40 Acres Sports

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 Texas’ matchup with West Virginia.

Pregame WTH Helmet?! Again, I am fan of the alternative uniforms and helmets. I would like for the Longhorns to offer up an alternative. The WVU helmet looked horrible. The Mountaineers came out to warm up wearing their normal helmets then went back into the locker room and pulled out some white looking mess. It looked like there was an oil stain on it.

1st Quarter (13:45) WTH Daje?! The biggest play of the game was the touch that did not happen. Daje Johnson had a brain freeze and almost touched the punt that would have given the Mountaineers the ball in the red zone. The 58,570 moonshine fans would have wrecked the stadium if they who have gotten the ball.

1st Quarter (12:11) WTH Up Men?! You are big. You are placed in the middle of the formation to keep rushers from getting to the kicker. The kicker is backed up in the end zone. You may want to block the defender that is going right between both of you. Safety for WVU… Sheesh!

1st Quarter (2:31) WTH Big D?! The defense sacked WVU quarterbacks six times which included 2 fumbles. Crazy as it seems but the WVU backup QB Millard was better than the starting QB that they knocked silly on this play. Defense stepped it up in the first half while the offense took over in the second.

Halftime (:00) WTH Luck?! The Mountaineers had the mojo going into halftime with a field goal to put them up by 6 points. Wondering if WVU AD Oliver Luck was feeling a little better at this time since he didn’t impress the UT Regents as much on his interview? How weird would it have been if Luck was the UT AD and he would’ve been walking around the stadium at his alma mater as the enemy?

3rd Quarter (11:34) WTH Spark?! I have been critical of UT senior safety Adrian Phillips. I need to give him a shout out for an interception that helped kick start the frantic scoring that would occur in the second half. Seven out of the next 8 offensive drives for both teams would result in scores.

4th Quarter (:59) WTH Horseshoe?! You have to admit that this nickname for Case McCoy fits perfectly. Facing a fourth and seven at midfield Case hits his buddy Jaxon Shipley for a first down. The drive results in a tying field goal by the real hero of the game which is the consistent Anthony Fera (4 for 4 on FG).

OT WTH Brown?! This was the first overtime for a Mack Brown led team. Mack gets credit for hiring the play caller and recruiting the player. The play call by Major Applewhite to hit De La Torre out of the back field was something that made all UT fans smile. Great call Major! Then to have the recruit Steve Edmond that has been criticized most of the season come up not only on a third down tip, but to come through again with a pick to seal the win on fourth down!

Next up for the Longhorns are the Cowboys from Stillwater in Austin on November 16th.

Thanks for following my WTH articles throughout the season. I appreciate the opportunity to rant about the greatest University sports program in the country. You can continue to follow comments on all of UT sports on twitter at @40AcresSports or follow me at @Horns1991. HOOK EM!!

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 Texas’ rivalry game against Oklahoma.

1st Quarter (15:00) WTH Willy Wonka?! Did you notice the golden ticket that was stuck on every player’s jersey? Wonder if the Texas football team took away Bob Stoops candy after this game?

1st Quarter (13:15) WTH Horseshoe?! I know that I am hard on Case McCoy (13-21 190 yards) but his buddy Jaxon Shipley (5 catches 59 yards) made an incredible catch on third down to keep the first drive alive and start the mojo going Texas’ way!

1st Quarter (4:20) WTH Striker?! Next time you want to assault someone Eric Striker you may want to avoid 92,500 fans watch you do it. The roughing the passer penalty put Texas close to the red zone until Joe Bergeron fumbled on the very next play.

1st Quarter (2:29) WTH Bulldozer?! Glad the defense came to play. DT Chris Whaley had himself an oskie and proceeded to bulldozer over the Belldozer for the first touchdown of the game. Horn fans need to give credit to Coach Robinson for putting the kids in the right place to succeed in this game.

2nd Quarter (11:38) WTH Trophy?! What is a $30,000, 34″ tall, 45 lb. National Championship trophy doing on the sidelines at this game? Oh right, OU thought they had a chance to win this award. NOT!

2nd Quarter (:03) WTH Kill Shot?! You could tell this was a different Longhorn team. One example of the confidence was how fast the Horns worked down the field to kick a field goal to make it 23-10 at halftime. This was the largest lead at halftime for the Longhorns since 2005.

3rd Quarter (7:22) WTH Deflator?! Daje Johnson stuck a pin in the OU hopes when he returned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown. Think OU special teams wish they would not have had the delay of game penalty just before that punt?

4th Quarter (15:00) WTH Belldozer?! Blake Bell was harassed all day long by Jackson Jeffcoat and Cedric Reed. The defense had two oskies and 4 sacks to make for a dominating effort.

4th Quarter (:58) WTH Dynamic Duo?! No Batman or Robin here. Malcolm Brown (23 for 120 yds.) and Johnathan Gray (29 for 128 yds.) played like Supermen at the Red River Rivalry.

Next up for the Longhorns is the TCU Horn Frogs in Fort Worth on October 26th.

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 Kansas State.

1st Quarter (15:00) WTH Ash?! What a way to start off the game?! If there was ever a game that the Horns needed to start fast this was it. Instead on the very first snap the team gets a delay of game penalty. Ash played brilliantly but he did not return in the 2nd half. Prayers going out to David Ash.

1st Quarter (7:01) WTH Espinosa?! Are you allergic to the red zone? Last week you false started when the offense was on the 1 foot line and now you fumbled the snap that Ash has to fall on when you are at the 8 yard line. Both miscues ended up with the Horns kicking a field goal. Dominic please take a chill pill. Wondering if the time on the clock would have been better if it was at 4:20?

1st Quarter (2:16) WTH Colonel?! OK. Not a good nickname, I agree. But Kendall Sanders was good lookin’ on his way to a touchdown that covered 63 yards to put the Horns up 10 to zilch.

2nd Quarter (3:54) WTH Gutsy?! Both fourth down conversions during the game were huge. The completion to Jaxon Shipley by Ash for 10 yards so close to the end of the half was a statement of confidence and clutch by the offense. No trickery on this conversion.

3rd Quarter (12:22) WTH Back Breaker?! The KSU John Hubert fumble that went right into the arms of UT Desmond Jackson was a huge momentum swing because the Cats were driving on their first possession of the half. Another back… butt breaker was coming later!

4th Quarter (7:22) WTH Target?! I agree on the interpretation of the new rule that went against Steve Edmond. I believe the KSU linebacker Tre Walker that called this team soft at Big XII media day may want to change his words to dirty. I will take dirty over soft any day. Just ask Sergio Kindle.

4th Quarter (2:46) WTH Sanchez?! KSU Jake Walters channeled his inner Mark Sanchez and butt fumbled a crucial touchdown run at the five yard line. Wonder if Jake said “Oh Crap!”

4th Quarter (1:26) WTH Sports Clips?! I saw the new marketing campaign for this chain of sports barber shops. Show the three clips that KSU players had on the Longhorn special teams to spring Tramaine Thompson. I enjoyed the sheer magnitude of venom that most of the 95,248 fans displayed that fired up the UT defense to put the clamps on any more scoring!

Next up for the Longhorns is a road game against the Cyclones of Iowa State on October 3rd.

Thanks for following my WTH articles throughout the season. I appreciate the opportunity to rant about the greatest University sports program in the country. You can continue to follow comments on all of UT sports on twitter at @40AcresSports or follow me at @Horns1991. HOOK EM!!

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 State.

Pregame WTH Rose?! I guess a purple rose means enchantment. That is what the KSU players gave to their families on senior night. Colin Klein decided to give his first kiss to his wife not his momma. Guess his wife was there all along for him when he decided to start playing football.

1st Quarter (15:00) WTH Head Coach?! Looks like Bryan Harsin was auditioning for a head coaching gig by patrolling the sidelines. The reason given was so he could communicate with his young quarterbacks. It looked like the coaching boxes at the stadium were being torn down with all of the construction cranes. Glad the Big XII stuck around so KSU could renovate.

1st Quarter (11:36) WTH INT?! Nigel Malone was that your attempt to look cool. Coach Snyder may have you deliver the ball to him after your next interception. Crazy turn of events, but the low light is that Case McCoy cannot make those types of mistakes.

2nd Quarter (7:19) WTH Trickery?! Coach Harsin calls them funk plays when he draws up a crazy play. Enjoyed seeing an OL lined up as a receiver and jumping up and down acting like he wants the ball. Great play by Case McCoy finding Jaxon Shipley in the end zone. Wondering if OU fans were giddy at halftime?

3rd Quarter (7:11) WTH Stonestreet?! Way to pimp your co-worker Sofia Vergara to get more love for the KSU brand. Is he their most famous alumni? Nope, Herbert Dimond who invented the snooze alarm takes that award.

4th Quarter (12:28) WTH Oscar?! And the Academy Award goes to Case McCoy for the body slammed that was administered by Ryan Mueller of KSU. Wish the red carpet treatment would have led the Horns to a touchdown.

4th Quarter (9:30) WTH Error?? An apparent field goal would put the Horns down only by 8 points. The usually sure footed Nick Jordan (tongue in cheek) missed on the 40 yard field goal and the wheels came off.

4th Quarter (7:53) WTH Mist?! The mist reported by ESPN Holly Rowe may have been a contributing factor to Quandre Diggs muffing the punt. Whatever was the reason the wheels were now rolling down the hill.

Next up for the Longhorns is a trip to the Alamo Bowl to take on the OSU Beavers on December 29th.

Thanks for following my WTH articles throughout the season. I appreciate the opportunity to rant about the greatest university sports program in the country. You can continue to follow comments on all of UT sports on twitter at @40AcresSports or follow me at @Horns1991. HOOK EM!!

Watch Longhorn Network highlights of the Longhorns’ 33-7 win over Iowa State on Saturday:

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 Cowboys.

Pre-Game (15:00) WTH Weapons?! Where was the ATF when you needed them? Pistol Pete was shooting off guns, there were more frat paddles in the stands than the entire UT Greek system, and most of the 56,709 were wearing orange hunting gear. I bet Boone Pickens was even packing heat.

1st Quarter (14:21) WTH Randle?! The Big XII leading rusher took the second play of the game to the house for OSU. Joseph Randle racked up 199 yards and two touchdowns to gouge the Longhorns defense.

1st Quarter (8:51) WTH Parable?! Much is asked to whom much is given. With the lack of experience at the LB position, safety Kenny Vaccaro is asked to do a lot. He made up for his missed tackle on Randle by picking off QB J.W. Walsh for the only takeaway for the Horns defense.

1st Quarter (2:00) WTH Thud?! When a RB fumbles the ball a lot, coaches make the player carry a football to class. Coach Akina needs to have the secondary carry a four foot teddy bear to class to teach them how to wrap up. Adrian Phillip’s shoulder shot on an OSU receiver lead to another Cowboy score.

1st Quarter (1:47) WTH Monroe?! The career leading kickoff returner for the Horns was crowned on this play. D.J. Monroe flew down the field for an electric 100 yard TD return to give the Horns the lead until the fourth quarter. Monroe averaged 8 yards a carry on 3 touches. Get him the ball more?!

2nd Quarter (6:10) WTH Dos XX?! The most interesting man in the world was on the Horns sidelines. The goofy signage that is used to relay in plays was evident when the beer character was shown.

3rd Quarter (6:09) WTH #8?! Get ready for the #8 jersey to be one of the top 5 jerseys sold of all time on the 40 Acres. Jaxon Shipley led all receivers with 82 yards and 3 touchdowns for a spectacular night.

4th Quarter (5:48) WTH Video Ref?! Understand the overturned call to benefit the Cowboys back in the third quarter that resulted in a receiving TD. You cannot be serious that one of the Oklahoma State players did not touch the ball on the kickoff which allowed the Cowboys to start at the 35 yard line. Not enough evidence to turn the call over… you say. Hold that thought for the end of the game.

4th Quarter (2:34) WTH Red Zone?! With the type of offenses that are in the Big XII, field goals over touchdowns are a win for the defense. The much maligned Longhorn defense held the Cowboys on three different times in the red zone to come away with only a field goal. This fourth quarter stop allowed the Horns offense the comfort in knowing that all they needed was a field goal to win. Yikes!!

4th Quarter (1:30) WTH Ice Man?! A frozen rope was thrown by David Ash to tight end D.J. Grant on fourth down to keep the drive alive. He would continue his excellent night with a 32 yard pass to Magic Davis that set up the game winning TD run. David completed 30 of 37 passes for 304 yards and three touchdowns. This year he has completed 78% of his passes and has only thrown one interception. Dare we say a star has been born?

Next up for the Longhorns is a trip home to play West Virginia in Austin on October 6th.

Thanks for following my WTH articles throughout the season. I appreciate the opportunity to rant about the greatest University sports program in the country. You can continue to follow comments on all of UT sports on twitter at @40AcresSports or follow me at @Horns1991. HOOK EM!!

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 Aggies.

Pre-Game WTH 118 years?! I agree that egos have caused this rivalry to end. The Aggies says “It’s time for Texas A&M”… to slug it out with the SEC. The Horns have their path to blaze (LHN). Divorce is tough. Let’s reunite for the kids’ sake.

1st Quarter (7:26) WTH Tucker?! The 31 yard punt by Justin Tucker was making every Longhorn fan pull out their hair. The only good outcome was that most of his punts were never returned. He definitely made up for his punting woes at the end.

2nd Quarter (12:13) WTH Refs 1?! Keenan Robinson was called for roughing the passer when the QB Ryan Tannehill landed on him? Keenan must have pissed off the entire officiating crew because he also got called for a horse collar penalty in the third quarter when he clearly just had the jersey.

2nd Quarter (9:31) WTH Shipley?! This is not for the pass play to Irby for the first score. Before that play and the muffed punt that caused all the electricity for the Horns, Jaxon Shipley I think had the play of the game. On third down his bad knee gave way and he barely got a hand on the ball to knock it down. An Aggie defender was there ready to make the interception and take it to the house. Close call!

2nd Quarter (1:47) WTH Harsin?! Coach Harsin I am going to blame you for this interception thrown by Miles Onyegbule. Your innovative play calling gets this Horn team so fired up that they will throw into triple coverage to please you.

(more …)

Short gameday feature on Case McCoy and Jaxon Shipley from the Longhorn Network.

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 BYU Cougars.

Pregame WTH Hospitality?! I was enjoying some tailgating on campus when some BYU faithful came strolling by. Offered up to the group some cold beers and they refused our Texas hospitality. Oh yeah, Mormons do not like the demon water. So I gave them some of our own demon water, an H2Orange water bottle.

1st Quarter (15:00) WTH Cable Wars?! ESPN and Time Warner are battling it out over the broadcasting of the LHN. Interesting how the Texas athletic department is OK taking ad revenue along the stadium stands. There were Time Warner Cable banners all across the stadium while ESPN is broadcasting the game.

1st Quarter (1:54) WTH Grape?! This may be my last reference to Garrett Gilbert. The last image maybe of him throwing into double coverage where the BYU safety easily picked off the throw. He constantly locks his eyes on one receiver and makes poor decisions. I really hope he can fix the mental issues of his game. He may need to fix it while on another team’s roster.

3rd Quarter (12:45) WTH Hockey?! I have seen more shift changes in this football game than in the NHL. David Ash for one play and then comes Case McCoy. Great block delivered by David to help the running game get the team back into the game 13-10. Is it me or does David look like Sam Bradford when he has his helmet on?

3rd Quarter (4:26) WTH Marquise?! It is great to see Marquise Goodwin back to help out this team of struggling wide receivers. But you cannot get tripped up on your electrifying return of 40 yards by the BYU kicker. Marquise came back because he missed the team camaraderie. Well get ready for some ribbing in the film room this week.

4th Quarter (11:18) WTH Roommates?! Case hooks up with Jaxon Shipley on consecutive 1st down throws. Jaxon hurdles one defender on the first throw and snags the next pass play one handed to bring DKR fans to its feet. The momentum of these two plays carries the Horns on to take the lead for good. Did you know that Case and Jaxon are roommates? Here we go again and I am starting to like it.

4th Quarter (3:39) WTH Diggs?! This call out should be for the entire defense on how great their play was on the field especially giving up only 67 total yards in the second half. Cornerback Quandre Diggs interception was the momentum shifter that the defense needed until we saw the closer.

4th Quarter (2:44) WTH Harsin?! The Lone Star State is starting to warm up to the Boise State offense when you see a freshmen wide receiver, Shipley, throwing a pass to another freshmen quarterback, Ash, to move the chains. New Kids on the Block should be replacing this year’s slogan of Brick by Brick.

4th Quarter (1:34) WTH Closer?! I would like to introduce the newest nickname to one of our stable of running backs who we will now affectionately call The Closer. Malcolm Brown running off left tackle for 14 yards sealed the win for the Horns and will hopefully garner more than the 14 carries next game.

Next up for the Longhorns are the Bruins as they travel to LA for the game at 2:30pm on Sept. 17th.

Thanks for following my WTH articles throughout the season. I appreciate the opportunity to rant about the greatest University sports program in the country. You can continue to follow comments on all of UT sports on twitter at 40AcresSports or follow me at Horns1991. HOOK EM!!

ESPN this season is posting video clips of all the big plays up on their video page from the games they air. Great new feature. The highlight package from Texas’ come from behind win over BYU is posted below:

And here’s the interception that may have ended Garrett Gilbert’s career as the Longhorns’ starter:

Too bad they don’t have the Jaxon Shipley to David Ash pass available.