40 Acres Sports

Texas takes on [tag]Iowa State[/tag] and former Texas coach Gene Chizik today at 11:30 on FSN and the team is still looking for it’s first Big 12 win of the season. Riding a four game conference losing streak the Horns are looking to get back on track against an ISU team that has struggled mightily this season under their new coach.

The Longhorns are big favorites, but here are three things to watch for in today’s game:

1. Hold on to the freaking football.

[tag]Jamaal Charles[/tag]’ fumble last week wasn’t the only mistake the Longhorns made in the loss to Oklahoma but it was certainly a back breaker. He’s run hard and pretty well despite an inexperienced offensive line and a sometimes questionable offensive scheme, but at some point that doesn’t matter if you can’t hold on to the football consistently. For me that point was last week. It’s time to get [tag]Vondrell McGee[/tag] more touches and keep Charles on the sideline when the Horns get inside the red zone.

2. Play more young guys.

McGee isn’t the only youngster who needs to start seeing increased playing time. Texas is a program that should be (and has been) a perennial top 10 team but they’re not likely to end there this season so it’s time to start looking towards 2008. This doesn’t mean throw in the towel on this season, on the contrary playing guys like Sergio Kindle, Deon Beasley, McGee, John Chiles, and Michael Huey should give the Horns a boost in 2007 as well. I hope these guys can get some meaningful early minutes and that Texas pulls away enough to get them even more time in the second half.

3. Try a double pass or other trick play.

Trick plays sure worked well against Texas’ Gene Chizik coached defense last year so today seems like a great day to finally execute the Colt McCoy to [tag]John Chiles[/tag] double pass. The Horns tried it last week against OU but couldn’t hold off defenders long enough to give Chiles a chance to throw. Chiles just needs to play more in general and not just on trick plays. So far every time he’s been in the game the play call has involved him so defenses are able to key on him and be on the lookout for trickeration. Line him up out wide and send him on a normal pass route a few times per game.

John Chiles gives UT extra dimension. I love QB’s wearing number seven, it just looks right.

Vegas oddsmakers have Texas as 39 point favorites over [tag]Arkansas State[/tag] tomorrow night so winning shouldn’t be a problem. But the Horns will need more than just a victory to be satisfied. Here are the three keys for the game:

1. Don’t get anybody hurt

The game against Arkansas State is essentially a glorified scrimmage so the number one goal for the game has to be come out as healthy as possible. The Horns have already been bitten by the injury bug this fall and have a tough game next week against TCU, if another wide receiver goes down I might have to suit up.

2. Let [tag]John Chiles[/tag] play with the first offense

Since a redshirt is no longer an option, Chiles has to log a few minutes with the first team offense before the game is a laugher. Mack Brown said there would be no QB rotation but that doesn’t mean we can’t throw him out there for a few special plays to showcase his talents. Colt McCoy is no veteran either and needs enough work to make sure he’s ready for week two, but Chiles needs more than just garbage time snaps.

3. Seriously, don’t get anybody hurt

Did I mention this already? Get the first teamers rolling, give them a chance to come out for a series or two after halftime, and then get them the heck out of there.

Mack Brown says we’re going to like what we see out of John Chiles. Hope to see some special stuff with him and Colt on the field at the same time.

Just a few weeks after declaring [tag]John Chiles[/tag]’ career at quarterback over for the Longhorns based on a misinterpreted Mack Brown quote, the guys over at the AAS’ blog Bevo Beat have seen the light:

Mack has never accused Bevo Beat of being slow or contemplative or even a very good judge of football talent.

So, naturally, none of that will stop us from making the following declaration: John Chiles is a quarterback.

Yes, the very first practice of August has just wrapped up out at Denius Fields, and we watched Chiles throw all of a couple dozen passes. But that was enough to see that Chiles has a natural, fluid motion that results in a terrific ball flight with zip and accuracy. We already knew he was a great athlete with exceptional speed.

Chiles’ status as a potential backup quarterback is one of the more intriguing storylines of the fall. He’s a true freshman who, they say, is eager to get on the field this season. He might decide that his best shot in 2007 lies at receiver or kick returner, but he showed plenty of quarterback skills tonight.

It’s very early but it’s great news to hear Chiles is impressing at QB. There’s no doubt he’s athletic but he was only a full time quarterback for one season in high school so there was some question if he’d be able to play the position at this level. If he’s a QB all the way hopefully he’ll be able to redshirt this season and put a little more separation between himself and Colt McCoy and Sherrod Harris.

I am pretty sure no one will ever be able to do what Vince did for Texas, but [tag]John Chiles[/tag] sure looks promising. Chiles speed is impressive and he can juke like a running back. Needless to say he needs to get some playing time in the near future.

John Chiles looked good in first two spring practices, is there a battle brewing for the backup QB spot?

Name: [tag]John Chiles[/tag]
Position: Quarterback/Wide Receiver
Ranking:

Hometown: Mansfield, TX
School: Summit
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 195 lbs

Background

Rivals stole John Chiles’ fifth star right after the U.S. Army All-American Bowl when he was injured and at a position he hadn’t played in a year. Scout still has him up there at the top where he belongs. Lightning quick athlete who was recruited as quarterback but could play there or at wide receiver for the Horns, but he the football needs to be in his hands as often as possible

Chiles spent his sophomore and junior seasons at wide receiver for Carrollton Ranchview. As a junior he had 694 yards receiving, tacked on 491 yards on the ground, and had 17 total touchdowns. Senior year as a QB he had 900 yards and 12 TD’s passing and another 700 rushing.

Immediate Impact

John Chiles is certainly not going to be the Longhorns starting quarterback this season but that’s not going to stop him from seeing snaps there this season. Texas fans will be clamoring from day one for Chiles to play a little receiver and to line up at QB in a special package designed for his incredible skills. Chiles and Jamaal Charles in the backfield together running the zone read and the option could be special. Put him in the slot and get him the ball on hitches and reverses. Mix in a reverse pass just to mess with opposing defenses.

Future

The sky’s the limit for Chiles. He’ll start his career at Texas as a quarterback spending enough time practicing as a receiver to get him on the field as early as possible. He’ll get every opportunity to take over at QB after Colt McCoy leaves but even if he fails he’s got a hell of a fall back plan. No way of knowing where he ends up but he’s going to make an impact for the Horns somewhere before he leaves.

We’ll be updating this list as we get news (mostly from Rivals) of which players have officially signed their letters of intent and if everything goes as planned will be the newest Texas Longhorns in August. The first two players to become Longhorns were Ian Harris out of San Antonio and Cody Johnson from Waller. Keep checking back here because we’ll update this list as we hear more names.

Confirmed Signings

• Ian Harris
• Cody Johnson
• Kyle Hix
• Tray Allen
• Michael Wilcoxon
• Russell Carter
• Aundre McGaskey
• Tyrell Higgins
• Sam Acho
• James Kirkendoll
• Brandon Collins
• G.J. Kinne
• Ahmard Howard
• Keenan Robinson
• Malcolm Williams
• Blaine Irby
• Earl Thomas
• Christian Scott

Early Enrollees

• Curtis Brown
• John Chiles
• Michael Huey
• Andre Jones
• Ben Wells
• Fozzy Whittaker

Update: Just added Blaine Irby and Earl Thomas to the list which leaves only Christian Scott remaining. The stud safety just was the last player to commit to the Horns (just this weekend) and it looks like he’ll be the last one to fax in his letter of intent as well. Hopefully he’s not having any second thoughts. (10:38 am)

Update: Christian Scott’s letter is in and confirmed by both Rivals and Inside Texas (thanks Eric!). That means all 24 recruits, 18 today plus the 6 already on campus, are signed and will officially be Longhorns either this summer or in the fall if their grades are in order. Congrats to the class of 2007 and welcome to the family. (11:58 am)

Just a reminder that the US Army All-American Bowl will be on NBC today at noon. The game takes place in San Antonio at the Alamodome and features some of the best high school football players in the country.

This will be most Longhorn fans first opportunity to watch any of the 2007 football commits in action. Bevo Sports will have some thoughts on the game and possibly some video later this weekend. There will be 13 Texans on the West squad and the Longhorns have six commits and a few targets playing in the game. Here’s the guys to keep an eye on during the game:

Texas Commits

• Tray Allen, West #56
• Curtis Brown, West #3
• John Chiles, West #5
• Michael Huey, West #70
• Blaine Irby, West #19
• Andre Jones, West #89

Texas Targets

• Ron Brooks, West #81
• Joe McKnight, West #4
• Christian Scott, West #23

Others to Watch

• John Brantley, East #12
• Matt Simms, East #2