by offensive lineman [tag]Kyle Hix[/tag] who could have held him up for at least a second or two instead of trying to barrel roll him down.

3rd Quarter (12:05) WTH Gold Streaker?! The gold masked man with a website on the back of his shirt wanted to interrupt the football game to protest… the BCS. I believe all universities need to be on look out for more masked streakers who want a playoff system.

3rd Quarter (:45) WTH Pass Catchers?! I have made this statement for a second consecutive game. This young group of receivers needed to come up big in this game even more so since Garrett Gilbert went in to replace Colt. Malcolm Williams’ finger tip touch of the football in the end zone would have brought UT within a single score before the start of the fourth quarter. Dan Buckner had a crucial drop early in the game until he made a solid catch in the endzone for a two point conversion. We need all the receivers including the newest recruits, Darius White and Demarco Cobbs, to help out a developing quarterback like Garrett next year. (Who knew these words would mean so much more with the dismissal of wide receivers Brandon Collins and Dan Buckner)

4th Quarter (3:14) WTH Mack Magic?! I thought of these words when Garrett took over the ball at the seven yard line. After the Longhorn faithful thought the game was over when Colt went down, the UT side of the Rose Bowl was stoked about a possible tie or go ahead score. Just a few seconds later, Alabama’s Eryck Anders recorded their only sack of the game which caused Garrett to fumble and end any momentum. I do need to point out that the OL protection got better towards the end of the game even after losing All-Big 12 center [tag]Chris Hall[/tag].

4th Quarter (1:48) WTH Saban #3?! With the score 31-21 in favor of Alabama, Nick Saban cemented himself as a red a** going in for a meaningless score. His own player, Javier Arenas, who intercepted the ball and fell to the ground instead of trying to score, showed more respect that Saban. Operating from the victory formation with only one timeout left on the Texas sideline would have ended the game. To use basketball terminology, instead of dribbling out the clock, Saban decided to dunk the ball over his opponent. I subscribe to the fact that the defense is the one responsible for stopping the other team from scoring. But when you can take a knee that will end the game with your team hoisting the ball in victory, that is the ultimate ending for a championship team.

Thanks for following my WTH articles throughout the football 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!!

It was the first time since 1983 that a team from the state of Texas hosted a basketball game as the #1 team in the country, and until overtime it looked like it would be a while before it happened again. The top ranked Texas Longhorns were taken to the buzzer by the Texas A&M Aggies Saturday evening before the Horns finally pulled away in overtime 72 – 67. After only 3 points in the first half, senior All-American candidate [tag]Damion James[/tag] put the team on his back and dominated with 23 points in the second half and overtime. His big 3-pointer and and then game ending block of an Aggie 3-pointer in OT finished off the thrilling victory.

Some brief highlights and thoughts on the game from ESPN are below…

Next up for the Horns are back-to-back road games against top 15 opponents. They’ll face #12 [tag]Kansas State[/tag] Monday night on ESPN and then travel to play #15 [tag]Connecticut[/tag] on Saturday on CBS.

Well it’s official. Maybe. Texas coach [tag]Will Muschamp[/tag] has finally released an official statement. From the Dallas Morning News…

Muschamp clarified his intentions Wednesday night.

“I’m happy at Texas and plan to be here for a long time,” Muschamp said through a Texas football spokesman.

He added that he has not interviewed for any other jobs nor does he have intention to do so.

While Muschamp did not address any specific rumors or schools, his name has surfaced most recently at Tennessee after Lane Kiffin was hired at Southern California.

Previous Muschamp to Tennessee updates

• From this morning… Tennessee offers head coaching position to Will Muschamp?
• Say what now? Muschamp flies to Knoxville, meets with Tennessee

Defensive coordinator Will Muschamp will follow Mack Brown as next Texas head coach. Right?

It’s been a wild day.

This morning everyone’s sources within UT were 100% confident that Texas defensive coordinator [tag]Will Muschamp[/tag] wasn’t going anywhere. That was the story for most of the day. Orangebloods, Inside Texas, and the Statesman all spoke to multiple sources in the am and there appeared to be no issue, no smoke, and no chance the Horns would lose their big name coordinator.

But the official confirmation never came.

As the day wore on it became more and more troubling that the University had not made an announcement about Muschamp. Nothing official was coming out of Belmont. And coaches of high school recruits were reporting they hadn’t heard any status updates either. What in the world was going on?

Will Muschamp had flown to Knoxville at 5:45 am to meet with Tennessee. Say what?

From about 4 pm until 7 pm that’s all we heard. Everything from the morning seemed false. Not only was this a big name school who was interested in him, but Muschamp had actually already met with them in person. And no one’s sources had said anything about it. Three hours with no new news. That’s not good.

Finally around 7 pm IT editor Ross Lucksinger tweets that, yes, Muschamp did meet with the little UT this morning but two sources have told him that Coach Boom turned down their $3 million offer and is staying at Texas. A Knoxville radio station reports the same and that the Vols are moving on in their coaching search.

And finally, the saga comes full circle and all the news is once again that Muschamp is saying and more importantly the Texas staff is calling up recruits to tell them. Orangebloods and Inside Texas are now both reporting that recruits are starting to hear from the staff that Coach Muschamp isn’t going anywhere. Whew.

That’s all we know. And I’m not even sure how much we know is true. If/when Texas finally makes an official we’ll keep you in the loop.

Update: According to Muschamp himself, reports of him interviewing with Tennessee or any other team are false. He’s happy at Texas. (10:44 pm)

• From this morning… Tennessee offers head coaching position to Will Muschamp?
• Final word? Will Muschamp says he’s staying at Texas

Will Texas coach Will Muschamp be wearing the wrong orange for the wrong UT next year?

Update: Will Muschamp says he didn’t interview with anyone and he’s happy at Texas. More info. (10:31 pm)

Wow. The college football coaching dominoes fall fast.

Saturday word broke that the Seattle Seahawks would hire USC’s Pete Carroll as their new head coach. Yesterday evening, instead of hiring Jeff Fisher or Jack Del Rio the Trojans bring in the obnoxious controversial Lane Kiffin after only one year at Tennessee. That started “riots” in Knoxville.

Are riots in Austin next?

According to Volquest.com, Texas defensive coordinator [tag]Will Muschamp[/tag] is at the top of Tennessee’s wishlist and they have reportedly already offered him the position. Muschamp is one of the two highest paid coordinators in the country and has been named Texas’ head coach-in-waiting, but head coach [tag]Mack Brown[/tag] just signed another contract extension and looks like he could be at Texas for several more seasons. Muschamp also does not have a buyout in his contract, meaning it would cost Tennessee nothing beyond his salary to get him out of Austin.

Muschamp has repeatedly stated that how much he loves Texas and loves Austin and that he intends to stay the defensive coordinator for the Longhorns until it’s his turn. But things change. Is the opportunity to be the head coach of an SEC power too good to pass up?

Both Geoff Ketchum of Orangebloods.com and the Statesman’s Suzanne Halliburton have reported last night and this morning that every source at Texas they talk to says Muschamp is saying. The one person no one has talked to is Muschamp himself.

I don’t expect the Muschamp rumors to last past today, this thing is going to go down fast. Either the school will make an announcement he’s staying (and probably a raise) or we’ll find out he’s gone. We’ll have more news when we hear it.

Update: InsideTexas.com now also reporting more sources saying Muschamp will turn down the Vols. (10:54 am)

Update: News has taken a turn for the worse. Seems once confident sources are now unsure what is going to happen. (4:40 pm)

Update: Will Muschamp flew to Knoxville this morning to meet with Tennessee. He reportedly turns down a $3 mil offer. More info. (8:30 pm)

Update: Finally. Will Muschamp says he’s happy and he’s staying at Texas. (10:31 pm)

The Texas Longhorns are the number 1 team in the land this week after all. The football team came up short, but thanks to a [tag]Kansas[/tag] upset loss the men’s basketball team is now the top ranked team in both the AP Top 25 and the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. This is the first time in Texas history to hold the number 1 ranking.

Head coach [tag]Rick Barnes[/tag] felt the ranking was a compliment to the program and all the effort each of the players puts in every week. Of course, unlike football college basketball has a playoff and as Barnes put it, “I can’t honestly tell you who the No. 1 team was in the country on the second week of January last year, but I do know who won the national championship.”

Here’s this week’s top 5 college basketball teams:

• Full AP top 25 rankings
• Full Coaches Poll

Usually the United State President gives the team that wins the championship a phone call, but Barack Obama was so impressed by the Texas Longhorns’ attitude and comeback against [tag]Alabama[/tag] that he called up [tag]Mack Brown[/tag] to tell him so. He also wanted to congratulate quarterback [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] on his outstanding career.

Read the release from the university:

Longhorns head coach Mack Brown received a surprise phone call on Saturday morning. On the other end was President Barack Obama.

“President Obama called to congratulate us on a super season,” Brown said. “He told me to tell the kids how impressed he was with the never-give-up attitude the team had during the game. He said he loved their heart and effort and that despite all of the adversity, they hung in there and fought until the end.”

President Obama got to know Brown and the Texas team when the then Senator of Illinois visited the football facilities during a Democratic debate with Hillary Clinton in Austin in the spring of 2008.

“The President said we treated him first class on his visit and he enjoyed meeting Colt (McCoy) and the guys,” Brown added.

“He wanted me to congratulate Colt on a great career and let him know how disappointed he was for him that he wasn’t able to play in his last game.”

Brown said the team had such a great time visiting the White House after the 2005 National Championship. That was among the biggest disappointments in not winning this time.

“Going to the White House and meeting the President was such a great honor,” Brown added. “That’s something that will be a goal for our team every year, to get back to the White House.”

Small town running back Traylon Shead will get a chance to show his skills to the nation. (Image: Rivals)

The second big high school all-American game of the year happens this Saturday at noon when at least six future Horns take part in the US Army All-American Bowl on NBC. No expected new commits for Texas at the game but it will be a chance for fans to see a bunch of future Longhorns compete against top notch talent.

The most interesting commits to watch may be quarterback [tag]Connor Wood[/tag] and running back [tag]Traylon Shead[/tag]. In these wide open all-star games QB and RB are two of the spots where you get the best reflection of what a player is actually capable of. Shead is one of the most prolific prep running backs in the history of Texas high school football and today will be a great chance to see what the stud from tiny Cayuga can do against the country’s best.

On the defensive side of the ball watch for defensive end [tag]Reggie Wilson[/tag] and linebacker [tag]Tevin Jackson[/tag]. Both players are incredible athletes who can fly around the football field. With the pass happy game plans it should mean lots of chances for Wilson to get after the quarterback.

(click to view the positions and numbers of the Texas commits …)

Earl Thomas had a Texas record 8 interceptions this season. (Image: Getty)

Redshirt sophomore safety [tag]Earl Thomas[/tag] won’t be back in 2010 for the Texas Longhorns. The Thorpe Award finalist out of West Orange-Stark has announced he is leaving school early for the NFL. The news is not unexpected but didn’t think we’d get confirmation so soon.

Earl is projected to be drafted in the middle of the 1st round so this is a good decision for him and for his family. You go to college to prepare yourself for your future career and Thomas has done that (and then some) in his three years at Texas. Athletically he seems ready to play in the league and his biggest negative is his size which wouldn’t improve with more time on campus.

Thomas’ departure leaves the Horns a little thin on experience in the secondary for 2010. At safety, starter [tag]Blake Gideon[/tag] is returning as is the promising [tag]Christian Scott[/tag] but neither has man coverage skills Thomas does. Someone else from the group of guys including [tag]Kenny Vaccaro[/tag] and [tag]Nolan Brewster[/tag] will also need to step up.

(more …)