Good Morning Longhorn Fans!
Louisiana State Tigers 45, Texas Longhorns 38
After one of the most amazing game days on the Forty Acres in many, many years, the Longhorn Faithful packed Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium for a fantastic college football game. The Longhorns came out on the short end of the score, but Texas can be proud of our players, our coaches, and the administration who put on a show of the first class for the Nation to see. From the outstanding turnout for College Gameday, to McConaughey’s splendid entrance in Megan Grigsby’s burnt orange Lincoln, to a beautiful (if hot) day of tailgating and partying all over the environs of DKR and East Campus, Saturday was a great day for The University. More on the game below and the tough loss. But I am more grateful to be a Longhorn today than I was a week ago. God Bless Texas!
This cover photo this week is courtesy of Damon Rushing, one of the many great Austin photographers who I enjoy following. More at: https://www.rushingdigitalmedia.com/ut-longhorns
Administrative – Important
I put together my website, AustinHornsFan.com, by myself. Which you would probably guess if you looked. But between Go Daddy and Word Press, I thought I figured it out, and while the site is pretty simple, I like the way these newsletters look when I post them to the blog. Anyway, when I was using the template to build the site, it had a place to put “Join Our Newsletter” and a button to Subscribe. I of course put that on the site. Last year, I was only mildly surprised that I never got any people signing up. But this year, before the season started, my friend Ashley Kamrath invited me to be on her Saturday morning radio show on the Horn, Big Ugly Tailgate, which she does with Kasey Studdard and Jonny Rogers. It was fun, and she was awesome about promoting this newsletter and the website. She got lots of texts from folks saying they had gone to my website and signed up. But I never got any notice of sign-ups, as I wrongly assumed I would. Then Saturday morning at Juan Heisman, a gentleman came up and introduced himself (I apologize sir, I forgot your name), and said he had signed up. Well, I may be a bit slow, but I knew something was up. So, I began investigating. So to the 200 plus people who have gone to the website over the last couple of years, I apologize. You are on the email list now! Some of you may be duplicates, so if you get multiple copies, let me know, and we will try and fix that.
Texas Longhorns vs. Rice Owls
Texas heads to Houston for what will be as close to a home game on the road as the Horns can have.
Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. from NRG Stadium. The game will be broadcast on the CBS Sports Network, with Carter Blackburn, Aaron Taylor, and Jenny Dell. On the radio with the Voice of the Longhorns, Craig Way, and Roger Wallace and my friend Quan Cosby. In Austin on the Horn 104.9, and KOKE-FM. In Orange on KOGT, 1600 AM. In Crockett on KIVY 92.7 FM. And in Alpine on KVLF 1240 AM.
This will be the 95th meeting between the Owls and the Horns. Of the 909 wins in Texas history, 72 of them have come against Rice, or about 8%. The overall series is 72-21-1.
I think that the first time I wrote about Clint Small in my newsletter was before a Rice game many years ago, around 2010. Ed called me down to his office, and he had a photo of Clint and shared some stories with me. Anyway, my impression was that Clint did not hold the Owls in high regard. But that probably stemmed from his playing against them in the 1930’s, when Rice was competitive. Before hard helmets and facemasks. In the 30’s, the Owls won 7 of 10.
We split the 40s. Texas won 6 of 10 in the 1950’s. By the Sixties, and the dynasty which Coach Royal was building, the series turned completely to Texas. Yes, we dropped a couple in that decade, but Texas was 20-0 in the Seventies and Eighties.
In my lifetime, the Owls have beaten the Longhorns 3 times:
1. 1960, a 7-0 Rice win in Houston for an Owls team ranked #20 AP, #18 UPI. Texas had dropped the season opener to Nebraska (13-14), then reeled off wins over Maryland, the Sand Aggies, and the Land Thieves, before losing to #11/9 Arkansas. Jack Collins managed only 35 yards and 10 carries, and was 0-3-1 passing, while Mike Cotton was 5-9-2, for 103 yards. Collins was also the punter, 3 times for 102 yards. Pat Culpepper led the Horns in tackling, with 9 (8 solo).
2. 1965, an unranked an Rice team came to Austin. Texas had gone to Dallas a couple of weeks earlier ranked #1 in the AP and #2 in the UPI, and shutout the Land Thieves 19-0. But a 24-27 loss at #3/3 Arkansas the next week had dropped Texas to #5 in the AP and #6 in the UPI. A crowd of 63,000 at Memorial Stadium saw Rice outgain the Horns 145-130 on the ground and 128-106 in the air. The leading Texas rusher was Phil Harris with 69 yards on 18 carries, and the leading receiver for the Longhorns was Ed Small, who caught 2 passes for 39 yards. Texas led 14-3 at half, but Rice scored 7 in the third and 10 in the fourth to leave Austin with a 20-17 win. I am guessing Tommy Nobis was hurt.
3. 1994, a Texas team ranked #12 in the AP and #9 in the CNN poll went to Houston and got beat 19-17. Mackovic’s Horns had a 4-1 record, with the loss being to #4 Colorado in Austin. Many of you will recall Rashaan Salaam, who rushed for 317 yards that day against Texas on 35 carries, which probably won him the Heisman Trophy (Salaam would rush for 2,055 that year; their quarterback was good too, Kordell Steward. But I digress).
The one tie in the series came in 1962, when the undefeated and No. 1 Longhorns went to Houston on October 27 to face an unranked Owls team. Texas had back to back wins over the Land Thieves (9-6) and No. 7/6 Arkansas (7-3). Rice outgained the Horns 212-199 on the ground that day. Texas passed for 79 yards to Rice’s 107. Johnny Genung was 5-9 for 57 yards and Duke Carlyle was 2-5 for 22 yards, while Tommy Wade completed none of his 5 pass attempts. Ernie Koy was the leading Texas receiver with 3 catches for 26 yards (he also rushed for 32). Tommy Ford led the Horns rushing attack with 71 yards, scoring one of the 2 Texas TD’s (Jerry Cook had the other, and rushed for 44 yards).
The Texas win streak from 1966-1993 (28 games) was dominant. During that stretch Texas would outscore the Owls 1,012 to 365 (a margin of 647 points). Rice was shut-out twice. The Owls scored more than 20 points just 6 times, with 3 of those games coming in the last 5 years of that stretch. Texas dominated nearly every game, with Rice being with one score only four times. The only squeakers were in 1989 (McWilliams) when Texas won 31-30 and in 1992 (Mackovic) when Texas won 23-21.
The Horns beat Rice 48-7 in 2003, 35-13 in 2004, 51-10 in 2005, 52-7 in 2006, 58-14 in 2007, 52-10 in 2008, 34-17 in 2010, 34-9 in 2011, and 42-28 in 2015. So a 406 to 115 margin this millennium.
With a history and statistics like that, one might ask …
Why Does Rice Play Texas?
This infamous line was from President John F. Kennedy’s famous speech in Houston on September 12, 1962, officially announcing that the United States of America was going to the moon.
The speech (well, the question JFK posed) has been in the news a lot again the last week or so, including this article on ESPN.com
The Official Preview:
https://texassports.com/news/2019/9/9/preview-no-12-13-football-at-rice-sept-14.aspx
Link to download the Game Notes.
https://texassports.com/documents/2019/9/9//Texas_Week3_Notes.pdf?id=13416
Texas is a 32.5 point favorite over the Owls, and that might be low.
The Statistics
Offense
| Statistic | Texas | Rice |
| Rushing Offense | #88 – 137 ypg | #101 – 124.0 ypg |
| Passing Offense | #13 – 355 ypg | #114 – 158 ypg |
| Total Offense | #321 – 492 ypg | #120 – 282 ypg |
| Scoring Offense | #28 – 41.5 ppg | #119 – 14.0 ppg |
| First Downs | #17 – 27/game | #120 – 15/game |
| Sacks Allowed | 101 – 6, 34 yards | #68 – 4, 27 yards |
| Tackles for Loss Allowed | #53 – 10, 46 yards | #60 – 11, 40 yards |
| Third Down Conversions | #21 – 53% | #117 – 26% |
| Red Zone Offense | #88 – 78% / 78% | #116 – 60% / 60% |
| Long Run Plays | #91 – 7/10+, 0/20+, 0/30+ | #117 – 4/10+; 1/20+; 1/30+; 1/40+; 1/50+ |
| Long Pass Plays | #10 – 28/10+; 10/20+; 3/30+; 2/40+ | #97 – 14/10+; 3/20+; 2/30+; 1/40+ |
| Long Scrimmage Plays | #30 – 35/10+, 10/20+, 3/30+, 2/40+ | #115 – 18/10+, 4/20+, 3/30+, 2/40+ |
Defense
| Statistic | Texas | Rice |
| Rushing Defense | #28 – 87.5 ypg | #118 – 216 ypg |
| Passing Defense | #127 – 405.5 ypg | #43 – 182.5 ypg |
| Total Defense | #120 – 493 ypg | #85 – 398.5 ypg |
| Scoring Defense | #94 – 29.5 ppg | #82 – 27.5 ppg |
| Sacks | #47 – 5, 31 yards | 0.0 |
| Tackles for Loss | #72 – 11, 46 yards | #86 – 10, 22 yards |
| First Downs Allowed | #123 – 26.5/game | #46 – 18/game |
| Third Down Conversions | #92 – 42.3% | #127 – 55.2% |
| Red Zone Defense | #90 – 100% / 57% | #90 – 100% / 67% |
| Long Run Plays Allowed | #14 – 4/10+, 1/20+, 0, 0 | #71 – 9/10+, 2/20+, 2/30+, 1/40+ |
| Long Pass Plays Allowed | #129 – 36/10+, 9/20+, 3/30+, 2/40+ | #37 – 13/10+, 5/20+, 3/30+, 1/40+ |
| Long Scrim. Plays Allowed | #124 – 40/10+, 10/20+, 3/30+, 2/40+ | #49 – 22/10+, 7/20+, 5/30+, 2/40+ |
On Long Pass Plays Allowed, Texas is tied for dead last in country, with Wyoming. Thanks a lot Joe Burrow.
Other
| Statistic | Texas | Rice |
| Turnovers | #7 – 1 : 1F/0I | #7 – 1 : 1F/0I |
| Turnover Margin | #12 : 1.50 | #53 : 0.0 |
| Penalties | #55 – 12, 97 yards | #8 – 5, 32 yards |
*Based on total number of penalties.
Match-up Comparison
| Texas Offense | Rice Defense |
| Rushing Offense – 137 ypg | 216 ypg – Rushing Defense |
| Passing Offense – 355 ypg | 182.5 ypg – Passing Defense |
| Total Offense – 492 ypg | 398.5 ypg – Total Defense |
| Scoring Offense – 41.5 ppg | 27.5 ppg – Scoring Defense |
| First Downs – 27/game | 18/game – First Downs Allowed |
| 3rd Down Offense – 53% | 55.2% – 3rd Down Defense |
| Red Zone Offense – 78%/78% | 100%/67% – Red Zone Defense |
| LRP – 7/10+, 0/20+, 0/30+ | 9/10+, 2/20+, 2/30+, 1/40+- LRP Allowed |
| LPP – 28/10+, 10/20+, 3/30+, 2/40+ | 13/10+, 5/20+, 3/30+, 1/40+ – LPP Allowed |
| LSP – 35/10+, 10/20+, 3/30+, 2/40+ | 22/10+, 7/20+, 5/30+, 2/40+ – LSP Allowed |
| Texas Defense | Rice Offense |
| Rushing Defense – 87.5 ypg | 124 ypg – Rushing Offense |
| Passing Defense – 405.5 ypg | 158 ypg – Passing Offense |
| Total Defense – 493 ypg | 282 ypg – Total Offense |
| Scoring Defense – 29.5 ppg | 14.0 ppg – Scoring Offense |
| First Downs Allowed – 26.5/game | 15/game – First Downs |
| 3rd Down Defense – 42.3% | 26% – 3rd Down Offense |
| Red Zone Defense – 100%/57% | 60%/60% – Red Zone Offense |
| LRP Allowed – 4/10+, 1/20+, 0, 0 | 4/10+, 1/20+, 1/30+, 1/40+, 1/50+ – LRP |
| LPP Allowed – 36/10+, 9/20+, 3/30+, 2/40+ | 14/10+, 3/20+, 2/30+, 1/40+- LPP |
| LSP Allowed – 40/10+: 10/20+, 3/30+, 2/40+ | 18/10+, 4/20+, 3/30+, 2/40+ – LSP |
Quick aside for some other statistical notes:
1. Maryland is #1 is scoring offense, average 71 points per game.
2. Land Thieves are again an offensive powerhouse.
a. #1 in total offense – 709.5 ypg
b. #1 Long Running Plays: 25/10/6/3/1/1/1
c. #16 Long Pass Plays: 27/13/10/6/1
d. #1 Long Scrimmage Plays: 52/23/16/9/2/1/1
5. Michigan State Rush Defense #1 – minus 6 yards this year on 52 attempts, for a minus 3 yards per game average.
6. Third Down Defense. K State has allowed 1 conversion on 17 attempts, or 5.9%. Sand Aggies are 2nd with allowing 4 of 31, at 12.9%.
Texas Depth Chart
Rice Owls
The Owls are winless in 2019. They lost their opener to Army, 7-14. That loss doesn’t look so bad now, when you think about what Army did at Michigan last Saturday. Then the North Carolina Baptists came to Houston last weekend: Wake Forest destroyed the Owls, 41-21. The Rice starter at quarterback, Wiley Green, may be hurt. If he is out, then Harvard transfer (never written that before) Tom Stewart will take snaps. Running backs to watch are Nashon Ellerbe and Aston Walter.
Rice is coached by Mike Bloomgren, who was at Stanford for 7 seasons before coming to Houston for the 2018 season. He became offensive coordinator for the Cardinal in 2013. Stanford won eight or more games in each of his seasons and reached the Pac-12 championship game four times, winning three titles. He’s a good coach. And he obviously like challenges.
Texas will beat Rice
I just don’t see this being close. NRG is going to be DKR on the Bayou. Herman wants to win and win big. With news that Daniel Young is back early from injury and available, we should be much stronger at running back (that news came out after the Depth Chart was released). Word that Collin Johnson may not be able to play is troubling, but I agree with Coach Herman – get him well. We need him more later than we do this week. That receiving corps is deep. Sure need Caden Sterns to heal too, assuming that he is nicked up (my guess). I can see the Horns easily with 500 yards or more offensively, and I am hoping Sam is sitting again (for the right reasons) in the fourth quarter. Texas wins and covers.
Texas Longhorns 52, Rice Owls 10
Texas Pregamer. Great collection of program covers.
https://www.barkingcarnival.com/2019/9/12/20863853/texas-pregamer-rice-ehlinger-herman
Previews on the Interwebs
From Cody Daniel on BON:
William Marsh Rice University
It would be hard to have to more different back-to-back opponents than Rice and Louisiana State, although Texas Agricultural & Mechanical would come close. Rice is one of the most respected universities not just in Texas, but in the nation and the world. I don’t recall seeing “Rice” mentioned on any of the party school lists over which I poured last week.
Rice has a fascinating history, which I shall save for another time. But suffice to say, Henry Marsh Rice’s murder and the role a lawyer named James A. Baker played in Rice’s founding make for a good story.
Initially named William Marsh Rice Institute for the Advancement of Letters, Science, and Art, and renamed William March Rice University in 1960. It is a very fine school.
But starting with the Interwebs, the first 4 questions listed under “People also ask” when Rice is googled:
- Is Rice considered an Ivy League School? “In fact, Rice is ranked six spots higher than vaunted Princeton and 18 places ahead of Cornell. Many of the storied Ivy League colleges could not match Rice’s string of A+ grades in Niche’s academic-modeled rankings system. … Being Top 5 in the nation makes Rice the highest-ranked university in Texas, of course.”
- What is Rice University best known for? “Rice is a fantastic university. It is well known for its engineering, music, and architecture programs. Rice has one of the best materials science programs in the country, and has a great reputation for its nanotechnology research”
- What GPA do you need to get into Rice University? “With a GPA of 4.17, Rice University requires you to be at the top of your class. You’ll need nearly straight A’s in all your classes to compete with other applicants.”
- Is Rice a good University? “Rice University’s ranking in the 2019 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 16.”
I really didn’t have to click to get the exact answer, because I knew the answers would be No, Nerds, 4.0, and Indubitably. The internet answers were more accurate of course.
As for National Ranking, that is from the US News & World Report rankings. Virginia is No. 28, Texas is #48. By the way, National Liberals Arts Colleges, Washington and Lee is ranked No. 10.
Of course, Texas has plenty of superlatives and is at or near the top of plenty of lists. But Rice week was probably not the week to go down this path. It will be much, much more fun during Hate Week (that is, the days preceding the Red River Shootout with the Land Thieves).
In the meantime, read about the fastest academic supercomputer in the world, Frontera, here in Austin at The University. (Fifth most powerful system in the world overall; What Starts Here Changes The World.)
Tigers 45, Longhorns 38
Okay, my positivity above is a bit misleading. I was and am heartbroken we lost that game. Oddly, I tend to handle losses where we play poorly and “deserve” to lose so much better than I handle games that Texas should’ve and could’ve won.
Highlights (5:23):
Condensed game – 40 minutes.
I didn’t have time to watch a full replay of the game with the remote. Here are my highlights.
First Texas possession was not bad, but I felt like Sam was a little hyped, evidenced by this over-throw of Eagles on a deep shot on second down.
A good punt, and LSU had their first possession starting on their own 11. Joe Burrow had a good drive, which started with 5 runs and a short pass before Burrow connected with Marshall for 38 yards to the Texas 23 on a perfect pass. The Texas defense tightened, and Ossai got some pressure on third down to keep the Tigers out of the end zone and force a field goal.
The second Texas possession left me sick to my stomach. A long drive, aided by 2 LSU penalties. Great play with the pass from Duvernay to Ehlinger to get a Longhorn first down at the LSU 36. Then the key play was the great pass to and great catch by Eagles for 28 yards, which set up Texas with first and goal at the LSU 8. Fourth and goal at the 2 yard line, and a good play call and good execution – except that Keontay Ingram dropped the touchdown pass that hit him in the hands. So deflating. Should have been 7-3 Texas.
Credit to the Horns and their fans. Texas responded on defense and the crowd was in the game and loud. The disappointment of the drop was quickly replaced with the excitement of Joseph Ossai’s interception that had Texas back in business at the LSU 4 yard line. Sam for 2. Sam for 1. Ingram no gain. Fourth and goal from the LSU 1. No Dicker the Kicker. Good defensive play by the Tigers, and Sam was caught for a loss.
The next LSU series was long for these offenses (4:30), and after the Tigers had pushed the ball out to the LSU 35, defense got tight. Burrow was sacked, McCulloch with a TFL on Fournette, and LSU did not convert the third and 18.
Texas got the ball after the punt at the Texas 22. Roschon Johnson was in, and he had a couple of nice runs. A few plays in, and Texas had third and 10 at the Texas 45. Another Ehlinger to Eagles connection, this one for 55 yards and a score, putting the Horns up 7-3. It was a heck of a catch and run – reminded me of Lil’Jordan.
LSU answered with a 75 yard drive on 8 plays in 3 minutes, keyed by a big 24 yard run by Edwards-Helaire. Tigers up 10-7.
Texas got the ball back exactly half way through the second quarter. It was not a productive drive, and after a first down thanks to an LSU penalty and then a good pass to Duvernay, Texas would see Sam sacked on third and 4, forcing the Bujcevski punt.
Again LSU drove the ball, Burrow starting the drive from the LSU 20 with pass completions of 13 yards, 23 yards, 20 yards, and 6 yards, and in a what seemed like a few seconds LSU was on the Texas 24 with a first down. Edwards-Helaire went up the middle for 9, giving the Tigers and first and goal at the 9. On third and goal on the Texas 4, another huge play from Joseph Ossai who sacked Burrow for an 11 yard loss. Coach O took the 3 points, giving LSU at 13-7 lead.
Texas got the ball with 1:41 to play, and it would have been nice to run the clock and, worst case, go to the locker room down 6 at half. But a 3 and out, keyed by a big sack by Chaisson for a 12 yard loss, had Ryan punting from the end zone.
A good punt, but LSU with a return and set up with 1:13 and the ball at the LSU 42. Burrow was surgical. 19 yards to Chase and then 18 yards to Jefferson, first down at the Texas 21. The next pass was pay dirt, with Burrow hitting Jefferson again (who made a really nice catch) for the touchdown. 58 yards in 3 plays and 26 seconds. The defense looked bad.
Texas didn’t do anything with the 47 seconds left in the half. It was 20-7 Tigers, and I was worried.
That first half was a story of squandered opportunities and Joe Burrow. Two first and goals and no points. I think Burrow was 13 of 15.
Credit Herman and the coaches who did a great job at halftime, because the Longhorns in the second half were a much better team.
The defense forced a 3 and out to start the half.
Texas got the ball at the UT 14, and Ingram and Johnson ran hard, and Sam Ehlinger completed 7 passes on a very nice 19 play drive that ended with Sam bulling it in to the end zone to make it 20-14. Really big, and I felt an energy and had a real sense the Horns were going to win it.
LSU answered with a 53 yard drive and a field goal to make it a two score game again.
Next series was Sam Ehlinger gold. 18 yards to Collin Johnson, Johnson for 5, then Sam with a 17 yard run to the LSU 35. 15 yards on a screen pass to Duvernay (he is fast), then on third and 10 from the LSU 20, Ehlinger connected with Jake Smith for touchdown, on a great catch by Smith. 21-23, and Texas is in it.
LSU’s next drive was equally good. Burrow again shredding the secondary (26 yard and 12 yard completions), finishing the 75 yard drive with a 26 yard pass to Marshall. LSU 30, Texas 21.
God Bless Sam. No quit. Another scoring drive that included 11 yards to Duvernay, 16 yards to Duvernay, 7 to Johnson, and then after barely missing a big third down completion to Burt, Texas again had a fourth and 2. But this time at the LSU 44, not inside the 5. Herman didn’t seem to hesitate. An absolutely perfect pass to Duvernay cutting across the middle for what would be a Texas first down, but Devin turned it into a touchdown as he split the Tiger defenders and hit the turbo boost, blasting into the endzone. Dicker’s kick would make it a 2 point game with 12 minutes to play.
Defensive frustrations continued, as despite the momentum and the crowd, Orlando and his men could not find a way to stop Burrow and the Tigers. Four straight pass completions had LSU go from their 25 to the Texas 39. Then a tough call on Malcom Roach for roughing the passer put LSU on the Texas 24. Burrow to Marshall for 12, then Edwards-Helaire took it the last 12 yards for a 37-28 LSU lead.
Unbelievable, really, the way these two teams punched and counterpunched like a heavyweight fight..
Again Texas answered. Sam answered. Every play on the next drive was either Ehlinger’s arm or his legs. A pass interference call on the Tigers that got Texas to the LSU 30, but the sack on the next play and 12 yard loss really hurt. Sam had runs of 25, 13, and 13 yards, but the 46 yard drive ended with a 47 yard Dicker field goal. 37-31 LSU with 4 minutes to play. Texas just needs one stop.
Burrow started the Tiger drive from the LSU 25 with an 11 yard completion to Marshall, then 7 yards to Jefferson. A short run got LSU out to their own 46 with a first down. A rare incomplete pass, then Brandon Jones with a huge sack of Burrow had LSU in Third and 17.
After the sack, Texas took its second timeout of the half, with 2:38 to play. LSU was facing third and 17, and DKR was loud. Orlando had 3 down linemen, and it sure looked like the right defense. We all know how aggressive this coaching staff is, and all Texas had to do was keep LSU from gaining 17 yards. Texas rushed 7 6?), and Burrow evaded the rush, found Jefferson cutting across the middle (he had gotten a couple of steps on Sterns), and then Jefferson just outran Sterns and the other Texas defenders. LSU went for and got two (what else, a Burrow pass), and with 2 and a half minutes to play, LSU had a 14 point lead.
Sam punched back, and Texas took the ball 75 yards for score, once again with big pass completions to Eagles and Duvernay. 45-38 with 22 seconds. Collin Johnson was within inches of recovering the onside kick, but no such luck.
Ehlinger had an amazing game, 31-47 for 401 yards and 4 scores, no interceptions.
Burrow was just slightly better, 31-39 for 471 yards with 4 scores, but a pick.
Running back game has to get better. Sam was our leading rusher with 90 gained, 60 net. Johnson had 32 on 7 carries and Ingram had 29 on 10 carries. Must improve.
Duvernay had 12 catches for 154 yards and 2 scores, Eagles had 5 catches for 116 yards and a score, and Johnson had 3 for 49. Ingram with 3 catches (32) and Johnson also with 3 (17). Jake Smith, Ehlinger, Reese Leitao and Cade Brewer all had a catch. John Burt was targeted 2 or 3 times I think, and he came up empty.
5 of the 6 top tacklers for Texas were DBs: Sterns (9), Green (8), Foster (8), Brown (6), Jones (6), and McCulloch had 6. Ossai had 3, Adeoye had 1. Our defensive line made 6 tackles combined: Roach 3, Graham 2, and Chisholm 1. 6 TFL and 3 sacks, which is nice.
I give the Offense an A- (the 2 missed chances inside the 5 drop the grade, but the perfect second half where we scored on every possession was impressive).
Defense gets a B-, and that may be generous. Lots of work to do before we start playing the air raid offense of the Big 12.
There are tons of game reviews on the usual sites. BurntOrangeNation.com has at least 6. This is a good one from Anthony Rizzo, but I commend Cody Daniels’ posts to you too.
Losing the game was disappointing. Equally disappointing is my loss of respect for the LSU fan base. The stories about Sam Ehlinger and the coaches phones and the nasty and racist calls and texts. Just terrible. But we have a secret weapon, Michelle Herman. She fought back, and her Twitter posts are gold. Link to an article that has the Tweets.
It was really bad. This article is really good. Covers the issue and more. Highly recommended.
https://sports.yahoo.com/behind-the-scenes-with-texas-football-190915598.html
I am glad the air conditioning brouhaha is resolved. The data released by the University Thursday is indisputable. Good job CDC and Arthur. Actually kind of sad that Coach O made all that up and lied about. Before all this, I was fan of Orgeron. Not so much now.
Dave Campbell
Wednesday night at the Headliners Club was really, really special. Every real football fan in Texas has probably picked up and read Dave Campbell’s Texas Football a few times in his life, and some of us have made that a summer tradition for decades (like me).
Mr. Campbell is one of the most legendary sportswriters in Texas history, and he has a book out, “Dave Campbell’s Favorite Texas College Football Stories”. You can get it on Amazon.
Mr. Campbell regaled a packed house with stories of not just Texas football, but also of his service in the 14th Armored Division in World War II.
Tim Crowley asked Mr. Campbell who the greatest college players in Texas football history were, and Dave said (not surprisingly), Earl Campbell on Offense and Tommy Nobis and Mike Singletary on Defense. Dave told the story of how he and his wife Reba went to New York when Earl won the Heisman (Mr. Campbell has been a Heisman voter for no telling how long – I forgot to ask, and he is one of 5 sectional representatives). Reba Campbell had a rose to pin on Ann Campbell when she arrived at the Marriott Marquis in Manhattan.
Greatest game? The 1969 Texas-Arkansas game, and then the Texas – Notre Dame Cotton Bowl. Bear in mind that Dave Campbell is not a Texas homer – he is a Distinguished Alumnus of Baylor University and a lifelong Baylor fan.
One of the most special moments of the evening was having our friend Jack Collins there. Jack was on the cover of the very first Dave Campbell’s Texas Football in 1960 (I held a copy in my hand Wednesday night, and took this photo):
Polls
AP Top 25: Clemson, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana State, Land Thieves, The Ohio State University™, Notre Dame, Auburn, Florida, Michigan. Texas drops to No. 12. Texas Agricultural & Mechanical is 16. Southern Cal and Virginia enter the Top 25 and 24 and 25 respectively (for you aggies, that means the Trojans are No. 24 and the Cavaliers are No. 25).
Coaches Poll: Clemson, Roll Tide, UGa, Land Thieves, Louisiana State, The Ohio State University™, L’Université de Notre Dame du Lac, Florida, War Eagle, Michigan. Texas at No. 13, Texas Agricultural & Mechanical is 15.
The Juan Heisman Tailgate
After the Notre Dame game and tailgate a couple of years ago (at which, BTW, Mayor Pete Buttigeig was a guest), I didn’t think we could top that party in terms of consumption and people. Southern Cal proved me wrong, as Trojans and Horns turned out in even larger numbers to celebrate yet another storied match-up. I was sure that would be the apex of The Juan Heisman Tailgate. I guess I wasn’t thinking right, which is odd for someone who has spent a lot of time in New Orleans.
Saturday September 7 proved me wrong, and I don’t think I can imagine any tailgate party with more fun, more people, and more alcohol. And I can assure you that next time I think having 21 cases of beer as our “base” is enough, I am going to double-down, especially if the game involves Louisiana.
One important note: A HUGE THANK YOU to Chris Del Conte, Chris Plonsky, Arthur Johnson, and the rest of the folks who were or might have been involved in the decision to allow exit and re-entry privileges in our parking lot. We would have really been toast without it. Let’s hope that policy is fully reinstated.
Back to the Party. I was planning for about 300-350, and Judd Messer, 2019 CEO of the JHT, was superb in his planning and organization. 21 cases of beer from our friends at Capitol-Wright, 4 cases of Truly Seltzer, and I think around 3-4 cases of distilled spirits, including a case of Dulce Vida Tequila. JD Gins and Megan Klein were there with the Texas Beer Company supply, which include a few cases of cans and about 5 or 6 of the mini kegs. About 5:20, all the beer was gone. I am not kidding. Never have I ever seen that much beer consumed that quickly at our tailgate (at the Alpha Chapter house of Kappa Alpha Order, from whence I matriculated in 1982, such intake would have been the norm; but we were professionals). So thanks to JD and Ian and Megan and Amy for all the beer, thanks to Chad Auler for the great supply of Dulce Vida tequila, and thanks to my friends James Taylor and Duff Stewart for the donation of Susto Mezcal. We needed it all. And that doesn’t count the 5 or 6 handles of Tito’s that were drained.
My thanks to my friend Matt Sullivan at House Park BBQ for the most excellent briskets. Oldest pit in Texas, and the bark on those briskets was so good I can barely describe it. I had a bunch of it, because I busy at the pit with Marcus & Otis. Need no teef to eat that beef.
Tony Dewar brought honey mustard pork tenders (he’s from Highland Park; that’s barbecue in the Bubble apparently). Marcus and Otis did an outstanding job with serving that huge crowd. And my thanks to one of my favorite Auburn men, Brian Newell for tending bar.
Of course, the highest thanks and praise go to the men who were on Early Crew. Judd got in line at 3:15 a.m., Jack Nash was in in line with the pit well before the gates opened at 5:00 a.m. Bill Skeen was there very early, as was Grant Martin. Collin Shaw brought the Suburban, and Hunter Wilcox, Rick Whiteley, and Butters Barton rounded out the LSU JHT Early Crew. Tony Dewar came early with tacos and coffee, and Jim Stone came in to relieve the Early Crew. JHT CFO Brad Laughlin had all of the beer loaded and delivered before 8:00 Saturday morning, and when Brad Hawley and I got there at 9:45, Scott Ferguson and Tony had the big screen on with College Gameday, and Marcus and Otis were working on the food and the rest of the set-up.
A very special guest was my son Charles, who drove in from Ole Miss just for the game. But so many friends were there it is hard to count, but especially good to see one of my two best friends from law school, the great lawyer Jeff Zlotky. Almost all of the Crew was there, in addition to the aforementioned, most all with significant others and family members: Jerry Winetroub, Tim Crowley, Gary Farmer, Bill Wilson, Bill Burke, John Carsey, Bob “Bull” Buchanan, Barry Barksdale, Ben Bennitt, Jerry Epps, all of the Dunn men (Bob, Mike, and Rob), David “Uncle Buck” Edelman, John Elliott, Jim Craig Hess, Richard Hill, D. Kent Lance, Donnie Williams.
For the most part, our guests from Louisiana were respectful and welcomed. But a heads up for the future: if you come to Juan Heisman and start throwing the Horns down, you will be asked to leave. Not kidding. I am sick of that shit, and I am not putting up with at the Tailgate. If you want to be an asshole, go drink someone else’s beer.
Week Three in College Football
Big XII
Conference action starts Friday night with Kansas at Boston College. 6:30 p.m. on the ACC Network. Eagles are favored by 20.5, and the over/under is 51.
Saturday
K State goes to Starkvegas. Mississippi State is also undefeated. Bulldogs favored by 7, and the over/under is 52. 11:00 a.m. on ESPN.
West Virginia (1-1) gets NC State (2-0) in Milan Puskar Stadium. The Wolfpack is a 6.5 point road favorite, and the o/u is 45.5. 11:00 a.m. on FOX Sports 1.
Oklahoma State (2-0) on the road to Tulsa to play Tulsa (1-1). 2:30 p.m. on ESPN2. I am surprised that the Okie Aggies are only favored by 14. O/U is 64. I foresee a big win for Gundy and his boys, in honor of T. Boone. OSU to win and cover. RIP Mr. Pickens.
Huge day in Ames, Iowa. After leaving the 40 Acres last weekend, College Gameday turned north on IH35, and had a straight shot of about 965 miles to Jack Trice Stadium. Iowa State (1-0) hosts No. 19 Iowa (2-0) in the battle for the Cy-Hawk Trophy, which, shockingly, is sponsored by Iowa Corn. 3:00 p.m. on FOX Sports 1. Iowa favored by 2, and the over/under is 43.5. Good luck Iowa State. Should be quite a day. They are expecting extra heavy traffic in Ames, which I suspect is similar to when it snows in Austin.
Texas Christian (2-0) with a respectable road game in West Lafayette, Indiana, with the Boilermakers. Purdue is 1-1. 6:30 p.m. on BTN. Frogs favored by 2.5, and the O/U is 52.5.
No. 5 Oklahoma at UC Los Angeles. The Bruins are 0-2 and 23.5 home dogs. O/U is 72.5. 7:00 p.m. on FOX. I was thinking how when Texas has gone to Los Angeles for games how insane West LA, Beverly Hills, and Santa Monica are. Hotels booked, and getting a dinner reservation at Mastro’s or Spago about impossible, weeks if not months ahead of time. As of 11:00 p.m. Thursday night, rooms available at the Montage Beverly Hills at discounted rates, same with the Beverly Wilshire, the Beverly Hilton, the Beverly Hills Hotel, the Peninsula, and many more. I also checked Open Table for dinner Friday night. Some of the prime dinner times are booked up, but you can get into Spago, Il Fornaio, Villa Blanca, Mastro’s, CUT, 208 Rodeo, The Grill on the Alley, La Scala, … well you get the idea. Boomer!
Texas Technical (2-0) with a Power 5 road game too, at Arizona (1-1). 9:30 p.m. on ESPN. Sand Aggies favored by 2.5, and the over/under is 77.5.
Kudos to the Conference for getting out there and playing some good games.
Top 25
Friday Night
NRG Stadium is a good place to be for football this weekend. Mike Leach and his No. 20 Washington State Cougars (2-0) play Houston (1-1) Friday night there. 8:15 p.m. on ESPN. Wazzu favored by 9.5, and the over/under is 73.5. If you followed my recommendation and subscribed to The Athletic, then this article on Leach and his coaching tree (which maybe should be just considered a branch of the Hal Mumme tree, but that’s just my opinion) is good. For those who don’t subscribe, the hook is that Dana Holgorsen was a co-offensive coordinator (with Sonny Dykes) for Leach in 2004 in Lubbock. Of note, their quarterback, Graham Harrell, is the Southern Cal offensive coordinator, and doing a fine job.
https://theathletic.com/1203836/2019/09/12/zen-and-the-art-of-the-air-raid-coaching-tree/
Saturday
Arkansas State at No. 3 Georgia. 11:00 a.m. on ESPN2. Dawgs favored by 33 between the hedges, and the over/under is 58.
The Ohio State University™ also with an 11:00 a.m. start, opening Big 10 conference play at Indiana. Both 2-0. FOX. Buckeyes favored by 18, and the o/u is 59.5.
Big game for the Pitt Panthers. At No. 13 PSU. 11:00 a.m. on ABC. PSU favored by 17, o/u is 53. Good luck Pitt!
No. 21 Maryland at Temple, 11:00 a.m. on CBSSN. Playing at the Linc in Philadelphia. Terps favored by 6.5, and o/u is 66.5. Stunned both are that low, given the points Maryland has put up this year.
No. 7 Notre Dame at home in Notre Dame, Indiana, hosting New Mexico in Notre Dame Stadium. And of course, on NBC. 1:30 p.m. Irish favored by 35, and the o/u is 64.
No. 2 Alabama and South Carolina have the 2:30 p.m. Columbia Broadcasting System $EC game. Tide favored by 25.5 over the Gamecocks, and the o/u is 62.
Stanford at No. 17 Central Florida. UCF favored by 8.5. 2:30 p.m. on ESPN. Over/under is 61. Go Cardinal!
No. 24 Southern Cal at BYU. 2:30 p.m. on ABC. Trojans favored by 4, which seems about right. Provo is a tough place to play. Over/under is 56.
Arizona State at No. 18 Michigan State. 3:00 p.m. on FOX. Spartans favored by 14, and O/U is 41.5.
No. 11 Utah will move to 3-0. Utes have Idaho State at Rice-Eccles Stadium. No line.
No. 9 Florida at Kentucky. 6:00 p.m. on ESPN. Gators favored by 8.5, and the o/u is 48.5.
Speaking of 3-0, the 2-0 Auburn Tigers have Kent State at Jordan-Hare. 6:00 p.m. on ESPN2. War Eagle favored by 36, and o/u is 54.
Big day in College Station, as Texas Agricultural & Mechanical hosts Lamar. 6:00 p.m. on ESPNU. Texas Agricultural & Mechanical favored by about 43.
No. 1 Clemson plays Syracuse in the Carrier Dome. 6:30 p.m. on ABC. Tigers favored by 27.5, and o/u is 64.5. Orange might cover.
No. 4 Louisiana State hosts 0-2 Northwestern State at Tiger Stadium in Red Stick. 6:30 p.m. on SECN. At least one book put out a line – LSU by 51. No word on a prop bet for over/under on cramps.
Hawaii at No. 3 Washington. 6:30 p.m. on the Pac 12 Network. Huskies favored by 21.5, and the o/u is 59.
No. 25 Virginia at home to play Florida State at Scott Stadium. 6:30 p.m. on ACC Network. Hoos favored by 7.5, and o/u is 58.
Other Games of Interest
Friday Night
Mack Brown takes his undefeated Tarheels to Winston-Salem for a game with Wake Forest. 5:00 p.m. on ESPN. Wake favored by 3, and o/u is 66. Good luck Mack!
Saturday
Now at 0-2, every Tennessee game is of interest. Back in Neyland Stadium again this week, and the Vols have Chattanooga, who lost to Jacksonville State last week (41-20). 11:00 a.m. on SECN.
Miami plays Ohio rival Cincinnati. 11:00 a.m. on ESPNU. Cinci favored by 17.5, and o/u is 49.5.
Hotty Toddy! Ole Miss plays Southeastern Louisiana at Vaught-Hemingway. 3:00 p.m. on SECN, and that will make for a fun if short day in The Grove. Go Rebs!
Texas State (0-2) at undefeated Southern Methodist. Ponies favored by 17.5, o/u is 62.5.
The Week that Will Be: To the Moon
From HornMafia:
Last Week in College Football
Big XII
K State rolled over Bowling Green 52-0, easily covering the 24 point line.
West Virginia got whipped by Missouri, 38-7. Tigers covered (14)
Baylor 63-14 over UT San Antonio.
Land Thieves 70-14 over South Dakota. Surprisingly few people caught my note in the preview of this little game (“But why would Oklahoma waste a game on South Dakota? Why does Rice play Texas?”).
Poor Kansas is still Kansas. A 7 point home favorite over the Chanticleers, but the Jayhawks lose to Coastal Carolina 7-12. How did Vegas get an O/U at 53.5? Bet it was exciting. CC passed for 119 (completed 8 passes), and Kansas QB Carter Stanley was 13-19 for 107 yards and 2 picks.
McNeese 14, Okie A&M 56.
Texas Tech pounds the Miners 38-3
Top 25
I ran out of time. Literally.
Games of note:
Wahoos won 52-17 over the Tribe.
Texas Agricultural & Mechanical lost at No. Clemson, 10-24. Not embarrassing!
The Army-Michigan game was fantastic, but probably very uncomfortable for Wolverine fans. Michigan needed two overtimes to prevail, 24-21.
Maryland humiliated then No. 21 Syracuse 63-20.
Southern Cal has a true freshman starting after JT Daniels went down. Turns out he’s good. Trojans 45-20 over then No. 23 Stanford.
Colorado beat Nebraska in overtime, 34-31
Other Games of Interest
Ole Miss beat Arkansas 31-17. Hotty Toddy!
Washington & Lee
The Generals lost the season opener to Dickinson, 26-14. A disappointing start.
Huge game this week, as we welcome the University of the South – Sewanee to Wilson Field. 1:00 p.m. (Shenandoah Valley time) kick-off. W&L leads the series 44-23, and has won 13 of the last 14.
Preview and game notes:
https://www.generalssports.com/sports/fball/2019-20/releases/Sewanee_Notes
Music
Great feedback on Kevin Russell and Shinyribs. Glad y’all enjoyed it.
This week, I have some Houston music. My friend Don Counts gave me the idea after he sent this links with the note “Two Houston homeboys having too much fun”. Rodney Crowell with 56 Fury. The guy playing guitar is pretty good too. Billy is one of the best.
Sticking with that genre, ZZ Top is, for my generation, probably the greatest and most popular rock bands out of Houston. William Frederick Gibbons turns 70 in December, which makes me feel old. But ZZ Top’s music makes me feel young. Probably none more than the trademark song La Grange, with its boogie and beat. When grabbed this link off YouTube, it had 132,791,088 views. Kind of popular.
Beyoncé Knowles is fairly famous among Houston’s deep wealth of music talent.
Pretty Hurts
Kenny Rogers
The Gambler
Rodney Crowell
I Couldn’t Leave You if I Tried
Archie Bell & the Drells. Tighten Up, one of my favorite songs.
HAAM
The Health Alliance for Austin Musicians provides access to healthcare for Austin’s working musicians, most of whom live at or near the Federal poverty level. Live music is the soul of Austin, and keeping those musicians alive and well is HAAM’s mission.
Our biggest fundraiser is HAAM Day, which also happens to be one of the most fun and coolest days in Austin every year. This year, HAAM Day is September 24. Starting about 6:00 in the morning, and continuing all day and night, you can go to places all over Austin and hear live music. Whole Foods is our Presenting Sponsor, and there will be great performances there. Downtown office buildings, restaurants, bars, and a diverse bunch of businesses will support HAAM on September 24, and you can too.
More on HAAM Day:
www.myhaam.org
To sponsor, email me or just sign up now.
https://myhaam.formstack.com/forms/2019haamdaysignup
God Bless Texas
HOOK EM HORNS!!
© Timothy C. Taylor, Sr. 2019. All Rights Reserved (as to original material).
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