Colt McCoy will look to win his first championship today versus Nebraska. (Image: Scout.com)
Some links for you to peruse while you’re at a frigid JerryWorld tailgating before tonight’s Big 12 Championship versus [tag]Nebraska[/tag]. Lot of good stuff all around to keep you busy. Read on…
Are Horns getting defensive about their defense? Nah. College football sometimes can spin odd perceptions. The story line for tonight’s Big 12 championship game seems to be focused on Nebraska’s suffocating defense against Colt McCoy and the potent Longhorns offense. […]
Nebraska’s defense could make Texas Longhorns’ credentials defensible. Conference championship games rank behind the resistance to a playoff system and just ahead of the polls and Boise State’s psychedelic blue turf on my list of college football grievances, to name a few. […]
Best in Big 12 more pertinent to Longhorn’s Brown than best in Texas. Amid the talk about his own team and the game against Nebraska, discussion arose about unbeaten TCU, which is No. 4 in the BCS rankings, one spot behind Texas. More to the point, Longhorns coach Mack Brown was asked whom he thought had the best college football team in Texas. […]
Match-up watch: Nebraska vs. Texas. This game is all going to come down to which team handles the pressure better. For Nebraska, it essentially doesn’t have anything to lose, as no one is really giving the Huskers a chance of upsetting Texas. Still, this is easily the biggest game NU has played since the 2006 Big 12 title game against Oklahoma, and hardly any of the players now were even on that team. […]
Big 12 title game could have far-reaching implications for BCS. The most important game of the weekend won’t take place in Atlanta. Sure, the SEC championship will pit No. 1 against No. 2 with a trip to the BCS title game hanging in the balance, but the outcomes are clear. Either Alabama will play for the national title, or Florida will. […]
Emerging offense making it easier for McCoy. Earlier this season, Texas offense consisted of Colt McCoy throwing a lot to Jordan Shipley. Short passes. Screen passes. Deep passes. All kinds of passes from one roommate to another. But as the Longhorns prepare for Saturday’s Big 12 championship game against Nebraska, the offense has evolved with many more potential playmakers. […]
Huskers, Horns is strength vs. strength. Get beyond the Heisman hype, the national championship prospects, the record-setting statistics. Move past the television highlights and the glamor that’s been associated all year with this undefeated Longhorn juggernaut. What you’re left with are philosophies – certain Texas tactics for point production – that best apply pressure to a defense. […]
2-minute drill: NU vs. Texas. Because Nebraska has played some of its best football against teams like Virginia Tech and Oklahoma, look for the Huskers to go toe-to-toe with the heavily favored Longhorns and not flinch. Plus, their defense is capable of keeping it close. But Texas is on a quest for a national championship and might just have too much. […]
Playing it safe is Huskers’ best chance. This isn’t the Nebraska of 2008, when quarterback Joe Ganz set school records for passing yards and total yards for an attack that put up 450.8 yards per game and ranked 12th in the nation in total offense. Ganz doesn’t live here anymore. Zac Lee does. […]
Keys to the Game: Texas vs Nebraska. It’s so much more than McCoy vs. Suh. It’s nearly time to determine a Big 12 champion. As the case at various times during its inception, the Big 12 championship game carries national ramifications. A Texas victory and the Longhorns are likely headed to the BCS Championship game to play the winner of the Alabama-Florida SEC title game. […]
Horns, Huskers seek Big 12 title. As if anyone in Texas needed to be reminded about how far the Longhorns finished behind rival Oklahoma in the BCS standings the week before last season’s Big 12 championship game. For those Texas fans who have tried to erase it from their memories forever, here it is again: .0128. […]
Scouts Inc. Texas vs. Nebraska breakdown. Lee is too inconsistent and makes some questionable decisions, especially under pressure, and Texas should have some success getting to him in this game. McCoy, on the other hand, will continue to extend drives with his feet and take what the defense gives him when he drops back to pass. […]
Wide receiver Malcolm Williams talks about Nebraska. Good video interview of Texas wideout Malcolm Williams talking to the media about his increased role in the offense and the upcoming Big 12 Championship Game against Nebraska. […]
Can other candidates such as Tim Tebow, Mark Ingram, Toby Gerhart, and Ndamukong Suh catch Texas QB [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] in the Heisman race? Nah….
(via The Sporting Blog)
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 Longhorns’ game against the Texas A&M Aggies.
True freshman receiver Marquise Goodwin's kick return TD in the 4th quarter ended it. (Image: Statesman)
1st Quarter (13:44) WTH Goonies?! The UT defense (aka “Goonies” or “Legion of Boom”) gave up a 70 yard touchdown pass to A&M Jeff Fuller which got the Aggies student body kissing crazy. The defense could not come up with any significant stops most of the night (A&M had 532 total yards). Some say that the short week caused the defense to be tired. Whatever the reason for the worst defensive outing of the year Coach Blood needs to get it corrected.
1st Quarter (10:12) WTH 4th Down?! [tag]Mack Brown[/tag] decided that he was practically going to go for it on every 4th down play (1 for 3 for the night). I do not mind the aggressive play calling but the razzle-dazzle option play to punter [tag]Justin Tucker[/tag] that traveled 15 yards to come up two yards short was ridiculous.
2nd Quarter (14:10 & 1:11) WTH 65 yards?! That is exactly the yardage that [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] ran up the middle to gouge the A&M defense for the go ahead score to start the second quarter. The run was so spectacular that it will definitely be replayed in New York during the Heisman presentation. That also happens to be the exact amount of yardage that Colt led the offense just before the half to take back the lead 21-14. He completed 4 out of 5 passes and ran twice during this series to grab back any momentum away for the Aggies. Two signature moments that every Longhorn fan needs to remember about Colt because I know the Aggies will never forget it.
2nd Quarter (6:27) WTH Frederick?! I have heard of being juked out of your shoes, but I never thought I would see it. A&M Terrence Frederick was trying to cover UT [tag]James Kirkendoll[/tag] when Terrence came out of both of his shoes. He did make the tackle in his stocking feet after the 12 yard completion.
Halftime WTH Aggie Band?! Well we lost another halftime to the Aggies. Will we ever win one?!
4th Quarter (6:57) WTH Goodwin?! The great equalizer after your rival just scored a touchdown to bring them within 3 points in the 4th quarter. [tag]Marquise Goodwin[/tag] returned the kickoff 95 yards for the final margin that sealed the win for the Horns. Speed kills and Marquise had the ultimate answer.
Next up for the Longhorn’s is the Big XII Championship against the Huskers at 7pm on Dec. 5th.
Thanksgiving night, the Heisman race looked like it might be over with after Texas quarterback [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] put up an incredible show passing and running to a primetime win over Texas A&M. But there were still games to play on a long, wonderful rivalry weekend of college football. Friday and Saturday’s games saw one candidate fall out of the race (Alabama’s Mark Ingram) and two others (Stanford’s Toby Gerhart and Florida’s Tim Tebow) put up buzzworthy performances.
So what does it all mean? Well there’s still one weekend of football remaining, but the Heisman Pundit has almost called the race for the good guy:
The weekend’s games are done and here’s how I think the Heisman race looks right now:
1. With one week to go, Colt McCoy is the current front runner and likely winner. Pending a status report on the health of Mark Ingram, I am close to calling the race in his favor.
2. With his monster game against Notre Dame, Stanford’s Toby Gerhart has assured himself of a trip to New York and he has a shot to finish a strong second in the race.
3. Ingram is fading fast, but he could rebound with a heroic performance against the Gators. As it stands, he had his least-productive game of the season at the worst possible time: When Heisman ballots had gone out and many voters were seeing him up close for the first time.
4. With his emotionally-driven performance against Florida State, Tim Tebow might’ve solidified his place at the Heisman ceremony. He won’t win, but he’ll get one last go-around in the Big Apple.
He won’t win, but he’ll get one last go-around in the Big Apple.
If Colt goes out and puts up his typical performance and the Horns win the Big 12 title, the trophy is likely his. Tim Tebow would have to put up incredible numbers (300+ yards, 3 TDs) in an exciting SEC Championship game to win his second Heisman. Colt is likely to get a lot of first places votes across the country, but more importantly he’ll probably snag no worst than second place on most ballots and those votes should carry him over the other competitors.
It wasn’t the game most Texas fans expected, but the wild, close game against Texas A&M might end up being a blessing for the Horns and [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag]. The coaches have plenty of tape to motivate the offense and the defense all week and McCoy put on a Heisman highlight reel for the entire country. Check out highlights from the game below:
Close game? Blowout? The records don’t always matter when the Texas Longhorns take on the Texas A&M Aggies. This is their bowl game, the closest they’ll ever be to an important game. For the Horns it’s another step on the road to a national title shot. Can the Horns take care of business and not let emotion and momentum keep the Ags around? Find out what we think in our game predictions below:
Brian – Why are so many people predicting this game is going to be remotely close? This is a Texas A&M team that got blown out of the water by [tag]Kansas State[/tag] and embarrassed by a shell of an [tag]Oklahoma[/tag] team. They gave up 30 and barely beat Utah State. The Aggie offense has had it’s moments this season and quarterback Jarrod Johnson can chuck it a little (though he often has no control of where it’s headed), but the vaunted Wrecking Crew defense is one of the nation’s best. Tonight in front of a national Turkey Day audience the Horns are going to roll up big points and [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] is going to put up more big numbers for his Heisman campaign. Texas wins big. Texas 45, Texas A&M 17
Ross – Why I am nervous about the A&M game? Let’s take a look at the last few regular season games for this Longhorn team. Here are the winning margins of the last five games: 31 points, 33 pts, 32 pts, 27 pts, and last week was 34 points. Why should I be worried, the Longhorns have been putting teams away since the Sooners. OK, let’s look at the last five A&M contests.
2004 26-13 Win / 2005 40-29 Win / 2006 7-12 Loss / 2007 30-38 Loss / 2008 49 – 9 Win
The record is 3-2 that past five years and Colt McCoy has a losing record against the Aggies. The 2005 undefeated team went in to College Station (same momentum) and won a much closer game than the score indicated. I would like to think that we would win by the same 30 point average that we have racked up the last few weeks, but this is a rivalry game so I expect this to be a nail biter. Texas 28, Texas A&M 17
More Predictions
Colt McCoy – University of Texas
Quarterback – 6-2, 210, Senior
- NFF Scholar-Athlete/Campbell Award Finalist
- Lowe’s Senior Class Award Finalist
- Davey O’Brien Award Finalist
- Maxwell Award Finalist
- WCFF Player of the Year Semifinalist
- Final 5 for Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award
2009 NCAA Rankings
- Completion Percentage: 73.0 / 286-of-392 (1st)
- Completions Per Game: 26.0 (4th)
- TD Passes: 23 (8th)
- Total Passing Yards: 3,024 (9th)
- Passing Efficiency: 152.5 (10th)
- Passing Yards Per Game: 274.9 (10th)
- Total Offense Per Game: 292.5 (12th)
McCoy by the Numbers
3: His three seasons with at least 3,000 yards passing is half of the Longhorn all-time total of six. No UT player has ever thrown for more than 3,000 yards in a season more than once in their career.
28: NCAA leading consecutive games with a TD pass streak.
36: Has accomplished his numbers in 2009 despite watching from the sidelines in many Longhorn blowouts. He has played in just 36 of a possible 44 quarters on the year.
45: Longhorn records held by McCoy.
20-3 (87%): McCoy’s career record in road and neutral-site games (includes loss at Kansas State when he was injured on first series of game).
McCoy Heating Up: Over the past five games, Colt McCoy has completed 130-of-169 passes (76.9%) for 1,487 yards (297.4 ypg) and 12 TDs (2 INT).
That works out to a 171.9 pass efficiency rating. Excluding sacks, he’s also rushed for 146 yards on 35 carries (4.2 ypc). He’s led the Longhorns to scores on 30 (23 TDs/7 FGs) of 47 drives (64%) in those games.
Going Deep: Colt McCoy has completed 16 passes of at least 30 yards this season with 10 of them coming in the last five games. Of the 10 completions over 30 yards, six have gone for 40 or more, three for 50 or more, two for 60 or more and one for more than 80.
Did You Know?: McCoy is averaging 27.7 yards per TD pass on his 23 scoring throws.
Climbing the NCAA Charts: In addition to breaking the NCAA record for career QB victories (43), McCoy improved his career total offense numbers to 14,172, sixth on the NCAA all-time list. He also has 12,756 career passing yards (7th in NCAA history), 108 career passing TDs (7th), 126 career TDs responsible for (6th) and his 70.9 career completion percentage ranks as tops in NCAA history.
On a Roll: McCoy has led the Longhorns to victory in 24 of the last 25 games (.960). That record includes two bowl-game victories and eight wins over ranked opponents. In those games, McCoy has gone 639-of-856 (74.6%) for 7,057 yards (282.3 ypg) and 58 TDs (18 INTs) for a 162.1 passer rating, while rushing for 838 yards and 13 TDs. He is averaging 315.8 yards of total offense and nearly three TDs per game. McCoy has thrown for at least 250 yards in 18 of the 25 games, at least two TDs in 19 and completed at least 70 percent of his passes in 19. He also has posted a rushing and passing TD in 10 of the games.
I’ll Second That: McCoy joined Vince Young as just the second QB in Longhorn history to post back-to-back 11 win seasons. He is seeking to become the first Texas QB ever to register consecutive 12 victory seasons.
(Source: University release)
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 the Kansas Jayhawks.
Texas WR Malcolm Williams broke the game open with a 68 yard TD catch. (Image: MBTF)
Pregame WTH DKR Memorial?! On a chilly night with the largest crowd in UT history to watch a football game (101,357) the stadium crew went a little overboard. The customary smoke machine that the team enters the playing field was a little concerning. I was waiting for some of the Horns to run into the goal post upon exiting with way too much smoke bellowing out of the tunnel.
1st Quarter (5:54) WTH Fisher?! I enjoy the enthusiasm from a weatherman, but this is ridiculous. KTBC Scott Fisher opened up his forecast on the Godzillatron with the words “Howdy, howdy, howdy…” Sorry Scott but please know your audience. We play against the Aggies later this week.
2nd Quarter (6:50) WTH Mangino?! KU Jacob Branstetter was told to onside kick by the “Big Man” early on in a close game. This was the wrong message to send to the Jayhawks that they needed this trick play to stay with the Horns. The resulting play was unsuccessful and the Horns took over to extend their lead with a 49 yard field goal by [tag]Hunter Lawrence[/tag] (17-6).
3rd Quarter (8:03) WTH McCoy?! One play. One throw. One awesome touchdown. Great throw by [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] and an awesome grab by a streaking [tag]Malcolm Williams[/tag] for a 68 yard completion that completely knocked the Jayhawks out of the game. WTH Shout out to Colt McCoy for becoming the winningest quarterback in college football (43 wins). We hope you extend this record by a few more games!
4th Quarter (11:29) WTH UT Kickoff coverage?! OK we have one major concern that popped up in this game. The kickoff coverage was abysmal when KU Dezmon Briscoe ran back the kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown. UT Justin Tucker has the leg but he does not always make it to the end zone. The coverage team is at fault for this return. WTH Shout out to UT redshirt freshman [tag]Jamison Berryhill[/tag] (5-11, 225) who routinely ran down the field to be a wedge buster. Love seeing a player give up his body for his team.
WTH Shout Out?! Thanks Longhorn seniors for a tremendous season, especially Colt McCoy and [tag]Jordan Shipley[/tag] for delivering a Big XII South Championship.
Next up for the Longhorn’s is the final regular game of the season against the Aggies at 7pm November 26th.
Fire the cannon. Make some noise with Big Bertha. They should have let [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] light the tower orange as well. Watch the postgame celebration and relish the special group of seniors that played their last game at DKR Saturday night:
Colt McCoy and the 2009 Texas seniors went out with a huge win against [tag]Kansas[/tag] and clinched the Big 12 South title. Check out the highlights below from FSN:
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