Posted June 28th, 2009 by Brian
Filed under: Baseball, Football, Recruiting
- RT @InsideTexas: Future Longhorn Marquise Goodwin sets national high school long jump
record: http://bit.ly/1q5rn5 - Former #UT recruit, Arky circus, and current 3rd string #USC QB Mitch Mustain is now apparently having grade issues: http://tr.im/q03B
- Good article on #UT baseball’s 2010 pitching staff from @aTrubow: http://tr.im/q4rv Never too soon to start towards another #CWS run.
- Ex-Longhorn Brian Robison is pushing for increased playing time & a starting spot in Minnesota: http://tr.im/pZMP #UT #NFL
- RT @nytimes: Farrah Fawcett Dies of Cancer at 62 http://bit.ly/FQ0dz Fawcett was discovered as a #UT student.
- Connor Rowe strikes out swinging to end it. #UT season over, 1 game short of the promise land. Lose in #CWS 11-4.
- Jungmann’s 126th pitch is a beauty to end this thing #UT 5, #LSU 1. Horns force a deciding game 3 tomorrow night. #CWS
- Maybe I’ve lost my mind, but Hershiser is an idiot right? A balk is an immediate dead ball. #UT #CWS
- ESPN hyperbole: “we can say without question that Jared Mitchell is the fastest player we’ve ever seen at #CWS.” Really? Time them? #UT #LSU
- During rain delay, ESPN showing last night’s #CWS game. Maybe they can stop it after 8 innings this time?? #UT #LSU
- Another good one from Dr Saturday: apparently Miami coaches were relying on Internet msg boards for recruiting decisions: http://tr.im/ppDi
- RT @RalphieReport Josh Smith’s Appeal for an Open Transfer Denied, Buff Fans Left to Wonder What’s Next? http://sbnation.com/e/685688
- Horns face uphill battle after heartbreaking game, can they rebound and win 2 straight? We’ll find out tomorrow night at 6pm. #UT #CWS
- ESPN announcers appear to believe 1-seed #UT is a 3 touchdown underdog in this thing. #CWS #LSU
Heisman runner-up [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag], friend of the working man and enemy to Sooners everywhere, finished 2nd on ESPN’s rankings for top 40 players in the Big 12. Colt was joined by teammates [tag]Sergio Kindle[/tag] (13), [tag]Jordan Shipley[/tag] (18), [tag]Adam Ulatoski[/tag] (27), [tag]Earl Thomas[/tag] (32) and [tag]Chris Hall[/tag] (37).
Predictably, Oklahoma leads the list with 10 players, 5 of which are in the top 11.
Now I know this list is just opinion and is designed to create discussion, but I see this list as just another example of the seemingly eternal well of respect in which Oklahoma draws. Really?? Travis Lewis and DeMarco Murray are better than Sergio Kindle…really? Keenan Clayton makes the top 40 and Roderick Muckleroy doesn’t… really?
Just like last year, OU had 8 All-Big 12 first teamers while Texas had just 4. Texas beats Oklahoma, so which team has the better head coach? Oklahoma of course!
Really?
I’m really hoping that this year is the one that finally turns the tide of respect our way permanently. I can’t speak for everyone, but I for one am damn sick and tired of the team that has done the most damage to our conference’s national reputation getting the benefit of the doubt every time.
Chris Ogbonnaya scores against the Sooners.
Sometimes, I love ESPN Classic. Usually when they replay college football during the “dog days” of the season (May-July) that keeps my ever-present desire for college football that much sharper. One such occasion occurred last week, as ESPNC replayed the Texas/OU 2008 game in all its glory, unless you’re a Sooner. So, with pen and paper in hand, I decided to cue up my DVR and record some observations in hindsight (i.e. when I’m not shot gunning Modello’s and cursing whatever evil demon Bob Stoops sold his soul to). Enjoy!
1. Our offensive line got whipped in the first half.
Colt was running for his life in the 1st half, and our passing game was relegated to quick passes out of necessity. I forgot how badly we got worked in this area early on. The three first half sacks really could have been six were Colt not so mobile.
2. The Ryan Reynolds myth.
I have officially had enough of this crap; YOU know what I’m talking about, cause we’ve all heard this excuse since about five minutes after the final gun in the RRS. We only began to move the ball once Oklahoma’s leader Ryan Reynolds left the game with a knee injury, and IF he stays healthy it would have been a different story. If you need a refresher, just read this OU stooge or check the game recap at Red Dirt Kings.
Funny thing about it… Reynolds wasn’t even on the preseason All Big-12 team; after he tears his ACL every Sooner fan will tell you he’s the best MLB in the country. Let’s look at some hard data:
For the game, in which he lasted about 2 1/2 quarters, Reynolds registered 3 tackles. What’s more, two of them game on his first series (he stuck [tag]Chris Ogbonnaya[/tag] for no gain, and then limited him to a 3 yard run). So, for those of you math majors, in the remaining 2 quarters he played (which translates to five series) he made ONE TACKLE!! Why the drop off in production? Simple once we went to the 4 WR formations, Reynolds became obsolete. He’s your typical OU linebacker, he plays the run aggressively and rushes the passer, but if you get him in coverage he is vulnerable. Three separate times in the first half, [tag]Jordan Shipley[/tag] either shook him loose or made him miss badly on a tackle. It was a totally mismatch, and St. Reynolds became Donnie from The Big Lebowski…totally out of his element. The longer he would have stayed in the game, the worse he would have looked.
So, why did we start to move the ball better in the second half? Because their defensive line wore down, giving Colt more time to find holes in the zone defense Oklahoma was playing. Reynolds being in there would have lead to him having to cover someone down the field, and we’ve seen that movie (go cue up [tag]Jermichael Finley[/tag] career highlight video, I swear half the plays are against Oklahoma. Where he was covered by… drumroll please… Ryan Reynolds).
One more thing, Reynolds’ replacement Brandon Crow, who OU fans blame solely for the loss to us, registered five tackles in barely over a quarter of action. That’s right, Reynolds’s replacement logged almost twice as many tackles than he did. So, that’s it, Ryan Reynolds is good not great and his injury didn’t hurt OU all that much. The next time snotty dirt burglar fans try to use his injury as an excuse, drop the hammer of knowledge on them.
3. Our “calls”
You know, cause between the refs screwing them AND losing the greatest linebacker every to step put on a pair of shoulder pads, what chance did OU have to win the game? This might be beating a dead horse, but I decided to look into this for the record. There were three main calls that drew criticism: the two roughing the passer calls and the “fumbled” interception in the end zone that was ruled an incomplete pass.
- The first roughing the passer call was a BAD call that went in our favor, no question about it. This call bailed us out of a 3rd and 14 and probably resulted in a “free” 3 points for us. No excuses.
- The second RTP penalty was correct. It wasn’t malicious, but Colt was a good four steps out of bound when Travis Lewis shoves him in the back and jerks his jersey. It looked to be one of those “I’ll hit you late, but not hard enough to get a flag” shenanigans that OU seems to specialize in. Keep your hands to yourself Mr. Lewis!
- The dropped interception…I don’t even know what to say. It’s like trying to explain to a grownup why water is wet; you don’t even know how to begin because the point is so blatantly obvious that any explanation feels asinine. Anyway, here goes… IF a player catches the ball, maintains possession, but when he hits the ground the ball gets jarred loose, IT IS NOT A CATCH!! Invariably there is always some moron who chimes in (usually very know-it-allish) “The ground can’t cause a fumble!” No, it can’t, but it damn sure can cause an incompletion. Learn it, live it, love it.
4. OU’s tomfoolery
Before I can get into this, I think everyone out there that supports the Burnt Orange can agree that Oklahoma cheats worse than a meth-addicted three card Monte dealer. However, that seems to be a common theme in ANY heated rivalry; the Haggys and Red Faders swear that the refs give us every call. The difference is, in this case it is totally true (see Big Red Auto Imports and any game film of an Oklahoma). But instead of making random claims, I decided to game to the game film:
- 1st drive of the game (that didn’t take long, did it?), [tag]Lamarr Houston[/tag] beats Duke Robinson off the ball and has a beeline to sack Bradford. Robinson grabs Houston’s jersey and spins him (blatant holding) and Bradford has time to let the play develop and hit the running back for a 34-yard gain. There is no way that WASN’T holding! So instead of a third and long (if Houston makes the sack) or 2nd and 20 (if the refs could have found their flags), OU had a 1st down in Texas territory.
- In the second quarter, 2nd and 19, Oklahoma runs that jailbreak screen and Manual Johnson is a good yard past the line of scrimmage when he catches the ball. That would have been okay, except for the three OU linemen downfield. Instead of a 2nd and 24, they get 3rd and 6.
- In the third quarter, same situation that I just described, only this time Johnson is a good two yards past the line of scrimmage when he catches the ball. Instead of 3rd and 15, they score a touchdown.
That’s three infractions calls that OU got away with, all which lead to touchdowns. And don’t even get me started on Loadholt; he grabbed Orakpo so often I think he wanted to date him. Don’t be shy Phil, tell him how you feel!
- In the sake of fairness, there were a couple of plays I thought OU got away with something turned out to be legit. A few of their jailbreak screens WERE behind the line of scrimmage (nullifying the illegal man downfield) and the first touchdown where I thought Manual Johnson never broke the plane (he clearly did).
- You want proof of the Big 12 media bias for the Sooners? Trent Williams, the All-Big 12 first team and winner of the lineman of the year award, was absolutely destroyed by [tag]Sergio Kindle[/tag]. Sergio beat him for a sack, two QB pressures and drew a holding penalty against Williams. DeMarcco Murray, who was a repeat selection on the All-Big 12 team first team, did absolutely nothing against us, gaining seven yards on six carries. And the Big 12 coach of the year Bob Stoops? He spent the entire second half taking turns looking confused, and then constipated.
In closing, now that I have watched this game for the third time, this was Oklahoma’s best shot. Seriously. DeMarcco Murray was healthy (for all the good he did), Oklahoma busted out their maddeningly effective jailbreak screen for this game (which we had no time to prepare for, as opposed to Florida) and they converted all their opportunities inside the red zone. For all the smoke being blown about how OU was a different team at the end of the season, with all due respect, so were we. Our freshman safeties had grown up, the young receivers had emerged and our defense was playing lights out (allowing 16 points combined it its last 2 regular season games). We could have played them again and the result would have been the same.
God, I can’t wait for October 17th!
In the show's last season, Quan was replaced by the precocious Raven-Symoné
Texas wide receiver [tag]Quan Cosby[/tag] isn’t expected to be a first or second round pick in this weekend’s NFL Draft, but he might still be getting a lot of attention during ESPN’s coverage. Quan will be watching the draft coverage with the great Bill Cosby and ESPN will have their cameras in the room. Quan and Bill are not related but met and struck up a relationship earlier this year after the [tag]Fiesta Bowl[/tag].
The story from the Dallas Morning News is below:
It seems that UT wide receiver Quan Cosby will be watching the NFL draft with comedian Bill Cosby this weekend in suburban New York where Cosby (Bill) will be performing. And ESPN’s cameras will be there to capture the moments.
According to ESPN,the unrelated Cosbys struck up a friendship after Bill watched Quan play in the Fiesta Bowl. Bill’s people contacted Quan’s people and a relationship was begun. Quan introduced Bill when the comedian performed not too long ago in Austin. If Quan is drafted, it is expected to be on the second day of festivities, Sunday. If Quan is drafted when Bill is on stage, Bill promises to stop his show and bring Quan on stage.
I’m surprised ESPN even got the joke considering how ESPN/ABC’s announcers called him Quan Crosby half the time, but maybe now that they think Quan and Bill are related they’ll get his name right more often.
ESPN is ranking the top players in the Big 12 in their conference blog and they recently placed Texas wide receiver [tag]Jordan Shipley[/tag] the 18th best player in the conference. Here’s their thoughts on Shipley:
Why he was picked: After struggling with injuries most of his career, Shipley blossomed as the Longhorns’ leader in all-purpose yards last season, producing 119.2 yards per game. Shipley snagged 89 receptions for 1,060 yards and a team-leading 11 touchdown receptions. He also made history as the first player in school history to score touchdowns by reception, kickoff return and punt return in the same season. But he is most widely known for his season-saving 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Oklahoma, which turned momentum around after the Sooners had jumped to a 14-3 lead early in the second quarter. Shipley is one of the most versatile members on his team as a kickoff and punt returner and a holder on all of Texas’ placements.
What 2009 will hold: If Shipley can recover from his shoulder surgery, he could develop into one of the nation’s biggest receiving weapons. It will be up to him to emerge as Colt McCoy’s prime target this season after sharing the role with Quan Cosby last season. If McCoy and the Longhorns are as prolific passing as last season, it’s not out of the question that Shipley could potentially catch 100 or more balls. That kind of season would be pivotal in the Longhorns’ hopes at making their first Big 12 championship game appearance since 2005. And it would also cement Shipley’s place among the top receivers in the school’s history.
Other Longhorns
#27 – Adam Ulatoski
#32 – Earl Thomas
#37 – Chris Hall
ESPN’s Big 12 blog is ranking the top 40 players in the conference and so far they’ve named three Longhorns between 27 and 40. The latest is tackle [tag]Adam Ulatoski[/tag] at number 27, here’s the write-up:
Why he was picked: Over his career, Ulatoski has become one of the most productive linemen in the Big 12. He’s started 30 games at Texas, with the first 16 in his career at right tackle before moving to left tackle before the Longhorns’ Holiday Bowl victory over Arizona State in 2007. He’s been the most productive lineman on Texas’ team the last two years.
We’ll keep track of the list and let you know where other Longhorns fall.
Other Longhorns
#32 – Earl Thomas
#37 – Chris Hall
Posted April 2nd, 2009 by Brian
Filed under: Feature, Football, Spring Football, TV
The Orange-White Scrimmage is Sunday at 2:30pm. (Photo: MB-TF.com)
Texas fans get only one chance each spring to see their football team on television, but this year many will have to pony up for the sports package if they want to watch the annual spring game. Unlike previous years where the game was live on FSN Southwest, this Sunday’s game will air tape delayed on ESPN’s college sports network ESPNU.
The scrimmage will begin at 2:30pm and at that time will be televised on ESPN360.com. Then tune in at 8:30pm to catch the game on ESPNU. The FSN telecasts were pretty bare bones and also missed a lot of the plays, hopefully this change means better coverage because it cost me $12.
Schedule of Events
Noon — Fan Fest opens in the Red McCombs Red Zone. Enter through Gates 14 and 16 off 23rd St.
12:15 p.m. — Players walk through the Tom and Cinda Hicks North Gate
1:30 p.m. — Gates to the stadium open
2:30 p.m. — Scrimmage begins
6 p.m. — Sod sale concludes
Posted January 2nd, 2009 by Brian
Filed under: Feature, Football, Recruiting
ESPN has posted several good videos and articles on the future Longhorns participating in this weekend’s Under Armour All-America Game. Players like [tag]Garrett Gilbert[/tag] and [tag]Mason Walters[/tag] are getting the chance to impress on a national stage and according to Bobby Burton of Rivals.com Gilbert in particular has done so. With five future Longhorns in the game they’re also getting an early opportunity to hang out together, something that will help the group hit the ground running once they get onto the 40 Acres.
ESPN got each of the guys to say a few things about the experience of playing in this game and about choosing to go to Texas. In the first few seconds of the video future [tag]LSU[/tag] athlete Russell Shepard (who seems like a really good kid) passes by and tells the interviewer that future Horn Gilbert is the best QB in the country. I guess the Texas coaches got it right at quarterback after all. Watch below:
The players seem to get along well, which is particularly key for the three offensive lineman. It’s also great to hear that they’ve already got their eyes on a national title:
Mason Walters is 6-foot-7 and nearly 300 pounds. Still, the physically imposing offensive tackle is dwarfed by the larger-than-life expectations that constantly surround the football team at the University of Texas.
As one of five Texas commits participating in Sunday’s Under Armour All-America Game (ESPN, 7 pm), Walters is a principal member of a Longhorns recruiting class that is tall on talent. He says despite each individual’s ability, the group puts a single goal — a collective goal — at the top of its New Year’s resolutions.
“We want a ring,” Walters said. “That’s not a question. We don’t care about awards and stuff individually. I think that the guys want the team to win a national championship in the future. It’s something you can say, but it’s a lot of hard work.”
Under Armour All-Americans Garrett Gilbert, [tag]Paden Kelley[/tag], [tag]Thomas Ashcraft[/tag] and [tag]Barrett Matthews[/tag] will be joining Walters in Austin next year. Together, they constitute the core of a class that has nine players in the ESPNU 150 and was ranked third in ESPN.com’s most recent breakdown of the top recruiting classes.
Walters also shared his quick personal New Year’s resolutions which include his Halo 3 rank and getting fellow future UT linemate Paden Kelly to cut his hair. Mason certainly looks and sounds like a man already. Watch Mason below:
Love to see the kids bonding as this group of guys along with the players at the US Army All-American Game will make up the core of future Texas teams. You can catch Under Armour practices on ESPNU this week and the game will air live Sunday night at 7pm.
Ivan Maisel and Mark Schlabach of ESPN.com talk about the upcoming Fiesta Bowl match-up between the Texas Longhorns and Ohio State Buckeyes. Will Texas be able to get motivated for the game after a disappointing end to the season? Will OSU’s Terrelle Pryor be able to shine on a national state, or will Texas QB [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] outplay him both passing and running the football?
ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit thinks the Longhorns deserved to be ahead of [tag]Oklahoma[/tag] but like most of us saw this coming. In a decision between two teams with nearly identical resumes, the Longhorns settled the head-to-head on the field back in October. Watch Herbie break it down below:
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