40 Acres Sports

Now that the Longhorns took care of business on the field against the Aggies it’s time to join the 40,000 strong movement…

Better Consider the Scoreboard

We’ve somehow come to a time when head to head no longer matters…

It’s constantly suggested that College Football is a playoff and that things should be decided on the field. Well, on October 11, 2008 that happened. Texas beat Oklahoma head to head on a neutral field.

The goal of this site is simple, remind people that the game was played and we got a winner. In a situation where you must decide between two teams, shouldn’t you take the one that won the game?

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• Visit the 45 – 35 website.
• Join the Facebook group.

Other Links

• ESPN.com – The Longhorns have already proved it on the field.
• FoxSports.com – All together now … 45-35 … 45-35 … 45-35
• Rivals.com – A rank way to decide conference
• Sagarin Ratings – Strength of schedule favors Horns

For the first time in a few weekends there are lots of good games for our viewing pleasure. A few have National Championship implications, and a few are just good rivalry match-ups. Of course the big one is tonight and all Texas fans will be glued to the match-up in Stillwater. Most Texas fans rooted for OU last week and they one, I think they owe us a favor now and need to lose against Okie State.

Another solid 2-1 last weekend and I am planning on going undefeated today. Let’s see what’s going on:

#22 Georgia Tech at #11 Georgia (-7.5) – 12:00 PM EST on CBS. Georgia doesn’t have a shot at going to the National Championship, but they probably don’t care much about that this Saturday as all they want to do is kill Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech, and the whole ACC for that matter, has been very up and down this season. Since Georgia Tech played so well last weekend, they are due to get blown out this weekend. Take Georgia and the easy win.

Auburn at #1 Alabama (-14.5) – 3:30 PM EST on CBS. Even Auburn had ANY semblance of a real quarterback, I would probably take them in this game. Even though this is a heated rivalry game, since Alabama already has the SEC West wrapped up, I feel they may be looking ahead to Florida. But that won’t really matter much since they will jump out early and dominate this game from the beginning. Take Alabama, but buy the half point just in case.

#4 Florida at #20 Florida State (+16.5) – 3:30 PM EST on ABC. The same thing applies in this game. Florida already has the SEC East wrapped up and all anyone can talk about it their matchup against Alabama. Florida State actually has the athletes that can keep up with Florida and won’t be too surprised by their speed. Now that won’t help them win, but I do think it will help them cover. I am thinking Florida State covers this one.

Baylor at #7 Texas Tech (-23) – 3:30 PM EST. The big question in this one is whether or not Texas Tech will have a letdown game after getting drubbed in Norman. Baylor has played pretty well this season and I think this 23 points might be a tad high. Yeah Tech can score some points, but I bet a lot of them think their season is over. Baylor might even win this one. Take the Bears and the points.

#3 Oklahoma at #12 Oklahoma State (+8) – 8:00 PM EST on ABC. Obviously the biggest game of the day for Texas fans. Luckily this weekend we actually get to root against OU. As much as I would like to think Oklahoma State can hang with OU, I just can’t make myself believe it. Oklahoma State does have the extra week to prepare for this one, but if OU plays up to their potential that doesn’t matter. I expect Stoops to have Oklahoma extra ready for this one and they probably plan to make another statement this weekend. Take Oklahoma and give the points, and say goodbye to our National Championship dreams.

It was a thing of beauty Thursday night as the Longhorns put the Aggies back in their place with a 49 – 9 thumping in front of a national Turkey Day audience. The Texas defense was completely dominant in the first half and the offense was led by an incredible night running and throwing by quarterback [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag]. We won’t know till Sunday if it was enough but Mack Brown’s kids won with both class and style, something that should make any Longhorn proud.

Watch the highlights:

The Texas Longhorn basketball team had a good early season tournament showing going 2-1 in three days taking third place in the Maui Invitational. Add in the fact that it was a free trip to Hawaii and I’m sure Rick Barnes and company would admit it was a great trip.

On Monday the Longhorns physically dominated St. Joseph’s in a way the football fans at Texas would be proud of. From the opening tip Texas showed that this year their emphasis is going to be on the defensive end. With [tag]Damion James[/tag] playing at the “3” position this year Texas finally has the length to compete with the most athletic teams in the nation. St. Joseph’s is not one of the most athletic teams in the nation, so the length and athletic ability of the Longhorn defenders overwhelmed them for much of the game. The Longhorn defense held them to under 30% shooting from the floor including 19% from the three point line on their way to a 68-50 win.

Tuesday Texas took on [tag]Notre Dame[/tag] in an instant classic. The score went back and forth with the game coming down to the last shot. Even though [tag]AJ Abrams[/tag] missed the 50 footer at the buzzer, the Longhorns continued to show the skills that will carry them on the season. They out rebounded the Irish and dominated in the paint. For the first time in the season however, the Longhorns showed a few cracks in their armor. Texas struggled to get easy buckets and Damion James showed that he is not quite there as a perimeter player. The Longhorns got down but showed resiliency to get the game back to a one point margin. Notre Dame played about as well as they could on the game as they made contested jumper after contested jumper. Abrams and James played poorly as they both forced too many jumpers after only one or sometimes no passes on the possession. Even with that the Longhorns came close to beating a top 10 team that was clicking on all cylinders which has to be a good sign moving forward.

Wednesday the Longhorns took on the Oregon Ducks in the third place game. Both teams were playing their third game in three days and each team showed tired legs. The Longhorns abandoned the three point shot for most of the game concentrating on getting the ball into the paint. The formula worked as the defensive effort allowed the Longhorns to cruise to a 70-57 game that stayed closer on the scoreboard than it appeared to be on the court. Oregon is a young team and it was clear they were overwhelmed by the defensive pressure and intensity the Longhorns brought to the game.

Texas head coach [tag]Mack Brown[/tag] was on ESPN yesterday (and replayed a ton this morning) discussing tonights Texas A&M game and of course BCS rankings. It sounds like he’s saying all the right things and wants the kids focusing on the Aggies, but I imagine if the team takes care of business tonight he’ll be on the phone doing interviews during several games Friday and Saturday. He also does a great job at subtly reminding voters that the Longhorns beat the Sooners head-to-head earlier this year.

Watch the interview:

After losing to [tag]Notre Dame[/tag], Texas rebounded to take third place in the Maui Invitational with a win over [tag]Oregon[/tag]. Texas forward [tag]Damion James[/tag] stepped up big with his best game of the young season by pouring in 21 points and grabbing 12 boards. He was a very efficient 9 for 11 from the floor. [tag]Justin Mason[/tag] had another solid game both on the stat sheet and running the offense.

Check out the highlights from ESPN below:

Game stats available after the jump.

The Texas Longhorns are 35-point favorites on Turkey Day against the Texas A&M Aggies and they might need to win by even more than that to impress the voters and hold onto their number two BCS ranking. The two rivals face off on Thanksgiving Day for the first time since 1993 when one of the Aggies many transgressions landed them with TV restrictions due to NCAA penalties. This year the Aggies are again playing with nothing to lose, can the Horns avoid another upset? Will they come out and earn enough “style points” to win a Big 12 South title and a chance for a national title? Find out how bad the Aggies will lose below:

Brian – Lots of poll watching and complaining by Texas fans this week but none of that will matter if the team doesn’t take care of business Thursday night. The last three seasons the Horns have been big favorites but didn’t come out strong and let the Aggies stay in the game. This year Texas needs to put some early points on the board against an overmatched team and never give them any hope. The Texas defense might give up a few points but the offense is going to have a field defense against a team that gave up 41 to [tag]Baylor[/tag]. Yes, Baylor! Quarterback [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] is looking for payback and his first win over A&M and he’s going to have a huge game in front of a national audience both passing and running. Texas 56 – Texas A&M 20

Matt – A lot more than just the usual rivalry bragging rights are on the line this Thanksgiving against Aggy. First and foremost is the fact that Texas currently sits at the #2 spot in the BCS and is desperate need of some style points with an impressive win (I am thinking by 40 or more). [tag]Oklahoma[/tag] will likely jump Texas no matter what with a win, but we can use all the help we can get. Second is the fact that Colt McCoy has yet to beat Aggy in his ridiculous career at Texas (probably the only thing he hasn’t done). I think these two scenarios make for a huge Texas win, as they will be looking to dominate this game. I am thinking 50+. Hopefully they don’t eat too much turkey before. Texas 60 – Texas A&M 10

Mike – Texas has every reason to blow out Texas A&M. The Longhorns enter the game with a slim lead over Oklahoma for the Big 12 tie breaker, and oh yeah, the Aggies have beaten the Longhorns for the last two seasons. At least one of the losses cost UT a conference championship and a BCS bowl. [tag]Mack Brown[/tag] is usually hesitant to embarrass an opponent by leaving in his starters and running up the score, but this week holds special circumstances. His team needs style points because it looks like who goes to Kansas City next week will be determined by who plays best this week. The Longhorns get the first shot to impress the voters on Thanksgiving night in front of a national audience. Texas needs to win dominantly from the opening snap to the closing one. In years past I’d be worried about how Texas would respond to such pressure but with the leadership on the team combined with the passion the coaching staffs brought to this squad I have no doubts this one is going to get ugly. Colt McCoy will have a huge day that will move him to the front of the Heisman race and the Longhorns will make it real tough for voters to put OU in front of them on Sunday. Texas 55 – Texas A&M 13

Obviously this year’s Texas vs. Texas A&M football game has more on the line than just bragging rights. The Longhorns enter the game at number two in the BCS, but hold such a slight lead in the standings that many worry that an [tag]Oklahoma[/tag] win over [tag]Oklahoma State[/tag] will propel the Sooners into the Big 12 Championship game and with that into the National Title game.

On top of all the BCS hoopla, Texas also wants to erase the memory of the Aggies ruining their last two seasons. The Aggies are awful, but they were for the last two years so the focus for [tag]Mack Brown[/tag] and his staff has been to keep their players focused on the task at hand. There are some aspects of this puzzle that the football team can control and some that they can’t. The Longhorns must focus all their energy on what they can control.

For this week’s preview we look at what the Longhorns must do to sway a few voters back their way.

1. Beat the Hell out of A&M. The fans yell it, the team must do it. Even if the BCS wasn’t in the picture the recent history of this game should give these players enough motivation to put it on the Aggies. There is no doubt Texas has had the better team the last two years, but there is also little doubt who wanted the game more. A&M have been more physical than the Longhorns over that stretch and in football the team that hits the other in the mouth first usually has the upper hand. Keep in mind that while players like [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] have beaten the Sooners twice in their career, they have not beaten A&M. Texas needs to do it big this week.
2. Don’t let up. Mack Brown is a nice guy. Too nice at times. Coaches like Bob Stoops and Mike Leach make no bones about putting up big points even when the game is well out of reach. And while common sense would suggest that the voters would understand that a win is a win style points do count. There is no doubt that Oklahoma will put a as many points as they can if given the opportunity on Saturday night in Stillwater and Texas must do the same on Thanksgiving night. Texas needs to let their players play the whole game and put up over 60 points. All the voters know that Texas beat OU head to head, but many have given the nod to the Sooners in the polls because they feel Oklahoma has been more dominant in the last few games. Texas needs to put up a huge score on Thursday because the vote on Sunday will likely come down to who looks better this week.
3. Run the ball. Oklahoma is being viewed as the better team because people feel they have more ways to beat you. Last week against Texas Tech the Sooners did something Texas couldn’t do. They controlled the line of scrimmage and moved the ball on the ground at will. Voters, especially the coaches, want to see balance. Texas has not had balance this year unless the running comes from McCoy. With [tag]Foswhitt Whittaker[/tag] back in the mix and the emergence of a health [tag]Vondrell McGee[/tag], the Longhorn running game has improved over the last few weeks. The Longhorns need to be able to run the ball when the other team, the announcers, and everybody watching knows they are about to run it. The Longhorns have struggled with that this year, but voting is a what have you done for me lately job and if Texas can come out and dominate it will erase a lot of the concerns people have had about the UT offense all season long.
4. Shutout. It might be a little much to ask for a shutout, but this team needs something close to that to impress the voters. I think most people consider Texas’ and OU’s offense on par with each other. Oklahoma gets the advantage in most people’s mind because of a perceived opinion that the Sooner defense is better than Texas’. A score of 42-6 would help Texas more than say a score of 65-24. Texas needs to be dominant in every aspect of the game, but a complete whipping of the Aggies on defense would impress the voters tremendously. All eyes will be on Texas this weekend and [tag]Will Muschamp[/tag] needs to prove why he is being selected as the next head coach at Texas.
5. Remind the voters 45 – 35. This is going to be on the fans. Mack Brown and his staff have rightfully put all the week’s energy on beating A&M. It will be up to the fans on Thursday night to get the word out that what happens on the field should matter the most. It can be done with chants of “45 – 35” and with the signs that the Longhorn nation is looking to print out and distribute to all the people in attendance. When the cameras go into the stands in between plays or coming back from commercials the viewers at home need to be bombarded with evidence of the victory at The Fair Grounds.

Even with all this done it might not be enough to stay in front of Oklahoma, but at least UT would have done everything they could to get there. If the Big 12 Championship is OU vs. [tag]Missouri[/tag] it will be a match up of two teams Texas beat by double digits on the year. The Longhorns have over achieved for much of the year and deserve to catch a break. Hopefully they will this weekend. No matter what happens just remember: Go Baylor Bears.

The Texas basketball team faced their toughest test of the season last night in a top 10 match-up in the EA Sports Maui Invitational. [tag]AJ Abrams[/tag] had a half court attempt that would have won the game but it came up short and the team lost 80 – 81 to [tag]Notre Dame[/tag]. Watch highlights from ESPN below:

[tag]Justin Mason[/tag] ran the point most of the game and played well, shooting 7 of 12 from the field while adding 7 assists and 5 rebounds. Abrams scored 23 points to lead the Horns but needed 27 shots to do it and [tag]Damion James[/tag] continued to struggle to find his shot. For the Horns to make a serious tourney run James needs to find his groove, whether it’s as dominating force inside or as a wing scorer he needs to be this team’s leader.

With the loss the Horns are now 3 – 1 on the season. Up next is the third place game in Maui against [tag]Oregon[/tag] today at 3:30pm.

Game stats available after the jump.

The latest BCS rankings are out and despite the gains by [tag]Oklahoma[/tag] in the two human polls, Texas has taken advantage of the the [tag]Texas Tech[/tag] loss and moved up two spots to number two in the rankings. The computer polls are the reason the Horns are hanging on now but since the Sooners play a ranked team this week it may take an impressive Thanksgiving Day win to remind voters that the Horns actually beat the Sooners when they matched up in October.

Check out the top 10 below:

Rank	Team	BCS Average
1	Alabama	0.987
2	Texas	0.920
3	Oklahoma	0.912
4	Florida	0.875
5	USC	0.797
6	Utah	0.785
7	Texas Tech	0.778
8	Penn St.	0.752
9	Boise St.	0.658
10	Ohio St.	0.620