Very nice interview from Austin’s KXAN with [tag]Mack Brown[/tag] from yesterday talking about of course the BCS National Championship Game, coaching in general, and the stress that is on coaches these days…
Citi BCS National Championship |
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#1 Alabama (13-0) vs. #2 Texas (13-0)Jan. 7, 7:00 p.m. (ABC) |
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The 2009 season will come to an end Thursday, January 7th when the Texas Longhorns take on the Alabama Crimson Tide in the BCS national title game. For all the marbles the number one and two teams face off in what has become a rare MNC matchup between two undefeated teams. Texas is looking to repeat what [tag]Vince Young[/tag] did just a four years ago while Alabama is looking for their first championship since 1992.
Players to Watch
Texas: QB Colt McCoy, WR Jordan Shipley, LB Sergio Kindle, S Earl Thomas
Alabama: RB Mark Ingram, WR Julio Jones, DT Terrence Cody, LB Rolando McClain
40 Acres Fiesta Bowl Coverage
- BCS Title Keys to Victory: Texas vs. Alabama
- Video: Mack Brown BCS Title game press conference
- Video: Mack Brown talks the day before the big game
- ESPN talks to Earl Thomas, Acho brothers, other Horns about playing in BCS title game
- The only Crimson Tide we fear…
- Four New Year’s resolutions for the Horns at the Rose Bowl
- It’s Official: Texas vs. Alabama in the BCS National Championship
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Excellent set of video interviews from ESPN with several Texas players yesterday at BCS title game media day. Good questions and comments from [tag]Earl Thomas[/tag] and particularly Emmanuel and [tag]Sam Acho[/tag]. Watch below to get a feel for what the players are thinking with just a couple days left before the biggest game of their lives…
The official UT site has up some more photos from the Longhorns trip in Pasadena for the national championship game. They’ve got shots of the players at practice, dealing with the media, and out on the town.
Link: Horns in Pasadena, Day 3
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!
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!
ESPN’s Mark Schlabach on “Colt McCoy” night and the rest of the Longhorn’s road to a BCS title shot.
During an interview this week, Texas head coach [tag]Mack Brown[/tag] clearly states that there should not be a distinction between BCS and non-BCS schools and that all schools should be treated equally. Somehow, ESPN spend the next 36 hours claiming Mack had said non-BCS schools didn’t belong in the national title game. Say what? Watch for yourself below:
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