Good Morning Longhorn Fans!
Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. No. 1 Texas Longhorns
The Bulldogs of Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Sciences and The University of Texas Longhorns kick-off at Darrell K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium on the first Saturday of the fall about 3:15 p.m. Texas Longhorns football officially begins play in the Southeastern Conference. An historic day in Austin and the Great State of Texas!
This will be the Longhorns’ first game on the SEC Network. Tom Hart (Missouri Tiger) on the play-by-play, Cole Cubelic (Auburn Tiger) with analysis, and Alex Chappell (Alabama) on the sidelines.
The line opened with Texas minus 35.5 with an over/under of 61.5. Early, early Friday morning, Texas by 37.5, total still at 61.5. Money line is off. As a policy, I don’t bet on the Horns; but if I did…
Longhorns around the world can listen to the game on the Longhorn Radio Network with the Voice of the Longhorns, Craig Way, Roger Wallace with analysis and color, and Lifetime Longhorn Will Matthews reporting from the sidelines. Also in Spanish with the incomparable Dr. Rubén Pizarro-Silva (and Jesus Mendoza). You can listen in Midland on KBAT 99.9 FM, and in Austin on the flagship, KVET 98.1 FM and 1300 AM. In San Angelo on KKSA, 1260 AM. On SiriusXM channel 82.
The last time the Bulldogs and Longhorns played, the 1999 Cotton Bowl, Ricky Williams ran for 203 yards and 2 touchdowns, averaging 6.8 yards per carry on 30 touches (and caught 5 passes for 45 yards). Major Applewhite was 15/26 for 3 touchdowns, and Wane McGarity caught 4 of those passes, two for touchdowns. No. 20 Texas smoked No. 25 Mississippi State 38-11. Ricky gave us a pose.
Ricky Williams, 37 yards for the touchdown.
No. 1 Texas Longhorns 51, Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks 3
The pregame headlines and hype were, rightfully so, Arch Manning’s first start at a Texas Longhorns. The offense put up points, but it was the Texas Longhorns Defense that showed up especially big Saturday night at Darrell K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium.
© Texas Football
Highlights in Español. ¡Simplemente significa más!
https://x.com/TexasFootball/status/1838960906593607967
The Monday Morning Highlights, on X:
https://x.com/TexasFootball/status/1838200974948618313
And on Instagram:
Archibald Charles Manning is quite good.
https://x.com/TexasFootball/status/1838623357564059756
But it is still Quinn’s team.
https://x.com/TexasFootball/status/1838233173211185587
College Football Peak Awesomeness
Normally, the last couple of weekends of November provide some of the great rivalries and match-ups in the college football season. The Great Shuffle has, predictably, rearranged things.
Of enormous importance for Texas (as many loyal and engaged readers have noted!), No. 2 Georgia is in Tuscaloosa to play No. 4 Alabama. Alabama goes to Knoxville on October 19 to play Tennessee, who is No. 5 this week. If the Crimson Tide beat the Dawgs, and Bama, Texas, and Tennessee all win between now and the nineteenth, the national attention might very well end up on the wrong color orange and the other UT on October 19.
And, this is the second weekend in October:
- Land Thieves vs. Texas in the Red River Rivalry
- Ohio State at Oregon
- Ole Miss at Louisiana State
- Penn State at Southern Cal
- Stanford at Notre Dame
Buckle up.
SEC Injury Report
One of the new aspects of our life in the Southeastern Conference: teams have to release an injury report. Here is our first (as updated Thursday).
We are a bit thin at running back. Need Blue to stay healthy! Maybe we will see a little Nik Sanders this week? Regardless, expect our guys to put up good numbers.
The University of Texas at Austin
The U.S. News & World Report 2024 rankings are out. A university of the first class.
- No. 1 Public University in the State of Texas
- No. 1 University in Texas for Veterans.
- No. 7 Public University in the U.S.A.
- 25 Top 10 undergraduate programs, including No. 1 in accounting, No. 2 in petroleum engineering, No. 5 in chemical engineering, and No. 8 in cybersecurity.
2024 Mississippi State Bulldogs
The 2024 season has not started well for Mississippi State. They opened with a 56-7 win at home in Starkville over the Eastern Kentucky Colonels (who lost the next week to Western Kentucky, 0-31, before getting wins over the West Georgia Wolves [26-7, nope, never heard of them either] and the Morehead State Eagles [42-13]).
The Bulldogs lost to Arizona State and Cameron Skattebo 23-30 (Skattebo rushed for 262 yards on 33 carries, a 7.94 per rush average, and his long was just 39). The Sun Devils are 3-1, after losing last weekend to the Sand Aggies in Lubbock, 22-30.
Toledo blasted the Bulldogs 41-17 in Starkville. The Rockets ran for 169 yards and 2 scores, while the MSU secondary gave up 285 yards and 3 scores. Toledo lost the following week to Western Kentucky.
Mississippi State lost their first road game and first SEC game in the Swamp, as the Gators easily won 45-28. Gators ran for 226 yards and 3 scores, 26/28 passing, 277 yards, 3 touchdowns. Mississippi State also lost their starting quarterback, the Waco escapee Blake Shapen. Who was actually putting up decent numbers in losing causes.
The Bulldogs are coached by Jeff Lebby, who is in his first season in Starkville. He was in Norman for 2 years before that as offensive coordinator the Land Thieves – and he was very successful. Jeff is from Andrews, Texas, but went to Oklahoma.
It has been interesting to try and get a handle on this team. They have not been good, and the starting quarterback (Shapen) and second leading rusher (Keyvone Lee) are out. On a team that was 97th in the nation in rushing and 109th in red zone offense. Their passing attack was No. 36, but that was with Shapen slinging it.
Offense
Michael Van Buren, Jr. (No. 0, 6-1, 200 pound freshman from St. Frances Academy, Bowie, Maryland) will start at quarterback. He was 7/13 for 100 yards against Florida in a decided game, in relief of Shapen. He was a 3 or 4 star recruit, depending on who you ask, but for us, he is a somewhat unknown commodity. He didn’t run a lot in high school, and was minus 5 yards with 5 carries in the Swamp. Florida is the No. 92 pass defense in the FBS, Texas is No. 8.
Johnnie Daniels, a good whiskey name, is the leading MSU running back. No. 20, 5-10, 200 pound Junior. 32 carries, 158 yards, 1 score. 4.9 ypc, 39.5 ypg.
Davon Booth (No. 21, 5-10, 205 Senior, transfer from Utah State). He did rush for 805 yards for the Utah Aggies (120 carries, 6.7 ypc) before becoming a Mississippi aggie. He has 133 yards on 36 carries with 2 touchdowns this season.
Leading receivers to watch for: No. 3 Kevin Coleman, Jr. (22 catches, 287 yards, 3 scores, long of 80); No. 6 Jordan Mosley (13 catches, 202 yards, 2 scores, long of 65), and No. 7 Mario Cravor (8 catches, 192 yards, 2 scores).
Defense
Isaac Smith (No. 2, 6 foot, 205 sophomore Safety) is by far their leading tackler, and he is listed as questionable. 51 tackles, 32 solo. Stone Blanton (No. 7, 6-2, 230 junior linebacker, transfer from South Carolina) is next with 31 tackles. Brylan Lanier (No. 3, 6-1, 190 lbs, junior Safety) has 25 tackles.
The MSU kicker, Kyle Ferrie, is 2 for 3 with a long of 32, and he has missed a point after.
Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. No. 1 Texas Longhorns
The Statistics
Offense
Statistic |
Texas |
Mississippi State |
| Rushing Offense | #44 – 189.8 ypg | #97 – 133.3 ypg |
| Passing Offense | # 10- 321.5 ypg | #36 – 268.5 ypg |
| Total Offense | #12 – 511.3 ypg | #67 – 401.8 ypg |
| Scoring Offense | #11 – 47.5 ppg | #62 – 31.0 ppg |
| First Downs | #23 – 23.8/game | #43 – 22.3/game |
| Sacks Allowed | #18 – 3, 20 yards | #125 – 13, 77 yards |
| Tackles for Loss Allowed | #61 – 18, 64 yards | #93 – 23, 104 yards |
| Third Down Conversions | #15 – 52% | #39 – 45.5% |
| Fourth Down Conversions | #60 – 57.1% (4/7) | #50 – 60% (6/10) |
| Red Zone Attempts | #5 – 23 | #44 – 16 |
| Red Zone Offense | #19 – 96% / 91% | #109 – 75% / 63% |
| Long Run Plays | #60 – 19/10, 7/20, 2/30, 2/40 | #60 – 19/10, 1/20, 1/30, 1/40 |
| Long Pass Plays | #14 – 48/10, 19/20, 11/30, 6/40 | #17 – 45/10, 14/20, 6/30, 4/40 |
Defense
Statistic |
Texas |
Mississippi State |
| Rushing Defense | #28 – 96.3 ypg | #124 – 216.8 ypg |
| Passing Defense | #7 – 115.5 ypg | #64 – 200.0 ypg |
| Total Defense | #5 – 211.8 ypg | #111 – 416.8 ypg |
| Scoring Defense | #1 – 5.5 ppg | #107 – 30.8 ppg |
| First Downs Allowed | #2 – 11.3/game | #127 – 23.8/game |
| Sacks | #66 – 7, 36 yards | #123 – 3, 14 yards |
| Tackles for Loss | #27 – 27, 85 yards | #126 – 12, 34 yards |
| Third Down Conversions | #4 – 21.8% | #116 – 45.6% |
| Fourth Down Conversions | #53 – 50% | #90 – 62.5% |
| Red Zone Attempts | #4 – 4 | #119 – 17 |
| Red Zone Defense | #2 – 50% / 0% | #82 – 88% / 76% |
| Long Run Plays Allowed | #6 – 6/10, 1/20, 1/30, 1/40 | #131 – 33/10, 2/20, 2/30, 0/40 |
| Long Pass Plays Allowed | #5 – 14/10, 6/20, 1/30, 0/40 | #97 – 36/10, 9/20, 2/30, 0/40 |
Texas is tied for 1st in SEC in Scoring Defense. MSU is last.
The only better red zone defense is, aptly, Army. But when it comes to touchdowns, Texas and Georgia are the only 2 schools who have not allowed a red zone touchdown.
Other
Statistic |
Texas |
Mississippi State |
| Turnovers | #70 – 5 (1F, 4I) | #52 – 4 (3F, 1I) |
| Turnover Margin | #32 – 8:5 +3 | #83 – 3:1 -1 |
| Penalties | #69 – 24, 204 yards | #77 – 25, 224 yards |
*Based on total number of penalties.
Match-up Comparison
Texas Offense |
Mississippi State Defense |
| Rushing Offense – 189.8 ypg | 216.8 ypg – Rushing Defense |
| Passing Offense – 321.5 ypg | 200.0 ypg – Passing Defense |
| Total Offense – 511.3 ypg | 416.8 ypg – Total Defense |
| Scoring Offense – 47.5 ppg | 30.8 ppg – Scoring Defense |
| First Downs – 23.8/game | 23.8/game – First Downs Allowed |
| 3rd Down Offense – 52% | 45.6% – 3rd Down Defense |
| 4th Down Offense – % | 62.5% – 4th Down Defense |
| Red Zone Offense – 96%/91% | 88%/76% – Red Zone Defense |
| LRP – 19/10, 7/20, 2/30, 2/40 | 33/10, 2/20, 2/30, 0/40- LRP Allowed |
| LPP – 48/10, 19/20, 11/30, 6/40 | 36/10, 9/20, 2/30, 0/40 – LPP Allowed |
Texas Defense |
Mississippi State Offense |
| Rushing Defense – 96.3 ypg | 133.3 ypg – Rushing Offense |
| Passing Defense – 115.5 ypg | 268.5 ypg – Passing Offense |
| Total Defense – 211.8 ypg | 401.8 ypg – Total Offense |
| Scoring Defense – 5.5 ppg | 31.0 ppg – Scoring Offense |
| First Downs Allowed – 11.3/game | 22.3/game – First Downs |
| 3rd Down Defense – 21.8% | 45.5% – 3rd Down Offense |
| 4th Down Defense – 50% | 60% – 4th Down Offense |
| Red Zone Defense – 50%/0% | 75%/63% – Red Zone Offense |
| LRP Allowed – 6/10, 1/20, 1/30, 1/40 | 19/10, 1/20, 1/30, 1/40 – LRP |
| LPP Allowed – 14/10, 6/20, 1/30, 0/40 | 45/10, 14/20, 6/30, 4/40 – LPP |
If you just looked at MSU’s stats and rankings blind, you would assume this was a Group of 5 school who had been on the road taking their spankings and collecting their checks. Some of the comparisons really standout (there are 134 FBS teams this year):
- Texas No. 1 in scoring defense, Mississippi State 107th.
- Bulldogs defense: 111 total defense (Texas is No. 12 offense),
- Bulldogs No. 107 scoring defense (Texas is No. 11 scoring offense)
- Bulldogs No. 116 on third downs (Texas O is No. 15)
- Bulldogs 119th in red zone attempts allowed (Texas O is No. 5)
Texas Homer:
Advanced Stats Preview from Nik Patel on Burnt Orange Nation:
No. 1 Texas vs. Mississippi State advanced stats preview – Nik on BON
The College Football Insiders analytics
BCF Toys
Excellent advanced analytics. If you want the explanation of one of these statistical categories, the link is embedded.
| FEI | OFEI | DFEI | SFEI – Adj | |
| Texas | No. 3: 1.28 | No. 5: 0.60 | No. 4: 0.63 | No. 14: 0.07 |
| State | No. 92: -.31 | No. 74: -.12 | No. 103: -.17 | No. 99: -.04 |
| NAY | OAY | DAY | |
| Texas | No. 2: 0.486 | No. 8: 0.695 | No. 2: 0.209 |
| State | No. 111: -.212 | No. 76: 0.450 | No. 122: 0.662 |
Mississippi State is ranked well below where ULM was in all 3 AYP categories.
| NPD | OPD | DPD | |
| Texas | No. 4: 3.87 | No. 6: 4.25 | No. 1: 0.38 |
| State | No. 115: -1.90 | No. 70: 2.18 | No. 128: 4.08 |
| NPP | OPP | DPP | |
| Texas | No. 3: 4.44 | No. 12: 7.80 | No. 3: 3.36 |
| State | No. 101: -1.44 | No. 97: 5.10 | No. 102: 6.54 |
BCF’s Game Projection. “Game Projections are calculated from current FEI ratings and include the projected win likelihood (PW), projected margin of victory (PM), projected points scored (PF) and allowed (PA), and projected total points scored (PT) for each FBS game.”
| Projected Winner | Projected Loser | PW | PM | PF | PA | PT |
| Texas | Mississippi State | .990 | 36.2 | 46.4 | 10.2 | 56.6 |
The official Game Notes from The University of Texas
Week 5 – Mississippi State (PDF) – University of Texas Athletics
TCT Thoughts
Boy, I am restraining myself to not go over the cliff on how bad the Horns might beat Mississippi State. The Bulldogs have a terrible defense, and the offense is not very good at all (and probably won’t be as good this week as it has been).
Losing Shapen was disastrous for MSU. He was a very good college quarterback, probably the brightest spot on the Bulldog roster. Now Lebby has to start a freshman quarterback who will make that first college start in what should be a wild environment at DKR-TMS against one of the best defenses in the country. Michael Van Buren, Jr. also has the misfortune of making that first college start behind an offensive line that does not appear to be very good. Ranked 125th in the country in sacks allowed, when only 3 of those 13 sacks came against Florida – the Sun Devils got 4 sacks, and the Bulldogs gave up 5 sacks to the Toledo Rockets. So unless Lebby has managed to re-tool a pass heavy offense in one week and found a new running back, Van Buren is going to be expected to help move the ball through the air, and I just don’t think PK and the New DBU are going to allow that. Coleman is a good receiver, and Cravor is fast. But not good enough or fast enough. Couple with that the mediocre running game and this Texas defense, which can shut the other team down, and we might pitch a shutout. One can also look at the advanced analytics – 111th in Available Yards Percentage, 101st in Net Yards per Play, and 115th in Net Points per Drive. The Bulldogs offense should not move the ball against Texas, much less reach the end zone.
If you are a Mississippi State fan reading this, and you thought that was the bad news, you might want to get another beer. And a shot of tequila. More bottom quartile and quintile rankings in the straight-up stats and the advanced analytics. If your ranking has 3 digits in it, you are not good. Not good at all.
Their bad run defense would make for an epic rushing game for the Longhorns if our full running back corps was healthy and playing. I would guess 350 yards or more. With the banged up RB room, we should still run for over 200 yards. Maybe more. Two of their three leading tacklers are safeties, and several other defensive backs are up there. Which means their line is not stopping hardly anyone, and the linebackers need linebacker-backers – which is what the Bulldog secondary has to do. Which then plays into not so good pass defense. Which is exacerbated by a bad pass rush.
Since I am already bored with writing bull about the bad Bulldogs, this is a good time to breakdown one of my favorite stats, FEI. I am not sure I can explain how they get to the FEI ratings, but I can tell you what it is. FEI ratings are opponent-adjusted possession efficiency data representing the scoring advantage per non-garbage possession a team (or unit, which we will do with defense) would expect to have on a neutral field against an average opponent. It gets complicated. If you really want to drill down, just check out the explanation of “Garbage vs. Non-Garbage Possessions”.
So let’s look at the defensive efficiency ratings for the Mississippi State Bulldogs. The sabremetricians (my word) take the other advanced metrics (the ones I include and others), and then figure out the FEI Defense Ratings (DFEI) – opponent-adjusted possession efficiency data representing the scoring advantage per non-garbage possession a defense would expect to have on a neutral field against an average opponent offense. I think to put in simpler terms, how does a team’s defense play by looking at, inter alia, with respect to opposing offenses, how many points does the opposing offense average per drive (in NPD above), how many yards per play (part of NPP), and how many drives ended in touchdowns, field goals, or nothing. You factor all those things and more in, and you can rate how efficient a defense is performing.
Mississippi State is 103rd in DFEI. By contrast, Texas is No. 4. An easy one, in the elements that go into a calculation: the Bulldog defense has a DFD rating of 128 (out of 134), with 4.08 points per drive. Texas probably averages about 12 possessions a game. That is 50 points right there.
So, I have said all this without talking about what the Longhorns can and will do, and the big question is will Quinn Ewers play? The best thing about that question – it doesn’t matter, at least as far as the outcome of this game. If Quinn sits and Arch plays, Texas wins. If Arch starts and then Trey Owens plays, Texas wins. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that everyone who does play stays healthy, and those who need rest and healing, may they find that this week.
There are some wildcards in this game. We don’t really know what Michael Van Buren, Jr. might be able to do. We have seen players have career games, perform at their highest levels, against the Longhorns. Iron sharpens iron. But I don’t foresee that this week. Lebby’s kids are going to struggle mightily to get first downs, much less points. The Bulldog defense might, maybe for a little bit, keep pace with the Sarkisian Attack, but it won’t last long. My guess is we score on either all or all but one first half possessions.
Texas needs to play a clean game. We need to use this Saturday to eliminate the stupid penalties – false starts, pushing a guy in the back and erasing my pick six. Get Arch more game reps to work on his progressions and reads. Maybe give Quinn a couple of series before the week off.
Texas is going to begin Southeastern Conference play with a big win. Texas is going to Dallas in two weeks as the Number 1 team in the country. Then we are going to kick the Land Thieves butts.
I’ve got a couple of Wingo big scoring plays, a 40+ yard Blue touchdown run, a pick six, a scoop and score after a sack, and this: Arch Manning catches a touchdown pass. (Just dreaming, don’t place a big prop bet!)
TCT Prediction: No. 1 Texas Longhorns 62, Mississippi State Bulldogs 6
Our Tower
This week’s request for consideration of financial support is for our beloved UT Tower. The symbol of The University, the Tower is set to undergo a long overdue, much-needed repair and renovation project. You can read more below, and donate here.
Tower Renovation | The University of Texas at Austin
To read more about the Tower, I recommend Jim Nicar’s article (which was also the source of the photo above):
How to Build a Tower | The UT History Corner
Texas Longhorns 51, Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks 3
Our tune-up game was a good one. We saw even more improvement on defense, we saw that Arch Manning is mortal and will probably not win the Heisman Trophy until next year, and we saw that our roster isn’t a normal upper tier program 2-deep – it is 3 and 4 deep at some positions. Loaded.
I love defense. I love great linebacker play, I love shutdown cornerbacks and hard-hitting safeties, and I love speed on the edge and brute strength in the middle. Texas has that and more. At halftime, Louisiana Monroe had 101 yards on offense. In the final box score, 111 yards. 54 passing, 57 rushing. Ten (10) yards in the second half. “This team is going to really struggle to gain yards and score points.” I underestimated the struggle.
As I noted last week, the Warhawks appeared really good on paper in some defensive categories, both standard stats and even in advanced analytics. Manning passed for 258 yards and 2 scores, the Texas backs (and Ryan Niblett) rushed for 244 yards and five touchdowns. For Jaydon Blue, a career night – he had four of those touchdowns, 124 yards on 25 carries.
Big games from Anthony Hill, Jr. (sack and a pick) and Liona Lefau (developing rapidly – led in tackles, and had a sack with 2 TFL). Hill was the highest graded linebacker of the week (90.7). Colin Simmons was the highest graded true freshman Edge in Week 4.
Texas has now allowed 22 points in four football games; 2 touchdowns and 3 field goals.
General Maximus Axel Booty was 8/19 (I like that) for 42 yards with an interception and a sack. His QBR was 6.5. Archibald Charles Manning had an off-night (with the 2 picks and a sack and no rushing yards), and his QBR was 71.3
If that stupid shove in the back doesn’t get called, Hill has a pick six. We did get the safety, so at least the defense scored. I was close.
The full game highlights from ESPN:
All the plays from @TexasClips (my friend Justin Nash)
Arch Manning highlights from ESPN:
Not game highlights, but the Lone Star Medley from Mariachi Paredes de Tejastitlan. Quite good.
Good highlights from the day:
Mississippi State University
The Agricultural and Mechanical College of the State of Mississippi was created in 1878 as Morrill Act land-grant college. The first students enrolled in 1880, with General Stephen D. lee serving as the school’s first president. The school expanded its mission after the passage of the Hatch Act in 1887 and the Smith-Lever Act in 1914 (which created the agricultural extension services), and in 1932 the university was renamed Mississippi State College.
Enrollment is around 23,000. The campus spans 4,200 acres – which includes farms, pastures, and woodlands.
Interestingly, the home of the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library.
Academic Rankings |
||
National |
||
Texas |
Mississippi State |
|
| Forbes | 31 | 242 |
| U.S. News & World Report | 32 | 216 |
| ARWU | 25 | NL |
| Washington Monthly | 87 | 254 |
Global |
||
| ARWU | 45 | 501 |
| QS | 66 | 1001-1200 |
| THE | 52 | 601-800 |
| U.S. News & World Report | 56 | 832 |
Famous alumni abound. My favorite may be the legendary comedian Jerry Clower. Remember when we used to buy LP vinyl records and listen to comedians? Probably had a few 8-tracks with Clower too. One of my favorite jokes is his story about going to the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup. Not as funny as it used to be, maybe because I am around one of Sweetwater’s finest and funniest so much, B.B. Hawley.
John Grisham, the great author of The Firm and other legal thrillers. Will Clark, a great Major League Baseball player. Raphael Palmeiro and Jonathan Papelbon, and Buck Showalter.
And Tony Dewar’s favorite, Dak Prescott!
Johnny Cash played in Starkville in 1965 and got tossed in the jail. So we got this song.
AP Top 25 & Coaches Poll
ESPN College Football Power Index
Mississippi State is about No. 72, just ahead of Bowling Green
ESPN SP+ from Bill Connelly
Texas One
The Texas One Fund is the official NIL collective that supports The University of Texas athletics. Texas One provides opportunities to Longhorns use their name, image, and likeness to promote charitable causes. Contributions to Texas One now count toward your Longhorn Foundation loyalty points. It is critically important to support Texas One and NIL for Longhorns. We didn’t get Jonah Williams because he is excited about living in Jester.
Week Five in the Southeastern Conference
No. 2 Georgia at No. 4 Alabama, 6:30 p.m. on ABC/ESPN+. Both undefeated, one of the best games of the year not being played in Austin, Texas or the Cotton Bowl, and it should be awesome! The boys in the desert like the Dawgs. The numbers sayeth otherwise. Georgia favored by 1, over/under is 50.5. I hope to be home from DKR-TMS sometime in the second quarter and mixing a Tanqueray No. Ten Vesper martini – shaken, not stirred – and decanting a Cabernet for dinner. Not that I have a dog in this fight, but I would like to see Georgia come to Austin undefeated.
College Football Insiders: Dawgs at Roll Tide
Kentucky (2-2, 0-2) at Ole Mississippi (4-0, 0-0), 11:00 a.m. on ABC/ESPN+. Bloody Marys and Mimosas in the Grove. Rebels favored by 16, over/under is 52.5. Both seem low
No. 21 Land Thieves (3-1, 0-1) at Auburn (2-2, 0-1), 2:30 p.m. on ABC/ESPN+. Would be such a pity for Oklahoma to start life in the Southeastern Conference 0-2. Land Thieves favored by 1 (ESPN Bet says even), total is 45.5.
Arkansas (3-1, 1-0) “at” No. 24 Texas Agricultural & Mechanical (3-1, 1-0), 2:30 p.m. on ESPN. The Jamboree at Jerrah World. Exodus 8:16-17 would be fine with me. Texas Agricultural & Mechanical favored by 5.5, total is 52.5. All things considered, Gig Em! Good luck to those good old Texas Aggies!
College Football Insiders: Pigs vs. Texas Agricultural & Mechanical
South Alabama (2-2) at No. 14 Louisiana State (3-1), 6:45 p.m. on the SEC Network. Tigers favored by 20.5, total is 65.5.
Week 5: Service Academies
Thursday
Army defeated Temple 42 to 14 at the Linc in Philly. Black Knights were favored by 13.5, total was 45.5. Strong showing by the men from West Point. And another huge game on the ground, as Army rushed for 417 yards and 5 scores. QB Bryson Daily led the Black Knights with 152 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Saturday
Navy (3-0) at UAB (1-2). 11:00 a.m. on ESPN2. Midshipmen favored by 3.5, over/under is 57.5.
Air Force (1-2) at Wyoming (0-4), 7:00 p.m. on CBSSN. Falcons favored by 3, total is 34.5.
Top 25 – Week 5
Friday
Virginia Tech at No. 7 Miami (Florida), 6:30 p.m. on ESPN. Get in the Hokie Huddle! Would love to see VPI with an upset in Hard Rock Stadium, but highly unlikely. Hurricanes are favored by 17.5, over/under is 53.5.
Saturday
Minnesota at No. 12 Michigan, 11:00 a.m. on FOX. The Gophers and Wolverine will play for the Little Brown Jug, the most regularly exchanged trophy in college football. This will be the 106th meeting in the series which Michigan leads 77-25-3 (sounds vaguely familiar…). Michigan favored by 10, over/under is 35.5. Go Big Blue!
No. 20 Oklahoma State (3-1) at No. 23 Kansas State (3-1), 11:00 a.m. on ESPN. Winner of this game will be in the hunt with Utah for the Big 12 title. Oh, the excitement. Miss it so much. Wildcats favored by 5, over/under is 57.5. Go Pokes.
No. 22 Brigham Young (4-0) at Baylor (2-2), 11:00 a.m. on FS1. I was stunned Monday night when I saw the line at Baylor minus 3. That line has held. I checked it twice Thursday night/Friday morning. Total is 46.5.
Wisconsin at No. 13 Southern Cal, 2:30 p.m. on the Columbia Broadcasting System. Trojans favored by 15.5, total is 51.5. Okay Art, I am all in for the Men of Troy this week! Fight On!
No. 15 Louisvile at No. 16 Notre Dame, 2:30 p.m. on Peacock. Peacock. NBC, sometimes called the Notre Dame Broadcasting Company, decides to stream a top 20 match-up from Notre Dame? Not a good one. Irish favored by 7, total is 46.5. Hope Notre Dame crushes the vile Cardinals.
No. 3 The Ohlo State University at Michigan State, 6:00 p.m. on Peacock. This one, I get. Buckeyes favored by 23.5, total is 48.5. Go Sparty.
Leland Stanford Junior University (2-1) at No. 17 Clemson. 6:00 p.m. on ESPN. As you know, have always liked the Cardinal. Just a tremendous school. Dabo and the Tigers favored by 21.5, total is 57.5.
No. 18 Iowa State (3-0) at Houston (1-3), 6:00 p.m. on FS1. I will flip over occasionally to just enjoy watching the Cougars get beat. Cyclones favored by 16 on the artificial turf of John O’Quinn field at Texas Dow Employees Credit Union Stadium.
No. 19 Illinois (4-0) at No 9 Penn State (3-0), 6:30 p.m. on NBC. While I am a bleed Cubby blue Cubs fan, that fandom doesn’t extend much beyond the Friendly Confines. But this weekend, good luck to the Fighting Illini! Nittany Lions favored by 19.5, over/under is 47.5.
Washington State (4-0) at No. 25 Boise State, 9:00 p.m. on FS1. One of three very good late night games Saturday. Cougars are road dogs on the Smurf Turf, 6.5. Over/under is 65.5.
Arizona (2-1) at No. 10 Utah. 9:15 p.m. on ESPN. Utes getting a lot of love, but is Cam Rising healthy? Utah defense is great. Utes favored by 8 at home, total is 47.5.
No. 8 Oregon at UC Los Angeles, 10:00 p.m. on FOX, from the Rose Bowl. I hope we can continue to get some of these PAC-12 after dark memorial games. Ducks favored by 25.5, total is 55.5.
Other Games of Interest – Week 5
Nebraska at Purdue, 11:00 a.m. on Peacock. NBC really sticking it to the Big 10. Wonder what the fine print is in that new media package. Huskers favored by 10, over/under is 48.5. GBR!
College Football Insiders – Go Big Red vs. the Combovers
Massachusetts at Miami, 2:30 p.m. on ESPN+, from beautiful Yager Stadium in Oxford, Ohio. Redhawks favored by 17.5. Good. They need a win!
Texas Christian at Kansas, 2:30 p.m. on ESPN+. Jayhawks favored by 1.5, both teams 0-1 in the Big 12.
North Carolina (3-1) at Duke (4-0), 3:00 p.m. on ESPN2. Hoping Mack can bounce back. Duke favored by 2.5, total is 55.5.
UTSA at East Carolina, 3:00 p.m. on ESPN+. Both teams 2-2 in their first AAC game of the season. Pirates favored by 3. Birds up!
Florida State (1-3) at Southern Methodist (3-1), 7:00 p.m. on the ACC Network. Can you believe this a conference game for the Ponies and that they are the better team and 6 point favorites?
https://x.com/SMUFB/status/1565732504073433088
Cincinnati at the Sand Aggies, 7:00 p.m. on ESPN2. Both 3-1. Tech favored by 3.5
Juan Heisman Tailgate
An excellent day at Juan Heisman for the Louisiana-Monroe game. Great to have JHT CEO Judd Messer back, We are ready to start SEC play! Should be fun day in Lot 38, and some good tunes down at LCL with Fitz and The Tantrums
Great to have my sister Diana, her husband Scott (a good aggie, who was so good he wore a Texas shirt), my niece Taylor, and her girlfriend Christina, along with Claudia & Kathy & me:
Four of the OG’s of the Tailgate. Walter Keene Linscott Ferguson, Jr., Brad Hawley, Brad Laughlin.
The third generation has arrived at Juan Heisman. Charlie Crowley attended his first JHT! Great to have the whole Crowley family there last week.
Washington & Lee University
W&L Generals 10, Trinity Tigers 16
The Generals fell short in their contest with Trinity, but by all reports, it was great day for the alumni, friends, and parents of Washington & Lee who attended the tailgate and game in San Antonio. Kudos to Bob Jungman, who went to San Antonio for the game and was back at Juan Heisman for the Texas game.
Harrison Donovan, Austin High 2021, W&L Class of 2025, Nakia Wilkins-Lee, who played for the Manor Mustangs, and Joshua Garcia, Austin High 2022, W&L Class of 2026.
This week, the Generals are home in the friendly confines of beautiful Wilson Field to play the Averett University Cougars, a late 5:00 p.m. start with Parents Weekend.
Michelle Moore Smith, W&L 2003, The University of Texas School of Law, 2007.
TCT, W&L 1982, The University of Texas School of Law, 1985.
One of the best law partners I have!
Week Four in the Southeastern Conference
Tennessee beat the Land Thieves 25-15 in Norman. Rocky Top!
Vanderbilt took No. 7 Missouri to double overtime in a game where the Tigers were 20 point home favorites. Vandy missed a 31 yard field goal in the second overtime. Mizzou wins 30-27.
Florida led Mississippi State 28-14 at half and never looked back. Gators won 45-28, easily covering the 6 point line, and knocking MSU QB Blake Shapen out of the game.
Kentucky galloped past Ohio for 41-6 win in Lexington.
Arkansas upset Auburn 24-14 on the Plains.
UCLA gave Louisiana State a game for the first 30 minutes – it was 17-17 at half. But the Tigers shutout the Bruins in the second to get the 34-17 win.
Bowling Green 20, Texas Agricultural & Mechanical 26. Texas Agricultural & Mechanical had a 13-3 halftime lead, but the Falcons kept it close. The line was Aggies by 22.5. Pretty good cover. Might have put a damper on the season for Texas Agricultural & Mechanical if they had lost to Bowling Green. Or ran out of time.
Akron 7, South Carolina 50. Gamecocks cover the line and the total.
Georgia Southern 13, Ole Miss 52. Rebels are really, really good. Hotty Toddy!
Week 4: Service Academies
Army ran over Rice 37-14. 288 yards on the ground from the Black Knight quarterback Bryson Daily, who scored 3 touchdowns and passed for 2 more (107 yards).
Navy 56-44 over Memphis, which really surprised me. Happy for the Midshipmen.
Top 25 – Week 4
Friday night, a tough home loss for Nebraska to Illinois in overtime.
Michigan upsets Southern Cal 27-24, to give the Trojans a loss in their first Big Ten game. Makes the Texas win in the Big House look particularly good.
Marshall 14, Ohio State 49. Thundering Herd covers.
The Clemson Tigers led North Carolina State 45-7 at half, and Dabo and his boys cruised to a 59-35 win.
No. 20 Iowa State blew past Arkansas State 52-7 at Jack Trice Stadium. Cyclones cover the line and the total.
Kent State 0, PSU 56.
Miami Redhawks 3, Notre Dame 28. Miami covers! Irish win!
Georgia Tech loses to Louisville 19-31.
Buffalo upsets No. 23 Northern Illinois 23-20. Huskies were favored by 13.5. Total was 43.5.
Utah 22-19 over Oklahoma State in Stillwater. Utes are looking good, probably the best team in the Big 12. Of course, we will not really know in the regular season, as their schedule does not run through Lubbock.
Miami (Florida) 50, South Florida 15. Total was 65.5. Pretty good.
No. 12 Kansas State was favored by 7 at Brigham Young. Provo at night. Cougars 38, K State 9. Wildcats never found the endzone.
Other Games of Interest – Week 4
Friday Night
Leland Stanford Junior University with a nice win at Syracuse 26-24.
Saturday
It was not a good day for our friend Mack Brown. James Madison came out on fire, and it was 53-21 at halftime. Final 70-50. !
Virginia shagged past Coastal Carolina 43-24.
Arizona State lost to Texas Tech 22-30.
Duke 45-17 over Middle Tennessee.
Pony Up! Southern Methodist 66, Texas Christian 42. Frogs were 2 point favorites.
Music
You may think you don’t know Fitz and The Tantrums, but these first two may jog your memory:
Handclap
The Walker
I Just Wanna Shine
Sway
Breakin’ The Chains of Love, with Daryl Hall
Kathy helped me with this one. This is the song all the kids are going nuts to at games. Chappell Roan, HOT TO GO!
Jim Nicar
2006: The UT Austin campus at sunset, with the Tower sporting everyone’s favorite shade of orange. West Campus doesn’t yet have a skyline, and the Powers Student Activities Center and Patton Hall for liberal arts and ROTC programs are still years away.
From Jim’s post on September 20, 2024.
Follow Jim on X
HAAM
Thank you to all of my friends who donated to HAAM! I am really grateful. As of about midnight Thursday night, $3,780 donated to my personal fundraiser. Thanks to Laura, Amy, Brenda, Kara & Bob, Gordon, Jake, Don, Debbie, Jeff, Jay, Little Joe, John, Mike, Amy & Perry, Mary Ann & Ben, Karen, Kari, Bill, Alfie, Lisa & Sam, Mike, and several anonymous.
HAAM Day was a huge success. I will report on the final numbers next week, but it was big. I did make it to Antone’s for a couple of shows. Tomar & the FC’s were great, and HeartByrne was outstanding. Drank some cold beers with one of Austin’s coolest guys, Stephen Jeffrey, a great HAAM leader and board member and a very fine musician in his own right.
Picture of the Week
This week’s POTW is from my great friend and a great Longhorn, Doug Cotner, from his place on Lake Buchanan, last Tuesday evening.
Texas.
Quote of the Week
“Where all think alike, no one thinks very much.”
Walter Lippmann (1889-1974), American author, journalist, political commentator, and two-time recipient of the Pulitzer Prize. This quote is from his 1915 book, The Stakes of Diplomacy.
From a friend who sends out a daily motivational quote.
God Bless Texas
God Bless America
Tim Taylor
Member, Football Writers Association of America
Tailgating before Home Football Games
The Juan Heisman Tailgate
Lot 38, East of Sid Richardson Hall
HOOK EM HORNS!!
The Austin Horns Fan Dispatch
Vol. XXI, No. 6
© Timothy C. Taylor, Sr. 2024. All Rights Reserved (as to original material).
On Twitter: @tctayloratx
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You can contact me by mail:
Tim Taylor P.O. Box 5371 Austin, Texas 78763-5371