Magic… Momentum… Anything?
As we get closer to the start of the 2013 Football Season, the question needs to be asked where is this team headed. An even bigger question is what is the state of the Longhorn Men’s Athletic program?
Magic is described as the appearing to perform supernatural feats using sleight of hand. Back in the day there was a term used as “Sooner Magic” where the unexpected would occur for the OU Football team. The term came from epic tussles between the Sooners and Cornhuskers. That magic and momentum carried to other games where the Sooners would do the unimaginable. Just look at their last National Championships when OU who was a 10.5 point underdog beat the Seminoles 13-2. Texas had a similar run of “magic” when Vince Young took a team that had just lost 0-12 to the Sooners in 2004 and went on to win 20 games and two Rose Bowls plus a National Championship. Now look at these two programs and tell me where the “magic” is at. The magic is with the other teams in the conference.
Kansas State: Just came off the greatest sports year ever with a Big XII Championship in football, baseball and basketball in 2012-13.
Oklahoma State: Won the Big XII Championship in 2011 and owns a better overall record over the Sooners for the past three years.
Baylor: Has a Heisman Trophy winner, a new stadium being built and a winning record over the Horns in the past three years.
Texas Tech: At least they have a new coach and an inspired fan base that has a lot of hope for the future.
TCU: Is finishing up their renovations to their stadium and has plenty of momentum with a solid coach and a win over the Horns last year.
And then there is A&M: A multi-million dollar stadium renovation that will make it the biggest football stadium in Texas, solid footing in the tough SEC, and a Heisman Trophy winner. Oh yeah, I forgot… we do not care about them anymore since they are not in the conference.
So with everyone else having momentum beginning this football season, what is in store for the Longhorns in 2013. Here is a video to get you going before we go game by game.
New Mexico State (0-0) at Texas (0-0) Aug. 31st
At least we can say we beat the Aggies this year… even though there from New Mexico. Horns WIN (big)
Texas (1-0) at BYU (1-0) Sept. 7th
This game will tell much of the story for this year’s team. Win impressively and the fan base will believe a BCS game is in the cards. The Horns squeak by this team with their altitude sickness in check, and then the fan base is in for a rollercoaster ride. Lose this game and we will wonder if Mack will make it back next year. Horns WIN (close)
Mississippi (2-0) at Texas (2-0) Sept. 14th
This game just got tougher since the Rebels posted a 7-6 record last year in the SEC. The only reason I can predict a win for the Horns is because this game is at home. Again the aftermath of Provo determines this outcome. Horns WIN (close)
Kansas State (3-0) at Texas (3-0) Sept. 21st
The sorcerer from Manhattan will have his team ready to play. I think momentum of the home crowd and the pending bye week ahead will get this team ratcheted up to take it out on the Cats. Horns WIN (big)
Texas (4-0) at Iowa State (2-1) October 3rd
A Thursday night game?! Are we in the AAC? Do we need the exposure to help our recruiting? Guess Horns want some extra time to get ready for the Sooners. Horns WIN (big)
Texas (5-0) vs OU (4-1) October 12th
The Sooners will be coming off back to back tough games (ND & TCU) before the Red River Rivalry. I cannot see the play of the Belldozer causing much harm unless Manny and the defense cannot stop the run like last year. Hope the extra time gives Applewhite something for Stoops’ defense to chew on. Horns WIN (big)
Texas (6-0) at TCU (4-3) October 26th
Trap game! TCU will have the toughest part of their schedule behind them and they will be looking to turn their season around with a win. The Horns will have another bye week to start dreaming about an undefeated season. The more desperate team will win this one. Horns LOSE (close)
Kansas (2-5) at Texas (6-1) November 2nd
Get ready for a pissed off bunch of Horns in Austin. They will take it out on the Jayhawks who will be reeling from 5 consecutive losses coming into DKR. Horns WIN (big)
Texas (7-1) at West Virginia (3-5) November 9th
I see the urgency in the Horns to not let another TCU moment come back to haunt them. Playing for the first time ever at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium, sounds like the stadium was named after an impressionist painter; the fans will try to make it an intimidating venue. The Longhorns take care of business in the fourth quarter. Horns WIN (big)
Oklahoma State (9-0) at Texas (8-1) November 16th
This is the defacto Big XII Championship game in Austin. Both teams are talented and will be coming on strong for this pivotal matchup. Last year I flipped a coin and I predicted the Horns would win (Horns won a close one). Just flipped it. Horns LOSE (close)
Texas Tech (7-4) at Texas (8-2) November 28th (Thanksgiving Day)
The rock star coach will be a little less flamboyant coming into Austin. The talent on the field should show up with the Horns still smarting from last week’s lost to the Cowboys. Fans will breathe a sigh of relief after this one is over on Turkey Day. Horns WIN (close)
Texas (9-2) at Baylor (8-3) December 7th
Say so long to Floyd Casey Stadium which is the smallest stadium in the Big XII. A sloppy game played by both teams as they try too hard to impress the bowl committees. Both running games will be on display on a miserable day for offense. The Horns emerge victorious to reach Coach Brown’s bar for a successful season. Horns WIN (close)
Just so you know… close means 10 points or less and big is 14 points or more.
I am predicting a 10-2 year for the Horns. You can check my past predictions to see that I was not too far off in 2012 & 2011. I hope to see some magic and some momentum from the Horns this season because I don’t think Mack Brown has anymore tricks up his sleeve.
I wanted to use a phrase for this football season similar to what Mack Brown uses for his team. This
year’s moniker is “Brick by Brick”. Mack wants to rebuild this program back to where it belongs. I
would like to refer to this upcoming season as PAIN. Not the type of Pain referenced by Clubber Lang to Rocky. (Check out the 2011 Longhorn Football Preview – Rocky Version.)
This season will be more like “Growing Pains” for the Longhorns this year. Did you know that during
this great television show (tongue in cheek) from 1985 through 1992 that the Longhorns had four losing
seasons? After painstakingly finding that crazy stat, I realized that it will be difficult to get back to
the greatness that the Horns had just experienced. Again, I know that the Horns have more talent than
probably most schools in the country, but the ability to beat teams on talent alone went out the window
with last year’s 5-7 season. It was painfully obvious that changes needed to be made.
A new coaching staff, plus a new strength and conditioning coach and a new sense of involvement from
the CEO was taking place. The future looks bright with the young coaching staff and the talent that
should be developed and utilized. Wonder when the first fan will say I am glad we got rid of that pain in
the ass Greg Davis? But it pains me to say that all this hope and new attitude does not always equal more
wins.
Remember that every team that was once the South Division had a better record and you can probably say
that every one of those teams has improved. OU, OSU, A&M, and Baylor all have returning quarterbacks
and their leading receiver. The quarterback position at UT is still a question mark and the offense has to
learn a whole new way of operating. The defensive staff has a new set of cornerbacks and hopes that a
defensive tackle will step up. There are so many more question marks than answers that UT fans need to
up their pain medication for this year.
You need to ask yourself will this team be above or below the 7 1/2 win mark at the end of the regular
season. Give me the under at 7 wins with the hope that we will be inflicting more pain than receiving
towards the end of the season. I know that this prediction was painful to read.
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!!
I hope that we are all happy as we start heading into the new season with a brand new quarterback and new expectations. The past five years have been an incredible run for the Longhorn football team with more wins in the programs history than at any other time in our 127 year history.
Let’s all take a moment to reflect back when this run all started in the mountains of California. (love the personal videos!)
“The Kick” coupled with the maturation of one of the greatest Longhorn players, Vince Young, brought us the momentum we needed to achieve greatness. This greatness was realized the very next year with a 13-0 record and a BCS National Championship when the Horns beat the glitzy boys from Southern Cal 41-38. The ultimate responsibility of following up such a legend was laid upon the shoulders of a young face quarterback from Tuscola Texas. That young player named Colt McCoy had the support of an energized and confident coach in Mack Brown to continue that success for the next four years. Those four years culminated in three bowl wins including a Big XII championship.
This historic kick put the Longhorns once again on the brink of success in the BCS National Championship game until the story book run came to an end. Colt McCoy none the less provided more wins than any Longhorn or college quarterback has ever delivered with 45 wins.
Why do I recap these moments that everyone clearly has experienced themselves? The reason is the fear that we will forget the past and not appreciate the run as we start the 2010 season. This year’s team is loaded with standout defensive players all led by Coach Blood. Our offense has a few question marks, but blue chips can be found including the quarterback who grew up quickly before our eyes against Alabama. I know that we have questions at running back and we are changing our offense scheme to be a more running team, but we should win every game, right?!
I feel good about going into this year but not with the type of success that we have seen around here over the past five years. Garrett Gilbert is the real deal, but I see growing pains along with our offensive line struggling with him. I still see us reaching 10 wins, but I see that 10th win coming at Jerry World (aka the Cotton Bowl) after we finish the regular season 9-3. Who will we lose to… be sure to check out all of our predictions at 40 Acres Sports throughout the season before every game. I hope that I am wrong, but I do not see Dusty Mangum or Hunter Lawrence on our team so I will just appreciate the season before us.
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!!
It could come down to which QB plays best. Who would you choose? McCoy or McElroy?
Here we go ladies and gentlemen. The king of college football for the 2009 season will be crowned tonight at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. In front of a every sports fan in the country, the #2 Texas Longhorns will take on the #1 Alabama Crimson Tide for all the marbles. In a few hours the winner of the Citi BCS National Championship Game will hold up the crystal football and have a moment they will never forget.
Predictions from the national media are all over the place. Some think Bama wins big and think Texas doesn’t stand a chance, others look at the entire body of work and think the game could go either way. Our predictions for the title game are below:
Brian – Enough talk, time for some action. The Horns have heard they’ve got no chance to win for almost a month and it will motivate them to come out and play their asses off. Will it make them overly hyped or give them the burst they need to win? I don’t think it matters. Texas defensive coordinator [tag]Will Muschamp[/tag] has his goon squad ready and pumped to shut down the Tide and they’re going to do it. The defense and special teams give the Horns good enough field position all night to allow [tag]Greg Davis[/tag] to throw caution to the wind (a little) and score just enough points to beat a great Bama defense. Horns win in defensive struggle decided by special teams and turnovers.Texas 23, Alabama 13
Matt – This season and game reminds me a lot of the 2005 National Championship run, but I love being the underdog and overlooked by most people in the nation. All I keep hearing about is how good Alabama’s defense is and how they dominated Florida. Well I have watched quite a few of Alabama’s games this year and I think some people need to go back and watch film on the Alabama vs Tennessee and Alabama versus Auburn games.
I think the key to the game will be if Texas can get off to a fast start. It seems in almost every game this season Texas just goes through the motions in the first half, makes some adjustments, and comes out on fire in the second half. That simply won’t work in this game. A lot of that responsibility will be on Colt McCoy. He needs to take over the game early and do whatever it takes to start off strong, even if that means running the ball more like he did in the A&M game.
Alabama does have a strong defense but I am severely unimpressed by their quarterback McElroy. He seems slow in the pocket and Texas has the speed on defense to give him some problems. I think he will have a couple of key turnovers which will be the difference in the game. I actually believe this game will be a little bit higher scoring than most people think. And because of the Texas Longhorn Rose Bowl history, I am going with a last second field goal to win. Texas 31, Alabama 30
Ross – 13-0 in 2009. 25-1 over two years. This has been an incredible run by our Horns. Do you see where this prediction is going? I had the same feelings going into the 2006 National Championship game and it turned out pretty good. The UT coaches (Will and Greg) will have a lot to say about the outcome of this game more than any other game this year. The Horns have a daunting task against the most complete team that they have faced all year. I pointed out what the Horns need to do to win with the new year’s resolutions post. The Tide have the momentum from the SEC Championship game, but the Horns have the chip on their shoulder. I think Saban will have Bama wound so tight while Mack will have the Horns playing with nothing to lose. Horns will win a close one. Texas 26, Alabama 24
Predictions from Twitterverse
- TDFINN: 31 – 27 horns
- hockeynightdoc: 17-13 Texas in an ugly ugly defensive struggle
- carlmc: Texas 15-12
- texfan23: im going with 37-15. Colt has. +300 Passing, tre gets +60 with a big run over 20. ET gets a Pick 6.
- rcmercado: Texas 27-17
- livingnearshamu: UT 24 UA 14 Hook ’em ‘Horns!
- whitneyredman: Here’s my prediction. My stomach will be in knots all night and I will come down with a stress fever. Hook ’em.
- ATexican: score prediction Texas 31 Alabama 21 #HookEm #UT
More Predictions
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
Sergio Kindle and the Texas defense will make Todd Reesing run for his life.
It’s the last home game for a group of Texas seniors that could go down as the best to play for the Longhorns. The redshirt seniors have national title rings from the 2005 season but are looking to keep winning so they can earn one of their own. Quarterback [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] will become the winningest college QB ever and sixth year senior [tag]Jordan Shipley[/tag] actually has been on campus for an incredible 66 wins.
Will the seniors get their 43rd win today? Our predictions are below:
Brian – The Texas Longhorns are playing their best football of the year and the Kansas Jayhawks are playing their worst. When turmoil hits a team they either rally together or fall apart, with the allegations this week against Mark Mangino I’m guessing it’s the latter. Horns will win big with another strong defensive showing and one last special performance between senior buds McCoy and [tag]Jordan Shipley[/tag] who will connect for two scores or more. Horns clinch Big 12 South title and the seniors go out in style. Texas 45, Kansas 13
Ross – I think I have one fat finger on the pulse of this game against Kansas. I think the Longhorns will send the Jayhawks back to their alcoholic… OK, that is a little too much. The turmoil surrounding the Jayhawks may galvanize the team to rally around their embattled coach. But that would be a concern if this game was in Kansas. The Longhorns are on a mission and the defense will ruin Todd Reesing’s homecoming. Texas 38, Kansas 10
More Predictions
Will the Longhorns find a consistent rushing attack against the Baylor Bears? (Image: Daylife)
All the talk again this week has been about a potential game in early January, but there’s still several possible roadblocks in the Texas Longhorns’ way.The Horns have beaten the Baylor Bears 11 straight times and will go for number 12 today at 11am. At the beginning of the season Baylor QB Robert Griffin was going to be one the most exciting players in the conference, but after an early season injury the Horns will instead face a 3rd string freshman. Does it even matter?
Check out our predictions below:
Brian – I’m calling it. This is the week, Will Muschamp’s defense gets their first shutout. After a sluggish early AM start last week against UCF the Texas offense will come out sharper against Baylor and help to keep the D off the field. Muschamp’s blitzes will confuse the young Baylor quarterback and [tag]Sergio Kindle[/tag] and [tag]Sam Acho[/tag] are going to have huge games. The Horns have a 24-plus point lead at halftime and we’ll see backup QB [tag]Garrett Gilbert[/tag] for the entire 4th quarter. Texas 42, Baylor 0
Jeff – Baylor has won 4 games, 2 with Robert Griffin and 2 without. They will play Saturday without him, so let’s first look at the 2 BU wins sans Griffin. They beat Kent State, a middle of the road MAC team over a month ago and then shocked Missouri last Saturday. The BU defense has given up an average of 28.6 points per game in conference play. If you take out their game against a win-less Southland Conference team in Northwestern State, the Bears average home game ends with a 25-18 loss. That is in games against UConn, Kent State, [tag]Oklahoma State[/tag] and [tag]Nebraska[/tag]. The closest team to UT’s level would be OSU and Baylor lost that game 34-7. That is a 27 point loss. The Horns are favored by 26.5 this Saturday. That is a lot of points, but I believe this will be an easy cover. The Horns seem focused and are improving.
I think Texas still has a “bad” game in their system (I hope it never comes out) and this could be the week. This would be the best week for it. I don’t believe it will be on Senior Day next Saturday against [tag]Kansas[/tag]. I certainly don’t want it to be on Thanksgiving or in the Big 12 Championship game. So if [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] is going to play poorly, or the defense has a lackluster game, let us hope it is this Saturday. Baylor can’t beat Texas regardless of UT’s performance. Texas 45, Baylor 10
Ross – The Bears need two wins in the next three games to be bowl eligible. They will have to sweep that last two game of the season, because the Bears will not beat the Horns this Saturday. The Horns believe that it is their destiny to make it to the Big XII championship undefeated. They will continue their dominance over Baylor in Waco. Texas 45, Baylor 10
After a tough stretch of games the Texas Longhorns take on the Central Florida Golden Knights and are big favorites in a game they should win easily. All the talk amongst the media and fans this week has been about how it’s a cakewalk from here on out for Texas to get to national championship game, were the Texas players listening to all the hype? Is this a game that could possibly trip up the Longhorns? Check out our predictions below:
Brian – The Longhorns are finally playing like the team fans thought they’d see all season long. That’s bad news for the Central Florida Golden Knights who are probably wishing the schedule hadn’t flip flopped and this game was taking place 6 weeks ago when Texas was still finding it’s identity. This game could be one that in previous years Texas would have overlooked, but not with the carrot of a national title shot out there and with Will Muschamp’s defense crushing opponents. The offense rolls with two TD passes over 40 yards and the defense gets on the board again. Texas 49, Central Florida 7
Jeff – “The spread is crazy on this game.” That statement is usually followed by a guaranteed cover. But the numbers and my gut just don’t add up to a huge scoring day from Texas. I don’t believe that the Horn’s offense will score more than 5 touchdowns in this game. Central Florida has only given up more than 20 points twice all year, once to a better than average Southern Miss, and once to Miami, both in losing efforts. As solid as their defense seems to be, their offense is the opposite.
As I watched their game last week with Marshall, I kept having the thought that a shutout was on their horizon. I don’t believe they will score more than 3 points. I REALLY would love to throw up a zero, but they have a strong-legged accurate kicker who has hit 5-7 outside 40 yards and is 1/1 from 50 yards out. So put it all together and I see 35-3 without defensive/special teams scores. But since we seem to be scoring non-offensive touchdowns every week, I’ll add one of those too. Texas 42, Central Florida 3
Ross – Since we have the #1 ranked scoring offense (41.75 points / game) and the #1 ranked rushing defense (52.88 yards / game) at the 40 acres, I believe this is a lethal combination that will go against Central Florida. The Horns have not played a home game since October 10th. Expect a very rowdy and loud UT crowd when the 2nd ranked team in the country hits DKR Memorial this Saturday morning. I see another game with everything clicking right for the Longhorns against the knights. Texas 49, Central Florida 13
Can Colt McCoy play mistake-free football for the first time this season? (Image: Austin Chronicle)
Texas and [tag]Oklahoma State[/tag]. On Halloween. Night.
Expect craziness.
The Horns and Cowboys always play exciting, heart attack inducing games but there should be no excuse for overlooking a very good Oklahoma State team this year. If the Longhorns show up and play well, the path to a possible national title shot only gets clearer from here.
Spooky things happen on All Hallows’ Eve, read on to discover to find out if the editors of 40 Acres Sports think the Horns will receive King Size Butterfingers or if Greg Davis will end up with his house covered in toilet paper…
Brian – Finally Texas comes out strong against Oklahoma State, but the Cowboys are too good for the Horns to run away with this thing and keep things relatively close. [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] and the offense will click again but things won’t be as easy as they were against [tag]Missouri[/tag]. The Texas defense will come up with 3 turnovers but give up offensive turnovers and a couple big plays will allow OSU to stay within striking defense until the 4th quarter. Texas 31, Oklahoma State 16
Ross – Well, some one in orange will be happy tonight. Wow, I was not expecting the offense output last week. Colt McCoy and the offense line was solid versus the tigers last week. I expect the same offense tenacity against the cowboys no matter what type of defense that the pokes throw at us. Remember that good guys wear white. Texas 38, Oklahoma State 17
The Texas Longhorns may be the most maligned 6-0, third-ranked team in the history of the BCS. The Horns won a close one last week against rival Oklahoma last week thanks to ferocious and opportunistic defense but as the season continues down the home stretch they’ll need more from both sides of the football. They’ll try to see what the offense is capable of tonight at 7pm on ABC against [tag]Missouri[/tag], check below to see how we think the game will play out…
Brian – The Texas coaches made a good number of midseason depth chart changes this week in an effort to find some sort of offensive identity for the rest of the season. Will it mean a more effective and explosive offense? Maybe. Fozzy Whittaker and the running game will be featured against the Tigers and I think Fozzy finally seizes the opportunity. Texas will get 200 yards on the ground and [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] will hit two deep balls (one to new starter [tag]Malcolm Williams[/tag]) in the passing game. The defense will make gimpy Mizzou QB Blaine Gabbert wish he’d stayed on the sideline. Texas 35, Missouri 10
Ross – There are lies, damn lies – and statistics. So here we go with some stats. [tag]Mack Brown[/tag] teams are 11-0 after playing the Sooners. The Longhorns have never lost to Missouri under Mack Brown. So Texas should win tonight. I see a great defensive effort mixed in with a sputtering offense again from the Longhorns. Missouri will be inspired by playing the 3rd rank team in the country at home, but will fall short in the end. If we do not see a complete effort soon by the Longhorns, we may be wondering if this is a championship worthy team. Texas 24, Missouri 17
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