Handing out the Grades: Georgia Tech

With the end of each college football season, there comes the hiring and firings as schools evaluate their program and whether they meet their expectations. Hiring a new coach is a dicey process and making the right or wrong hire will determine the success of the program over the next 10 years. Let’s look at this winter’s changes and hand out the grades.

Georgia Tech (7-5)
- Chan Gailey was fired from Georgia Tech after six straight winning seasons, mostly for not winning enough. Georgia Tech had become a consistently mediocre bowl eligible team, and that wasn’t enough when it came to looking across at rival Georgia’s broadening success. This shouldn’t have come as a surprise to Georgia Tech or their fans as Chan Gailey has been a model of consistent mediocrity everywhere he has been a head coach. He is one of those guys that should go be a top NFL offensive coordinator and leave it at that.

The move opened the door for Navy’s Paul Johnson to make the next step in his so far successful career. He comes to Georgia Tech after six successful years at the Naval Academy and five successful years and two national championships at Georgia Southern. Everywhere Paul Johnson has gone, he has won without great talent. Unfortunately, he is now about to enter new territory and begin to play major college football, in a major conference, the ACC.

But the ACC is a conference where a move to the upper echelon is possible. There is no dominant team in the ACC. Virginia Tech, Boston College, Clemson are currently on top, but it wouldn’t take much from any of the second tier (Maryland, Miami, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, Virginia) to unseat them. It is a conference where perhaps only Virginia Tech can be considered a National contender. This is where Georgia Tech is hoping Paul Johnson can take them.

But recruiting at an academy is different than recruiting anywhere else. He will face stiffer competition to recruit the kind of players that he will need to be successful in the ACC. He will be playing a schedule that will have 8 quality opponents as oppose to one with 3 quality opponents. But most of all I question how his triple option spread attack will fare against quality competition. It is a gimmick offense that will cause teams problems, but if gimmick offenses were a way to win championships, you would see many more gimmick offenses. I question how successful his offense will be in recruiting players that want to play in the NFL and how it will fare against the quality defenses that Georgia Tech will face in the ACC.

Paul Johnson has gotten the most out of his talent everywhere he has gone. He rejuvenated a Navy program and had one of the most successful runs in recent academy history. He won championships at a lower level with Georgia Southern and has had statistical success everywhere he has gone. But I don’t know if you can win BCS Championships with a gimmick offense. He will also have a difficult time getting the top recruits running an offense that won’t prepare players for the NFL. It is a hire that could be hit or miss for a Georgia Tech program hoping to make it to the top of the ACC.

Grade: C+

Handing out the Grades: Duke

With the end of each college football season, there comes the hiring and firings as schools evaluate their program and whether they meet their expectations. Hiring a new coach is a dicey process and making the right or wrong hire will determine the success of the program over the next 10 years. Let’s look at this winter’s changes and hand out the grades.

Duke (1-11)
- The Blue Devils, the laughing stock of the ACC, since probably the Spurrier days, will once again try and turn things around as they fired head coach Ted Roof. Roof was a whopping 6-45 during his tenure, and the move pretty much was the first time I knew that Duke’s head coach was Ted Roof.

The Blue Devils will turn the reins of the program over to David Cutcliffe, who comes over from Tennessee after spending the last two years molding quarterback Erik Ainge, as the offensive coordinator. Cutcliffe has previous head coaching experience, as he was chosen to turn around the struggling Mississippi program. He actually turned the Mississippi program around, making a few bowl games, but was fired after the first signs of trouble. Duke shouldn’t have as short of a leash as a program that has been that bad for that long.

Will David Cutcliffe be able to turn around the Blue Devils? Could anyone turn around this program? If anything, Cutcliffe will find the ACC an easier conference to compete in and it should be slightly easier to recruit than in the deep south. That being said, Duke has a lot further to go to reach mediocrity than Mississippi ever did. But Cutcliffe is an offensive coach, and Duke hasn’t had an offense for years.

Grade: B

Handing out the Grades: Baylor

With the end of each college football season, there comes the hiring and firings as schools evaluate their program and whether they meet their expectations. Hiring a new coach is a dicey process and making the right or wrong hire will determine the success of the program over the next 10 years. Let’s look at this winter’s changes and hand out the grades.

Baylor (3-9)
- Guy Morriss is the perfect example of a school making the wrong hire and the program sinking further into depression. After some short, moderate success at Kentucky, the Bears brought in Morriss to resurrect their struggling program. 18 wins and 40 losses later, it is obvious that that is not the case. It leaves the Bears exactly where they started, in the bottom of the Big XII, needing to rebuild.

The Bears turned there attention to their most famous alum, Mike Singletary. Singletary, however, was smart enough to avoid a career land mine. Left without option #1, the Bears made a savvy hire in Houston head coach Art Briles. Briles boasts over a decade of coaching Texas High School football, and also the last five years turning around a Houston program that had come on some tough times. Briles is known for his high octane offense, as well as mentoring Philadelphia Eagles quarterback, Kevin Kolb.

The task ahead of Briles is daunting, but Texas is a state full of talent, and Briles has over 20 years of experience in the state of Texas. He is a hire that will allow Baylor to beat out Rice, TCU, SMU, and Houston for recruits, something they hadn’t done in previous years. He should also be able to improve the Baylor offense that couldn’t seem to come together in Morriss’ spread attack. Briles may not be able to turn around this Baylor program, but he certainly is one of the best candidates that Baylor could come up with, with a job that is currently so undesirable.

Grade: B

Handing out the Grades: Arkansas

With the end of each college football season, there comes the hiring and firings as schools evaluate their program and whether they meet their expectations. Hiring a new coach is a dicey process and making the right or wrong hire will determine the success of the program over the next 10 years. Let’s look at this winter’s changes and hand out the grades.

Arkansas (8-4)
- Despite going 8-4 this season, following at 10-4 campaign in 2006, Arkansas felt it was time for Houston Nutt to move on after 10 seasons with the Razorbacks. The Arkansas faithful feel that they are the program where dreams come true, and obviously Houston Nutt wasn’t bring home the back, to back, to back AAU National Championships that Tom Emanski had promised them. So after a coaching search that turned up rejection from the likes of Butch Davis, Tommy Bowden, Tommy Tubberville, and Jim Grobe, the program that enjoys drama more than any other, settled on their own controversial candidate, Bobby Petrino.

Petrino is a great hire for the Razorbacks, who will be able to recruit in the competitive SEC, and will be able to bring some balance to the spread running attack that Arkansas used this season. Well, Petrino will be a great hire for the three years he will spend at Arkansas before moving on to greener pastures. The program should be more stable under Petrino’s guiding hand, and if the Razorbacks start the search for a replacement while Petrino is still their coach, it should work out perfectly.

Grade: B+

The Holiday Season

The Holiday season means some much needed time off from work or a break after a long semester. In the sports world, it means a slow down of epic proportion, as meaningless bowl games begin, the NBA has yet to start mattering, college basketball teams schedule as many cupcakes as possible before conference play starts, and you sit around waiting for Sunday's NFL docket of games.

On first glance the Longhorns appeared to have followed suit. The football team awaits for their titanic struggle, that I can't seem to get myself excited for, against Arizona State in the Holiday Bowl and the basketball team looked to be in cruise control after wins against North Texas, Rice, and Texas State, the most recent in the least impressive fashion. But that is where the #5 Longhorns holiday ends, as the rest of their holiday schedule is a treat for fans.

A rundown of the Longhorns holiday docket reveals 4 strong opponents out of 5 in the remaining games before conference play.

12/18 vs. Oral Roberts (6-3)
- Yes, a team of dentists is coming to town. However, these aren't your everyday dentists. A 23-win team in 2006 that made the NCAA tournament as a #14 seed that returned all five starters for 2007. And in today's Cinderella world, a #14 seed means you can play some ball. Their three losses this season come on the road against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (06 tournament team) by 5, #15 Texas A&M by 14, and Arkansas by 11. While it should be a game that the Horns should win, you have to look at the things that make this difficult. This is a good team, it's hard to get yourself excited for Oral Roberts, since I'm going with zero Longhorn players and a few fans that know that Oral Roberts is in Oklahoma (I had to look it up to make sure), and last, this Longhorns team might be looking ahead to a road tilt against #10 Michigan State a mere 4 days later.

Oral Roberts has a balanced attack led by junior SG Robert Jarvis, creator of the artificial heart, (and you thought they were just dentists) who is averaging 16.8 ppg. They also have some size inside with junior PF Marcus Lewis (6-8/245) averaging 11.2 ppg/4.2 rpg and senior C Shawn King (6-10/220) averaging 10.4 ppg/6.7 rpg. The Longhorns will have to play much better than they did against Texas State if they hope to prevail. You know, actually try. But this has all the makings of an upset.

12/22 at #10 Michigan State (9-1)
- This is not the team that lost to Grand Valley State in their exhibition. This is a team that plays some of the most physical basketball in the country boasting wins at Missouri by 3, at Bradley by 5, and at #22 BYU by 7. Their only loss comes on a neutral court against #1 UCLA by 5. This will be another hard road test for the Longhorns, and Michigan State may be a tougher place to play than UCLA. Michigan State's grinding, physical style of play will be a real test for a Longhorn team that isn't strong inside and isn't deep at all.

The Spartans boast arguably the best point guard in the country in Drew Neitzel. Since the Longhorns boast the other candidate in DJ Augustin, this will be a matchup to watch. Neitzel has become a true leader, floor general, and lights out shooter in his senior season, averaging 14.6 ppg and 4.7 apg. However, he might not be the most important player to his team. Sophomore swing man Raymar Morgan (6'7) averages 16.8 ppg and 7.6 rpg and is the most athletic player for Michigan State. He will be a defensive test and will be guarded by Damion James and Justin Mason. The other defensive test will be Goran Suton (8.8 ppg/8.7 rpg) who will pound Connor Atchley and the bench forwards inside all game long. Michigan State will go at the Longhorns and attack them inside and try to get them in foul trouble. This game will be a slugfest and should be a preview of how several teams will attack the Longhorns in conference play this season.

12/29 - vs. Wisconsin (8-2)
- The Longhorns continue their Big Ten Conference Challenge a week later at home against the Wisconsin Badgers, another team that will test the Longhorns physically. Led by 6'11 senior Brian Butch (13.3 ppg/7.9 rpg) and sophomore point guard Trevon Hughes out of Queens, NY (15.2 ppg/4.3 rpg/ 3.0 apg). The rest of their team is made of experienced talent in senior guard Michael Flowers (9.1 ppg/4.0 rpg) and junior forwards 6'7, 230 Marcus Landry (9.7 ppg/4.9 rpg) and 6'7 Joe Krabbenhoft (7.3 ppg/5.8 rpg). With Wisconsin teams, you know you're getting physical, disciplined teams that play skilled basketball. They will play slow and make you grind it out.

They have impressive wins against Georgia (by 19) and Colorado (by 26) with a tough loss against #15 Marquette (by 5). They also fell apart at #7 Duke by 24 earlier this season. But Wisconsin is an experienced team that is going to test our depth and try to dominate on the glass. They will struggle with Texas' athleticism, but they will try and dictate the pace of the game to counter act that. Foul trouble could also be a factor in this game.

1/2 vs. TCU (5-3)
- TCU is the easiest opponent of this stretch, but hey, you've at least heard of them. With their losses coming against Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and SMU, they're not terrible, but certainly not of the same caliber of the previous three opponents. They pretty much have three players who are of threat in junior shooting guard Henry Salter (13.9 ppg/5.6 rpg), senior guard Brent Hackett (12.6 ppg), and junior forward Kevin Langford (12.4 ppg/5.6 rpg). TCU shouldn't be too tough a game, but if Texas comes out flat and looks past TCU, this could be a game all the way down to the end.

1/5 vs. #24 St. Mary's (7-1)
- A team that went 17-15 a year ago has turned it around with youth. The emergence of sophomore center, 6'11 Omar Samhan (13.1 ppg/7.6 rpg) and freshman sensation Australian National point guard Patrick Mills (15.5 ppg/4.4 apg) have led St. Mary's to a #24 ranking and a favorite in the West Coast Conference. They have wins against #11 Oregon (by 12) and Seton Hall (by 15) this season, and their only loss comes on the road against Southern Illinois (by 15).

The Gaels have been sparked this season by the play of Mills who is a scoring threat from three point range and a threat to get to the basket. Inside the Gaels are led by the play of Samhan and junior forward Diamon Simpson (12.6 ppg/8.9 rpg). The Gaels are a team that is physical inside and carries the gritty nature of their point guard. They will try to outwork the Longhorns and will be confident coming into this game. But the longer the are able to play with the Horns, the more they will believe they can pull off the upset, and the more dangerous they will become. It is another trap game for the Horns against a team that is extremely capable.

#5 Texas Longhorns (10-0)
- The Horns, only 10 games into the season have figured out their rotation, and offensively, look as good as any team in the country. Led by DJ Augustin (19.5 ppg/6.8 apg) and AJ Abrams (19.2 ppg) the Horns will score. Damion James (11.8 ppg/10.0 rpg) and Connor Atchley (12.6 ppg/5.7 rpg) are relied upon to give this team their inside presence offensively and defensively. Justin Mason (10.2 ppg/3.6 rpg/3.4 apg) has emerged as the defensive stopper and glue guy for this lineup. Depth is the one question mark for this team as the Horns only use three bench players, all in the front court. Freshman forwards Alexis Wangmene (14 mpg) and Clint Chapman (10 mpg), and sophomore Dexter Pittman (7 mpg) are the only ones that are seeing any time off the bench, and it is limited. They have proved capable while in the game.

It will be interesting to see if highly touted freshman forward Gary Johnson (13 pts, 6 reb, 2 blks in 19 min in exhibition game) will make any kind of impact on the rotation when he returns, which is rumored to be soon, and could be during the 5 game holiday stretch. I think the impact he could have on the Longhorns would be huge for the rest of the season, giving the Longhorns a dynamic offensive post threat. But it took Mike Williams a long time to recover from missing the non-conference season his freshman year, and it hampered his development throughout his Longhorn career. Hopefully, Johnson will not run into the same problems if, and when he returns.

This five game stretch will test the Longhorns depth and interior and will determine if the Longhorns have an Achilles heel that teams will be trying to exploit the rest of the season. I don't think the Longhorns will come out of this test 5-0, as Michigan State appears to be the most obvious pitfall, but 2 or 3 losses in the next five is not out of the question, but going 4-1, I would deem a success.

Royal Getting Respect in Milwaukee

It's always great to see a former Longhorn succeeding in life after the 40 Acres. But it's especially nice to see guys that have worked as hard as Royal Ivey to have that work finally pay off in the NBA. After very sparing playing time with the Atlanta Hawks, Ivey has seen some meaningful minutes with his new team and is contributing on a nightly basis. Congrats to Royal, though I am sure his most proud accomplishment is being the inspiration behind my blog handle (Royal With Cheese).

Royal Ivey

Transition Not Easy for Durant

Here's a nice article on former Longhorn, Kevin Durant, and his NBA rookie year experiences. It's nice to see that KD still has a lot of contact with the program in Austin, and that he loves the University of Texas.

Durant in Transition

Bobby Petrino... Pig Sooey!!!!!!

Well, that has to have been one of the fastest NFL coaching careers of all time. Bobby Petrino officially made it 13 games into his professional coaching career before deciding to head back to the college ranks. Not that I can blame him. Is this really what he signed up for? The Falcons are 3-10, their star QB is in jail for 2 years for dog fighting, he was embarrassed on Monday Night Football by the New Orleans Saints, etc...

So good bye Atlanta Falcons, hello Arkansas Razorbacks! I mean, the situation in Atlanta was bad, but you just voluntarily agreed to spend all you time in Arkansas with a bunch of hog lovers. Did you not see how fast it took for Houston Nutt to get the hell out of Fayetville? I think it was literally 47 minutes after the Razorbacks last game.

Here is a video representation of Bobby's life for quite a while.... [shudder]

Former Longhorn Terrence Rencher Graduates

For those you that have followed Texas basketball for a while know the name Terrence Rencher. He was a star guard for the "Runnin' Horns" from 1992-1995, averaging almost 19 points a game for his career. Drafted by the Washington Bullets in 1995, Rencher spent a few years in the NBA before packing it up for European Basketball. That is where Rencher has spent the last 10 years of his life before deciding to move back to the US. Take a look at this great article about Rencher's journey back to the US, UT and getting his degree. Congrats Terrence!

Rencher's Journey

TJ Ford Injued, But Feeling Better

Watching the replay of TJ Ford's injury last night literally made my stomach turn. Not only because of the violent nature of the Al Horford foul, but because of TJ's history with neck injuries. Ford was taken off on a stretcher and was visibly hurting from the flagrant foul. Was it a dirty play? It sure looks to me like it is, but judge for yourself:



But good news from today, TJ has been released from the hospital and has actually been cleared to play. Amazing considering how bad the injury looked. TJ literally put Texas basketball on the map with his commitment to the Longhorns. He also became the first Longhorn basketball player to win the National Player of the Year Award.

Updates on TJ's condition:
ESPN
Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Volleyball: The California Sport

The Lady Longhorns road towards a National Title came to an end this weekend in a way familiar to many NCAA teams, at the hands of a California school. The Lady Longhorns fell 3-0 to #2 seed and #5 Nationally ranked USC in the Elite Eight of the tournament.

After defeating #10 Florida 3-1 on Friday, Texas ran into the buzz saw that is California Volleyball. The Lady Trojans will be joining Stanford and California in the Final Four. Stanford beat UCLA to get there. Sensing a theme? Me too. California defeated #2 Nebraska 3-0. So #1 Penn State will be the rest of the country's lone hope to derail the California volleyball train. We will all be rooting for you Lions.

This season was a breakthrough for the Longhorns. After losing early in the season to Penn State twice and Nebraska, the Longhorns didnt lose again for 23 straight matches, winning a share of a Big XII Title in the process.

While the Longhorns lose senior middle blocker Brandy Magee and setter Michelle Moriarty, they return the stars of their team in Julianne Faucette (FR), Ashley Engle (SO), Destinee Hooker (SO), and Lauren Paolini (JR). Throw in what will surely be another top recruiting class, and the Longhorns will be in the mix again in 2008.

Texas Soccer Celebrates its Sweet 16... Again.

A terrific season filled with important accomplishments ended predictably for Texas Women's Soccer on November 23rd. With a 16-4-5 record and an impressive 9-0-2 home record, Longhorn fans should be happy to know that officially, this year was a success. Not seen as a soccer powerhouse in the pre-Petrucelli era, Texas can now claim national semi-elite, if not elite, status. By advancing to the third round of the NCAA tournament in 3 of the past 4 years and garnering two consecutive Big XII crowns, Texas soccer is in a position to competitively recruit nationally recognized players (and hopefully turn that success into W's on the field).

Texas Soccer is on the right track, it's just not there yet. For some reason, the Longhorns suffer from Sweet 16 anxiety much like parents do when buying their daughters that first car. We tense up and play awful soccer. The teams are going to be better at that level, the competition fiercer, but we seem to always come out flat in the Sweet 16 (pun intended). Very flat. Take nothing away from Florida St. who out shot the Longhorns 29-5 in the game on the way to an easy 4-0 win in Tallahassee. In the words of Texas star defender Kasey Moore, "they were amazing." We, on the other hand, were not.

I guess the curse of being from the University of Texas is that we all expect more. We expect perfection from our student athletes and are disappointed when those expectations are not met. In all honesty, Chris Petrucelli has built an outstanding program that is able to compete with the likes of UCLA (W 2-1), LSU (T 2-2 2OT), and Texas A&M (2 huge late-season and tournament wins in back-to-back weeks, including UT Soccer's first win against them at Aggie Soccer Complex in College Station). It is encouraging to hear Coach Petrucelli say that "the goal of the program is to win the whole thing," and Texas fans have every reason to be optimistic.

What to look for in the off season:

• A top tier recruiting class (potentially top 5)
• Several players playing with the Junior National Team (Kasey Moore, Stephanie Logterman and potentially others)
• A light Spring season that will give the young Longhorns a chance to prove their worth
  

Longhorns Top Mean Green

Texas used a vicious full court press to pull away from North Texas early in the first half, pushing their record to 8-0. The pressure kept the Mean Green off balance and the Longhorns jumped out to a 17-3 lead and never looked back. North Texas pulled within 10 points in the 2nd half, but never really threatened to make it a game.

BOX SCORE

DJ Augustin scored a career high 29 points, while dishing out 10 assists. AJ Abrams got back on track as he hit three 3s and notched 23 points. Damion James put up another double-double as he dropped 12 points and pulled down 10 boards. Texas looked to be in Final Four form as their full court press baffled the Mean Green and forced them into 8 turnovers in the first 10 minutes of the game. While N. Texas freshman, Josh White, tried to steal the show by scoring 28 points, the Green were just over matched by a Texas team clicking on all cylinders.

Up next for the Horns are the Rice Owls, this Saturday, in Houston.

The view from inside Pauley...

Where do I begin.... Remember that time when we beat #1 (or some people say #2) UCLA at Pauley Pavilion? Well I sure do. Probably unlike most of you, I was there. In person. I may have been sitting in the top corner as far from the court as I could be... but I was there nonetheless. By the way, the court at Pauley? Off-center. It's closer to east end of the stadium than the west. Me? Sitting in the west... However, I could still see the game. What a game it was.

Walking around Westwood before the game with our orange on was quite fun, as it is most times when you're wandering around enemy territory. We got many "Tough day to be a Texas fan!" shouts yelled our way and, of course, a few times we were told that we suck. I didn't do much in way of response as they were probably just trying to redeem themselves after their loss to USC the day before.

First observation when getting to the game - the student section gets to sit along the side of the court! Another school, another student section that gets good treatment - but, of course, they were deserving (unlike the Ozone or Stampede or whatever the hell it's called these days at UT). The three sections on the floor and the 3 in the rafters were filled by the time we got there, around 30 min before tip off, and they started making their presence known as soon as their players hit the court. Everytime the jumbotron showed a UCLA player on screen, the students would chant their name until the player recognized the students. First up was Kevin Love and I swear he must be the most egotistical freshman of all time because he let them chant his name for about 5 minutes before giving them their due. You can only imagine how annoying this became over the rest of warmups....

The beginning of the game was intense. The crowd was in it, and pretty loud, although not as loud as I've heard at places like Kansas & Oklahoma St. When Texas started making small runs, the crowd stayed in it and tried to keep the Bruins in it... but after we scored about 8 in a row, the crowd's energy completely died. For the next 10 minutes, all you could hear were the Texas fans spread throughout the arena. It was great.... But of course, as UCLA stormed back, so did the crowd and they stayed pretty energized for the rest of the game.

Honestly the last play of the game is a blur to me. I remember we were tied and had the ball with a chance to win. I remember DJ driving, just throwing the ball at the rim, and I don't know where the hell he came from, but Damion James somehow finished it with a dunk. Then the screaming ensued. I went nuts. Absolutely nuts. Then, for the split second when UCLA's last shot was in the air, I stopped screaming, only to start again the moment I knew it missed. Pretty much by the time I was done screaming Pauley had pretty much cleared out, minus the other Texas fans who had been busy screaming as well.

Walking out of Pauley, having just beaten the #1 ranked team in country, it felt good. And really, the guy was right about it being a tough day to be a Texas fan, my throat was really hurting for the rest of the night. But, being a winner really helped me to get over that.

Dallas Griffin Wins (Academic) Heisman

Sweet! Some positive PR for Mack and the Longhorn football team. It's been a season, of disappointments on and off the field, but it is nice to see there is at least one bright spot. Dallas Griffin is taking home the Draddy Award, which is commonly referred to as the Academic Heisman.

Draddy Award

The Draddy awards its winner for academic success, football performance and community leadership. Those fans who have followed, Griffin over the years know that there is not a more deserved winner than him. Congrats, Dallas.

The Ewing Theory, Durant Style

If you are at all a reader of ESPN's Bill Simmons, then you're familiar with the famous " The Ewing Theory." Here, The Ewing Theory is explained quite simply:

1. A star athlete receives an inordinate amount of media attention and fan interest, and yet his teams never win anything substantial with him (other than maybe some early-round playoff series).
2. That same athlete leaves his team (either by injury, trade, graduation, free agency or retirement) -- and both the media and fans immediately write off the team for the following season.

And inexplicably, the team left without the superstar somehow accomplishes more the following season. Thus was the fate for Ewing's New York Knicks when they had their most successful season while their best player was injured. Some other famous examples of said theory include:

-Tennessee wins a national championship after Peyton Manning graduates
- Kentucky basketball wins a national championship after the loss of Rick Patino, Ron Mercer and Derek Anderson

But the more you think about it, the more the theory makes sense in the context of the 2008 Texas basketball team. As great as Kevin Durant was (evidenced by my man-crush) it seemed the team liked to watch him as much as the fans did. It wasn't even that Durant was a me first player; in fact he most certainly was not. But, with him on the floor, everyone seemed to feel like it was going to be up to Durant in the end.

The 2007 Texas team was as hyped as any team the Longhorns have ever fielded. With Durant, everyone expected that he would single handedly lead Texas to the Final Four. Well, its not that easy. With Durant in the mix, most players (other than DJ Augustin) never really found their place in the offense. Damion James was the most notable victim. Everyone knew James was an incredible talent, but for whatever reason, he just never seemed to be able to do the things he wanted to. With so much of the offense flowing through Durant, James never knew when it was his turn; and in turn this left him an indecisive and therefore ineffective offensive threat.

In 2007, Kevin Durant was the slasher, Durant was the shooter, Durant was the body inside. This left Augustin and Durant with defined roles and the other three on the court to adjust their game every night. For this year's team Augustin distributes, Justin Mason slashes to the basket, AJ Abrams is the spot up shooter and Damion James is the muscle inside. Never underestimate the value of a team where every player knows their role every night. If nothing else, these teams are consistent. And with the amount of talent on this Texas team, they are going to be consistently solid in every game this year.

So don't get me wrong, Kevin Durant took the Longhorn basketball program to new heights of exposure and prominence, even if he only took them to the 2nd round in the NCAA Tournament. The ironic difference is, that without Durant, this is a more complete Texas team, and therefore more built for a long run into March Madness. With wins over Tennessee and UCLA, Texas is already showing what type of team fans can expect this year. It's a team that relies on everyone to perform. Some nights, Abrams may hit 7 threes, others DJ may need to score 20 or have 15 assists, or James may be asked to hit his jumper all night. The nice thing for Rick Barnes is that, this year, they can.

Damion James Names Big 12 Player of the Week

Texas sophomore frontman, Damion James, was named as the Big 12 player of the week. In two games, James averaged 19 points and 10 rebounds. James had, arguably, his best game as a Longhorn as he scored 19 points and 10 boards in the Longhorn win against UCLA. James also slammed home the game winning basket, as Texas upset the #2 Bruins.

James seems to be benefiting from the departure of Kevin Durant, as he seems to have found his place in the offense and is more comfortable with the ball. Against UCLA, James consistently hit his mid-range jumpers, which will be a huge key to the success of the Texas offense. James came to Texas with huge expectations, and now starting to live up to the hype so far this year.

Andy Katz Shows Texas Some Love

ESPN's Andy Katz, named Texas his "Team of the Week." And how could you not? Texas is undefeated and just knocked off the #2 UCLA Bruins, in Los Angeles. Though it is a long season, Katz even speculated that Texas seems to have all the pieces in place for a Final Four run. It's time to forget about football, folks...

Andy Katz

Longhorns #4 in AP, # 5 in Coaches Poll

After the big upset of #2 UCLA, Texas has been rewarded with a jump in the rankings. Texas is now in the top 5 in both of the college basketball polls. Texas even received 2 first place votes in the AP poll. After their loss to Arizona, Texas A&M dropped to #16 and 14 in the respective polls. The Kansas Jayhawks are now #3 in both polls.

AP Top 10
1. North Carolina (45) 7-0 1,769
2. Memphis (22) 6-0 1,717
3. Kansas (2) 7-0 1,630
4. Texas (2) 7-0 1,549
5. Georgetown (1) 5-0 1,527
6. Duke 8-0 1,429
7. UCLA 7-1 1,373
8. Washington State 7-0 1,348
9. Michigan State 6-1 1,094
10. Tennessee 7-1 1,012

Coaches Top 10
1. North Carolina (23) 7-0 753
2. Memphis (6) 6-0 746
3. Kansas (1) 7-0 717
4. Georgetown (1) 5-0 670
5. Texas 7-0 620
6. Washington State 7-0 599
7. Duke 8-0 594
8. UCLA 7-1 587
9. Pittsburgh 7-0 477
10. Michigan State 6-1 437

Horns Headed to Holiday

The Texas Longhorns are headed back to the Holiday Bowl for the 4th time in Mack Brown's 10 year tenure. One things the Holiday Bowl has symbolized for the Horns is a season of unfulfilled expectations.

In 2003, Texas went into the season ranked in the top 5, but after losses to Arkansas and Oklahoma, Texas faced a far inferior Washington State team, and proceeded to lose in an uninspired 28-20 game. While Texas won an exciting game in 2001 against Washington, this is the season of the "What could have been?", as Texas was upset in the Big 12 Championship game by Colorado. Win would have secured a spot in the National Championship game. Again, in 2000, Texas came into the season ranked #3 and was promptly upset by Stanford and then suffered a blowout loss to OU. The nationally snubbed Oregon Ducks finished off the Horns in a hard fought Holiday Bowl.


This year, Texas faces a solid #11 Arizona State Sun Devil (10-2) squad, whose only losses are to USC and a Dennis Dixon led Oregon Duck team. As the game gets closer, Drinking the Forty will be doing some more in depth analysis.

TEXAS LONGHORNS BEAT BRUINS!!!!!!!!

#8 TEXAS 63
#2 UCLA 61

That's right folks, Texas has pulled off the upset of the UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion! DJ and Damion James both poured in 19, and James had the game winning dunk, as Texas stays undefeated. More analysis later, but just sit back and enjoy the season, basketball fans!

Uromisitisis??? Not for Bill Walker!

Well, he did it. Bill Walker, of Kansas State, has officially PEED ON THE COURT, during a basketball game. You might remember Mr. Walker from being the guy who ate popcorn on the bench, last year, during a game.



OK, so most guys I know, do not even like for another guy to stand next to them at a stall when they pee. Clearly, Walker has no problem doing his business in front of several thousand people. But it is nice to see that not only is Bill Walker going to parlay his college basketball career into an NBA job, but he has also managed to make college basketball a spectator sport, since he is eating and peeing on the bench and all. So, in honor of Mr. Walker, here is a funny Pee Video:

So This is How it Feels to be the Big Ten

The ACC/Big Ten Challenge is an annual event of the ACC every year showing that they are in fact, much much better than the Big Ten. It has become quite the humorous event for the general public who gets to see the Big Ten severely beaten down, the December karma for Ohio State getting in the football National Championship game for beating Michigan and no one else. The event was created to showcase the top two basketball conferences, which is certainly not the case anymore for the Big Ten, who might not be in the top 5 conferences in the country.

Well someone, somewhere must have wanted to know what it feels like to be the Big Ten when they signed the Big XII up for the Pac-10/Big XII Hardwood Series. It was supposed to be the showcase event of the West, and two games in, it has the potential to get ugly. It could be done before the bulk of games on Sunday. Let’s take a look…

#17 Oregon 80, Kansas State 77 OT
- This was a game that the Big XII needed, with Kansas State playing at home. Unfortunately, Michael Beasley’s 24 points and 12 boards weren’t enough to get it done. They did a good job of erasing a 5 point deficit with 5 minutes left, but couldn’t get the win in regulation and a more mature team in Oregon, pulled away.
Pac-10 1, Big XII 0

#24 USC 66, Oklahoma 55
- This one wasn’t as close as the final score as USC almost lead wire to wire. The Sooners were held to 18 points in the first half, shot 35% from the field for the game, and were without a starter scoring in double figures. They also had no answer for the USC freshman tandem of Davon Jefferson (23 pts, 9 reb) and OJ Mayo (18 pts, 5 reb).
Pac-10 2, Big XII 0

FRIDAY

#6 Washington State (6-0) at Baylor (5-0)
- Baylor continues to improve each season, led this year by their three guards Aaron Bruce (Sr, 10.6 ppg), Curtis Jerrells (Jr, 14.0 ppg), and LaceDarius Dunn (Fr, 12.4 ppg). They already boast an impressive road win over Notre Dame (68-64) but this will be their stiffest test of the season thus far. Washington State is ranked #6 in the country and boast one of the best backcourts in the country with senior guards Derrick Low (15.5 ppg) and Kyle Weaver (12.7 ppg). Baylor is improving, but they’re not that good.
Prediction: Pac-10 3, Big XII 0

Iowa State (2-3) at Oregon State (3-2)
- Iowa State comes in with three straight losses at the hands of Bradley, Minnesota, and Northern Iowa. While none of those teams are complete pushovers, none of the games were closer than a nine point margin. Even the return of sophomore guard Wesley Johnson and his 18 points didn’t help against Northern Iowa. However, in Oregon State, you have an opponent that might actually be worse than the Cyclones. Boasting a loss by two to Alaska Fairbanks, Oregon State should be the wiping boys of the conference. But when you pin two bad teams against each other, you go with the home court advantage.
Prediction: Pac-10 4, Big XII 0

SATURDAY

Washington (4-2) at Oklahoma State (2-3)
- A nice win against LSU is about all the Cowboys have to show for this season. A loss to North Texas and being absolutely throttled by #13 Marquette and losing handily to Illinois are the more pressing issues for this team. A young team rebuilding, freshman James Anderson (19.2 ppg) is expected to carry the load. Washington’s only two losses have come at the hands of #15 Texas A&M and #21 Syracuse. Juniors Jon Brockman (18.8 ppg, 11.3 rpg) and Justin Dentmon (13.8 ppg) should give the Cowboys all they can handle.
Prediction: Pac-10 5, Big XII 0

Missouri (5-2) at California (4-0)
- Missouri’s fast paced, full court pressure has given everyone problems this season. Close losses to #11 Michigan State and Arkansas are the only blemishes on their schedule. Missouri uses a 9 man rotation and looks to pressure at every opportunity. California’s nucleus of four players which accounts for 81% of their scoring and 75% of their rebounding will be challenged to stay fresh and stay out of foul trouble.
Prediction: Pac-10 5, Big XII 1

SUNDAY

#4 Kansas (6-0) at #24 USC (6-1)
- USC will get their second shot at a Big XII opponent, but this time against the class of the Big XII. Kansas is deep and talented, boasting five players scoring in double figures. Brandon Rush against OJ Mayo should be an exciting matchup, but Kansas will have too much firepower for the young USC squad.
Prediction: Pac-10 5, Big XII 2

Arizona State (4-1) at Nebraska (4-1)
- Senior center Aleks Maric (16.6 ppg, 9.2 rpg) is one of the best players in the Big XII, but is about all that Nebraska has in terms of firepower. He will cause problems all day for Arizona State, but will it be enough compared to the problems that Arizona State’s freshman backcourt of James Harden (17.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg) and Ty Abbott (11.6 ppg) will cause for the Huskers.
Prediction: Pac-10 6, Big XII 2

Stanford (7-1) at Colorado (5-2)
- Led by seniors Richard Roby (14.6 ppg/5.6 rpg) and Marcus Hall (13.6 ppg) Colorado is trying to rebound from a disastrous 2006 campaign. They might be a little better than last year, but not by much. With no one over 6-6 logging over 11 minutes per game, Colorado is going to have serious problems with 7’0” Robin Lopez (12.4 ppg/ 6.6 rpg).
Prediction: Pac-10 7, Big XII 2

#9 Texas A&M (7-0) at Arizona (4-2)
- Texas A&M is a power team that can shoot from the outside. Senior forward Joseph Jones (11.3 ppg/ 4.7 rpg) and 7’0” freshman center DeAndre Jordan (9.1 ppg/ 7.1 rpg) open things up for the perimeter shooters. Arizona boasts two NBA talents in freshman Jarryd Bayless (18.8 ppg/ 4.7 apg) and sophomore Chase Buddinger (18.3 ppg/ 5.0 rpg), but they don’t have the size inside to deal with the A&M power game.
Prediction: Pac-10 7, Big XII 3

#8 Texas (6-0) at #1 UCLA (7-0)
- The match up between DJ Augustin and Darren Collison will be the one to watch, but Texas’ quickness shouldn’t overwhelm UCLA, and Texas will struggle with the inside skill players of UCLA. Oh, and they’ll have absolutely no answer for freshman sensation Kevin Love (18.1 ppg/10.6 rpg).
Prediction: Pac-10 8, Big XII 3

Nebraska's Glory Days, A Relic of the Past?

It appears that Nebraska has narrowed its coaching search to two candidates. Bo Pelini, defensive coordinator of LSU, and Buffalo head coach Turner Gill. What do these two men have in common? They are both former members of the Nebraska family. Gill as a former quarterback and Pelini a former assistant coach under Osborne and Frank Solich. Tom Osborne and the Cornhuskers nation are demanding a return to prominence from the days of old, and while both of these men could do it, Nebraska is going about the coaching search the wrong way.

Osborne has stressed the importance of his new coach understanding and embracing the tradition and culture of Nebraska football and knowing the expectations that come with the job. Many believed Callahan was the wrong man for the job because he didn’t embrace Husker nation and wasn’t familiar with the winning tradition and history of the school. Well, let me tell you, if Bill Callahan had opened up his arms to Husker nation and embraced all that Nebraska football is, and had still gone 5-7, he would have been fired. And if Callahan had been successful in turning Nebraska into a perennial National Championship contender, no one would have cared that he wasn’t in tune with Husker Nation. The fact of the matter is that Callahan probably isn’t a very good head coach. His offensive mind was evident in flashes throughout his stay in Lincoln, but the collapse of a once renowned defense showed where his weaknesses were.

Pelini, who has overseen a top notch defense at LSU (though they have severely underachieved this season with the amount of talent they have), and Turner who has helped turn around a laughable Buffalo program (5-7 this season, but they also moved to the MAC. Temple won 4 games in the MAC this year) could be the right men for the job. But, Osborne seems convinced that it will take a Nebraska man to right the ship and return the program to the glory days of, well, Osborne. This logic is flawed and is the kind of nepotism that has been problematic in several programs around the country (Penn State, Florida State).

Any coach that is hired understands that he is there to win. He understands there are expectations from the fan base and the school to win and conduct himself in a manner that they can be proud of. I don’t think it takes a Nebraska man to understand how to win at Nebraska. It takes a winning football coach to understand how to recruit and coach in today’s college landscape.

Osborne says he wants to return to the success of Nebraska football, return to developing Nebraska talent. This sounds very much like Osborne wants to be heavily involved in the football program and have input on how the system is run. He says otherwise, but his opinions on running quarterbacks and recruiting should be worrisome. The key to recruiting is getting talent from talent rich areas, Nebraska and the Midwest is no longer one of those areas. Callahan had the right idea in trying to recruit in California, Texas, and Arizona, though his reliance on junior college transfers caused to be problematic. Missouri and Kansas have shown that this is how you have to build your program to succeed. Nebraska would be foolish to get away from that strategy.

One of the most difficult things to do in this world is adapt and change with the times. To take what you know and what has been successful for you, and to be able to adapt it to continue to succeed in a changing world. I don’t know if Tom Osborne has displayed that ability. I think Nebraska will hire Pellini or Gill, and I think they will be unable to restore the glory of Nebraska football. An undesirable location in a changed football landscape at a program that hasn’t been relevant in years, I don’t know if Nebraska football will ever regain the glory it once had.

Baylor Finds Their Man! It's Guy Morriss! Okay...Not Really

Baylor has apparently found their new head coach and it isn’t Guy Morriss, which is more than I thought they would be able to pull off. The new man will be Houston head coach Art Briles, who after five seasons in Houston, will take over the suffering Bears program.

The move could end up being a shrewd one for the Bears as Briles history as the head coach of Stephenville High School, and then his successful transition with Houston. He rebuilt a suffering program at Houston using a high octane passing attack. He initially took the job at Houston and immediately signed quarterback Kevin Kolb (a 2nd round pick for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2007) whom he built the Houston program around. No word on whether he has any NFL quarterbacks he can bring with him to Baylor.

Even after Kolb left, Briles lead the Cougars to an 8-4 record this season. Familiar with the Texas recruiting scene Briles may help give Baylor a much needed boost in the Texas recruiting wars. While he doesn’t have the star power that Baylor had hoped for like a Mike Singletary, he might have a chance to bring the program back to respectability.

That being said, it is Baylor. They play in the Big XII and are the only private university in a conference full of large public universities. They just don’t seem to fit, and it seems like the only way they can succeed is if they do more with less.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3131738

9-3 Still an Overachievement

While Texas fans had grandiose visions of back-dooring their way into a BCS birth, when it came down to it, Texas ended their charade, and played like the 8-4 football team they are. Outside of the Texas Tech game, where Texas Tech declined to use a defense, the Longhorns have been a team that couldn’t play four quality quarters of football and couldn’t dominate in any phase of the game. The fact that they are 9-3 and have a shot to get another 10 win season, is a success in its own right.

The biggest flaw in this year’s Texas team was obviously the defense. The unit trying to cope with the departure of Co-defensive Coordinator Gene Chizik was obviously no where near the unit they were of previous years. The defense struggled to stop anyone all season and had an extremely tough time coming up with stops on third down. It just seemed like whether it was a 3rd and 3, or the 3rd and 20 in the first quarter of the A&M game, the Longhorns would figure out away to give up 4 or 21. The role of a defensive coordinator is to put his players in the position to succeed and to make adjustments throughout the game. While the Texas players often times didn’t make the plays when they were there, the defense rarely made adjustments or improved during the course of the game, and it seemed like the defense was caught off guard or out of position too much. (You may say that the defense stepped up in games against Nebraska and Oklahoma State, but just because the offense decides to run out the clock with 12 minutes left in the game doesn’t mean the defense is making stops.) The way the defense played this season leaves me to wonder whether Chizik was the brains of the operation, but I’m willing to chalk it up to a mediocre secondary and an atrocious set of linebackers and give Duane Akina another year of getting the defense to play in his system.

A more pressing concern has to be the play of Colt McCoy. His decision making in the A&M game might have been worse than his performance in the Kansas State game. After three weeks of playing solid football and making the plays that the defense gave him, Colt looked determined to win the A&M game by himself. As has been the case, when he tries to do too much he fails miserably. While his running game hadn’t been in full force the entire season and he struggled with injuries to his wide receivers, namely Limas Sweed, Colt still should have been better off. After a successful freshman season, Colt was given a larger responsibility in the offense, and he didn’t cope well with the responsibility. His 18 interceptions this season have been costly and keep this offense from achieving more. It is starting to appear more and more that Colt McCoy’s ceiling as a player lies somewhere between the reliable quarterback that played within the system that he was his freshman year and the improvisational playmaker he has tried to be this season. I think the best we can hope for out of Colt McCoy is a quarterback that relies on his running game, spreads the ball around to his extremely talented wide receivers and tight ends, and on occasion makes a few spectacular plays. I think if he tries to do more than that or Texas insists on being a pass first team centered around Colt McCoy, he will continue to have a Kansas State game and Texas A&M game a few times a season.

I think Colt can be a good enough quarterback to win BCS bowls and possibly a National Championship, but it won’t be because of Colt McCoy. If it were to happen it would need to be because Colt leads an offense built around Jamaal Charles and Vondrell McGee, that utilizes Jermichael Finley, Quan Cosby, and Jordan Shipley on the outside. But most of all it would need to be a team that has a National Championship caliber defense. Colt McCoy doesn’t have the ability to throw for 4,500 yards, 38 touchdowns and 4 interceptions, but it doesn’t mean he isn’t the right quarterback for the University of Texas. If Colt could find his niche and play within himself he could be a quarterback that throws for 3,500 yards with 28 touchdowns and 5 interceptions on a BCS team.The real question will be how Colt McCoy handles the pressure that will be present throughout his next two years at quarterback. If Colt McCoy is continued to ask to win Texas football games as oppose to leading the offense, then Colt will continue to have terrible games mixed in with the good and solid ones. If that is the case, then the Texas faithful will begin to clamor for someone who can win games for Texas, like their hero Vince Young. Colt McCoy will have to deal with John Chiles becoming more involved in the offense during his junior and senior season. It is unavoidable; Chiles is a talent that can give a new wrinkle to the Texas offense. But if Colt McCoy can’t handle the criticism or the competition much like Chance Mock, Texas will find itself a team without a leader bogged down in a quarterback quagmire that can’t compete with the elite teams in the Big XII.

Major Applewhite and Chris Simms was a difficult situation that ended with neither reaching their full potential. Chance Mock struggled with the future looking over his shoulder and it ended with Texas underachieving. Colt McCoy needs to be the quarterback for this team, but it needs to be in a system where he is not expected to be the All-American. Unfortunately, Greg Davis’ offense has only been truly effective for two years at the University of Texas, and that was when Vince Young was his quarterback.

That Was Fast...

And just like that, Ricky Williams is out for the season... Again. I was so hopeful for a glorious comeback but, alas, it was not to be. Ricky was stepped on after his 6th carry, Monday night, and had a chest muscle torn.

Ricky must wait until 2008 (that rhymes)

It's been quite a poor year for former Texas running backs: Ricky (out for year), Cedric (out for year), Priest Holes (retired after 1 game), Selvin Young (currently injured)

Giving Him the What??

THE BUSINESS!

Black People Are Mad at A&M...

So, not everyone seems to be pleased with the Aggie hiring of Mike Sherman; namely, black people. And who can blame them? I mean, Mike Sherman is like the exact opposite of black (some may say "white"). But honestly, why would any black coach want to be subjected to coaching at A&M and in College Station? I mean, it's only made up of 98% white, suburban, conservatives. I am pretty sure their idea of "Hip Hop" is Charlie Pride. Sounds Fun!

Minorities Clamoring to Go To College Station

I make light, but don't get me wrong, the article brings up some good and important points. I mean schools always say they want "experience" but how are you supposed to get that if you can't get your FIRST job? (sounds like my attorney job search right now). Anyway, it's a good discussion topic with no real "right" answer But it does seem like job hirings need to look a little more transparent than they currently do. It's just a little hard to get past the "Good 'ol boy" perception.

AS SEEN ON TV!!!

Volleyball clinches Big XII Title

The Lady Longhorns volleyball team wrapped up their 2007 regular season this past week with a 3-2 win at Iowa State and a 3-0 win versus Kansas State this past Saturday. The win improved the #3 ranked Longhorns to 24-3 on the year with a 19-1 mark in the Big XII Conference. The win gave the Longhorns a share of the Big XII title with Nebraska, and it is the Longhorns first conference title since 1997.

With the Conference championship comes a slew of All-Big XII awards. Head Coach Jerritt Elliott won his second Big XII Coach of the Year honors (First in 2004). The Longhorns also placed 5 players on the First Team All-Big XII. Sophomores Ashley Engle and Destinee Hooker, and junior Michelle Moriarity marked their second appearance as first teamers. Junior Lauren Paolini and Julianne Faucette were also named to the First Team. Faucette also was named the Freshman of the Year in the Big XII.

As apparently is the case for the Longhorns and the NCAA tournament in minority sports this season, the Longhorns received a bit of an unfair seeding. While they are a #1 seed Nationally, they find themselves in the Gainesville, FL bracket, which would set them up for a third round match up at the home arena of the #10 Florida Gators, the #4 seed in the region. Yeah, that makes sense. Though I'm not sure it will make a difference. The Longhorns have won 20 straight matches and are firing on all cylinders this season. Their losses this season come to #1 Penn State and #2 Nebraska.

The Longhorns open up their quest for a National Title this Friday against #16 seed Texas State. They will then face the winner of LSU (#9 seed) and #14 New Mexico State (#8 seed). Both matches will take place in Austin. Other teams of note in the Longhorns bracket are #5 USC (#2 seed), #25 Long Beach State (#7 seed), #18 St. John's (#3 seed), and #23 Oklahoma (#5 seed).

Things I Did Not Know...

Did you know the inventor of Gatorade was a University of Texas graduate? Yeah, neither did I. Well, now its too late because he is dead. That's a shame. I feel like I could have used that in an argument at one time.

Gatorade Inventor Passes

Hook'em, Mr. Cade.

Just Ignore the Band Nerds

The Rice band has always been a favorite among fans wherever they travel, not so much for their musicianship as it is for their witty and creative performances. I enjoyed their Nano Bertha performance a few years ago at Texas and their prison themed performance this year was a bit painfully humorous, and have had noted performances at several different places.

However, their performances are even more note worthy when they can manage to have the opposing team file a complaint with the league, which Tulsa was kind enough to oblige with. The Rice band’s performance of “Todd Graham’s Inferno” apparently did not impress the Golden Hurricanes, honoring the former Rice coach who left the Owls after one season for Tulsa.

The performance searched for Coach Graham in the different circles of hell, making reference to Dante’s “Divine Comedy”.

While I’m sure the show was enjoyable, it is so much more worth it, now that Tulsa has filed a complaint. Oh doesn’t Bubba Cunningham (Tulsa’s AD) know? Band nerds are like your older sibling. They are only going to keep picking on you if you give them a reaction.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3129832

Longhorns are Legends in the Annals of Stub Hub! History

After facing three high school teams to start the season, the Longhorns spent Thanksgiving in the winter wonderland that is, Newark, New Jersey. There’s nothing like crime, filth, and oil refineries that get you in the Holiday spirit.

This season, the Longhorns have had many question marks coming into the season. With Kevin Durant gone, the Longhorns had their leader leave after one season. Would DJ Augustin or someone else step up and lead this team? Would the team be able to fill the holes in the stat sheet left behind by Kevin Durant? Would the Longhorns get any interior presence from any of the bigs? Who would emerge to give this Longhorns team more than a few scoring options? Would any of the freshman emerge as a budding star?

In the semi-finals against New Mexico State, the Longhorns faced a team that pushes the pace, and returned most of their lineup from a tournament team last season. It was the first true test for this Longhorns group, and they passed with flying colors, defeating the Aggies 102-87. Leading from wire to wire, the Longhorns were unstoppable on offense and solid enough on defense. AJ Abrams had 31 points on 9 of 12 from three point range. DJ Augustin had 25 points and 10 assists, and Connor Atchley, Justin Mason, and Damion James all scored in double figures. The Longhorns shot 62% from the field and 61% from three point range in the game. It was a track meet for the Longhorns, but limited their mistakes to 11 turnovers, compared to 19 for the Aggies.

The win put the Longhorns in the Stubhub Championship match against #7 Tennessee on Saturday. In a back and forth first half, the Longhorns seized control in the last three minutes, going on a 12-2 run to end the half, giving the Longhorns a 50-41 lead. They would coast from there winning 97-78. The Longhorns shot 63% from the field and 50% from three point range while holding the Volunteers to 37% from the field. The Longhorns got a balanced scoring attack, with AJ Abrams, DJ Augustin, Justin Mason, and Connor Atchley (CONNOR ATCHLEY!) scoring over 20 points. Connor also had 11 rebounds (CONNOR ATCHLEY!) and DJ Augustin had 8 assists.

The tournament was a statement for the Longhorns as they showcased their offensive firepower in the post-Kevin Durant era. It is clear to see that this is DJ Augustin’s team and he has become one of the top point guards in the country. With DJ at the helm the Longhorns will be able to score against almost anyone. AJ Abrams continues to improve as a scorer and the biggest surprise has to be the play of Connor Atchley (CONNOR ATCHLEY!). With Justin Mason’s return to the form we saw early in his freshman year, the Longhorns have their defensive stopper and slasher on the offensive end. The Horns have also been getting quality minutes from freshman Alexis Wangmene off the bench.

There are only a few question marks for this Longhorns team, early in the season. DJ Augustin had 6 turnovers in each of the last two games, which you would think has to do with the fast paced style of both games. But it will be something to keep an eye on moving forward. The play of Damion James early in the season has left a bit to be desired, as the Horns were hoping this would be the season that James lived up to his pre-college hype and emerged as the force in the post the Longhorns need. The Longhorns still need another post player or two to step up and be a reliable option off the bench.

Alexis Wangmene has played well, but Dexter Pittman isn’t fully healthy yet, Clint Chapman hasn’t been a viable option, Matt Hill is out for the year, and Gary Johnson (who was supposed to be the answer this season) has still not been cleared to play with his heart condition. Against the power play of the Big XII, the Longhorns are going to need improved play from the interior if they hope to be able to benefit from their quick perimeter attack.

The Longhorns will get a taste of what they need to work on as they face the #1 team in the country UCLA on December 2nd in Los Angeles. They will also get a good preview for Big XII play, as they also face Michigan State and Wisconsin this December, who will be two of their most physical tests of the season.

An Anti-Climatic Finish

The 2007 season came to an unceremonious end for the Lady Longhorns soccer team as they were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament at the hands of the Florida State Seminoles, 4-0, on Sunday. A season that was full of accomplishment for the Horns ended rather quietly in the third round of the NCAAs. With an early season win over UCLA, to a second consecutive Big XII Tournament Title, and two victories over top five Texas A&M in the span of six days, the second coming in round two of the NCAA tournament in College Station, this season has been all about accomplishment for the Longhorns.

But they didn't come ready to play in round three and got outplayed by a very good team. They were never really in the game, as they were out shot 29-5, and while they were only down 1-0 at half, Florida State had controlled the entire time. The second goal pretty much sealed the deal a minute and a half into the second half. This was the Longhorns third appearance in the third round of the NCAA tournament, and ended the same way as the last two, with a loss.

The Longhorns ended the season 16-4-5, and spent most of the season ranked in the Top 15. The Longhorns will lose three starters to graduation and one reserve. Forward Kelsey Carpenter will be sorely missed as she has been a force for the Longhorns since her freshman season. Scoring 39 goals and 20 assists during her four seasons on the Forty Acres, she was a second team All-American in 2006, and a participant with the US U-21 National Team this past summer. Carpenter has been a constant star for the Longhorn attack and she will be extremely difficult to replace.

Midfielder Caitlyn Kennedy is one of the most talented players to ever step foot on the Forty Acres, but she never achieved her full potential as she was plagued by injuries her junior and senior seasons. When she was on the field she was a scoring threat as well as a creative spark plug for the offense, registering 16 goals and 13 assists over her four seasons as a starter. Her best season was her sophomore campaign, and hopes were high her junior and senior seasons as she was Preseason All-Big XII selections both years. Unfortunately, she could never stay healthy, and her mark on the Longhorns was never what it could have been.

Defender and Midfielder Greta Carter came to the Longhorns in 2006 as a Junior transfer from SMU. In her two years she appeared in 49 games, starting at defense and midfield. This year she played an important role as the Longhorns relied on her constantly to step up her game after injuries to Caitlyn Kennedy and Stephanie Logterman. She responded, having a solid season, scoring a goal and registering two assists. Her flexibility and ability to play multiple positions will be missed.

Leslie Imber spent her four years with the Longhorns as a quality role player who played forward, midfield, and defense. She was always able to step in at multiple positions and log quality minutes. She appeared in 74 games for the Longhorns over 4 seasons and scored 2 goals her junior season. With the amount of talent Texas brings in every year, she could never lock down a starting role, but her ability to play multiple positions made her a valuable commodity off the bench.

With much of the team returning for 2008, and another top recruiting class coming in, the Longhorns will once again be ranked among the top teams in the nation. The Longhorns will be lead by on of the top players in the country in Kasey Moore, who will lead the team from the central midfield and will be a front runner for National Player of the Year. The entire defense will be back led by U-21 National Team member, junior, Stephanie Logterman, junior goalkeeper Dianna Pfenniger, junior defender and three year starter Jill Gilbeau, and freshman Erica Campanelli who emerged this year as a freshman. The offense will be lead by freshman sensation Nikki Arlett, who scored 10 goals and recorded 5 assists this season. She will be joined by freshman Emily Anderson and Alisha Ortiz who both flashed great talent in their inaugural campaigns. The real question marks for this Texas team is who will step up and fill the holes left in the midfield by the graduating seniors. Texas will need bench players like freshman Kirsten Birkenhold and Stephanie Gibson to step up and fill the void.

Texas had a great season, but going out the way they did has to leave a bitter taste in the mouth of a program that looked poised to make a run towards their first Final Four appearance. While it was disappointing finish, the Longhorns cleared many hurdles and built confidence for what should be a promising 2008 campaign.

Texas A&M Welcomes the Sherman-ator

Well, it's official. Texas A&M has hired a new coach.

It's Mike Sherman

Boy, that took all of 3 days. I bet they were really debating whether or not to keep Fran for a while there. Is it me, or is Mike Sherman not a name that scares you as a Texas fan? I mean, he's been an NFL head coach and he is an Aggie, but it's not a name that strikes fear. If you listened to Aggies over the past few weeks, you would have heard the names Jimmy Johnson, Tommy Tubberville, Steve Spurrier and the ghost of Vince Lombardi.

But, to me Mike Sherman is a name the will excite old, white former Aggies (mostly because he is, himself, an old, white former Aggie). But I don't see the "kids" getting too pumped over this hire. I may be wrong, but I doubt the inner-city kids have been clamoring for this hiring.

But I do love this quote:

Sherman called the program "a sleeping giant" and vowed to turn things around.

Seems like EXACTLY what Aggies love to hear and think about themselves. So, until I am proven wrong by a 3rd straight loss to A&M, I will continue to not be concerned with this hiring.

Talk About Your All-time Backfires....

So Baylor doesn't have a coach. Oh yeah, and the guy they wanted, doesn't so much want them. Oops! Baylor legend, Mike Singletary, has announced he is not interested in the job opening at his alma mater.

Singletary Says No Go in Waco

And a final memo to the Bears.... Get used to it.

Rumors Are Fun...

Oh those wild coaching carousel rumors... how we all love them.

Greg Davis to SMU??

This one, however, would rock the collective Texas Football world. I would say about 70% of fans would be jumping for joy, while the more football savvy fans would realize that Texas really did lose a great assistant coach. Even if he wasn't the offensive coordinator, Greg Davis is valuable asset as maybe one of the top QB coaches in the nation. Just look at his pedigrees: Major Applewhite, Chris Simms, Chance Mock, Vince Young, Colt McCoy. There has been ZERO drop off in QB play.

But when there is a loss, to Texas fans, there is but one reason: It has to be Greg Davis. I cannot even fathom the amount to hatred that has been tossed at this man. And for what? The top 6 scoring seasons in Texas history? The top 8 passing seasons in Texas history? Molding Vince Young into one of the greatest players in NCAA history?

Yeah, there are frustrating times, but there are with any coach. If you talk to a fan bases, they can probably point out 40 offensive plays they would have run differently that the person being paid to do it. I mean, they score 60 points a game in NCAA '08! They HAVE to know what they are doing. They even had it on Heisman Level!

Long story short, there is a reason that Mack has held on to this guy for so long. He does a good job. Texas will miss him if he goes. The fans just don't know it yet.

After Facing Arkansas-Montecello and UC-Davis, Texas Basketball Ready for Hogwart's Academy

Hey the Texas basketball team is 3-0! Technically, those games have been against Texas-San Antionio, UC-Davis and Arkansas-Monticello... but who is counting? It really isn't that odd for top basketball teams to beat up on much lesser competition in the beginning of the year, but it doesn't really make for great basketball. The Roadrunners, Aggies and Boll Weevils (yeah that's right) have not really challenged the Horns too much this year, but thats also not what they are here for. This is a Texas team that is young and trying to turn the page on the Kevin Durant Era. These games provide the coaches with a chance to get offenses and defenses in and set playing rotations.

Texas' most recent whipping-boy was Arkansas-Monticello, who left Austin a 100-52 loser. A.J. Abrams led the scoring charge as he dropped in 30 points, hitting 8 of 12 threes. Augustin was solid as usual with 8 points and 6 assists. All eleven Longhorn players that saw action scored, including Ian Mooney (who even saw 10 minutes on the floor).

While these games may not tell us too much about Texas' future successes or difficulties, we can get some idea of what this team will look like from this game. First, we know this team is young. J.D. Lewis & Ian Mooney are the only seniors to go along with 2 juniors, 7 sophomores, and 4 freshmen. But this Texas team is as deep as it is young. Granted, it was a blow out, but seven players saw over 15 mins and everyone contributed when on the floor.

Texas will also be a defensive team. Texas has allowed 37, 42 and 52 points in their games this year. Again, this isn't the best competition, but Texas plays tough, hard-nosed defense throughout the games. Lastly, this is D.J. Augustin's team. Everything Texas does on offense is going to be predicated on D.J. He is going to have to penetrate to get this offense going. Texas is guard heavy, so Agustin's drive will likely be setting up open threes for his teammates. He will also pick running the pick and roll with Damion James and the other Texas big men. What ever Texas plans on offense, you can be sure that it will run through D.J.

These early games are mostly fun for seeing blowouts, discount admissions and random white guys playing towards the end. Texas starts playing better competition this Friday against New Mexico State and will then face wither West Virginia or Tennessee on Saturday.