40 Acres Sports

Will Chris Hall and the Texas offensive line be celebrating against Alabama? (Image: Statesman)

A resolution in this article will be “a formal expression or opinion made” to win a football game. The Texas Longhorns will be playing for a national championship against Alabama on January 7th at the Rose Bowl. I have four resolutions that the Longhorns should follow in order to win this game. We are not going to make the obvious statements that the winner will be the one that can hold on to the ball, establish the running game, control the line of scrimmage, TOP, or have the ball last. Here they are:

1. To Be First

The Longhorn’s offense all season is based on tempo. The Longhorns need to rack up first downs in this game. If you remember the Fiesta Bowl last year the offense needed a full half to get going. You will notice that [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] and [tag]Greg Davis[/tag] like to run the hurry up offense after a made first down. The Bama defense will need to pick it up and mismatches play a huge role in Texas moving the ball. The Longhorns for this entire season had 114 more first downs over their opponents.

2. To Add Wrinkles

No… we are not hoping the Longhorns age us during this game. Greg Davis needs to add some different play combinations to keep the Alabama defense guessing. We know that conventional running will not work. Greg introduced the double cross receiver run during the OU game and the shovel pass against UCF. Auburn pulled out a few rabbits to start the game against Bama. I am not suggesting trick plays but a change of pace to keep them guessing. Please Greg install the wheel route to [tag]Tre Newton[/tag] at the right time which would be fun to see. [tag]Chris Hall[/tag] and teammates please give Colt just a little time to execute a few of these plays.

3. To Have a Big Middle

The middle that I am referring to is [tag]Roddrick Muckelroy[/tag] and [tag]Lamarr Houston[/tag]. These two men need to step up big time to make Alabama one dimensional. The two closes games (biggest I would argue) of the season where we saw the Sooners rush for -16 yards and the Huskers run for 67 yards. Alabama will want to impose their will with Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson running the ball. The “Goonies” (nicknamed by Lamarr) need to have the defensive effort that we all talk about when we speak of the 2006 National Championship game.

4. To Not Be Offensive

We need to get back to the non-offensive touchdown results that we had for most of the season. The timeliness of the 2 non-offensive TD’s that we had versus Oklahoma State would suffice (I can wish?!). We need the special teams to come up with a game changing punt return, punt block or kick return to electrify the crowd. The defense stepping up with an interception or fumble return for a touchdown can make the other team question their offensive decisions which affect play calling and team confidence. We do not have to win the turnover battle – just do something with it!

ESPNU is covering the Under Armour All-American practices this week and they’re also doing live blogs as things happen. They’ve posted some video of practice featuring at least one future Longhorn wide receiver. #2 is recent commit [tag]Mike Davis[/tag] from Dallas Skyline and #4 [tag]Darius White[/tag] is one of the Horns’ big remaining targets left out there. Check them out…

Not a lot of video of Davis, but very impressed with the his hands in the two catches they showed. Definitely looks like a natural pass catches and not just an athlete playing wide receiver.

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 basketball game against the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Cowboys Stadium was a less than optimal game watching experience. (Image: TexasSports.com)

Pregame WTH Jerry’s World?! Re-issuing this WTH tagline again. Walking into the Death Star you were immediately attacked by beer vendors. Where were you guys at the Big XII championship football game?! Make sure you are a fan of Miller products because Bud Light and Coors cannot be found.

1st Half (15:47) WTH Baby Video?! The Big Daddy video board was not enough so the Cowboys set up a smaller four sided video underneath for fans to see player names, fouls and points. Unfortunately, the baby video was often wrong or did not change with the substitutions that were happening on the floor. It was cool to see the time elapsed photos of converting the facility into a basketball arena. Shout out to the video producer who showed the UT Pom Squad often. So often that we noticed that one of the girls took out her belly button ring!

1st Half (9:12) WTH FREE throws?! UT is awful at the free throw line. On successive trips to the charity stripe [tag]Dogus Balbay[/tag] and [tag]Damion James[/tag] missed both free throw attempts. The team was 50% for the first half and clawed their way back to finish at 70% for the game. This will be a glaring weakness for the team this season unless head coach [tag]Rick Barnes[/tag] starts passing out $20’s for every made free throw at practice.

Half Time WTH Wholly Guacamole?! Never heard of the product and probably will never eat it. The sponsor for the halftime did provide us a funny moment when two youngsters played a very terrible game of pong on the giant video board. The best part was when the little brother started shoving the sister while she was playing.

2nd Half (13:11) WTH Balbay?! As UNC was trying to stage a comeback, Dogus Balbay was awaiting the inbound pass after a Tar Heel basket. The ball was rolling around the court so Balbay dropped kick the ball right into Alexis Wangmene’s grill.

2nd Half (4:39) WTH PB&J?! With a shout out to the teams of the past (BMW – Blanks, Mays, Wright), the new group of Pittman, Bradley and James put together a string of blocks, shots and dunks to get the 38,052 in attendance (3/4 Longhorn fans) up off their feet. Damion was the leader with 25 points and 15 rebounds followed by Dexter who had 23 points and 15 rebounds. A career day for a freshman was put in by Avery Bradley who finished with 20 points. The freshmen team that Barnes has put together will have many more career days on the 40 acres.

The 2009 Heisman was only awarded a week ago and we’re already moving on to 2010. College Football News has released a very early list of next year’s top contenders for college football’s biggest award and it’s mostly pretty solid. Sitting at number 15 is a quarterback who had less than 30 attempts and had no touchdowns passes this year.

Wait don’t get upset yet, that player is the likely 2010 starter at quarterback for the Longhorns. Here’s their blurb on why [tag]Garrett Gilbert[/tag] could already be a Heisman candidate:

15. Garrett Gilbert, QB Texas
Remember, Vince Young couldn’t be replaced, either. Gilbert might be the most talented quarterback Mack Brown has ever coached.

Overall not a bad list, but think there are some weird names near the very top. [tag]Ohio State[/tag] quarterback Terrelle Pryor has shown zero flash of Heisman-caliber performance and appears to be getting worse (or being used worse by OSU coaches) each year. I also wonder if [tag]Alabama[/tag] defending winner Mark Ingram will be able to repeat with stud Trent Richardson taking more carries away next season.

The Texas Longhorns will be playing for a national championship on the East coast. You say wait a minute; Pasadena is on the West coast. You are correct, but the Longhorn women’s volleyball team is one win away from reaching the title game in Tampa, Florida.

The Longhorn volleyball team has made it to the Final Four in Tampa after beating the #10 ranked [tag]Nebraska[/tag] team in Omaha on December 12th. Despite the home field advantage for Nebraska, the #2 ranked Horns (28-1) won with the impress play of senior [tag]Destinee Hooker[/tag] and junior [tag]Juliann Faucette[/tag].

The win helps Texas reach the NCAA semifinals for the second consecutive season. Last year the Horns finished the year 29-4 with a loss to Stanford after reaching the Final Four with the winningest record since 1993. This year marks the 4th straight Big XII title for the volleyball powerhouse. This senior class has improved its four year win total to 108 wins which is the most for Head Coach Jerritt Elliott’s in his eight seasons in Austin. The 1993 senior class is the winningest in school history with 111 wins. The last championship for the women’s team was in 1988 when they went 34-5.

The Final Four starts on December 17th at 6PM central with the Horns taking on Minnesota (28-8). The other end of the bracket (interesting concept having a tournament to decide a championship) has Hawaii (31-2) taking on two time defending champion Penn State (36-0). The Horns contributed to one of Hawaii’s losses earlier this year. Penn State is coming into the Final Four with a record 100 consecutive wins and not dropping a set the entire tournament this year. The championship game will be on Saturday evening on December 19th.

Simply incredible. Still gives me chills watching it over a week later.

Most Texas fans have been telling Austin American-Statesman writer Kirk Bohls what they think of him for some time now. Last night after his big awards haul, Texas quarterback [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] also got in on the act.

Bohls sealed his fate in the hearts and minds of Longhorn fans when he put Reggie Bush over Texas quarterback [tag]Vince Young[/tag] on his 2005 Heisman ballot. It’s an even more disputed race this year and once again, in a slightly less egregious error, Bohls again didn’t put the Texas QB number one on his ballot. Colt noticed, and had some smart comments for the local journalist:

McCoy said his awards couldn’t be viewed as an indicator that he’d win the Heisman. “I don’t think this has any impact on the Heisman,” he said. “At the same time, I’m very thankful.”

Later, after commenting that he didn’t play for awards and that they’re a credit to the team, McCoy still took a jab at Austin (Texas) American-Statesman columnist Kirk Bohls, who did not vote for McCoy for the Heisman.

“Tell Kirk Bohls thanks for all the votes,” McCoy told a few writers. “You can put that on the air or anywhere you want.”

We’ll find out if Bohls’ unimportant vote (his thoughts not mine) cost McCoy the Heisman Trophy when the winner is announced Saturday night.

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]Nebraska[/tag] in the Big 12 Championship game.

Did James Kirkendoll's drop cost Colt McCoy the Heisman? (Image: Statesman)

Pregame WTH Jerry’s World?! Heading into the stadium, Husker and Longhorn fans (76,211) were ready to celebrate the Big XII season’s accomplishments with a cold beverage. Unfortunately, some one decided to lock up all the beer coolers to the dismay of many fans. Good thing since the 2001 Championship at Texas Stadium ([tag]Chris Simms[/tag] – Oh no moments), UT fans drank their sorrows away. Just so you know for future trips to the Death Star, Sec 431, Row 22, Seat 1 is the highest possible seat in the back of the end zone that you can occupy.

1st Quarter (14:24 & 8:07) WTH McCoy?! [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] has limited his penchant for the early interception that last few games until the biggest stage. His two early interceptions (one tipped and another desperation heave) were a product of excellent coverage and the desire to make something happen. Unfortunately, Colt’s Heisman coronation was thwarted with only 202 yards, 3 interceptions and 9 sacks. Fortunately, his last completions of the game to [tag]Jordan Shipley[/tag] proved to be the game clincher.

2nd Quarter (15:00) WTH Bo?! Bo Pelini has to get a better agent after coaching the Huskers to the championship game. I have never seen someone work a piece of gum which he even threw a mangled piece in disgust at the direction of his team. Big League Chew or Hubba Bubba needs to sign this guy up!

3rd Quarter (12:07) WTH Suh?! Ndamukong Suh (name means house of spears) had a tremendous game with 12 tackles and 4.5 sacks. He single handily threw Colt to the ground with one arm after beating a Longhorn double team. He literally put himself in position to sweep every major defensive award and earn a trip to New York for the Heisman presentation.

4th Quarter (14:04 & 4:50) WTH Pass Catchers?! You rarely get more than one chance during the game to hit a stop and go pattern. Colt McCoy sold the pump fake and [tag]James Kirkendoll[/tag] went flying down the sideline for an apparent score. I guess catching the ball would have been an important step in that sequence?! I hate to say this but that completion would have made the score 17-6 which would have sewn up the game and the Heisman. [tag]Dan Buckner[/tag] had the ball ripped away from him by Husker Dejon Gomes that ended another sure scoring drive.

4th Quarter (:01) THE Ultimate WTH Mack?! I heard the explanation from [tag]Mack Brown[/tag] on ESPN. He and [tag]Greg Davis[/tag] agreed to run a hook pattern to get a little closer for field goal kicker [tag]Hunter Lawrence[/tag]. Colt McCoy decided to let the clock run down like a point guard until it was dangerously close. Referee Tom Walker immediately motioned Bo Pelini and the Huskers to get back to the sidelines because replay confirmed that there was one second left. Joe Thompson (official time keeper) should not expect a Christmas card from the Longhorn faithful. I would hate to think of Brown’s legacy if time would have run out. Thanks to Hunter’s 46 yard boot the Horns are 2009 Big XII Champions!

Next up for the Longhorn’s is the National Championship Game against [tag]Alabama[/tag] in Pasadena!

I believe coaches tell players that they have 24 hours to celebrate a victory or mourn a loss. One of the reasons is to not let the past affect the future. Sometimes coaches forget to follow their own rules and let the past determine their future.

We as Longhorn fans need to be reminded how lucky we are to have a coach like [tag]Mack Brown[/tag] for many reasons that do not have to do with X’s and O’s. The way that Mack handles the media and the fans after a loss tells a lot more about the person than letting one game define who you are as a coach. One of the most telling stats that refer to the teams that Mack coaches is that they are 12-0 against the next opponent after the OU game no matter win or lose. He uses this moment to teach kids how to treat the ups and downs that come at you.

This was not the case after the Big XII championship game for [tag]Nebraska[/tag] coach Bo Pelini or his defensive coach/brother Carl Pelini. An article from the Omaha World Herald titled “Heartbreaker’s haze sees anger and confusion” describes a wild, emotional scene after the game.

Carl Pelini after marching off the field decided to yell to the Longhorns “You should be ashamed of accepting the trophy!” Bo screamed “BCS!” when entering into the locker room. “That’s why they make the call!” Does that comment seem eerily similar from a former Big XII coach that is no longer in Kansas anymore? The attitude of the last seconds can be understandable, but I think the reaction by Bo shows the frustration should not be directed to the referees, replay booth, Big XII or the Longhorns since his team brought some of this upon themselves. The frustration of not getting the time call at the end game was an easy target for Bo instead of the kickoff that went out of bounds or the horse collar tackle all by his own players that allowed the Horns to get into field goal position for the winning kick. It is ironic that a very similar time situation with somewhat different results happened this year on October 17th between USC and Notre Dame in South Bend. This Big XII Championship was not the first time a replay was used to check out the play clock.

Coaches tell players when they score a touchdown to “act like you’ve been there before” instead of celebrating like it is New Years Day. Some coaches need to listen to their own advice after a game win or lose. Your character is on display during wins and losses. Wins will continue to be the norm for Nebraska because Bo Pelini is a good coach. The character that Mack displays after a game helps the team for its next challenge. Let’s hope that Bo learns a little from him so his teams will continue to be successful at every challenge.

Not that you should really be surprised, but the BCS has officially put Texas and Alabama in the National Championship game at the Rose Bowl on January 7, 2010. Alabama was the unanimous #1, finishing at the top of both human polls and the computer poll. Texas finished #2 in both human polls and finished #3 in the computer poll behind Cincinnati, who interestingly enough looks like they would have been in the title game if Texas lost to Nebraska.

I have been reading quite a bit of talk about how Alabama is going to roll over Texas. Everyone needs to relax. Maybe those people should go back and watch game film of the Alabama vs Tennessee game and the Alabama vs Auburn. Alabama is just as lucky (if not luckier) than Texas to be playing for the National Championship.

And just so you know, Texas has a 7-0-1 record against Alabama, dating back to the days of Darrell Royal and Bear Bryant. Hook ’em. See you in California!